西羅亞池

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約翰福音 9:1-11

耶穌過去的時候，看見一個人生來是瞎眼的。 2 門徒問耶穌說：「拉比，這人生來是瞎眼的，是誰犯了罪？是這人呢，是他父母呢？」 3 耶穌回答說：「也不是這人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上顯出神的作為來。 4 趁著白日，我們必須做那差我來者的工；黑夜將到，就沒有人能做工了。 5 我在世上的時候，是世上的光。」 6 耶穌說了這話，就吐唾沫在地上，用唾沫和泥抹在瞎子的眼睛上， 7 對他說：「你往西羅亞池子裡去洗。」（「西羅亞」翻出來就是「奉差遣」。）他去一洗，回頭就看見了。

約9:1-7描述生來瞎眼的從聖殿到西羅亞池的歷程中，憑著信心眼睛得醫治，接著約9:8-41則述說他如何從肉體眼睛「得看見」（眼睛得醫治，約9:7）到屬靈眼睛「看明白」（與主面對面，約9:38），讓我們學習如何從「目盲」到「跟隨」，體驗一個「看見、知道、思想、明白」（賽41:17-20）的天路歷程。生來瞎眼的得醫治以後，他面對三群眼睛看得見的瞎子，開始尋索「得看見」的真相…

他去一洗，回頭就看見了

主裡親愛的茂X兄和金X姊近日捎來令人振奮的分享：「我女兒莉X今天回診，正子和抽血檢查報告全部正常，三個月後再回診追蹤。感謝讚美全知全能的神，因為有祢的同在和看顧，以及這麼多家人的陪伴、關心、禱告，使我們有信心向前行，謝謝你們的愛(love)，在600多個日子，陪我們渡過無數次的難關，也大大感謝讚美神的恩典和幫助。」

「600多個日子」、「無數次的難關」充滿著眼淚、憂愁、無助…，道盡了倚靠信心前行的極大挑戰；讓我們想起約翰福音第九章描述生來瞎眼的人從聖殿到西羅亞（奉差遣）池（約9:6-7）眼睛得醫治的歷程，眼睛抹著唾沫和泥的瞎子，他一步步的從聖殿走到西羅亞池…。

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得看見、看明白

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約翰福音 9:1-41

耶穌過去的時候，看見一個人生來是瞎眼的。 2 門徒問耶穌說：「拉比，這人生來是瞎眼的，是誰犯了罪？是這人呢，是他父母呢？」 3 耶穌回答說：「也不是這人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上顯出神的作為來。 4 趁著白日，我們必須做那差我來者的工；黑夜將到，就沒有人能做工了。 5 我在世上的時候，是世上的光。」 6 耶穌說了這話，就吐唾沫在地上，用唾沫和泥抹在瞎子的眼睛上， 7 對他說：「你往西羅亞池子裡去洗。」（「西羅亞」翻出來就是「奉差遣」。）他去一洗，回頭就看見了。

約9:1-7描述生來瞎眼的從聖殿到西羅亞池的歷程中，憑著信心眼睛得醫治，接著約9:8-41則述說他如何從肉體眼睛「得看見」（眼睛得醫治，約9:7）到屬靈眼睛「看明白」（與主面對面，約9:38），讓我們學習如何從「目盲」到「跟隨」，體驗一個「看見、知道、思想、明白」（賽41:17-20）的天路歷程。生來瞎眼的得醫治以後，他面對三群眼睛看得見的瞎子，開始尋索「得看見」的真相…

第一群瞎子是他的鄰舍和那素常見他是討飯的（約9:8-13），他們沒有敏銳的心，輕忽神的作為，不願意認真思想他們親眼所看見的事實。生來瞎眼的回應他們的疑惑：他「記得」耶穌的名字和被醫治的過程（約9:11）。

第二群瞎子是法利賽人（約9:13-18），他們受制於遺傳、教條、宗教模式，拒絕承認神的作為（約9:16）。生來瞎眼的思想他們的質疑：祂是從神而來嗎？祂是先知（約9:17）。

第三群瞎子是他的父母（約9:18-23），他們受制於權勢、壓力、環境，避重就輕（約9:20-21），畏懼承認神的作為（約9:22）。

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The Ways Jesus Is Proud of You

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 17:1-12.  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 17:1-2 (NIV)
1  After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
2  For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
 
On verses 1-2:  Here John quotes Jesus as praying to the Father.  Chapter 17 of John is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in Scripture.  Verse 2 says that the Father granted authority to Jesus over all people so that Jesus might give eternal life to people.  When the Father gives you authority, it’s not so that you can personally be famous, wealthy or powerful.  God gives you authority so that you can give, help and be a blessing to others.

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When You Have Jesus

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 16:12-22.  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 16:16-22 (NIV)
16  “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17  Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
18  They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

On verses 16-22:  What did Jesus mean when he would tell his disciples, “in a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” (v16)?  Jesus was pointing to his death and resurrection.  The darkest night – when Jesus Christ would die – was coming, but it would be superseded by a brighter day: when Jesus would rise again.

