He Is Alive! (John 20:1–18)
John 20:1–18 tells the amazing story of the first Easter morning—the day Jesus rose from the dead. After all the sadness and pain of the cross, this moment brings hope, joy, and a whole new beginning.
An Empty Tomb
Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb. She had loved Jesus deeply and wanted to care for His body. But when she got there, she saw that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled away.
She ran to tell two of Jesus’ disciples, Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put Him!”
Peter and John rushed to the tomb. John got there first but waited. Peter went in and saw the strips of linen that had been wrapped around Jesus’ body—but Jesus was gone. Then John went in too, and when he saw the empty tomb, he believed something powerful had happened, even if he didn’t fully understand it yet.
Tears in the Garden
After the disciples went back home, Mary stayed behind, crying outside the tomb. As she wept, she looked inside and saw two angels sitting where Jesus’ body had been. They asked, “Why are you crying?”
She said, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.”
Then she turned around and saw a man standing there. She didn’t recognize Him at first. She thought He was the gardener. He asked her the same question: “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”
She said, “If you’ve taken Him, tell me where He is so I can go get Him.”
Then Jesus said one word: “Mary.”
The moment He said her name, she knew it was Him. “Teacher!” she cried out with joy.
A Personal Encounter
Jesus told Mary not to hold on to Him because He hadn’t yet returned to His Father. Then He gave her a mission:
“Go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene became the first person to see the risen Jesus—and the first to share the good news.
What This Means for Us
This story shows that Jesus is alive. The tomb couldn’t hold Him. Death didn’t win. And the first person He appeared to wasn’t a religious leader or a powerful person—it was Mary, someone whose life had been changed by His love.
It reminds us that Jesus knows our name. He meets us in our grief, our confusion, and our questions—and brings us hope. He doesn’t wait for us to figure everything out. He comes to us with compassion and calls us by name.
Final Thought
John 20:1–18 is not just about an empty tomb—it’s about a risen Savior who brings new life. Easter is the proof that God’s love is stronger than death and that no matter how dark things seem, the light of Jesus always shines through.
He is alive—and that changes everything.
John 20:1-18 (WEB)
20:1 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Therefore she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him!”3 Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he didn’t enter in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.11 But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn’t know that it was Jesus.15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”17 Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her.