馬可福音4:1-20

 

4:1 耶穌又在海邊教訓人。有許多人到他那裡聚集，他只得上船坐下。船在海裡，眾人都靠近海，站在岸上。
4:2 耶穌就用比喻教訓他們許多道理。在教訓之間，對他們說：
4:3 「你們聽啊！有一個撒種的出去撒種。
4:4 撒的時候，有落在路旁的，飛鳥來吃盡了；
4:5 有落在土淺石頭地上的，土既不深，發苗最快，
4:6 日頭出來一曬，因為沒有根，就枯乾了；
4:7 有落在荊棘裡的，荊棘長起來，把它擠住了，就不結實；
4:8 又有落在好土裡的，就發生長大，結實有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的」；
4:9 又說：「有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」
4:10 無人的時候，跟隨耶穌的人和十二個門徒問他這比喻的意思。
4:11 耶穌對他們說：「上帝國的奧祕只叫你們知道，若是對外人講，凡事就用比喻，
4:12 叫他們看是看見，卻不曉得；聽是聽見，卻不明白；恐怕他們回轉過來，就得赦免。」
4:13 又對他們說：「你們不明白這比喻嗎？這樣怎能明白一切的比喻呢？
4:14 撒種之人所撒的就是道。
4:15 那撒在路旁的，就是人聽了道，撒但立刻來，把撒在他心裡的道奪了去。
4:16 那撒在石頭地上的，就是人聽了道，立刻歡喜領受，
4:17 但他心裡沒有根，不過是暫時的，及至為道遭了患難，或是受了逼迫，立刻就跌倒了。
4:18 還有那撒在荊棘裡的，就是人聽了道，
4:19 後來有世上的思慮、錢財的迷惑，和別樣的私慾進來，把道擠住了，就不能結實。
4:20 那撒在好地上的，就是人聽道，又領受，並且結實，有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。」

 

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

 

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    主耶穌用田地來代表人心，用種子代表福音的道。種子在田裡當然會發芽、成長、開花並結穗，等到種子成熟的時候，就可以收割！人領受福音的道以後，也會如此，然後有一天要使人有所收穫。

 

    說到耕種和收成的關係，就會想到有一句話：「要怎麼收，就要怎麼栽！」當然撒的種也很重要，正如保羅說：「不要自欺，上帝是輕慢不得的。人種的是甚麼，收的也是甚麼。」（加拉太書6:7）

 

    因此要備好田、撒好種，才會有好收成，有好收成才會有幸福的人生！然而在上帝的計畫，是要讓上帝國完全實現，使上帝的名得著稱讚和榮耀，正如以弗所書1章14節所說：「這聖靈是我們得基業的憑據（原文是質），直等到上帝之民（民：原文是產業）被贖，使他的榮耀得著稱讚。」

 

    正如許多人是為了解決自己的人生問題被邀請來信靠主耶穌，然而人從來沒有思考上帝為何要拯救我們？以至於我們常常再傳一個扭曲的福音，認為人就是要靠著信仰來追求自己的幸福！除非有一天被聖靈感動，知道我們不僅是為今生的幸福而活，更使要為永世上帝的榮耀而活，上帝要將自己的工作在我們身上，使我們可以讓上帝的榮耀得著稱讚，讓世人和天使以及一切所造之物，感受到上帝的榮耀從他所救贖的人散發出來，就讚美上帝！

 

    同樣意這樣的看見回頭看撒種的比喻，我們可以說心田和種子都是上帝所預備的，我們要為自己能夠信靠主耶穌並在聖經中的認識日日進步，來感謝主！一切都是上帝的恩典，使我們不只是有福音種子，更有好的心田，並且有上帝國完全實現的盼望天天激勵我們，使我們身邊的人也因為上帝在我們身上的作為，同蒙恩澤，一起來讚美上帝的榮耀！