使徒行傳23:1-11

 

23:1 保羅定睛看著公會的人，說：「弟兄們，我在上帝面前行事為人都是憑著良心，直到今日。」
23:2 大祭司亞拿尼亞就吩咐旁邊站著的人打他的嘴。
23:3 保羅對他說：「你這粉飾的牆，上帝要打你！你坐堂為的是按律法審問我，你竟違背律法，吩咐人打我嗎？」
23:4 站在旁邊的人說：「你辱罵上帝的大祭司嗎？」
23:5 保羅說：「弟兄們，我不曉得他是大祭司；經上記著說：『不可毀謗你百姓的官長。』」
23:6 保羅看出大眾一半是撒都該人，一半是法利賽人，就在公會中大聲說：「弟兄們，我是法利賽人，也是法利賽人的子孫。我現在受審問，是為盼望死人復活。」
23:7 說了這話，法利賽人和撒都該人就爭論起來，會眾分為兩黨。
23:8 因為撒都該人說，沒有復活，也沒有天使和鬼魂；法利賽人卻說，兩樣都有。
23:9 於是大大地喧嚷起來。有幾個法利賽黨的文士站起來爭辯說：「我們看不出這人有甚麼惡處，倘若有鬼魂或是天使對他說過話，怎麼樣呢？」
23:10 那時大起爭吵，千夫長恐怕保羅被他們扯碎了，就吩咐兵丁下去，把他從眾人當中搶出來，帶進營樓去。
23:11 當夜，主站在保羅旁邊，說：「放心吧！你怎樣在耶路撒冷為我作見證，也必怎樣在羅馬為我作見證。」

 

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” ² At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’^[a]”

⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” ⁷ When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

 

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    保羅雖然為主的緣故，受到猶大高層的壓迫，讓人覺得無可奈何！然而主耶穌並沒有放棄他，當夜，主站在保羅旁邊，說：「放心吧！你怎樣在耶路撒冷為我作見證，也必怎樣在羅馬為我作見證。」

 

    作者將保羅受逼迫的經歷詳實地寫下，讓我們也有效法的對象；尤其是我們遇到類似的狀況時，我們不會因為群眾的壓力而軟弱，心裡仍然堅信上帝的保守，就不會慌亂！

 

    而保羅的經歷也提醒我們，我們信靠主耶穌不是追求安逸的日子，而是要背十字架、要付代價。也因為這樣，我們更是要堅心倚靠者，且只有主是可靠的，其他的不可靠，也不可靠！我們信主耶穌是為了在上帝的審判台前站立得住，因為上帝透過耶穌基督所付出的來拯救我們，讓我們感受他的大愛！