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誰是我的鄰舍？

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路加福音 10:25-37

25 有一個律法師起來試探耶穌，說：「夫子，我該做什麼才可以承受永生？」 26 耶穌對他說：「律法上寫的是什麼？你念的是怎樣呢？」 27 他回答說：「你要盡心、盡性、盡力、盡意愛主你的神，又要愛鄰舍如同自己。」 28 耶穌說：「你回答的是。你這樣行，就必得永生。」

29 那人要顯明自己有理，就對耶穌說：「誰是我的鄰舍呢？」

耶穌和律法師在路10:25-28中談論承受永生的議題，耶穌肯定他明白「愛神愛人」的律法，且鼓勵他，行出來就必得永生。接下來，律法師又自以為是的再問：「誰是我的鄰舍呢？」（路10:29）於是，耶穌用好撒馬利亞人的比喻回應他的問題。（路10:30-37）

撒馬利亞人是散居在猶太與加利利間的混血民族，他們的宗教信仰雖根據猶太傳統和摩西律法，但是滲有異族風俗（王下17:24-33），加上過去南北國的政治糾葛，而且他們相對貧窮，因此不為猶太人所接納，雙方沒有甚麼來往（約4:9）。

耶利哥處於撒馬利亞和猶太交界處，猶太人往返猶太和北邊的加利利，會經由耶利哥繞道，藉以避開撒馬利亞範圍。耶利哥位於耶路撒冷東面的約旦河谷，地勢低窪，兩地高度差超過一千公尺，連結其間的道路極其陡峭荒涼，常有強盜出沒。

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The Life-Giving Conviction of the Holy Spirit

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 16:1-11.  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 16:1-3 (NIV)
1  “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.
2  They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
3  They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
 
On verses 1-3:  John was probably writing this Gospel at a time when the Church, i.e. Christians everywhere, had already experienced a great deal of persecution.  To comfort and reassure his fellow brothers and sisters, John recalls what Jesus said to him and the other disciples about not being surprised when they face severe persecution.  Jesus tells them not to be surprised if their persecutors even think that destroying Christians is the right, noble, God-pleasing thing to do.  Jesus tells his disciples that the reason an unbelieving world persecutes Christians is because they actually do not know God the Father or Jesus the Son.

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誰要來吃飯？

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路加福音 14:7-11/12-14/15-24

7 耶穌見所請的客揀擇首位，就用比喻對他們說： 8 「你被人請去赴婚姻的筵席，不要坐在首位上，恐怕有比你尊貴的客被他請來， 9 那請你們的人前來對你說：『讓座給這一位吧！』你就羞羞慚慚地退到末位上去了。 10 你被請的時候，就去坐在末位上，好叫那請你的人來對你說：『朋友，請上坐！』那時，你在同席的人面前就有光彩了。 11 因為凡自高的，必降為卑；自卑的，必升為高。」

路加福音14章的記載很特別，耶穌藉著眾人熟知「請吃飯」的飲食文化，經由「客人挑選首位」的習慣談「謙卑」（路14:7-11），也透過「主人期望回報」的意圖談「付出」（路14:12-14）。耶穌挑戰主人，為貧窮的、殘廢的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的擺設筵席，同筵席的人有感而發，回應耶穌說：「在神國裡吃飯的有福了！」（路14:15），接著，耶穌用筵席的比喻（路14:16-24）回覆他，感嘆「客人推託出席」神國的邀宴。

「請吃飯」不只是肚腹得飽足，尤重於關係的修復與建立；耶穌所談的「請吃飯」代表愛與接納，帶來歡樂、溫暖、關係的回復，聽見這話的人領受到這是無需「報答」、沒有條件的「請吃飯」，惟有神能給予，這是神國的筵席，因此回應說：在神國裡吃飯的有福了！

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舊酵除淨成為新團

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馬太福音 13:31-33 /41-43

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。」

33 他又對他們講個比喻說：「天國好像麵酵，有婦人拿來藏在三斗麵裡，直等全團都發起來。」

41 人子要差遣使者，把一切叫人跌倒的和作惡的，從他國裡挑出來， 42 丟在火爐裡，在那裡必要哀哭切齒了。 43 那時，義人在他們父的國裡要發出光來，像太陽一樣。有耳可聽的，就應當聽！

馬太福音第13章記載耶穌用比喻傳講天國的信息，祂在撒種的比喻中，用「飛鳥」比喻「惡者」奪去撒在人心裡的天國福音（太13:4，太13:19）；在稗子的比喻中，祂解釋仇敵（魔鬼）來，將稗子（惡者之子）撒在麥子（天國之子）裡，兩者一齊成長，直等著收割時，才將稗子褥出用火焚燒（太13:24-30，太13:36-43）。

耶穌講完稗子的比喻，尚未向門徒解釋，祂就接續用芥菜種（太13:31-32）和麵糰發酵（太13:33）來比喻天國，內容較短且未進一步解釋。耶穌說：天國好像一粒芥菜種，種子雖小，長起來卻成了樹，且讓天上的飛鳥宿在枝上（太13:31-32）；又說：天國好像麵酵，婦人拿來，藏在三斗麵裡，直等全團都發起來（太13:33）。

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When the World Hates You

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 15:18-27.  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 15:18-25 (NIV)
18  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
19  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20  Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

On verses 18-25:  An unbelieving world hated Jesus Christ so much that they killed him by nailing him to a cross.  Even to this day, no name has received more hate in all of human history than the name of Jesus Christ.  On a daily basis, there is no name that is more abused, more taken for granted and used more frequently as a curse word than the name of Jesus.  As Jesus predicted in verses 20-21, just as much of the world despised Jesus, so much of the world despises Christians.  That is why virtually the only time you hear a Christian leader making the mainstream news is if it is related to some kind of scandal. 

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What Does It Mean to Remain in Jesus?

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 15:9-17.  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 15:9-10 (NIV)
9  “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
 
On verses 9-10:  What does it mean to remain in Jesus’ love, as verse 9 says?  Remaining in Jesus’ love (or as some translations say, to “abide” in Jesus’ love) means to stay in tune with Jesus, to keep trusting in Jesus and to obey Jesus’ commands (v10). Just as Jesus kept in tune with his Father and did not stop obeying his Father’s commands, so Jesus tells us to do the same.  In doing this we will bear much fruit (v5). 

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