Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 13 All four gospel writers provide their readers with unique stories of the empty tomb. About the only things that they agree about are that the event happened early in the morning on the first day of the week following the death of Jesus and that Mary Magdalene was present. In fact, in John’s story Mary Magdalene is the only one who comes to the tomb. When she comes there is no one to greet her – only the empty tomb. John tells his readers that she runs and tells Peter and the beloved disciple who arrive at the tomb and confirm what Mary has told them. Luke had also told his readers that Peter went to verify the empty tomb when the women came and announced that the tomb was empty only to have the male followers accuse the women of telling an idle tale. It is only after taking a second look into the empty tomb that Mary sees two men dressed in white who apparently had not been there before. She thinks perhaps they have stolen the body and asks them to return it. They ask why she is weeping. Then Mary turns and encounters Jesus but she does not recognize him and mistakes him for the gardener and thinks perhaps he has moved the body so she asks him to return it. And then Jesus speaks Mary’s name and she recognizes him and runs to tell the others. John now tells a story that sounds a lot like the story Luke told of the disciples gathered in the upper room. The event happens in the evening of the first day of the week. Jesus reveals himself to the disciples and bestows on them the Holy Spirit, breathing the Spirit into them much as God breathed the breath of life in human beings at creation. John now tells his readers of a second appearance of Jesus to his disciples in the same room a week later. Thomas had not been present at the first encounter and had not been willing to believe his friends. So Jesus appears again and Thomas believes. Thomas has seen and believed. Jesus, with readers like John’s first readers in mind, tells Thomas that those who are truly blessed are those who have not seen and yet. John is now ready to end his story. He ends it by telling his readers the purpose for his writing. He tells them that there are many things he could have told about Jesus but that he has chosen to tell the things he has so that they might believe and the believing they might have life in Jesus’ name. John’s storyline has taken his readers from the theological claim that Jesus is the God-man who came from God to be the Savior of the world. And now he has accomplished his mission and returned to God. Believing in Jesus, the God-man means life and salvation.