The Resurrection

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance (John 20:1). She ran to Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved, stating that the Lord had been taken out of the tomb and she did not know where he was placed. Both men ran toward the tomb, but the other disciple reached it first, looked in, and saw the strips of linen lying there. Simon Peter arrived and entered the tomb, observing the linen strips as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around the head of Jesus, which was folded up by itself (John 20:5-7).

The other disciple then entered the tomb, saw, and believed, though the text states they did not yet understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. The disciples then returned to where they were staying. Mary remained outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been. They asked why she was crying, and she explained that her Lord had been taken away. When she turned around, she saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize it was he (John 20:11-14).

Thinking he was the gardener, she asked where the body had been moved. Jesus spoke her name, and she cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni.' Jesus instructed her not to hold on to him because he had not yet ascended to the Father, but told her to go to his brothers and tell them he was ascending to his Father and their Father. Mary Magdalene then went to the disciples with the news that she had seen the Lord and told them what he had said to her (John 20:17-18).