He Saw and Believed

The Linen Cloths Lying There

☐

A careful burial. On the day Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus “took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury” (John 19:40). Then they laid Him in a new tomb in a garden (19:41-42).

Plenty of spices. Nicodemus brought “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds” (John 19:39). The spices were wrapped in with the linen around Jesus' body. Jesus' friends cared for His body with love.

What Mary thought. When Mary found the stone taken away, she said, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb” (20:2). She thought someone had moved the body.

A first look. The other disciple, whom Christians have long understood to be John, reached the tomb first. “And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in” (20:5).

A careful look. Peter went straight in “and he saw the linen cloths lying there” (20:6). He looked at everything inside the tomb.

Folded by itself. He also saw “the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself” (20:7).

Not robbers. People stealing a body would most likely be in a hurry. They would not stop to unwrap it and leave the linen lying behind. The cloths did not look like a robbery.

Different from Lazarus. Lazarus came out of his tomb still wrapped in graveclothes (John 11:44). Jesus left His grave clothes behind.

He saw and believed. “Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed” (20:8). John looked at what was there and at what was missing, and he believed.

Peter wondered. Luke tells us Peter saw “the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened” (Luke 24:12). Soon the risen Lord “was seen by Cephas” (1 Corinthians 15:5), which is Peter.

Why it matters. Jesus died for our sins, and God raised Him from the dead. The empty grave clothes are part of how God showed that it really happened. Faith in Jesus rests on something true.

What this means for you. Peter and John studied what God left in the tomb. You can study what God has shown in His Word in the same careful way. If you have never trusted Jesus, the empty tomb invites you to believe in Him today.

The burial. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus “took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury” (John 19:40). Nicodemus had brought “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds” (19:39). The spices were wrapped in with the body.

Mary's explanation. “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him” (20:2). An open tomb pointed Mary to only one answer. The cloths inside would point to another.

Parakypto. The other disciple (Christians have long understood him to be John), “stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in” (20:5). Stooping down and looking in is one word, parakypto (say: pah-rah-KOOP-toh), to bend over to look into something. Luke uses the same word for Peter, “stooping down” (Luke 24:12).

Theoreo. Peter went in “and he saw the linen cloths lying there” (20:6). The word for saw here is theoreo (say: theh-oh-REH-oh), to look at, to gaze at something. Peter stood inside and looked at what was there.

The handkerchief. He saw “the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself” (20:7). The head cloth was apart from the rest, and it was folded.

Not a robbery. Thieves would most likely have carried the body away as it was, wrapped in linen and heavy with spices. Unwrapping it would take time and leave the linen behind. What Peter and John saw did not look like a theft.

Lazarus. Lazarus came out of his tomb still wrapped, and others had to loose him (John 11:44). Jesus' grave clothes stayed in the tomb. He would never need them again, for “Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Romans 6:9).

He saw and believed. “Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed” (20:8). John's faith did not leap past the evidence. It came from looking at what God had left for him to see.

Peter marveled. Peter “departed, marveling to himself at what had happened” (Luke 24:12). The same evidence that led John to believe left Peter full of wonder, and the risen Lord “was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:5).

For you. Christian faith is not a leap in the dark. It trusts the God who acted in history. Jesus died for our sins and rose again. Look carefully at what He has shown you, and believe.

He Who Saw It Has Testified

☐

An eyewitness. An eyewitness is someone who saw something happen with his own eyes. The disciple whom Jesus loved, whom Christians have long understood to be John, stood by the cross (John 19:26), and he went into the empty tomb.

At the cross. When John told about Jesus' death, he added, “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe” (John 19:35).

In the tomb. John went into the tomb, “and he saw and believed” (20:8). He did not hear about the cloths from someone else. He saw them himself.

He wrote it down. John 21:24 says, “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.”

Seen, heard, touched. Later John wrote a letter that begins, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).

Why he told it. “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us” (1 John 1:3). John told what he saw so that others could know Jesus too.

Not a made-up story. John did not tell a story he had invented or only heard from others. He told what happened in front of him.

Shown openly. “The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness” (1 John 1:2). God's Son came where people could see Him.

A true record. God made sure that what John saw was written down and kept. When you read John's words, you are reading the testimony of a man who was there.

Know for sure. John also wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

The good news he saw. John saw Jesus die for our sins, and he saw the tomb God had emptied. His testimony is good news for everyone: whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life.

What this means for you. You can trust what John saw and wrote. Believe in Jesus, and then tell others what you know about Him, just as John did.

Testimony. In a court, a witness tells what he has seen and heard. John writes as that kind of witness. About the cross he says, “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe” (John 19:35).

The one who wrote. “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24). Christians have long understood this disciple to be John. The disciple who ran to the tomb is the one who wrote it down.

First-hand. He saw the linen cloths from the door (20:5). He went in, and “he saw and believed” (20:8). His account of the tomb comes from his own eyes.

Seen and handled. John's first letter begins, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). Heard, seen, looked upon, handled: Jesus was real, and John knew Him close up.

Manifested. “The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us” (1 John 1:2). Manifested means shown openly. God's eternal Son came where people could see Him.

Fellowship. “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). John's testimony is an invitation into friendship with God.

Kept for us. Faith today rests on the word of the first witnesses, which God has kept for us in Scripture. John's testimony did not fade when he died. It is still here for anyone who reads it.

Assurance. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). John wrote so that believers could be sure.

The gospel he witnessed. John stood by the cross where Jesus died for our sins (John 19:26), and he stood in the tomb God had emptied. He bore witness to both.

For you. Trust the testimony of the one who saw. Believe in Jesus, and you will have eternal life. Then, like John, tell others what you know of Him.

📖

Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.