John 20:14

In this article we are going to explore in depth John 20:14 and its impact on our society. John 20:14 is a topic that has generated great interest in recent years, sparking intense debates and reflections in various areas. Throughout history, John 20:14 has been a determining factor in people's lives, influencing the way they think, act and relate to their environment. In this sense, it is crucial to understand the importance of John 20:14 today, as well as the implications it has on our daily lives. Through this article, we aim to shed light on this topic and analyze its different facets, in order to contribute to a better understanding and approach to John 20:14 in the current context.

John 20:14
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20:15 →
Rembrandt's perception of the moment when Mary turns her head and sees the newly risen Jesus.
BookGospel of John
Christian Bible partNew Testament

John 20:14 is the fourteenth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. In this verse, Mary Magdalene has just finished speaking to the angels she found in Jesus's empty tomb. She then turns and sees the resurrected Jesus, but fails to recognize him. In the Gospel of John, this is the first moment anyone sees Jesus after his resurrection.

Content

The King James Version translates the passage as:

And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub John 20:14

Analysis

It is significant that it is Mary Magdalene who is the first to see the risen Jesus, but it raises the question of why she does not recognise him; in the next verse she mistakes him for the gardener. One interpretation is that the resurrected Jesus did not have the same physical form as before, but rather a wholly new appearance. John Calvin argued that the fault is with Mary, seeing her blindness in the face of Jesus as a metaphor for those who fail to see Jesus despite his divine nature.[1] This episode does not appear in the other Gospels.

That the angels of the previous two verses are from this point wholly forgotten is to Schnackenberg evidence that the angels were a later addition to the text and that the original narrative did not include them.[2]

References

  1. ^ John Calvin's commentary on John 20:10-15
  2. ^ Schnackenberg, Rudolf . The Gospel According to St. John: Volume III. Crossroad, 1990.

Further reading

Preceded by
John 20:13
Gospel of John
Chapter 20
Succeeded by
John 20:15