John 20:14 kjv
And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
John 20:14 nkjv
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
John 20:14 niv
At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
John 20:14 esv
Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
John 20:14 nlt
She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him.
John 20 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 16:9 | Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene... | First appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene post-resurrection. |
| Lk 24:16 | But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. | Similar delayed recognition of Jesus by Emmaus disciples. |
| Lk 24:37 | But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. | Disciples' fear and misidentification of Jesus. |
| Jn 21:4 | Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. | Another instance of disciples not recognizing Jesus immediately. |
| Mk 16:12 | After that He appeared in a different form to two of them... | Jesus' changed appearance or a 'disguise' that hindered recognition. |
| Jn 20:11 | But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping... | Immediate context: Mary's profound grief, blurring her perception. |
| Jn 20:13 | ...“Woman, why are you weeping?”... | Mary's consuming sorrow overshadows everything. |
| Gen 3:8 | And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden... | Echoes of God's presence in a garden (Eden), here the garden of resurrection. |
| Gen 3:19 | By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground... | Reminder of humanity's fall in a garden and the gardener imagery. |
| Rom 5:12 | Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin... | Adam's sin in a garden (Eden) brought death; Christ's victory in a garden brings life. |
| 1 Cor 15:21-22 | For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. | Parallels between Adam (in garden) and Christ (in garden tomb). |
| Is 6:10 | ...make the ears dull, and their eyes blind; lest they see with their eyes... | Theme of spiritual blindness/eyes being hindered from seeing God's truth. |
| 2 Cor 4:4 | ...in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving... | Spiritual inability to recognize divine truth without God's unveiling. |
| Ps 30:5 | For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may last for a night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. | Foreshadowing Mary's journey from weeping to joy in the morning. |
| Ps 126:5 | Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy. | The principle of sorrow giving way to ultimate joy. |
| Jn 10:3 | To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. | Foreshadows Jesus calling Mary's name (Jn 20:16) for recognition. |
| Jn 10:27 | My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me... | Spiritual recognition often comes through hearing Christ's specific call. |
| Phil 2:6-7 | ...although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant... | Hint at the humility of Christ's resurrection appearance, even appearing as a "gardener." |
| Heb 1:3 | He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature... | Though His appearance was momentarily unrecognized, He is still fully God. |
| Rom 1:20 | For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen... | Though He could be physically seen, deeper recognition needed divine intervention. |
John 20 verses
John 20 14 Meaning
John 20:14 describes Mary Magdalene's initial encounter with the risen Jesus outside His empty tomb. Overcome by grief and tears, she speaks with angels and then turns to see a figure standing nearby. Despite beholding Jesus, her sorrow and perhaps a veiled appearance prevented her from recognizing Him as her Lord. This verse sets the scene for Jesus' self-revelation.
John 20 14 Context
John 20 begins on the first day of the week, with Mary Magdalene discovering the empty tomb and reporting it to Peter and the "beloved disciple." They confirm the tomb is empty, but do not yet fully grasp the resurrection. While they return home, Mary remains at the tomb, weeping. Her deep personal grief for her missing Lord dominates her focus, clouding her perception. This verse specifically describes her state of intense sorrow and the unexpected appearance of Jesus before she comprehends His true identity. The setting in a garden near the tomb subtly connects to creation, the fall, and the new beginning ushered in by the resurrection, echoing biblical themes of divine presence and redemption in a garden. Historically, a woman's testimony held less weight in that culture, yet Mary Magdalene is chosen as the first witness of the resurrection, challenging societal norms and underscoring the spiritual significance of the event.
John 20 14 Word analysis
- And when she had thus said, (καὶ ταῦτα εἰποῦσα, kai tauta eipousa): Literally, "and having said these things." Mary had just explained to the angels her anguish: "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him" (Jn 20:13). This phrase indicates her direct interaction with the divine realm (angels) and her desperate emotional state, focusing solely on the missing body. Her words reveal a complete lack of understanding regarding the resurrection.
