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耶稣的门徒马太

马太福音9章9节:耶稣从那里往前走,看见一个人名叫马太,坐在税关上,就对他说:「你跟从我来!」他就起来,跟从了耶稣。

路加福音章27 -28节   这些事以后,耶稣出去,看见一个税吏,名叫利未,在税关坐着,就对他说:「来跟从我!」他就撇下所有的,起来跟从耶稣。

陈希曾牧师论到马太时说,如果要明白整本〈马太福音〉,一定要从一个故事开始,那就是马太的故事。因为是马太写了〈马太福音〉。在〈马太福音〉,〈马可福音〉和〈路加福音〉里,都记载了主第一次遇见马太的情形。这三本福音里都说到主耶稣看见一个人。

在〈马太福音〉里是「看见一个人」,〈马可福音〉里是「看见亚勒腓的儿子利未」,〈路加福音〉里是「看见一个税吏,名叫利未」。按中文的意思,看见就是看见,好像没有很深的印象。但在希腊原文里面,这个「看见」乃是定晴的看、仔细的看,是带着透视的眼睛看。所以这里《圣经》说看见一个税吏,乃是主耶稣看到一个税吏的心坎里去。就是主那一次那样的看,令马太完全地转变过来。那一看,就叫他撇下所有的来跟随我们的主。

在〈马太福音〉里面,马太最喜欢用一个词,而那个词几乎变成他的口头禅,或者是他的习惯语。因为那个词正代表主耶稣那次呼召他的时候,在他身上的一看;那一看,叫他整个人破碎了,完全改变了。为著那一次不平凡的遭遇,你看见马太最喜欢用的一个词是「看哪! 」在〈马太福音〉里面,这个词一共用了多少次呢?

The Dangers of Pride and the Power of Humility

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 29:1-21.  Let’s go!
 
Ezekiel 29:1 (NIV) 
1  In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the LORD came to me:
 
On verse 1:  Scholars have calculated this date to be January 5, 587 B.C., about 11 months after Nebuchadnezzar began besieging Jerusalem (see Ezekiel 24:1-2).

Ezekiel 29:2 (NIV)  
 2  “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
 
On verse 2:  Here the Lord begins His message to Pharaoh king of Egypt.  According to scholars, that would have been Pharaoh Hophra, who reigned in Egypt from approximately 588 B.C. to 569 B.C. 
 

耶稣的门徒拿但业(巴多罗买)

约翰福一章49节  拿但业回答他:「拉比!祢是神的儿子,祢是以色列的王。」

一般认为拿但业就是巴多罗买的另一个名字。《圣经》中凡有「巴」字在名字前的都是什么人的儿子的意思,「巴多罗买」的意思是「多买之子」,马太、马可、路加则称呼他「巴多罗买」,只有约翰用他的本名称呼他「拿但业」。在前三本福音书里,马太、马可、路加常提及腓力与巴多罗买;在〈约翰福音〉里,使徒约翰则提及腓力与拿但业。(太10:3;可3:18;路6:14;约1:45,46)前三本福音书从未提过拿但业,约翰福音也从未提过巴多罗买,可见两者为一。

拿但业来自加利利的迦拿,大家可能都记得,那是主耶稣行第一个神蹟,以水变酒的地方。所以有的人就猜想,迦拿的婚礼和拿但业是否有关系?所以才会把耶稣和门徒通通邀请去婚礼?也有人说,拿但业就是婚礼的新郎,这些都是后人的猜想,没有正确答案。那么,拿但业是怎样认识耶稣的?

上次我们谈到腓力,耶稣找到腓力,叫腓力跟从祂。腓力一跟从耶稣,就立刻去找拿但业,因为:「摩西在律法书上所写的,和众先知所记的那一位,我们遇见了,就是约瑟的儿子拿撒勒人耶稣。」腓力相信耶稣就是他们一直在等待的弥赛亚,所以他立刻把耶稣介绍给拿但业。没想到拿但业一听到耶稣是拿撒勒人,就很失望,因为拿撒勒实在太落后了,怎么可能出个弥赛亚?腓力没有丧志,反而鼓励他去看看。腓力的心态很值得我们学习,不要因人家一时的拒绝就放弃。

Pride Poisons and God Restores

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 28:1-26.  Let’s go!
 
