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The Greatest Hero Who Ever Lived

2024-06-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 19:17-27.  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 19:17-18 (NIV)
17  Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).
18  Here they crucified him, and with him two others–one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

On verses 17-18:  The pain, suffering and humiliation of Jesus is taken to a climactic level as Jesus, carrying his own cross, is taken to the place of the Skull and crucified.  That Jesus carried his own cross and was crucified in between two criminals shows that Jesus identified in every way with sinners like us.  Jesus stood right in the middle of us all and received the punishment we deserved for our sin.

防备希律的酵

2024-06-19 in , /by

马太福音 2:16-18

16 希律见自己被博士愚弄，就大大发怒，差人将伯利恒城里并四境所有的男孩，照着他向博士仔细查问的时候，凡两岁以里的都杀尽了。 17 这就应了先知耶利米的话说： 18 「在拉玛听见号啕大哭的声音，是拉结哭她儿女，不肯受安慰，因为他们都不在了。」

希律是以东人，又称为大希律(Herod the Great)，与罗马帝国王室的政治关系良好，西元前40年被封为犹太王，管理犹太、以土买、加利利等地。

他是犹太历史上最著名的建设者，扩建耶路撒冷的第二圣殿（又称希律的圣殿），修建凯撒利亚的港口，建立马萨达与希律宫的城墙。希律为了掌握政权而牺牲了许多人，连自己的子女都杀害，也因寻索耶稣而屠杀婴孩（太2:16-18）。

大希律总共娶了五个妻子，生了七个儿子，前三个儿子在家族斗争中惨死，老四逃往罗马远避伤害。大希律西元前4年去世，罗马皇帝亚古士督按照他的遗嘱，将其所统治的土地，分封给五子亚基老、六子安提帕和七子腓力二世。

亚基老作犹太、撒玛利亚、以土买地区的分封王，所管理的大多是犹太人。由于亚基老暴虐无道，只做王十年，就被罗马政府罢黜流放。

隣舍百分百

2024-06-18 in , /by

路加福音 10:30-37

30 耶稣回答说：「有一个人从耶路撒冷下耶利哥去，落在强盗手中。他们剥去他的衣裳，把他打个半死，就丢下他走了。 31 偶然有一个祭司从这条路下来，看见他，就从那边过去了。 32 又有一个利未人来到这地方，看见他，也照样从那边过去了。 33 唯有一个撒马利亚人行路来到那里，看见他，就动了慈心， 34 上前用油和酒倒在他的伤处，包裹好了，扶他骑上自己的牲口，带到店里去照应他。 35 第二天拿出二钱银子来，交给店主说：『你且照应他，此外所费用的，我回来必还你。』 36 你想，这三个人哪一个是落在强盗手中的邻舍呢？」 37 他说：「是怜悯他的。」耶稣说：「你去照样行吧。」

成为邻舍

好撒马利亚人的比喻（路10:30-37）里有两个提问值得我们比较与深思。耶稣说比喻前，律法师问耶稣说：「谁是我的邻舍呢？」耶稣说完比喻，问律法师说：「你想，这三个人哪一个是落在强盗手中的邻舍呢？」

「邻舍」的原文意思是朋友，与自己有交往的人，但是犹太人加上了传统、信仰的因素，认为「邻舍」不包括与他们敌对的撒马利亚人及外邦人。律法师问耶稣说：「谁是我的邻舍呢？」他想要先定义「邻舍」，筛选「邻舍」，再履行「爱邻舍如同自己」。

Flogged, Humiliated and Sentenced for You

2024-06-18 in /by

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. 

Don’t Major in the Minor and Minor in the Major

2024-06-17 in /by

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”. 

