馬太福音 2:16-18
16 希律見自己被博士愚弄，就大大發怒，差人將伯利恆城裡並四境所有的男孩，照著他向博士仔細查問的時候，凡兩歲以裡的都殺盡了。 17 這就應了先知耶利米的話說： 18 「在拉瑪聽見號啕大哭的聲音，是拉結哭她兒女，不肯受安慰，因為他們都不在了。」
希律是以東人，又稱為大希律(Herod the Great)，與羅馬帝國王室的政治關係良好，西元前40年被封為猶太王，管理猶太、以土買、加利利等地。
他是猶太歷史上最著名的建設者，擴建耶路撒冷的第二聖殿（又稱希律的聖殿），修建凱撒利亞的港口，建立馬薩達與希律宮的城牆。希律為了掌握政權而犧牲了許多人，連自己的子女都殺害，也因尋索耶穌而屠殺嬰孩（太2:16-18）。
大希律總共娶了五個妻子，生了七個兒子，前三個兒子在家族鬥爭中慘死，老四逃往羅馬遠避傷害。大希律西元前4年去世，羅馬皇帝亞古士督按照他的遺囑，將其所統治的土地，分封給五子亞基老、六子安提帕和七子腓力二世。
亞基老作猶太、撒瑪利亞、以土買地區的分封王，所管理的大多是猶太人。由於亞基老暴虐無道，只做王十年，就被羅馬政府罷黜流放。
路加福音 10:30-37
30 耶穌回答說：「有一個人從耶路撒冷下耶利哥去，落在強盜手中。他們剝去他的衣裳，把他打個半死，就丟下他走了。 31 偶然有一個祭司從這條路下來，看見他，就從那邊過去了。 32 又有一個利未人來到這地方，看見他，也照樣從那邊過去了。 33 唯有一個撒馬利亞人行路來到那裡，看見他，就動了慈心， 34 上前用油和酒倒在他的傷處，包裹好了，扶他騎上自己的牲口，帶到店裡去照應他。 35 第二天拿出二錢銀子來，交給店主說：『你且照應他，此外所費用的，我回來必還你。』 36 你想，這三個人哪一個是落在強盜手中的鄰舍呢？」 37 他說：「是憐憫他的。」耶穌說：「你去照樣行吧。」
成為鄰舍
好撒馬利亞人的比喻（路10:30-37）裡有兩個提問值得我們比較與深思。耶穌說比喻前，律法師問耶穌說：「誰是我的鄰舍呢？」耶穌說完比喻，問律法師說：「你想，這三個人哪一個是落在強盜手中的鄰舍呢？」
「鄰舍」的原文意思是朋友，與自己有交往的人，但是猶太人加上了傳統、信仰的因素，認為「鄰舍」不包括與他們敵對的撒馬利亞人及外邦人。律法師問耶穌說：「誰是我的鄰舍呢？」他想要先定義「鄰舍」，篩選「鄰舍」，再履行「愛鄰舍如同自己」。
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 19:1-16. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 19:1-3 (NIV)
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.
2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe
3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face.
On verses 1-3: There are no words to describe the kind of shame, suffering and humiliation Jesus went through on our behalf, even before he was sentenced to die on a cross. That includes the flogging of Jesus’ body, the mocking of Jesus by placing a crown of thorns on his head and a purple robe over his shoulders, the verbal abuse and the physical beatings Jesus received. Though Jesus was innocent and the last person who deserved this kind of treatment, Jesus willingly suffered all of this for us from people who could not come close to Jesus’ integrity and innocence.
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 18:28-40. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 18:28 (NIV)
28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
On verse 28: The chief priests and Pharisees who were handing Jesus over to the Roman governor believed that by entering the home of a Gentile (in this case, the palace of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate), they would make themselves ceremonially unclean according to their religious laws. Jesus’ opponents were so focused on keeping their religious rules on ceremonial cleanness, yet at the same time they were handing over an innocent man – the Son of God no less – to be killed. That’s the danger of Christ-less religion: when you’re so focused on keeping little rules that you miss God and even kill God in the process. This is also called “majoring in the minor and minoring in the major”.
