What is the meaning of John 20:9? For They Still Did Not Understand - The disciples had just witnessed the empty tomb, yet confusion lingered. In Luke 24:11 they had earlier dismissed the women’s report “as nonsense,” showing how deeply their expectations of a political Messiah were ingrained. - Mark 9:31-32 records Jesus repeatedly telling them of His coming death and resurrection, but “they did not understand the statement and were afraid to ask.” Their failure was not intellectual alone; it revealed hearts slow to believe (cf. Luke 24:25). - Even faithful believers can miss God’s clear words when those words collide with personal assumptions. The disciples’ experience reminds us to lay down pre-set ideas and receive Scripture at face value. From the Scripture - Jesus declared that “everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). Passages such as Psalm 16:10 (“You will not abandon my soul to Sheol…”) and Isaiah 53:10-12 pointed to resurrection hope. - The phrase highlights the authority and sufficiency of the written Word. Scripture, not human opinion, defined what must happen to Messiah. Acts 17:2-3 shows Paul later “explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead” directly from the Old Testament. - Until the Spirit opened their eyes (John 20:22; Acts 2:14-36), these prophecies remained locked to the disciples. Spiritual understanding is ultimately God-given illumination (1 Corinthians 2:12-14). That Jesus Had to Rise from the Dead - The resurrection was not optional; it was divinely necessary. Jesus Himself said, “The Son of Man must be delivered… and on the third day be raised” (Luke 24:7). - Necessity flowed from: • God’s integrity—He keeps His promises (Numbers 23:19). • Salvation’s completion—“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). • Christ’s exaltation—Psalm 110:1 foretells the risen Lord seated at God’s right hand. - By rising, Jesus validated every claim He made and guaranteed the believer’s future resurrection (John 11:25-26). Summary John 20:9 shows that, even after seeing the empty tomb, the disciples could not connect the event with Scripture’s clear promise of Messiah’s resurrection. Their misunderstanding underscores humanity’s need for divine revelation, affirms the Old Testament’s prophetic accuracy, and highlights the absolute necessity of Jesus’ bodily resurrection for God’s redemptive plan. |
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