Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
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.