Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



Now there had been a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven and, [having] come to roll away the stone, was [now] sitting on it. He appeared as [brilliant] lightning and his clothing was white as snow. And the guards shook with fear at seeing him, and became as dead men. read more.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified.

As they were entering the cave, they were amazed when they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting at the right side of the entrance. He said to them, "Do not be amazed. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified, [are you not]? He has risen from the dead. He is not here. Look at the place where they laid Him. So, go and tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you.'"

When they did not find Jesus' body they came and told us that they had also seen a vision of angels who said Jesus was alive.

and there she saw two angels [dressed] in white [clothing] sitting where Jesus' body had lain, one at His head and one at His feet.


But we want you to be informed, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep [in death] so that you do not grieve, as other people do [i.e., the unsaved], who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [from the dead], [we also believe] that God will bring [back to life], along with Jesus, those in [fellowship with] Him who have fallen asleep [in death]. For we say this to you by [the authority of] the word of the Lord [Note: Paul was either quoting what Jesus had previously said, or was giving a revelation he had received from the Lord. See I Cor. 14:37], that we [Christians] who are [still] alive, who are left [on earth] when the Lord returns, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [Note: The point Paul is making is that the living will not be "changed" (I Cor. 15:51-52) and taken to heaven before the dead are raised]. read more.
For the Lord Himself [i.e., Jesus] will come down from heaven with a commanding shout [Note: This probably refers to Jesus' voice. See John 5:25, 28], [and] with the archangel's voice [i.e., Michael. See Jude 9] and with the sound of God's trumpet; [at this] the dead in [fellowship with] Christ will rise [from the dead] first. Then, we who [will still] be alive, that are left, will be caught up together with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so [from then on] we will always be with the Lord. So, encourage one another with these words.

Now a certain man named Lazarus, from Bethany, became sick. Bethany was the town where Mary and her sister Martha lived. [See 11:18]. This was the Mary who had poured the perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair [See Matt. 26:6-13], whose brother Lazarus was sick. So, the sisters sent [someone] to Him, saying, "Look, Lord, the person you love [i.e., your dear friend, Lazarus] is sick." read more.
But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This illness will not result in [his] death, but was intended to bring honor to God, so that the Son of God would be honored by it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister [Mary] and [her brother] Lazarus. So, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was [i.e., on the east side of the Jordan River. See 10:40] for two [more] days. Then, after this, He said to His disciples, "Let us go [back] to Judea again." The disciples replied to Him, "The Jews [there] have just been trying to stone you, and you are going back again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in a day? [i.e., hours of daylight]. If a person walks during daylight, he will not stumble because he can see [by] the sun's light. But if he walks at night he [might] stumble, because there is no light [to see by]. [Note: These words have a figurative meaning as Jesus is speaking about His mission in life]. After saying these things He said to His disciples, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him up." But the disciples said to Him, "Lord, if he is [only] asleep, he will get well." Now Jesus had been talking about Lazarus' death, but the disciples thought He was referring to normal sleep. So, Jesus said plainly, "Lazarus is dead. miles northeast of Jerusalem, near Samaria]. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there [when he died], so that [now] you will believe [i.e., when you see him miraculously raised up]. But let us go to him [now]." Then Thomas, which means, "The Twin," said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go too, so we can die with Him." [i.e., by being stoned to death with Jesus. See 11:8]. So, when Jesus arrived, He found out that Lazarus had already been in his grave [i.e., a cave-like tomb] for four days. Now Bethany was close to Jerusalem, [being] fewer than two miles away, and many of Martha and Mary's Jewish friends had come to comfort them over [the loss of] their brother. So, when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went [out to the edge of town. See verse 30] to meet Him, but Mary [just] sat at home [i.e., probably grief-stricken]. Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if [only] you had been here, my brother would not have died. And I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask Him for." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again [from the dead]." Martha replied to Him, "I know that he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day [i.e., the judgment day]." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; the person who believes in me will live on, even though he dies [physically]. And whoever goes on living and believing in me, will never die [spiritually]. Do you believe this?" Martha answered Him, "Yes, Lord, I have [already] believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." After saying this, she left and called her sister Mary and said to her privately, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you." And when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. (Now Jesus had not yet arrived in town, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him [i.e., probably on the road near the edge of town]). When Martha's Jewish friends, who had been comforting her at her house, saw Mary getting up quickly and leaving, they followed her, thinking she was going to the grave site to mourn. So, when Mary arrived at where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell down at His feet and said, "Lord, if [only] you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her and her Jewish friends, who had come with her, crying, He felt distressed in His spirit and [visibly] troubled [Note: This last word means to shake with emotion, and seems to have been caused by His deep sympathy for these grieving people], and said, "Where have they laid his body?" They answered Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus shed tears. [Some of] the Jewish friends then said, "Look how [much] he loved him!" [See verse 3]. But others of them said, "Could not this man, who restored sight to a blind person, have kept Lazarus from dying?" So, Jesus again felt distressed within Himself [as He] went to the grave site, which was a cave with a stone [slab] across its entrance. Jesus said, "You people, take the stone away." [But] Martha, the dead man's sister, said to Jesus, "Lord, his body is decomposing by now, for he has been dead four days." Jesus replied to her, "Did I not tell you that you would see God's glory [i.e., a miraculous resurrection. See verses 22-27] if you believed?" So, they removed the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. [Note: Jesus had already prayed for and been assured of Lazarus' resurrection]. I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so they would believe that you sent me." And after He had said this, He called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" [Immediately] the man who had died came out [of the cave] with his hands and feet [still] wrapped in bandages, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to his Jewish friends, "Unwrap him and let him go."

