Church Barn 教会麦仓

耶稣在坟墓里留下了什么    经文 约翰福音 20：1-10   中心思想： 透过心爱的门徒的眼睛看耶稣，并相信复活的主耶稣。 1.      第一批目击者的不情愿 2.      心爱的门徒看见了，也相信了 3.      所有的眼睛都将看见复活的主耶稣   基督复活了 他真的复活了   朋友们，今早与你们一起庆祝耶稣复活真是太好了。 两千年来，基督徒一直在庆祝耶稣的复活。 耶稣基督从死里复活是基督徒信仰的核心。   使徒保罗在《哥林多前书》第 15 章第 14 节中说：“若基督没有复活，我们所传的便是枉然，你们所信的也是枉然”。   拿掉耶稣基督从死里复活这一点，就拿掉了基督教信仰的真实性。   从表面上看，这并不难做到。 我的意思是，你见过多少人从死里复活？ 你能相信最初的基督徒吗？ 你相信耶稣复活有证据吗？ 复活似乎很容易被推翻。 那么，为什么两千多年来仍有数十亿基督徒相信并庆祝耶稣复活呢？ 为了找出原因，我们要回到第一个复活节周日的早晨。 请和我一起翻开《圣经》约翰福音第 20 章，从第 1 节开始。 我们将看到三件事：   1.    第一批目击者的不情愿 2.    心爱的门徒看见了，也相信了 3.    所有的眼睛都将看见复活的主耶稣   在我们深入探讨之前，让我们先祷告："天父，求你借着圣灵，帮助我们所有人敞开心扉聆听，使我们能更清楚地看见耶稣。阿门"。   1.      第一批目击者的不情愿 请跟我一起看约翰福音第 20 章，从第一节开始："1七日的第一日清早，天还黑的时候，抹大拉的马利亚来到坟墓那里，看见石头从坟墓挪开了，  2就跑来见西门彼得和耶稣所爱的那个门徒，对他们说：“有人把主从坟墓里挪了去，我们不知道放在哪里。”   一周的第一天不是星期一，而是星期天。 星期天早上，也就是耶稣死在十字架上的第三天，抹大拉的马利亚在天还黑的时候就去了坟墓。 由于天黑，马利亚看不清楚很多东西，但她看到石头已经被滚开了。 她一看到，就跑去找西门彼得和耶稣所爱的另一个门徒。 根据可靠的基督教传统，耶稣所爱的这个门徒就是约翰。 用这种方式来描述你是谁，很贴切，不是吗？ 你是谁？耶稣所爱的门徒。 马利亚看到西门彼得和约翰时说了什么？ 她是否举起双手，大声说："耶稣复活了，他还活着！他还活着！” 她说有人把他的尸体带走了。 她不知道是谁，把耶稣带到哪里去了。   她可能去了坟墓，但没有靠近去看里面。 她一看到石头滚开，就直奔彼得和约翰。 她首先想到的不是相信耶稣从死里复活了。 她首先想到的是给出合理的解释，而且可能是最明显的解释--有人把耶稣带走了。   有些人说基督教是为那些容易受骗的人准备的，也就是说，他们是为那些没有批判性思维的人准备的。 在他们看来，基督徒就像 1957 年偶然收听到英国广播公司全景报道的数百万人一样，报道的内容是一个瑞士家庭从树上收获意大利面条。 数百万受骗者相信，从树上长出意大利面条是可能的。 当然，这篇报道是假的；它是在愚人节报道的，因为西方很多人都在愚人节这天互相开玩笑。 许多不相信耶稣复活的人认为基督徒就像这些容易受骗的人。 他们是轻信一切的人。   我相信，无论是基督徒还是非基督徒，都有可能轻信别人，但第一个去耶稣坟墓的抹大拉的马利亚肯定不是这样的人！ 她甚至没有想过耶稣会从死里复活。 我们不知道她是否听说过耶稣关于复活的教导。 不过，如果她是耶稣的亲密追随者，她几乎肯定会在某个时候听说过。 但是，看到石头被滚开并没有让她相信耶稣从死里复活了。 她只是认为他的尸体被拿走了，可能是被偷了。 马利亚跑去告诉门徒耶稣的尸体不见了。 她可能没跑多远 我在耶路撒冷的时候，我们的讲师向我们展示了最有可能的坟墓地点，以及耶稣的门徒可能呆过的地方。 他们离得很近，即使是像我这样身体不好的老人，大概也只需要跑 5 分钟！ 现在，这两个门徒，彼得和约翰，肯定听到了耶稣关于他复活的谈话 他们马上就相信耶稣从死里复活了吗？ 没有，至少一开始没有。   当他们听到石头滚开的消息时，并没有对马利亚说："哦，马利亚，石头当然滚开了！ 耶稣说过会这样的！哈利路亚 他复活了！” 不，当他们听到马利亚的话后，就冲向了坟墓。 事实上，他们中的一个人记得就像在赛跑一样。 为了更清楚起见 我们将重现当时的情景 仁杰将扮演彼得 米奇将扮演约翰 我一说 “我们不知道他们把他放哪儿了！” 你们就开始跑。准备好了吗？ “他们把主从坟墓里抬出来 我们不知道他们把他放哪儿了！” 约翰，耶稣心爱的门徒，可能是年轻的那个，先到了那里，但没有进去。 他偷看了坟墓，看到了用来包裹耶稣身体的麻布。 与此同时，彼得，可能是年纪较大的那个门徒，赶了上来，直接走了进去。 彼得看到了什么？亚麻布和裹在耶稣头上的布。 你看，第一批门徒并不只是容易受骗的傻瓜。 他们不只是相信马利亚告诉他们耶稣从死里复活了。 他们以前就听耶稣说过他会死而复活，至少有三次，但他们并没有马上明白。 你看，马利亚、约翰和彼得都不是轻信的人；他们很难相信耶稣会从死里复活。   虽然他们以前听耶稣说过，但并没有想到这一点。 但他们并没有消极对待，而是做了一些事情。 他们跑到山洞里，想亲眼看看真相。 他们之所以跑，是因为他们有一种想要找出真相的冲动。   我不知道你们对耶稣复活的看法如何。 我知道你们中的一些人可能会认为这一切都是骗局，你们绝对有权发表自己的看法。 但我很想知道你们是如何得出自己的观点的。 是什么让你相信这是一个骗局？你有什么证据来支持你的说法吗？ 弗兰克-莫里森是一个怀疑论者，他不相信耶稣复活。 于是，他开始寻找反驳耶稣复活的证据，并写了一篇短文。 他甚至为自己的论文准备了一个标题：“耶稣--最后的阶段”，以证明复活只是一个神话。 然而，当他翻阅证据时，他开始确信耶稣复活的真实性。 他将书名从 “耶稣--最后阶段 ”改为 "谁移动了石头？     如果你对复活不确定，想了解更多，彼得和我、马克和新人小组的柏恩，以及这里的每一位基督徒，都很乐意与你讨论这个问题。 当然，也可以阅读《圣经》。 我们《圣经》中的记载是基于复活事件发生后不久写下的文字。     2.      心爱的门徒看见了，也相信了 这段经文是理解复活故事的一个很好的起点。 你会注意到证据的清晰递进。 马利亚亲眼看到石头被滚开。 耶稣所爱的门徒约翰急忙跑到坟墓门口，看到麻布躺在那里。 彼得进入坟墓入口，进入里面，他看到了亚麻布和耶稣头上用的布。   现在，他们为什么一直提到亚麻布呢？ 让我们回到《约翰福音》第19章第39至41节： 39又有尼哥底母，就是先前夜里去见耶稣的，带着没药和沉香约有一百斤前来。  40他们就照犹太人殡葬的规矩，把耶稣的身体用细麻布加上香料裹好了。  41在耶稣钉十字架的地方有一个园子，园子里有一座新坟墓，是从来没有葬过人的。   没药、芦荟和香料的75磅混合物被涂抹在用来包裹耶稣尸体的麻布上。 那是将近35公斤，这相当于 7 个 5 公斤重的砝码放在耶稣的尸体上，你能想象这有多重吗？   你猜怎么着？浸过没药的布不仅很重，而且很贵。 因为这只是耶稣死后的第三天，他们可以很容易地把它转手卖掉。 如果盗贼带走了耶稣的尸体，他们不会只留下贵重的香料。 他们很可能会拿走亚麻布衣服，然后转手卖掉。   但问题是：耶稣坟墓里的亚麻布只是躺在那里，盖在耶稣脸上的脸被单独折叠起来。 没有任何暴力抢劫的迹象。 相反，似乎是平静而有序地离开了坟墓。   这消除了一些人对耶稣复活的普遍误解。 事实上，抹大拉的马利亚是第一个对有人带走耶稣尸体产生误解的人。 但所有证据都表明并非如此，没有人带走耶稣的尸体。 证据说明了什么？ 既然除了耶稣，坟墓里没有其他人，而且厚厚的亚麻布盖住了耶稣的全身，那么证据表明，耶稣的身体穿过了亚麻布和盖住他脸的布。 当他从死里复活时，他有了一个全新的、复活的身体。 这个身体与我们这个物质世界的互动方式与他以前的身体不同。 在本章后面，我们会读到耶稣的身体甚至可以穿过上锁的房间（见第 19 和 26 节）。   尽管耶稣复活后的新身体可以穿过 35 公斤的香料，进入上锁的房间，但他的新身体仍然可以与物质世界互动。 耶稣从死里复活后，他可能用手折叠了面布（一种像手帕一样的小布），并把它和其他亚麻布放在了不同的地方。 你看，坟墓并不是完全空的。 耶稣留下了一些线索，让门徒们可以看到。 彼得似乎没有马上相信，但是约翰，这个最爱耶稣的门徒，看到了，并且相信了。 约翰在麻布和面巾上看到了复活的证据。 他相信耶稣已经从死里复活了。 就像彼得一样，他可能还没有完全明白发生了什么。 他们还没有完全理解《圣经》中关于耶稣必须从死里复活的教导。 但到时候，耶稣会亲自向他们解释。 到时候，圣灵会充满他们，让他们明白耶稣的复活和《圣经》的其他内容是如何结合在一起的。   与此同时，耶稣在他的坟墓里留下了他复活的证据，让约翰可以看到并相信。   在没有耶稣遗体的坟墓里有亚麻布和面巾，这证明耶稣的复活是身体的复活。 这不是神秘的、空中楼阁式的复活，而是真实的、肉体的、身体的复活。 也就是说，耶稣的复活并不像有些人认为的那样，只是精神上的复活或耶稣的灵魂离开了他的身体。 不，耶稣是带着崭新的、复活的身体回来的。   你知道吗，耶稣不需要给我们留下任何复活的线索。 他可以直接说 "相信吧，你们不需要任何证明” 但上帝以他的怜悯和仁慈，给了我们这些证据来帮助我们相信耶稣。 这就是基督教信仰的魅力所在--你可以去寻找我们所相信的事情的历史证据，因为它们已经发生了。 门徒约翰看到了，并且相信了。 他把看到的写下来，让我们读者相信。 这是使徒约翰提供的证据。 你会认真对待他的证据吗？你会读吗？   现在，我知道我们中有些人有医学背景，或者正在学习成为医生。 我总是惊讶于我们身体里正在发生的让我们活着的所有过程。 我们的身体利用空气中的氧气作为许多生化过程的燃料。 我们的舌头能尝到一万种不同的味道！ 我们的骨折可以愈合。 这是多么神奇的事情！   当我看到人体时，我看到了智慧、慈爱的造物主的证据，你呢？ 人体是如此复杂，即使我们活上几十或几百世，也无法完全了解它。 当然，另一种选择是，你也可以相信，你所生活的这个神奇的身体只是数百万年的产物和一个微小的机会。 但你的证据呢？   虽然我们的身体如此优秀和精密，但基督徒相信还有更好、更荣耀、更美丽的东西。 我们相信，耶稣复活后的身体甚至比上帝创造的每一个人的身体、地球上的每一个生物都要好，因为这是一个永不死亡的身体。 有一天，所有人的眼睛都将看到耶稣基督复活的身体。 所有人的眼睛都将看到复活的主耶稣 约翰探访完耶稣的坟墓回来后，当天晚上，耶稣就在一间锁着的房间里向约翰和大多数门徒显现。 耶稣以复活的身体降临，对门徒们说话。 他将教导他们四十天，然后返回天国。 约翰不断分享耶稣的好消息--他是如何死而复活的。 他告诉大家他所看到的一切，好让其他人相信耶稣。   上周日，珍妮和我带着一群年轻人去蓝山参加 KYCK 青年大会。 在会议的最后一个环节，所有的青年领袖都被要求站起来。 我们被问到，谁已经在青少年事工中至少工作了两年。 如果他们已经教导青少年两年或两年以上，就必须一直站着。 珍妮和我站了起来。 他们继续问--如果你带领青少年五年或五年以上、十年或十年以上、二十年或二十年以上，请站起来。 大多数人都坐着，但我一直站着。 我一直站着，因为我在心里盘算着，我已经做了多久的青年事工。 我的数学没有以前那么好了，所以当他们继续说的时候，我还在心里想。 他们问我是否有人做了三十年或更长时间。 我在想，我有吗？是的，我想是的。 三十五年呢？三十五年呢？   事实证明，我已经教了三十七年的青少年，也是大会中站到最后的人。 我不是每周都教年轻人，但感谢上帝，在过去的 37 年里，他时不时地呼召我去教年轻人。 回首往事，我非常感谢这些年来能有机会教导许多年轻人。 我仍在学习如何讲述耶稣的死和复活，但这就是基督徒要做的。 