馬太福音22:34-40

 

22:34 法利賽人聽見耶穌堵住了撒都該人的口，他們就聚集。
22:35 內中有一個人是律法師，要試探耶穌，就問他說：
22:36 「夫子，律法上的誡命，哪一條是最大的呢？」
22:37 耶穌對他說：「你要盡心、盡性、盡意愛主─你的上帝。
22:38 這是誡命中的第一，且是最大的。
22:39 其次也相倣，就是要愛人如己。
22:40 這兩條誡命是律法和先知一切道理的總綱。」

 

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[c] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[d] 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

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    當法利賽人問主耶穌：「夫子，律法上的誡命，哪一條是最大的呢？」

 

    主耶穌回答：「你要盡心、盡性、盡意愛主─你的上帝。這是誡命中的第一，且是最大的。其次也相倣，就是要愛人如己。這兩條誡命是律法和先知一切道理的總綱。」

 

    主耶穌這樣的回答是提醒他們，平常猶太人每天唸誦的三段聖經經文：申命記6章4-9節、11章13-21節和民數記15章37-41節。就已經說明了什麼是最大的誡命了，還需要問嗎？

 

    由主耶穌的回答，我們知道信仰實踐最重要的兩件是，就是愛上帝和愛人，我們都要銘刻在心，努力實行！

 

 

馬太福音22:15-22

 

22:15 當時，法利賽人出去商議，怎樣就著耶穌的話陷害他，
22:16 就打發他們的門徒同希律黨的人去見耶穌，說：「夫子，我們知道你是誠實人，並且誠誠實實傳上帝的道，甚麼人你都不徇情面，因為你不看人的外貌。
22:17 請告訴我們，你的意見如何？納稅給凱撒可以不可以？」
22:18 耶穌看出他們的惡意，就說：「假冒為善的人哪，為甚麼試探我？
22:19 拿一個上稅的錢給我看！」他們就拿一個銀錢來給他。
22:20 耶穌說：「這像和這號是誰的？」
22:21 他們說：「是凱撒的。」耶穌說：「這樣，凱撒的物當歸給凱撒；上帝的物當歸給上帝。」
22:22 他們聽見就希奇，離開他走了。

 

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax^[a] to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

 

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    希律黨黨員是希律王朝的御用黨，以及一班擁護者。他們融合希臘人與猶太教的教訓而宣稱彌賽亞的國度已應驗在希律王朝裡。他們見耶穌所傳屬靈天國的道與他們的利益相抵觸，就聯合猶太人圖謀害耶穌。

 

    正如他們要讓主耶穌落入他們的圈套，就質問主耶穌：「夫子，我們知道你是誠實人，並且誠誠實實傳上帝的道，甚麼人你都不徇情面，因為你不看人的外貌。請告訴我們，你的意見如何？納稅給凱撒可以不可以？」

 

    然而主耶穌用智慧將他們的詰問化解了，使他們啞口無言。

 

    我們從主耶穌受到詰問的處理方式，學習到不要慌張，要等候聖靈的作為，聖靈必定會將合適的話語賜給我們，使我們可以靠主勝過那些故意刁難我們的人，正如主耶穌勝過一般！

 

 

馬太福音22:1-14

 

22:1 耶穌又用比喻對他們說：
22:2 「天國好比一個王為他兒子擺設娶親的筵席，
22:3 就打發僕人去，請那些被召的人來赴席，他們卻不肯來。
22:4 王又打發別的僕人，說：『你們告訴那被召的人，我的筵席已經預備好了，牛和肥畜已經宰了，各樣都齊備，請你們來赴席。』
22:5 那些人不理就走了；一個到自己田裡去；一個做買賣去；
22:6 其餘的拿住僕人，凌辱他們，把他們殺了。
22:7 王就大怒，發兵除滅那些兇手，燒燬他們的城。
22:8 於是對僕人說：『喜筵已經齊備，只是所召的人不配。
22:9 所以你們要往岔路口上去，凡遇見的，都召來赴席。』
22:10 那些僕人就出去，到大路上，凡遇見的，不論善惡都召聚了來，筵席上就坐滿了客。
22:11 王進來觀看賓客，見那裡有一個沒有穿禮服的，
22:12 就對他說：『朋友，你到這裡來怎麼不穿禮服呢？』那人無言可答。
22:13 於是王對使喚的人說：『捆起他的手腳來，把他丟在外邊的黑暗裡；在那裡必要哀哭切齒了。』
22:14 因為被召的人多，選上的人少。」

