Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 20

Her love for her Lord made her rise early and helped her to overcome the fear which would have prevented many from going out when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher. There are fears which some cannot shake off in the dark, and those fears would be apt to become intensified in going to a sepulcher in the dark; but love wakes early to try to find Christ, and love can see in the dark when looking for Jesus. Mary little expected to find the tomb of Jesus rifled, and the stone rolled away; she was so surprised at what she saw that she hurried away to tell the story to other friends of her Lord.

This was the language of ignorance and unbelief. She had forgotten that the Lord had said that he would rise again, the third day, or else she had never understood the meaning of his words. So, instead of saying, "He is risen," she said, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him."

Unbelief often reads things wrongly; it reads sorrow into facts that should create joy. Nothing could have made Mary happier than to believe that her Lord had risen from the dead, and nothing ever made her more sorrowful than feeling that she must say, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him."

They wanted to know what had really happened, so they resolved that they would go and see. The woman's message surprised them, and troubled them: So they ran both together. A good many people seemed to be running that morning. Had the disciples known the whole truth, they might have taken to dancing for joy, but their fears quickened their footsteps.

And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying;

So that he knew that they had not taken away the body of Jesus; for, if they had, they certainly would not have taken off the linen clothes. It would have been very difficult, and would have taken considerable time to unwrap the cold grave-clothes when they were bound to the body by the unguents that had been used: He saw the linen clothes lying;

Yet went he not in.

Perhaps, out of reverence; or, possibly, out of deference to the older man, he would give him the preference, and let him enter first.

They were evidently both struck with that sight. It indicated that there had been no haste, no hurry by thieves, but deliberate action of quite another kind.