John 20:8

John 20:8 says, Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.  After Peter had gone in, then that other disciple, John, went in.  He may have faltered at first, but he didn't stop wondering without seeing for himself what was true.  Peter saw and wondered, and John saw and believed.  The cross had brought doubt and defeat to their thinking, being but the empty tomb offered hope.  Anytime we find our faith wavering, we need to remember the empty tomb beyond the cross.  Jesus is victorious, and we can be through Him.  Verse nine adds, For as yet, they knew not the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.  I don't believe this means they weren't familiar with the Scripture. Matthew Henry says they just hadn't applied it to Jesus yet.  We may be familiar with a lot of scripture, but until we accept it as truth for our lives, it really has no meaning.  The scripture, the Bible, is not just a book of words to point us to how to live better, but it is the Living Word of God.  If the Bible doesn't come to life as we read it, then we are just reading words on the page.  The Bible needs to light up hope in our lives every time we read it.  If we are simply reading it to feel that we have met an obligation as followers of Christ, then we are going to miss the truth it contains for us.  Until the tomb, the truth of the scripture had not really meant anything to John, but now the truth was beginning to come alive for him.  Verse ten continues, Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.  They were now sure that the tomb was empty except for the burial clothes.  I would wonder why, if the body had been stolen, the burial clothes were still there.  Peter and John had seen all there was to see at the tomb, and they returned home.  At least John was thinking about the resurrection of Christ.  We as followers of Christ, when we have gotten all the facts we can about a situation, must just continue on with life knowing that God will reveal the truth to us.  There is never a reason to linger in doubt.  Peter and John went away with a little more hope than they had before.  They may not have yet understood the truth of the resurrection, but they knew the truth that Jesus's body was not in the tomb.  We today may not understand everything about God, but we can know the truth of the empty tomb and the resurrection that it signifies.  We can claim victory over this world because of the sacrifice of Christ.  Even when we do not understand everything, we just need to continue to live by faith.