The Empty Tomb – The Beginning of Awakening

John 20:1 – Early on the first day of the week, Mary from Magdala went to the hole in the rock. It was still dark. She saw that someone had removed the big stone from the front of the hole.

The resurrection of Jesus is the turning point of history—the moment when death was defeated, and hope was restored. But before the joy, there was confusion. Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb expecting sorrow, only to find emptiness.

Jesus Calls Us By Name – The Personal Encounter

John 20:14-16 – Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned towards him and she said in the Jewish language, Rabboni! (This means ‘Teacher’.)

Jesus calls her by name, and suddenly, everything changes. The resurrection is not just a cosmic event—it is personal. It is intimate. It is transformative.

The Shift – A New Relationship With Christ

John 20:17 – Jesus said, Do not hold on to me because I have not gone up to the Father yet. But go to my brothers, the disciples. Tell them, 'Now I will go up to my Father. He is also your Father. He is my God, and he is your God.'

Jesus does not allow Mary to cling to Him in the old way—because something new is happening. He is ascending to the Father, and His relationship with His followers is shifting.

Peace in the Midst of Fear – The Disciples’ Awakening

John 20:19 – On the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the disciples were meeting together. They had locked the doors of the room because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Then Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, Peace be with you.

The disciples are hiding in fear, but Jesus enters their locked space. His first words? Peace be with you.

This is the peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7). It is not the absence of trouble but the presence of divine assurance.

The Commission – Sent With the Holy Spirit

John 20:21-22 – Then Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As my Father has sent me, I also send you. After he had said this, he breathed on them. He said, Receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus does not just comfort them—He commissions them. The resurrection is not just about victory over death; it is about sending forth His followers to continue His work.

Faith and Doubt – The Invitation to Believe

John 20:26-27 – Eight days after that, the disciples were in the house again. This time Thomas was with them. They had locked the door. But Jesus came and he stood among them. He said to them, Peace be with you.

Thomas, often called "Doubting Thomas," demands proof. Jesus does not rebuke him—He invites him to touch His wounds.

Conviction, Grace, and the Pursuit of Purity

We are constantly experiencing anxiety about separation from our Father, the knowledge that we will die, falling out of His favor, and the literal punishment Jesus pays for every sin we ever commit, even those we haven't committed yet.

If one sin is punishable by death, we have no chance—but with the sacrifice that He made, our awakening to the fact that we have broken the Ten Commandments, and the Holy Spirit tugging at our conscience, we are convicted to strive for the kind of purity that Jesus showed us—without lowering the bar despite our shortcomings.

Grace does not give us a license to sin; it makes us hate our sin. It awakens us to the weight of what separates us from God and compels us to turn away from it.

This turning—repentance—is not optional. It is vital to our salvation. True belief in Jesus cannot exist without a response, without a change in direction.

Repentance is the act of turning away from sin—a deliberate step, not just regret but a complete shift in heart and action toward righteousness.

Romans 3:23-24 – Everyone has done wrong things. Nobody is good enough for God. But God says that we are right with him. He has made us free because of Jesus Christ. That is his gift to us.

Grace is not necessary if we don’t understand why breaking the moral law is so important. But the Holy Spirit convicts us, not by force, but by awakening something familiar—a truth we already know deep within.

John 16:8 – When the Holy Spirit comes, he will show people that they are wrong. He will show them what is really good. He will show them how God judges people.

We are not meant to carry this weight alone. Jesus met the standard for us, but He also calls us higher.

Conclusion: The Call to Transformation

The resurrection is not just a historical event—it is an invitation.

• To recognize Jesus in the midst of our sorrow.
• To receive His peace, even when we are afraid.
• To be sent forth, carrying His message to the world.
• To believe, even when we have not seen.
• To strive for purity, knowing that grace does not lower the bar—it lifts us toward transformation.

"Peace be with you."

The Hole in the Rock is Empty

20 Early on the first day of the week, Mary from Magdala went to the hole in the rock. It was still dark. She saw that someone had removed the big stone from the front of the hole.

2 So she ran to where Simon Peter was. He was with the other disciple, the one that Jesus loved. She said to them, ‘Somebody has taken the Lord's body out of the hole. We do not know where they have put him!’

3 So Peter and the other disciple started to go to the place where Jesus' body had been.

4 Both of them were running. But the other disciple ran faster than Peter ran. So he reached the hole first.

5 He bent himself down and he looked inside the hole. He saw the pieces of linen cloth that were lying there. But he did not go in.

6 Simon Peter had run behind the other disciple. When he arrived, he went into the hole. He saw the pieces of cloth that were lying there.

7 Also, he saw the piece of cloth that had been around Jesus' head. This was not in the same place as the long pieces of linen cloth. Someone had put it carefully in a separate place.

8 The other disciple had reached the place first, and now he also went inside. He saw and he believed.

9 They still did not understand what the Bible already said. It said that Jesus had to become alive again after he had died.

Jesus Appears to Mary from Magdala

10 Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.

11 But Mary stood outside the hole in the rock. She was crying. While she cried, she bent herself down to look inside the hole.

12 She saw two angels there. They were wearing white clothes. They were sitting where Jesus' dead body had been. One angel was sitting where Jesus' head had been. The other angel was sitting where his feet had been.

13 They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ She replied, ‘They have taken away my Lord. I do not know where they have put him.’

14 When she had said this, she turned round. She saw a man who was standing there. It was Jesus, but she did not recognize him.

15 Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?’ Mary thought that he was the gardener. So she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away somewhere, please tell me. Tell me where you have put him. Then I will go and I will take him away.’

16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned towards him and she said in the Jewish language, ‘Rabboni!’ (This means ‘Teacher’.)

17 Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me because I have not gone up to the Father yet. But go to my brothers, the disciples. Tell them, “Now I will go up to my Father. He is also your Father. He is my God, and he is your God.”’

18 Mary from Magdala took this message to the disciples. She went to them and she said, ‘I have seen the Lord!’ Then she told them the things that Jesus had said to her.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 On the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the disciples were meeting together. They had locked the doors of the room because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Then Jesus came and he stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’

20 After he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were very, very happy when they saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, in the same way I am now sending you.’

22 When he had said this, he breathed on them. He said, ‘Receive God's Holy Spirit.’

23 ‘If you forgive a person's sins, God will forgive them too. If you do not forgive them, God will not forgive them.’

Jesus Shows Himself to Thomas

24 One of the 12 disciples was called Thomas. (He was also called ‘the Twin’.) He was not with the other disciples when Jesus came to them.

25 So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But Thomas said to them, ‘I will never believe that he is alive again unless I myself see him. I want to see the marks of the nails in his hands. I want to touch where the nails were with my finger. I want to put my hand into his side where the spear went in. If I cannot do that, I will not believe.’

26 Eight days after that, the disciples were in the house again. This time Thomas was with them. They had locked the door. But Jesus came and he stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’

27 Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger in here. Look at my hands. Put your hand here, in my side. Do not refuse to believe what is true. Now, believe.’

28 Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord, and my God!’

29 Jesus said to him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Other people have not seen me, but they do believe in me. God is really happy with those people.’

The Purpose of This Book

30 Jesus did many other miracles while the disciples were with him. I have not written about all of them in this book.

31 But I have written about these things, so that you will be able to believe the truth. You will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Because you believe in him, you will have life with God.

Scripture quotations are from the EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2018, 2024 – UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.