The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: S. John
Chapter 20
Ver. 1. — On the first day of the week. Literally, of the Sabbath, the week being called the Sabbath, after its principal day, or the day of the Pasch. (see on Matt. xxviii.)
Mary Magdalene came. The other gospels speak of the other women, but she only is mentioned here, as being their leader, and more zealous and active than the rest.
When it was yet dark. In the early dawn (profundo diluculo), says S. Luke. Note here her activity, watchfulness, and ardour.
She seeks Christ in the dawn, and hence she is the first to see Him as the rising sun. As S. Ambrose says on the title of Ps. lv., “For the morning undertaking.” This morning undertaking we can ascribe to Mary Magdalene, who went very early in the morning to watch at the tomb, and first greeted the resurrection of the Lord, and as the sunlight grew brighter, she only, and before the rest, recognised the rising of the Sun of righteousness, and as by this morning greeting she rejoiced at the return of daylight, so did she rejoice the more that Christ was raised from the dead, and in her was fulfilled the prophecy, In the evening weeping will tarry (see Vulg.) (heaviness may endure for the night, E. V.) but at morning is joy.
Unto the sepulchre. To anoint the Body of Jesus, says Nonnus.
And saw the stone taken away. And the Angels, who said that Christ had risen, but the Magdalene did not believe it, and ran to Peter and John, saying, “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.” See notes on S. Matt. xxviii. 8. S. Jerome remarks (Ep. cl. ad Hedibiam), Her error was connected with piety — piety in longing to see Him whose Majesty she knew, but her mistake was in what she said.
Ver. 2. — Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, as the Chief Apostle, and as designated by Christ as His Vicar and successor, (Matt. xvi.), and that other disciple whom Jesus loved, i.e. S. John, who would be more diligent than the rest in searching for the Body of Christ.
Ver. 4. — So they ran both together. Before the rest, as loving Him above the rest, says S. Gregory.
And he (John) did outrun Peter, as the younger and more active, and moreover as more desirous of seeing that Body which he had just before seen marred on the cross.
Ver. 5. — And he stooping down, to look into the tomb, saw the linen clothes with which the Body of Christ had been wrapped. Yet went he not in, paying deference to Peter, as his senior and more worthy, says Lyranus, or else hindered by fear, or seized with a kind of sacred dread at the Body of Christ which was buried there.
Ver. 6. — Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, Peter (says S. Chrysostom) entered with ardour, and carefully inspected everything. For the soldiers who guarded the tomb, when they saw the angel and the earthquake, ran away through fear. See also S. Jerome, Quæst. vi. ad Hedib. And seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin which was about His head (covering His face, as is generally done to the dead, for the sake of seemliness), not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. “This,” says S. Chrysostom, “was a sign of His Resurrection, for if they had removed the body they would not have stripped it, and if they had stolen it, they would not have been so careful to fold up the napkin, and put it aside by itself; for John had said before that He was buried with myrrh, which makes linen clothes cling close to the body, so that no one would be deceived who said that It was stolen away; for what thief would trouble himself so much about an unnecessary matter?”
Ver. 8. — Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre.
Tropologically, Toletus says that by John are signified all Christians, but by Peter the Pontiffs, Vicars of Christ. Peter then entered the tomb first as the highest in dignity, as the Vicar of Christ; but John came last, because it is possible that he who is first in rank, is behind others in desert and holiness.
And he saw and believed. Both of them, that is, believed that what Mary Magdalene said was true, namely, that the Body of Christ had been taken away. So says S. Augustine, Theophylact, and Jansen. S. Cyril, Chrysostom, Euthymius, and Nyssen add that both believed that Christ had risen. But this word “believed” more clearly and correctly applies only to S. John, who remembered the words of Christ, that He would rise on the third day. But Peter, on account of the strangeness of a Resurrection, and from His earnest desire to see Him alive again, was more slow to believe that Christ had risen.
Whence the Angel significantly said to the women, “Go, tell His disciples and Peter.” (Mark xvi. 7.)
Ver. 9. — For as yet they knew not the scriptures, that He must rise again from the dead. For although He had solemnly assured them that He would rise, yet on account of its strange and wonderful nature they believed it not, but thought that He spoke in a figure and parable, as He was wont to do.
Ver. 10. — Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. Peter wondering, John believing He had risen, the Magdalene alone remaining at the sepulchre, to learn something more certain about the Body of her beloved Christ. See S. Augustine (in loc.) “And hence it came to pass that she alone saw Him, she who remained to seek for Him, for perseverance in a good work is a virtue,” says S. Gregory, Hom. xxv.
Ver. 11. — But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping. Because she anxiously looked about on every side for the Body of Jesus, as glowing in love for Him, and was beside herself; and not finding Him, wept for grief. “The eyes (says S. Augustine in loc.) who sought, but found Him not, had leisure to weep, and sorrowed more for His being taken from the tomb than that He had died on the Cross, because not even a memorial remained of so great a Teacher, whose life had been taken away.”
And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre. Though she looked in before and saw that the sepulchre was empty. For, as says S. Gregory (in loc.), “A single look suffices not one who loves. The power of love increases the earnestness of the inquiry: she persevered in seeking, and accordingly she found. And so it was that her desires expanded and increased, and could thus take in that which they found.”
Ver. 12. — And saw two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. All these were tokens of His glorious Resurrection, and prepared the mind of the Magdalene to believe it. One sat at the head and the other at the feet, to signify that the whole Body of Christ had risen, and that, by assuming the immortal form and glory of angels, He had entered into their company, and had left these two angels, as guardians of the tomb, to announce the fact to the Magdalene.
Origen says that, mystically, the angel at the feet represented the active, the angel at the head the contemplative, life. For they are both of them from Jesus, about Jesus, through Jesus, and on account of Jesus.
Ver. 13. — They say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? This is no place for weeping, but rather for rejoicing, and being glad. Because thou seest not here the dead Body of thy Beloved One, thou oughtest to infer that Jesus has risen, and is no longer among the dead, but among the living; and more than this, that He is passing a blessed and heavenly life among the glorious angels, such as we are ourselves.
She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. I weep for three reasons. (1.) Because of the ignominious death of my Lord. (2.) Because His Body has been taken away, for if I saw It, I should kiss It, lament over It, and anoint It. (3.) Because I do not know where to look for It. For did I know, I should haste to the spot, embrace It, and overwhelm It with kisses. See here how Jesus suffers the souls of those that love Him to remain in ignorance for a while, in order to sharpen and enkindle their desire for Him; and when it is thus sharpened and enkindled, to comfort and make them glad with the full revelation of Himself.
Ver. 14. — And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Christ appeared behind the Magdalene, so that the angels who beheld Him rose up, and bowed their heads, and exhibited other tokens of reverence and adoration towards Him. And this was why she turned about, viz., to see who it was whom the angels saluted so reverently. So S. Chrysostom (Hom. 85), and the author of the Quæst. ad Antioch (Quæst. lxxviii.), [Pseudo-Athanasian]. Some think that Christ made a noise with His feet to attract her attention.
And saw Jesus. “The first to share the joy: as loving more than all”
And knew not that it was Jesus. As appearing in the form of the gardener. Just as He appeared in the form of a stranger at Emmaus. For glorified bodies can put on any appearance they please, not by changing their own appearance, but by presenting only a refracted appearance to the sight of others. Christ did this, in order that she should not be startled. He appeared to her in consequence of her intense love to Him. But because she did not believe that He was alive, He veiled Himself from her, and presented Himself to her outward sight as the person she fancied Him to be. So S. Gregory (Hom. xxiii.), speaking of the disciples at Emmaus.