Harmony of the Burial, Resurrection, Appearances, and Ascension

1. The women who watched the crucifixion
   ⁴⁹His acquaintances stood ^{55 40 49}at a distance watching ⁴⁹these things. There were ⁵⁵many ^{55 40 49}women ^{55 41 49}from Galilee who had followed him ^{55 41}and served him, ⁴¹and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. ^{56 40}Among them were Mary Magdalene, ^{56 40}Mary the mother of James ⁴⁰the less ^{56 40}and Joses, ⁵⁶the mother of the sons of Zebedee, ⁴⁰and Salome.

2. The burial
   Now ^{57 43 50 38}Joseph ^{57 43 51 38}from Arimathaea ⁵¹(a city of the Jews) , was ⁵⁷a rich man who was ⁵¹good and righteous and ^{43 51}was looking for the Kingdom of God. He was a ⁴³prominent ^{43 51}member of the council, but ⁵¹had not consented to their counsel and deed. He was ^{57 38}a disciple of Jesus, ³⁸but secretly for fear of the Jews.

   ³⁸After these things, ^{57 42}when evening had come, ^{57 43 50 38}Joseph ^{57 43}came and ⁴²boldly ^{58 43 52 38}went in to Pilate, and asked for Jesus' body. ^{58 44}Pilate ⁴⁴marveled that he was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long. ⁴⁵When he found out from the centurion that it was so, ^{45 38}Pilate granted ³⁸him permission and ⁵⁸commanded ^{58 45}the body ⁵⁸to be given up ⁴⁵to Joseph. ^{59 46 53 38}He ³⁸came and ^{59 46 53 38}took the body ^{46 53}down and carried it ³⁸away. ³⁹Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred Roman pounds. ⁴⁰So they took Jesus' body, ^{59 46 53 40}and bound it in ⁵⁹clean ^{59 46 53 40}linen cloth ⁴⁰with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. ⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. ⁴¹In the garden was ⁶⁰Joseph's own ^{60 41}new ^{60 46 53 41}tomb, ^{60 46 53}which he had cut out in the rock, ^{53 41}in which no man had ever yet been laid. ^{42 54 42}Because it was the ⁴²Jews' ^{42 54 42}Preparation Day, ⁴²that is, the day before the Sabbath, ⁵⁴and the Sabbath was drawing near, ^{60 46 53 42}they laid Jesus there, ⁴²for the tomb was near at hand. They ^{60 42}rolled a ⁶⁰great ^{60 42}stone against the door of the tomb, ⁶⁰and departed.

3. The women who participated in the burial
   ⁵⁵The women who had come with him out of Galilee followed after, ^{47 55}and saw ⁵⁵the tomb, and ^{47 55}how his body was laid. ^{61 47}Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary ⁴⁷(the mother of Joses), ⁶¹sitting opposite the tomb. ⁵⁶They returned and prepared spices and ointments. ⁶²Now ^{62 56}on ⁶²the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, ⁵⁶the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment.

4. The tomb guarded

   ⁶²The chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, ⁶³saying, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will rise again.' ⁶⁴Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He is risen from the dead;' and the last deception will be worse than the first."

   ⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can."

   ⁶⁶So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.

5. The resurrection
   ^{1 1}Now after the Sabbath, ⁹early on the first day of the week, ⁹he rose.

   ²Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men.

6. The women encounter angels at the empty tomb
   ^{1 2 1 1}At early dawn, ^{1 2 1 1}on the first day of the week, ^{1 1 10 1}Mary Magdalene ¹and the other ^{1 1 10}Mary ^{1 1}(the mother of James), ¹⁰Joanna, ¹and Salome ^{1 1}went to the tomb ¹while it was still dark, ^{1 1}bringing the spices ¹which they had prepared ¹that they might come and anoint him. ²They came to the tomb when the sun had risen. ³They were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" ⁴for it was very big. ⁴Looking up ^{4 2 1}they saw that the stone was rolled back ^{2 1}from the tomb. ^{5 3}They entered in, ³and didn't find the Lord Jesus' body. ⁴It happened, while they were greatly perplexed about this, behold, ⁵they saw ⁴two ⁵young ^{5 4}men ⁴standing by them ^{5 4}in ⁴dazzling ⁵white ^{5 4}clothing. ⁵The women were amazed. ⁵Becoming terrified, they bowed their faces down to the earth.