Ezekiel 28:1-10 (NIV) 
1  The word of the LORD came to me: 
2  “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. 
3  Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? ……

On verses 1-10:  Here the Lord has a message specifically for “the ruler of Tyre”, whom scholars identify as Ethbaal III, who ruled over Tyre from approximately 590 B.C. to 573 B.C.  The message is that because Ethbaal III in his pride called himself a god (v2, 9) and considered himself “as wise as a god” (v2, 6), Ethbaal III would be brought down by foreigners and die a violent death, proving himself to be anything but a god.   That the ruler of Tyre “will die the death of the uncircumcised” suggests that the ruler of Tyre will be cut off from God for eternity.

Your One Sure Thing

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 27:25-36.  Let’s go!

On verses 25-36:  Earlier in verses 8-11 we saw how the best and the brighest of sailors, oarsmen and soldiers all flocked to Tyre to work and to help run Tyre’s impressive ships and military.  However, here in these verses we see that not even the best and the brightest among people could match the power of the Lord (v27-31).  In verses 32-36 we see how public opinion about Tyre will change from raving about the city to mourning when thinking about the city.

What can we learn from this?  Fame, wealth and power can be here today and gone tomorrow.  So don’t put your hope in them.  Put your hope in God, the One sure thing who will never leave you or forsake you.

用生命荣耀神

歌罗西书 3章23节「无论做什么,都要从心里做,像是给主做的,不是给人做的。」

马丁路德有一次告诉德国妇女,要以天堂的眼光看自己,当她们在做家事时,和修士、祭司所做的圣职同样伟大。我们每天的日常生活,都是与神同行的机会。在生活的各种琐事上都操练与神同在,时时刻刻都为祂发光,以顺服的心服事祂,并且与人分享祂的福音,这就算是背起十字架了。今天就用你的生活来荣耀神吧!(基督教论坛报)

耶稣的门徒腓力

约翰福音一章45节   腓力找到拿但业,对他说:「摩西在律法书上所写的,和众先知所记的那一位,我们遇见了,就是约瑟的儿子拿撒勒人耶稣。」

在施洗约翰把自己的两个门徒介绍给耶稣之后,约翰记载:「又过了一天,耶稣想要往加利利去。祂找到腓力,就对他说:『来跟从我!』(约1:43)」这里很特别的是说耶稣「找到腓力」,既然是找到,表示之前有可能己经知道。在我的朋友之中,也有不少人表示,在他们尚未信主时,是耶稣「找到」他们。你和主的关系,是否也是如此?有的人见证,信耶稣时有一段艰苦的寻觅之旅,有的人走了很多弯路,有的人花了数年研究却信不下去。所以假如是耶稣「找到」你,你就是一个很幸运的人了。

十二使徒之一的腓力和〈使徒行传〉里的传福音的腓力是不同的人。使徒腓力来自伯赛大,和彼得是同乡。腓力和安得烈一样,一跟随耶稣,立刻去找好友拿但业。那时的拿撒勒是个默默无闻的小地方,因此拿但业回答:「拿撒勒还能出甚么好的吗?」腓力不和他争辩,只说:「你来看。」

假如有人带你去看一位牧者,他会有怎样的特色吸引你呢?当腓力带拿但业去看耶稣时,拿但业也被耶稣吸引,而跟随耶稣。所以当我们希望把耶稣介绍给朋友时,只要把耶稣介绍给他,教他怎样向耶稣祷告,有不少人就因为如此而信主。因为不是我们能做什么,而是主能做什么;不是我们做什么可以吸引人,而是当他们看到主时,他们就被主所吸引。

Beautiful and Powerful, But Prideful

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 27:1-24.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 27:1-24 (NIV) 
1  The word of the LORD came to me:
2  “Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre.
3  Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘You say, O Tyre, “I am perfect in beauty.”
4  Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection…….

