Seeing with the Disciples

So, Isaiah 53, we'll be starting at verse 7.

And we're speaking about, it's speaking about Jesus, of course.

He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and as for his generation who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people.

And they made his grave with the wicked and with the rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him.

He has put him to grief.

When his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring.

He shall prolong his days.

The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied.

By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death,

and he was numbered with the transgressors.

Yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

So now from John 19 from verse 38.

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea,

who was a disciple of Jesus,

but secretly for the fears of the Jews,

asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus,

and Pilate gave him permission.

So he came and took away his body.

Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night,

came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes,

about 75 pounds in weight.

So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices,

as is the burial custom of the Jews.

Now in the place where he was crucified,

there was a garden,

and in the garden a new tomb,

in which no one had yet been laid.

So because of the Jewish day of preparation,

since the tomb was close at hand,

they laid Jesus there.

Well, on a Sunday morning,

exactly 1,993 years ago,

the 5th of April, A.D. 33,

the body of Jesus disappeared from his tomb.

And Jesus' first disciples spent that day trying to understand what had happened,

trying to piece together what had occurred from the clues that they saw.

Now, of course, we know what happened,

because it is the foundational event of Christian faith.

We know why the early Christians came to refer to Sunday as the Lord's Day.

We know why churches have traditionally gathered on Sundays for corporate worship.

There's no way really for us to recapture the confusion and the surprise of that day.

But the eyewitness account we're going to follow in the Gospel of John,

it doesn't give us the explanation up front.

It invites us into sort of follow the footsteps of the disciples.

It takes us through that day as it unfolded for the disciples.

Now, you all know the saying that seeing is believing.

And yet Christian faith involves believing what we haven't seen.

How can we do that?

How can we believe something that we haven't seen?

Now, of course, you could answer that question,

how can we believe something we haven't seen?

You could answer that question by saying that in reality,

that's true of any event in history.

There are all kinds of things we believe, even though we haven't seen them.

Any historical event, we haven't witnessed ourselves.

That's how history works.

In history, you need other reasons for believing than seeing.

And often what you need are reports of those who did see eyewitness accounts.

Well, this morning, we're going to hear the eyewitness accounts of those who were there,

those who did get to see, of the eyewitness accounts of Peter, John and Mary,

which could almost be a folk band.

In particular, it's the account of John, the author of John's Gospel,

but he's with Peter, and twice in this account,

Mary immediately relates her own testimony to John and the other disciples.

And so John incorporates Mary's testimony within his own testimony.

And the way this narrative unfolds, as I said,

is that it invites us to follow the eyewitnesses,

to see through their eyes,

as they piece together the clues of what took place that Sunday morning.

So first, let's take in the setting,

which we had in the second of those readings that Joe just did for us

at the end of John chapter 19.

John 19 · chapter mention

After Jesus' cry on the cross of,

it is finished, he gave up his spirit and died.

And sometime later, a soldier confirmed he was dead

by piercing his side with a spear.

And then two secret disciples,

as in they weren't following Jesus openly, but secretly,

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus,

they requested the body of Jesus.

They prepared Jesus' body for burial

by binding Jesus' body in linen cloths,

along with a significant quantity of costly spices.

And then in John chapter 19, verse 41,

John 19:41

we read,

Now in the place where he was crucified,

there was a garden,

and in the garden a new tomb,

in which no one had yet been laid.

So they placed Jesus there,

because it's nearby,

and the day of the Sabbath day,

which began with sundown on Friday,

the Sabbath day was approaching,

they placed Jesus there.

It's a new tomb, John tells us.

Jesus is the only one who's been laid there,

so that everything that subsequently took place

in and around that tomb must concern Jesus' body

and no one else's.

There's no possibility of confusion here.

So the next day was a Sabbath,

the day of rest,

and on the third day,

the first to arrive at this garden tomb

was Mary Magdalene.

So John tells us,

John chapter 20, verse 1,

John 20:1

Now on the first day of the week,

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early,

while it was still dark,

and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

Now before we think about what Mary saw,

let's just pause to ponder for a moment

the symbolism of the setting.

It's the first day of the week.

It's a beginning.

It's early.

There's darkness.

There's a garden.

But in the garden was a tomb.

The place of life had become a place of death.

Can you feel the meaning just in the setting here?

Can you hear the echoes of another beginning?

