A common misinterpretation of John 20:9 is that the disciples were entirely ignorant or dismissive of Old Testament Scriptures foretelling the Messiah's resurrection, such as Psalm 16:10 or Isaiah 53:10-11, when in fact Jesus had explicitly taught them these truths during his ministry (Luke 24:25-27, 44-47), but their grief and shock prevented immediate recognition upon seeing the empty tomb. Another error is assuming the verse undermines biblical reliability by implying no clear resurrection prophecy existed, ignoring how it highlights human limitation in grasping divine fulfillment amid trauma rather than scriptural deficiency. Some also wrongly apply it to discredit apostolic authority, portraying Peter and the beloved disciple as faithless skeptics, whereas the text explains their initial bewilderment as temporary, resolved soon after by further revelation and appearances of the risen Christ.
John 20:9
King James Version (1769)
9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Even after discovering the empty tomb on the first Easter morning, Peter and the other disciple did not yet comprehend the Scriptures foretelling Jesus' resurrection, revealing a key truth about the disciples' spiritual journey: divine promises are often obscured until God unveils them through events and the Holy Spirit, emphasizing human limitation in grasping redemptive mysteries without full revelation and pointing to the transformative enlightenment that follows faith.