“Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.”
John 20:8–9 (NLT)
When Mary Magdalene finds the stone rolled away, she assumes the worst. She runs to Peter and John saying the body has been taken. They sprint to the tomb. John arrives first, looks in, and hesitates. Peter barges straight inside and sees the linen wrappings and the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head—folded and set apart. Then John enters. He sees the same evidence. And something happens. John believes.
What’s striking is what he believes before. John believes without yet understanding the Scriptures that foretold the resurrection. He doesn’t have Psalm 16 fully connected. He hasn’t heard Jesus walk them through Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms like He will in Luke 24. All John has is evidence—and a heart that remembers Jesus. Sight comes before explanation. Belief comes before full understanding.
Later, Jesus will open their minds to the Scriptures. He will show them how the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again. But even then, He says insight is not enough. “Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Knowledge alone won’t make witnesses. They need Holy Spirit.
At Pentecost, that promise is fulfilled. Peter stands up and preaches, explaining the resurrection through Psalm 16 and declaring that death could not keep Jesus in its grip. What John believed quietly at an empty tomb becomes the foundation of the Church’s first sermon. David spoke it. Jesus fulfilled it. Peter proclaimed it. And now it’s reached us. God has been weaving this story all along—and we are standing inside it.
So maybe the invitation for us today is simple. Do you need to believe—even before everything makes sense—and allow Holy Spirit to teach you how God’s story is woven through Scripture and through your life? The same God who led David, fulfilled the promise through Jesus, and empowered Peter through Holy Spirit still leads today. He will guide you into truth and send you as a witness in your home, your workplace, your church, and your community—if you’ll let Him.