It is succinct, sober, and bears the tone and sense of accuracy and reliability. John is a clear-headed communicator of authentic experience and observation. His wonderment at the tomb, his pause before arriving at any conclusion as to the whereabouts of Jesus and the disappearance of the Lord's body counters the hasty and rational explanation that Mary proffers concerning the mystery of the missing man from Nazareth. Mary inadvertently preempts the sceptical position that the enemies of Jesus would continue to adopt - that robbers removed the body of Jesus.

The evidence that Peter and John saw disproved such an assertion. The interior of the tomb displayed a scene of unhurried orderliness. The strips of linen were lying there - seemingly not bundled carelessly or shredded and torn in any way as they would have been in the robbers rushed violation of the tomb - a serious crime with a dire penalty. As Saint Chrysostom remarks, "For neither, if any persons had removed the body, would they before doing so have stripped it; nor if any had stolen it, would they have taken the trouble to remove the napkin, and roll it up, and lay it in a place by itself; but how? they would have taken the body as it was. On this account John tells us by anticipation that it was buried with much myrrh, which glues linen to the body not less firmly than lead" (The Gospel According to John, Leon Morris, NIT Commentary, Eerdmans, Michigan, 1995).

Jesus rose in supreme power and serene calm. He had laid death aside with the grave clothes that enfolded him like a suit of cement. He was unbound from the taut linen wraps and unconfined by the massive stone that barred entrance to the tomb (or exit by a man in a swoon).

The modest man believes Mary - the tomb is empty, but he ventures no immediate verdict as to the reason. Rather he makes his modest admission in almost self-deprecating candour. He is puzzled and perplexed by the mystifying occurrence (VV 8-9).

(Verses 11-20) John the tender-hearted renders a tender account of Jesus' confirmatory appearance to Mary. Such was her mindset that even the encounter with angels sympathetic to her grief did not alter her suspicion that they (thieves or garden staff), "have taken my Lord away and I don't know where they have put him". (v13).

The moment of Mary's recognition of the risen Saviour came from his pronunciation of her name. She is addressed in her uniqueness with such warmth and affection. The voice of the beloved Teacher turns her toward him just as it draws all of the chosen into the sweet embrace of saving faith. Instinctively Mary would hold Jesus in some way but from this point on she must learn that contact with the Lord must transcend physical apprehension of every kind. Jesus' Presence is to be ubiquitous through the Spirit. As John relates Mary's encounter with Jesus he does so with the sensitivity of one with a deep appreciation of intimacy with Messiah. He has first hand experience of the Lord's special and personal love his folk. At the Last Supper John reclined his head upon the Saviour's bosom symbolising the secret insights he was to derive from the Son of God (John 13:18-25). The closeness of the cousins - Jesus and John - accounts for the depth and charm of John's beautiful gospel. The modest witness mused over the events of holy Week close to his Master's heart. Accordingly, he rendered his Eastertide report with a firm rapport with Jesus. John not only had a concern for accuracy of detail he registered events with utter devotion.

Movingly he describes the Lord's consoling of Mary and conveys to us the enormously comforting message Mary is to relay to the disciples rather than delay contemplatively with Jesus: "Go instead to my brothers" (v17). In terms of endearment Jesus displays that he cares mightily for his bewildered and frightened family and his reunion with them brings overwhelming joy(v20).

The grand announcement that he makes to the beleaguered band of followers, so distressed by all that had so quickly taken place and their anxious response to it all, is that the omnipotent God who restored him to life is their Father and their God. They are given the guarantee of ultimate safety of sins forgiven through adoption (John 1:12-13) and a secure future through God's fortress-like protection (10:27-30). The resurrection means so much and only gradually and eventually will the disciples come to understand (v9).

Soon John will have his tentative faith at the tomb solidified at the Sea of Tiberias where he will identify the risen Jesus to his close comrade Peter (ch21:vv4-7).

The other disciple , the one whom Jesus loved (21:7), could now certify the facts of the gospel and point to the identity of the Saviour for all mankind through his invaluable, precious, priceless witness to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostolic memoir is written for us and to us with absolute assurance of authenticity: This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down . We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written (21:24-25).

What a tribute the last verses of the Gospel are to the busyness and preoccupations of Jesus on our behalf. The world would overflow with the magnificence and multiplicity of his saving speeches and deeds, and it ought to overflow with his praise.

In John's document concerning Jesus we discover the credibility and accuracy of an eye-witness that captures our attention in the spirit of family affection shared by all those who are miraculously called to believe John and love the Saviour he commends (see also 1 John 1; 1-4).

The Rev. Roger Salter is an ordained Church of England minister where he had parishes in the dioceses of Bristol and Portsmouth before coming to Birmingham, Alabama to serve as Rector of St. Matthew's Anglican Church.