But when the Sabbath was past, on the first day of the week, early in the morning, they came to anoint the body of Jesus.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had prepared spices and were coming to prepare the dead body of Jesus for final burial.
Before they approached the tomb, there had been a great earthquake, and an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
The angel’s appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was white as snow. The Roman guards were paralyzed with fear and became like dead men.
This happened when Jesus rose from the dead just before the sun went down on the weekly Sabbath
Later, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary and others came to the place where Jesus had been buried. It was early Sunday morning before the sun came up.
When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived at the tomb the stone was rolled away and the Roman guards were gone. When they entered the tomb, the Lord’s body was not there.
Mary Magdalene ran to find Simon Peter and the other disciple who Jesus loved, and when she found them, she said,
‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’
While Mary was going to get Peter and John, two angels appearing as young men in dazzling apparel appeared to another group of women who were there to embalm the body of Jesus.
They were very frightened and bowed down their faces to the earth.
The angels said to the women,
‘Don’t be afraid. We know that you are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified.
Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here, but he is risen, just like he said he would.
Don’t you remember what he told you when he was in Galilee? The Son of man was going to be delivered up into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and rise again on the third day.’
They remembered the words of Jesus.
The angel said,
‘Come, look at the place where they laid him! See the place where the Lord lay.
Now, go quickly and tell His disciples and Peter,
He is risen from the dead and he is going to meet you into Galilee. You will see him there.’
They departed quickly and fled from the tomb with fear and with great joy. They ran to bring word to the disciples. They did not tell anyone they met on the way about what had happened because they were trembling and astonished.
Mary Magdalene had already left the empty tomb and told Peter and John that the tomb was emply.
Peter and John ran to the tomb. John out ran Peter and arrived first. He stooped down and looked at the linen cloth that was lying in place.
Peter ran right into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying by themselves and the napkin that had been upon Jesus’ head. It was rolled up in a place by itself. There was no angel to greet them as the tomb was empty. So they returned home. Peter was perplexed but John believed that Jesus had risen from the dead.
