John 20:26

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. AND AFTER EIGHT DAYS - that is, on the eighth or first day of the following week. They themselves probably met every day during the preceding week, but their Lord designedly reserved His second appearance among them until the recurrence of His resurrection-day, that He might thus inaugurate the delightful sanctities of THE LORD'S DAY (Revelation 1:10). HIS DISCIPLES WERE WITHIN, AND THOMAS WITH THEM. THEN CAME JESUS, [ erchetai (G2064) ho (G3588) I...

26._Reach hither thy finger. _We have already spoken once about Christ’s entrance, and the form of salutation which he employed. When Christ so readily yields to the improper request of _Thomas, _(218) and, of his own accord, invites him to _feel his hands, and touch the wound of his side, _we learn from this how earnestly desirous he was to promote our faith and that of _Thomas; _for it was not to _Thomas _only, but to us also, that he looked, that nothing might be wanting which was necessary for confirming our faith. The stupidity of Thomas was astonishing and monstrous; for he was not satisfied with merely beholding Christ out wished to have his hands also as witnesses of Christ’s resurrection. Thus he was not only obstinate, but also proud and contemptuous in his treatment of Christ. Now, at least, when he saw Christ, he ought to have been overwhelmed with shame and amazement; bu

26-29 That one day in seven should be religiously observed, was an appointment from the beginning. And that, in the kingdom of the Messiah, the first day of the week should be that solemn day, was pointed out, in that Christ on that day once and again met his disciples in a religious assembly. The religious observance of that day has come down to us through every age of the church. There is not an unbelieving word in our tongues, nor thought in our minds, but it is known to the Lord Jesus; and he was pleased to accommodate himself even to Thomas, rather than leave him in his unbelief. We ought thus to bear with the weak, Romans 15:1; Romans 15:2. This warning is given to all. If we are faithless, we are Christless and graceless, hopeless and joyless. Thomas was ashamed of his unbelief, and cried out, My Lord and my God...

Verse 26. _AFTER EIGHT DAYS_] It seems likely that this was precisely on that day _se'nnight_, on which Christ had appeared to them before; and from this we may learn that this was the _weekly_ _meeting_ of the apostles; and, though Thomas was not found at the _former_ meeting, he was determined not to be absent from _this_. According to his custom, Jesus came again; for he cannot forget his promise-two or three are assembled in his name; and he has engaged to be among them....

AND AFTER EIGHT DAYS AGAIN - That is, on the return of the first day of the week. From this it appears that they thus early set apart this day for assembling together, and Jesus countenanced it by appearing twice with them. It was natural that the apostles should observe this day, but not probable that they would do it without the sanction of the Lord Jesus. His repeated presence gave such a sanction, and the historical fact is indisputable that from this time this day was observed as the Christian Sabbath. See Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10....

EXPOSITION JOHN 20:1 2. The complete glorification of Jesus in his resurrection. The record pauses for the awful day of that great sabbath, and resumes the marvelous recital when the greatest event in the history of the world is assumed and asserted to have taken place. Heathen and foes admit the fact of the death of Jesus; the evidence is overwhelming, multiform, sufficient to establish itself to the ordinary reason of mankind. It is a matter of indubitable history. The proof was given to all the world; but it is otherwise with the fact of the anastasis of Jesus. That stupendous event was revealed to the eye and mind of faith by a series of communications, which afford to different classes, groups, kinds, and states of mind specimens of the manner and quality of the resurrection-life. "Many infallible proofs" wrought (as St. Luke says,...

AND AFTER EIGHT DAYS,.... That is, after another week, the same day a week later, which taking in the day in which Christ rose and appeared to Mary Magdalene, and his disciples, and the day in which he now appeared to the disciples with Thomas, made eight days; a like way of speaking see in Luke 9:28 compared with Matthew 17:1. And Dr. Hammond has proved from Josephus w, that the Jews used to express a week by eight days. AGAIN, HIS DISCIPLES WERE WITHIN; within doors, in some private house; probably the same as before, in some part of the city of Jerusalem: AND THOMAS WITH THEM: which shows their harmony and agreement, their frequency and constancy in meeting together, and their Christian forbearance with Thomas, notwithstanding his unbelief; whom they looked upon as a good

John 20:11. _But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain._ You see, dear friends, love is very patient and persevering. The other disciples had gone away home, but not so Mary, she stands outside the sepulcher, and still waits, for she cannot go till she has seen her Lord. Love, however, has many sorrows for, as Mary stood without the sepulcher, she was weeping. Oftentimes your love to Christ will make you sorrowful when you for a while lose his presence; it will be a great sorrow to you if your Lord should seem to have hidden himself from you. But see how quick-sighted love is; Mary saw the angels, whom the other disciples might have seen if they had not gone home. One of the beatitudes is, «B

CHAPTER 20 _ 1. The Empty Sepulchre. (John 20:1 .)_ 2. The Risen One and Mary of Magdala. (John 20:11 .) 3. The Gathered Company and He in the midst. (John 20:19 .) 4. The Second Time. (John 20:24 .) 5. The Purpose of John's Record. (John 20:30 .) “I lay down my life that I might take it up again.” The sufferings were accomplished. The Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep and now we learn how He arose from the dead. John 2:19 was fulf

THE COMING TO THE DISCIPLES. The first Christian Sunday is spent in Jerusalem, where the disciples are in hiding. The interpretation of Mark 14:50 as implying an immediate flight of the apostles to Galilee is purely conjectural. The account of the first appearance to the disciples is told so as to emphasize the fulfilment of the promises, and the teaching, of chs. 14- 17. Jesus comes (_cf. John 14:18_), He gives them His peace (John 14:27), they were glad (ὲ?χάρησαν) when they saw (John 16:22), He sends them, as He was sent (John 17:18), He gives them the Spirit, and p