About Easter

关于复活节

大约在2000多年以前,耶稣基督在一个礼拜五被钉死在十字架上。基督徒确认,在紧接着的那个礼拜天,耶稣就从死里复活了;这就证明了祂是上帝的儿子。耶稣被钉死和埋葬的那一天就被称为“Good Friday”,而那个紧接着的礼拜天就是“复活节”。

每年,基督徒都庆祝上帝的儿子,耶稣基督从死里复活。复活节是在三月22日和四月25日之间,确切地说,复活节是在春分以后第一个月圆以后的第一个礼拜天。

宗教仪式包括家庭聚会和教堂里的复活节特别崇拜。

对基督徒来说,复活节是最重要的一个节日,因为在复活节我们庆祝耶稣基督的复活。祂被钉在十字架上,然后又被埋葬了三天。祂的门徒相信祂是为了他们的益处而来的。但是他们都不知道耶稣基督来到世间的目的就是为了人类而钉死在十字架上;因此,人类就有可能被称为义人,从新与上帝和好。实际上,人们不能把耶稣处置于死地,因为耶稣是没有罪的,魔鬼也无法夺去祂的生命。耶稣之所以死在十字架上,完全是祂自愿的摆上。

“他在耶和华面前生长如嫩芽,像根出于干地。他无佳形美容,我们看见他的时候,也无美貌使我们羡慕他。他被藐视,被人厌弃,多受痛苦,常经忧患。他被藐视,好像被人掩面不看的一样。我们也不尊重他。他诚然担当我们的忧患,背负我们的痛苦。我们却以为他受责罚,被上帝击打苦待了。哪知他为我们的过犯受害,为我们的罪孽压伤。因他受的刑罚我们得平安。因他受的鞭伤我们得医治。我们都如羊走迷,各人偏行己路。耶和华使我们众人的罪孽都归在他身上。”(以赛亚53: 2 ~ 6)

耶稣已经复活 – 复活节

在第一个复活节那天清晨,耶稣基督的复活,无可置疑地证明了祂就是救世主。祂在事先就告诉过祂的门徒和当时的宗教领袖,祂会献出祂的生命,但是在第三天,祂要从死里复活。

当时的宗教领袖,记得耶稣说过的话,所以就在耶稣的坟墓前用一块巨石堵住坟墓的入口,而且加上罗马帝国的封条,还派了士兵值班看守。但是这些都无法阻止上帝的计划,耶稣在复活节复活了。又在复活节以后的40天里,许多许多人亲眼目睹了复活了的耶稣。魔鬼和当时的宗教领袖都无法阻止这个事实的传播。至今,还是没有任何力量可能阻止复活节这惊天动地消息的传播。

对于属世的社会来说,复活节只是穿穿新衣服,让小孩子在草地上找鸡蛋,买些巧克力做成的兔子之类的活动而已。但是对于真正明白在第一个复活节所成就的事情的人们来说,复活节是人类历史上最伟大的一天。

“上帝爱世人,甚至将他的独生子赐给他们,叫一切信他的,不至灭亡,反得永生。”(约翰福音 3:16)

讨论问题:

    1. 在今天的课程中,有什么内容是以前不知道的,或者是您所感兴趣的?

    2. 世人与基督徒在庆祝复活节时,有什么不同?

    3. 耶稣为什么要被钉死?

    4. 基督徒为什么庆祝复活节?

    5. “人们不能把耶稣处置于死地”,这是什么意思?

    6. 您觉得耶稣是谁?

Jesus Christ died on a cross on a Friday almost two thousand years ago. Christians believe that on the following Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead and, in doing so, proved that He is the Son of God. The day Jesus died and was buried is known as Good Friday. The following Sunday is Easter.

Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Son of God each year between March 22nd and April 25th (the first Sunday after a full moon and after the vernal equinox).

Religious celebrations include family gatherings and special Easter church services.

For Christians, there is no holiday more important than Easter. Easter is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. He had been crucified and was buried for three days. All his disciples had believed that he was gone for good. None of them had understood that His sacrifice was the primary purpose of His short life and the only way for humanity to obtain righteousness and restore our fellowship with God. No man had taken His life. There was no sin in Him and no way for Satan to take His life. It was freely given for us all.

"He was always close to the Lord. He grew up like a young plant, like a root growing in dry ground. There was nothing special or impressive about the way he looked, nothing we could see that would cause us to like him. People made fun of him, and even his friends left him. He was a man who suffered a lot of pain and sickness. We treated him like someone of no importance, like someone people will not even look at but turn away from in disgust. The fact is, it was our suffering he took on himself; he bore our pain. But we thought that God was punishing him, that God was beating him for something he did. But he was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain. We had all wandered away like sheep. We had gone our own way. And yet the Lord put all our guilt on him." ~ Isaiah 53:2 - 6 (ERV)

Jesus Has Risen - Easter Sunday

That first Easter morning proved beyond any doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. He had told the religious leaders and his disciples that He would give His life and on the third day rise from the grave.

The religious authorities had remembered His words and tried to prevent it with a large stone in front of the tomb, a Roman seal and guards. But none of that prevented God’s plan for that first Easter. For 40 days after Easter morning, many people were eyewitnesses to the resurrection. Satan and the religious leaders were powerless to stop the truth. And they are still powerless to stop the spread of the wonderful message of Easter!

For the secular world, Easter is about new clothes, hidden eggs, and bunnies. But to those that really understand all that was accomplished on that first Easter morning, this is the greatest day in all of history.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." ~ John 3: 16 (NKJV)

Discussion questions:

    1. What is something new or interesting to you from this article?

    2. What are the different ways that Christians and the secular world celebrate Easter?

    3. Why did Jesus die?

    4. Why do Christians celebrate Easter?

    5. What does it mean that "No man had taken His life"?

    6. What did you learn about Jesus?

www.salt-and-light.org/Audio/Risen.mp3