John 20:5

John saw (Gr. blepei, cf. John 20:1) the linen strips (ta othonia, cf. John 19:40) that had formerly covered Jesus’ body lying in the tomb. If grave robbers had removed the body, they would have undoubtedly taken the expensive cloth with which Joseph and Nicodemus had prepared it for burial. John may have assumed that Jesus’ body was still there if the light was bad at that hour. Perhaps John did not enter the tomb because he did not want to violate its sanctity or incur ritual defilement.