Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday morning, three women came to Jesus' tomb with spices and ointments. They found the stone rolled away and saw an angel who told them that Jesus had risen. The women told Peter and John, who went to the tomb and confirmed it was empty. Mary Magdalene stayed behind and saw Jesus, mistaking him for a gardener. When Jesus revealed himself to her, she went to tell the disciples. Later, Jesus appeared to the disciples and showed them his wounds. Thomas, who doubted, believed when he saw Jesus and called him "My Lord and my God." Now, very early on Easter Sunday morning, while it was yet dark, three women, one named Mary, the mother of James, one named Salome, and one named Mary Magdalene, all came to Jesus' tomb. They were carrying spices and ointments which they had prepared to lay on his body. They wondered how they would get the heavy stone rolled away, and perhaps they did not know about the seals and the watching soldiers. But as they drew near to the tomb, there were no soldiers, and to their amazement, the stone was already rolled away. Then they entered into the tomb and saw an angel there, and they were terrified. But the angel said, Be not afraid. You see Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. Go your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he goes before you into Galilee. There shall you see him, as he said unto you. The women were so frightened and amazed that they could hardly understand what was told them. But they rushed off at once and found Peter and John and poured forth their strange story. Peter and John hurried back with them to the garden and looked into the empty tomb. Yet still they could not believe that it was really true that their beloved master was alive, so they returned to Jerusalem. But Mary Magdalene still stood weeping at the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in once more. There she saw two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said unto her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. When she turned back and saw Jesus standing and did not know that it was Jesus, Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for? Mary, thinking that he was the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have borne him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary. And hearing her name spoken in a voice she suddenly remembered, Mary turned with the cry of, Teacher! Jesus said to her, Don't hold me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to your brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. What glad news she had to take to Jerusalem! I have seen the Lord! So she told them all, yet still they could hardly believe her. But that same evening, when the disciples were all together, having locked the door for fear of the Jews, Jesus himself appeared to them and said, Peace be unto you. Jesus showed them the marks that the cruel nails had made in his hands and his feet, and the hole where a soldier had thrust a spear into his side, so that they may be quite sure that he was really their own beloved Master. That night one of the disciples, named Thomas, was not there, and when the others told him the next day that they had seen the Lord, Thomas would not believe them, but said, Except I see the prints of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. But a week afterwards, as the disciples were all together, Jesus came again and said, Peace be unto you. Then he turned to Thomas and said, Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. But Thomas did not need to thrust forth his hand. All his doubts fled away the moment he saw and heard Jesus, and he cried out, My Lord and my God!