Jesus Rises From the Dead

28 The Sabbath day was now over. It was dawn on the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a powerful earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven. The angel went to the tomb. He rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His body shone like lightning. His clothes were as white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here! He has risen, just as he said he would! Come and see the place where he was lying. ⁷ Go quickly! Tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb. They were afraid, but they were filled with joy. They ran to tell the disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings!” he said. They came to him, took hold of his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see me.”

The Guards Report to the Chief Priests

¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city. They reported to the chief priests all that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests met with the elders, they came up with a plan. They gave the soldiers a large amount of money. ¹³ They told the soldiers, “We want you to say, ‘His disciples came during the night. They stole his body while we were sleeping.’ ¹⁴ If the governor hears this report, we will pay him off. That will keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told. This story has spread all around among the Jews to this day.

Jesus’ Final Orders to His Disciples

¹⁶ Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee. They went to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him. But some still had their doubts.

Jesus Rises From the Dead

24 It was very early in the morning on the first day of the week. The women took the spices they had prepared. Then they went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from it. ³ When they entered the tomb, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ They were wondering about this. Suddenly two men in clothes as bright as lightning stood beside them. ⁵ The women were terrified. They bowed down with their faces to the ground. Then the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ Jesus is not here! He has risen! Remember how he told you he would rise. It was while he was still with you in Galilee. ⁷ He said, ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people. He must be nailed to a cross. On the third day he will rise from the dead.’ ” ⁸ Then the women remembered Jesus’ words.

⁹ They came back from the tomb. They told all these things to the 11 apostles and to all the others. ¹⁰ Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them were the ones who told the apostles. ¹¹ But the apostles did not believe the women. Their words didn’t make any sense to them.

The Tomb Is Empty

20 Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. It was still dark. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. ² So she ran to Simon Peter and another disciple, the one Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb! We don’t know where they have put him!”

³ So Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. ⁴ Both of them were running. The other disciple ran faster than Peter. He reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there. But he did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him. He went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there. ⁷ He also saw the funeral cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place. It was separate from the linen. ⁸ The disciple who had reached the tomb first also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.