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没有牧人的羊

马太福音9: 35_36没有牧人的羊

35 耶稣走遍各城各乡,在会堂里教训人,宣讲天国的福音,又医治各样的病症。36 他看见许多的人,就怜悯他们,因为他们困苦流离,如同羊没有牧人一般。 

当你看到耶稣当年做的事情,你会有什么感想吗?祂走遍各城各乡,而不是只留在一两个地方。那时的文通不像现在有汽车,有巴士,有各样的交通工具,那时就靠着一双脚,所以每天都会很累。

祂做哪些事呢?一是在会堂教训人,就是教导,可能类似现在的讲道;祂讲的内容是天国的福音。法律赛人和文士们也教导,但是他们只懂律法,不知有天国。耶稣说:「 除了从天降下仍旧在天的人子,没有人升过天。(约3:13)」所以,除了耶稣之外,还有谁更有资格讲天国的福音?除了耶稣,谁能告诉我们天国的福音?

因为有天国,所以人有盼望,不是一死百了;因为有天国,所以人有价值,因为神爱我们,我们是有家可归的人,永恒的家;因为有天国,所以人的价值观需要改变;因为有天国,我们希望成为可以被神接纳的儿女,等等。你可以想到,当我们一旦知道有天国之后,我们生命和生活的目标就完全不一样了。为什么说耶稣带来划时代的革命,因为祂让人知道有一个天国。

God Cares More About Your Character than Your Accomplishments

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 9:1-14. Let’s go!

1 Kings 9:1-2 (NIV)
1 When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do,
2 the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

On verses 1-9: Earlier in 1 Kings 3:5, when Solomon was just starting his reign, God appeared to Solomon in a dream at the city of Gibeon. At that time God told Solomon to walk in His ways and obey His statutes as David his father had (1 Kings 3:14). Now, fast forward to today’s passage in 1 Kings 9. Here we see that Solomon has completed building the temple, his own palace and “achieved all he had desired to do” (v1). God appears to Solomon again in a dream (v2) like He did over a decade earlier in 1 Kings 3:5 and His message for Solomon is the same: “walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws.” (v4).

耶稣赶鬼医哑巴

马太福音9: 32_34 耶稣赶鬼医哑吧

32 他们出去的时候,有人将鬼所附的一个哑巴带到耶稣跟前来。 33 鬼被赶出去,哑巴就说出话来。众人都稀奇说:「在以色列中从来没有见过这样的事!」 34 法利赛人却说:「他是靠着鬼王赶鬼。」

这故事是耶稣在传道时做的一部份工作,医病赶鬼都是为了让人能明白救赎主来到人间,因此坐在死荫地的人看见有大光照着他们。在前面几个医治里,有瘫子、患血漏的、病死的,等等,都是生理上的疾病;现在耶稣要医治另一种病。

这种病本来不是病,却是因为有鬼在人的身体里,以致于这个人变成了哑巴,说不出话来。耶稣把鬼赶出去之后,那人就能说话了,可见他的哑是因为鬼作怪,并不是生理上的问题。

How to Worship God

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 8:54-66.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 8:54 (NIV) 
54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 

On verse 54:  Solomon began his prayer standing (v22), but he ends his prayer kneeling with his hands spread out to God.  Why?  It’s because as Solomon continued to pray, he realized more and more how much he and his people needed God.  His humility and his desperation for God grew the more he prayed.  

两个瞎子得医治

马太福音9: 27_31两个瞎子得医治

27 耶稣从那里往前走,有两个瞎子跟着他,喊叫说:「大卫的子孙,可怜我们吧!」 28 耶稣进了房子,瞎子就来到他跟前,耶稣说:「你们信我能做这事吗?」他们说:「主啊,我们信。」 29 耶稣就摸他们的眼睛,说:「照着你们的信给你们成全了吧!」 30 他们的眼睛就开了。耶稣切切地嘱咐他们,说:「你们要小心,不可叫人知道。」 31 他们出去,竟把他的名声传遍了那地方。

毕德生牧师对这两个瞎子得医治有一个很特别的看法。他说,为什么主耶稣专门医治那些不听祂话的人?叫他们不可叫人知道,他们倒把得医治的事宣扬得人人皆知?

在求医治时,耶稣问他们什么都答得很好,又有信心,又称耶稣为大卫的子孙。耶稣说什么,他们都同意。一旦得了医治,就不记得耶稣说过什么话了。

他这样说,好像在骂人。因为大多数的人都是如此。有事时求耶稣,拜托这个祷告,拜托那个祷告。等他的问题解决了,你再请他来聚会,他连手机都不接了。

瞎子跟随耶稣,因为他们希望得医治;瞎子不听耶稣,因为他们以为眼睛开了,目的己经达到,所以就我行我素了。

Catching More of God’s Vision For His Church

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 8:41-53.  Let’s go!

