Chronological
The resurrection
24 The women went to the tomb in the very early morning of the first day of the week, carrying the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 and when they went in they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 As they were at a loss what to make of it all, suddenly two men in shining clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified, and bowed their faces towards the ground.
But the men said to them, “Why look for the living with the dead? 6 He isn’t here—he’s been raised! Don’t you remember? While you were still in Galilee he told you that 7 the son of man must be handed over into the hands of sinners, and be crucified, and rise again on the third day.”
8 And they remembered his words.
9 They went back, away from the tomb, and told all this to the eleven and all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the others with them. They said this to the apostles; 11 and this message seemed to them just stupid, useless talk, and they didn’t believe them.
12 Peter, though, got up and ran to the tomb. He stooped down and saw only the grave-clothes. He went back home, perplexed at what had happened.
On the road to Emmaus
13 That very day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, which lay about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were discussing with each other all the various things that had taken place. 15 As they were discussing, and arguing with each other, Jesus himself approached and walked with them. 16 Their eyes, though, were prevented from recognizing him.
17 “You’re obviously having a very important discussion on your walk,” he said; “what’s it all about?”
They stood still, a picture of gloom. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas by name, answered him.
“You must be the only person around Jerusalem,” he said, “who doesn’t know what’s been going on there these last few days.”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“To do with Jesus of Nazareth,” they said to him. “He was a prophet. He acted with power and he spoke with power, before God and all the people. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel!
“And now, what with all this, it’s the third day since it happened. 22 But some women from our group have astonished us. They went to his tomb very early this morning, 23 and didn’t find his body. They came back saying they’d seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Some of the folk with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”
25 “You are so senseless!” he said to them. “So slow in your hearts to believe all the things the prophets said to you! Don’t you see? 26 This is what had to happen: the Messiah had to suffer, and then come into his glory!”
27 So he began with Moses, and with all the prophets, and explained to them the things about himself throughout the whole Bible.
Jesus revealed at Emmaus
28 They drew near to the village where they were heading. Jesus gave the impression that he was going further, 29 but they urged him strongly not to.
“Stay with us,” they said. “It’s nearly evening; the day is almost gone.” And he went in to stay with them.
30 As he was sitting at table with them he took the bread and gave thanks. He broke it and gave it to them. 31 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.
32 Then they said to each other, “Don’t you remember how our hearts were burning inside us, as he talked to us on the road, as he opened up the Bible for us?”
33 And they got up then and there and went back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven gathered together, and the people with them.
34 They were saying, “The Lord really has been raised! He’s appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Jesus’ promise and ascension
36 As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were terrified and alarmed, and thought they were seeing a ghost.
38 “Why are you so disturbed?” he said. “Why do these questionings come up in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and feet; it really is me, myself. Touch me and see! Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones like you can see I have.”
40 With these words, he showed them his hands and feet.
41 While they were still in disbelief and amazement from sheer joy, he said to them, “Have you got something here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish, 43 which he took and ate in front of them.
44 Then he said to them, “This is what I was explaining to you when I was still with you. Everything written about me in the law of Moses, and in the prophets and the Psalms, had to be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Bible.
46 “This is what is written,” he said. “The Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and in his name repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, must be announced to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are the witnesses for all this. 49 Now, look: I’m sending upon you what my father has promised. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
50 Then he took them out as far as Bethany, and lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 As he was blessing them, he was separated from them and carried into heaven.
52 They worshiped him, and went back to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 They spent all their time in the Temple, praising God.
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.
Jesus on the beach
21 After this, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the sea of Tiberias. This was how he showed himself.
2 Simon Peter, Thomas (known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples, were all together.
3 Simon Peter spoke up.
“I’m going fishing,” he said.
“We’ll go with you,” they replied.
So they went off and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.
4 As dawn was breaking, Jesus stood beside the seashore, but the disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus.
5 “Children,” said Jesus to them, “haven’t you got anything to eat?”
“No!” they replied.
6 “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he said, “and you’ll find something.”
So they cast the net; and now they couldn’t draw it in because of the weight of the fish.
7 So the disciple that Jesus loved spoke to Peter.
“It’s the master!” he said.
When Simon Peter heard that it was the master, he wrapped his cloak around him (he had been naked for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples brought the boat in to land, dragging the net full of fish. They weren’t far from shore, about a hundred yards away.
Breakfast by the shore
9 When they came to land, they saw a charcoal fire laid there, with fish and bread on it.
10 Jesus spoke to them.
“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” he said.
11 So Simon Peter went and pulled the net onto the shore. It was full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three in all. The net wasn’t torn, even though there were so many.
12 “Come and have breakfast,” said Jesus to them.
None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the master.
13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so also with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus had appeared to the disciples after he had been raised from the dead.
Jesus and Peter
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus spoke to Simon Peter.
“Simon, son of John,” he said, “do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Master,” he said. “You know I’m your friend.”
“Well, then,” he said, “feed my lambs.”
16 “Simon, son of John,” said Jesus again, for a second time, “do you love me?”
“Yes, Master,” he said. “You know I’m your friend.”
“Well, then,” he said, “look after my sheep.”
17 “Simon, son of John,” said Jesus a third time, “are you my friend?”
Peter was upset that on this third time Jesus asked, “Are you my friend?”
“Master,” he said, “you know everything! You know I’m your friend!”
“Well, then,” said Jesus, “feed my sheep.
18 “I’m telling you the solemn truth,” he went on. “When you were young, you put on your own clothes and went about wherever you wanted. But when you are old, you’ll stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you up and take you where you don’t want to go.”
19 He said this to indicate the sort of death by which Peter would bring God glory. And when he had said this, he added, “Follow me!”
The beloved disciple
20 Peter turned and saw, following them, the disciple that Jesus loved. This was the disciple who had leaned back against Jesus’ chest at the supper, and had asked, “Master, who is it that’s going to betray you?”
21 “Master,” said Peter to Jesus, seeing him there, “what about him?”
22 “If it’s my intention,” replied Jesus, “that he should remain here until I come, what’s that got to do with you? You must follow me!”
23 So the rumor went around the Christian family that this disciple wouldn’t die. But Jesus didn’t say he wouldn’t die. What he said, rather, was this: “If it’s my intention that he should remain here until I come, what’s that got to do with you?”
24 (This is the disciple who is giving evidence about these things, and who wrote them down. We know that his evidence is true.)
25 There are many other things which Jesus did. If they were written down one by one, I don’t think the world itself would be able to contain the books that would be written.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.