John Chapter 20
Preface: After many unsuccessful diligent attempts to rid himself of a problem forced upon him by civil unrest, Pontius Pilate is out maneuvered politically by the ruling priests and Pharisees of the Jews whom he is responsible to govern. The accusation that Yahushua is the self proclaimed ruler of the Jews is the pivotal argument used to threaten Pilate's seat as governor. The authority of Caesar is the primary force applied by the Jews, who publically proclaim no ruling authority over themselves as a people other than Caesar. Though nothing worthy of a death sentence can be found in Yahushua by the personal scrutiny of the governor, the end result is a capitulation to the demands of the Jews that Yahushua be caused to die at the hands of the soldiers under his authority. Yahushua maintains control over His own breath of life until He is sure that all is in order regarding His responsibility as Son of man; as He has been instructed and shown by His Father. Two other men, who are crucified at the same time as He, are still alive when Yahushua wilfully relinquishes the breath of life from His body; and their legs are broken so as to hurry the process of their death by suffocation. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both disciples of Yahushua; but in secret until now because of their fear of reprisal from the ruling religious order of the jews, gain permission from Pontius Pilate to take possession of the body of Yahushua. They prepare His body for burial by wrapping strips of linen cloth combined with about seventy-five pounds of two different types of aromatic tree gums to stave off the stench of decay in the customary manner of burial for the Jewish people. They then lay the body in a newly prepared tomb located in a garden on the hill of the skull where Yahushua was crucified. This was done late in the day of preparation for The High Day Sabbath of first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread. The new tomb was close at hand and used because of the convenient location and the short amount of time before sunset, which would usher in the beginning of the oncoming High Day Sabbath.
1) Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb early, while it is still dark, on the first of the week;...
*** NOTE: The account in Mark 16:1-3 speaks of three women... Mariam of Magdala..., another Mariam, who is assumed to be the mother of James, a disciple of Yahushua whose father is Alphaeus..., and Salome... 4539 {sal-o'-may} - "peaceful", who was the wife of Zebedee, and the mother of Yacob and Yochanan... "James and John"... of Zebedee... going together to the tomb where Yahushua had been laid. They brought sweet spices... 759 aroma {ar'-o-mah} - aromatic, perfumed spices... so that they would be able to anoint the linen wrapped body of Yahushua with them. They arrived at the rising of the sun, speaking to each other as they neared the tomb. One asking the others that she wondered who would they be able to ask to roll away the huge stone that they knew blocked the entrance to the sepulchre... ***
*** In Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of Yacob..."James"..., and other women that were with them, who told these things to the apostles.
and she... Mariam of Magdala... sees that the huge stone which had been rolled across the opening of the tomb had been taken away from its place.
2) Accordingly, she runs to where Simon Peter and that other disciple whom Yahushua loved... it is assumed that this disciple is John, who wrote this account... were at the time; and she tells them: They have taken the Master out of the tomb and we don't know where they took him.
3) For this reason, Peter went out along with that other disciple, and went to the tomb.
4) They both ran there together, and the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first.
5) Stooping down, he saw the linen burial wrappings laying there; but did not go in.
6) Then, Peter gets there; and goes into the tomb, and sees the linen burial wrappings laying there.
7) The cloth that had covered the head and face of the body of Yahushua lay separate, away from the rest of the wrappings, in a place by itself.
8) Then the other disciple, who had arrived at the tomb first, went in as well; and he saw, and believed that someone had taken the body of Yahushua as Mary of Magdala had told them.
9) For they were not yet aware of the scripture stating the necessity of His rising up again from the condition of being dead.
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*** NOTE: While it is easier, obviously, to interpret prophecies of future events after they have occurred. We find Yahushua rebuking two disciples of His, one of which was named Cleopas, after appearing to them on the road to Emmaus in the account given in Luke 24:
25 Then he said unto them, O fools... 453 anoetos {an-o'-ay-tos} - unwise... foolish ones..., and slow... 1021 bradus {brad-ooce'} - slow... hearts... You are foolish, You are unwise; and you have dull, inactive minds that are slow to mentally grasp and believe... all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Shouldn't the Anointed One have undergone these things, and entered into his glory... His most exalted state of existence...?
27 Then, beginning at Moses; and going through all of the writings of the prophets, He expounded to them those things that are to be found in all of the scriptures that speak of things concerning Himself.
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Some examples would be Isaiah chapter 53; Psalm 22; Psalm 16, specifically verse 10, which is quoted in Acts chapter 13:33 as fulfilled in Yahushua's resurrection; Psalm 110; and let us not forget Genesis chapter 3:15, in which Father Yahweh is speaking to Eve of the time to come when ultimate victory over Satan, the false accuser, would come from her descendant; and there are many others which can be searched out with the guidance of the Spirit of Truth and Prophecy, all of which can only be interpreted properly as prophetic with the understanding of the resurrection of the Anointed One of Yahweh sent for the Rescue and Deliverance of His People... All other interpretations, from whatever perception other than this, are as Yahushua spoke to Cleopas and his companion when on the road to Emmaus... foolish...
