John 20:1–31 & 21:1–25: From the Garden to Follow Me

Study Diagram Overview

From my Excalidraw study notes on John 20–21. The board traces one line from the garden in Genesis, through the tabernacle, the temple, and the cross, to an empty tomb in a garden. Then it follows the risen Jesus from a locked room to the Sea of Tiberias, where He restores Peter and repeats His first call: “Follow me.” Open diagram in full size →

Empty Tomb	“Mary”	Sent	Thomas	The Shore	Restored	Follow Me
20:1–10 Stone removed; linen cloths; saw and believed	20:11–18 Angels; the gardener; “I have seen the Lord!”	20:19–23 Peace; as the Father sent Me; breathed the Spirit	20:24–31 “My Lord and my God!”; written so you may believe	21:1–14 Nothing caught; 153 fish; charcoal fire	21:15–17 Three questions; three charges	21:18–25 Peter’s death; “What about him?”; epilogue

Watch the video study: Bisaya | John 20–21 (YouTube)

For the cross and burial, see John 19:1–37.

Introduction: Where Are We?

The board opens with a map called “Where are we?” It has twelve stops, plotted between close to God and far from God:

In the Beginning: God creates and dwells with His creation (Genesis 1:1–2).
The Garden: He walks with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8).
The Fall: He promises the Seed and covers them with skins (Genesis 3:15, 21).
The Promise: He calls Abraham and provides the lamb (Genesis 12:3; 22:8).
Tabernacle: He dwells among them in a tent (Exodus 25:8).
Kings & Temple: His glory fills the temple, then departs (1 Kings 8:11; Ezekiel 10:18).
Jesus: God with us in the flesh (John 1:14).
The Cross: The curtain is torn and the way is open (Matthew 27:51).
Garden Restored: Fellowship restored through Jesus (John 20:17).
Sunday Morning: The first day of the week (John 20:1–18).
Sent: He sends His followers into the world (John 20:21).
Follow Me: He restores Peter (John 21:19).

The big idea on the first slide: God made a place to dwell with His people. Sin drove us out. The rest of Scripture is God making a way back: Garden, Tabernacle, Temple, Jesus.

Adam was placed in Eden “to work it and watch over it” (Genesis 2:15). The same pair of words later describes priests serving at the tabernacle (Numbers 3:7–8). Eden was the first temple. The tabernacle faced east like Eden and had cherubim woven into its curtain. Solomon’s temple had cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers carved into its walls. Then the glory left, and Israel waited about four hundred years.

John 1:14 says the Word “dwelt” among us, literally tabernacled. Jesus called His body the temple (John 2:19–21). At the cross the curtain tore from top to bottom. John 19:41 adds a detail that sets up chapter 20: there was a garden where He was crucified, and the tomb was in that garden.

Before John 20 the board asks four questions to watch for:

Where is the tomb, and who does Mary think she is talking to? (19:41; 20:15)
Where do the two angels sit, and what might that remind you of? (20:12; Exodus 25:22)
What does Jesus breathe on the disciples, and where have we seen that before? (20:22; Genesis 2:7)
What does Jesus call His Father, and what does that tell us? (20:17)

Structure at a Glance

Section	Verses	Focus
The stone removed	20:1–2	Mary at the tomb before dawn
The race to the tomb	20:3–10	Linen cloths; the other disciple believes
Mary at the tomb	20:11–18	Two angels; the gardener; her name
Peace be with you	20:19–23	Scars shown; disciples sent; the Spirit
Thomas	20:24–29	Evidence asked for and given
Purpose of the Gospel	20:30–31	Believe and have life
Gone fishing	21:1–8	A night with nothing; a second miraculous catch
Breakfast on the shore	21:9–14	Charcoal fire; 153 fish
“Do you love me?”	21:15–17	Peter restored three times
“Follow me”	21:18–23	Peter’s death; John’s path is not Peter’s
Epilogue	21:24–25	An eyewitness wrote it down

The Stone Removed (20:1–2)

1 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Still dark: Sunday, the first day of the week. Mary comes to a tomb in a garden.
“They’ve taken the Lord”: Resurrection is not on her mind. Her conclusion is that someone moved the body.
The board puts it plainly: Mary came expecting a body, not a risen Lord.

▶ Discipleship application: Grief often reads events in the worst way first. Bring that reading to Jesus instead of settling on it.

The Race to the Tomb (20:3–10)

3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. 8 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

“Went out” (v3): The verb is singular in Greek, which may point to Peter taking the lead.
He did not go in (v5): By now there was light enough to see through the low opening. John waits, likely deferring to Peter as a leader among the Twelve.
Linen cloths and head wrapping (v6–7): Grave robbers do not fold the head cloth and set it apart.
Two witnesses (v6–8): Peter and John both go in. Jewish law required two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15).
Saw and believed (v8–9): John believed from what he saw, not because he already understood the Old Testament. Later, taught by the Spirit (John 14:25–26; 16:12–13), they saw the resurrection was foretold.

