John 20

The Empty Tomb

¹On ^a the first day of the week ^b Mary Magdalene ^c came to the tomb ^d early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone ^e had been removed from the tomb. ²So she went running to Simon Peter ^f and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, ^g and we don’t know where they’ve put him! ”

³At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. ⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. ⁵Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths ^h lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. ⁷The wrapping ⁱ that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths ^j but was folded up in a separate place by itself. ⁸The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and believed. ⁹For they did not yet understand the Scripture ^k that he must rise ^l from the dead. ^{m 10}Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord

¹¹But ⁿ Mary stood outside the tomb, ^o crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹²She saw two angels ^p in white sitting where Jesus’s body ^q had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? ”

“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” ^r she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him.”

¹⁴Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. ^{s 15}“Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking? ”

Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.”

¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, ^t “Rabboni! ” #— #which means “Teacher.” ^u

¹⁷“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended^v to the Father.^w But go to my brothers^x and tell them that I am ascending to my Father^y and your Father, to my God^z and your God.”

¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord! ” ^aa And she told them what ^ab he had said to her.

The Disciples Commissioned

¹⁹When it was evening on that first day of the week, ^ac the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”^ad

²⁰Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. ^ae So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me,^af I also send you.”^{ag 22}After saying this, he breathed on them ^ah and said, ^ai “Receive the Holy Spirit.^{aj 23}If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”^ak

Thomas Sees and Believes

²⁴But Thomas ^al (called “Twin” ^am), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord! ”

But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, ^an and put my hand into his side, ^ao I will never believe.” ^ap

²⁶A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.”^aq

²⁸Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God! ”

²⁹Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed.^ar Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”^as

The Purpose of This Gospel

³⁰Jesus performed many other signs ^at in the presence of his disciples that are not written ^au in this book. ^{av 31}But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, ^aw the Son ^ax of God, ^ay,^az and that by believing you may have life in his name. ^ba