John 20:13 records two angels asking Mary Magdalene why she is weeping, and her answer shows how deep her grief runs: someone has taken Jesus’ body, and she does not know where it is. The verse captures a moment of confusion and loss on the first Easter morning, before Mary understands what has happened. The speakers are angels sitting inside the empty tomb, and the one they speak to is Mary, who has come back to the grave early that day.
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 (WEB)
What John 20:13 Means
The angels’ question, “Woman, why are you weeping?”, is gentle rather than rebuking. They are not scolding her for crying. They simply notice her tears and ask what is wrong, the way a caring person would. Their question also sets up what is about to happen: the very thing she is weeping about is already being undone, though she cannot see it yet.
Mary’s reply, “Because they have taken away my Lord,” tells us what she believes has happened. She assumes the body has been moved, perhaps by thieves or by the authorities, and her concern is practical as well as emotional. Her second phrase, “I don’t know where they have laid him,” shows her wish simply to find Jesus and care for him. The verse does not tell us that she was wrong about everything, but it does show that her understanding is incomplete.
What the verse does not promise is an explanation or a comfort in itself. The angels do not answer Mary’s question directly, and nothing in these words says that her sorrow will end immediately. The verse describes a moment of honest grief and uncertainty, and it leaves the resolution to what comes next in the story.
The Context of John 20:13
The Gospel of John was written, according to long-standing church tradition, by the apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. It was likely written late in the first century for a community of believers who needed to understand who Jesus was and what his death and resurrection meant. The book is built around signs and encounters that reveal Jesus’ identity, and the empty tomb is one of its most important climaxes.
Just before this verse, the disciples Peter and John ran to the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying there, and went home. Mary stayed behind, weeping, and looked into the tomb herself. The verses that follow show Jesus speaking to her and her recognizing him when he calls her by name. Read in that setting, the angels’ question is the first step in a sequence where Mary’s grief gives way to joy, so the verse reads less as a dead end and more as the starting point of her recognition.
Key Phrases in John 20:13
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of God’s nearness to people who are brokenhearted, which fits Mary’s grief at the tomb. It shows that God draws close in the middle of sorrow, the same way the risen Jesus draws close to Mary.
Mark 16:6
He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him!
(WEB)
In this account of the empty tomb, the messenger tells the women that Jesus has risen and is not in the grave. It is a clear answer to the question about where the body has been laid, and it helps explain what Mary was missing.
A Short Prayer From John 20:13
Lord, I bring you the things that make me weep and the questions I cannot answer. You know where I have looked and where I have failed to look. Help me to speak honestly about my grief, the way Mary did, and to trust that you notice my tears before I say a word. When I cannot see you clearly, open my eyes to recognize your voice calling my name. Give me patience to wait for your revealing and courage to keep looking for you in the places where I feel lost. Amen.