Now when the Sabbath day was over [i.e., after sunset on Saturday evening], Mary from Magdala; Mary the mother of James [i.e., the "other Mary" of Matt. 28:1, who was probably Jesus' mother. See Matt. 27:56]; and Salome [i.e., the mother of James and John and wife of Zebedee. See Matt. 27:56], bought spices [i.e., consisting of aloes and other aromatic perfumes] in order to apply them to His body [i.e., as a means of embalming]. And very early on the first day of the week, after sunrise [i.e., on Sunday morning], they went to the grave site. They were questioning among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the cave for us?" read more.
And when they looked up, they saw that the stone had [already been] rolled away, and it was very large. As they were entering the cave, they were amazed when they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting at the right side of the entrance. He said to them, "Do not be amazed. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified, [are you not]? He has risen from the dead. He is not here. Look at the place where they laid Him. So, go and tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you.'" So, they left, running out of the cave, [and] trembling with amazement. And they said nothing to anyone about this for they were afraid. Now when Jesus arose from the dead early on the first day of the week [i.e., Sunday morning], He appeared first to Mary from Magdala, from whom He had driven out seven evil spirits. Then she went and told those disciples who had been with Him what had happened. They were sorrowful and began to cry. And when they heard that Jesus was alive and had been seen by Mary from Magdala, they refused to believe it. After these things happened, Jesus showed Himself in a different form to two disciples [Note: One was named Cleopas. See Luke 24:13-18], as they were walking out into the countryside [i.e., to the village of Emmaus, about seven miles northwest of Jerusalem. See Luke 24:13]. And these two men went and told about their encounter with Jesus to the rest of the disciples, but they did not believe them either. Later on Jesus showed Himself to the eleven apostles as they sat [i.e., reclined. See Matt. 23:6], eating a meal. He scolded them for their lack of faith and stubbornness because they refused to believe those who had seen Him [alive] after His resurrection.

