阅读经文 

受难日和复活节之间的星期六通常叫做复活节守夜或圣周星期六。这一天，我们在悲伤中思想耶稣为我们而死。我们的罪太重了，为了救赎我们，耶稣必须承受如此可怕的苦难，我们简直无法想像。但我们也在盼望中展望，因为我们知道在复活节的清晨，耶稣会复活胜过死亡，从坟墓里出来，使我们得着生命！

在今天所读的使徒行传里，耶稣的使徒们向逼害他们的宗教领袖说话。他们提醒宗教领袖，他们把耶稣“挂在树（木头）上”杀害了，正如我们昨天提到的申命记二十一章二十三节。（参加 3:13）这些使徒之所以能放胆说话，是因为他们有从圣灵而来的信心和大能传讲真理，他们说：“我们为这事做见证；神赐给顺从之人的圣灵也为这事作见证。”

听到这些话，宗教领袖想要杀害耶稣的跟随者，但一位有智慧的教师迦玛列阻止了他们。他给出了合理的建议，我们确信这是从神而来的智慧，因为迦玛列说：“任凭他们吧！他们所谋的、所行的，若是出于人，必要败坏；若是出于神，你们就不能败坏他们，恐怕你们倒是攻击神了。”

当我们展望复活节，让我们记住，没有什么能抵挡那位爱我们的主，死亡也不能！

The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is often called Easter Vigil or Holy Saturday. On this day we reflect in sorrow on the death of Jesus for our sake. Our sins were so serious that, in order to save us, Jesus had to take on suffering so horrible that we cannot really imagine it. But we also look ahead in hope, because we know that on Easter Sunday Jesus rose in victory over death and conquered the grave so that we can have life!

In our reading from Acts today, the apostles of Jesus speak out to the authorities who are persecuting them. The apostles remind the authorities that they had Jesus "killed by hanging him on a tree," a reference to Deuteronomy 21:23, as we noted yesterday (see also Galatians 3:13). These disciples of Jesus are emboldened to speak because they have confidence and power from the Holy Spirit to speak the truth, saying, "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

Hearing that, the authorities want to kill Jesus' followers, but Gamaliel, a wise teacher, stops them. He gives reasonable advice, and we can be assured that this comes from the wisdom of God, for Gamaliel says, "Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

As we look ahead to Easter, let's remember that nothing, not even death, can stand against the Lord, who loves us.