馬太福音 6:11 我們日用的飲食，今日賜給我們。
雅各書 4:3 你們求也得不著，是因為你們妄求，要浪費在你們的宴樂中。
這是第二次世界大戰後的一個故事。有位婦人進入一家商店，想要為子女採購一些食物。她在店裡東看看、西摸摸，停駐好久，卻躊躇不知該買些什麼東西。於是店主人便過來問她：「您打算買甚麼食物？」
婦人很難為情的說：「老實講，自從我丈夫死在戰場後，留下我們一家人經常三餐不繼，現在我身上一毛錢也沒有，我唯一能給你的代價，就是為你祈禱，求上帝恩待你。」
店主人並不相信上帝，但為了打發她走，就諷刺的笑著說：「為我祈禱？好吧，把妳的祈禱拿出來秤一秤，看它有多重，就讓妳換多少食物回去罷！」店主人不經意的說，沒想到婦人竟然真的從口袋掏出一張紙，放到天平上說：「謝謝你，昨晚我剛好寫了一篇祈禱文。」
店主人無可奈何之下，連瞧都不瞧那紙一眼，心想區區一張紙能有幾兩重，便順手拿起一條土司，往天平的另一端放上去，沒想到天平一動也不動。
馬太福音 19:16-22
16 有一個人來見耶穌說：「夫子，我該做什麼善事才能得永生？」 17 耶穌對他說：「你為什麼以善事問我呢？只有一位是善的。你若要進入永生，就當遵守誡命。」 18 他說：「什麼誡命？」耶穌說：「就是不可殺人，不可姦淫，不可偷盜，不可作假見證， 19 當孝敬父母，又當愛人如己。」 20 那少年人說：「這一切我都遵守了，還缺少什麼呢？」 21 耶穌說：「你若願意做完全人，可去變賣你所有的，分給窮人，就必有財寶在天上；你還要來跟從我。」 22 那少年人聽見這話，就憂憂愁愁地走了，因為他的產業很多。
今世得百倍
有一個富有的少年人來問耶穌要做什麼善事才能得永生，他告訴耶穌他從小就遵守了一切的誡命，耶穌看著他，就愛他，對他說：「你還缺少一件：去變賣你所有的，分給窮人，就必有財寶在天上；你還要來跟從我。」少年人聽見這話，就憂憂愁愁地走了，因為他的產業很多（太19:16-22，可10:17-22，路18:18-23）。
耶穌接著對門徒說：「…財主進天國是難的。…駱駝穿過針的眼，比財主進神的國還容易呢！」（太19:23-24）我想這句話讓門徒傻眼了，因為他們中間有人是船主、稅吏，有財富、產業，他們說：「這樣誰能得救呢？」聰明的彼得馬上想到投資報酬率，他問耶穌：「看哪，我們已經撇下所有的跟從你，將來我們要得甚麼呢？」（太19:25-27）
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 18:12-27. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 18:12-13 (NIV)
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him
13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
On verses 12-13: You could call Annas the godfather of high priests. From AD 6 to AD 15 Annas was high priest of Israel. When Annas was deposed by the Roman governor Valerius Gratus at that time (Pilate’s predecessor), many still considered Annas to be their high priest. Annas also had five sons who would each hold the office of high priest after Annas. At this time Annas’ son-in-law Caiaphas was the acting high priest. So Annas had enormous influence in Israel at this time.
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 18:1-11. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 18:1-3 (NIV)
1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.
2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
3 So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
On verses 1-3: The first time the Kidron Valley is mentioned in Scripture, King David is crossing it at a time when he is being betrayed by the son he loves and his life is in danger (see 2 Samuel 15, especially verse 23). The last time the Kidron Valley is mentioned in Scripture, Jesus the Son of David is crossing it at a time when he is being betrayed by a disciple he loves and his life is in danger. It’s another example of the Old Testament pointing to the New Testament.
馬太福音 13:31-32
31 他又設個比喻對他們說：「天國好像一粒芥菜種，有人拿去種在田裡。 32 這原是百種裡最小的，等到長起來，卻比各樣的菜都大，且成了樹，天上的飛鳥來宿在它的枝上。」
耶穌用芥菜種的成長（太13:31-32，可4:30-32，路13:18-19）來比喻神國的福音，起初宛如一粒不起眼的芥菜種，在眾信徒的努力宣道下，不斷成長如同一棵大樹，天上的飛鳥來宿在它的枝上。
芥菜種並非最小的種子，香柏樹的種子就比它小，現在所知最小的是斑葉蘭的種子；但在東方諺語中，常把芥菜種喻為最小的種子。芥菜種雖微小，但在妥善照料下，能夠成長，高過其他的蔬菜，甚至可長到十至二十呎高，枝葉繁茂，宛如一棵樹。
芥菜屬於葉菜類，能供人食用，但它成了樹，樹葉就不再可作為食用，使人得到好處，反而被天空的飛鳥來宿在樹枝上，搭了巢，佔有了這樹。
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 17:13-26. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 17:13-16 (NIV)
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
On verses 13-16: In a world where followers of Jesus will have trouble (John 16:33) and will be misunderstood by many (John 15:18), Jesus does not pray that the Father remove his followers from this world. Rather Jesus prays that the Father would protect them from the evil one (v15). Jesus’ heart is that his disciples would have the full measure of his joy within them even as they go through hardship (v13). What can we learn from this?
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