我们不断分享福音，分享关于耶稣的好消息。   因为向人们讲述耶稣，约翰被罗马帝国流放到拔摩岛。 在岛上，约翰再次见到了耶稣。 请跟我一起看《启示录》1：12-16： 12我转过身来，要看是谁发声与我说话；既转过来，就看见七个金灯台。  13灯台中间有一位好像人子，身穿长衣，直垂到脚，胸间束着金带。  14他的头与发皆白，如白羊毛，如雪；眼目如同火焰；  15脚好像在炉中锻炼光明的铜；声音如同众水的声音。  16他右手拿着七星，从他口中出来一把两刃的利剑；面貌如同烈日放光。   约翰瞥见了复活的耶稣的荣光。 他看见了主耶稣，就像死人一样倒在地上。 但耶稣在第 17-18 节中对他说："不要惧怕！我是首先的，我是末后的，  18又是那存活的；我曾死过，现在又活了，直活到永永远远。   耶稣为属于他的人的罪孽而死，从死里复活，并且永远不死。 不仅如此，他还掌握着地狱和死亡的钥匙。 死亡对他毫无威胁。 他是死亡的主宰，他掌握着死亡的钥匙，因为他的复活战胜了死亡。 这就是基督徒的希望。 我们可以相信耶稣，因为他已经从死里复活，永远不会再死。 因为耶稣死而复生，所以我们有希望，当我们死后，我们将与他永远生活在一起。 因此，我们满怀希望地活着，因为我们知道，无论我们的生活多么艰难，这都不是终点，因为耶稣还没有回来。 当耶稣再来时，那将是我们生命的终结，也是所有人生命的终结，无论是活着的人还是死去的人。 和我一起翻开《启示录》1：7： 7看哪，他驾云降临！ 众目要看见他， 连刺他的人也要看见他； 地上的万族都要因他哀哭。 这话是真实的。阿们！   到那一天，每个人都会看到他，无论他们是否相信他。 但这并不意味着每个见到他的人都会得救。 如果我们今生还没有信他，我们会看到他，我们会害怕，我们会哀伤，因为我们在有生之年还没有回转向他。 朋友，信耶稣的时候到了！   我们如何相信他呢？ 我们通过他所爱的门徒约翰的眼睛看到他。 我们通过约翰的见证，他关于耶稣的记录，看到他。 让我们看看《圣经》中使徒约翰看到了什么。 约翰看见了耶稣并相信了他。 他写下了他所看到的一切，让你我也能相信。 如果你还没有读过约翰的记载，请来找我和彼得，或者去小屋找恩波和马克。 他们会给你一本福音书。 阅读第一批见到耶稣的人的故事，祈求上帝帮助你相信。   上周末，在 KYCK，2000 名年轻人聚集在一起，聆听了我一直在分享的这本福音书，其中很多人都信靠了耶稣。 无论你多大，无论你说什么语言，耶稣的好消息都是为所有人传讲的。 几周后，我们将开始基督教探索班和生命课程。这是为任何想更多了解耶稣的人准备的。 名额有限，请不要错过观看和聆听复活的主耶稣带来的希望。   朋友们，请用这位蒙爱门徒的眼睛看世界，相信复活的主耶稣。 圣经》为耶稣的复活提供了许多明确的证据。 不相信《圣经》就像否认世界是圆的一样，尽管有那么多证据证明这一点。 如果你仍然不相信耶稣复活，那么你不相信耶稣的证据又在哪里呢？ 在这个复活节里，我为大家祈祷： 用爱门弟子的眼光去看，相信复活的主耶稣。 这里有三个问题供我们思考： 1.    为什么我们可以相信耶稣的复活？（列举三个原因） 2.    没有复活盼望的生活是什么样的？ 3.    有复活盼望的生活在你的生命中会是怎样的？ 用被爱的门徒的眼光看问题，把你的信靠放在复活的主耶稣身上。 基督复活了 他确实复活了。 让我们祷告："天父，感谢你赐给我们耶稣，他死在十字架上救我们脱离罪恶，又从死里复活给我们希望。天父，请原谅我们的怀疑和骄傲。当我们阅读你的话语《圣经》时，求你的灵开启我们的眼睛，让我们看到并相信荣耀复活的主耶稣，我们奉他大能的名祷告，阿门。

What Jesus’ left behind in the grave   Passage: John 20:1-10 Big Idea: See through the eyes of the beloved disciple and put your trust in the risen Lord Jesus. 1.      The reluctance of the first eyewitnesses 2.      The beloved disciple saw and believed 3.      All eyes will see the Risen Lord Jesus Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Friends, it’s so good to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus with you this morning. Christians have been celebrating the resurrection of Jesus for two thousand years. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is at the very heart of what Christians believe. It’s so central that the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14 that “if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.” Take out the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and you take out the reality of the Christian faith. And on the surface, it doesn’t seem like a hard thing to do. I mean, how many people have you seen raised from the dead? Can you trust the original Christians? Do you have any evidence for your belief in the resurrection of Jesus? Resurrection might seem like an easy thing to disprove. So why do we still have billions of Christians over two thousand years believing and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus? To find out why, we’re going back to the very first Easter Sunday morning. Please open up your Bible with me to John chapter 20, beginning from verse 1. We’ll see three things: 1.    The reluctance of the first eyewitnesses 2.    The beloved disciple saw and believed 3.    All eyes will see the Risen Lord Jesus Before we look into it, let’s pray, “Father, by your Holy Spirit, please help us all to listen with an open heart, that we may see Jesus more clearly. Amen.” 1.      The reluctance of the first eyewitnesses Look with me at John chapter 20 beginning from verse one, “On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!” The first day of the week wasn’t Monday but Sunday. On Sunday morning, the third day after Jesus died on the cross, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb when it was still dark. Mary couldn’t see many things clearly because of the darkness, but she could see that the stone had been rolled away. And as soon as she saw that, she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved. According to reliable Christian tradition, this disciple whom Jesus loved was John. That’s a lovely way to describe who you are, isn’t it? Who are you? A disciple whom Jesus loved. What did Mary say when she saw Simon Peter and John? Did she put her hands in the air and say at the top of her voice, “Jesus is risen! He’s alive!” No! She said that someone took his body away. She didn’t know who and where they’d taken Jesus. She probably went to the tomb, but she didn’t get close enough to look inside. As soon as she saw the stone rolled away, she ran straight to Peter and John. Her first thought wasn’t to believe in that Jesus rose from the dead. Her first thought was to give the reasonable explanation, and probably the most obvious one—someone took Jesus away.   