Of another darkness upon which light was about to break?

Of another garden?

Mary came to this place,

and what did she see?

She saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

The stone which sealed the tomb had been removed.

The tomb had been broken open.

Now I wonder, have you ever come home

to find one of the doors of your house,

which you left closed,

standing wide open?

If you have experienced that,

it's quite an unsettling sight.

You come home,

you close the door,

there it is,

it's open.

If you have experienced that,

you probably immediately thought

something similar to what Mary thought at this moment.

Verse 2,

So she ran and went to Simon Peter

and the other disciple,

this is the one whom Jesus loved,

that's John,

and said to them,

they have taken the Lord out of the tomb,

and we do not know where they've laid him.

She immediately jumps to the conclusion

that Jesus' body has been taken away,

someone's stolen it,

based on the clues she had seen.

Now, it seems that Mary didn't enter the tomb

before running to alert Peter and John.

I wonder what you would have done

if you were in Mary's shoes.

Would you have entered the tomb?

If you,

particularly perhaps if you're a woman

and you come home

and you find that the door to your house

which you left closed is open,

are you going in?

What about if it's not a house

but it's actually a dark tomb

where you need to stoop down

in order to get into it?

Are you going in?

You probably do what Mary did.

But based on the clues she had seen,

she formed what seemed to be

the obvious conclusion

and she took what seemed to be

the prudent course of action.

She ran to fetch others.

Notice in passing Mary's words

to the disciples,

in verse 2,

they've taken the Lord out of the tomb

and we do not know

where they've laid him.

There's a little hint

that there were other women

present with Mary at the tomb.

Perhaps they ran with Mary

to Peter and John also.

Perhaps they're still at the tomb.

John, this account doesn't tell us.

But I just draw attention

to it in passing

because it's one of those points

at which an apparent discrepancy

between the four Gospels,

the other three Gospels

have multiple women at the tomb.

John, at first appearance,

seems to have just Mary.

An apparent discrepancy

is not a discrepancy at all.

It's just different ways

of telling the same story.

The same event being reported.

For whatever reason,

the other Gospels focus

on a group of women.

John chooses to focus

on one woman,

Mary Magdalene.

We'll return to Mary shortly,

but for now the narrative passes

from what Mary saw

to what Peter and John saw.

Verse 3.

So Peter went out

with the other disciple

and they were going

toward the tomb.

Both of them were running together,

but the other disciple,

that's John,

who's writing this account,

the other disciple,

outran Peter

and reached the tomb first.

Now given Mary's

startling announcement,

it isn't that surprising

that they ran to the tomb.

That's not a surprise

to find them running.

Now I like running.

I like running enough.

I'm slowing down

as I get older,

but I like running enough

that I still kind of

keep track of times

and try to beat

my previous times

and so on.

And so I can appreciate

verses 3 to 4.

It must have been nice

for John while honestly

and accurately reporting

what took place that day

just to drop into the account

that he ran faster

than his friend.

I mean, I'm not bragging,

I'm just telling what happened.

John reached the tomb first.

What did John see

and Peter after him?

And stooping down to look in,

he saw the linen cloths

lying there,

but he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter came,

following him,

and went into the tomb.

He saw the linen cloths

lying there

and the face cloth,

which had been on Jesus' head,

not lying with the linen cloths,

but folded up

in a place by itself.

Notice the careful attention

to detail here.

John doesn't tell us

why he didn't barge

right into the tomb.

You know, maybe it was fear,

maybe he was being respectful,

he doesn't tell us

why he didn't go in,

but I think I'd probably

be with John here.

You know, a bit of caution

doesn't go astray.

But there's no holding Peter back,

which is kind of in keeping

with what we know

of Peter's temperament

from other events

in the Gospels.

Peter arrived

and he just goes straight in.

From outside the tomb,

peering in,

bending down and peering in,

John could see

the linen cloths

lying there.

These are the cloths

that Jesus' body

had been wrapped in.

What's implied

is that the cloths

are there,

but the body isn't.

If the body of Jesus

had been there,

the linen cloths

would have been

wrapped around the body,

not just lying there.

I think it's also implied

that the spices

are still there,

although they're not

directly visible,

but the spices

which had been bound up

between layers of cloth

as Joseph and Nicodemus

had prepared Jesus' body.

So that's what John sees

inside the tomb

when Peter enters.

