John 20–21

Jesus Is Raised

20Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it^* was still dark, and saw the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ²So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord from the tomb and we do not know where they have put him!” ³Then Peter and the other disciple went out and were going to the tomb. ⁴And the two were running together, and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first. ⁵And bending over to look, he saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, though he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter also came following him, and he went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, ⁷and the facecloth that was on his head—not lying with the strips of linen cloth, but folded up separately in one place. ⁸So then the other disciple who had come to the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed. ⁹(For they did not yet know the scripture that it was necessary for him to rise from the dead.)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹⁰Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.^{* 11}But Mary stood outside at the tomb, weeping. Then, while she was weeping, she bent over to look into the tomb, ¹²and she saw two angels in white, seated one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him!” ¹⁴When she^* had said these things, she turned around^a and saw Jesus standing there, and she did not know that it was Jesus.

¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” She thought that it was the gardener, and^* said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned around and^* said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “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 your Father, and my God and your God.’ ” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene came and^* announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and he had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

¹⁹Now when it^* was evening on that day—the first day of the week—and the doors had been shut where the disciples were because of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace to you.” ²⁰And when he^* had said this, he showed his^* hands and his^* side to them. Then the disciples rejoiced when they^* saw the Lord. ²¹So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” ²²And when he^* had said this, he breathed on them^* and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins^* of any, they are retained.”

Thomas Doubts But Later Believes

²⁴Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus,^b was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe!”

²⁶And after eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Although^* the doors had been shut, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace to you.” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Place your finger here and see my hands, and place your hand and put it^* into my side. And do not be unbelieving, but believing!” ²⁸Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Why This Book Was Written

³⁰Now Jesus also performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples^c which are not recorded in this book, ³¹but these things are recorded in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by^* believing you may have life in his name.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples in Galilee

21After these things Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Now he revealed himself^* in this way: ²Simon Peter and Thomas (who was called Didymus)^a and Nathanael from Cana in Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two others of his disciples were together. ³Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing!” They said to him, “We also are coming with you.” They went out and got into the boat, and during that night they caught nothing.

⁴Now when it^* was already early morning, Jesus stood on the beach. However, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?^* They answered him, “No.” ⁶And he said to them, “Throw the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”^* So they threw it,^* and were no longer able to haul it in from the large number of the fish.

⁷Then that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So Simon Peter, when he^* heard that it was the Lord, tied around himself his outer garment (for he was naked)^b and threw himself into the sea. ⁸But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net of fish, because they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits^c away.

⁹So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire laid there, and a fish lying on it,^* and bread. ¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just now caught.” ¹¹So Simon Peter got into the boat^* and hauled the net to the land, full of large fish—one hundred fifty-three—and although there^* were so many, the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them, “Come, eat breakfast!” But none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they^* knew that it was the Lord. ¹³Jesus came and took the bread and gave it^* to them, and the fish likewise. ¹⁴This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he^* had been raised from the dead.

Peter Is Restored Three Times

¹⁵Now when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs!” ¹⁶He said to him again a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Shepherd my sheep!” ¹⁷He said to him a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed because he said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you!” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep! ¹⁸Truly, truly I say to you, when you were young, you tied your clothes^* around yourself and walked wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie you up and carry you where you do not want to go.^{* 19}(Now he said this to indicate by what kind of death he would glorify God.) And after he^* had said this, he said to him, “Follow me!”

Peter and the Other Disciple Jesus Loved

²⁰Peter turned and^* saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them^* (who also leaned back on his chest at the dinner and said, “Lord, who is the one betraying you?”) ²¹So when he^* saw this one, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, but what about this one?” ²²Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that^* to you? You follow me!” ²³So this saying went out to the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that^* to you?”

A Concluding Word of Testimony

²⁴This is the disciple who is testifying about these things, and who has written down these things. And we know that his testimony is true. ²⁵Now there are also many other things that Jesus did, which—if they were written down one after the other—I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.