Some people say that Christianity is for the gullible, that is, that they are for people don’t think critically. They think of Christians like the millions of people who happened to tune into a BBC Panorama report back in 1957 about a Swiss family harvesting spaghetti from trees. Millions of gullible people believed that it waws possible to grow spaghetti, from trees. Of course, the report was false; it was reported on April Fool’s Day, when many people in the West play jokes on one another. Many people who don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus think of Christians like these gullible people. They are gullible people who believe in anything.   While I’m sure that people, both Christians and non-Christians can be gullible, Mary Magdalene, the first person to visit Jesus’ tomb, certainly wasn’t one! It didn’t even cross her mind that Jesus would rise from the dead. We don’t know if she had ever heard about Jesus’ teachings on the resurrection. However, if she was a close follower of Jesus, she almost certainly would’ve heard about it at some point. But seeing the stone rolled away didn’t make her believe that Jesus rose from the dead. She just thought that his body was taken, probably stolen. Mary ran to tell the disciples that Jesus’ body was gone. She probably didn’t have to run far When I was in Jerusalem, our lecturer showed us the most likely spot for the tomb and where Jesus’ disciples could’ve stayed. They were very close, probably only a 5-minute run, even for an old, unfit man like me! Now, these two disciples, Peter and John, would’ve heard Jesus talking about his resurrection for sure Did they believe that Jesus rose from the dead right away? Nope, at least not at first. When they heard about the stone that rolled away, they didn’t say to Mary, “Oh, Mary, of course, the stone is rolled away! Jesus had said it would happen! Hallelujah! He’s risen!” Nope, when they heard Mary, they dashed off to the tomb. In fact, one of them remembered it like it was a race. And to make it even clearer, we’re going to have a reenactment. Range will play Peter, and Mikey will play John. As soon as I say, “We don’t know where they’ve put him!” you start running. Ready? “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!” John, the disciple who Jesus loved, probably the younger one, got there first but didn’t go inside. He peeked inside the tomb and saw the linen cloths that was used to wrap around Jesus’ body. Meanwhile, Peter, probably the older one, caught up and stepped right in. What did Peter see? The linen cloths AND the cloth that was wrapped around Jesus’ head. You see, the first disciples weren’t just gullible fools. They didn’t just believe that Jesus rose from the dead when Mary told them. They had heard Jesus talking about how he would die and be raised from the dead before, at least over three occasions, but they didn’t get it right away. You see, Mary, John and Peter were not gullible people; they had trouble believing that Jesus would rise from the dead. It didn’t come to their minds even though they heard Jesus said it before. But rather than being passive about it, they did something about it. They ran to the cave to see the truth for themselves. They ran because they have an urge to find out the truth.   I don’t know where in you are in your thoughts on Jesus’ resurrection. I know some of you might think it’s all a hoax, and are absolutely entitled to have your own opinion. But I’d love to understand how you arrive at your perspective. What makes you believe it’s a hoax? Do you have any evidence to support that claim? Frank Morrison was a skeptic who didn’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus. And so, he set out to find evidence to disprove the resurrection of Jesus and to write a short paper. He even prepared a title for his paper, “Jesus – the Last Phase” to show that the resurrection was just a myth. However, as he was going through the evidence, he came to be convinced of the truth of the resurrection. Instead of Jesus – the Last Phase, he changed the title of his book to “Who Moved The Stone?”     If you’re not sure about the resurrection and want to find out more, Peter and I, Mark and En Bo of the Newcomers’ group, and basically every Christian here, would love to talk with you about it. And of course, read the Bible. The account in our Bible is based on texts that were written very soon after the event of the Resurrection. 2.      The beloved disciple saw and believed And this passage is a great starting point for understanding the resurrection story. You’ll notice a clear progression of evidence being presented. Mary, witnessed the stone being rolled away. John, Jesus’ beloved disciple, rushed to the entrance of the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. Peter entered the tomb’s entrance and entered inside, and he saw both the linen cloth and the cloth that was used on Jesus’ head.   Now, why do they keep mentioning the linen cloths? Let’s go back to John Chapter 19, verses 39 to 41, “Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. 40They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it.” A mixture of 75 pounds of myrrh, aloe, and fragrant spices was applied to the linen cloth that was used to wrap the body of Jesus was buried. That’s 34 kilograms, which is equivalent to 7 of these 5 kg weights placed on the dead body of Jesus.Can you imagine how heavy that must have been?   