John 20:13 is the thirteenth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. This verse occurs after Mary Magdalene has found Jesus' tomb empty, except for two angels. In this passage the angels ask Mary why she is crying.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
The word woman is a translation of the Greek gunai. This term was the polite way to address an adult female, and is in no way lacking in reverence despite how the passage might read to modern ears. In John 2:4, for instance, Jesus uses this same word to address his mother.
In theory the angels should know why Mary is crying, so it is postulated that they ask the question as a strategy to end Mary's worrying. Jesus uses a similar technique of asking questions, and does so to aid Mary in John 20:15.
That Mary responds with alacrity is in contrasts with other scenes in the Bible where human beings are shocked and overawed by angels. The description in Mark 16:8 of the reaction of the women upon meeting these same angels is one of shock and fear. Some thus believe that Mary does not recognize the figures as angels, due to her grief or her tears. In Luke 24:4 and Mark 16:5 what are presumed to be the angles are described as "men" perhaps indicating the women's uncertainty of their nature. Another theory is that the women who accompanied Mary to the tomb in the Synoptic Gospels were so struck be fear that they fainted, which is why they do not appear in the subsequent passage.
Mary's response indicates that she has no inkling of the resurrection and rather believes that some human beings have taken Jesus. H.C.G. Moule presumes that she believes some of the workers of Joseph of Arimathea have moved Jesus to a different tomb or burial place.
The conversation itself differs considerably from the one reported in the other Gospels. In the other Gospels the angels have a longer exchange with the women, and inform them of Jesus' resurrection. John Calvin concludes that John's account is just a summary of the event, as John was only including what was necessary to prove the fact of the resurrection.[1]
For a discussion of who Mary might mean by the word they see John 20:2.
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| Preceded by: John 20:12 |
Chapter 20 | Followed by: John 20:14 |