He can see another detail.

The face cloth

folded up

in a place by itself.

Well, emboldened

by Peter's example,

John enters the tomb

and he's able to take in

this additional detail

and he tells us

his state of mind

at the time.

Remember,

it's written in the third person,

but this is John's

personal testimony

in this account.

Verse 8,

then the other disciple,

John,

who had reached

the tomb first,

let's just drop that in again,

he also went in

and he saw

and believed.

He saw

and believed.

What did he see?

Now he saw

the whole scene

just as Peter

had,

nobody,

the linen cloths,

the face cloth

folded up

in a separate place

by itself.

He took in

these things,

he saw

these clues

and he believed.

John is,

he's drawing

connection,

now in his account,

John is

intentionally drawing

a connection

between seeing

and believing.

He saw

and he believed,

he believed

because he saw.

But what did he believe?

It seems to me

that what we're

supposed to understand

by this

is that

John

at this moment

believed

that Jesus

had risen

from the dead.

Now why do I say that?

Well,

have a look at verse 9.

Verse 8,

he saw

and believed

for as yet

they did not

understand

the scripture

that he must

rise from

the dead.

Now notice

the start of verse 9,

it says,

he saw

and believed

for as yet

they did not

understand,

he's explaining,

verse 9,

the for is explaining

something about

the verse 8.

What's it explaining?

It doesn't

explain

why he believed

because verse 9

is about something

they didn't understand.

It doesn't even

explain

really

what

he believed.

I think

what it does

explain

is

why

John

had to

see

before

he believed.

That's what it

explains,

why he had to

see before

he believed.

Why?

He saw

and believed

for as yet

they did not

understand

the scripture.

Now John

doesn't tell us

whether Peter

also believed

at this point,

maybe he did,

maybe he didn't.

But John

isn't bragging

about,

he's not boasting

about believing

here,

if anything

he's saying,

I should have

believed earlier,

I should have

already known

this,

that Jesus

would rise

from the dead,

I should have

known this

would happen

because the

scripture said

so.

Of course,

not only

did scriptures

like Isaiah

53,

which Joe

read for us

in Psalm

16,

prophesy,

predict this

event,

that the

Messiah,

the Christ

would rise,

but Jesus

himself had

told his

disciples

multiple times

that he

would rise

after three

days.

Perhaps

Jesus'

words are

there in

the back

of John's

mind

somewhere.

But why

is it that

seeing these

things in

particular,

seeing the

linen cloth,

seeing the

folded up

face cloth,

why is it

that seeing

these things

would prompt

John to

believe that

Jesus was

alive?

You might

say it's a

hasty conclusion,

it goes beyond

the evidence.

But it's,

I think it is,

if you think

about it,

if you reflect

on it,

it is,

what John

saw did

make other

conclusions

less likely.

intrinsically

less likely.

So let's

consider some

other

conclusions.

Conclusion

one,

someone took

the body,

someone stole

Jesus'

body.

Well,

if someone

broke into

the tomb

and took

Jesus'

body,

it's very

unlikely that

they would

have removed

the cloths

first.

They'd just

grab the

body with

the cloths,

the only

body in

the tomb.

on the

other hand,

if it were

grave robbers,

I mean,

it's not like

Jesus wasn't

buried with a

chest of

treasure or

anything,

but if it was

grave robbers,

what would

they have

done?

They would

have left

the body

and taken

the linen

cloths,

because they

were the

only thing

of value.

So either

the body

and cloths

are gone

together,

or the

cloths are

gone and

the body's

left,

but who

would take

just the

body?

And whoever

they were,

you know,

if they're

coming in,

they're breaking

into the

tomb and

taking something

or someone,

or if they're

up to no

good,

they would

have just

snatched what

they wanted

and left.

They wouldn't

have gone

to the

effort of

neatly

folding up

the face

cloth.

No,

John seems

to reach the

conclusion here

that the

burial cloths

are left

in the

tomb

because

Jesus

had no

need of

them

anymore.

For that

simple

reason.

Of course,

at this

stage,

John's

belief may

have only

been

hesitant,

uncertain,

incomplete.

There are

more things

John will

see in

time.

But John,

as he tells

his account,

he wants

us to

know that

his belief

was based

on what

he saw.

He saw

and believed.

