约翰福音20:19-23

19 那日（就是七日的第一日）晚上，门徒所在的地方，因怕犹太人，门都关了。耶稣来，站在当中，对他们说：「愿你们平安！」20 说了这话，就把手和肋旁指给他们看。门徒看见主，就喜乐了。21 耶稣又对他们说：「愿你们平安！父怎样差遣了我，我也照样差遣你们。」22 说了这话，就向他们吹一口气，说：「你们受圣灵！23 你们赦免谁的罪，谁的罪就赦免了；你们留下谁的罪，谁的罪就留下了。」

恩惠、平安从父神和救主耶稣基督归于你们所有信靠基督死里复活，也因此盼望在基督里身体复活的人。阿们。

19节告诉我们时间是“那日晚上，”这个时候耶稣已经复活了，而且妇女们尤其是抹大拉的马利亚都已经看见了复活的耶稣，并且把这个消息转头立刻告诉了其他的门徒们。但是，我们看到约翰福音告诉我们，门徒们仍然处在害怕恐惧当中，他们晚上聚在一起，把门关的紧紧的。

我们可以想象一下，白天的时候这个死里复活的好消息一定是传到了很多人 耳朵里面，整个耶稣撒冷城都砸开了锅，大家因为这个难以置信的消息都在互相交头接耳，互相谈论着，无论是信徒还是不信的人都被震惊到了，要比星期五耶稣被钉死十字架还要震惊。当然对于钉死耶稣的犹太人，尤其是宗教领袖们，因为他们不信，他们陷害并且钉死的人若真的复活，这对他们来说是个非常糟糕、不好的消息，所以他们就更加猖狂地寻找和抓捕耶稣的门徒，一直到了晚上。

弟兄姐妹们，虽然我们没有因着信仰被逼迫到这个地步，到处躲藏，暗地里聚会—其他国家地区的基督徒们可能有这样的遭遇，但在北美这还没有出现过，但是我们是不是也常常关起门来，害怕这个不信的世界，会嘲笑基督信仰、会鄙视我们基督徒的世界呢？身在北美啊，基督徒虽然没有面对身体上的逼迫，但我们面对的很大的一个试探就是个人主义，你的信仰你做主，你的信仰是你自己的事情，请不要“强迫”其他人接受，请不要传福音给我，所以，我们基督徒啊，都成了缩头乌龟，把自己的信仰捂得严严实实的。

有的基督徒误入歧途，停止聚会，虽然嘴上不否认基督，但实际上已经离弃了信仰，跟随世界的潮流和脚步了。有些是把信仰拘束在只有星期天来教会，平日在家里、在工作场合、在朋友聚会中根本没有信仰生活的影子。有些基督徒虽然自己信，相信耶稣为你死为你复活，但是却羞于跟其他人分享这个好消息。为什么会是这样？

因为“害怕。”我们害怕自己被社会排斥，我们害怕自己的儿女长大了没有本事，融入不了社会，竞争不过其他不信的、更加世俗的人。我们害怕别人说我们信耶稣傻里傻气的，我们害怕不合群。你不要觉得只有青少年才有这个"Peer Pressure”，其实我们成年人又何尝不是呢？我们害怕丢掉工作，我们害怕一说出去信仰给家人和朋友，关系就断了，就破裂了，他们就会另眼看我们。所以我们都是关起门来，把信仰个人化，私有化，跟其他人没有多大关系。甚至比这还要严重，恐惧和害怕已经大过了主耶稣基督死里复活的好消息，这就是门徒们此时此刻的光景，恐惧已经强夺了他们的信心和喜乐。逼迫的环境已经让他们都惊慌失措，在靠着自己的方法自保，靠着自己的力量度过危机。

