💫WEB · John 20:13
What does John 20:13 mean?
"They told her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.”"
— John 20:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb,
and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
They told her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn’t know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”
Explanation
John 20:13 captures a small but poignant moment in the resurrection narrative. Mary Magdalene has come to Jesus' tomb early on the first day of the week, only to find it empty. Weeping at the entrance, she looks inside and sees two angels sitting where Jesus' body had been laid. They ask her why she is weeping, and her answer reveals the depth of her grief and confusion: she believes someone has stolen or moved Jesus' body, and she has no idea where he has been taken.
The context is essential to understanding the verse. This scene occurs in John's Gospel, traditionally attributed to the apostle John, writing to a community of believers likely toward the end of the first century, with the purpose of affirming that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so that readers might believe and have life in his name. Mary Magdalene was one of the women who had followed Jesus during his ministry and remained faithful even through his crucifixion, staying near the cross when many others fled. Her presence at the tomb so early in the morning reflects both her devotion and her sorrow. She had come, along with other women mentioned in the parallel Gospel accounts, to care for the body according to burial customs, not expecting a resurrection. When she finds the stone removed and the tomb empty, her first assumption is not that Jesus has risen, but that his body has been taken away, perhaps by grave robbers or by those hostile to him.
Theologically, this verse highlights the very human, unexpecting response to the resurrection before its reality had dawned on anyone. Mary's grief is
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