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NOTE: Even though Yahushua told his disciples beforehand... What He said at the time was not considered scripture... What He told them were not things that were comprehended as being in the writings inspired by the Spirit of Yahweh in history past which prophesied in some way of the necessity of the Anointed One rising again from the dead,,, and the disciples could not grasp the meaning of the words which Yahushua spoke... for the concept of rising again from the dead, completely conquering death... never to die again..., was an impossibility to them... For even after Lazarus came out of his tomb, they understood that he was to die again some day; and that Yahushua, having brought him back to life, had just instilled a temporary stay of the inevitable complete decay of Lazarus' body. For he, like all others before him, even those others who had been brought back to life during the time that Yahushua had been with them, would inevitably die again; and they knew that the people who had been written of in scripture, who had been caused to rise again from death because of the miracles Yahweh had done in history past, had eventually died again. For their history had never taught them otherwise; and surely, if such an important event had taken place even once, it was inconceivable that it would not be proclaimed everywhere for all time...
Matthew 20:17-19 And Yahushua, while going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside while in the way... while traveling the road toward Yarushalem..., and He said unto them, 18 Behold.. Listen to me so you can understand that..., we go up to Yerushalem; and the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, 19 They will deliver him to the Gentiles who will mock him, and scourge him, and crucify him... cause Him to be killed...; and the third day he will rise up again.
Mark 8:27-32 And Yahushua went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and along the way, He asked his disciples, by saying unto them: Whom do men say that I am? 28 They answered: John the Baptist; but some say, Elias... Eliyah...; and others say that you are one of the prophets. 29 He then said to them: But whom do you say that I am? Then, Peter answered and said to him: You are the Christ... You are the Anointed One from Yahweh that we, who are of Israel, have been expecting... 30 Yahushua then placed the responsibility on them that they were to tell no man of Him... that they were not to tell anyone about him being the Anointed One... 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer... experience... many things; and that He would be rejected by the elders, and by the chief priests, and the scribes; and that He would be killed; and that after three days of being dead, He would rise up again. 32 He spoke of all of those things openly...so they all could hear Him... Peter then took him aside... away from the others... and began to rebuke him...
Mark 10:32-34 And they were in the way... they were on the road... going up to Yerushalem; and Yahushua went before them... and Yahushua led the way as they all followed... and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, by saying: 33 Behold... Listen to me because I want you to understand..., we are going up to Yerushalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to... will be captured and turned over into the custody of... the chief priests, and the scribes; and they will condemn him to death, and they will deliver him to... and they will turn custody of Him over to... the Gentiles; 34 And they... the Gentiles... will mock him, and they will scourge him, and they will spit upon him, and they will kill him; and the third day he will rise up again.
Luke 18:31-34 Then He took to him the twelve... Then, He took the twelve with Him..., and said to them: Behold... Listen to me so you will understand that..., we are going up to Yerushalem; and all of the things that have been written by the prophets concerning the Son of man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be delivered unto... For He will be captured and turned over into the custody of... the Gentiles, and He will be mocked, and spitefully entreated... He will be insulted, treated unjustly..., and spit on; 33 And they will scourge him... they will beat Him with a whip..., and put him to death; and the third day he will rise up again. 34 They understood none of these things; and the saying was hid from them... the force and meaning of what Yahushua said to them as He spoke of these things to them was hidden from them... they could not put any of the individual facts and concepts together, that they had been taught throughout their lives up to this point, in order to reach a conclusion that made sense to them according to what they knew morally, ethically, and spiritually..., neither knew they... neither did they comprehend... the things which were spoken.... They did not know any scriptures existed which told of the things which Yahushua had just informed them would happen to Him... Even though they may have known and studied the writings diligently; and they could not make sense of the predictions that their beloved Master Teacher had just told them concerning Himself... why would this be happening to Him???...
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Back to John Chapter 20...
10) Then the disciples went back to their own home.
11) Mary stayed at the tomb, crying; and as she wept she stooped down, looking into the tomb;
12) As she is looking into the tomb, she sees two angels in white. One sitting at the head and one at the feet of where Yahushua's body had lain.
13) They say to her: Woman, why are you crying? She said to them: Because they have taken away my Master, and I do not know where they have put His body.
14) Saying this, she turned herself around so as to go in the direction from which she had come; and she saw Yahushua standing there; but did not know that it was Yahushua.
