The empty tomb

20 On the first day of the week, very early, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark.

She saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. ² So she ran off, and went to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved.

“They’ve taken the master out of the tomb!” she said. “We don’t know where they’ve put him!”

³ So Peter and the other disciple set off and went to the tomb. ⁴ Both of them ran together. The other disciple ran faster than Peter, and got to the tomb first. ⁵ He stooped down and saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came up, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷ and the napkin that had been around his head, not lying with the other cloths, but folded up in a place by itself.

⁸ Then the other disciple, who had arrived first at the tomb, went into the tomb as well. He saw, and he believed. ⁹ They did not yet know, you see, that the Bible had said he must rise again from the dead.

¹⁰ Then the disciples returned to their homes.

Mary Magdalene and the risen Jesus

¹¹ But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she wept, she stooped down to look into the tomb. ¹² There she saw two angels, clothed in white, one at the head and one at the feet of where Jesus’ body had been lying.

¹³ “Woman,” they said to her, “why are you crying?”

“They’ve taken away my master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him!”

¹⁴ As she said this she turned around, and saw Jesus standing there. She didn’t know it was Jesus.

¹⁵ “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”

She guessed he must be the gardener.

“Sir,” she said, “if you’ve carried him off somewhere, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.”

¹⁶ “Mary!” said Jesus.

She turned and spoke in Aramaic.

“Rabbouni!” she said (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ “Don’t cling to me,” said Jesus. “I haven’t yet gone up to the father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I’m going up to my father and your father—to my God and your God.’ ”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples, “I’ve seen the master!” and that he had said these things to her.

Jesus and the disciples

¹⁹ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Judaeans. Jesus came and stood in the middle of them.

“Peace be with you,” he said.

²⁰ With these words, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the master.

²¹ “Peace be with you,” Jesus said to them again. “As the father has sent me, so I’m sending you.”

²² With that, he breathed on them.

“Receive the holy spirit,” he said. ²³ “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”

Jesus and Thomas

²⁴ One of the Twelve, Thomas (also known as Didymus), wasn’t with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples spoke to him.

“We’ve seen the master!” they said.

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,” replied Thomas, “and put my finger into the nail-marks, and put my hand into his side—I’m not going to believe!”

²⁶ A week later the disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut. Jesus came and stood in the middle of them.

“Peace be with you!” he said.

²⁷ Then he addressed Thomas.

“Bring your finger here,” he said, “and inspect my hands. Bring your hand here and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless! Just believe!”

²⁸ “My Lord,” replied Thomas, “and my God!”

²⁹ “Is it because you’ve seen me that you believe?” replied Jesus. “God’s blessing on people who don’t see, and yet believe!”

³⁰ Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which aren’t written in this book. ³¹ But these ones are written so that you may believe that the Messiah, the son of God, is none other than Jesus; and that, with this faith, you may have life in his name.