Luke 16:31

16:31 He ¹  replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to ²  Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” ³ 

John 20:8

20:8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw and believed. ⁴ 

John 20:25

20:25 The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, ⁵  “Unless I see the wounds ⁶  from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!” ⁷ 

[16:31]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[16:31]  ² tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” See the note on the phrase “respond to” in v. 29.

[16:31]  ³ sn The concluding statement of the parable, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead, provides a hint that even Jesus’ resurrection will not help some to respond. The message of God should be good enough. Scripture is the sign to be heeded.

[20:8]  ⁴ sn What was it that the beloved disciple believed (since v. 7 describes what he saw)? Sometimes it is suggested that what he believed was Mary Magdalene’s report that the body had been stolen. But this could hardly be the case; the way the entire scene is narrated such a trivial conclusion would amount to an anticlimax. It is true that the use of the plural “they” in the following verse applied to both Peter and the beloved disciple, and this appears to be a difficulty if one understands that the beloved disciple believed at this point in Jesus’ resurrection. But it is not an insuperable difficulty, since all it affirms is that at this time neither Peter nor the beloved disciple had understood the scripture concerning the resurrection. Thus it appears the author intends his reader to understand that when the beloved disciple entered the tomb after Peter and saw the state of the graveclothes, he believed in the resurrection, i.e., that Jesus had risen from the dead.

[20:25]  ⁵ tn Grk “but he said to them.”

[20:25]  ⁶ tn Or “marks.”

[20:25]  ⁷ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. The use of “it” here as direct object of the verb πιστεύσω (pisteusw) specifies exactly what Thomas was refusing to believe: that Jesus had risen from the dead, as reported by his fellow disciples. Otherwise the English reader may be left with the impression Thomas was refusing to “believe in” Jesus, or “believe Jesus to be the Christ.” The dramatic tension in this narrative is heightened when Thomas, on seeing for himself the risen Christ, believes more than just the resurrection (see John 20:28).