Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, an earthquake shook the ground. An angel appeared, rolled away the stone from Jesus’ tomb, and sat upon it. The guards were terrified and fell to the ground.

At sunrise, Mary Magdalene and other women came to the tomb with spices for Jesus’ body. To their surprise, the stone had already been rolled away and the tomb was empty.

Mary ran to tell the disciples, while the other women entered the tomb and saw angels. One angel said, “Do not be afraid. Jesus, who was crucified, is not here. He has risen! Go and tell His disciples.”

Peter and John hurried to the tomb. Inside, they found only the burial cloths. Confused, they returned home.

Mary remained behind, weeping. As she stood near the tomb, Jesus appeared to her, though she did not recognise Him at first. When He called her by name, “Mary,” she knew it was the Lord. Jesus told her to go and tell the disciples that He was alive.

Jesus also appeared to the other women, who worshiped Him. He told them to tell His disciples that He would meet them in Galilee.

The women joyfully shared the news: “Jesus is alive!”

Meanwhile, the guards reported what had happened. The religious leaders bribed them to say that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body while they were asleep. But the truth remained: Jesus had risen from the dead.