John 20:3-10 3So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4And both of them were running together, but the other disciple ran ahead of Peter and arrived at the tomb first. 5And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8So then the other disciple, who had come to the tomb first, also went in and saw and believed; 9 for they did not yet understand the Scripture, that it was necessary for him to rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went again to their own place.
This passage begins with a foot race that has been much discussed around Easter time. When Mary went to the disciples and told them what she had found in the tomb, it must have sparked mixed emotions in them. John does not give any hints of the emotions but only that Peter and John ran to the tomb. The race implies anticipation, curiosity, or possibly concern since they were responding to Mary’s accusation that someone had stolen Jesus’ body.
John was of fleet foot, arriving at the tomb sooner than Peter. We can only surmise why he did not go in. What he saw must have raised many questions for him. Why could someone steal Jesus’ body and leave the grave cloths behind? It would have taken much effort to unwrap the body and transport it somewhere else. It makes no sense why someone would go through all the work to do that. In addition, the cloth that went around Jesus’ face was neatly folded by itself. If someone was up to no good, likely the person would have just thrown the burial cloths to the side in a heap and not neatly fold them.
Peter, however, was a bit slower in getting to the tomb but did not stop at the entrance but charged right in. This response fits what the Gospels say about Peter’s impulsive personality. He often acted quickly, seemingly without thinking much about the situation. However, doing this also showed his strong faith. This faith just needed to be guided by the Holy Spirit and confirmed with experiential knowledge. Both would come later after Jesus’ resurrection and the day of Pentecost. Peter would go on to become the key representative and leader of the earliest disciples. God used what appeared to be Peter’s weakness and turned it into his strength. We get hints of that in this passage and his quickness to enter the tomb.
John humbly recounts his own reluctance to enter the tomb, but when Peter charged in, John also went in and believed when he saw the grave cloths laying there. Although not clearly stated, the assumption is that Peter had already believed and John joined him in this belief. However, the content of their belief is not clearly stated. Verse 9 indicated that they did not yet understand that the Scriptures had predicted that Jesus would rise from the dead. They had somehow missed Jesus’ teaching about this. The seed of faith had been planted in them, but their understanding had not caught up yet. Faith without understanding is weak and can be easily deceived, discouraged, and defeated. Their understanding would come from the Scriptures. They would eventually come to realize that all that happened was part of God’s eternal plan into which the prophets had glimpses (1 Peter 1:10-12).
Verse 10 could sound like the defeat of discouragement, but it could also be a time of deep introspection and wonder. Something was stirring in Peter’s and John’s minds but they could not clearly explain it. They were at a crossroads, with one way leading to faith and the other to defeat. Jesus would not leave them there but would soon come in person to give experiential knowledge to their unguided faith.
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