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耶稣在叙加(Sychar)

2020-03-02 in /by

约翰福音4:26 耶稣说：「这和你说话的就是祂(弥赛亚)。」

叙加在哪里？耶稣去过叙加吗？这样说你可能还是想不起来。假如，这是一个在旧约时代称为「示剑」的城巿，座落在以巴路山和基利心山的山脚下，你想起来了吗？或许，再给你一个线索，亚伯拉罕的孙子，就是神为他取名「以色列」的那位，此地有一口井就是以他为名。

然后，在以色列国分裂之后，此地被分到北国以色列的撒玛利亚地区内，成为撒玛利亚的一座城。在北国以色列被亚述灭亡之后，大部份的以色列人被掳到亚述，亚述王又迁了许多外邦人来住此地，如此混杂之后，撒玛利亚人从此失去他们纯正的以色列血统，而被犹太南国的人看轻了。但是耶和华神是否也看轻他们呢？(假如你一看到叙加，就立刻想起这个故事，表示你是一个很注重细节的人，给自己拍拍手鼓励鼓励)

在叙加发生的一件事，很明显地表达了神对他们的爱和怜惜。那是什么事呢？你想起来了吗？在一个炎热的中午，日正当空，没有人会出来打水时，有一个撒玛利亚妇人出来打水了。她根本不想碰到任何人。却没料到，有一个卅来岁的犹太男子，在那里等她，温和地看着她。

他可能不很帅，因为《圣经》上形容他没有佳形美容，他向她要水喝。她很奇怪，这男子一看就知道是犹太人，自以为圣洁的犹太人怎么会不耻下问地向一个撒玛利亚女人要水喝，不怕被沾污了吗？

Put Your Hope in God

2020-03-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 36:17-33.  Let’s go!

Job 36:17 (NIV)
17  But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
 
On verse 17:  Much like Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar before him, Elihu accuses Job of being wicked, saying that the difficulty that has beset Job is Job’s punishment for being wicked (v17).  Praise God that when others betray us, wrongly accuse us or unfairly speak ill of us, Jesus stands at our side to support us.   As 2 Timothy 4:17 says, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength…I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.”

Job 36:18-21 (NIV)
18  Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.
19  Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?
20  Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes.
21  Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction.

安息日的主

2020-02-29 in /by

马太福音12:8   因为人子是安息日的主。

耶稣是在怎样的情况下说这句话呢？你记得吗?

有一天，耶稣在安息日从麦地经过。他的门徒饿了，就掐起麦穗来吃。 法利赛人看到了就责备耶稣，说祂皂门徒做了不该做的事情。什么不该做的事情呢？不该肚子饿吗？不该吃麦穗吗？还是不该掐麦穗？还是根本不该在安息日从麦地经过？

法利赛人注重的是该不该。

耶稣注重的，是门徒的需要。门徒饿了，需要食物，把食物放在口里。在耶稣看来理所当然。

从法利赛人的角度，耶稣以大卫吃祭司的饼为例来解释。大卫饥饿时，都可以吃祭司才可以吃的陈设饼；相较之下，麦穗应该更没问题了。

法利赛人认为掐麦穗是犯了安息日的大罪，但是审判人有没有罪的是谁呢？不该由法利赛人来定门徒的罪。法利赛人虽自以为义，却也没有从神来的权柄订人的罪。

假如祭司在安息日，在圣殿里工作不算罪；那么为什么耶稣的门徒因为饥饿掐麦穗是罪呢？律法里没有这一条，很多条文细节都是后人加上去的。因此，只有安息日的主可以审判人是否有罪，是否干犯了安息日。

Cry Out to God

2020-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is full of helpful lessons.  Let’s break it down into smaller pieces.

Job 36:1-4 (NIV)
1  Elihu continued:
2  “Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.
3  I get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
4  Be assured that my words are not false; one perfect in knowledge is with you.

On verses 1-4:  Elihu is oozing with self-confidence here, even to the point of possibly coming across as arrogant.  For example, he says to Job, “one perfect in knowledge is with you” (v4) – hopefully he is referring to God and not to himself!  What can we learn from this?  Because arrogance repels, be careful to present what you think you know to others in a humble way.

Surrender to God

2020-02-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 35:1-8.   Let’s go!

Job 35:1-8 (NIV)
1  Then Elihu said:
2  “Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I will be cleared by God.’
3  Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me, and what do I gain by not sinning?’
4  “I would like to reply to you and to your friends with you.
5  Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you……..

On verses 1-8:  Elihu is reminding Job that God is way above us (v5).  God is not worse off because we sin against Him or better off because we obey Him (v6-7).  Rather it is we who are worse off when we sin against Him and we who are better off when we obey (v8).  For God did not give us His commands for His benefit, as if God’s well-being depends on whether we are disobedient or obedient to Him.  Rather, God gave us His commands for our benefit, because He loves us.  

