Revd. Nicky Gumbel from Alpha International and Holy Trinity Brompton London, preached at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem to mark Easter Sunday.

The former HTB leader had bandaged hands as he delivered his sermon, which many could have mistaken as a nod to the pain Christ endured whilst nailed to the cross.

Instead, he assured those gathered that he had simply been in an altercation with a shower panel – “and the shower panel won,” he joked.

The injury was used as an impetus for his message following a timely reminder from his wife, Pippa.

He said: “Pippa reminded me this morning that even though Jesus had scars on his hands. And that means two things. Number one, it really was him. And number two, it means that God can take even the most painful and difficult days in our lives and turn them for good through the resurrection.

“That’s the good news of today. On Easter Sunday, he turned the scars of shame into marks of glory.”

As part of his sermon, he chose to speak of the fundamental role women play within the Easter story.

“I love this fact,” he said. “The first person who Jesus appeared to is a woman.”

The statement was met with cheers from the gathered crowd. “It’s good for a number of reasons, but one reason is they wouldn’t have made it up. Because in those days, women as witnesses were not considered to be good witnesses.

“But isn’t it interesting that Jesus chose a woman? He chose Mary Magdalene, someone who had several demons cast out of her and someone who had gone around with Jesus supporting him out of her wealth. And she was there at the crucifixion. And she was the first witness to the resurrection. Why?”

He continued, “The Crucifixion, all the men fled, and the women stayed. Why was that? Well, some say, ‘Well, the women are less likely to get arrested,’ but maybe they were more courageous?”

The Garden Tomb is a site of Christian worship and witness located in the heart of historic Jerusalem, just outside the Old City walls.

Within this peaceful and contemplative garden there are several antiquities of interest, including an ancient Jewish tomb which many believe is the site of Jesus of Nazareth’s burial and resurrection.

To preserve and maintain this special site, the grounds of the garden were purchased in 1894 by The Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) Association, a Charitable Trust based in the United Kingdom.

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