Did the Disciples Know that Jesus Would Arise?

Tom: We’re continuing with the gospel. Currently we’re in the Gospel of John:20:8Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
See All..., and last week left off right around verse 8. Actually we went through 8 and 9, but let’s go back over them again Dave: “Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead.”

Now, Dave, we talked, as I said, we talked about this a little bit last week, but he believed, yet this was almost a new revelation for him, although Jesus had taught him this.

Dave: And it was in the Bible. Yeah, we mentioned last week that, you know, you could see the grave clothes had been wrapped around this corpse, and yet nobody had unwrapped it to steal the body, and grave robbers wouldn’t do that—they’d take the whole thing as fast as they could. And there it was like a cocoon and no escape, and yet the body’s gone. And the napkin in a place by itself folded up very nicely.

So he believes. But Peter has seen it. He went impulsively first, and he doesn’t believe. In fact, the disciples find it very difficult. But why should they? Verse 9 says, “They knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead.” Why didn’t they know it? Like what we were talking about—they hadn’t meditated. Their heart hadn’t been opened. They maybe had preconceived ideas, and so forth.

Tom: Well, they did, with regard to the Messiah. They thought that Jesus was going to deal with it all right then and there—that He was going to become king, that He was going to put the…I want to say the boot, but the sandal of the Roman soldiers, get it off their neck and bring peace.

Dave: “They knew not the scriptures that he must rise again from the dead.” And I think last week I quoted what Jesus said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” So these were the things that they didn’t know. And that’s why it is so important for us to study the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation, over and over, to know it. It takes time for an understanding to break into our hearts, especially when it’s not what we imagined is the way it ought to be.

Tom: Verse 10: “Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.” Verse 11: “But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher.”

Dave: Well…

Tom: This is Mary Magdalene.

Dave: Yeah, the disciples returned to their home, I would say pretty discouraged, very discouraged, where’s the other nine? Of course we know what happened to Judas. He’s dead. He hanged himself. That’s a strange case, in remorse. Could it be that Judas thought that Jesus would miraculously deliver himself, and that he would prove…this would be the great proof that Jesus was the Christ, and that was why he betrayed him? Or did he just do it for money? We don’t know, but we know that he is in hell tonight. The scripture makes that quite clear. But he did go back when he saw that Jesus was condemned, and in remorse he threw the money down. He wanted to give it back to them. Of course you can’t undo that transaction.

Tom: Dave, on that note, he seemed to be in remorse—isn’t that good enough? Wasn’t he sorry for what he did? Isn’t that good enough?

Dave: Tom, there’s remorse…and remorse…and only God knows the heart. You’ve got criminals who, when they’re caught, they repent—seemingly. But they wouldn’t have, if they hadn’t been caught. Now, this was because Jesus was condemned. I don’t know, but the disciples—they didn’t believe, not yet. But John believed.

But the rest of them—what’s it going to be? Business as usual? Even after they know Christ is risen. Peter—we get that in chapter 21, Peter says, “I’m going to go fishing. I’m going back to my old profession, guys. Anybody going with me?” Some of them go with him. I guess it’s impossible for us to understand at this point what was going on in their hearts and minds.

Tom: But it must have been something other than faith. Because why wouldn’t Jesus appear to them as He does to Mary? And we’ll see it in the next few verses.

Dave: Well, he does a little later.

Tom: Yeah, a little later, but I’m saying right here.

Dave: He appears to Peter alone; He appears to the two on the road to Emmaus, which we don’t get in John’s Gospel. And then He comes and appears to all of them. And then He appears to 500 brethren at once, it tells us, and many of them doubted at that—even then.

So, going back to what we were talking about earlier, it’s not just a matter of showing pictures, you know, a video or whatever. It’s a matter of the heart. And if the heart is not willing to believe the truth, then there is no way you can get it across.

But now He appears to Mary, and she had anointed Him, she’s weeping, she loves the Lord. She doesn’t know He’s risen. She stoops down and she looks into the sepulcher—she sees two angels in white sitting. That’s rather interesting. Why didn’t Peter and John see the angels? Weren’t they there? I imagine they were, but again, it’s like Elisha. Remember? His servant looks out and sees the host of the Syrians, and, “Oh it’s hopeless! They’re surrounding the town,” and Elisha says “Well, Lord, open his eyes so that he can see.” The eyes of faith, able to see what God wants you to see—I don’t know, Tom, but you know, the Bible—it’s not just some formula. God is dealing with individuals, and He’s dealing with the heart. “My son give me thine heart.” He knows the heart of Mary and just at the appropriate time, He comes, the Lord Jesus comes.

But first of all, she sees these two angels sitting, one at the head, the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus was lain. They say unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” I don’t know who she thinks they are. “She saith unto them, Because they’ve taken away my Lord, and I know not where they’ve laid him.” It’s just a dead body that she’s thinking of, and yet she wants to know where they have taken the body of the Lord.

“And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, saw Jesus standing, knew not that it was Jesus,” (because she doesn’t think it would be Jesus). “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him and I will take him away.”

Wow, what devotion to Christ. But devotion to a dead body—that’s not going to help. And that’s all the Buddhist has, or the Muslim—a dead body. But here Jesus is alive.

And He says to her, “Mary.” Then she recognizes his voice. “She turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master.” Wow, Tom! You could try to put that in a movie. You’re not going to convey it. Let’s meditate on the words and think about what was going on.

Tom: Well, let the Holy Spirit convey it. Let not this be the manipulations of man through music and so on and so forth.

Dave: And the Holy Spirit carefully chose His words. The story could have been told in many ways, but these words were very carefully chosen. Let’s not change them. Let’s not try to improve them.