The Empty Tomb
Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while darkness still covered the land, Mary Magdalene made her way to the tomb. When she arrived, she discovered that the heavy stone had been rolled away from the entrance. Shocked by what she saw, Mary ran as fast as she could to find Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus deeply loved. Breathless and distressed, she told them, "Someone has taken the Lord's body from the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" When Peter and the other disciple heard this alarming news, they immediately set out running toward the tomb. Both men ran together, but the other disciple proved faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. When he arrived, he crouched down and peered inside, where he could see the burial cloths lying on the ground. However, he did not enter the tomb. Simon Peter came running up behind him and, without hesitation, went straight into the tomb. Inside, Peter observed the linen burial cloths lying there, and he noticed something remarkable: the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head was folded up neatly and placed by itself, separate from the other burial linens. After Peter had gone in, the other disciple who had arrived first also entered the tomb. When he saw everything laid out before him, he believed. Even so, neither of them yet understood what the Scriptures had foretold—that Jesus had to rise from the dead. Having seen what they came to see, both disciples returned to their own homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
Mary stood outside the empty tomb, crying. As tears streamed down her face, she bent down and looked inside the tomb. There she saw two angels dressed in white clothes, sitting exactly where Jesus' body had been placed — one angel where his head had rested and the other where his feet had been. The angels asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" Mary answered, "They have taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have put him." After saying this, Mary turned around and saw a man standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn't realize who he was. Jesus asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" Mary thought he must be the gardener who took care of the area. She said to him, "Sir, if you're the one who carried him away, please tell me where you put him, and I'll go get him." Then Jesus spoke her name: "Mary." She spun around and cried out to him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" — which means "Teacher." Jesus told her, "Don't hold onto me, because I haven't yet gone up to the Father. Instead, go and tell my brothers this message: 'I am going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene hurried back to the disciples with incredible news. "I have seen the Lord!" she announced. Then she told them everything Jesus had said to her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together in a room with the doors locked tight. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders who had crucified Jesus. Suddenly, Jesus appeared right there among them, even though the doors were locked. "Peace be with you," he said to them. Then he showed them the wounds in his hands and the wound in his side from the cross. When the disciples saw that it really was their Lord, they were filled with joy. Jesus spoke to them again: "Peace be with you. Just as the Father sent me into the world, I am now sending you into the world." After saying this, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. When you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven. When you don't forgive them, they remain unforgiven."
Jesus Appears to Thomas
Thomas, who was also called Didymus and was one of the twelve disciples, wasn't there when Jesus appeared to the other disciples. When the others told him what had happened, saying "We saw the Lord!" Thomas refused to believe them. "I won't believe it unless I see the nail marks in his hands with my own eyes," he declared. "I need to put my finger right where the nails went through, and place my hand into the wound in his side. Only then will I believe." A week later, the disciples were gathered together again behind locked doors, and this time Thomas was with them. Suddenly Jesus appeared and stood right there among them. "Peace be with you," he said to them all. Then Jesus turned directly to Thomas and said, "Come here. Put your finger on my hands and look at them. Reach out and put your hand into my side. Stop doubting what you cannot understand and believe in me." Thomas looked at Jesus and cried out, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus responded, "You believe because you have seen me with your own eyes. But blessed are all those who believe in me even though they have never seen me."
The Purpose of This Gospel
Jesus did many other miraculous signs while his followers watched, but those signs are not recorded in this book. The signs that are written here have been included so that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and so that through believing in him, you might receive eternal life through his name.