His belief

was not

based on

what he

expected,

he didn't

yet understand

the scriptures,

it was

based on

what he

saw.

Well,

having seen

and believed,

verse 10,

then the

disciples went

back to

their homes.

And now

we return

to the

one with

whom this

day began,

Mary Magdalene,

and what

Mary saw

next.

Mary had

not seen

what Peter

and John

saw.

I mean,

perhaps,

I think it's

likely she

was still

on her

way back

to the

tomb when

they reached

the tomb.

But verse

11 leads

with Mary's

emotional state,

but Mary

stood weeping

outside the

tomb,

and as she

wept,

she stooped

to look

into the

tomb.

Notice

that Mary's

weeping is

mentioned twice

in this

verse.

She's

weeping

because

Jesus,

her Lord,

her friend,

had been

cruelly put

to death.

She's

weeping

because,

as best

she could

judge,

his tomb

had been

broken open

and his

body

taken.

She's

weeping,

she's

grieving

over death

and loss,

and she

stooped

to look

into the

tomb,

as John

had done

when he

first arrived

at the

tomb,

and we

expect her

to see

what John

saw.

But instead,

she sees

something else.

Verse 12,

and she

saw two

angels in

white,

sitting where

the body

of Jesus

had lain,

one at

the head

and one

at the

feet.

Now,

presumably,

the linen

cloths are

still there,

although perhaps

Peter and

John took

them,

I don't

know.

but the

surprise for

Mary is,

I mean,

again,

Jesus'

body isn't

there,

but she

sees these

two angels

dressed in

white.

They are

there,

but Jesus

is not.

They're

sitting where

Jesus'

body had

lain.

Now,

the thing

about angels,

the whole

thing about

angels,

their whole

shtick,

really,

is that

angels are

messengers,

They deliver

messages.

In fact,

the word

angel can,

in other

contexts,

just be

translated as

messenger.

In the

other gospels,

Matthew,

Mark and

Luke,

these angels

deliver a

message to

the women

at the

tomb.

But here

in John,

they simply

ask Mary

a question.

Verse 13,

they said

to her,

Woman,

why are

you weeping?

We've been

told twice in

verse 11 that

Mary was

weeping,

and now

the angels

ask her,

why are

you weeping?

And the

question,

I think it

strikes us

as a bit

odd,

doesn't it?

I mean,

maybe even

a bit

callous.

If you

went to

a funeral

and you

turned to

someone who

was crying

next to you

and said,

Woman,

why are

you weeping?

I think

they'd

probably

throw you

out.

I mean,

Mary's

weeping

really

shouldn't

require an

explanation.

Weeping's

what one

does at

a tomb.

Jesus

wept at

the tomb

of Lazarus,

Mary weeps

at the tomb

of Jesus.

So,

what are

these angels

saying by

their question?

Woman,

why are

you weeping?

Verse 13

again,

she said

to them,

they have

taken away

my Lord

and I

do not

know where

they have

laid him.

Now,

it may

in part

be an

answer to

the angel's

question.

This is

one of the

reasons she's

crying because

she doesn't

know where

Jesus'

body is.

She's

distressed.

But it

also shows

she's still

in the

same

frame of

mind as

when she

first went

to Peter

and John

back in

verse 2.

She thinks

someone's

taken,

people have

taken Jesus'

body away.

But in

verse 2,

she said

to Peter

and John,

the Lord

and we

do not

know.

Now,

she says

to the

angels,

my Lord

and I

do not

know.

In her

grief,

her world

has shrunk

just to

her Lord

and her

confusion.

the

angels

don't

answer.

In

fact,

that's

all we

hear of

the

angels

in

John's

Gospel.

Still in

despair and

confusion,

Mary turns

away from

the tomb

and she

sees

something

else.

Verse 14,

having said

this,

she turned

around and

saw

Jesus

standing,

but

she did

not know

that it

was

Jesus.

Jesus

said to

her,

woman,

why are

you

weeping?

Whom

are you

seeking?

She

sees

Jesus,

she doesn't

realise

it's

Jesus.

This

new

man

asks

her

the

same

question

as

the

angels

and

then

a

second

question.

But now

these

questions

take on

new

meaning,

don't

they?

Jesus'

questions

to

Mary

are not

to

belittle

or mock

her grief.

Rather,

Jesus'

questions

are to

answer

Mary's

grief.

