Saturday narrative 7

SATURDAY BEFORE EASTER

THE RESURRECTION AND THE MEETING WITH MARY MAGDALENE;

THE APPEARANCE TO TWO DISCIPLES AT EMMAUS

Chapters 84 and 85 of The Gospel of the Holy Twelve

 

 

After the Sabbath was ended, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb bearing the spices which she had prepared, and there were others with her. As they were going, they said among themselves, “Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the tomb?” For it was large. When they came to the place and looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away. Behold there was a great earthquake; and the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lighting and his clothing white as snow; and for fear of him the keepers shook and became as dead.

The angel answered and said to the women, “Fear not, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold he goes before you into Galilee. There you shall see him; lo, I have told you.” They entered in and did not find the body of Jesus. Then Mary ran and came to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord away out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

They ran and came to the tomb, and looking in, they saw the linen cloths lying there, and the napkin that had been about his head lying not with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself. While they were standing there much perplexed, behold, two angels stood by them in glistening garments of white, and said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he is risen; and, behold, he goes before you into Galilee. There you shall see him. Do you not remember how he spoke to you, when he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man should be crucified and that he would rise again after the third day?”

And they remembered his words. They went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled with amazement, and they were afraid. At the time of the earthquake, the graves were opened; and many of the saints who slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the city and appeared to many. But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping, and as she wept, she again stooped down and looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white garments, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

And they said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” And when she had said this, she turned around, and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Whom do you seek?” She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away from here, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned around and said to him, “Rabboni”; which is to say, “Master.” Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father and my Mother, but go to my brethren, and say to them, ‘I ascend to my Parent and your Parent, to my God and your God.’”Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things to her, and commanded her to announce his resurrection from the dead.

Jesus Appears to two disciples at Emmaus

Behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. They talked together of all these things which had happened. It came to pass, that while they spoke together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognising him.He said to them, “What manner of communications do you have with each other, as you walk and are sad?” One of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said to him, “Are you only a stranger in Jerusalem and do not know the things which have happened there in these days?” He said to them, “What things?”

And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that he was the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, three days have passed since these things were done. Yes, and certain women, also of our company, astonished us, for they were early at the tomb; and when they did not find his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.

Certain of them who were with us went to the tomb and found it as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken; was it not necessary for Christ to have suffered these things, and then to enter into his glory?” Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. They drew near the village where they went, and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, “Stay, with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.”

So he went in to stay with them. As he sat at table with them, he took bread and the fruit of the vine, and gave thanks, blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said one to another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, and while he opened the scriptures to us?” They rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the twelve and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon.”

Then they told what things had happened on the road and how he was known to them in breaking of bread. While they were on the road to Emmaus, some of the guards came into the city and told Caiaphas what had happened. The elders conferred with the high priest and said, “Behold, while the soldiers slept, some of his disciples came and took his body away; and is not Joseph of Arimathea one of his disciples? For this reason then he begged the body from Pilate that he might bury it in his garden in his own tomb. Let us therefore give money to the soldiers, telling them to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the ears of the governor we will persuade him not to accuse them.”

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