Family Members‧Head of the Family‧Reunion

　　This is Shun-kin’s second sermon. He is pleased to “go the second mile” after delivering his graduating sermon and to preach another sermon in the “Church Worship Service Workshop” in the morning chapel. The second sermon is a message dedicated to the graduating class and it seeks to encourage each graduate.

Scripture: Mark 14: 22-25

　　“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ he said to them. ‘I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.’

Looking at the Passover Supper from Three Perspectives

　　Brothers and sisters, there are things in life that we can hardly forget because they always stay in our memory and are engraved on our hearts. One July afternoon in 2005, I found myself in the Manchester Railway Station. I had completed a master’s degree program and was waiting to take the train to London Heathrow Airport to fly back to Hong Kong. Friends came to the station to see me off. Although we had only known one another for just one year, our friendship gradually grew as we stayed together day and night and cared for one another. Since we came from different countries, we might not even see one another again in the future. Realizing this, I will never forget that farewell meeting at the station.

　　Returning to Jesus’ story, we find that He had a similar experience in bidding farewell to people who were close to him. In Mark 8, Jesus’ preparation for his death has already begun. In chapters 8, 9, and 10, Jesus foretold his disciples three times that he would be killed. In chapters 11 and 12, Jesus was challenged one after another by the chief priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes. Up to 14:1, Mark records, “The chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him.” Here they were no longer merely challenging Jesus but were seeking ways to kill Him. The sequence of Mark’s narration is laid out as follows: First, Jesus foretold his death. Then, the chief priests and scribes conspired to have him killed. It follows that Judas was willing to betray Jesus. This sequence of events makes Jesus’ death seem as inevitable as a thunderstorm is coming when we see dark clouds gathering.

　　But before this big event takes place, to our surprise, Mark adds a seemingly calm episode: Jesus and his disciples shared the Passover supper together. Before Jesus’ betrayal, what on earth is the significance of Mark adding this Passover supper story here? Today, we approach this supper from three perspectives.

Our Family Members

　　The first perspective is the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. In Mark 14:12, the author tells us: “Jesus’ disciples asked him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?’” Then in verse 16, the disciples prepared the Passover supper just as Jesus had instructed them to do. In verse 17, Jesus and the twelve disciples gathered together to share the Passover supper. To the Jews, the Passover has a most profound meaning. During the Passover, the whole Jewish family assembles and enjoys the supper together. The father will teach his children and tell of how God delivered the Israelites from slavery. Therefore, the Passover is a festive occasion when the Jewish family members come together to remember the history of God’s deliverance of the Jews. However, in these few verses we see that Jesus chose to share the Passover supper with his disciples. We are led to wonder about the depth of intimacy that Jesus had with his disciples that caused him to eat the Passover supper with them.

　　As we know, Jesus and his disciples had been together for three years. In Mark 1, Jesus called James, John, Simon and Andrew. Mark 3:14 records, “He appointed twelve — designating them apostles — that they might be with him.” From this we see that since Mark 3, Jesus had always been with the disciples. In those three years, they lived together day and night, caring for one another and sharing many experiences. For example, the disciples witnessed how Jesus calmed the angry sea, soon after that they saw him walking on the sea. They witnessed Jesus feed five thousand people, and saw Him feed another of four thousands. They also saw Jesus heal a blind man at Bethsaida and then heal another blind man at Jericho . . . . How would they ever forget what they witnessed in these incidents? It is these day-by-day experiences and bit-by-bit memories that enable the relationship between Jesus and his disciples to grow as intimate as that of a family.

　　Brothers and sisters, those who are called by Jesus and have lived together for three years are not only the twelve disciples but also us the graduating students. In these three or four years we have had many experiences: some of our classmates had given birth to babies. In fact, a total of four babies, two boys and two girls, were born into the families of our M.Div. classmates! In a Homiletic class, a classmate broke down crying out of nervousness prior to the preaching exercise. Before such a big test in life as the examination on biblical Greek, some of our classmates joined together in prayers to seek God’s mercy and the teacher’s pity on us. Some fell ill and some got hurt and became confined to a wheelchair. Some moved houses and some was prepared to buy an apartment. Another classmate’s house was robbed . . . . Brothers and sisters, we have walked together for quite a distance. We have changed from being a courteous group to a clamorous group of friends who gather here today. Our day-to-day living together, our experience of mutual joy and pain, and our bitter-sweet memories have all shaped our relationship as more than classmates or students to teachers but as a real family!

The Head of Our Family

　　Then, the second perspective is the role of Jesus in the family. Verse 17 records that when the evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve ready to have the Passover supper. Verse 22 detailed some of Jesus’ gesture that night: First, He “took bread,” then “gave thanks,” “broke” it and “gave” it to his disciples, telling them to “take it.” In a Jewish family at the Passover supper, there is only one person who will act like Jesus. Do you know who this person is? … This person is the father or the head of the family. Mark’s narration allows us to see that Jesus acted as the head of the family as he led the Passover supper and the disciples participated as members of the family. Jesus said, “This is my body.” Then Jesus took the cup of grape juice and gave thanks, all the disciples drank from it. Jesus again said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” Here, Jesus referred to bread as his body and the grape juice as his blood. He was willing to share his body and blood with his disciples. From this, we can see Jesus is not an ordinary head of the family, but one even willing to sacrifice himself for his family members! Just because Jesus is not an ordinary head of the family, their family is not an ordinary family. What then is the nature of the family since the family of Jesus and his disciples is not an ordinary family?