耶稣在拿因城 (Nain)

2020-02-27 in /by

路加福音 7:13 主看见那寡妇，就怜悯她，对她说：「不要哭！」

拿因城是一座位于拿撒勒东南约八公里的小城，现今在拿撒勒以南数哩的耶斯列平原上，位于小黑门（Little Hermon）的边缘，一般人都接纳它就是《路加福音》所叙述的地点（路7:11）。在希伯来文的Naim里，意思是使人愉快的绿茵之地，和该地区怡人的景色十分贴切。有人以为她就是旧约里提到的书念，就是为先知以利沙预备小楼的妇人住处，她的儿子也曾经死了，后被以利沙救活(王下4)。

这个故事最动人之处在于没有人向耶稣求什么，寡妇己经伤心欲绝，围观的人也都心感不忍。就在这时，耶稣来了，祂一看到这样的情形就怜悯那寡妇。耶稣叫她不要哭，然后吩咐死人起来。在一片绝望的泪水里，众人领受了从耶稣而来的爱和希望。这真是「那坐在黑暗里的百姓看见了大光，坐在死荫之地的人有光发现照着他们。」的最佳写照。在人类的有限里，我们何等需要神的怜悯。

紧接着就是被希律关在监里的施洗约翰派门徒去问耶稣，「那将要来的是你吗？还是我们等候别人呢？」耶稣的回答对我们的意义可能不如对以色列人那么大。因为在旧约里，以色列人都期盼著神所应许的弥赛亚快快来临。施洗约翰为耶稣施洗时相当确信耶稣就是神的儿子，但是他的心里还是有那么一点疑惑。我们对信仰也会如此吧，有时信心满溢，有时又一点信心也没有。

耶稣在拿撒勒

2020-02-27 in /by

以赛亚书1:11从耶西的本必发一条，从他根生的枝子必结果实。

当大希律死了之后，玛利亚和约瑟就带着小小耶稣从埃及回到他们原来住的地方—拿撒勒。耶稣的童年大部分时间都在这个小村庄度过，那时拿撒勒是一个声名狼籍的地方，交通很不方便，离国际大道有六公里之遥；但是自从主耶稣升天之后，在一世纪时，此地变成朝圣者的主要目的地，现今城中有报喜堂、圣约瑟堂、圣加百列堂、基督圣桌堂和拿撒勒修女院等可参观之处。 如今拿撒勒交通方便，公路网四通八达，与加利利的公路系统密切相连。

拿撒勒Netzer（נצרת），这名字的字根zer（נצר），意为“分支(枝桠/苗)”，暗指关于大卫王对弥赛亚的预言。 从耶西的根基起必发一条枝子，这枝必结出果实（赛11:1）。耶西是大卫的父亲，耶西的本(根)指的是大卫的后裔，所以弥赛亚必须合乎预言里的要求，祂必须是大卫的后裔。

拿撒勒在〈圣经〉里是一个默默无闻的小地方，但是天使在这里告诉马利亚，她将要从圣灵怀孕生子；耶稣也以此地为自己的家乡(太13:54)，但是耶稣在自己家乡的会堂教训人时，这地方的人却因为他们对耶稣一家太熟了，以致于看不起耶稣，他们就厌弃耶稣。因此耶稣说：「大凡先知，除了本地、本家之外，没有不被人尊敬的。」他们不但不接受耶稣，还撵他出城。耶稣因而离开他们，也不在那里多行异能。拿撒勒人丧失了一个认识弥赛亚的机会。

Come to God on His Terms, Not Yours

2020-02-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 34:21-37.   It’s not an easy to interpret, but if we stay in it long enough there are valuable lessons for us to learn.  Let’s go!

Job 34:21-25 (NIV) 
21  “His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step.
22  There is no dark place, no deep shadow, where evildoers can hide.
23  God has no need to examine men further, that they should come before him for judgment.
24  Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place.
25  Because he takes note of their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. 

On verses 21-25:  God sees everything we do, so there is no need to request a hearing with God as Job did, as if we need to remind God of all the good we have done.  Because God sees it all and nothing escapes His notice, He is the best qualified to judge and His judgments are always just.

耶稣在哥拉汛 (Korazin / Chorazim)

2020-02-25 in /by

路加福音10:13 哥拉汛哪，你有祸了！伯赛大啊，你有祸了！因为在你们中间所行的异能，若行在推罗、西顿，他们早已披麻蒙灰、坐在地上悔改了。

在整本《圣经》里，只提到哥拉汛两次，一次在〈路加福音〉，一次在〈马太福音〉；两次都是被骂，就是今天经文里的主角。哥拉汛；迦百农和伯赛大是人称耶稣传福音的鐡三角，意思就是因为其地理位置相近，形成了一个三角型，而耶稣在这三个城镇的时间也特别多，所以称之为福音的鐡三角。

现在经常听到有信徒说，传福音很难，都没有人要信耶!今天你看了耶稣传福音之后，也是如此痛心地指责那些人的不信，心里可能会感到安慰一些。想当年主耶稣周游四方，神蹟奇事不断，当地人还不肯相信，还要驱逐耶稣；更何况我们这些平凡的信徒，所遭受的抵挡原是正常。因为在人心里有着撒旦的位置，怎么会轻易让耶稣取代？所以保罗说，若不是圣灵感动，没有人能称呼耶稣是主(林前12:3)，是一句何等真实的话，鼓励我们传福音更要倚靠祷告，求圣灵动工。

Just…The Way You Are

2020-02-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 34:1-20.  Let’s go! 

From today’s passage I learn a couple important lessons:
Be careful what you say.  Over and over Elihu recalls words that Job has spoken, paraphrases them, and then challenges the validity of those words.  Elihu did this before in Job 33:9, and he does it again here in Job 34 at verses 5, 6 and 9. 

What can we learn from this?  God is not the only one who will hold us accountable for careless words we have spoken (Matthew 12:36). People will as well.  Especially in an age of social media, you need to be careful with what you say.  When you’re angry and in pain like Job was, be especially careful with your words.  As Proverbs 13:3 says, “Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.”