John 20

Resurrection!

1 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance.2 She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."

3 Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb.4 They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter.5 Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.6 Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there,7 and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself.8 Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed.9 No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.10 The disciples then went back home.

11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb12 and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid.

13 They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?" "They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know where they put him."14 After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him.

15 Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?" She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him."

16 Jesus said, "Mary." Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" meaning "Teacher!"

17 Jesus said, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.'"

18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything he said to her.

To Believe

19 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."

20 Then he showed them his hands and side.21 Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."

22 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said.23 "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"

24 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25 The other disciples told him, "We saw the Master." But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe it."

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."

27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. "Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don't be unbelieving. Believe."

28 Thomas said, "My Master! My God!"

29 Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."

30 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book.31 These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

John 21

Fishing

1 After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it:2 Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed "Twin"), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.

3 Simon Peter announced, "I'm going fishing."4 When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn't recognize him.

5 Jesus spoke to them: "Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?" They answered, "No."

6 He said, "Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens." They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren't strong enough to pull it in.

7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Master!"8 The other disciples came in by boat for they weren't far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish.9 When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it.

10 Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish you've just caught."11 Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore-153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn't rip.

12 Jesus said, "Breakfast is ready." Not one of the disciples dared ask, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Master.

13 Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish.14 This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead.

Do You Love Me?

15 After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

16 He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep."

17 Then he said it a third time: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do you love me?" so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you."18 I'm telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go."19 He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, "Follow me."

20 Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind.21 When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, "Master, what's going to happen to him?"

22 Jesus said, "If I want him to live until I come again, what's that to you? You-follow me."23 That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn't die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, "If I want him to live until I come again, what's that to you?"

24 This is the same disciple who was eyewitness to all these things and wrote them down. And we all know that his eyewitness account is reliable and accurate.

25 There are so many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can't imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books.

Acts 1

To the Ends of the World

1 Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach2 until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven.3 After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God.4 As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me.5 John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon."

6 When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?"

7 He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business.8 What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world."

9 These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud.10 They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared-in white robes!11 They said, "You Galileans!-why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly-and mysteriously-as he left."

Returning to Jerusalem

12 So they left the mountain called Olives and returned to Jerusalem. It was a little over half a mile.13 They went to the upper room they had been using as a meeting place: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James, son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas, son of James.

14 They agreed they were in this for good, completely together in prayer, the women included. Also Jesus' mother, Mary, and his brothers. Replacing Judas

Replacing Judas

15 During this time, Peter stood up in the company-there were about one hundred twenty of them in the room at the time -16 and said, "Friends, long ago the Holy Spirit spoke through David regarding Judas, who became the guide to those who arrested Jesus. That Scripture had to be fulfilled, and now has been.17 Judas was one of us and had his assigned place in this ministry.

18 "As you know, he took the evil bribe money and bought a small farm. There he came to a bad end, rupturing his belly and spilling his guts.19 Everybody in Jerusalem knows this by now; they call the place Murder Meadow.20 It's exactly what we find written in the Psalms: Let his farm become haunted So no one can ever live there. "And also what was written later: Let someone else take over his post.

21 "Judas must now be replaced. The replacement must come from the company of men who stayed together with us22 from the time Jesus was baptized by John up to the day of his ascension, designated along with us as a witness to his resurrection."

23 They nominated two: Joseph Barsabbas, nicknamed Justus, and Matthias.24 Then they prayed, "You, O God, know every one of us inside and out. Make plain which of these two men you choose25 to take the place in this ministry and leadership that Judas threw away in order to go his own way."26 They then drew straws. Matthias won and was counted in with the eleven apostles.