Faith Dawning (20:3-10)

Faith Dawning (20:3-10)

John 20:3 says that Peter went out first to run to the tomb, but John 20:4 says that John got there first. Why? Maybe John was a younger, fitter man, or maybe John was just a better runner. It is tempting to “spiritualize” this foot race and connect it to Isaiah 40:31 and Hebrews 12:1–2. It is difficult to run the race of faith when a believer is out of fellowship with the Lord. However, both men deserve credit for the courage to run into enemy territory without knowing what lay ahead. The whole thing may have been a clever trap to catch the disciples.

When John came to the tomb, he stood outside looking in cautiously. Perhaps he wanted Peter to come with him into the burial chamber. What did John look at? The grave clothes lay on the shelf of stone, and there was no sign of violence or crime. But the grave clothes contained no evidence of a corpse! They sat there like an empty cocoon, still in the form of Jesus' body.

Peter came up and went into the tomb on impulse, as we should expect him to do. He also saw the linen clothes lying there empty, and the cloth for the head carefully rolled and lying by itself. Grave robbers don’t carefully unwrap the corpse and leave the graveclothes behind. Indeed, with the spices in the folds of the clothes, it would be almost impossible to unwrap a corpse without damaging the wrappings. Only Jesus passing through them as He rose from the dead could have left those linen clothes in that condition.

Then John went into the tomb and saw the evidence. He saw, and he believed.

In writing this account, John chose three different Greek words for seeing. In John 20:5 the verb simply means “to look in" or "to peer into.” It means “to look carefully, to observe” (John 20:6). The word "saw" in John 20:8 means "to perceive with intelligent comprehension. Now their resurrection faith was dawning!

It is hard to believe that the disciples of Jesus did not expect Him to leave the tomb alive. He had told them many times that after all, He would be raised from the dead. Early in His ministry He had said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). The disciples remembered that He had said this after His resurrection (John 2:22), but His enemies did too (Matt. 27:40, 63–64).

He likened Himself to Jonah (Matt. 12:40) and twice expressly foretold His resurrection after three days (Matt. 16:21; 20:19). On Thursday of His last week of ministry He again promised to be raised up and meet them in Galilee (Matt. 26:32; see Luke 24:6-7).

What kind of faith did Peter and John possess at this point in their spiritual experience? They had the evidence. They had faith. They could see the graveclothes. They knew Jesus’ body was not there. But evidence, good as it is to convince the mind, can never change the life. For those of us who live centuries later cannot examine the evidence, for the material evidence (the tomb, the graveclothes) is not open to us to examine.

But we have the record in the Word of God (John 20:9), and that record is true (John 19:35; 21:24). In fact, it was faith in the Word that the Lord really wanted to develop in His disciples (John 2:22; 12:16; 14:26). Peter said that our faith must be based on the Word of God, not on personal experience (1 Peter 1:12–21).

The disciples had nothing but the Old Testament Scriptures, so that is what is meant in John 20:9. The early church used the Old Testament to prove to both Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ, that He died for sinners, and that He arose again (Acts 9:22; 13:16ff.; 17:1-4; etc.). The gospel includes “and that He was raised again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4). What Scriptures Did Paul and John Refer To?

Paul placed the resurrection in Psalm 2:7 (Acts 13:33). Peter saw it in Psalm 16:8-11 (Acts 2:23-36, and see 13:35). Peter also cited Psalm 110:1 (Acts 2:34–35). The phrase “he shall prolong his days” in Isaiah 53:10 has also been taken as a prophecy of Christ’s resurrection. Jesus Himself used the prophet Jonah to illustrate his own death, burial, and resurrection (Matt. 12:38-40), and this would include the “three days” part of the message. Paul saw in the Feast of Firstfruits a picture of the resurrection (Lev. 23:9–14; 1 Cor. 15:20–23), and this would include “the third day” again. Some students see the resurrection and “the third day” in Hos. 6:2.

The Lord did not reveal Himself to everyone after His resurrection, but only to certain witnesses who would tell others the good news (Acts 10:39–43). Now this witness is found in the Scripture, the New Testament, and the Old and New Testaments agree in their witness. The law, the psalms, the prophets, and the apostles all testify that Jesus Christ is alive!

Peter and John “saw and believed” the evidence. The Holy Spirit confirmed their faith through the Old Testament Scriptures. That night they were to meet the Master Himself! The faith that was clouded over is beginning to dawn, and the light will get brighter.