正在这时候，“耶稣来，站在当中，对他们说：‘愿你们平安！’”感谢主耶稣基督，祂真的复活了，哈利路亚。正当门徒们被恐惧害怕笼罩的时候，祂突然出现在他们眼前，直接穿过了墙和关着的门。耶稣没有等着门徒们自己采取行动去寻找复活的主，而是来到他们中间，向他们说话，赐给他们平安。和合本翻译成“愿你们平安，”其实不是愿，而是平安赐给你们Peace be with You，希腊文更直白地说“ειρἠνἠ υμιν/Peace to You," 这是一个宣告，是一个事实，因为复活的耶稣已经为我们胜过一切仇敌，胜过了世界，罪恶和我们自己内心的私欲和恐惧。主耶稣也是这样来不断地寻找处在恐惧害怕当中的我们。

主耶稣不仅对他们说这话，还把自己的手和肋旁指给他们看。“门徒看见主，就喜乐了。”我们要注意这个关键的细节：他们看见的主是复活的主，是手上有十字架钉痕的主，是肋旁被枪刺透有个很大的洞、以致于多马的拳头能够伸进去触摸的主。后面主耶稣对多马说，“伸出你的手来，探入我的肋旁。”弟兄姐妹们，这也是我们的主。如果我们今天基督徒会怀疑到时候去了天上，到了主耶稣面前，能不能认出祂来，虽然我们有文字记载，但没有画像，没有照片怎么办，大可不必担心，因为我们的主有钉十字架和复活之后的明显印记供我们辨识。门徒们看见受难、埋葬、复活的主，就欢喜快乐。

21节，“耶稣又对他们说：‘愿你们平安！”在我们平日读到的圣经话语当中，主赐给我们属天的平安，在主日聚会中，藉着牧师的口向大家宣告“主的平安与你们同在，”在聚会结束时，我们所熟悉的祝福语，“赐你们平安。”基督徒彼此问候，也有美好的传统，尤其是在我们华人基督徒中间广泛使用：“平安弟兄，平安姐妹。”我们不断地得到从主而来的平安，不断地彼此述说主的平安，这平安赐给我们新的使命，使我们从躲藏和自保中走出来，去走向世人，因为这是主耶稣拣选我们要我们去做的大事情，祂差遣我们从恐惧中走出去，从自我中走出去，去面对世人和他们的需要。

我们都知道世人需要什么，就是主耶稣在十字架上所成就的，赦罪恩典。这赦罪恩典唤醒了我们的良心，赐给我们勇气去为主做工。接着主耶稣向他们吹一口气，说：“你们受圣灵，你们赦免谁的罪，谁的罪就赦免了；你们留下谁的罪，谁的罪就留下了。”这是多么伟大的使命，也是我们基督徒领受的多么荣耀的使命，去赦免人的罪，奉主耶稣的名。

谁有权柄赦免人的罪呢？很多时候基督徒也会怀疑，尤其是牧师奉主的名宣告你们的罪被赦免的时候，我们会觉得，人怎么能赦免人的罪呢？只有上帝才可以赦免我的罪。但我们看到主耶稣所吩咐的，所做的事情。你们，不仅是牧师，整个的教会，你们所有基督徒都领受了圣灵和赦罪的权柄，我们都是与神同工的，要做和平的使者，带领人与神和好。

弟兄姐妹们，无论发生什么，无论环境如何，无论教会会遇到多少问题和挑战，我们都不要离弃教会。你们看前面门徒们虽然很害怕，但至少他们晓得要聚在一起，那怕门要关锁起来。还有一个原因，我们聚会，因为这里恰恰是我们可以操练彼此饶恕赦罪的地方。当我们能够彼此实践饶恕恩典和圣灵的大能的时候，我们就能够走出去，在生活的各个方面，在主日之外去作主的奇妙工作，把赦罪恩典带给所有身边的人。奉圣父、圣子和圣灵的名。阿们。

translation by DeepSeek:

**John 20:19-23**  

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”  

Grace and peace be with you all who trust in Christ’s death and resurrection and therefore hope in the bodily resurrection in Christ. Amen.  

Verse 19 tells us that it was "that evening," a time when Jesus had already risen, and the women—especially Mary Magdalene—had seen the resurrected Jesus and immediately reported it to the other disciples. Yet, John’s Gospel tells us that the disciples were still gripped by fear. They gathered behind locked doors that night.  