   One of the angels ⁵sat on the right side. ⁵The angel, ^{5 6 5}said to them " ^{5 6}Don't be ⁵afraid or ⁶amazed. ⁵I know that ^{5 6}you seek Jesus, ⁶the Nazarene, ^{5 6}who has been crucified. ⁵Why do you seek the living among the dead? ^{6 6 6}He is not here, for he has risen, ⁶just like he said. ⁶Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee, ⁷saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again? "

   ⁸They remembered his words.

   The angel continued " ⁶Come, ^{6 6}see the place where they laid him! ⁷But ^{7 7}Go ⁷quickly, and ^{7 7}tell his disciples ⁷and Peter ' ⁷He has risen from the dead, and behold, ^{7 7}he goes before you into Galilee. ^{7 7}There you will see him, ⁷as he said to you. ' ⁷Behold, I have told you. "

7. The women hesitate to tell
   ^{8 8 9}They ^{8 8}departed ⁸quickly, ⁹returning ^{8 8 9}from the tomb ⁸with fear and great joy, and ran to bring word to his disciples, ⁹to the eleven and to all the rest. But ⁸trembling and astonishment came on them, and they could ⁸say nothing to any of them, for they were afraid.

   Finally ¹Mary Magdalene ²came to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and ^{9 2}told them ²"They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have laid him!"

8. Two disciples find the tomb empty
   ^{12 3}Peter ³and the other disciple whom Jesus loved went out ^{12 3}toward the tomb. ⁴They both ^{12 4}ran ⁴together. ⁴The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first. ^{12 5}Stooping and looking in, ⁵he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn't enter in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. ^{12 6}He saw the linen cloth ⁶lying ⁷and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up ^{12 7}in a place by itself. ⁸So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed. ⁹For as yet they didn't know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰So ^{12 10}the disciples went away again to their own homes, ¹²marveling at what had happened.

9. The women complete their first report

   Meanwhile, ¹⁰Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women with them managed to ¹⁰tell everything to the other ¹⁰apostles. ¹¹Their words seemed to them to be nonsense, and they didn't believe them.

10. Jesus appears to the women

    The women returned to the tomb.

    ⁹Jesus appeared first to ^{9 11}Mary ⁹Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons, there. She ¹¹was standing outside at the tomb weeping.

    ¹¹So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb, ¹²and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. ¹³They asked her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

    ¹³She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid him."

    ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn't know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?"

    ¹⁵She said, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid him."

    ¹³Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."

    ¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary."

    ¹⁶She turned and said to him, "Rabboni."

    Then ⁹Jesus met all the women, saying, "Greetings!" They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.

    ^{10 17}Jesus said ¹⁰to them " ¹⁷Don't hold me, for I haven't yet ascended to my Father. ¹⁰Don't be afraid. ^{10 17}Go to my brothers and tell them that ¹⁷I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. ¹⁰They should go into Galilee, and there they will see me. "

11. The guards' false story

    ¹¹Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened. ¹²When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers, ¹³saying, "Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. ¹⁴If this comes to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry." ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until this day.

12. Mary's report of seeing the Lord
    ^{10 18}Mary Magdalene came to those ¹⁸disciples ¹⁰who had been with him as they mourned and wept, ^{10 18}and told them that she had seen the Lord, ¹⁸and the things that he had said to her. ¹⁰When they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

13. Appearance to Peter

    ⁵He appeared to Cephas.

14. Jesus revealed to two travellers
    ¹²After these things he was revealed in another form to ^{12 13}two of them ¹²as they walked, on their way into the country. They ¹³were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem.

    ¹⁴They talked with each other about all of these things which had happened. ¹⁵It happened, while they talked and questioned together, that Jesus himself came near, and went with them. ¹⁶But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷He said to them, "What are you talking about as you walk, and are sad?"

    ¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things which have happened there in these days?"

    ¹⁹He said to them, "What things?"

    ¹⁹They said to him, "The things concerning Jesus, the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; ²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹But we were hoping that it was he who would redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²²Also, certain women of our company amazed us, having arrived early at the tomb; ²³and when they didn't find his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴Some of us went to the tomb, and found it just like the women had said, but they didn't see him."

    ²⁵He said to them, "Foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶Didn't the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?"

