21:28 又說:「一個人有兩個兒子。他來對大兒子說:『我兒,你今天到葡萄園裡去做工。』
21:29 他回答說:『我不去』,以後自己懊悔,就去了。
21:30 又來對小兒子也是這樣說。他回答說:『父啊,我去』,他卻不去。
21:31 你們想,這兩個兒子是哪一個遵行父命呢?」他們說:「大兒子。」耶穌說:「我實在告訴你們,稅吏和娼妓倒比你們先進上帝的國。
21:32 因為約翰遵著義路到你們這裡來,你們卻不信他;稅吏和娼妓倒信他。你們看見了,後來還是不懊悔去信他。」
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
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傳福音的最終目標,並不是要那人公開承認他的信仰,這是其中的一個步驟,最終的目的乃是要叫人獲得得救的確據,叫人知道自己有永生(約翰壹書 5章13節)。但是人何時才能確知他已經得救、已有永生、已被上帝接納、被上帝稱義呢?這往往需要一段漫長的過程。
而救恩的過程是開始於上帝的呼召,完成於人的回應。然而對於當時的猶太人而言,上帝的呼召是透過施洗約翰,因為聖經說到在曠野有一個聲音要人悔改,也就是歸向上帝。
然而面對這樣的呼召,卻如主耶穌所說:「我實在告訴你們,稅吏和娼妓倒比你們先進上帝的國。因為約翰遵著義路到你們這裡來,你們卻不信他;稅吏和娼妓倒信他。你們看見了,後來還是不懊悔去信他。」
這裡也讓我們看見「信」就是回應上帝的呼召,也因此聖經不斷的強調:「因信稱義!」
當然使人可以稱義的信,是來自上帝的恩典,因為信是得恩的路徑,但是真正讓人得拯救是因為上帝的作為,也因為這樣,我們要將榮耀歸給上帝!
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