- she turned herself back, (ἐστράφη εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, estraphē eis ta opisō): Meaning "she turned back/around." This turning is significant. It implies she was previously facing the tomb or the angels inside. What prompted her to turn? It could be the sound of footsteps, a feeling, or the angels' gaze directed past her, suggesting another's presence. It indicates a shift in attention from the tomb's emptiness to something external and unexpected.
- and saw (καὶ θεωρεῖ, kai theōrei): "And she beholds/observes." The present tense verb (theōrei, from theōreō) gives a vivid, immediate sense to the act of seeing, like a live-action narrative. It denotes more than casual glance; it implies contemplation, though perhaps not recognition. She genuinely sees a figure.
- Jesus (τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ton Iēsoun): The literal person, physically present. This is the risen Christ, bodily resurrected. He is standing before her in His post-resurrection reality.
- standing, (ἑστῶτα, hestōta): A perfect participle, indicating a state of being "standing" or "having stood." It conveys stability and presence, not in motion but deliberately positioned. He is not lurking or moving away; He is clearly present.
- and knew not (καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει, kai ouk ēdei): "And she did not know" (from oida meaning "to know," in the imperfect tense indicating a continuous state of not knowing). This is the pivotal phrase. Her vision registered His physical presence, but her inner faculty of recognition, her comprehension, was absent. It implies a complete lack of understanding or identification, not merely a passing confusion.
- that it was Jesus. (ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν, hoti Iēsous estin): "That it is Jesus." Her failure to know concerns His very identity. This non-recognition is a common theme in early resurrection appearances (Lk 24:16, Jn 21:4) and can be attributed to several factors: tears blurring her vision (Jn 20:11), the initial 'altered form' of His resurrection body (Mk 16:12), her overwhelmed emotional state expecting a corpse, or a divine veiling until the appointed time of revelation, perhaps to highlight the difference between mere sight and spiritual understanding enabled by Christ Himself.
John 20 14 Bonus section
The context of a "garden" around the tomb holds significant symbolic weight. Just as humanity fell into sin and death in a garden (Eden, Gen 3), so too is the place of Christ's triumph and the dawn of new life (the Resurrection) in a garden. This underscores Christ as the Second Adam, undoing the curse of the first, transforming a place of brokenness into a sanctuary of life and redemption. Mary’s mistake of thinking Jesus was the "gardener" can thus be seen as prophetically ironic, as He is indeed ushering in a new creation and tending the seeds of eternal life, becoming the new gardener of humanity's future. The cultural challenge implicit in this passage is also noteworthy: a woman's testimony, generally not admissible in Jewish courts, becomes the very first proclamation of the Resurrection, highlighting the revolutionary nature of the Gospel and God's unconventional ways.
John 20 14 Commentary
John 20:14 offers a poignant tableau of grief meeting divine presence, yet failing to recognize it. Mary Magdalene, a picture of profound devotion and sorrow, remains weeping by the empty tomb after Peter and John have left. Her sole desire is for the physical body of her Lord, which tragically blinds her to His living, resurrected presence.
When she turns and sees Jesus, she literally beholds Him with her eyes, but her mind and heart are incapable of identifying Him. This moment underscores a crucial theological point: the resurrection body of Christ was real, physical, and discernible, yet often initially unfamiliar to His disciples. This lack of immediate recognition, also seen with the Emmaus disciples (Lk 24:16), was likely due to several factors: Mary's tears clouding her vision, her expectation of finding a dead body rather than a living person, or perhaps a divine restraint on recognition until Jesus Himself chose to reveal His identity (as He does by speaking her name in v. 16).
This "not knowing" highlights that perceiving the resurrected Christ requires more than just physical sight; it demands an open heart, often aided by divine initiative. Mary's human limitations, exacerbated by sorrow, prevented her from grasping the ultimate triumph of life over death standing right before her. It is only when Jesus calls her by name (John 20:16), speaking into her specific spiritual reality, that her spiritual eyes are opened, transforming her profound grief into ecstatic joy. The gardener imagery, her immediate assumption, roots the resurrection firmly in the created world, suggesting new life sprouting from the ground of death. This powerful scene prepares the reader for the intimate and personal revelation of the Lord.