John 20

¹On the first day of the week, Mary the Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and she saw that the stone had been lifted away from the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple—the one Jesus loved—and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him!”

³Then Peter and the other disciple went out and headed toward the tomb. ⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and reached the tomb first. ⁵Stooping to look in, he saw the linen burial strips lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter arrived, following him, and went into the tomb. He observed the linen burial strips lying there, ⁷and the face-cloth that had been on Jesus's head; it was not lying with the linen strips but was rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside; he saw and he believed. ⁹For they did not yet understand the Scripture—that it was necessary for him to rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples went back to their own homes.

¹¹But Mary stood outside the tomb, weeping. As she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb ¹²and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know that it was Jesus.

¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you are the one who carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mariam.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them: ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸Mary the Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them what he had said to her.

¹⁹When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were because of their fear of the Judean authorities, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace to you.” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also am sending you.” ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they have been forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

²⁴But Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace to you.” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Bring your finger here and see my hands; bring your hand and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” ²⁸Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Is it because you have seen me that you have believed? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰Now Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book. ³¹But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.