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Gospel account of the Resurrection
AT DAWN
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the mother of James, brought spices so they might come and anoint Him. And on the first day of the week at early dawn they came, and certain others with them to see the tomb, bringing the spices and the ointments that they had prepared.
And behold there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone from the door and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothes white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him they trembled and became like dead men.
[Now after Jesus rose, early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.}
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly painting. "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put Him."
Peter therefore and the other disciple immediately got up and ran to the tomb. They began to run together, but the other disciple out ran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping down he saw the linen clothes lying there, but he did not go in.
Simon Peter came up and he went into the tomb and stooping down he saw the linen clothes lying there and the kerchief used to cover His head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself.
No one yet knew from the Scripture that He had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.
JESUS REVEALS HIMSELF TENDERLY TO MARY
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?"
"They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know where they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize Him.
Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you wep? Who are you looking for?"
She, thinking that He was the gardener said, "Mister, if you took Him, tell me where you put Him so I can care for Him."
Jesus said, "Mary," Turning to face Him, she said in Hebrew, :Rabboni!" meaning, "dear teacher."
Jesus said, "Don't cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to My brothers and tell them, ' ascend to My Father and your Father, My God and your God.'"
Mary Magdalene went to His former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them, "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything He said to her. When they heard her report that she had seen Him alive and well, they didn't believe her.
AFTER SUNRISE
Now Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?" but when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. It was a huge stone.
Then they walked right into the tomb. [But] the tomb was empty. They didn't find a body. They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. They saw a young man sitting at the right side, his clothes shimmered as snow-white. shafts of lightning blazed from him.
Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there behind him. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship.
The angel spoke to the women, "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? Remember how He told you when you were still back in Galilee that He had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross and in three days rise up?"
Then they remembered Jesus' words.
And the angel said to them, "You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. He was raised just as He said. Come and look at the place where He was placed. Now get on your way quickly and tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him exactly as He told you.'"
The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, got out as fast as they could leave the tomb. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone and started to run to tell the disciples.
Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" He said. They fell to their knees, embraced His feet and worshipped Him.
Jesus said, "You're holding on to Me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell My brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."
And the women returned, with great joy and told all these things to the eleven apostles and to all the rest. But the apostles didn't believe a word of it, they thought the women were making it all up.
Meanwhile the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan. They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers bribing them to say, "His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping." They assured them, "If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don't get blamed." The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around today.
JESUS REVEALED TO TWO ON THE EMMAUS ROAD
Then after these things He was revealed in another manner. That same day two of them were walking to a village called Emmaus..talking together about all that had taken place. And Jesus drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were as blind men and they didn't recognize Him.
Later as Jesus reclined with them at dinner, He took bread and blessed and broke it and began to give it to them. Their eyes were opened and they knew Him - but He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and kept explaining to us the Tenach?"
And rising up they returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those with them and said, "The Lord has risen indeed!" And He appeared to Simon!"
FINALLY TO THE DISCIPLES
Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but fearful of the (religious Jewish leaders) had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."
Yet they were shocked and afraid and thought they were seeing a ghost. But He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do you doubt in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet. It is I, Myself. Touch Me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and feet and His side.
The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes were exuberant. Jesus repeated His greatig, "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."
But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We saw the Master."
But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in His hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in His side, I won't believe."
Eight days later, His disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them and said, "Peace to you."
Then He focused His attention on Thomas. "Take your finger and examine My hands. Take your hand and stick it in My side. Don't be unbelieving. Believe."
Thomas said, "My Master! My God!"
JESUS REVEALED TO YOU
Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so that you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing have real and eternal life in the way He personally revealed it.
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