Safe and Secure in Jesus’ Hand

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:22-30.  Let’s go!

John 10:22-23 (NIV) 
22  Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 
23  and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.

On verses 22-23:  The Feast of Dedication was a relatively new festival that the Jews first began celebrating in 164 B.C. to commemorate the reconstruction and rededication of the temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabeus in 165 B.C. after it was destroyed by the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 B.C.  This Feast of Dedication involves a celebration of lights and is now more commonly known as Hanukkah, a festival that Jewish people continue to celebrate to this day.  During Jesus’ time on earth, whenever the Feast of Dedication was celebrated, there was an undercurrent of hope among the Jews that the Messiah would arrive at the temple and begin establishing Israel as an independent nation.  It is in this context that the Jews surround Jesus as he is walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Colonnade during the Feast of Dedication.

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不可佯为不见

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〈申命记〉 22:4 你若看见弟兄的牛或驴跌倒在路上，不可佯为不见，总要帮助他拉起来。

在〈申命记〉22 章1-12节里，神教导我们一些做人的原则。

在第1-4节里，神用了三次「不可佯为不见」，也就是说不可以假装看不到。

在什么情况下不可假装看不到呢？1. 你若看见弟兄的牛或羊失迷了路，不可佯为不见，总要把牠牵回来交给你的弟兄。2. 你的弟兄无论失落甚么，或是驴，或是衣服，你若遇见，都要这样行，不可佯为不见。3. 你若看见弟兄的牛或驴跌倒在路上，不可佯为不见，总要帮助他拉起来。

在今天，牛羊或驴都可以改成别的东西，例如：衣服，手机，儿女，脚踏车，雨伞，等等。只要你看到是弟兄姐妹的东西，就不要假装没看见，在他人的疏忽上，付出你的关心，使他人不遭损失。

这段经文的重点在于：「你的弟兄无论失落什么」，当然也包括姐妹。你若看见有人忘了或疏忽了他的东西，就要把它收好，或是拿去还给他，或是留着等他来取。这里所说的是第十诫的延伸：「不可贪恋。」也是主所教导的：「你们愿意人怎样待你们，你们也要怎样待人。(路6:31)」弟兄是指认识的人，不是不认识的人。当时的人所养的牛羊身上都有自家的记号，因此看了记号就知道是哪家走失的牲畜。看到了之后，不可以佯装不见，总要把牠牵回来交给你的弟兄。若是弟兄住得远，或不知道是谁的，就要牵回家，等失主来认领。天父要我们在彼此的照顾上，让爱心有切实的行动。

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The Good Shepherd

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:11-21.  Let’s go!

John 10:11-13 (NIV) 
11  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 
12  The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
13  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 

On verses 11-13:  Here Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, the one who owns the sheep and loves the sheep so much that he would lay down his life for the sheep.  This is exactly what Jesus would do for us when he would die on the cross for our sins. 

Who is the “hired hand” that verses 12-13 are referring to?  It is not clear.  However, Israel had had its share of corrupt kings, lying prophets and false messiahs who should have led and taken care of Israel but only took care of themselves.  Prophets like Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 23:1-4, for example), Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 34:2) and Zechariah (see Zechariah 11) would speak against these “hired hands”.  

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人若有二妻

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〈申命记〉21章 15-17节 人若有二妻，一为所爱，一为所恶，所爱的、所恶的都给他生了儿子，但长子是所恶之妻生的。到了把产业分给儿子承受的时候，不可将所爱之妻生的儿子立为长子，在所恶之妻生的儿子以上，却要认所恶之妻生的儿子为长子，将产业多加一分给他；因这儿子是他力量强壮的时候生的，长子的名分本当归他。

你可能没想到，在《圣经》里居然会谈到一个人同时有两个妻子的事情。可见在神的眼里心中，祂非常清楚人的情欲所带来的罪恶及后果。神也明白人的有限，若碰到无法解决的谋杀案，以色列人应当怎样行。神没有说，祂会帮我们查清命案，但是神要人在神面前自表清白。

你会觉得很可笑，现在的人特爱说谎，上至美国总统下至平民小贩，有谁不说谎？尤其是广告，更是吹牛撒谎无所不用其极。你觉得神的方法管用吗？

有很多人喜欢看侦探片，尤其是像这种横尸在田野里，不知凶手是谁的凶杀案。若是有福尔摩斯出来，细细把那地上查一查，看看尸体身边脚印的深浅，来断定凶手是个左脚或右脚有残缺的人，然后一直追踪下去，让真凶无所遁形，那该是何等引人入胜的小说。只可惜，神并不想满足人的好奇心。

既然不知道是谁杀的，那么就到离死者最近的城里，找头未曾耕地、未曾负轭的母牛犊，把牠的颈项打断，然后在牠上面洗手，表明无辜。其实，神岂有不知道的事吗？祂一定知道是谁干的！为何祂不帮忙把真凶找出来呢？只要祂借着天使把警长或祭司长一直带到那个真凶面前，把他一抓，绳之于法，看有谁还敢做坏事？或是让凶手夜不能眠，日不能食，让他的良心痛苦得不能不去自首，还有谁敢犯罪呢？

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How Jesus Leads

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:1-10.  Let’s go!

John 10:1-5 (NIV) 
1  “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 
2  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 
3  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 
4  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 
5  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

On verses 1-5:  Back during Jesus’ time on earth, shepherds would bring their respective flocks together to be placed in a communal pen for the night.  One shepherd would be assigned to be the watchman to watch the flocks at night while the other shepherds slept.  In the morning, the shepherds would return to the communal pen to collect their sheep.  But how would they separate their own sheep from the rest of the sheep in the communal pen?  By the sound of the shepherd’s voice.  The shepherd would give out a special call, and based on the shepherd’s voice his own sheep would separate from the rest in the communal pen and follow the shepherd. 

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