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Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Sunday, 31st, March 2024 (Easter Sunday)

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

A Very Special Easter 一个特别的复活节

Matthew 马太福音 28:5-6

“But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘“’Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.’”

“天使对妇女说：不要害怕！我知道你们是寻找那钉十字架的耶稣。 他不在这里，照他所说的，已经复活了。你们来看安放主的地方！”

People normally will think of eggs and bunnies when talking about Easter, but for us Christians it has a deeper meaning. All living creatures will die, which will become history and memory, but what Easter gives us is not memory. What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to us?

1. Do Not Be Afraid! 不要害怕！

The angels know that we are searching for the Jesus who sacrificed on the cross, which means we are searching for a dead person. This is why we feel sad. When we face challenges and difficulties, we are afraid and worried, because we don’t know how to handle. However, Isaiah 53:4-5 tells us Jesus had already suffered for us to receive peace and healing. Jesus not only died but resurrected for us, so we can have a new life and new hope. We are like those women searching for the dead Jesus, but the angels told us not to be afraid, because Jesus has brought peace and healing for us.

2. Come, see! 来，看！

If we don’t come, we won’t see this very special Easter. If we only think about holiday and shopping in Easter, we are experiencing the true blessing of this day. The disciples whom Jesus spent 3 years with did not go, but those women really loved Jesus, so they came to search for Jesus. They lost hope because they were just looking for a dead person. When you love with a human love, you only love with your feelings and emotions. The Lord whom we love is not a dead person, but He is alive. We lose hope because we don’t think there is a way, and we are stuck in our old way. God reminded the women and all of us through the angels that we must forget our old thinking, and step out into the new way. If we hold on to the belief that we are the old self, we will be stuck in the same place. When we feel hurt and sad, we don’t see Jesus or what He has done, and only see the problems and other people.

Therefore, we need to come and see the things that Jesus has done for us. Jesus died and is risen. Why we cannot see? Luke 24:15-17 already recorded the same situation – two disciples who were close to Jesus did not recognise Jesus even when Jesus was right next to them, so they were sad. When we can only see our problems and can’t see Jesus or hear God’s voice, it is because our eyes are “restrained” (v.16). We can’t see or hear God, because we hardly read the word of God. And when we go to church to listen to the sermon, our hearts are not here but are just worrying about what we need to do after the service.

Jesus had already promised to all His disciples, those women, and others in the crowd that He would come back to life, yet those people did not really hear what He said. Our prayers are so boring that we only want God to sort out our daily problems, because we forget that Jesus already told us that all the authority in heavens and earth has been given to us. God knows that we forget easily, so we need to be reminded regularly. We easily hear from other people and ourselves, but only Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, only the word of God is telling us the truth.

We feel lost because we are worried and forget about what Jesus has said to us. In this special Easter, Jesus has invited us to see what miracles Jesus has done in the past. Miracles don’t happen normally, but to remind us that He is alive. Jesus knows everything that has happened to us, and He invites us to come and see how He will do in our life. Let us not stay with and carry the dead self but come and see what Jesus is going to do. Jesus has already healed us and opened a way for us, do we believe?