On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and could see that the stone had been taken away from the entrance to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. She ran and found Peter and John and told them that "they" had taken the body of Jesus, and do not know where they laid Him.
Peter and John ran to the tomb. John peered in and saw the linen cloths lying there, but Peter went into the tomb and he also saw the linen cloths, but the handkerchief was folded in a place by itself. When John went into the tomb, he believed. But neither disciple understood, yet, the Scripture that Jesus would rise from the dead.
After Peter and John went away to their own homes, Mary stood weeping at the tomb. When she looked inside, she saw two angels, who asked her why she was weeping. She told them because they had taken away her Lord. Then she turned around and there was Jesus, though she did not recognize him. He asked her why she was crying, and she thought he was the gardener who took away Jesus' body.
Then Jesus said, "Mary." And she knew Him! He told her not to cling to Him because He had to ascend to His Father, her Father, His God, and her God. Mary ran off to tell the disciples that she had seen the Lord.
Later that evening, the disciples were assembled together behind closed (locked) doors, when Jesus appeared to them, saying, "Peace be with you." He showed them His hands and His side. He told them, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you...Receive the Holy Spirit."
Unfortunately, Thomas was not present when Jesus came, and he did not believe them when they told him they had seen the Lord. He said, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
Eight days later, while the disciples were assembled again, behind locked doors, Jesus stood in their midst and told Thomas to look at and touch the wounds in His hands and side, and believe!
And Thomas answered, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
And Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
COMMENTARY
This is why Christians worship on Sunday: because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. The Sabbath belonged to the old creation. Jesus was dead over the Sabbath. He rose on Sunday, and from then on, believers gathered on the first day of the week. "Now we have come to the new creation in Christ Jesus. [Even] Pentecost occurred on Sunday."
When Jesus breathed onto the disciples, they had received the Holy Spirit. This was not like Pentecost. It was an interval between the Lord's Ascension and Pentecost. On Pentecost, they would be baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ and given power. But for now, they will need His Spirit to tide them over.
And when Christ instructed the apostles to forgive sins, He was only encouraging them to do so in His name, to proclaim the forgiveness of sins, which He alone has the power to do. They may proclaim the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name.
Keep in mind that God does not arbitrarily forgive sins; but rather the blood of Jesus covers sins, and we must individually believe this before we may have our sins forgiven. The only way this happens is when a person hears the gospel and believes. So someone has to share it -- and here Jesus is instructing His disciples to go and preach the gospel -- the good news -- the way to have your sins forgiven.
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