The Empty Tomb
After the Sabbath day ended, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb where Jesus had been buried. Without warning, the ground shook violently in a great earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the heavy stone away from the tomb entrance, and sat down on it. The angel's face blazed like lightning, and his clothing was brilliant white like fresh snow. The soldiers who were guarding the tomb shook with terror when they saw him and collapsed, lying motionless as if they were dead. The angel spoke to the women: "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus, the one who was nailed to the cross. He isn't here anymore. He has come back to life, exactly as he promised he would. Come here and see the place where his body was lying. Now go quickly and tell his followers this message: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' Listen carefully—I have told you what you must do." The women rushed away from the tomb, their hearts pounding with both fear and overwhelming joy, and they ran to find his followers and tell them what had happened. As they hurried along, Jesus himself suddenly appeared in front of them and said, "Hello!" The women immediately went to him, grabbed hold of his feet, and bowed down to worship him. Jesus said to them, "Don't be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to travel to Galilee. They will see me there."
The Guards' Report
While the women were walking back from the tomb, some of the soldiers who had been guarding it went into the city. They went straight to the chief priests and told them everything that had happened. The chief priests quickly called a meeting with the Jewish elders to decide what to do. After discussing the situation, they came up with a plan. They took a large amount of money and gave it to the soldiers. "Here's what you must say," they told the guards. "Tell people that Jesus's followers came during the night and stole his body while you were sleeping." The chief priests also promised the soldiers, "If the governor hears about this and gets angry with you, we'll talk to him and make sure you don't get in trouble." The soldiers accepted the money and agreed to tell the story exactly as they had been instructed. This explanation spread among the Jewish people and continued to be told for many years afterward.
The Great Commission
The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to meet him. When they saw him there, they fell down and worshiped him, though some of them still had doubts. Jesus came close to them and spoke these words: "All power and authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Because of this, go out and make followers of me from every nation on earth. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I promise you this: I will be with you always, until the very end of time."