3:1 凱撒提庇留在位第十五年,本丟•彼拉多作猶太巡撫,希律作加利利分封的王,他兄弟腓力作以土利亞和特拉可尼地方分封的王,呂撒聶作亞比利尼分封的王,
3:2 亞那和該亞法作大祭司。那時,撒迦利亞的兒子約翰在曠野裡,上帝的話臨到他。
3:3 他就來到約旦河一帶地方,宣講悔改的洗禮,使罪得赦。
3:4 正如先知以賽亞書上所記的話,說:在曠野有人聲喊著說:預備主的道,修直他的路!
3:5 一切山窪都要填滿;大小山岡都要削平!彎彎曲曲的地方要改為正直;高高低低的道路要改為平坦!
3:6 凡有血氣的,都要見上帝的救恩!
In the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of
Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias
tetrarch of Abilene— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word
of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the
country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the
prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’
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一般人都喜歡到人多的地方,甚至於教會也大多建立在熱鬧的地區,但是上帝卻藉由一個住在曠野(也就是人煙稀少的沙漠地方)的人,將祂的救恩信息傳揚出來。
因此,傳道的人不要擔心人多人少,只要忠心的傳講上帝的話語,讓上帝的話語被人聽見,即使是在荒郊野地,也是會使人來到那個地方,就是要聽見上帝的話語。
懇求上帝好好使用我,讓我像施洗約翰一樣,發出曠野之聲,讓人聽見上帝的話,預備自己來迎接基督成為他心中的主,生命的王!