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不見一人,只見耶穌

馬太福音17: 1_8不見一人,只見耶穌

1過了六天,耶穌帶著彼得、雅各和雅各的兄弟約翰暗暗地上了高山, 2 就在他們面前變了形象,臉面明亮如日頭,衣裳潔白如光。 3 忽然,有摩西、以利亞向他們顯現,同耶穌說話。 4 彼得對耶穌說:「主啊,我們在這裡真好!你若願意,我就在這裡搭三座棚:一座為你,一座為摩西,一座為以利亞。」 5 說話之間,忽然有一朵光明的雲彩遮蓋他們,且有聲音從雲彩裡出來說:「這是我的愛子,我所喜悅的,你們要聽他!」 6 門徒聽見,就俯伏在地,極其害怕。 7 耶穌進前來,摸他們說:「起來,不要害怕!」 8 他們舉目不見一人,只見耶穌在那裡。

有人說這段經文讀起來像一次馬拉松。摩西從遠古的埃及跑來,以利亞在迦南地等著,一手往後,接了棒就往迦密山上跑,一直衝到黑門山,耶穌接了棒就跑去耶路撒冷了。神的永世藍圖就這樣簡單地呈現在世人的眼前。還有一幅畫是義大利畫家拉斐爾的耶穌變像圖,也有類似的意境,這圖和一般解經家的看法在地點上有點不同,一般認為耶穌帶著門徒從該撒利比亞出來以後,最近的地方就是黑門山,而拉斐爾的作圖則以他泊山為背景。但是不管背景是哪裡,重要的是圖裡所呈現的意境和畫家想要表達的意思。

解經王子摩根提到,在耶穌的生涯裡有七個重要的關鍵時刻,就是降生、受洗、試探、變像、釘十字架、復活、升天。這七個關鍵時刻時都不容許有少微的差錯,只要有一點點的疏忽,救世大功就會功虧一簣。

Disturbing the Peace So That Greater Peace Can Result

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 9:14-29.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 9:22 (NIV) 
22  When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?” 

On verses 14-29:  These verses describe how Jehu assassinates Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah.  Jehu travels from Ramoth Gilead to Jezreel where Joram king of Israel is nursing his wounds from battle and where Ahaziah king of Judah has gone to visit Joram (v14-16).  When Joram’s guards spot Jehu approaching in his chariot, twice Joram sends a horseman to ask Jehu, “Do you come in peace?” and each time Jehu replies, “What do you have to do with peace?”  Instead of reporting back to Joram, both of these horsemen decide to follow Jehu (v17-20) and Jehu continues driving “like a madman” in his chariot toward King Joram (v21).

耶穌的榮耀

馬太福音16: 27_28耶穌的榮耀

27 人子要在祂父的榮耀裡同著眾使者降臨,那時候祂要照各人的行為報應各人。28 我實在告訴你們:站在這裡的,有人在沒嘗死味以前,必看見人子降臨在祂的國裡。

看過雨果的名著改編的《悲慘世界Les Misérables》,我心裡有很大的震撼。在這部影片裡,是愛和律法的交戰。羅素‧克洛演警長賈維,代表律法;神父代表愛,因為神父沒有把尚萬強,一個剛被釋放的囚犯的偷竊行為告訴賈維,尚萬強因而有了重新做人的意願。賈維好像步步逼迫耶穌的法利賽人,以律法之名不斷想加罪於耶穌;而尚萬強卻因為耶穌的愛重新做人,並且重新認識自己。在影片的最後,因為尚萬強放走了被革命黨抓住的賈維,賈維因而無法下手射殺背著一個受傷的革命黨逃跑的尚萬強,賈維選擇自殺。影片似乎想讓觀眾覺得在愛和律法的交戰中,愛得勝了,律法失敗了。

我們都希望愛終於得勝,也希望永遠活在愛中,不受律法的綑綁。但是耶穌卻告訴我們,祂來是要成全律法,並不是要廢掉律法。我們之所以討厭律法,是因為人不明白神的愛;唯有在人做了父母之後,才知道律法原來就是愛,為了保護,為了讓孩子走在正路上,一生蒙福。律法和愛原來並不衝突,只是需要有一定的成熟度才能明白兩者之間的關係。

God Wants To Get You Alone

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 9:1-13.  Let’s go!

God Wants To Get You Alone + God Is Just + How Do You See The Lord’s Servants?

2 Kings 9:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.
2  When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room.

On verses 1-6:  Elisha sends one of his junior prophets to speak to Jehu and anoint him as the next king of Israel.  Notice Elisha’s instructions to that junior prophet: “Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room” (v2).  When God wants to speak to you an intimate and personal word to you, He often wants to get you in private first.

