New Testament in a Year

Jesus is Raised from the Dead^(A)

24 But at early dawn on the first day of the week,^[a] they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.^{[b] 4} While they were puzzling over this, two men in dazzling robes suddenly stood beside them. ⁵ While the women remained terrified, bowing their faces to the ground, the men^[c] asked them, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is living? ⁶ He is not here, but has been raised.^[d] Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day.’”

⁸ Then the women^[e] remembered Jesus’^[f] words. ⁹ They returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven disciples^[g] and all the others. ¹⁰ The women who told the apostles about it were Mary Magdalene,^[h] Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some^[i] others. ¹¹ But what they said seemed nonsense to them, so they did not believe them. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. He stooped down and saw only the linen cloths. Then he went home, wondering about what had happened.^[j]

Jesus Meets Two Disciples^(B)

¹³ On the same day, two of Jesus’ followers^[k] were walking to a village called Emmaus, about 60 stadia^[l] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about all these things that had taken place. ¹⁵ While they were discussing and analyzing what had happened,^[m] Jesus himself approached and began to walk with them, ¹⁶ but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing with each other as you’re walking along?” They stood still and looked gloomy.

¹⁸ The one whose name was Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know what happened there in the past few days?”

¹⁹ He asked them, “What things?”

They answered him, “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,^[n] who was a prophet, mighty in what he said and did before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our high priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and had him crucified. ²¹ But we kept hoping that he would be the one to redeem^[o] Israel. What is more, this is now the third day since these things occurred. ²² Even some of our women have startled us by what they told us.^[p] They were at the tomb early this morning ²³ and didn’t find his body there, so they came back and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who were saying that he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. However, they didn’t see him.”

²⁵ Then Jesus^[q] told them, “O, how foolish you are! How slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! ²⁶ The Messiah^[r] had to suffer these things and then enter his glory, didn’t he?” ²⁷ Then, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them all the passages of Scripture about himself.

²⁸ As they came near the village where the two men^[s] were headed, Jesus^[t] acted as though he were going farther. ²⁹ But they strongly urged him, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the daylight is nearly gone.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ While he was at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it in pieces, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they knew who he was. And he vanished from them.

³² Then they asked each other, “Our hearts kept burning within us^[u] as he was talking to us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us, didn’t they?”

³³ They got up right away, went back to Jerusalem, and found the eleven disciples^[v] and their companions all together. ³⁴ They kept saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then the two men^[w] began to tell what had happened on the road and how they had recognized him when he broke the bread in pieces.