***NOTE: In verse 9 of Mark chapter 16 it is clearly confirmed that it was Mariam of Magdala who Yahushua first appeared to of all of the women who had come to the tomb. In context with this account, it would appear that, after having run to tell John and Peter of what she and the other women had seen, she followed those two disciples back to the tomb; and then stayed on after they had left. Lingering in wonder and curiosity, trying to figure out who had taken the body of her beloved Master teacher; and where she might go to get it back. Then, at the very moment that she, in amazement and trembling after having seen and spoken with the messenger from Yahweh, who was clothed in brilliant white raiment, then sitting in the tomb, turned herself toward the direction in which she and her companions had traveled from as they came, earlier that morning, to the garden where the tomb was located. She then sees a man she does not recognize...
15) Yahushua said to her: Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for? She, thinking him to be the gardener, said to him: Sir, if you have carried Him from here, tell me where you have taken Him, and I will take Him away from there.
16) Yahushua said to her: Mary. She turned herself around and said to Him: Rhabboni... 4462 {Hrab-bon-ee'} - an Aramaic word meaning my great Master... chief... prince - which Mary of Magdala used to address Yahushua... a much higher title of honor and respect than that of rhabbi... 4461{hrab-bee} - meaning my master... my doctor... my teacher...
17) Yahushua said to her: Do not touch me because I have not gone up yet to my Father; but go to my brothers and tell them that I go up to my Father and your Father, and my El and your El.
18) Mary Magdalene then came to the disciples and told them that she had seen the Master Yahushua; and she told them of the things that He had spoken to her.
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*** NOTE: It now becomes obvious that others had been told by Yahushua , or that His disciples had relayed the things that He had told them, concerning what was going to happen to Him in Yerushalem, for the messengers who had been sent from Yahweh brought remembrance to the women who had come to further care for the body of Yahushua...
Luke 24:1-11 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and did not find the body of the Master Yahushua. 4 It came to pass, while they were in a state of much being troubled by doubt and indecision regarding all the things that had taken place, that two men stood near them in shining garments; 5 They were terrified; and as they bowed down their faces to the earth, those men said unto them: Why do you seek for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here. He is risen instead. Do you remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, 7 By saying: The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise up again. 8 They then remembered the words of Yahushua; 9 And they returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, who told these things unto the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them... to the disciples and the others... like idle tales, and they did not believe them. ...
*** NOTE: The idea that, somehow, their beloved Master Teacher could rise up again and live, after what they had just witnessed as He was killed, was a testimony to the blindness that they themselves could not comprehend was in them; and they were not about to believe some fable that might have been created by the imaginations of these women who were 'obviously' trying to cause them to feel better about the situation they were now in... After all, what else could it be that they were doing with such an unbelievable story?... It was not about to work. The women would just have to understand that their well meant gesture was useless. For they were all terrified at what might now happen to them because they were all followers of the Master Teacher; and if He had been killed in such a ruthless manner, then what would the authorities do with them?...
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19) Then the same day, at evening, it being now the first day of the week. While the doors of the place where the disciples were gathered together were kept shut because of their fear of persecution from those in the ruling religious order of the jews. Yahushua appeared and stood in their midst; and said to them: Shalom to you.
20) When He had spoken this, He showed them His hands and His side; and then, the disciples rejoiced when they recognized the Master Yahushua.
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Note: It was at this time that Yahushua, their rabbi... 4461 rhab-bee... their Master Teacher of all things that pertain to Israel and Yahudah in their relationship to Yahweh... rebuked the remaining eleven disciples of His central core group of followers, as we see in the account of
Mark Chapter 16...
9 Now when Yahushua had risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils.
10 She went and told those who had been with Him... His remaining eleven disciples..., as they mourned and wept.
11 When they heard her tell them that He was alive; and that He had been seen by her, they did not believe her testimony.
12 After that... after that initial refusal of testimony, by a credible witness, of the fact that He had risen up again from the condition of His physical death and had been seen by her..., He then appeared in another form... He then appeared in the form of a man who was not immediately recognized... to two of them... to Cleopas and his companion... , as they walked, and went into the country... on the road that led to Emmaus...
*** Now - See the account of
Luke 24:13-31...
