Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Here is a refined version of John chapter 20:

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb, so she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple Jesus loved, saying, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, but we don't know where they've laid him."

So Peter and the other disciple went running to the tomb together. The other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. He stooped down and looked in, seeing the linen clothes lying there, but he didn't go inside.

Then Simon Peter came following behind and entered the sepulcher. Inside, he saw the linen clothes lying there, just as the other disciple had described. The napkin that had been wrapped around Jesus' head was not with the linen clothes, but it was rolled up in a separate place by itself.

The other disciple who had arrived at the tomb first also went inside and saw for himself. At that point, he believed what had happened. But they still didn't understand the scripture that he must rise again from the dead.

So the disciples left to go back home, but Mary stayed behind outside the tomb, weeping. As she wept, she stooped down to look inside the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus' body had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.

The angels asked her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" Mary said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they've laid him." When she finished speaking, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him as Jesus at first.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you crying? Whom do you seek?" Mary thought he was the gardener and said, "Sir, if you have taken him away, please tell me where you've laid him, and I'll take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary."

Mary turned around and said to him, "Rabboni," which means Teacher. Jesus told her, "Don't touch me yet; I haven't gone back to my Father. Go tell my brothers that I'm going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

So Mary went and told the disciples what she had seen: Jesus was alive, and he had spoken those words to her.

On that same day at evening, when the doors were shut where the disciples were gathered in fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, "Peace be with you." When they saw him, they were overjoyed.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you: just as my Father sent me, so I'm sending you." Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

He said it again: "Peace be unto you. As the Father has sent me, so I'm sending you." And when he had finished speaking, Jesus breathed on them once more and said, "Whosever sins you forgive are forgiven; whosever sins you retain are retained."

But Thomas, one of the twelve, wasn't with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We've seen the Lord," but Thomas replied, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and put my finger into the mark of the nails and thrust my hand into his side, I won't believe."

Eight days later, Jesus' disciples were gathered again, this time with Thomas among them. The doors were shut, and Jesus stood in their midst, saying, "Peace be unto you." Then he said to Thomas, "Reach out your finger and touch my hands; reach out your hand and put it into my side: don't be faithless but believing."

Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you believe. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and yet believe.

And many other signs that Jesus performed in the presence of his disciples aren't written down in this book.

But these things were written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and believing in him, you may have life through his name.