Jesus Conquers Death
When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James,
and Salome bought spices to embalm Jesus. Soon after sunrise on the
first day of the week they went to the tomb, and they said to one
another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door?" But they
found that the stone, although very large, had been rolled to one side.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe sitting on the
ri
ht, and they trembled and were afraid. But he said to them, "Do not
be afraid. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He
is risen; he is not here. See the place where he was laid! But go and
tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee;
there you will see him, as he told you.'"
Then they remembered Jesus' words, and returning from the tomb they told
these things to the eleven disciples and to all the others; but to them,
the story seemed to be nonsense, and they were not believed. Peter,
however, ran to the tomb, but when he looked in he saw only the linen
bandages; and he went home wondering what had happened.
But Mary of Magdala stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she
stooped down and looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white
sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of
Jesus had lain. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She
said, "Because they have taken away my Master and I do not know where
they have laid him!"
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,
but she did not know that it was Jesus. "Woman," said he, "Why are you
weeping? For whom are you looking?" Supposing that he was the gardener,
she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have
laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She
turned to him and cried out, "Master!" Jesus said, "Do not touch me, for
I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and tell
them, 'I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and
your God.'" Mary went to the disciples with the news, "I have seen the
Master," and to tell them what he had said to her.