The Empty Tomb and the Good News from the Angel

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene and another Mary set out for the tomb. They had bought special spices, prepared to anoint Jesus' body. They walked quietly through the empty streets. The sun was just beginning to rise. They did not know they were about to witness the greatest miracle in history. Their hearts were full of sorrow, but they were going to pay their final respects to Jesus. Suddenly, a terrible earthquake occurred! An angel of the Lord came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone from the tomb entrance and sat on it. His appearance was radiant like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards saw him and were terrified like dead men—they fainted from fear. God did something incredible. The angel looked at the women with a kind smile. "Do not be afraid," he said, "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said! Come and see the place where he was laid. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead." The women were both afraid and filled with great joy. The women hurried into the tomb to see for themselves. They looked at where Jesus' body had been lying. The fine linen cloths that wrapped his body were still there, neatly folded. The cloth that covered his face was in another place, also folded. Jesus was gone! But his burial cloths were still there, like an empty cocoon. He had risen! As the women were running to tell the disciples, Jesus suddenly came to meet them. 'Greetings!' Jesus said with a smile. The women ran to him, grabbed his feet, and worshiped him. They were so happy they could barely contain themselves. Jesus had risen! They touched his feet, knowing this was truly him. The resurrection was real! While all this was happening, the guards by the tomb were trembling with fear. When they saw the angel and felt the earthquake, they fell to the ground as if dead. When they finally gathered courage to open their eyes, they found the stone had been rolled away. They ran as fast as they could back to the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. They were trembling with fear. Jesus looked at the women with the warmest smile. He said, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell my disciples that I will meet them in Galilee. They will see me here, as I promised.' The women ran to find the disciples. Their hearts were full of great joy, and they could not stop running. They were going to tell the world the best news ever. Mary ran to find the disciples. She found Peter and John and told them this amazing news. "The Lord has risen!" she said. "He appeared to me!" Peter and John were very excited. John raced toward the tomb. Peter followed right behind. They were eager to see for themselves that Jesus had truly gone. Their hearts were pounding with hope and fear. John ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first. But he did not go in—he waited for Peter. Peter rushed past him and ran directly into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the cloth that covered Jesus' face was folded separately. Peter looked at John and said, "It's true! The Lord has really risen!" Peter and John looked into the tomb. The tomb was completely empty! The linen cloths that had wrapped Jesus' body were neatly lying there. The cloth that covered his face was also folded and placed in another spot. Jesus was gone! But his burial cloths were left behind, like an empty cocoon. They believed without doubt that Jesus had risen from the dead. Peter and John returned to their homes, amazed at what they had seen. The other disciples were waiting, asking what had happened. They told them everything—the empty tomb, the folded cloths, the angel's message. Some believed, but others were still confused. It was the most wonderful thing in history, hard to fully comprehend. When Peter and John went home, Mary Magdalene remained at the tomb, crying. She could not stop crying because she thought someone had taken her Lord's body away. She looked into the tomb again and saw two angels in white, sitting where Jesus' body had been. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" She replied, "Because they have taken my Lord away." After this, Mary heard a voice behind her say, "Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" Mary turned around and saw Jesus standing there. At first she did not recognize him, thinking he was a gardener. Then Jesus called her name, "Mary!"—his voice was so familiar. "Mary!" She turned around and ran to him, shouting, "Rabboni!" She was so happy she could barely speak. Jesus had risen! Later that day, Jesus appeared to all the disciples. He stood in the middle of the room where they were gathered. "Peace be with you!" Jesus said. They were all amazed and filled with joy. Thomas was not there at the time and did not believe at first. But a week later, Jesus appeared again, and Thomas believed. Jesus is alive! He is truly alive! The disciples went out and preached the good news to everyone. The message of Jesus' resurrection spread throughout the whole world.