John 20:13 is the thirteenth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. This verse occurs after Mary Magdalene has found Jesus' tomb empty and has seen there two angels. In this verse, the angels ask Mary why she is crying.
Content
The King James Version of this text reads:
: And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
For a collection of other versions see BibleHub John 20:13.
Analysis
The role of the angels presented in the Gospel of John during the resurrection narrative is far less developed than in the synoptic gospels, with John placing much of the weight on the subsequent encounter between Mary and the risen Jesus. See Mary Magdalene#Resurrection of Jesus for more details.
The word woman in this verse is a translation of the Greek word γυναι (gunai). This term was the polite way to address an adult female, and is in no way lacking in reverence despite how the word might sound to modern ears. In John 2:4, for instance, Jesus uses this same word to address his mother. John Chrysostom comments that the angels first address Mary "compassionately", "to prevent her from being overpowered by a spectacle of such extraordinary brightness". He adds that "Why weepest thou" is less a question, more an invitation: "Weep not".
<!--In theory the angels should know why Mary is crying, so it is postulated that they ask the question as a strategy to end Mary's worrying. Jesus uses a similar technique of asking questions, and does so to aid Mary in John 20:15.
That Mary responds with alacrity is in contrasts with other scenes in the Bible where human beings are shocked and overawed by angels. The description in Mark 16:8 of the reaction of the women upon meeting these same angels is one of shock and fear. Some thus believe that Mary does not recognize the figures as angels, due to her grief or her tears. In Luke 24:4 and Mark 16:5 what are presumed to be the angels are described as "men" perhaps indicating the women's uncertainty of their nature. Another theory is that the women who accompanied Mary to the tomb in the Synoptic Gospels were so struck be fear that they fainted, which is why they do not appear in the subsequent passage.
Mary's response indicates that she has no inkling of the resurrection and rather believes that some human beings have taken Jesus. H.C.G. Moule presumes that she believes some of the workers of Joseph of Arimathea have moved Jesus to a different tomb or burial place.
The conversation itself differs considerably from the one reported in the other Gospels: in the other accounts, the angels have a longer exchange with the women, and inform them of Jesus' resurrection. The reformer John Calvin concludes that John's account is just a summary of the event, as John was only including what was necessary to prove the fact of the resurrection. For a discussion of who Mary might mean by the word they see John 20:2.-->
In art
The contrast between Mary's bewilderment in this episode and the dramatic change that takes place immediately thereafter is also reflected in the iconography of the corresponding scenes. The depiction of Mary's confusion in her encounter with the angels is often attributed to Matthew 28:13, where the guards at the tomb are paid to say that the body had been stolen.