We can imagine that during the day, the news of the resurrection had spread, causing an uproar in Jerusalem. Everyone—believers and unbelievers alike—was shocked, even more so than when Jesus was crucified on Friday. For the Jewish leaders who had orchestrated Jesus’ death, the possibility of His resurrection was terrible news, so they intensified their efforts to hunt down and arrest His followers, even into the night.  

Brothers and sisters, though we may not face persecution to the point of hiding and gathering in secret—as some Christians in other regions do—do we also often shut ourselves in, afraid of a world that mocks the Christian faith and scorns believers? Here in North America, while we don’t suffer physical persecution, we face a great temptation: individualism. "Your faith is your own business—don’t impose it on others, don’t evangelize me." As a result, we Christians have become like turtles retreating into their shells, keeping our faith tightly concealed.  

Some Christians stray, abandoning fellowship. Though they may not deny Christ verbally, they have effectively left the faith, conforming to worldly trends. Others confine their faith to Sunday church attendance, with no trace of it in their daily lives, workplaces, or social circles. Still others believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection for themselves but are ashamed to share this good news. Why is this?  

Because of **fear**. We fear social rejection. We fear our children growing up unskilled, unable to integrate into society or compete with more secular peers. We fear being seen as foolish for believing in Jesus, of not fitting in. Don’t think only teenagers face peer pressure—adults struggle just as much. We fear losing jobs, damaging relationships with family and friends, being judged. So, we lock our faith away, privatizing it, as if it has no bearing on others. Worse yet, our fear overshadows the glorious news of Christ’s resurrection. This was the disciples’ state—fear had stolen their faith and joy. Persecution left them panicked, relying on their own strength to survive.  

But then—**"Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’"** Praise the Lord Jesus Christ—He is truly risen! Hallelujah! While the disciples were shrouded in fear, He suddenly appeared before them, passing through walls and locked doors. Jesus didn’t wait for them to seek Him out; He came to them, spoke to them, and gave them peace. The Chinese translation says, "May you have peace," but the Greek is more direct: **"Peace be with you" (εἰρήνη ὑμῖν)**—a **declaration**, a **reality**, because the risen Jesus has conquered all enemies: the world, sin, and even our own inner fears and selfish desires. This is how Jesus continually seeks us in our fear.  

Jesus not only spoke but showed them His hands and side. **"The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."** Notice this key detail: the Lord they saw was the **risen** Lord—with nail marks in His hands and a spear wound in His side, so real that Thomas could later thrust his hand into it. This is **our** Lord. If we ever wonder whether we’ll recognize Him in heaven—though we have Scripture but no photos—we need not worry. Our Lord bears the marks of the cross and resurrection for us to know Him. Seeing their crucified, buried, and risen Lord, the disciples rejoiced.  

In verse 21, Jesus repeats, **"Peace be with you!"** Throughout Scripture, the Lord grants heavenly peace. In worship, pastors declare, **"The peace of the Lord be with you."** At the end of services, we hear the familiar benediction: **"Lord grant you Peace."** Among Christians, especially in Chinese churches, we greet one another: **"Peace, brother. Peace, sister."** We continually receive and share this peace, which gives us a **new mission**—to step out of hiding and self-preservation into the world. This is Christ’s great calling: He sends us out from fear and self-centeredness to meet people’s deepest need—**forgiveness of sins through the cross**.  

This forgiveness awakens our conscience and emboldens us to serve. Then Jesus breathes on them: **"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive, they are not."** What a **glorious mission**—to proclaim forgiveness in Jesus’ name!  

Who has the authority to forgive sins? Some Christians doubt, especially when pastors declare, **"Your sins are forgiven."** "How can humans forgive sins? Only God can!" But this is what Jesus commanded. **All believers—not just pastors—receive the Spirit and the authority to forgive.** We are God’s coworkers, ministers of reconciliation.  

Brothers and sisters, no matter what happens, no matter the challenges the church faces, **do not abandon fellowship**. The disciples, though afraid, at least knew to gather—even behind locked doors. Another reason we gather is that **the church is where we practice forgiveness**. When we extend grace and experience the Spirit’s power, we can carry this into every part of life, bringing forgiveness to all around us.  

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.