The story in 7 steps
A borrowed tomb and a sealed stone
Matthew 27:57–66
After Jesus dies on the cross on Friday, Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy follower, asks Pilate for the body. He wraps it in clean linen and lays it in his own new tomb cut into the rock, then rolls a large stone across the entrance. Mary Magdalene and another Mary sit opposite and watch. Matthew adds that the chief priests ask for the tomb to be sealed and guarded.
The women come at dawn
Mark 16:1–8
When the Sabbath is over, early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bring spices to anoint the body. On the way they wonder who will roll the stone away for them. They find it already moved. Inside, a young man dressed in white tells them that Jesus has risen and is going ahead of them to Galilee. They run from the tomb trembling.
Peter and the other disciple run to the tomb
John 20:1–10
Mary Magdalene runs to tell Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved that the body has been taken. The two race to the tomb. The other disciple gets there first and looks in; Peter goes straight inside. They see the linen cloths lying there and the face cloth folded by itself. John says that the other disciple believed when he saw it, though neither of them yet understood the Scriptures.
Mary Magdalene hears her name
John 20:11–18
Mary stays outside the tomb, crying. She sees two angels, then turns and sees a man she takes for the gardener. She asks where he has put the body. He says one word, her name, and she recognizes Jesus and calls him Teacher. He sends her to tell the disciples, and she becomes the first to carry the news that she has seen the Lord.
The road to Emmaus
Luke 24:13–35
That afternoon two followers, one named Cleopas, walk to the village of Emmaus, talking sadly about everything that has happened. A stranger joins them and explains from Moses and the Prophets why the Messiah had to suffer. At supper he breaks the bread, their eyes are opened, and they recognize Jesus, who then vanishes. They hurry back to Jerusalem that same night.
In the locked room, and Thomas
John 20:19–29
That evening the disciples meet behind locked doors, afraid. Jesus stands among them, greets them with peace and shows them his hands and side. Thomas is not there and says he will not believe unless he touches the wounds. A week later Jesus appears again and invites him to do just that. Thomas answers by calling him his Lord and his God.
Sent out from Galilee, then the ascension
Matthew 28:16–20
The disciples go to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus tells them to make disciples of all nations and promises to be with them always. John 21 adds a breakfast by the lake where Jesus restores Peter. Acts says the appearances lasted forty days and ended near Jerusalem, when Jesus was taken up into heaven and the disciples were told to wait for the Holy Spirit.
The retelling above is our own summary, not Bible text. Read the full passage in Luke 24:1–53.
Key verses
“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.”
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”
“Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Verse text: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.
Who is in the story
- Jesus — Crucified on Friday; the Gospels report that God raised him on the third day
- Mary Magdalene — Present at the cross and the burial; in John she is the first to see the risen Jesus
- Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joanna and other women — Come with spices at dawn and are the first to hear the news
- Peter — Runs to the empty tomb; later restored by Jesus beside the lake
- The beloved disciple — Outruns Peter to the tomb; traditionally identified with John
- Thomas — Doubts the others' report until he sees Jesus a week later
- Cleopas and his companion — Meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus without recognizing him at first
- Joseph of Arimathea — Gives his own new tomb for Jesus' burial
What the story teaches
For Christians the resurrection is not one story among many but the hinge of the whole faith. Paul lists it among the things of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:3–4) and says that if Christ has not been raised, Christian faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17). Every major Christian tradition, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant, confesses it in the creeds: "on the third day he rose again."
The accounts present the resurrection as God's answer to the cross. In Acts, Peter's first sermons repeat the same pattern: people put Jesus to death, but God raised him (Acts 2:23–24). Read this way, the empty tomb is a verdict: injustice and death do not have the last word.
The stories also describe what kind of new life this is. Jesus is not a ghost; in Luke he eats fish and invites the disciples to touch him (Luke 24:39–43). Yet he is changed, appearing in locked rooms and at first going unrecognized. Paul calls the risen Christ the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20), meaning the first sign of a harvest, which is why Christians connect Jesus' resurrection with their hope that the dead will be raised.
People read these chapters in different ways. Christians across the traditions hold that Jesus rose bodily and the tomb was really empty. Some modern scholars think the accounts grew out of experiences of the disciples that cannot be checked historically, and people of other faiths or none often hold that Jesus did not rise. Historians widely agree that his followers sincerely believed they had seen him alive and that this belief launched the early church.
Grief is met by name
Mary is not handed an argument; she hears her own name. The story treats sorrow gently and personally.
Doubt is answered, not mocked
Thomas asks for evidence, and Jesus comes back for him a week later. Honest questions have a place in faith.
Good news is meant to be told
Every appearance ends with someone running, walking or being sent to tell others.
Why do the four accounts differ?
Readers notice that the Gospels name different women at the tomb, mention one angel or two, and focus on different appearances: Matthew on Galilee, Luke on Jerusalem and Emmaus, John on Mary Magdalene and Thomas. Mark's earliest manuscripts end at 16:8 with the women afraid; verses 9–20 are a later ending found in most printed Bibles with a note.
Christian readers usually treat the differences as independent witnesses choosing what to tell, much as several people describe the same morning in different ways. More skeptical scholars see them as signs that the stories developed over time. Both groups note what all four agree on: women went to the tomb early on the first day of the week, found it empty and were told Jesus had risen.
Why "the third day"?
Jesus died on Friday afternoon and the tomb was found empty early on Sunday. Counting the way people did then, where part of a day counts as a day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday make three days. That is why the creeds say he rose "on the third day" and why Christians gather on Sunday, the first day of the week. The yearly celebration of it is Easter.
The Resurrection for kids
Questions for discussion
- Why do you think the first people to find the empty tomb were women who had stayed at the cross?
- Mary recognizes Jesus only when he says her name. What does that suggest about how he relates to people?
- The two on the road to Emmaus understood only when bread was broken. Why might a meal be the moment of recognition?
- Thomas wanted to see for himself. Is that a weakness, or a reasonable request? How does Jesus treat it?
- Paul puts the resurrection among the things of first importance. How would Christianity be different without it?
Test yourself
Read the story first, then check what you remember: Easter Bible Trivia Quiz.