　　Just now I mentioned that the disciples and Jesus had had many experiences. They were having an intimate relationship as a family, weren’t they? Indeed, this family had had many wonderful experiences but they sometimes had some negative experiences. In chapter 10, on the way to Jerusalem, James and John pleaded with Jesus to let them sit on Jesus’ left and right sides. Not surprisingly, the other ten disciples were angry with James and John. Actually, there are other examples of the disciples’ rivalry and competition. Similar situations can be found in the previous chapter 9. When they were in a house in Capernaum , Jesus asked the disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?” No one dared to answer Jesus’ question because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Reading chapter 14 about the Passover supper, to our surprise, we find that despite having had rift, the disciples enjoyed the supper as a family would. We must point out that even an ideal family is not without its conflicts or fights. An ideal family is one, though having its rift and conflicts, which will continue to have mutual acceptance as when everyone sits together to have supper!

　　Brothers and sisters, in these three or fours years studying in the seminary, conflicts and grudges were inevitable. We might have been angry with someone or someone being angry with us. There were even times when we would have rivalry. There were vexation and competition in the family of Jesus with the disciples but Jesus was still willing to accommodate such a family and even sacrificed himself for this family. We, as members of the family, having Jesus as the head, how can we still not be willing to give ourselves and to accept someone who may have had strife with us as family? If we do not yet love a brother whom we have seen, can we love God whom we have not seen? The family of Jesus and his disciples is not an ordinary family because Jesus is the family head who is willing to give himself and to accept other family members.

Reunion of the Family

　　The third perspective is the reunion of the family. After the Passover supper, the story took a sudden turn and events began to develop rapidly. Jesus told the disciples that they would be scattered and Jesus warned that Peter would disown him three times. The story unfolded just as Jesus had predicted. In Mark 14:50, the author tells us, “Then everyone deserted him and fled.” At this point, Jesus and his disciples departed from one another. The teacher-student relationship they had shared for the last three years seemed to have come to an end.

　　Yet the story did not really end this way. Two scenes foreshadowing what was to happen occurred early on in the story. The first such scene took place in verse 25 when Jesus said during the Passover supper, “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.” These words promised that Jesus would drink the new fruit of the vine in the day to come. The second foreshadowing scene was in verse 28 when on the Mount of Olives Jesus said to his disciples, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Jesus promised the disciples that He would see them again in Galilee.

　　In Mark 16:7, it records that a young man dressed in a white robe said to Mary Magdalene, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” Judging from the development of the story, we know that Jesus’ being arrested, his being killed, and the scattering of the disciples are not the end of the story. The ending lies in the future when Jesus and the disciples will see one another again in Galilee, just like a family’s reunion. When Jesus and the disciples parted from one another after the Passover supper, that did not make this family bid farewell to one another for good. On the contrary, this separation actually made it possible for them to have a grand family reunion in the future.

　　I am one of the students in the graduating class and we will soon bid farewell to the Seminary, our teachers, our fellow-students, and all the staff workers. However, this separation is temporary and not eternal. Even after we disperse to serve in different places, we will not be strangers to one another. In the future, we are still one family in our Lord Jesus. We are committed to continue to support one another. Therefore, this separation is not an end of our story but rather makes it possible to have a wonderful future reunion. In the future, we can certainly cherish the memory of our time together and we will watch over one another on our individual paths of ministry.

Epilogue

　　Finally, we will draw a conclusion. “Family Members‧Head of the Family‧Reunion” is today’s theme which incorporates three points. First, we are of the same family. Second, Jesus is the Head of the family. Third, this family of ours will have a reunion. Finally, I must ask: how can today’s message be applied? Let me share with you three points of application.

　　First, we are of the same family, are we not? The whole family will eat together. Jesus and the disciples eat together on the Passover; for people in Hong Kong, in the New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, or on the day of the Winter Solstice, the Father’s Day, and the Mother’s Day, the whole family will eat together. Brothers and sisters, as we are of one family, let us eat together more often. Today, let us make an appointment with our teachers and students to eat together! We should not only care for our studies and our ministry. Companions are also important, are they not?

　　Second, Jesus is the Head of our family and he sacrifices even himself for the family. Therefore, as members of the family, we will also learn from the Head of our family to sacrifice ourselves in a similar way. Here, let me put forward one simple suggestion: we need to learn to care about others and extend our greetings to them more often. One simple word of concern can be most helpful for those in need of care and concern from others. One word of concern helps to gauge awareness of a fellow-student’s condition and teaches us how to pray for that person. Therefore, let us all offer ourselves to care for others! Let us express our concerns for the people around us more often and pray for one another, shall we?

　　Third, we as a family will have a reunion in the future! There is no need to be dismayed as we bid farewell today. In the future after our graduation, we can still call on each other and come together to eat, and to extend care and concern for one another more often. Let us treasure this group of co-walkers. After our graduation, we will have our reunions, coming together again and again until our Lord comes. I hope that the Lord will use today’s message to encourage our fellow students, especially the graduating class. I pray that He will help us become one family!