In today’s passage, as Solomon continues to pray for the newly constructed temple, we catch a glimpse of God’s heart for His church.  Yesterday we learned that God wants His church to be a place of hope for the broken and hurting.  In today’s passage we see four other ways God sees His church.

1 Kings 8:41-43 (NIV) 
41 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name– 
42 for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm–when he comes and prays toward this temple, 
43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name. 

不要怕,只要信

马太福音9: 18_26不要怕,只要信

18 耶稣说这话的时候,有一个管会堂的来拜他,说:「我女儿刚才死了,求你去按手在她身上,她就必活了。」 19 耶稣便起来跟着他去,门徒也跟了去。 20 有一个女人患了十二年的血漏,来到耶稣背后,摸他的衣裳䍁子, 21 因为她心里说:「我只摸他的衣裳,就必痊愈。」 22 耶稣转过来看见她,就说:「女儿,放心!你的信救了你。」从那时候,女人就痊愈了。
23 耶稣到了管会堂的家里,看见有吹手,又有许多人乱嚷, 24 就说:「退去吧!这闺女不是死了,是睡着了。」他们就嗤笑他。 25 众人既被撵出,耶稣就进去,拉着闺女的手,闺女便起来了。 26 于是这风声传遍了那地方。

在马可福音五章和路加福音八章都记载着同样的故事,但有不同的细节,这个来找耶稣的是一个管会堂的,名叫睚鲁。在犹太人的会堂里管会堂的和现在教会里管会堂的定义有点分别。现在教会里管会堂的是指管理和维持建筑物的安全和整齐,当时管会堂的是指有权位的领袖级人物。在路加福音第13章里记载管会堂的指责耶稣在安息日治病。敢指责拉比的人,必然有一定的权位。传说中睚鲁原先并不怎么喜欢耶稣,和法赛人和文士一样觉得耶稣不守律法。但是当他的女儿生病不治时,听到耶稣救活了拿因城寡妇之子,因而痛改前非,来到耶稣面前,俯伏在祂脚前,再三求祂。人的尽头,就是神的开始。

The Church = Where Ordinary People Find Extraordinary Hope

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 8:31-40.  Let’s go!  

1 Kings 8:38-39 (NIV) 
38 and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel–each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple– 
39 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place…

On verses 31-40:  Here Solomon prays that when people in Israel encounter various problems — whether it’s having wronged a neighbour (v31), being defeated by an enemy (v33), suffering from famine (v35) or some other form of disaster or disease (v37) — they will find hope, healing, and help whenever they prayed to God “in this temple” (v31, 33) or even “toward this temple” (v35, 39).  He prays that in each of these cases God would “hear from heaven” (v32, 34, 36, 39, and repeated three more times from verses 41 to 53) and respond with His help and forgiveness.  

新旧难合的比喻

马太福音9: 14_17新旧难合的比喻

14 那时,约翰的门徒来见耶稣,说:「我们和法利赛人常常禁食,你的门徒倒不禁食,这是为什么呢?」 15 耶稣对他们说:「新郎和陪伴之人同在的时候,陪伴之人岂能哀恸呢?但日子将到,新郎要离开他们,那时候他们就要禁食。 16 没有人把新布补在旧衣服上,因为所补上的反带坏了那衣服,破的就更大了。 17 也没有人把新酒装在旧皮袋里,若是这样,皮袋就裂开,酒漏出来,连皮袋也坏了。唯独把新酒装在新皮袋里,两样就都保全了。」

有一位神学院教授说:「耶稣的学生,跟随三年,还是听不太懂老师的话,因为他们被犹太传统框架,遮蔽了双眼。而我是第一代基督徒,跟随耶稣多年,我发现阅读圣经也是有很多不懂,因为我有华人儒家文化、民间信仰的框架。跨文化成功时,阅读圣经越来越有趣~」

当施洗约翰听到耶稣的一些作风时,他也不明白为何耶稣和他们的作法不同。施洗约翰是个内心诚实,十分敬虔的人;法利赛人也是宗教界比较敬虔的人,他们都有共同的价值观和原则,要常常禁食以表示敬虔。施洗约翰是耶稣的表兄,曾经为耶稣施洗,相信耶稣是神所差来的。可是在他努力观察之后,他不明白,怎么耶稣的作风和他们不一样呢?