Thursday, August 20

¹Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. ²Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him. ⁵But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you!” ⁸So they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹But Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings!” They came to him, held on to his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.”

¹¹While they were going, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹²After they had assembled with the elders and formed a plan, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole his body while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴If this matter is heard before the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story is told among the Jews to this day.

¹⁶So the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

¹The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

²As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,who will prepare your way,

³the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord,make his paths straight.’”

⁴In the wilderness John the baptizer began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵People from the whole Judean countryside and all of Jerusalem were going out to him, and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. ⁶John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷He proclaimed, “One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals. ⁸I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

⁹Now in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. ¹⁰And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven: “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.” ¹²The Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness. ¹³He was in the wilderness 40 days, enduring temptations from Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.