And guess what? Not only was this myrrh infused cloth heavy; it was expensive. Since it was only the third day after Jesus’ death, they could have easily resold it. If thieves had taken away Jesus’ body, they wouldn’t have just left the valuable spices behind. They would have likely taken the linen clothes away and resold them.   But here’s the thing: the linen cloths inside Jesus’ tomb were simply lying there, and the face covering Jesus’ face was folded away separately. There was no sign of a violent robbery. Instead, it seemed like a calm and orderly exit from the tomb.   This dispels the common misconception that some people have about the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, Mary Magdalene was the first people who had this misconception about someone taking Jesus’ body away. But all the evidence points otherwise; no one took Jesus’ body away. What do the evidence suggest? Well, since there was no one else in the tomb besides Jesus, and since the heavy linen cloth covered all of Jesus’ body, the evidence suggests that Jesus’ body went through the linen cloths and the cloth that covered his face. When he rose from the dead, he has a brand-new, resurrection body. It’s a body that didn’t interact with our physical world the same way as his old one body. Later on this chapter, we’ll read that Jesus’ body can pass through even locked rooms (see verses 19 and 26). And even though Jesus’ new resurrected body could pass through the 35 kg of spices, and enter locked rooms, his new body could still interact with the physical world. After Jesus rose from the dead, he probably folded the face cloth (a small cloth like a handkerchief) with his hands and put it in a separate place from the rest of the linen cloth. You see, the tomb wasn’t completely empty. Jesus left some clues behind so that his disciples could see it. Peter didn’t seem to believe right away, but John, the disciple who loved Jesus the most, saw and believed. John saw the evidence of the resurrection in the linen cloths and the face cloth. He believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. Just like Peter, he might not have fully understood what happened yet. They hadn’t quite grasped the idea that the Bible taught that Jesus must rise from the dead. But in time, Jesus would explain it to them in person. And in time, the Holy Spirit would fill them so that they could understand how the resurrection of Jesus and the rest of the Bible all fit together.   In the meantime, Jesus left behind evidence of his resurrection in his tomb so that John could see and believe.   The presence of the linen cloth and the face cloth in the tomb without Jesus’ body is proof that Jesus’ resurrection was a bodily resurrection. It’s not a mystical, airy resurrection, but a real, physical and bodily resurrection. That is, Jesus’ resurrection is not just a spiritual event or that Jesus’ spirit left his body, as some suppose. No, Jesus came back with a brand-new, resurrected body.   You know what, Jesus didn’t need to leave us any clue for this resurrection. He could’ve just said, “Believe, you don’t need any proof.” But God, in his mercy and kindness, gave us these evidence to help us put our trust in Jesus. That’s the beauty of the Christian faith – you can go out and find historical evidence for what we believe because they happened. The disciple John saw it and believed. He wrote down what he saw so that we, the readers, would believe. Here’s the evidence from John the apostle. Would you take his evidence seriously? Would you read it?   Now, I know some of us here have a medical background or are studying to be doctors. I’m always amazed at all the processes happening right now in our body that keeps us alive. Our bodies use the oxygen in the air to as fuel for many of our biochemical processes. Our tongues can taste 10,000 different flavours! Our broken bones heal. How amazing is that! When I look at the human body, I see the evidence of a wise, loving Creator, don’t you? The human body is so sophisticated that even if we live for tens or hundreds of lifetimes, we still won’t be able to fully understand it. Of course, the alternative is that you can also believe that this amazing body you’re living in is just a product of millions of years and a tiny chance. But where’s your evidence for that?   As good and sophisticated as our bodies are, Christians believe there’s something even better, far more glorious, and far more beautiful. We believe that Jesus’ resurrected body is even better than every human body, every living creature on this planet, that God has ever made because it’s a body that will never die. And one day, all eyes will see the risen body of Jesus Christ.   