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was, from Jerusalem, about threescore furlongs... sixty furlongs... 36000 feet... a little less than 7 miles... 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Yahushua Himself drew near, and went with them... and walked along the road together with them... 16 But their eyes were holden... 2902 krateo {krat-eh'-o} - their eyes were held in check... their eyes were restrained... so that they would not know... recognize... Him. 17 And He said to them: What manner of communications are these that you have one to another... What is it that you are talking about with each other..., as you walk; and are sad... and are looking so sad and gloomy...? 18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said unto him: Are you only a stranger in Yerushalem, and have not known the things which have come to pass there in these days? 19 And He said to them: What things? And they said to Him: We speak of the things concerning Yahushua of Nazareth, who was a prophet that was mighty in deed and word before Yahweh and all the people: 20 And of how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him... captured Him and turned custody of Him over to others... to be condemned to death, and they have crucified him. 21 But we trusted... But, we had hoped... that it would have been Him who was to have redeemed Israel; and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. 22 Yea... 235 alla {al-lah'} - moreover... there is more than this to tell you about..., and certain women who are also of our company made us astonished... astounded us..., who were early at the sepulchre... tomb...; 23 And when they did not find His body, they came and reported to us by saying that they had also seen a vision of angels that told them that He was alive. 24 And some of those who were there with us went to the sepulchre, and found it to be just as the women had said; but they did not see Him. 25 Then, He... Yahushua... said unto them, O fools... 453 anoetos {an-o'-ay-tos} - unwise... foolish ones..., and slow... 1021 bradus {brad-ooce'} - slow... hearts... You are foolish ones... You are unwise ones...; and you have dull, inactive minds that are slow to mentally grasp and believe... all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Shouldn't the Anointed One have undergone these things... Shouldn't the Anointed One, who had been sent by Yahweh, have gone through the experience of these things...; and then entered into his glory... and then, shouldn't He have entered into His most exalted state of existence...? 27 Then, beginning at Moses; and going through all of the writings of the prophets, He expounded to them those things that are to be found in all of the scriptures that speak of things concerning Himself. *** This must have taken up the time of several miles of walking to accomplish...*** 28 And they drew near to the village that they they were going to; and He made it appear to them as though He would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, by saying: Abide... Remain here... with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to stay with them. 30 And then it came to pass, as He sat at the table and began to eat with them, that He took bread from the table; and He blessed it, and broke it apart, and gave pieces to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew... they recognized... Him; and then, He vanished out of their sight.
*** Back to Mark Chapter 16 ***
13 They... Cleopas and his companion... went... went back to Yerushalem... and told what they had witnessed to the residue... to the remainder of all of the followers and disciples of Yahushua who had not yet seen Yahushua alive after His rising again...; and none of those believed their testimony.
14 Afterward... After having appeared this second time to those who would bear witness of His being alive... He then appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat... as they sat at a table eating a meal..., and upbraided... and He rebuked... them with... for... their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
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Back to John Chapter 20...
21) Then Yahushua said to them again: Shalom to you.... Shalom Aleichem.... Peace be upon you... Just like Father has sent me, so I now send you.
22) And when He had said this, He blew his breath on them and said to them: Receive... take for yourself as a part of yourselves... the Holy Spirit... Hagios - Most Holy... Pneuma - Spirit... Breath... Rational Spirit...} - The Most Holy, Rational spirit... The inherent spiritual nature of Yahweh... which generates the power of how someone thinks, feels, decides all things, and takes all actions when he/she is united together with Yahushua in His separation from all that is in rebellion to Yahweh and His Order of Things...
23) Whoever has sins... violations of the laws of Yahweh... offenses... mistakes... that you remit... that you disregard... that you forgive the debt of... , to them they are forgiven; whoever has sins... errors... mistakes... offenses... violations of the laws of Yahweh... that you retain, the power of the debt of those sins will continue to hold them as their master, rule them, and remain against them.
24) Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus... 1324 Didumos {did'-oo-mos} - meaning two fold, or two..., was not with all of them when Yahushua appeared to them in the room while the doors were shut.
25) The other disciples, because they had been there when Yahushua appeared, said to him: We have seen the Master! Nevertheless, he said to them: Unless I see the mark of a nail in His hands and put my fingers into the print... 5179 tupos {too'-pos} - the impression of the nails... that were in His hands, and put my fingers into the side of His body, I will not believe what you tell me.
26) And after eight days had gone by, again Yahushua's disciples were gathered together inside; and Thomas was with them this time. Yahushua appeared, though the doors were shut, and stood in the midst of them, and said: Shalom to you.
27) He then said to Thomas: Reach out with your finger and recognize my hands; and reach out your hand and put it into my side; and do not be without trust in Yahweh; and instead, believe... instead, place your trust in; and have confidence, for your eternal life and well being, in Yahweh...
28) And Thomas answered and said to Him: My Master and my Elohim.
29) Yahushua said to him: Thomas, you believe because you have seen me with your physical eyes. Happy are they who have not seen me with their physical eyes; but still have placed their confidence and trust, for their lives and eternal existence, in me.
30) Yahushua certainly was the cause of many other unusual occurrences in the presence of His disciples which are not written of in this writing;
31 But, these accounts are written of so that you can believe that Yahushua is the Anointed One, the Son of Yahweh; and so that, in your action of believing, you can have the absolute fulness of life because of the thoughts and feelings that are brought forth in your mind at the mention and remembering of His name.