Why

are you

weeping?

There's

no need

for tears.

whom

are you

seeking?

I'm

standing

right

here.

It was

right for

Jesus to

weep at

the tomb

of

Lazarus

when

Lazarus

was still

in the

tomb.

But why

should

Mary

weep at

the tomb

of Jesus

when the

tomb

was empty?

But

Mary's

not there

yet.

She

hasn't

caught

up.

Verse

15,

supposing

him to

be the

gardener,

she

said to

him,

sir,

if you

have

carried

him away,

tell me

where you

have laid

him and

I will

take him

away.

I mean,

supposing him

to be the

gardener,

we're reminded

again of

the garden

and perhaps

of another

garden.

Remember

that at

creation,

the first

man was

placed in

Eden to

be a

gardener,

and so

now at

the dawn

of a

new

creation,

the

last

man

appears

as a

gardener

at

first.

Verse

16,

Jesus

said to

her,

Mary,

and she

turned and

said to

him in

Aramaic,

Rabboni,

which means

teacher.

Jesus

speaks her

name.

And we're

told again

that Mary

turned,

perhaps she

hadn't looked

directly at

Jesus

previously,

but now

she faces

him directly

full on.

She hears

his voice,

she recognises

his call,

she turns

to him and

she says

Rabboni,

and this

is one of

those few

times in

the Gospels,

which the

Gospels were

written in

Greek,

but one of

those few

times in

the Gospels

where we're

given the

exact Aramaic

word which

was spoken

at that

moment.

It draws

us in as

readers even

closer to

this precise

moment.

As we

hear the

word she

said.

We can

picture at

this moment

Mary falling

to her

knees,

clinging

onto Jesus'

feet as

joy,

relief and

amazement and

awe wash

over her.

But Jesus'

resurrection

was not merely

a return to

life as it

had been

before,

nor was it

for Mary

alone.

So verse

17,

Jesus said

to her,

do not

cling to

me,

for I

have not

yet ascended

to the

Father,

but go

to my

brothers and

say to

them,

I am

ascending to

my Father

and your

Father,

to my

God

and your

God.

Now there's

an awful lot

we could unpack

here in these

words of Jesus

in verse 17,

more than we

have time

for today.

Briefly to

touch on a

few things,

Jesus says

he would

soon ascend

to the

Father as

he'd already

promised,

but Jesus'

ascension to

the Father is

more than a

return,

it's also an

elevation.

Jesus would

ascend to

his position

of authority

with the

Father in

glory.

He would

not,

Jesus says,

at this

time remain

bodily with

his disciples.

Instead he

would,

as he'd

previously

taught,

he would

send forth

another

counsellor.

For the

next stage

of God's

plan that

was about

to unfold,

Jesus'

presence with

his disciples

would be

in the

person of

the

Spirit.

He says,

I've not

yet ascended

to the

Father.

This is

the first

time that

Jesus,

in John's

Gospel,

we see it

also in Luke,

this is the

first time in

John's

Gospel,

that Jesus

calls his

followers,

my

brothers,

my

brothers.

A new

family had

been established

by Jesus'

death and

resurrection.

A new

family in

which we,

as Jesus,

call on

God as

Father,

and yet

Jesus'

relationship

with the

Father is

distinct

from ours.

Jesus

says,

he's my

Father and

your

Father,

he's my

God and

your

God.

There's a

sense in

which

the

Father

is

Jesus'

God,

the

sense in

which

the

Father

is

Jesus'

Father

is

distinct

from the

sense in

which he's

our

Father.

The

sense in

which

God

the

Father

is

Jesus'

God

is

distinct

from the

sense in

which he

is

our

God.

There's

some

deep

Trinitarian

reflection

we could

do on

this

verse,

but

we'll

move

on.

I

want

to

close

with

two

thoughts.

First,

Mary's

announcement,

weeping,

verse 18,

Mary Magdalene

went and

announced to

the

disciples,

I have

seen the

Lord,

and that

he had

said these

things to

her.

I've seen

the Lord.

I mean,

again,

we've got that

key verb

that's been

throughout this

account,

seen,

I have

seen the

Lord.

just as

John saw

and believed,

Mary had

now seen

and she

believed.

The next

verses,

the rest

of the

chapter,

would relate

how the

other

disciples also

came to

see Jesus

and believe,

including

John and

Peter.

why all

this

emphasis

on what

Mary and

the

disciples

saw?

