‘Simon Peter also therefore comes, following him, and went into the tomb, and he sees the linen cloths lying there, and the napkin that was on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple also therefore went into the tomb, he who had come first to the tomb, and he saw and believed, for as yet they knew not the Scripture that he would arise from the dead.'
It was typical of Peter that he rushed into the tomb without thought. Not for him the hesitancy of the other, but he had not had the same strict upbringing. Then the other followed him in. And they saw the grave cloths lying just where they had been when the body was there, with the napkin where the head had been, rolled as though it were still round the head.
‘He saw and believed'. In one moment of illumination John realised the significance of what he was seeing. The fact that the cloths were still there was evidence against the body having been removed, for why would any people responsible have removed the cloths from the body on removing it? And had they done so, why would they have arranged them so carefully? Even the chief priests and their minions would have reverenced those, and grave robbers would have wanted them for their value. Besides had they stripped them off they would have cast them to one side not laid them out neatly.
‘For as yet they knew not the Scripture that he would arise from the dead.' Up to this point they had not accepted in their hearts the Scripture testimony to the resurrection of the Coming One. They had not ‘known', the Scripture that Jesus would rise from the dead (see for example Psalms 16:10-11; Psalms 110:1-4; Psalms 118:22-24; Isaiah 53:11-12 and compare 1 Corinthians 15:4; Mark 8:31; Mark 9:31; Mark 10:34), but now he ‘knew' and believed. It is quite probable that the writer saw the tradition of Jesus as Scripture, as well as the Old Testament.