  THE RESURRECTION. FIRST READING.
As it began to dawn. THE holy women waited all the Sabbath day in sorrow; and our Lord Jesus lay in His grave. But, on the night after, He rose up from His grave, and came forth again, for He is alive for evermore. There was a great earthquake, and an angel came from heaven, and rolled away the stone from the door of the cave, and sat upon it; and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and were as dead men. Very early in the morning, Mary Magdalene and the other women came with the sweet spices they had prepared. They wondered who would roll away the stone for them; but when they came nearer, they saw that it was taken away; and when they went in, they saw that the body of the Lord was gone. They feared at first that some one had taken it away; but behold, two men stood by them in shining garments, who said, And as the women went in great wonder to tell the disciples, they saw Jesus Himself, the same whom they had seen and touched quite dead the day before yesterday, standing before them, speaking kindly to them. So they held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him. For never was there such wonderful joy and gladness in all the world. THE RESURRECTION.—Matt. 28:2-4. THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB OF JESUS.—Mark 16:5, 6. MARY MAGDALENE AT THE SEPULCHRE.—John 20:11-13. QUESTIONS.
SECOND READING.
IT was the first day of the week that our Lord rose from the dead, and we call that day the Lord's day, and have kept it holy ever since, instead of the seventh. But on that first day it seemed too wonderful. The apostles had never understood when their Lord spoke of dying and rising again; and though the women said they had seen Him, they were afraid to trust their word, and thought it a mistake. Later in the day, two of the disciples were walking to Emmaus, a little village near Jerusalem, when a stranger came and joined them. He asked why they were sad, and what they were talking of. They told Him it was of Jesus of Nazareth, who had been a great prophet, and they had hoped would have redeemed Israel; but now He had been put to death the day before JESUS APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE.—John 20:16. Then the stranger began to show them, as they had never seen before, that all the Old Testament meant that when the Christ came, the Seed of the woman, He was to suffer, and save the world before His kingdom and glory could begin; and their minds understood, for they were opened to see and know the Scripture, so that they were sure that Jesus was the Christ. So they came to Emmaus, and went into a house; and the stranger made as if He would have gone farther, but they pressed Him to come in. He sat down with them, and took bread and blessed and broke it; and then their eyes were opened, and they knew it was Jesus Himself! And as they knew Him, He vanished out of their sight. And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way?" QUESTIONS.
THIRD READING.
In the evening, the ten apostles were all together in the upper room, with the doors close shut, for fear of the Jews. There were only ten, for Thomas was not there; the wretched Judas had hung himself in his grief and despair. The two disciples came back from Emmaus, and told how they had seen Jesus; and while they were telling about it, though the door was not opened, they found Jesus Himself standing in the midst, and they heard His voice say, "Peace be unto you." They were afraid at first; but again He said, "Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have." Then He showed them that there were the marks of the nails in His hands and feet, and the spear-wound in His side; so that it was His own real body that had come again from the dead. JESUS APPEARS TO TWO OF HIS DISCIPLES.—Luke 24:15. And while they could not believe for joy, and wondered, He said, "Have ye here any meat?" And they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb; and He ate with them, to make them quite sure it was Himself. QUESTIONS.
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