On verses 1-24:  Here in these verses we really get a sense of how prosperous, beautiful and sophisticated was the city of Tyre.  Verses 4 through 7 speak of Tyre’s asthetic beauty.  Verses 8 through 11 speak of how Tyre attracted the best and the brightest, making their shipping industry and military very powerful.  Verses 12 to 24 speak of Tyre’s extensive trade relationships and burgeoning economy.  As powerful, prosperous and beautiful as Tyre was, the one problem we see in Tyre — which would prove to be her fatal flaw — was her pride.  In verse 3, God quotes Tyre as saying, “I am perfect in beauty”.

耶稣的门徒约翰

约翰一书 4章7节   亲爱的弟兄啊,我们应当彼此相爱,因为爱是从神来的。凡有爱心的,都是由神而生,并且认识神。

《圣经》的新约里有许多人的名字叫约翰,因为这个名字的希伯来文意思是「耶和华神是仁慈的」。最出名的是耶稣的表兄(或堂兄)施洗约翰;另一位便是耶稣所爱的门徒,也就是西庇太的儿子雅各的弟弟约翰。在他所写的〈约翰福音〉里,他通常隐去自己的名字,而用「主所爱的那个门徒」代替。我觉得一个人若能明白主对自己的爱,而在墓碑上刻下:「主所爱的门徒」,那该是何等的美事。每一个相信耶稣的人都应该明白,自己就是「主所爱的门徒」。你有没有这样的自信?

有人认为当施洗约翰把耶稣介绍给自己的两位门徒时,一个是安得烈,另一个很可能就是约翰。因此,当耶稣呼召了彼得和安得烈之后,再往前走,看见雅各和约翰,就呼召了他们,他们立刻舍了船,告别父亲,跟随耶稣。这几句话说来容易,做来难。舍了船,表示放弃这世上的财物和拥有权;告别父亲,就好像亚伯拉罕那样,离开自己的亲人,本家本族,去走一条自己完全不知道的路,只因为相信耶稣。而那时,他们对耶稣的暸解还是非常有限,能够把自己的后半生交在这位拉比手中,义无反顾的跟随,我觉得在这之前,他们对耶稣己经有了一些认识,加上施洗约翰的推荐,所以他们下得了这样的决心。

这种跟随比起现代的闪婚还要快,还要冒险。所以为什么有的父母或配偶无法接受儿女奉献为全职传道人,我们是可以理解的。世界上的名利地位看得见摸得着,但是神的事工在人看是无头无绪,不可思议,有谁愿意自己用心血栽培的儿女就这样去走一条看不见前途(钱途)的路呢?

Nothing Is Impossible For God

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 26:1-21.  Let’s go!  

On verses 1-21:  Tyre was a prosperous coastal city in the ancient Middle East, with the older part of the city (“old Tyre”) situated on the mainland and the newer part situated on an island.  Known as one of the great economic centres of the ancient Middle East, Tyre was a significant port city.  In addition, Tyre was famous for its purple dye used most famously to make royal robes.  It is for this reason that, according to some scholars, the people in the region of Phoenicia, where Tyre was located, became known as “the purple people”.

In verses 1-6 God goes after the people of Tyre for trying to capitalize on the misfortune of the people of Jerusalem (v2).  In response to their attitude God says that He will bring down the prosperous, powerful “city of renown” (v17) that is Tyre and turn it into “a desolate city” (v8) and “plunder for the nations” (v5).  God would reduce Tyre to “a place to spread fishnets” (v6) (i.e. where fishermen wash their nets) and a city that is “never to be rebuilt” (v6).  In verse 14 when God says of Tyre, “I will make you a bare rock” (v14), this is a play on words, since Tyre’s name literally means “rock”.