Then she runneth in advance of the other women, who are each intent on communicating what she had seen and heard, and cometh to Simon Peter—why not, if, as Mark says, Peter had been specially mentioned by the angel?—and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved. The form of the expression suggests that they were living in different houses. [There were two disciples on whom Jesus poured out the abundance of his love. The word here used is not ἠγάπα, that which is used in John 13:23 and John 21:7-20, and which denotes the love of high regard, but ἐφίλει, the love of personal affection, the kind of love showered on Lazarus and his sisters (John 11:5). So far, then, from John especially exalting himself at the expense of Peter, he gives to Peter the first place in the affection of his Master.] And she saith to them, They have taken away the Lord—even the corpse of Jesus was the Lord to this urgent and impassioned disciple—out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they—Joseph and Nicodemus, or the chief priests, or Roman soldiers, or Jews—have laid him. We know not what other burying-place "they" have chosen! The anti-harmonistic commentators, with ponderous literalism, insist that Mary could have said nothing more. A gushing woman like Mary of Magdala uttered one sentence, and that was all: It is, however, entirely evident that she must have said enough to excite great wonderment, haste, and activity in the breasts of these two disciples (see above on the three hypotheses).
Peter therefore went forth ( ἐξῆλθεν, aorist). This is a fact affirmed also by Luke (Luke 24:12), "But Peter arose and ran to the sepulcher." John adds, and the other disciple joined Peter, filled with a common amazement, and ( ἤρχοντο, imperfect) they went on their way toward the sepulcher. Now they were running ( ἔτρεχον, imperfect) both of them together: and the other disciple did outrun—or, literally, ran in advance, more quickly than—Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. The opponents of this Gospel supply numerous suggestions, with the view of obliterating this natural and lifelike touch. ( εἰς is used instead of the πρὸς of verse 2 or the ἐπὶ of Luke 24:1; but it is clear from the form of the following sentence, that ἦ;θεν εἰς is different in meaning from εἰσῆλθεν εἰς, and does not mean "right into," but "towards.") John, as the younger man, would soon outstrip the elderly disciple; and he simply records what in one sense is an insignificant detail, but one that could never be forgotten by him. There is no disposition to magnify himself, as Peter's part is obviously the more conspicuous. John runs more rapidly from his youth, the fervor of his nature, and the warmth of his affection; the reflection that he might have directly to convey the strange news to the mother of his Lord assisted to hurry him.