RSV ~ John 20 Notes
Jn 20:1 | ISB Notes
the first day: Sunday, the first day of the Jewish week.
Mary Magdalene: A devoted disciple of Christ, who was delivered of demonic possession (Lk 8:2) and whose love for Jesus carried her all the way to the Cross (19:25; CCC 641).
Jn 20:2 | ISB Notes
out of the tomb: The empty tomb is the indisputable fact of Easter morning, as testified to even by the Roman soldiers who guarded the site (Mt 28:11-15). The disappearance of Jesus is the first indication that he has risen as he said (Mt 20:17-19). This is confirmed by several appearances throughout the next 40 days (Jn 20:19-21:1; Acts 1:3; CCC 640).
we do not know: Presumes that Mary has come to the tomb with other women, as in Mt 28:1, Mk 16:1, and Lk 23:55-24:1.
Jn 20:4 | ISB Notes
the other disciple: John, the evangelist himself. Luke makes similar mention of certain disciples, including Peter, running to the tomb on Easter morning (Lk 24:12, 24).
See introduction: Author.
reached the tomb first: John defers to Peter by letting him enter the tomb first (20:6). This is more than a polite gesture, as it reflects his deference to the preeminent honor and authority that Jesus has bestowed on Simon (Mt 16:16-19).
⢠Allegorically (John Scotus Erigena, Hom. in Prol. Jn.): the tomb is the Sacred Scriptures. Peter is faith, which is the first thing we bring to its pages, and John is understanding, which afterward enters and penetrates their meaning more deeply. Morally, Peter and John represent the active and contemplative missions of the Church, so that even when contemplatives are the first to arrive at a deeper understanding of the faith, deference is given to the hierarchical leadership, who later defines and promulgates their authentic insights.
Jn 20:7 | ISB Notes
the napkin ⌠the linen cloths: Corroborating evidence of the Resurrection. No thief would have taken the time to unwrap Jesusâ corpse and fold his burial clothes neatly in the tomb. In any case, the grave robbers of antiquity usually stole the expensive linens and left the body behind, not the other way around.
Jn 20:9 | ISB Notes
the Scripture: For important resurrection passages, See note on Lk 24:46.
Jn 20:12 | ISB Notes
two angels: Luke likewise mentions two angels (Lk 24:4, 23).
Jn 20:14 | ISB Notes
she did not know: Failure to recognize the risen Jesus immediately is also noted in 21:4 and Lk 24:16 (CCC 659).
Jn 20:17 | ISB Notes
Do not hold me: Mary wants to keep Jesus with her, but he must first ascend to the Father. Only then will he come again to his disciples in spiritual and sacramental ways. See note on Jn 14:18.
my Father and your Father: Jesus is the Son of God by nature (1:18); believers are sons and daughters by grace (1:12); and all have the same Father (CCC 443, 654).
Jn 20:19 | ISB Notes
that day: The evening of Easter Sunday.
Jn 20:20 | ISB Notes
his hands and his side: The point is that Jesus is raised not simply with a body, but with the same body that was crucified and died only days earlier (20:25, 27). He carries these marks of his earthly sacrifice with him even when he ascends into heaven (Rev 5:6) (CCC 645).
Jn 20:21 | ISB Notes
Peace: A traditional Hebrew greeting. See note on Jn 14:27.
Jn 20:22 | ISB Notes
he breathed on them: Anticipates the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost, which will take place 50 days later (Acts 2:1-4). Here we see that the risen humanity of Jesus has become a sacrament of the divine Spirit (6:53-58; CCC 1116).
⢠John uses an expression that recurs in significant contexts in the Greek OT. It appears in Gen 2:7, where the Lord breathes life into Adam; in 1 Kings 17:21, where the Greek version specifies that Elijah resuscitated a boy with his breath; and in Ezek 37:9, where God raises an army of corpses to new life by the breath of the Spirit.
Jn 20:23 | ISB Notes
forgive the sins: Jesusâ ministry of mercy and reconciliation will continue through the apostles (2 Cor 5:18-20; Jas 5:14-15). The power to âforgive and retainâ sins in the name of Jesus is elsewhere described as the authority to âbind and looseâ (Mt 16:19; 18:18; CCC 553, 730).
⢠The Council of Trent connects this episode with the institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Sess. 14, chap. 1), by which Christ distributes divine forgiveness to the world through the successors of the apostles (bishops) and their assistants in the presbyterate (priests) (CCC 976, 1441, 1461).
Jn 20:26 | ISB Notes
Eight days later: The second Sunday of the Easter octave.
Jn 20:28 | ISB Notes
My Lord and my God!: The climactic confession of faith in Johnâs Gospel (CCC 448, 644).
Jn 20:30-31 | ISB Notes
A statement of purpose by the evangelist. He has written the Fourth Gospel both as history and as witness, in the hope that a factual portrayal of the Christâs life will not just inform readers, but challenge them to accept him and his claims with true faith (Lk 1:1-4).