The stone has been rolled away!
The Beloved Disciple wrote by The Holy Spirit in John chapter 20:
1 “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”
This single verse introduces one of the most important events in Christianity: the discovery that Jesus’ tomb was empty!
1. “The first day of the week”
This is Sunday, the day following the Jewish Sabbath.
John deliberately emphasizes the first day. At the beginning of Genesis, the first day marked the beginning of creation. Here, the first day marks the beginning of something equally profound—new creation through the resurrection of Christ.
Jesus had said in John chapter 11:
25 “I am the Resurrection, and the Life.”
The resurrection isn’t merely Jesus returning to His previous Life. It is the beginning of a new order of Life in which death has been defeated.
Paul later wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2. “Mary Magdalene”
Mary’s presence is significant.
Jesus had delivered Mary from seven demons (Luke 8:2). She subsequently became one of His devoted followers.
She had witnessed His crucifixion (John 19:25), and now she comes looking for Him even when she believes He is dead.
There is a beautiful spiritual principle here:
Love brought Mary to the tomb before understanding brought her to the resurrection.
She didn’t yet understand what God had done, but she continued seeking Jesus.
3. “Early, when it was yet dark”
John is giving us an actual time of day—it was before full daylight—but darkness is also an important theme throughout John’s Gospel.
John frequently contrasts darkness and light.
The Beloved Disciple wrote by The Holy Spirit in John chapter 1:
5 “And the Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Mary approaches the tomb while it is physically dark, but humanity is also about to discover that the Light has conquered death.
She begins the chapter in darkness and confusion. By the end of the chapter, the risen Christ has appeared to His disciples.
The movement is:
Darkness → Discovery → Revelation → Faith → Mission
That pattern occurs repeatedly in the Christian life. We sometimes encounter God’s work before we understand what He is doing.
4. “Seeth the stone taken away”
Notice carefully what John says.
Mary did not see Jesus come out of the tomb. She saw the stone already removed.
This matters because the stone wasn’t removed so that Jesus could escape. The resurrected Jesus would shortly demonstrate that physical barriers no longer restrained Him (John 20:19).
The stone was removed so that the witnesses could see that the tomb was empty.
The opened tomb became evidence.
5. The stone represents a changed reality
There is also a useful Spiritual picture here, provided we distinguish it from John’s literal meaning.
The stone had represented an apparently final barrier:
Jesus was dead.
The tomb was sealed.
Humanly speaking, the situation was finished.
But when Mary arrived, God had already acted.
That is an important theme running through Scripture: what appears impossible from the human perspective isn’t necessarily the end of God’s work.
Mary came expecting to encounter death. Instead, she was standing at the entrance to evidence of resurrection.
6. Something particularly important happens later
John 20 doesn’t end with the empty tomb. It progresses from resurrection to the Holy Spirit and mission.
Jesus later appears to His disciples and says:
“Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” — John 20:21
Then:
“He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” — John 20:22
So the entire chapter has an extraordinary progression:
Empty tomb → Risen Christ → Peace → Commission → Holy Spirit → Mission
That connects directly with the principle of infilling and outflowing: Christ gives His followers His Spirit, and then sends them into the world.
The central message of John 20:1
Mary thought she was arriving at the end of the story.
She was actually arriving at the beginning of something entirely new.
The darkness was passing.
The stone was removed.
Death had been defeated.
Christ was risen.
And shortly afterward, those who encountered the risen Christ would be filled, commissioned, and sent.
In that sense, John 20 begins with an empty tomb but ultimately points toward a people carrying the life of the resurrected Christ into the world.