John 20: Foreshadow of the Second Coming

We have reviewed the “passion” of Jesus, where He was obedient to the Father and endured torture before going to the cross. The twentieth chapter of John begins two days later on Sunday. It is a foreshadowing of what will happen before Jesus returns.

The disciples were huddled together in fear. The Lord whom they had followed didn’t conquer the world as they expected Him to; He had died. Though Jesus had warned them of this, they didn’t grasp what He was saying.

The majority of Christians are in a state much like the disciples. It has been a long time since Jesus left, and many still do not understand what He said. Just like the disciples, most followers of Jesus are hiding from the world; instead of walking boldly in what Jesus has done and preparing for His return, no one really knows they are Christians because they don’t seem much different from everyone else.

This chapter opens with Mary Magdalene visiting the tomb where the body of Jesus was laid. Who is this person? Why was she the first one to visit Him?

After having seven demons cast out of her, Mary is mentioned as accompanying and supporting Jesus. Mary is recorded in all four gospels as being at the crucifixion; there was only one disciple present, the one whom Jesus loved. She is mentioned by name twelve times in the canonical gospels, more than most of the apostles and more than any other woman in the gospels, other than Jesus's family. When Magdalene is mentioned among others, her name always comes first, labeling her as a leader among the women accompanying Jesus. Some even claim that she was an unofficial disciple who understood the Lord very well. Because of Mary’s devotion, she was the first to discover that Jesus’ body was no longer where it had been.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (John 20:2 ESV)

Mary was the one who informed the disciples that something was happening with the body of Jesus causing Peter and John to race to the tomb. Mary is a foreshadowing of what will occur before Jesus returns once again to this world: a woman will love Jesus so deeply that she will seek Him when others have forgotten what He said. She will be the one to point the way to connecting with Jesus in a real, substantial way when all others think He is out of reach. What happens when they get there speaks volumes about the character of each man:

And they came running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. And stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not enter.

Then Simon Peter came up, following him, and went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there; But the burial napkin (kerchief) which had been around Jesus’ head, was not lying with the other linen cloths, but was [still] rolled up (wrapped round and round) in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, went in too; and he saw and was convinced and believed. For as yet they did not know (understand) the statement of Scripture that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went back again to their homes (lodging places). (John 20:4-10 AMPC)

Ever try to race a young person? Peter has quite a few years on John who quickly outruns him, but Peter, being older and bolder, is the first to enter the tomb. The burial clothes were neatly folded, but the cloth that covered Jesus’ head was not. It remained rolled up as if whatever it had been wrapped around was passed through the cloth, leaving it wound around in the same pattern. It says they were convinced and believed… but what did they believe? Whatever it was, they returned to where they were staying and took no further action.

Neither man saw what Mary saw. She saw two “gardeners” who were in fact angels. This means Mary was seeing into the spirit realm and seeing what others could not see. She didn’t leave like the others. Her love for Jesus ran so deep that she didn’t want to leave the last place where she had seen Him. She stood right there and wept.

They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and Your Father, to My God and Your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that He had said these things to her. (John 20:13-18 ESV)

Because she was the first to witness Jesus's resurrection, Mary Magdalene is known in some Christian traditions as the “apostle to the apostles.” In many other writings by the disciples discovered years after the Bible was written, she is portrayed as an apostle, as Jesus's closest and most beloved disciple, and the only one who truly understood His teachings.

I believe the actions noted after the resurrection place Mary in the category of a prophet because she brought correction to the disciples and told them what He was doing. They had forgotten what Jesus said, and He sent a woman to correct them. This is infallible proof that God does use women to teach and correct men, and it is a foreshadowing of what will come before Jesus appears again.

God will use a woman to correct Christians who have forgotten His ways. A woman who loves the Lord, who seeks Him, who will see Him and bring correction and encouragement to others. Will men accept teaching and corrections from a woman, or will they dismiss it as Thomas did?

Later that night, the disciples were hidden behind a locked door, and Jesus appeared to them, showing that there are no barriers that will keep the Lord from our lives if we have accepted the truth of His resurrection!

Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.” And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! [Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23 AMPC)

Jesus gave the promised Holy Spirit to those who received the testimony of Mary Magdalene. The full empowerment of the Spirit would come later as they began to obey and listen to the Lord. On Pentecost, the Spirit would be poured out upon them, but the initial impartation came after they had heard from Mary.

God is sending a woman to bear witness to His second coming. Those who listen and receive the message will develop a stronger connection to the Lord so that He can guide and empower them for what is to come. That is what happens when we remember what Jesus said and follow His instructions!

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”

But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25 ESV)

The compassion of the Lord is seen when Thomas refuses to believe that Jesus has risen despite the testimonies of the disciples. How many people will be like Thomas before the return of the Lord? How many will not listen to the woman Jesus has sent, or those who experience more of Him in their lives? Jesus is so very gracious. He had plans for all eleven remaining disciples. He soon appears with the proof that Thomas declared that he needed: the marks of the crucifixion and the piercing in His side.

Thomas’ declaration of not believing until he sees the marks on Jesus could be seen as placing a “fleece” before God. This figurative expression is derived from the biblical story of Gideon in Judges 6:36-40, who asked for a fleece to be wet while the surrounding ground remained dry, and then reversed the test, seeking a dry fleece while the ground was wet to confirm God’s instructions. Because of the fleece tests, God increased the difficulty factor for each test, reducing the number of men in the army twice.

Thomas’s consequences for demanding to see the marks upon Jesus may be reflected in the way he died. Thomas was reported to have been killed with a spear, just as he had requested to put his hand in the side where Jesus had been pierced with a spear. We should be careful when presenting a fleece before our Lord!

The closing of this chapter summarizes why God will send a witness to prepare His children for the second coming of His Son:

There are also many other signs and miracles which Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of God, and that through believing and cleaving to and trusting and relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His name [through Who He is]. (John 20:30-31 AMPC)

Believing in Jesus is more than understanding who He is and what He has done. We must cleave to, trust in, and rely on Jesus so that we will be saved. How many Christians do that today? We know He is the Son of God. We understand that He died for our sins, we even declare that He is our Lord, but do we rely on Him? Is He the first person we go to when trouble arises? Do we trust that He has the answer, that He can solve any problem?

It is time to rediscover the power of our Lord so that we can cling to, trust in, and rely on our Lord! Are you willing to learn about Him? To remember what He said? There are free online classes for you! All materials, classes, and tutoring are FREE! There are even apps available for all phones. Begin classes today at the Removing Attacks course.

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John 20: Foreshadow of the Second ComingOnline Christian Church

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