 

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

⁴ “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

 

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    你看重主耶穌的福音嗎？福音就像這個比喻所說的，是王子的婚禮。雖然國王很熱心地為王子辦婚，也邀請許多人來參加，但是被邀請的人不看重，他們的反應是：「那些人不理就走了；一個到自己田裡去；一個做買賣去；其餘的拿住僕人，凌辱他們，把他們殺了。」

 

    這是多麼不尊重的行為啊！以致國王發怒了，於是有所作為，就像聖經所說：「王就大怒，發兵除滅那些兇手，燒燬他們的城。」

 

    然而宴席都準備好，卻不能沒有客人，主人還是要僕人去邀請人來參加宴席。但是差強人意的是，是有人沒有穿禮服，被趕出宴席之外。

 

    所以，一個人要能享受福音的好處，首先需要有上帝的呼召，其次要準備好自己。當然上帝的呼召是出於上帝的恩典與憐憫；而準備好的人，是有聖靈的啟示，知道一定要信靠主耶穌，尊主為大，看耶穌基督為至寶！

 

    也因此，一個蒙上帝揀選的人，必定是被上帝呼召與聖靈動工的人！

 

 

列王紀下6:24-33

 

6:24 此後，亞蘭王便‧哈達聚集他的全軍，上來圍困撒馬利亞。
6:25 於是撒馬利亞被圍困，有饑荒，甚至一個驢頭值銀八十舍客勒，二升鴿子糞值銀五舍客勒。
6:26 一日，以色列王在城上經過，有一個婦人向他呼叫說：「我主，我王啊！求你幫助。」
6:27 王說：「耶和華不幫助你，我從何處幫助你？是從禾場，是從酒醡呢？」
6:28 王問婦人說：「你有甚麼苦處？」她回答說：「這婦人對我說：『將你的兒子取來，我們今日可以吃，明日可以吃我的兒子。』
6:29 我們就煮了我的兒子吃了。次日我對她說：『要將你的兒子取來，我們可以吃。』她卻將她的兒子藏起來了。」
6:30 王聽見婦人的話，就撕裂衣服；（王在城上經過）百姓看見王貼身穿著麻衣。
6:31 王說：「我今日若容沙法的兒子以利沙的頭仍在他項上，願上帝重重地降罰與我！」
6:32 那時，以利沙正坐在家中，長老也與他同坐。王打發一個伺候他的人去；他還沒有到，以利沙對長老說：「你們看這兇手之子，打發人來斬我的頭；你們看著使者來到，就關上門，用門將他推出去。在他後頭不是有他主人腳步的響聲嗎？」
6:33 正說話的時候，使者來到，王也到了，說：「這災禍是從耶和華那裡來的，我何必再仰望耶和華呢？」

 

²⁴ Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. ²⁵ There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels^[a] of silver, and a quarter of a cab^[b] of seed pods^[c] for five shekels.^[d]

²⁶ As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”

²⁷ The king replied, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?” ²⁸ Then he asked her, “What’s the matter?”

She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ ²⁹ So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him,’ but she had hidden him.”

³⁰ When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and they saw that, under his robes, he had sackcloth on his body. ³¹ He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”

³² Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Don’t you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?” ³³ While he was still talking to them, the messenger came down to him.

The king said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

 

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    許多人面對苦難時，常常把不滿歸到上帝身上，卻沒有去真正檢討原因。正如以色列王約蘭，在亞蘭王便‧哈達聚集他的全軍上來圍困撒馬利亞的時候，使得撒馬利亞有饑荒。竟然不去和亞蘭王征戰，反而來怪上帝並且要殺害先知以利沙！

 

    更讓人難過的是，他竟然說：「這災禍是從耶和華那裡來的，我何必再仰望耶和華呢？」王這樣的表現，讓我們感受到：不敬畏耶和華的人，真的是沒有智慧！雖然貴為君王，也是讓人覺得他真的與他的身分不對稱。

 

    求主幫助我們，讓我們不要在苦難中亂了方寸，說了得罪上帝的話，而破壞了與上帝之間的關係！我們在苦難中，更是要仰望上帝、依靠上帝，而不是埋怨上帝！如此，我們才能在上帝的引導與保守下走過苦難的日子，享受真正的平安！