AFTER Peter and John leave the tomb where Jesus’ body had been, Mary is left there alone. She begins to cry. Then she bends over and looks inside the tomb, as we saw in the last picture. There she sees two angels! They ask her: ‘Why are you crying?’

Mary answers: ‘They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him.’ Then Mary turns around and sees a man. He asks her: ‘Who is it that you are looking for?’

Mary thinks the man is the gardener, and that he may have taken Jesus’ body. So she says: ‘If you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him.’ But, really, this man is Jesus. He has taken on a body that Mary does not recognize. But when he calls her by her name, Mary knows this is Jesus. She runs and tells the disciples: ‘I have seen the Lord!’

Later in the day, while two disciples are walking to the village of Em·maʹus, a man joins them. The disciples are very sad because Jesus has been killed. But as they walk along, the man explains many things from the Bible that make them feel better. Finally, when they stop for a meal, the disciples recognize that this man is Jesus. Then Jesus disappears, and these two disciples quickly go all the way back to Jerusalem to tell the apostles about him.

While that is going on, Jesus appears also to Peter. The others get excited when they hear this. Then these two disciples go to Jerusalem and find the apostles. They tell them how Jesus also appeared to them on the road. And just when they are telling about this, do you know the amazing thing that happens?

Look at the picture. Jesus appears right there in the room, even though the door is locked. How happy the disciples are! Isn’t that an exciting day? Can you count the number of times that Jesus has appeared by now to his followers? Do you count five times?

The apostle Thomas is not with them when Jesus appears. So the disciples tell him: ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But Thomas says he will have to see Jesus himself before he believes it. Well, eight days later the disciples are together again in a locked room, and this time Thomas is with them. Suddenly, Jesus appears right there in the room. Now Thomas believes.