Now at early dawn on the first day of the week [i.e., early Sunday morning], the women [See Mark 16:1] went to Jesus' grave site, taking the spices which they had prepared [for His burial]. But they found the stone [had already been] rolled away from the [opening of the] grave site. So, they went in [i.e., into the cave-like tomb], but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. read more.
And it happened, while they wondered about the situation, suddenly two men in brilliant clothing [were seen] standing beside them. As the women became terrified and bowed down with their faces toward the ground [i.e., in reverence and awe], the two men said to them, "Why are you looking for the living [One] where they bury dead people? He is not here; for He has risen [from the dead]. [Do you not] remember what He told you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be turned over into the hands of sinful men to be crucified, but the third day [He will] rise again [from the dead]?'" Then they remembered what He had said to them. When they returned from the grave site, they told all this to the eleven apostles and to all the rest [of the disciples]. Now the women who told these things to the apostles were Mary from Magdala; Joanna [Note: This was the wife of Chuzas, Herod's property manager. See Luke 8:3], and other women who were with them. But these words seemed as nonsense to the apostles, and they refused to believe the women. {{Some ancient authorities do not include verse But Peter got up and ran to the grave site. He stooped down [i.e., because of the low opening in the cave-like tomb], looked in and saw the linen cloths [lying there] by themselves. Then he went home, puzzled over what had happened.}} Then, on that same day, two disciples [See Mark 16:12] were [walking along], going to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles [northwest] of Jerusalem. And they were discussing with each other everything that had [recently] happened. And it happened, as they were talking and discussing together, that Jesus came near [them] and began walking along with them. But they were [miraculously ?] prevented from recognizing who He was. Then Jesus said to them, "What have you been talking about while [you were] walking along together?" And they stopped [suddenly], looking dejected. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Jesus, "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know what all happened there the past few days?" And He replied, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus, from Nazareth, who was a prophet speaking powerful words and performing powerful deeds in front of God and all the people. And the leading priests and our leaders turned him over to be sentenced to death and had him crucified. But we had hoped that he was the one who would purchase the Israelites back [from their bondage]. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. However, certain women of our group, who went to the grave site early [Sunday morning] amazed us. When they did not find Jesus' body they came and told us that they had also seen a vision of angels who said Jesus was alive. Then some of our companions [i.e., Peter and John. See John 20:2-9] went to the grave site and found things just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus [either]." Then Jesus said to them, "You foolish men! How slow your minds are to believe everything the prophets have spoken [in their writings]! Was it not necessary for the Christ [i.e., God's specially chosen one] to suffer these things, and [then] to enter His glorious state [with the Father]?" Then, beginning from [the writings of] Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explained to the two men about the things referring to Himself [contained] in all these Scripture passages. And as they got close to the village [i.e., of Emmaus], where the men were going, Jesus appeared as though He were planning to continue on. So, the men urged Him to remain with them, saying, "Stay with us [i.e., overnight], because it is getting late and the day is almost over." So, He went [to their house] to stay with them. And it happened when Jesus had reclined at the dinner table with them [Note: See Matt. 23:6], that He took a [small] loaf of bread, asked God's blessing on it, then broke it and gave [pieces] to the two men. [Immediately] their eyes were opened [i.e., they were given insight] so they could recognize Him. And [just then] He disappeared from their view [Note: The Greek says, "became invisible," suggesting that He vanished miraculously]. Then the two men said to each other, "Were not our hearts stirred up within us [i.e., our emotions thrilled] when Jesus spoke to us along the road and opened up the Scriptures [to our understanding]?" So, they got up at once and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven apostles gathered together with some other disciples. The apostles [or, some think the two men] were saying, "The Lord truly has risen and has appeared to Simon [i.e., Peter]." Then the two men recounted what happened along the road and how Jesus was recognized by them when He broke the loaf of bread. And as the apostles were talking about these things, Jesus Himself [reappeared], standing among them, and said to them, "May there be peace in your lives." But they became frightened and [even] terrified, and assumed they were seeing a spirit. Then Jesus said to them, "Why are you [so] upset? And why are you having doubts [about me] in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet and realize that it is I, myself. Feel me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have." {{Some ancient authorities omit verse And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.}} And while they still could not believe [i.e., or, could hardly believe], out of joy and wonderment, Jesus said to them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" So, they gave Him a piece of broiled fish. And He took it and ate it in front of them. Then Jesus said to the apostles, "These are the words that I told you while I was still with you, [when I said] that everything written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms about me needed to be fulfilled." Then He opened their minds [miraculously ?] so they would understand the Scriptures. And He said to them, "This is what was written: The Christ [i.e., God's specially chosen one] will suffer, and [then] rise again from the dead on the third day.



But when he saw the [furious] wind he became fearful and began to sink, shouting out, "Lord, save me!"

And when the disciples heard [the voice], they fell [to the ground] on their faces and became very afraid.

But the woman became afraid and trembled with fear, for she knew what had happened to her [i.e., the healing], so she came and fell down in front of Jesus and told Him the whole truth.

As they were entering the cave, they were amazed when they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting at the right side of the entrance.

Zacharias became disturbed when he saw the angel and was gripped by fear.


