John 20 is the resurrection chapter of the Gospel of John, and this page gives you a full set of study questions for working through it. It is written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal reading, and each question comes with a leader’s note so you can guide the discussion without preparing a separate summary.
John 20 at a Glance
The chapter moves through three scenes. First, Mary Magdalene finds the tomb open and runs to tell Peter and the other disciple, who race to the tomb and see the grave clothes left behind. Then Mary meets the risen Jesus in the garden, initially mistaking him for the gardener, until he speaks her name.
The last scenes take place behind locked doors. Jesus appears to the disciples, breathes on them, and sends them out. A week later he meets Thomas, who had refused to believe without seeing, and the chapter closes with a statement of why John wrote his Gospel.
Observation Questions
Use this set first, before anyone offers an opinion. Keep the group in the text by asking them to point to the exact words that support each answer, and let silence sit for a moment before you add your own observations.
John 20:16
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”
(WEB)
Read this when discussing Mary’s recognition. The single word “Mary” changes her grief into recognition, and it is worth letting the room hear how simple and personal that moment is.
John 20:19-20
19 When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord.
(WEB)
Read this at the start of the locked-room discussion. It sets the scene of fear and then shows the turning point, when the disciples see the Lord and are glad.
John 20:21-22
21 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit!
(WEB)
Read this when talking about being sent. Hearing Jesus say “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” anchors the group’s application in his own commission.
John 20:28
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
(WEB)
Read this during the Thomas questions. Thomas’s words “My Lord and my God!” are the high point of his story and the clearest confession in the chapter.
John 20:31
But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
(WEB)
Read this to close the study discussion. It states why John wrote everything before it and gives the group a clear sense of the purpose behind the whole Gospel.
Memory Verse for John 20
John 20:29
Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.”
(WEB)
This verse holds the chapter’s blessing for those who believe without seeing. Encourage the group to memorize it together, and to recall it on days when faith feels unsupported by visible evidence.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as people who have heard again the account of the empty tomb and the risen Lord. Thank you that you call each of us by name, as you called Mary, and that you meet us in our grief and our fear. Forgive us for the locked doors we keep, and for the times we demand proof before we trust you. Send us out in your peace, with the forgiveness and the Spirit you give, to live as those you have sent. Strengthen the faith of everyone here, and let our believing bring us real life in your name. Amen.
