Why John Stopped at the Empty Tomb

Early on the first Easter morning, two disciples ran through the streets of Jerusalem toward a tomb.

Mary Magdalene had just come with astonishing news: The stone had been rolled away, and the body of Jesus was gone.

The Race to the Empty Tomb

Peter and John immediately set out to see for themselves.

John, who wrote the account in his Gospel, includes an interesting detail:

So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.

(John 20:4)

It is such a small note that it almost feels humorous. John makes sure the reader knows he got there first.

For centuries readers have smiled at that line. Even in the middle of the most important morning in history, a little bit of friendly rivalry seems to appear between the two men.

John was probably younger, and he outran Peter.

But when he reached the tomb, he stopped. He stooped down and looked inside, seeing the linen burial cloths lying there, yet he did not go in.

Moments later Peter arrived.

And Peter did what Peter often did.

He charged straight inside.

John records it simply:

Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there.

(John 20:6)

It is a scene that perfectly reflects the personalities we see throughout the Gospels. Peter was bold and impulsive. He was often the first to speak, the first to act, and sometimes the first to make a mistake. When he arrived at the tomb, hesitation did not seem to occur to him.

John, by contrast, appears more observant and reflective. He noticed details. He paused.

So the morning unfolds exactly as we might expect.

John runs faster. Peter walks straight in.

Yet the differences between the two disciples were about more than personality.

They also seem to have come from somewhat different social circles.

John appears to have had connections that Peter did not. Earlier in the Gospel accounts, when Jesus was arrested and taken to the high priest’s house, John was known there and was able to enter the courtyard. Peter could not even get inside until John spoke to the servant girl at the door and brought him in (John 18:15-16).

They were different men – different temperaments, different backgrounds, perhaps even different social standing.

Yet on that morning, both of them stood in the same place.

The empty tomb of Jesus.

After Peter entered, John finally stepped inside as well.

Then he writes something simple and remarkable:

Then the other disciple . . . also went in. And he saw and believed.

(John 20:8)

That line is striking. John does not describe thunder or lightning. There is no dramatic speech. There are only the linen cloths lying where the body had been. Yet somehow in that moment, the truth began to dawn.

The tomb was empty.

And both of these very different men were beginning to believe.

The Easter resurrection story includes many dramatic moments, but it also includes small human ones like this.

Two friends running. A little rivalry along the way. Different personalities, different backgrounds.

Yet both of them standing together at the same empty tomb, slowly realizing that everything had changed.

These and the other witnesses to the first Easter were ordinary men and women with their own strengths, weaknesses, and differences.

But when they encountered the risen Christ, those differences did not matter at all compared to the truth they had come to see.

The tomb was empty.

And that truth is big enough for everyone to believe.