Now there had been a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven and, [having] come to roll away the stone, was [now] sitting on it. He appeared as [brilliant] lightning and his clothing was white as snow. And the guards shook with fear at seeing him, and became as dead men. read more.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen just as He said [He would]. Come and see the place where the Lord had been lying, then go quickly and tell His disciples, 'He has risen from the dead and is [now] going on ahead of you into Galilee. You will see Him there.' Now [that is all] I have to tell you." So, they left the grave site quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to give the message to His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and gave them greetings. They approached Him and took hold of His feet [and knelt] to worship Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers [i.e., the disciples, that you have seen me], so they can head for Galilee where they will see me." Now while these women were on their way, some of the guards entered the city and began telling the leading priests everything that had happened. And when they had assembled with the [Jewish] elders and conferred with them, they offered large sums of money to the soldiers, saying, "We want you to say, 'Jesus' disciples came at night and stole his body while we were asleep.' And if the governor hears about this [plot], we will persuade him [i.e., not to punish you for negligence], so you will not have to worry about that." So, they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story [i.e., that Jesus' body had been stolen by His disciples] was told widely among the Jews, and continues to be told to this day.

Now when the Sabbath day was over [i.e., after sunset on Saturday evening], Mary from Magdala; Mary the mother of James [i.e., the "other Mary" of Matt. 28:1, who was probably Jesus' mother. See Matt. 27:56]; and Salome [i.e., the mother of James and John and wife of Zebedee. See Matt. 27:56], bought spices [i.e., consisting of aloes and other aromatic perfumes] in order to apply them to His body [i.e., as a means of embalming]. And very early on the first day of the week, after sunrise [i.e., on Sunday morning], they went to the grave site. They were questioning among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the cave for us?" read more.
And when they looked up, they saw that the stone had [already been] rolled away, and it was very large. As they were entering the cave, they were amazed when they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting at the right side of the entrance. He said to them, "Do not be amazed. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified, [are you not]? He has risen from the dead. He is not here. Look at the place where they laid Him. So, go and tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you.'" So, they left, running out of the cave, [and] trembling with amazement. And they said nothing to anyone about this for they were afraid. Now when Jesus arose from the dead early on the first day of the week [i.e., Sunday morning], He appeared first to Mary from Magdala, from whom He had driven out seven evil spirits. Then she went and told those disciples who had been with Him what had happened. They were sorrowful and began to cry. And when they heard that Jesus was alive and had been seen by Mary from Magdala, they refused to believe it.

Now at early dawn on the first day of the week [i.e., early Sunday morning], the women [See Mark 16:1] went to Jesus' grave site, taking the spices which they had prepared [for His burial]. But they found the stone [had already been] rolled away from the [opening of the] grave site. So, they went in [i.e., into the cave-like tomb], but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. read more.
And it happened, while they wondered about the situation, suddenly two men in brilliant clothing [were seen] standing beside them. As the women became terrified and bowed down with their faces toward the ground [i.e., in reverence and awe], the two men said to them, "Why are you looking for the living [One] where they bury dead people? He is not here; for He has risen [from the dead]. [Do you not] remember what He told you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be turned over into the hands of sinful men to be crucified, but the third day [He will] rise again [from the dead]?'" Then they remembered what He had said to them. When they returned from the grave site, they told all this to the eleven apostles and to all the rest [of the disciples]. Now the women who told these things to the apostles were Mary from Magdala; Joanna [Note: This was the wife of Chuzas, Herod's property manager. See Luke 8:3], and other women who were with them. But these words seemed as nonsense to the apostles, and they refused to believe the women. {{Some ancient authorities do not include verse But Peter got up and ran to the grave site. He stooped down [i.e., because of the low opening in the cave-like tomb], looked in and saw the linen cloths [lying there] by themselves. Then he went home, puzzled over what had happened.}}