All eyes will see the Risen Lord Jesus After John returned from visiting Jesus’ tomb, on that very evening, Jesus himself appeared to John and most of the disciples in a locked room. Jesus came in his resurrected body and spoke to the disciples. He would teach them for forty days before returning to heaven. John kept sharing the wonderful news of Jesus—how he died and rose from the dead. He told everyone what he had seen so that others would believe in Jesus.   Last Sunday, Jenny and I took a group of youths up to the Blue Mountains to attend the KYCK Youth conference. At the very last session of the conference, all the youth leaders were asked to stand up. We were asked who had been in youth ministry for at least two years. If they had been teaching youth for two years or more, they were to keep standing. Jenny and I stood up. And they kept asking—stand up if you led youths for five years or more, ten years or more, twenty years or more. Most people sat, but I kept standing. I kept standing because I was trying to work out in my mind, how long I’ve been doing youth ministry for. My Maths wasn’t as great as before and so I was still thinking in my mind when they kept going. They asked whether there were any who did thirty years or more. I was thinking, have I? Yeah, I think so. How about thirty-five? Yeah. As it turns out, I’ve been teaching youths for thirty-seven years, and the last one standing in the conference. I don’t teach youth every week, I thank God that he calls me to do it every now and then over the past 37 years. Looking back, I’m so grateful for the chance to teach many young people over the years. I’m still learning to talk about the death and the resurrection of Jesus, but that’s what Christians do. We keep sharing the gospel, the good news about Jesus.   Now, for telling people about Jesus, John was banished by the Roman Empire to the Isle of Patmos. On that island, John saw Jesus again. Look with me at Revelation 1:12-16, “ Then I turned to see whose voice  it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,  13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man,    dressed in a robe  and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.  14The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow —and his eyes like a fiery flame.  15His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace,  and his voice like the sound of cascading  waters.  16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth,  and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.” John had a glimpse of the risen Jesus in all his glory. He saw the Lord Jesus and fell to the ground like a dead man. But Jesus said to him, in verses 17-18, ““Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last,  18 and the Living One.  I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever,  and I hold the keys  of death and Hades.” Jesus is the Living One, he died and is now alive, forever and ever. Jesus died for the sins of those who belong to him, rose again from the dead, and will never die. More than that, he holds the keys of hades and death. Death is no threat to him. He is death’s master, he holds death’s key, because he overcame death by his resurrection. That’s the hope that Christians have. We can trust in Jesus because he’s risen from the dead, never to die again. Because Jesus died and lives, we have hope that when we die, we’ll live with him forever. And so we live with hope, knowing that no matter how tough our lives get, it’s not the end because Jesus hasn’t come back yet. When Jesus comes back, it’ll be the grand finale, not just of our lives, but of everyone’s, of both living and dead. Turn to Revelations 1:7 with me, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen.” On that day, everyone will see him, whether they’ve believed in him or not. But that doesn’t mean that everyone who sees him will be saved. If we haven’t believed in him in this life, we’ll see him and we’ll be terrified and we’ll mourn because we haven’t turned back to him in our lifetime. Friends, the time to believe in Jesus is now, my friend!   How do we believe in him? We see him through the eyes of John, his beloved disciple. We see him through John’s testimony, his record about Jesus. Well, let’s look at what John the Apostle saw in the Bible. John saw Jesus and believed him. He wrote down everything he saw so that you and I can believe too. If you haven’t read John’s account yet, please come and see me and Peter, or go to see En Bo and Mark at the hut. They’ll give you a copy of the gospel. Read the stories of the first people who saw Jesus and pray that God will help you believe.   Last weekend, at KYCK, 2000 young people came together to hear this very same gospel that I’ve been sharing, and many of them put their trust in Jesus. This is good news of Jesus is for everyone, no matter how old you are or what language you speak. In a few weeks, we’re starting our Christianity Explored Class and the LIFE course. This is for anyone who wants to learn more about Jesus. Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out on seeing and hearing about the hope that the risen Lord Jesus has come to give.   