John 20:5-6
And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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John only stooped and looked in, seeing the grave clothes. He didn't enter because he was simply satisfied the body wasn't there, not because he was overly superstitious or fearful. The way the cloths were left, neatly separate, signaled an orderly departure, not a hurried theft.
John, the beloved disciple, arrives at the empty tomb just after Mary Magdalene, and he stoops to peer inside. He sees the grave clothes lying there, but something makes him pause and not enter the tomb itself, perhaps a sense of awe or even fear, waiting for Peter.
John stoops down, peering into the tomb. It's not just a casual glance, but an intentional, almost hesitant, investigation. What does this posture reveal about his state of mind?
The original Greek word used here paints a vivid picture. It’s not a simple act of looking, but a careful, deliberate bending down and peering into something. Think of it like someone carefully examining something precious or mysterious.
More Than Just Seeing
The linen cloths are there, but the body is gone. This wasn't a hurried snatch-and-grab. What does the order of the scene tell John, and us, about what happened?
The scene inside the tomb is crucial. The linen cloths, the very wrappings that held Jesus' body, are left behind. But they aren't just tossed aside in a chaotic mess. The text, and John's careful observation, suggests an orderly departure.
What the Linens Tell Us
Understand the original words
othonion · Greek Noun
Refers to the burial wrappings used in Jewish custom; their presence in the empty tomb serves as physical evidence that Jesus did not steal away in a hurry, but left them behind as the Resurrected One.
mnēmeion · Greek Noun
A hollow chamber or cave used for burying the dead. In a biblical context, it is often associated with the temporary cessation of life and the corruption of the body, making the empty tomb a powerful witness to the resurrection.
othonion · Greek Noun
Specifically refers to the strips of cloth used to wrap a body for burial. In the context of the resurrection, their arrangement provides physical evidence that the body was not stolen but had passed through them or left them behind in an orderly fashion.
John's hesitation to enter the tomb, despite seeing the empty burial cloths, highlights a profound mix of awe, perhaps fear, and dawning belief in the resurrection, contrasting with Peter's immediate, bolder entry.
c. AD 30— this verse
Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus
Jesus is crucified and his body is wrapped in linen cloths and placed in a new tomb.
c. AD 30
Discovery of the Empty Tomb
Women, including Mary Magdalene, discover the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. They later report this to the disciples.
c. AD 30
Peter and John Investigate the Tomb
Peter and John rush to the tomb. John arrives first, stoops to look inside, sees the linen cloths, but doesn't enter.
c. AD 30
Peter Enters the Tomb
Peter arrives and enters the tomb, observing the linen cloths and the folded headcloth.
c. AD 30
This passage describes Peter running to the tomb and also stooping to look inside, mirroring John's initial reaction and the detailed observation of the burial cloths.
John 19:40This verse directly mentions the linen cloths and spices used to wrap Jesus' body, providing context for what John saw lying in the empty tomb.
Acts 2:27This verse quotes Psalm 16:10, which speaks of God not abandoning Jesus' soul to the realm of the dead and His body not seeing decay, echoing the implication of the empty tomb that Jesus' body did not remain dead.
1 Peter 1:12This passage refers to angels stooping down to look into the salvation that was revealed, using the same Greek word for 'stooping' (parakupto), suggesting a profound and reverent curiosity towards divine mystery.
cambridgeJohn 20:5: "And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in."
5 . stooping down, and looking in ] In the Greek this is expressed in a single word, which occurs again John 20:11 and Luke 24:12 , in a literal sense, of ‘bending down to look carefully at;’ and in a figurative sense in 1 Peter 1:12 and James 1:25 (see notes in both places). In Sir 14:23 it is used of the earnest searcher after wisdom, in John 21:23 of the rude prying of a fool. saw ] Better, se…
clarkeJohn 20:5: "And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in."
Went he not in - Why? Because he was fully satisfied that the body was not there. But why did he not seize upon the linen clothes, and keep them as a most precious relic? Because he had too much religion and too much sense; and the time of superstition and nonsense was not yet arrived, in which bits of rotten wood, rags of rotten cloth, decayed bones (to whom originally belonging no one knows) an…
John only stooped and looked in, seeing the grave clothes. He didn't enter because he was simply satisfied the body wasn't there, not because he was overly superstitious or fearful. The way the cloths were left, neatly separate, signaled an orderly departure, not a hurried theft.
John, the beloved disciple, arrives at the empty tomb just after Mary Magdalene, and he stoops to peer inside. He sees the grave clothes lying there, but something makes him pause and not enter the tomb itself, perhaps a sense of awe or even fear, waiting for Peter.
John, the beloved disciple, arrives at the empty tomb just after Mary Magdalene, and he stoops to peer inside. He sees the grave clothes lying there, but something makes him pause and not enter the tomb itself, perhaps a sense of awe or even fear, waiting for Peter.
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John sees the evidence, but he doesn't go in. Why the hesitation? What's holding him back from entering the empty tomb?
Peter, a bit further behind, bursts into the tomb. But John, who arrived first, stops short. He sees enough from the entrance to be utterly amazed, but not enough to enter. What's going on here?
A Moment of Awe
John Enters the Tomb
John then enters the tomb and sees the same evidence, leading him to believe.
"And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there," — John only stooped and looked in, seeing the grave clothes. He didn't enter because he was simply satisfied the body wasn't there, not because he was overly superstitious or fearful. The way the cloth…
