Holman Christian Standard Bible (321 page)

15
 “Woman,”
Jesus said to her,
“why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? ”

Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you've removed Him, tell me where you've put Him, and I will take Him away.”

16
Jesus said,
“Mary.”

Turning around, she said to Him in
•Hebrew
,
“Rabbouni!”
  — which means “Teacher.” 

17
 “Don't cling to Me,”
Jesus told her,
“for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father — to My God and your God.”

18
 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord! ” And she told them what He had said to her.

The Disciples Commissioned

19
 In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because of their fear of the
•Jews
. Then Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them,
“Peace to you! ”
 

20
 Having said this, He showed them His hands and His side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21
 Jesus said to them again,
“Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
 
22
 After saying this, He breathed on them and said, 
“Receive the Holy Spirit. 
23
 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
 

Thomas Sees and Believes

24
 But one of the Twelve, Thomas (called “Twin”), was not with them when Jesus came.
25
 So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord! ”

But he said to them, “If I don't see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe! ” 

26
 After eight days His disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. He said,
“Peace to you! ”

27
 Then He said to Thomas,
“Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don't be an unbeliever, but a believer.”
 

28
 Thomas responded to Him, “My Lord and my God! ”

29
 Jesus said,
“Because you have seen Me, you have believed.
 
Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”

The Purpose of This Gospel

30
 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book. 
31
 But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the
•Messiah
, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name. 

John

Jesus' Third Appearance to the Disciples

21
After this, Jesus revealed Himself again to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed Himself in this way:

2
 Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of His disciples were together.

3
 “I'm going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them.

“We're coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 

4
 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. However, the disciples did not know it was Jesus. 

5
 “Men,”
 Jesus called to them,
“you don't have any fish, do you? ”

“No,” they answered.

6
 “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,”
He told them,
“and you'll find some.”
So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.
7
 Therefore the disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord! ” 

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer garment around him (for he was stripped) and plunged into the sea.
8
 But since they were not far from land (about 100 yards away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish.
9
 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.

10
 “Bring some of the fish you've just caught,”
Jesus told them.
11
 So Simon Peter got up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish — 153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. 

12
 “Come and have breakfast,”
Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You? ” because they knew it was the Lord.
13
 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish.

14
 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Jesus' Threefold Restoration of Peter

15
 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John,
 
do you love
 
Me more than these? ”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”

“Feed My lambs,”
 He told him.

16
 A second time He asked him,
“Simon, son of John, do you love Me? ”
 

“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.”

“Shepherd My sheep,”
 He told him.

17
 He asked him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love Me? ”

Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time,
“Do you love Me? ”
He said, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.”

“Feed My sheep,”
Jesus said.
18
 “
•I assure you
: When you were young, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don't want to go.”
19
 He said this to signify by what kind of death he would glorify God. After saying this, He told him,
“Follow Me! ”
 

Correcting a False Report

20
 So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them. That disciple was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that's going to betray You? ” 
21
 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord — what about him? ”

22
 “If I want him to remain until I come,”
 Jesus answered,
“what is that to you? As for you, follow Me.”

23
 So this report spread to the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but,
“If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? ”

Epilogue

24
 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

25
 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. 

Acts

Acts

Prologue

1
I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 
2
 until the day He was taken up, after He had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. 
3
 After He had suffered, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 

The Holy Spirit Promised

4
 While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promise. 
“This,”
He said,
“is what
you heard from Me;
5
 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
 

6
 So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time? ”

7
 He said to them,
“It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. 
8
 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends
 
of the earth.”
 

The Ascension

9
 After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.
10
 While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 
11
 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.” 

United in Prayer

12
 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem — a Sabbath day's journey away.
13
 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying:

14
 All these were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers. 

Matthias Chosen

15
 During these days Peter stood up among the brothers  — the number of people who were together was about 120 — and said:
16
 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David spoke in advance about Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 
17
 For he was one of our number and was allotted a share in this ministry.” 
18
 Now this man acquired a field with his unrighteous wages. He fell headfirst and burst open in the middle, and all his insides spilled out. 
19
 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that in their own language that field is called
Hakeldama
(that is, Field of Blood).
20
 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

21
 “Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us —
22
 beginning from the baptism of John until the day He was taken up from us — from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of His resurrection.” 

23
 So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 
24
 Then they prayed, “You, Lord, know the hearts of all; show which of these two You have chosen 
25
 to take the place in this apostolic service that Judas left to go to his own place.”
26
 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was numbered with the 11 apostles.

Acts

Pentecost

2
When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 
2
 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 
3
 And tongues, like flames of fire that were divided, appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
4
 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different
•languages
, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech. 

5
 There were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.
6
 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
7
 And they were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 
8
 How is it that each of us can hear in our own native language?
9
 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and
•Asia
, 
10
 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and
•proselytes
, 
11
 Cretans and Arabs — we hear them speaking the magnificent acts of God in our own languages.”
12
 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What could this be? ”
13
 But some sneered and said, “They're full of new wine! ”