Friends, see through the eyes of the beloved disciple and put your trust in the risen Lord Jesus. The Bible has provided so much clear evidence of the resurrection of Jesus. To not believe in the Bible is like denying that the world is round, even though there’s so much evidence for it. If you still don’t believe in the resurrection, where’s your evidence for not believe in Jesus?   My prayer for all of us this Easter is this: See through the eyes of the beloved disciple and put your trust in the risen Lord Jesus. Here are three questions for us to think about: 1.    Why can we trust in the resurrection of Jesus? (Name three reasons) 2.    What does living without the hope of resurrection look like? 3.    What would living with the hope of resurrection look like in your life? See through the eyes of the beloved disciple and put your trust in the risen Lord Jesus. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Let’s pray, “Father, thank you for giving us Jesus, who died on the cross to save us from our sins and who rose from the dead to give us hope. Father, please forgive us for our doubts and our pride. By your Spirit, open our eyes as we read your Word the Bible, that we might see and believe the glorious risen Lord Jesus, in whose powerful name we pray, Amen.”  

John 19 – It is finished     Introduction – Good Friday or Day of Suffering? As a Christian living in this world, there are often times when things are quite confusing. And one of those times is Easter. Just what is Easter about? Where does this word come from? And what does the word even mean? Does Easter mean a long weekend? Does Easter mean one extra service during the week and compulsory overtime for the minister and all the volunteers? Is Easter about chocolate eggs and easter bunnies?   Now, for those of us who understand Chinese, it might be less confusing, I suppose, because in Chinese, it’s not Easter but, Day of Resurrection. But it can also make things more confusing! For example, does it mean that bunnies hold the key to resurrection or that when bunnies die, they are resurrected every Easter? Well, at least one person in this room doesn’t believe in easter bunnies. Here is a photo of our family taking a photo with some Easter Bunnies for fun.   And here is Mr. Emmanuel, disgusted by the fact that his dad, being a minister, is forcing the whole family to take this dumb photo. And so, he kills the easter bunny once and for all.   Well, that’s Easter…but what about Good Friday? What is so good about Good Friday? Again, if you understand Chinese, you might be less confused. Because in Chinese, it’s not Good Friday but the Day of Suffering. Why is the same Friday given two completely opposite names?   And so this morning, I want us to think about why today a Day of Suffering is and then why it is also, a Good Friday. And finally, I want to you to consider, what day is today for you.   So here are the three points for this morning. 1)    A Day of Suffering 2)    A Good Friday 3)    What day is today for you?   A Day of Suffering (John 19:1-22) So let’s begin with our first point, a Day of Suffering. And as we turn to our Bibles, we see that it is a long and painful day for Jesus. In the previous chapter, Jesus has just been tried by Pilate, the governor of the time, and he didn’t understand why Jesus was being brought before him, nor the crimes he had committed. Pilate believes that Jesus is innocent and prefers to set him free.   However, Pilate was, at the very least, responsible for social order.   And so, in our chapter today, in v. 1, we see Jesus being flogged under Pilate’s command. And the soldiers also played their part as they crowned Jesus with a crown of thorns and clothed Jesus in a kingly robe as they continued to mock Jesus, slapping his face as they proclaimed, “Hail! King of the Jews.”   Pilate did all these reluctantly, thinking that this would be enough to please the people, especially the priests and the Jews. We know he did it reluctantly because both in v.4 and v.6, Pilate says he finds no grounds for charging Jesus.   Even though Pilate finds Jesus to be innocent, he thinks that a bit of blood and a bit of insult will be enough to please the people. And so he presents Jesus once again to the people and the priests in v. 5, saying, “Here is the man!” pointing to the bleeding, bruised, and broken man called Jesus. In other words, Pilate is saying, “Look at the punishments this nobody has received!” suggesting that this ought to be enough for someone who is clearly weak and powerless.   Yet the crowds shouted even more loudly at Pilate, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”   At this point, Pilate is rather annoyed and expresses his hesitation by telling the crowd to take Jesus and crucify him themselves.   Yet the priests and the people insists that Jesus must be crucified because he claims to be the Son of God.   