马太福音13: 53_58被人厌弃
53 耶稣说完了这些比喻，就离开那里， 54 来到自己的家乡，在会堂里教训人，甚至他们都稀奇，说：「这人从哪里有这等智慧和异能呢？ 55 这不是木匠的儿子吗？他母亲不是叫马利亚吗？他弟兄们不是叫雅各、约西、西门、犹大吗？ 56 他妹妹们不是都在我们这里吗？这人从哪里有这一切的事呢？」 57 他们就厌弃他。耶稣对他们说：「大凡先知，除了本地、本家之外，没有不被人尊敬的。」 58 耶稣因为他们不信，就在那里不多行异能了。
当耶稣回到家乡教训人时，家乡的人都很稀奇耶稣的智慧和异能，这是一个很正面的反应。但是这个正面的反应为何一下子就受到冲击呢？因为家乡人想起了耶稣的出身。而耶稣并没有拿出哈佛或剑桥的博士文凭给他们看，所以他们在一知半解的情况下就否定耶稣了。
所以这是人的矛盾，耳里听到的是神奇妙的智慧，但理智上却又要以先入为主的看法去判断人。就好像人期待永生，追求永生，但是当他们听到奇妙的福音能带给他们永远的生命时，他们就以天下没有白吃的午餐和其他理由去否定福音，然后回头去拜没有生命，也不能给他们永生的偶像。
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:41-53. Let’s go!
On verses 41-51: In these verses we see two kings — King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahaziah of Israel. These two kings were polar opposites. Jehoshaphat loved God, did what was right in God’s eyes and would go onto a long 25 year reign and become one of Judah’s greatest kings. In contrast, Ahaziah worshiped idols, provoked the Lord to anger, and had only 2 years to reign as king in Israel. However, Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah both had one thing in common: each followed in his father’s footsteps. Notice what it says about Jehoshaphat:
“In everything he walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them” (v43)
and about Ahaziah: “…he walked in the ways of his father and mother…He served and worshiped Baal and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.
For better or for worse, both Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah followed in their fathers’ footsteps!
马太福音13: 47_52撒网的比喻
47 「天国又好像网撒在海里，聚拢各样水族。 48 网既满了，人就拉上岸来，坐下，拣好的收在器具里，将不好的丢弃了。 49 世界的末了也要这样。天使要出来，从义人中把恶人分别出来， 50 丢在火炉里，在那里必要哀哭切齿了。」
51 耶稣说：「这一切的话你们都明白了吗？」他们说：「我们明白了。」 52 他说：「凡文士受教做天国的门徒，就像一个家主从他库里拿出新旧的东西来。」
英国著名的布道家司布真，有一天晚上做了一个梦，梦见到了天门外，看见一群光明又荣耀的圣者，排队高举大旗，且走且唱，进入天门内。他们一进去，司布真就听到里面有欢呼赞美的声音来欢迎他们。他问天使：『这些人是谁？以致天堂里的人如此欢迎他们？』天使回答：『他们是古代的先知。』司布真说：『可惜！我不是先知，不配和他们一同进去』。
过了一阵子，又有一队服饰像从前的人，也进入天门，门内照样欢迎他们，他又查问。天使答：『他们是古代的圣徒。』司布真又自叹：『我不是古代圣徒，不配和他们一同进去』。过不多时，又来一队，是古代的殉道者，司布真也不敢和他们一同进入天门。
最后，有一队比前三队的人还多，其中有两人司布真认得，一个是用香膏抹主的女人，一个是与主同钉的强盗。司布真以为这一队进天门，必定没有动静。没想到天门里的欢呼声，比前面三队还大七倍。
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:29-40. Let’s go!
1 Kings 22:30 (NIV)
30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
On verses 29-40: King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah get ready to fight the King of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. Knowing that the Lord’s prophets had prophesied that he would die instead of the King of Aram (e.g. 1 Kings 20:42), King Ahab disguises himself so that people cannot readily recognize him to be the king. Despite that, “someone” (we don’t know who — it could have been an Aramean, and it also could have been a newbie Israelite soldier) draws his bow at random and ends up hitting King Ahab, wounding him fatally. The king dies and dogs lick up his blood, just as the prophet Elijah had predicted (1 Kings 21:19).
What can we learn from this? You can try to run from God, but you can’t hide from Him.