Well,

the Bible

records this,

it's for

us,

it's for

our sake.

Jesus

would soon

say to

his

disciples,

because you

have seen

me,

you have

believed,

blessed are

those who

have not

seen and

yet have

believed.

Jesus is

talking about

us.

We haven't

seen Jesus,

but God

wants everyone

to know

that Jesus

rose from

the dead,

even those,

the thousands,

the millions,

the billions

that would

follow,

to know that

Jesus rose from

the dead,

even though we

have not

seen.

God wants

everyone to

know that

Jesus is

alive and

that he is

Lord.

And because

God wants

us all to

know this

too,

the disciples

wrote this

down so

that we

could in

a sense

see what

they see,

what they

saw.

They wrote

down what

they saw,

the stone

rolled away

from the

tomb,

the linen

cloths lying

in the

tomb,

the wrapping

for Jesus'

head folded

in a separate

place,

two angels

at the

tomb,

and finally

Jesus himself,

they wrote

down what

they saw,

so that even

though we

haven't seen

Jesus,

we too

could believe

that he

is alive.

That that

Jesus bodily

rose from

the dead

on the

third day

after his

crucifixion

is absolutely

foundational

to faith.

Christian

faith is

resurrection

faith.

Paul,

that enemy

of the

church

turned

apostle,

he is

another who

believed

because he

saw.

He wrote

that Jesus'

resurrection

is of

first importance.

If Christ

has not

been raised,

Paul wrote,

our faith

is futile.

The

resurrection

of Jesus

means first

that he

is Lord.

He has

conquered sin,

he's conquered

death,

he's conquered

the devil,

he's victorious

over all of

God's enemies,

he's exalted,

he's appointed

by God the

Father as

Lord of all,

as ruler

and judge

of all.

And so

in Romans

Romans 10:9

10 verse

9 Paul

says,

if you

confess with

your mouth

that Jesus

is Lord

and believe

in your

heart that

God raised

him from

the dead,

you will

be saved.

That is

the,

that's what

we confess,

that's what

we believe,

those two

belong together,

confessing

that Jesus

is Lord,

believing that

God raised

him from

the dead,

that is

Christian

faith.

If the

body of

Jesus

remained in

the tomb,

if he's

still buried

there,

he might

be an

inspiring

example,

he might

be a

noble

martyr,

but if

the tomb

is empty,

he is

Lord,

the living

Lord.

We can

say with

Mary,

Jesus is

Lord,

indeed each

of us must

say with

Mary,

not only that

Jesus is

the Lord,

but that

Jesus is

my Lord.

The one

who conquered

death has

all authority,

there's nothing

beyond his

rule and

power,

and now it

just remains

for the world

to hear this.

Mary Magdalene's

initial

announcement

must be

carried to

all nations.

Think of

the most

dark and

dismal

situations

in our

world today.

there is

none,

no matter

how grim,

that could

not be

transformed

by the

news that

Jesus rose

from the

dead.

With

our church

small group

last week,

we had

a social

where

Catherine

Gibbons

took us

through some

slides of

her recent

holiday in

West

Papua,

where she

visited a

number of

small villages

during a

cruise around

parts of

West Papua.

Catherine

showed us a

bunch of

churches and

so on,

and told us

how openly

the people of

West Papua were

speaking about

this,

that once a

year,

people will

come together

for a service

of celebration

and thanksgiving,

thanking God

for the

Christian

missionaries

who first

came to

tell Papuans

that Jesus

is the risen

Lord of

all.

And they

relate how

before they

knew Jesus

their lives

were brutal

and full of

violence and

death,

tribe warring

against tribe,

but the

gospel has

brought peace

and life

and love

and transformed

their society.

Max

Stiles tells

in his book

The Marks of

the Messenger

of how the

day after

September 11,

the terrorist

attack on the

World Trade

Centre,

the day

after September

11,

he banged

a for sale

sign in the

front yard

of his

house and

prepared to

move with

his family

to Dubai

because he

was convinced

that the

church's

response to

the horrific

events of

September 11

must be

missionary,

not military.

I'm not

making a

political comment

here,

I'm speaking

to the

church.

church.

The

Middle East

needs

Christian

mission

now more

than ever.

The main

problem in

the Middle

East is not

oil or