Pilate, being a Roman governor, believed that certain people could be' Sons of God’. The Romans believed that the ‘Sons of God' were born through the union between their immortal gods and a mortal woman.     And so when Pilate heard that Jesus might be a ‘Son of God, in v.8 we see that ‘he was more afraid than ever.’ He has just ordered him to be flogged! Pilate then asks where Jesus came from. Basically, he wants to confirm if Jesus was a demi-god. But Jesus refuses to answer.   Pilate then loses his patience and reminds Jesus that his life is firmly in Pilate’s hands. Yet Jesus says to Pilate in v.11: 11 “You would have no authority over me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”   Now, it is not clear if Pilate understood the full meaning of what Jesus said, but from the following verse, we can see that Pilate believes that Jesus is innocent, and he should be released.     Nonetheless, Pilate hopes that time will help cool down the crowd a little bit, and so a few hours later, at noontime, as we see in v.14, he presents Jesus to the crowd again, hoping that they will spare Jesus.   Once again, they demanded that Jesus be crucified. And when Pilate asks them, “Should I crucify your king?” The Jews replied, “We have no King but Caesar!”   With this exchange between the Jews and Pilate, John highlights the blindness of God’s people and the hardness of their hearts. God’s own people, Israel, has been hoping for their king. And sadly, when the king finally comes, Israel will not recognise their king. They not only willingly submit themselves to sin, but they also enslave themselves to the pagan king Caesar.   Even though Pilate didn’t understand what was going on or why Jesus was so hated by his own people, he decided that it would be Jesus’ day of suffering, not his.   Because Pilate knows that Caesar is a very unforgiving king, and for Jesus claiming to be a king is an act of sedition. And if Caesar knows that Pilate ignored a case of sedition or treason, the one that would be crucified might be Pilate himself. And so in v.16, we read, “Then he handed him over to be crucified.” And sometimes, we gloss over the word ‘crucified’ too quickly, and we mustn’t do so today.   To be crucified means that Jesus, the Son of God, will have to carry his own cross and parade himself from Pilate’s court to Golgotha, where he will be lifted up. As Jesus marched on, the bystanders insulted and mocked him.   Now, the distance between Pilate’s court and Golgotha is only around 600 meters, but because of the turns and the city's terrain, the journey will take 40 minutes to walk. But that is for an average person in good health.   However, Jesus has just been badly flogged and beaten; his body is covered with open wounds, and blood is running down his face as the thorny crown is pressed against his head.   Moreover, Jesus had to carry his own cross as he was paraded throughout the city. Even though Jesus most likely just carried the horizontal crossbar of the cross, that piece of wood would still have weighed around 100 pounds.   On the way, Jesus would have struggled and fallen as he made his way to Golgotha, and the soldiers would have hurried Jesus along with more flogging.   And when Jesus finally arrived in Golgotha, the cross would be assembled, Jesus would be helplessly laid on the cross. Then, the nails would be hammered through his hands and legs in a way that would support Jesus’ body after he was lifted up.   But the suffering does not end there, because as Jesus was lifted up, his body weight would weigh him down and close his chest. So, for Jesus to open his chest and breathe, he would have to use the nails as support and to pull himself up. Every breath would just add more pain and agony for Jesus.   The day of suffering will finally end with Jesus’ death.   Friends, we live in a country, in a society, where death is far removed from us. We have hospitals, palliative care wards and nursing homes. And death sometimes seems more like an abstract idea than a concrete reality.   And as we look upon Jesus’ suffering and his death on the cross, we know that God truly knows suffering, and God truly knows death, and he knows them both to the full. Our God is a God who can sympathise with us in our suffering, even unto death.   So today, indeed, is the Day of Suffering as the East, or as the Chinese remembers it. But why, in English, does the West remember today as Good Friday?     Friends, it is very comforting and very good to know that we have a God who knows death, but it’s ultimately what God has achieved in the death of Christ that makes today a Good Friday. So, let’s spend some time reflecting on how Jesus has fulfilled the promises of God in the second half of our passage today.   A Good Friday (John 19:23-37) Last Friday, I was invited to join Nick Hadges at James Cook High School just across the street to hand out some hot cross buns and to participate in his lunchtime group.   