马太福音13: 44_46藏宝于田与寻珠的比喻
44 「天国好像宝贝藏在地里，人遇见了就把它藏起来，欢欢喜喜地去变卖一切所有的，买这块地。
45 「天国又好像买卖人寻找好珠子， 46 遇见一颗重价的珠子，就去变卖他一切所有的，买了这颗珠子。
昨天4月21日是世界各地基督徒庆祝复活节的主日，但是在Sri Lanka斯里兰卡有三间教堂被攻击。据「敞开的门」（Open Door）在当地的同工表示，对这个国家的基督徒而言，原本欢欣快乐的复活节变成一个令人心碎的时刻。斯里兰卡基督徒遭受迫害多是来自于社区，基督教会经常成为邻居的目标，反复有暴力、抗议和教堂遭袭击事件，特别是在农村地区。据斯里兰卡国家基督教福音派联盟（National Christian Evangelical Alliance）表示，基督徒被攻击的事件急速增加，包括经常有暴徒的暴力袭击。然而，在生命受到威胁的情况下，当地基督徒仍然勇敢一同敬拜主。此时，还没有人声称对这些攻击负责。当地同工呼吁，请为当地所有受害者、受伤者祷告，同时为那些因此而心碎的家庭祷告。
从耶稣被钉十字架以来，基督徒就不断地受逼迫。经过了两千多年，各地逼迫依然不断扩展，但是“在生命受到威胁的情况下，基督徒仍然勇敢一同敬拜主”的情况也依然持续发生。
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:13-28. Let’s go!
1 Kings 22:13-14 (NIV)
13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”
14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me.”
On verses 13-14: Despite pressure to just say what the king wants to hear, Micaiah the prophet refuses to give any “prophecy” unless Micaiah truly believes it is from God. Micaiah had integrity. He understood his role as God’s prophet was not to please people and to speak whatever they want to hear, but to please God and to communicate God’s heart and mind to the people. Like Micaiah, may you be a man/woman of integrity and a lover of truth, seeking to please God over and above people.
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:1-12. Let’s go!
1 Kings 22:1-3 (NIV)
1 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel.
2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel.
3 The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?”
On verses 1-3: For years Israel and Aram had been at war with one another. Then God gave Israel an amazing victory over Aram. However, in the heat of victory, instead of executing Ben-Hadad King of Aram and disabling the Arameans as a future threat, King Ahab signed an economic treaty with the Arameans and let their king go free (1 Kings 20:30-34).
马太福音13: 33_35面酵的比喻
33 他又对他们讲个比喻说：「天国好像面酵，有妇人拿来藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来。」 34 这都是耶稣用比喻对众人说的话，若不用比喻，就不对他们说什么。 35 这是要应验先知的话说：「我要开口用比喻，把创世以来所隐藏的事发明出来。」
这个比喻只有一节经文，但是却至少有四种不同的解释，可见人与人之间的看法真的很不一样。所以当我们在一起查经时，有了不同的见解要怎样处理呢？我个人认为最好就是大家都安静下来，先把争论放到一边，继续看主怎么说。因为没有人是完全的，只有主知道祂讲这个比喻的意思。有一天我们都会明白，恍然大悟，所以何必争在此时，反而破坏了在主里那种和平学习的情绪。
第一种解释认为耶稣在这章里所讲的比喻主题是一致的，都是讲到天国的发展，所以拿面酵来比喻天国在世上的隐藏渗透力。至于酵在圣经里并不一定是负面的用法，在〈利未记〉里有酵的饼也可以献给神作为初熟的供物，例如：为感谢而献上平安祭，可以用有酵的饼，与供物一同献上，供祭司与献祭者一同享用（利7：13-14；何4：5）。又如在五旬节时，将新素祭献给神，要拿细面加酵，烤成两个摇祭的饼，当作初熟之物献给神（利23:17）。天国的发展过程，就像发酵的过程，开始时规模很小，过了一段时间，渐渐扩展开来，直到全团发起；就像从主耶稣在地上的工作开始，渐渐扩张，随着历史的发展，直到末世，才完全成就。
马太福音13: 31_32芥菜种的比喻
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。」
对许多基督徒而言，不能明白「芥菜」如何能长成一棵树？尤其是广东人；因为有俗谚说：「十月火归脏，不离芥菜汤」。在一般南方人的认知中，芥菜是青菜类，不会长大变成大树。
圣经中的「芥菜种」，是当初翻译圣经的译者为中国北方人，而当地不产芥菜，因不了解，没想到造成误会。事实上，圣经所说的芥菜，乃是「芥 子菜」(mustard)，即用来制造 「芥酱」(一般港式茶楼所用黄色辣酱）的原料。这种芥子菜的种子和无花果的子一样小。在以色列地方，可长成一棵高过人的树，甚至到八尺、十尺。
芥菜种，原文为SINAPI，可以音译为「辛辣鼻」（黄色芥末）。当时犹太人有这样的谚语，每说到一件事情微小时，便说「一粒芥菜种」，等于中国人所说的「芝麻绿豆」一样。
主耶稣以芥菜种比喻信心的微小，但这微小的信心是可以长大的，甚至可以把大山移开。我们不怕信心小，最怕没有信心。
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 21:15-29. Let’s go!
1 Kings 21:25-29 (NIV)
25 (There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife.
26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.)
27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.
28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite:
29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”
On verses 15-24: Having murdered Naboth, at Jezebel’s urging Ahab takes possession of Naboth’s vineyard. God sends Elijah to speak a word of retribution against Ahab for the way he murdered Naboth and stole his vineyard.
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