John 20 is the conclusion to John’s gospel. Chapter 21 serves as something of an epilogue, a bookend to the prologue found in John 1:1-18.
At the end of chapter 1 Jesus receives the Holy Spirit. At the end of chapter 20 Jesus gives the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist declared that Jesus is the Son of God in 1:34. John tells us in 20:31 that these things have been written that you might believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Nathaniel believed in Jesus simply because Jesus said that he saw him under the fig tree in 1:49, and Jesus told him "you will see greater things than these."
Thomas believes in Jesus only when he sees the greater thing in 20:28, and yet Jesus speaks then of the greater blessing for those who have not seen and yet believe.
The second half of John 20 has two parts:
- Jesus’ meeting with the ten disciples on the evening of the first day of the week - the evening of the resurrection (verses 19-25)
- Jesus’ meeting with the eleven (including Thomas) eight days later (verses 26-29)
- John structures these two meetings in parallel through his use of the time stamp (The "first day of the week" – v19, and "after eight days" – v26) and by Jesus’ opening words to his disciples both times: "Peace be with you."
These words echo his promise in 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." Jesus promised that when he left to go to the Father, his peace would remain behind. Now here in John 20, as Jesus meets with his disciples for the first time since the resurrection, everything he says to them has to do with this promise...
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