John 20

20 ¹Early on the first day of the week, while dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw the stone taken from it. ²So she ran and came to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and told them, "They've taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."

³So Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. ⁴Both ran together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter, reaching the tomb first. ⁵And stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Simon Peter, following him, arrived and entered the tomb, and saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷and the cloth that was on his head, not lying with the linen wrappings but folded separately in one place. ⁸The other disciple, first to reach the tomb, then went in too; he saw and believed. ⁹For they still did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

¹⁰Then the disciples went back to their homes. ¹¹But Mary stood outside the tomb, weeping. As she wept, she bent to look into the tomb.

My Father and Your Father

¹²She saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus's body had lain, one at the head, one at the feet. ¹³They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" She answered, "They took my Lord, and I don't know where they put him."

¹⁴Saying this, she turned and saw Jesus standing there, not knowing it was Jesus.

¹⁵Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who are you seeking?" Taking him for the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you carried him off, tell me where you put him, and I'll take him away."

¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

¹⁷Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father.'" ^a a v17 Jesus carefully says "my Father and your Father" — never simply "our Father" — because his Sonship is eternal and ours is the gift of restoration he opens to us through his resurrection.

¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that he had said these things to her.

Peace Be With You

¹⁹That evening, the first day of the week, with the doors locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came, stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you."

²⁰After saying this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples rejoiced to see the Lord.

²¹Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." ²²After saying this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive anyone's sins, they're forgiven; if you hold back forgiveness from anyone, it's held back."

Thomas Was Not With Them

²⁴Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵The other disciples kept telling him, "We've seen the Lord!" But he told them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger where they were, and put my hand in his side, I'll never believe."

²⁶Eight days later, his disciples were indoors again, Thomas with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came, stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, see my hands. Reach your hand out, put it in my side. Leave doubt behind—believe."

²⁸Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my Father!"

²⁹Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you've seen me? Blessed are those who haven't seen, yet believe."

Why This Was Written

³⁰Jesus did many other signs before his disciples, not written in this book. ³¹But these are written so you'll believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of our Father, and by believing have life in his name.