The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

Jewish hierarchs and elders heard the Savior say that He would rise again on the third day. So they put warriors on Christ’s tomb and sealed the cave itself with their seal. So two days passed and the third day came.

Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a bright light shone in the cave; the stones fell apart, and Christ rose from the tomb.

The soldiers scattered in terror, and in their place the angels appeared to the risen Lord to serve.

It was morning. At that time, several devout women went to the tomb to anoint the body of the Lord with fragrant oil. Approaching the cave, they interpreted among themselves: “How can we get the stone away from the entrance, because it is very large, and we can not move it.

But suddenly they looked and saw: the stone was thrown away and an angel in white clothes was sitting on it. He told them:

– Don’t be afraid, I know that you are looking for Jesus, the crucified One. He is not here. He has risen as he said before, tell His disciples about it and go to the land of Galilee, there you will see the risen Lord.

The women were very happy with this message and hurried to the Apostles to tell them what they saw and heard. After a while, one of them, Mary Magdalene, returned to the Savior’s grave again.

She entered the cave and there she saw two angels who asked her:

– Woman, what are you crying about? Who are you looking for?

Magdalene answered:

– They took My Lord, and I don’t know where they put Him.

With these words, she came out of the cave.

Suddenly somebody asked her the same question:

– What are you crying about, woman? Who are you looking for?

All in tears, Mary Magdalene did not see who was standing before her, and thinking it was the gardener, she answered:

– Mister, if you have taken Him, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.

In return, she hears a familiar voice:

– Mary!

Magdalene looked and saw: before her rose Christ Himself.

– Teacher! – She exclaimed in delight and rushed to Him.

But the Lord told her:

– Do not touch me! Go to my brothers, my disciples, and tell them that I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.

Many times afterward, the Lord appeared to the disciples and apostles, and only one of them, Thomas, did not see Him and spoke:

– No, I will not believe that the Lord has risen until I see Him with my own eyes and touch His wounds with my own hands. – And now his wish has been fulfilled.

One day, on the eighth day after Christ’s Resurrection, all the apostles and Thomas with them gathered in one house. The doors were locked, but suddenly Christ appeared in their midst and said:

– Peace be upon you!

Then He turned to Thomas and told him:

– Give me your hand, put your fingers in my wounds, and believe in my resurrection.

The astonished Thomas was now convinced that Christ had truly risen and cried out loudly:

– My Lord and my God!

But Jesus answered:

– Now you believe because you see for yourself, but happy are those who have not seen me but have believed with all their hearts.

Many times the disciples saw Jesus Christ, and no one else doubted that he was the true Son of God and Savior of the world.

“The Bible in Stories for Children” by P. N. Vozdvizhensky