April 20th, 2025

John 20:1-10

1. God’s Sovereignty in the Resurrection
• How does the timing and order of events in this passage reflect God’s sovereign plan of redemption?
• Why is it significant that Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John each play a role in witnessing the empty tomb?
2. The Evidence of the Empty Tomb
• John emphasizes the details of the linen cloths and the face cloth. Why might these details matter?
• How do these physical signs affirm the historical reality and bodily resurrection of Christ?
3. Belief Without Full Understanding
• Verse 8 says John “saw and believed,” yet verse 9 says “they did not yet understand the Scripture.”
• How can someone genuinely believe while still growing in their understanding of Scripture?
• How does this encourage us in our own spiritual growth and understanding of God’s Word?
4. Christ-Centered Fulfillment of Scripture
• From a redemptive-historical standpoint, how does this moment fulfill Old Testament prophecy and point to Christ as the center of Scripture?
• Read passages like Psalm 16:10 and Isaiah 53:10–11. How do they illuminate what’s happening here?
5. The Resurrection and Our Sanctification
• How does the resurrection of Christ serve not only as the foundation for our justification but also as the power for our sanctification?
• What does the empty tomb tell us about our union with Christ in both death and new life (cf. Romans 6:4–5)?
6. Witness and Response
• The disciples saw the empty tomb and began to believe, but they would later be commissioned to proclaim.
• How should the reality of the resurrection shape our own lives and witness?
• In what ways are we called to respond to the empty tomb today?