    ²⁷Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

    ²⁸They drew near to the village, where they were going, and he acted like he would go further. ²⁹They urged him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is almost evening, and the day is almost over."

    ²⁹He went in to stay with them. ³⁰It happened, that when he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. ³⁰Breaking it, he gave to them. ³¹Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished out of their sight.

    ³²They said one to another, "Weren't our hearts burning within us, while he spoke to us along the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?"

    ³³They rose up that very hour, returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them. Some were ³⁴saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

    ^{13 35}They related the things that happened ³⁵along the way, and how he was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. But some ¹³didn't believe them, either.

15. First appearance to the disciples
    ¹⁹When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, ³⁶as they discussed these things, ¹⁴he was revealed to the eleven as they sat at the table. ¹⁹The doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews. ^{36 19}Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace be to you." ³⁷But they were terrified and filled with fear, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

    ³⁸He said to them, "Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn't have flesh and bones, as you see that I have." ^{40 20}When he had said this, he showed them his hands and ⁴⁰his feet ²⁰and his side.

    ²⁰The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord.

    ⁴¹While they still didn't believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" ⁴²They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. ⁴³He took them, and ate in front of them.

    ⁴⁴He said to them, "This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled."

    ¹⁴He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn't believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

    Then ²¹Jesus said to them again, "Peace be to you."

16. Second appearance to the disciples, with Thomas

    ²⁴But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, wasn't with them when Jesus came. ²⁵The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord!"

    ²⁵But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

    ²⁶After eight days again his disciples were inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace be to you." ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don't be unbelieving, but believing."

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

    ²⁹Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed."

17. Third appearance to the disciples, by the sea in Galilee

    ¹⁶The eleven disciples went into Galilee.

    ¹After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself this way. ²Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. ³Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing."

    ³They told him, "We are also coming with you." They immediately went out, and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing. ⁴But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples didn't know that it was Jesus. ⁵Jesus therefore said to them, "Children, have you anything to eat?"

    ⁵They answered him, "No."

    ⁶He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some."

    ⁶They cast it therefore, and now they weren't able to draw it in for the multitude of fish. ⁷That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Lord!"

    ⁷So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around him (for he was naked), and threw himself into the sea. ⁸But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away), dragging the net full of fish. ⁹So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. ¹⁰Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught."

    ¹¹Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fish, one hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many, the net wasn't torn.

    ¹²Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast."

    ¹²None of the disciples dared inquire of him, "Who are you?" knowing that it was the Lord.

    ¹³Then Jesus came and took the bread, gave it to them, and the fish likewise. ¹⁴This is now the third time that Jesus was revealed to his disciples, after he had risen from the dead. ¹⁵So they ate their breakfast.

18. Appearance on a mountain in Galilee

    The brethren assembled in ¹⁶Galilee, at the mountain where Jesus had sent them. ⁶Over five hundred brothers saw him there. ¹⁷When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.

    ¹⁸Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

19. Appearance to James

    ⁷He appeared to James.

20. Ministry to the apostles

    ³He showed himself alive ²to the apostles whom he had chosen ³by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God's Kingdom.

    ⁴⁵He opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures.

    ⁴⁶He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹Behold, I send forth the promise of my Father on you."

    ²¹Jesus also ²¹said "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, " You will ²²receive the Holy Spirit! ²³Whoever's sins you forgive, they are forgiven them. Whoever's sins you retain, they have been retained."

    ⁴Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, ⁴"Don't depart, ^{49 4}but wait in the city of Jerusalem ⁴for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. ⁴⁹You will be clothed with power from on high. ⁵For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

    ⁶Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

    ⁷He said to them, "It isn't for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. ⁸You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."

    ¹⁵He also ¹⁵said to them, "Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation. ¹⁶He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. ¹⁷These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; ¹⁸they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

21. The ascension
    ^{19 9}When he had said these things ⁵⁰he led them out as far as Bethany, lifted up his hands, and blessed them. ⁵¹It happened, while he blessed them, that he withdrew from them. ⁹As they were looking, ^{19 51 9}he was taken up ^{19 51}into heaven, ⁹and a cloud received him out of their sight, ¹⁹and he sat down at the right hand of God.

    ¹⁰While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, ¹¹who also said, "You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? ¹¹This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky."

    ⁵¹They worshiped him. ^{52 12}Then they returned to Jerusalem ⁵¹with great joy ¹¹from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.