Now early [in the morning], while it was still dark on the first day of the week [i.e., Sunday], Mary from Magdala went to the [cave-like] tomb and saw the stone [had been] removed from [the entrance of] the tomb. So, she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved [i.e., probably the apostle John], and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have put Him." So, Peter and the other disciple left [hurriedly] and went to the grave site. read more.
The two of them ran together, but the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the grave site first. He stooped down and looked inside [the cave-like tomb] and saw the linen cloths lying there [i.e., these were wrappings used to hold embalming spices against the body], but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, also arrived and went [straight] into the cave-like tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. Now the cloth that had been around Jesus' head was not lying with the [other] linen cloths, but was rolled up by itself. Finally, the other disciple, who had arrived at the cave-like tomb first, went on into it. And [when] he saw [the grave clothes, but no body], he believed [in Jesus' resurrection]. But these disciples still did not understand the Scripture that [predicted] Jesus must rise again from the dead. So, the disciples went back home again, but Mary [from Magdala] was standing outside of the cave-like tomb crying. While she was [still] crying she stooped down to look in the tomb, and there she saw two angels [dressed] in white [clothing] sitting where Jesus' body had lain, one at His head and one at His feet. They said to Mary, "[My dear] woman, why are you crying?" She answered, "They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put Him." After she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but did not know it was Him. [Then] Jesus said to her, "[My dear] woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" Assuming He was the grounds keeper, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away from here, tell me where you laid Him, and I will go and get Him." [Then] Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned toward Him and replied in the Hebrew language, "Rabboni," which means "Teacher." Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not ascended to the Father yet [Note: Apparently Jesus was discouraging Mary from embracing Him in worship as was done in Matt. 28:9, and thereby causing a delay of when the rest of the disciples would learn of His resurrection], but go to my brothers and tell them [I said] 'I am [about] to ascend to my Father and to your Father, and to my God and your God.'" So, Mary from Magdala went and told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her. [See Matt. 28:7-10].



But when he saw the [furious] wind he became fearful and began to sink, shouting out, "Lord, save me!"

And when the disciples heard [the voice], they fell [to the ground] on their faces and became very afraid.

But the woman became afraid and trembled with fear, for she knew what had happened to her [i.e., the healing], so she came and fell down in front of Jesus and told Him the whole truth.

As they were entering the cave, they were amazed when they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting at the right side of the entrance.

Zacharias became disturbed when he saw the angel and was gripped by fear.


And all of those who knew Him, as well as the women who had followed Him from Galilee [See Matt. 27:55-56], watched all this from a distance.

The women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee followed behind [those carrying the body] and saw where the grave site was and how His body was placed in it. So, they returned [home] and prepared spices and [aromatic] oils [i.e., for embalming Jesus' body]. Then they rested on the Sabbath day according to the [fourth] commandment. [See Ex. 20:10].

Now at early dawn on the first day of the week [i.e., early Sunday morning], the women [See Mark 16:1] went to Jesus' grave site, taking the spices which they had prepared [for His burial]. But they found the stone [had already been] rolled away from the [opening of the] grave site. So, they went in [i.e., into the cave-like tomb], but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. read more.
And it happened, while they wondered about the situation, suddenly two men in brilliant clothing [were seen] standing beside them. As the women became terrified and bowed down with their faces toward the ground [i.e., in reverence and awe], the two men said to them, "Why are you looking for the living [One] where they bury dead people? He is not here; for He has risen [from the dead]. [Do you not] remember what He told you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be turned over into the hands of sinful men to be crucified, but the third day [He will] rise again [from the dead]?'" Then they remembered what He had said to them. When they returned from the grave site, they told all this to the eleven apostles and to all the rest [of the disciples]. Now the women who told these things to the apostles were Mary from Magdala; Joanna [Note: This was the wife of Chuzas, Herod's property manager. See Luke 8:3], and other women who were with them.

[Joseph then] brought a linen cloth, and after taking Jesus down from the cross, wrapped the linen cloth around His body and placed it in a grave site that had been cut out of [a ledge of] rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the cave. [Now] Mary from Magdala and Mary the mother of Joseph [See verse 40] saw where the body was laid.

Now when the Sabbath day was over [i.e., after sunset on Saturday evening], Mary from Magdala; Mary the mother of James [i.e., the "other Mary" of Matt. 28:1, who was probably Jesus' mother. See Matt. 27:56]; and Salome [i.e., the mother of James and John and wife of Zebedee. See Matt. 27:56], bought spices [i.e., consisting of aloes and other aromatic perfumes] in order to apply them to His body [i.e., as a means of embalming]. And very early on the first day of the week, after sunrise [i.e., on Sunday morning], they went to the grave site. They were questioning among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the cave for us?" read more.
And when they looked up, they saw that the stone had [already been] rolled away, and it was very large. As they were entering the cave, they were amazed when they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting at the right side of the entrance. He said to them, "Do not be amazed. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified, [are you not]? He has risen from the dead. He is not here. Look at the place where they laid Him.

A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including some women who wailed [in grief] and mourned over His plight. But Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem [i.e., women citizens], do not cry over me, but cry over yourselves and your children.