And during lunchtime group, one of the students made a comment that Christianity is about God teaching us how to live, just like in any other religion.   To which I quickly replied, “No, my friend, Christianity is not about what we have to do, it is about what is done.” Then, I invited him to consider Jesus’ dying words.   In v.30, with his dying breath, Jesus says, “It is finished.”   Although we can’t wait to celebrate on Easter Sunday how good Jesus’ resurrection is and shout to one another, “He is Risen!”   We must first consider fully how good Good Friday is, that Jesus suffered and died in our place.   We must first consider the life that Jesus lived and the death that Jesus died, lest we forget the life we ought to live ourselves and the death that Jesus died for the lost.       On Tuesday, Jenny and I brought some of the youths to watch King of Kings. It was an animated movie about the life that Jesus lived and about the death that Jesus died.   The movie was very accurate to the gospels and showed how, even though Jesus was the chosen messiah, protected by angels, filled with the Spirit, and the one pleasing in God’s sight. Jesus was to be crowned with humiliation, and he would be lifted to his death.   Though this might be a surprise to some, this was certainly not a surprise to Jesus and certainly not a surprise to God.   Jesus has foretold his death more than once in front of his disciples.   And often, in the gospels, the turning point in Jesus’ ministry is when Jesus is recognised as the Messiah, and then the gospel story takes a U-turn and aims straight for the cross.   The reason for this is that humanity has taken a U-turn at the very beginning.   When God created Adam and Eve, everything was good; it was very good.   Until they took a U-turn and chose to listen to the serpent, to Satan, and ate the forbidden fruit. And so, as Paul says in Romans 5, this is how, through Adam, we have all sinned, and we shall all die.   But we know that Jesus, even though he is fully man, he did not sin!   Indeed, Jesus was the true Adam, the perfect man who was perfectly obedient to God. Yet it is by his perfect obedience that he leads himself to the cross.     Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life of obedience so that he could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.   All these happened, was so that Scripture may be fulfilled. And this is the main thrust of these verses, and John stresses this in v.24, v.28, v.36, and v.37.   Jesus’ death, and even his resurrection, was foreshadowed as early as Genesis 3:15. When God cursed the serpent, which is Satan, God said that one of Eve’s children would strike the serpent’s head and destroy Satan once and for all, yet the serpent would only strike the child’s heel.   Jesus, who is the Son of man, in the line of Adam, will destroy Satan and the power of sin with his death. His death fulfilled the promises made in the Old Testament, and it was an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.   Earlier this week, I was blessed to speak to a Jewish lady for 45 minutes; she believes in Judaism, has never read the New Testament, and believes they are still waiting for the Messiah. And in our conversation, all I was trying to tell her is exactly this: how the promises in the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus. And when I was speaking about the Day of Atonement and said we Christians have the Day of Atonement as well, she was shocked! She asked, “Christians keep the Yom Kippur?” And I replied her, “Yes, our Yom Kippur (which means Day of Atonement) is Good Friday! Jesus’ death is the sacrifice that atoned for the sins of the world, once and for all!”   And this is good news for us all.   What day is today for you? (John 19:38-42) And so, as we finish, I want to ask you, what day is today for you?   In the last few verses, we see Nicodemus, who used to be on the side of the chief priests, come to show respect to Jesus at his burial. But John is not clear if Nicodemus finally believed in Jesus or not. However, John was very clear as to why he recorded the death of Jesus. In v.35 it says, “He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth.”   Friends, today is a Day of Suffering because sin and death are real. It is as real as the death that Jesus has died. However, today is a Good Friday because Jesus has taken our sins and died in our place on the cross.   So I want to ask you this, what day is today for you?   And if you have not yet trusted in Jesus, I encourage you to flee from your day of suffering and place your trust in him. Because, you will see in two days, death is not the end. A glorious hope awaits all those who put their trust in Jesus, for they will not only share in Jesus’ death but also in his life and glory.   And for those of you who call Jesus their Lord and Saviour, every day is a Good Friday because your sins have been atoned for. Rejoice, give thanks, and live out the forgiveness that you now have in Christ Jesus, Amen.