20:1 The 1 first [day] of the week cometh Mary Magdalene
early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth
the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
(1) Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John, are the first witnesses of
the resurrection, and these cannot justly be suspected, for
they themselves could hardly be persuaded of it; therefore,
they would obviously not invent such a story on purpose.
20:11 But Mary stood a without at the sepulchre weeping: and
as she wept, she stooped down, [and looked] into the
sepulchre,
(a) That is, outside of the cave which the sepulchre was
cut out of.
20:122 And seeth two angels in b white sitting, the one at
the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of
Jesus had lain.
(2) Two angels are made witnesses of the Lord's resurrection.
(b) In white clothing.
20:13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith
unto them, Because they have taken away c my Lord, and I
know not where they have laid him.
(c) Mary spoke as the common people used to speak: for
they spoke of a dead carcass as they did of a living
man.
20:143 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back,
and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
(3) Jesus witnesses by his presence that he is truly risen.
20:174 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet
ascended to my Father: but go to my d brethren, and say
unto them, I ascend unto e my Father, and your Father;
and [to] my God, and your God.
(4) Christ, who is risen, is not to be sought in this world
according to the flesh, but in heaven by faith where he has
gone before us.
(d) By his brethren he means his disciples, for in the
following verse it is said that Mary told his
disciples.
(e) He calls God his Father because he is naturally his
Father in the Godhead, and he says "your Father"
because he is our Father by grace through the adoption
of the sons of God: that is, by taking us by his free
grace to be his sons; Epiphanius.
20:195 Then the same day at evening, being the first [day] of
the week, when the f doors were shut where the disciples
were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood
in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you.
(5) Christ, in that he presents himself before his disciples
suddenly through his divine power, when the gates were
shut, fully assures them both of his resurrection, and also
of their apostleship, inspiring them with the Holy Spirit
who is the director of the ministry of the Gospel.
(f) Either the doors opened to him of their own accord, or
the very walls themselves were a passage to him.
20:236 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto
them; [and] whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are
retained.
(6) The publishing of the forgiveness of sins by faith in
Christ, and the setting forth and proclaiming the wrath of
God in retaining the sins of the unbelievers, is the sum of
the preaching of the gospel.
20:247 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not
with them when Jesus came.
(7) Christ draws out of the unbelief of Thomas a certain and
sure testimony of his resurrection.
20:298 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen
me, thou hast believed: blessed [are] they that have not
seen, and [yet] have believed.
(8) True faith depends upon the mouth of God, and not upon the
eyes of the flesh.
20:309 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence
of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
(9) To believe in Christ, the Son of God and our only saviour,
is the goal of the doctrine of the gospel, and especially
of the true account of the resurrection.