Why it matters: They did not expect a resurrection, so they did not invent a story to fit their hopes. The empty tomb shocked them.

▶ Discipleship application: The resurrection is not a story the disciples wanted to tell. It overturned what they expected. Let that weigh on you when you doubt it.

Mary at the Tomb (20:11–18)

11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. 15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?” Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”—which means “Teacher.” 17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Crying (v11): She weeps because the body is gone, not only because He died.
Two angels, one at the head and one at the feet (v12): The board points to the ark of the covenant, where God met His people between two cherubim (Exodus 25:22). Angels often come in pairs (Acts 1:10) and in white (Ezekiel 9:2; Daniel 10:5–6; Revelation 15:6).
Not recognized (v14): The risen Jesus is often not known at first. His body is real but changed (1 Corinthians 15:35–38).
The gardener (v15): A fair guess early in the morning. It is also the point of the board: in a garden, at the start of a new creation, the man in front of her tends what God planted.
“Mary” (v16): He had already spoken to her. When she heard her own name, she knew Him.
“Don’t cling to me” (v17): He is risen in a real body, and His relationship with them is moving to a new stage.
“My Father and your Father” (v17): For the first time Jesus calls the disciples His brothers. This is stop 9 on the map: fellowship with God restored.
“I have seen the Lord!” (v18): She came looking for a body. She left announcing a risen Lord.

He Is Risen: The Firstfruits


Sunday (19:41; 20:1)	The tomb in the garden is empty.
The Gardener (20:15)	The garden restored.
Firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20–23)	Jesus rises first, the start of the harvest.
Tombs opened (Matthew 27:52–53)	Raised saints appeared in Jerusalem after His resurrection, a preview of the resurrection to come.

Death is defeated. Jesus calls His Father “your Father.” The way back to God that closed in Genesis 3 is open.

▶ Discipleship application: Jesus knows you by name. Faith is not first an idea you hold. It is hearing Him call you and turning toward Him.

Peace Be with You (20:19–23)

19 When it was evening on that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Doors locked (v19): Fear again (John 7:13). Jesus comes and stands among them anyway.
“Peace be with you”: The ordinary Jewish greeting, shalom alekem. From Jesus it carries what His death purchased: peace with God.
Hands and side (v20): The scars prove the risen One is the crucified One, and that His prediction came true.
As the Father has sent me (v21): John’s version of the Great Commission. The Sent One becomes the Sender (John 17:18).
Father, Son, and Spirit (v21–22): The board draws it as a chain. The Father sends the Son. The Son sends His followers. The Spirit equips them. All three Persons work in redemption and in the mission.
He breathed on them (v22): Like the breath of life in Eden (Genesis 2:7). The Spirit came fully and permanently at Pentecost (Acts 2).
Forgive or retain (v23): The disciples announce the terms of the gospel. Those who receive the message are forgiven. Those who reject it remain in their sins.

▶ Discipleship application: The first word of the risen Lord to frightened people is peace. The second is a sending. You do not get the first without the second.

Thomas: Show Me (20:24–29)

24 But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” 28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Thomas asks for evidence (v25): The same evidence the others already had (v20). The disciples were ordinary people, not ready-made believers.
A week later (v26–27): Jesus comes back for one man and puts the evidence in front of him.
“My Lord and my God!” (v28): The doubter makes the clearest confession of Christ’s deity in the Gospel, matching John 1:1.
“Blessed are those who have not seen” (v29): That is every reader since.

▶ Discipleship application: Jesus does not scold honest questions. He answers them. Bring your doubts to Him and to His people, and stay in the room where He shows up.

Written So That You May Believe (20:30–31)

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Many other signs (v30): John selected what to include.
The purpose of the Gospel (v31): Believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and have life in His name.
Full circle: From the garden in Genesis, to the cross, to an empty tomb in a garden, to us: life in His name.

▶ Discipleship application: Read John the way it asks to be read. Every sign in it is aimed at belief, and belief is aimed at life.

Gone Fishing (21:1–8)

1 After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. 5 “Friends,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered. 6 “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. 7 The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into the sea. 8 Since they were not far from land (about a hundred yards away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish.

