John 20:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But they did not yet believe in His Resurrection. How is this clear? The Evangelist himself indicates it. After saying how Peter entered the tomb, he adds concerning himself: "and he saw, and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead."

"Then the other disciple, who came first to the tomb, also went in" (Jn 20:8). He came first and entered last. This, of course, is not without meaning, but I have no time for it. Augustine uses a play on words: Neque hoc utique vacat, sed mihi ad ista non vacat.

"And he saw," he says, "and believed"; cf. Jn 20:8. Here some, insufficiently attentive, suppose that John believed that Jesus had risen. Yet what follows does not indicate this. For what did he mean by immediately adding: "For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead" (Jn 20:9)? Therefore he could not believe that He had risen, since he did not know that He had to rise.

What, then, did he see? What did he believe? Surely he saw the empty tomb, and believed what the woman had said: that they had taken Him from the tomb. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead. Therefore, when they heard this from the Lord Himself, although it was said most plainly, they nevertheless did not understand it because they were accustomed to hearing parables from Him. They thought that it meant something else. What follows, however, we shall put off until another sermon.

What then did he see, and what did he believe? He saw the linen cloths lying there and believed what the woman had said, that the Lord had been taken from the tomb. In this matter we must consider the greatness of the divine economy. The hearts of the disciples are both kindled so as to seek, and cooled so as not to find. For the weakness of the soul, worn by its very grief, is made purer for finding. It holds all the more firmly when it finds, the more slowly it finds what it sought.

Nevertheless, for John it was enough to see these memorials of Jesus' stay in the tomb, so that he might become certain of His rising (Jn 20:8-9). Behold the first believer in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ after the myrrh-bearing women, to whom this had been announced by the Angel.

What brought John to faith? With all the attentiveness of love, John received the words of Jesus into his heart. Especially deeply impressed upon his spirit were the words of the final discourse, in which the Lord repeatedly spoke of His life after death and His appearing to His disciples.

The preservation of the linen cloths and the napkin in the tomb, and not in disorder, removed every thought of the theft of Jesus' body. What need would thieves have to remove the linen cloths? How could they do this with a guard present? And who would steal Him? The enemies of Jesus? But they were precisely concerned to keep Him secured. His friends? The apostles were all together and all in fear, not leaving the house, with its doors shut because of the Jews.

Something else had to be here. John's deep, inward, self-collected spirit now helped him compare these phenomena with the Lord's former words. He still lacked a clear unfolding of this matter from Scripture, from which his spirit often drew instruction. Yet these considerations made the thought of the Lord's Resurrection certain for John. At least John's heart believed in it. Perhaps the same Angel placed this thought in him, or at least strengthened it, imperceptibly to John himself.

And what of Peter? He too did not agree with Mary Magdalene's supposition that the Lord's body had been stolen. Yet the feelings of being deprived of the Lord, and of his own guilt before Him, were so dark that the thought of the Resurrection could not shine with joy in his soul. He left the tomb in the same perplexity with which he had run to it. Of course he also asked Joseph whether he knew where Jesus' body had gone, and from him he could learn nothing.

From John's Gospel we see that this took place before all the women returned to the city. It happened because of Mary Magdalene's message, and Peter did not make this journey alone, but with John. Mark, after setting forth the angelic message to the women about the Lord's Resurrection, begins the history of the appearances of the Risen One Himself. First of all, he recounts the Lord's appearance to Mary Magdalene.

Yet he does not describe in detail the circumstances in which this appearance took place. He says only that it was the first appearance, and that the disciples did not believe Mary Magdalene's report.

On the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and sees that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb. The thought arises in her that the body of her beloved Teacher and Lord had no rest even in the tomb, but had been carried away. With this sorrowful thought in her soul, she runs quickly to Peter and John, without having examined the tomb.

On the way she may have met her companions, who likewise were going to the Lord's tomb, and told them her sad supposition. Of course, she thought that after examining the tomb her companions had reached the same conclusion about the Lord's body. Therefore, when she came to the apostles, she said in the name of all the women: "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."

Peter and John rose and hurriedly ran with Mary to the tomb. The young John ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He did not, however, enter the tomb, but only bent down to see its interior. Therefore he could make out only the linen cloths lying in the tomb.