赐给我们今日的饮食

2024-06-17 in , /by

马太福音 6:11 我们日用的饮食，今日赐给我们。

雅各书 4:3 你们求也得不著，是因为你们妄求，要浪费在你们的宴乐中。

这是第二次世界大战后的一个故事。有位妇人进入一家商店，想要为子女采购一些食物。她在店里东看看、西摸摸，停驻好久，却踌躇不知该买些什么东西。于是店主人便过来问她：「您打算买甚么食物？」

妇人很难为情的说：「老实讲，自从我丈夫死在战场后，留下我们一家人经常三餐不继，现在我身上一毛钱也没有，我唯一能给你的代价，就是为你祈祷，求上帝恩待你。」

店主人并不相信上帝，但为了打发她走，就讽刺的笑着说：「为我祈祷？好吧，把妳的祈祷拿出来秤一秤，看它有多重，就让妳换多少食物回去罢！」店主人不经意的说，没想到妇人竟然真的从口袋掏出一张纸，放到天平上说：「谢谢你，昨晚我刚好写了一篇祈祷文。」

店主人无可奈何之下，连瞧都不瞧那纸一眼，心想区区一张纸能有几两重，便顺手拿起一条土司，往天平的另一端放上去，没想到天平一动也不动。

财主进天国

2024-06-16 in , /by

马太福音 19:16-22

16 有一个人来见耶稣说：「夫子，我该做什么善事才能得永生？」 17 耶稣对他说：「你为什么以善事问我呢？只有一位是善的。你若要进入永生，就当遵守诫命。」 18 他说：「什么诫命？」耶稣说：「就是不可杀人，不可奸淫，不可偷盗，不可作假见证， 19 当孝敬父母，又当爱人如己。」 20 那少年人说：「这一切我都遵守了，还缺少什么呢？」 21 耶稣说：「你若愿意做完全人，可去变卖你所有的，分给穷人，就必有财宝在天上；你还要来跟从我。」 22 那少年人听见这话，就忧忧愁愁地走了，因为他的产业很多。

今世得百倍

有一个富有的少年人来问耶稣要做什么善事才能得永生，他告诉耶稣他从小就遵守了一切的诫命，耶稣看着他，就爱他，对他说：「你还缺少一件：去变卖你所有的，分给穷人，就必有财宝在天上；你还要来跟从我。」少年人听见这话，就忧忧愁愁地走了，因为他的产业很多（太19:16-22，可10:17-22，路18:18-23）。

耶稣接着对门徒说：「…财主进天国是难的。…骆驼穿过针的眼，比财主进神的国还容易呢！」（太19:23-24）我想这句话让门徒傻眼了，因为他们中间有人是船主、税吏，有财富、产业，他们说：「这样谁能得救呢？」聪明的彼得马上想到投资报酬率，他问耶稣：「看哪，我们已经撇下所有的跟从你，将来我们要得甚么呢？」（太19:25-27）

Bound To Set Us Free

2024-06-16 in /by

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.

P.S. Jesus Loves You

2024-06-14 in /by

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.
 

芥菜种的成长

2024-06-14 in , /by

马太福音 13:31-32

31 他又设个比喻对他们说：「天国好像一粒芥菜种，有人拿去种在田里。 32 这原是百种里最小的，等到长起来，却比各样的菜都大，且成了树，天上的飞鸟来宿在它的枝上。」

耶稣用芥菜种的成长（太13:31-32，可4:30-32，路13:18-19）来比喻神国的福音，起初宛如一粒不起眼的芥菜种，在众信徒的努力宣道下，不断成长如同一棵大树，天上的飞鸟来宿在它的枝上。

芥菜种并非最小的种子，香柏树的种子就比它小，现在所知最小的是斑叶兰的种子；但在东方谚语中，常把芥菜种喻为最小的种子。芥菜种虽微小，但在妥善照料下，能够成长，高过其他的蔬菜，甚至可长到十至二十呎高，枝叶繁茂，宛如一棵树。

芥菜属于叶菜类，能供人食用，但它成了树，树叶就不再可作为食用，使人得到好处，反而被天空的飞鸟来宿在树枝上，搭了巢，占有了这树。