John Chapter 20
Showing all 31 verses for John Chapter 20.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"The 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. "
"Very early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus's tomb and saw that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled away."
I meet you in the dark, before you've worked anything out or arranged your feelings neatly - showing up honestly, even in confusion, is enough to start with.
"Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. "
"So she ran to Simon Peter and to the disciple Jesus loved and told them, "They've taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they've put him.""
I don't need you to have the right theory before you come to me with what's confusing or frightening - bring the worry first, understanding can come after.
"Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. "
"So Peter and the other disciple set out and headed for the tomb."
I honour people who go and look for themselves rather than just repeating rumours - honest investigation is never a threat to real truth.
"So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. "
"The two of them ran together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first."
I don't mind the very human, even competitive, details of how you come looking for me - urgency and eagerness in seeking truth matter more than composure.
"And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. "
"He bent down and looked in and saw the strips of linen lying there, but he didn't go inside."
I welcome careful, honest examination of the evidence before you decide what you believe - looking closely isn't the opposite of trust, it's often the road to it.
"Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, "
"Then Simon Peter arrived behind him and went straight into the tomb, and he saw the linen wrappings lying there."
I use people exactly as they are - the cautious observer and the impulsive doer both play a part in reaching the truth; you don't need to change your temperament to be useful to me.
"And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. "
"And the cloth that had covered Jesus's head wasn't lying with the other linen strips, but was folded up separately on its own."
I leave behind signs of calm, deliberate purpose even in the most dramatic moments of your life - chaos isn't the only sign that something real is happening.
"Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. "
"Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and when he saw it, he believed."
I don't require you to see me face to face to believe something real has happened - honest reasoning from what's in front of you is a genuine and valued path to faith.
"For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. "
"They still didn't understand from the Scriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead."
I don't expect you to understand everything before you take the first step towards trust - clarity often comes after you've already begun to believe, not before.
"Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. "
"Then the two disciples went back home."
I don't need everyone to have a dramatic public reaction - sometimes going quietly home to sit with what you've witnessed is exactly the right response.
"But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, "
"But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb."
I don't rush your grief or ask you to move on before you're ready - staying with your pain, still looking, still asking, is often exactly where I meet you.
"And seeth two angels in white siting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. "
"And she saw two angels dressed in white, sitting where Jesus's body had been, one at the head and one at the feet."
I can turn the exact place of your deepest loss into the site of your greatest discovery - don't assume grief has the final word over what you're looking at.
"And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. "
"They asked her, "Why are you crying?" She replied, "Because they've taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they've put him.""
I don't rush past your pain just because something better is about to happen - I let you name your loss honestly, even when I already know the fuller story.
"And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. "
"As she said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't realise it was him."
I'm often closer than you realise, even when your pain or your assumptions stop you seeing me clearly - don't assume absence just because you don't recognise the moment yet.
"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. "
"Jesus asked her, "Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you've put him, and I'll go and get him.""
I ask you what you're really looking for, not to catch you out, but because naming it honestly is often the first step to finding it - even when you don't yet recognise who's asking.
"Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. "
"Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him, "Rabboni!" - which means "Teacher.""
I call you by name, not as one face in a crowd - being known specifically and personally is often what breaks through grief and confusion faster than any explanation could.
"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. "
"Jesus told her, "Don't cling to me, because I haven't yet gone up to the Father. Instead, go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'""
I don't want you gripping onto the past version of how you related to me - I'm inviting you into a new closeness, and I trust you to carry that news to others rather than keep it to yourself.
"Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things unto her. "
"Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" and reported what he had said to her."
I entrust important news to people the world might overlook or underrate - who you are or what status you hold has never determined whether I trust you with the truth.
"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the 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. "
"That evening, on that same Sunday, with the doors locked because the disciples were afraid, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you.""
I come to you even in your locked, fear-guarded spaces, uninvited by the door but never unwelcome - and my first word to you is always peace, not blame.
"And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD. "
"After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side, and the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."
I don't ask you to hide your wounds to be considered whole - my own scars became proof of who I am, and yours can become part of your story too, not something to be ashamed of.
"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. "
"Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.""
I don't just give you a job to do - I invite you into the same kind of purposeful sending that has shaped my own life, trusting you to carry that mission forward in your own way.
"And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: "
"And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.""
I offer you new life the same way life was first given - not by demand or performance, but as a gift breathed into you, freely and personally.
"Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. "
""If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you hold them unforgiven, they are held unforgiven.""
I hand you real responsibility for extending forgiveness to others, because how you treat people's failures genuinely matters and has real consequences in their lives - don't take that lightly, and don't withhold it needlessly.
"But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. "
"But Thomas, one of the Twelve, also called Didymus (meaning "Twin"), wasn't there with them when Jesus came."
I don't hold it against you if you miss the moment everyone else experienced - I'll meet you just as fully when your own time comes.
"The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. "
"The other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But Thomas said, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.""
I don't shame you for wanting real evidence before you believe something enormous - honest doubt that seeks real answers is treated with respect, not contempt, in how I deal with people.
"And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. "
"A week later, the disciples were again in the house, and this time Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you.""
I don't leave your honest questions unanswered forever - I come back specifically for you, on my timing, ready to meet the actual doubts you've named rather than ignoring them.
"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. "
"Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.""
I meet your specific doubts, not a generic version of faith - if you tell me honestly what you need to believe, I take that seriously rather than dismissing it.
"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. "
"Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!""
I don't think less of you for the road you took to get to trust - Thomas's doubt became the doorway to his deepest confession, and your struggles can lead somewhere just as real.
"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. "
"Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.""
I don't rank your trust in me as inferior just because you can't see or touch physical proof - reasoned, honest belief without direct evidence is something I value deeply, not something you should feel embarrassed about.
"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: "
"Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in front of his disciples which are not recorded in this book."
I don't need every moment of my life documented for you to know who I am - what's been recorded is enough, chosen carefully so you could genuinely come to trust it.
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. "
"But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
I want you to walk away from my story not just informed, but changed - genuinely alive in a way that carries into how you actually live, not just what you believe in your head.