When Peter came up, with his usual impetuosity he immediately entered the tomb. John entered after him. And behold, they saw that the linen cloths with which Jesus' body had been wrapped, and the napkin that had been on His head, lay carefully folded in their places. Their order and condition clearly showed that there had been no theft of Jesus' body.

This, however, produced a different effect on Peter and John. The latter saw and believed (Jn 20:8), while the former only marveled within himself at what had happened (Lk 24:12). Having examined the Lord's tomb, Peter and John returned again to their own.

All the more so, earlier, when Jesus had repeatedly spoken to the apostles of His coming death and of the Resurrection following death, "these words were hidden from them, and they did not understand what was said" (Lk 18:34). Moreover, according to Luke the Evangelist, Peter returned from the tomb "marveling within himself at what had happened" (Lk 24:12). To the other apostles, the words of the women who returned from the tomb and announced Jesus' Resurrection seemed idle, and they did not believe them (Lk 24:11).

All this gives grounds to think that John, seeing the empty tomb and the linen cloths and napkin lying there, believed only that the Lord's body was not in the tomb, and that Mary Magdalene had not been mistaken in this respect.

John speaks here only of his own faith. He does not speak of Peter's faith. From Luke's Gospel it is clear that such faith in the Resurrection had not yet broken through in Peter's heart at that time. He went back, marveling within himself at what had happened (Lk 24:12). For this wonder to be transformed into faith, Peter needed a special appearance of the Risen One, and he was counted worthy of it (Lk 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5).

The undoubted conviction that the Lord is alive and has risen from the dead takes possession of their soul and fills it with joy. "And he saw and believed," John the Theologian says of himself.

Yet he undoubtedly acknowledges the same feeling in Peter. He presents himself only as a witness that, in all the circumstances of this event, one could not fail to come to faith in the Lord's Resurrection. Perhaps he even implies that faith had already flared up earlier in Peter's soul, since Peter entered the tomb before him.

That John is speaking of faith kindled in both hearts is clear from the following verse. There he says of both: "For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead."

Having received in their soul the conviction that the Lord is alive, and that what He Himself had told them had been fulfilled, the disciples' thoughts turn to the Law of Moses and the prophetic books. They seek the connection between the words of revelation and the events taking place.

Only then does the meaning of the words of the Psalm begin to become clear to them: Ps 15:10, "You will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

Only then do they remember many other prophecies. Among them is Isaiah chapter 53, which portrays with such clarity the Lord's sufferings, death, and burial, and ends with a cry of joy and victory.

They also remember the victorious cry of Hosea, Hos 13:14: "O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"

Yet full understanding of the prophecies was given to the Apostles only later. Then the Lord granted them the Holy Spirit and opened their mind to understand the Scriptures: Jn 20:22; Lk 24:45.

Therefore John the Theologian says, conscious of man's powerlessness to understand the Scriptures by himself: "For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead."

Only the Lord Himself, after appearing to the disciples, fully disclosed to them the meaning of the whole chain of prophecies. These announced God's providence for the salvation of man on earth.

Therefore, when Peter and John stand in the tomb, their souls are filled with faith and burn with love. Yet they do not yet possess the knowledge that the Lord will give them by the Holy Spirit.

John the Theologian notes this condition of their soul and mind. By this he shows how the Lord gradually enlightened them and opened the eyes of their understanding. Thus He made them worthy preachers of the Gospel and shepherds of Christ's flock.

"Then the disciples went back to their own homes," says John, "marveling at what had happened," as Luke adds in Lk 24:12, speaking of Peter alone.

Meanwhile Mary Magdalene had run after the disciples when they ran to the tomb. But she remained outside the tomb while Peter and John were inside it.

Peter and John certainly go back in order to tell the Theotokos what they had seen and felt. They also wished to gather all the other Apostles together, so that they might wait for the Lord in reverence.

For this reason we see the Apostles and the other believers, Lk 24:33, "and those who were with them," gathered together on the evening of that day.

Meanwhile Mary Magdalene, in deep sorrow, could not tear herself away from the tomb. She stands near the tomb and weeps bitter tears.