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Then and now: Fishermen by the sea were first called to fish for people (Luke 5:1–11; Mark 1:17). Now they are by the same sea, sent with a mission.
Zebedee’s sons (v2): James and John (Matthew 4:21), Simon’s partners in the fishing business (Luke 5:10).
Caught nothing (v3): Back to what they knew, with nothing to show for it.
Not recognized (v4): Possibly supernatural, as on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:16, 37).
Two miraculous catches (v6): One when He first called them (Luke 5:4–11), one after His resurrection. Same sea, same work, same Lord, now with a mission.
“It is the Lord!” (v7): John recognizes Him first. Peter jumps in to get to Him.

▶ Discipleship application: Going back to the old boat after failure is common. Jesus meets you there, and He does not leave you there.

Breakfast on the Shore (21:9–14)

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. 10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. 11 So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 “Come and have breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Breakfast already on (v9): Fire, fish, and bread are ready before they land.
A charcoal fire: John uses the word one other time, in John 18:18, where Peter warmed himself and denied Jesus. Peter denied Him beside one charcoal fire. He will be restored beside another.
153 fish, net not torn (v11): A counted catch, and nothing lost.
Third appearance (v14): The third time to the disciples as a group.

▶ Discipleship application: Jesus feeds before He corrects. Sit at His table before you try to fix yourself.

“Do You Love Me?” (21:15–17)

15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said.

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Denial	Question	Charge
1 (John 18:17)	“Do you love me more than these?”	“Feed my lambs”
2 (John 18:25)	“Do you love me?”	“Shepherd my sheep”
3 (John 18:26–27)	“Do you love me?”	“Feed my sheep”

Restoration: Each question likely took Peter back to one of his denials. Each time, Jesus did not leave him with his guilt. He gave him work: care for My flock.
Grieved (v17): The third question hurt, but Jesus was not shaming him. He was restoring him.
Not left with his guilt. Given a responsibility.

▶ Discipleship application: Failure does not disqualify a forgiven disciple from serving. Jesus deals with the sin directly and then hands you something to do for His people.

“Follow Me” (21:18–23)

18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.” 20 So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” 23 So this rumor spread to the brothers and sisters that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

Stretch out your hands (v18–19): Jesus tells Peter he will glorify God by his death.
“Follow me” (v19): The same call Jesus gave at the start (John 1:43; Mark 1:17). The first call and the last call are the same.
“What about him?” (v21): Peter looks at John and compares.
“As for you, follow me” (v22): Your path is yours.
The rumor (v23): Some said John would not die. John corrects it by repeating exactly what Jesus said. Church tradition holds that John later served in Ephesus, was exiled to Patmos, and died old around AD 100, though the details are uncertain.

▶ Discipleship application: Comparison will pull your eyes off Jesus. Someone else’s calling, suffering, or length of life is not your assignment. Follow Him.

Epilogue (21:24–25)

24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.

Notes from the study diagram (C20–21):

An eyewitness (v24): The disciple Jesus loved wrote this, and his testimony is true.
Not even the world could contain the books (v25): John gave us enough to believe, not everything there is.
Full circle: The Gospel began with the Word in the beginning (John 1:1). It ends with the risen Word restoring His people and sending them out. From the garden to “Follow me.”

Summary: Theological Themes from the Study Diagram (C20–21)

God making a way back: Garden, tabernacle, temple, Jesus, garden restored.
An unexpected resurrection: Nobody expected it, so nobody invented it.
The garden restored: A tomb in a garden; Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener.
A new family: “My Father and your Father.”
Firstfruits: Jesus rises first; His people follow.
Sent by the Triune God: The Father sends the Son, the Son sends the disciples, the Spirit equips them.
Breath of new creation: Genesis 2:7 echoed in John 20:22.
Doubt answered: Thomas confesses “My Lord and my God!”
Restoration: A second charcoal fire, three questions, three charges.
Follow me: The first and last call of the Gospel.

For Further Study

Eden as temple: Genesis 2:15 with Numbers 3:7–8 and Revelation 21:3; 22:1–3.
The garden tomb: John 19:41 with John 20:15.
Firstfruits: 1 Corinthians 15:20–23 with Matthew 27:51–53.
Breath of life: Genesis 2:7 with John 20:22 and Acts 2:1–4.
Sent: John 17:18 with John 20:21 and Matthew 28:18–20.
Peter’s denials and restoration: John 18:15–27 with John 21:15–19.
First and last call: John 1:43 and Mark 1:17 with John 21:19, 22.

Reflection & Response

How does this shape your walk?

Expectation: What are you sure about that Jesus might be about to overturn, the way He did for Mary?
Your name: Have you heard Him call you personally, or do you only know about Him?
Sent: Where has the risen Lord placed you, and who there needs to hear about Him?
Doubt: What question are you holding back from bringing to Jesus?
Failure: Is there a “charcoal fire” in your past that you think disqualifies you?
Comparison: Whose path are you watching instead of following Jesus?

Scripture quotations are from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).