人能拿什麼換生命

馬太福音16: 24_26人能拿什麼換生命

24 於是,耶穌對門徒說:「若有人要跟從我,就當捨己,背起他的十字架來跟從我。 25 因為凡要救自己生命的,必喪掉生命;凡為我喪掉生命的,必得著生命。 26 人若賺得全世界,賠上自己的生命,有什麼益處呢?人還能拿什麼換生命呢?

 有一個朋友說了一個見證。他在剛過十二歲生日不久後去看一場電影,買票時,他看到十二歲的價錢比十一歲的價錢貴了三毛錢。這當然是幾十年前的事了。那時他起了一個念頭,向收票員撒謊說他是十一歲。收票員連問都沒問就讓他進去了。回家後,他很得意地向父母炫耀省下了三毛錢的經過,他的父親問了他一句話:「兒子,你會為了一毛錢出賣你的靈魂嗎?」這句話一直留在他的心中,成為他成長時處事的一個警誡。

在今日的社會裡,我們經常會碰到這樣的挑戰。當耶穌說,跟從祂的人當捨己,背起十字架來跟隨祂時,這個十字架有時會以不同的形態出現在我們的生活裡。

有一位曾在非洲傳道的牧者說了一個故事,某天他在趕往開會的途中,看到有一個小男孩在路邊嚎啕大哭。他覺得應該停下來幫助那個男孩,可是又想到開會必然遲到,於是繼續往前到教堂。但是心裡一直有聲音催促他去找那個男孩,於是他找了一個朋友去把那個男孩帶到教堂。

God Is At His Best Even When You’re At Your Worst

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 8:16-29.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 8:16-18 (NIV) 
16  In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 
17  He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 
18  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 

On verses 16-18:  Jehoram succeeds his father Jehoshaphat as the king of Judah.  But instead of being a humble, wise, God-fearing king like his father Jehoshaphat was, Jehoram is said to have “walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done” (v18). 

體貼神的意思

馬太福音16: 21_23體貼神的意思

21 從此,耶穌才指示門徒,他必須上耶路撒冷去,受長老、祭司長、文士許多的苦,並且被殺,第三日復活。 22 彼得就拉著他,勸他說:「主啊,萬不可如此!這事必不臨到你身上。」 23 耶穌轉過來,對彼得說:「撒旦,退我後邊去吧!你是絆我腳的,因為你不體貼神的意思,只體貼人的意思。」

在耶穌和彼得短短的對話中,主耶穌給我們一個很明確的信息:主知道祂在做什麼,祂要做什麼,祂不需要我們的意見。祂只要我們跟祂一樣,順服神的旨意。

其次,莫小看主耶穌對彼得的責備。當主耶穌指出彼得不體貼神的意思,只體貼人的意思時,祂用的名詞是:撒旦。

主耶穌是有備而來,在祂即將離世前,祂把門徒們帶到該撒利亞腓利比。在那裡,祂給了門徒一個畢業考。該撒利亞腓利比充滿了偶像崇拜和世俗的污穢,道德的敗壞。主耶穌也要我們看清楚自己身處的環境,也是和當年的該撒利亞腓利比一樣,換湯不換藥。

當我們置身在這樣的社會裡,我們能清楚地認識耶穌是誰嗎?還是人云亦云?我為什麼信耶穌?你又為什麼信耶穌呢?我們能像彼得受感而說:「祢是基督,是永生神的兒子。」嗎?假如現在有人問你為何信耶穌,你會怎樣回答呢?我聽過一些答案:信耶穌有平安,信耶穌有喜樂,耶穌會幫助我度過困難,幫我解決問題,等等。但是還沒有聽人回答:「因為祂是基督,是永生神的兒子。」

The King Has Spoken and You Are Restored

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 8:1-15.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 8:6 (NIV) 
6  The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.” 

On verses 1-6:  Elisha the prophet tells the woman whose son he had raised back to life to move away from Israel for a time due to a severe famine that would hit Israel.  After being away from Israel for 7 years, the woan returns to Israel, but by this time the government has taken over her land.  Now the woman is at the mercy of the king, who has power to decide whether or not to give the land back to her.  It just so happens that on the same day that the woman appears before the king to request that her land be restored to her, Gehazi the servant of Elisha had been telling the king about what Elisha had done for this woman.  On this basis, the king speaks the word to restore the land to this woman, including all the income that her land had generated during her seven year absence.

Faith and Unbelief

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 7:1-20.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 7:3-4 (NIV) 
3  Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 
4  If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’–the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.” 

On verses 1-20:  In the middle of a siege and famine in Samaria where food resources are increasingly scarce and expensive, Elisha the prophet predicts that within 24 hours the finest flour and barley will be sold for extremely cheap.  An officer of King Joram does not believe it.  In response to the officer’s unbelief, Elisha states that this officer will see it with his own eyes but will not eat any of it (v2).