首先，講到了不要離棄神的誡命而拘守人的傳統，我們看到耶穌對法利賽人是瞎子的評價是一致的，並討論這個字G5091應是如何的尊敬，也提到了孝順和孝敬的區別，我們要遵循聖經的教導。第二，耶穌說各樣的食物都是潔淨的，我們也解釋了一個和使徒行傳中有關食物的明顯矛盾，知道使徒行傳中那一段的敍述是不對的，因為聖靈的話絕對不會和耶穌所說的不合。第三，我們談到了遙治有信心的希臘婦人的小女兒。最後我們講到耶穌治癒一個耳聾舌結的人。

1. 不要離棄神的誡命而拘守人的傳統

       「有法利賽人和幾個文士從耶路撒冷來，到耶穌那裏聚集。他們曾看見他的門徒中有人用俗手，就是沒有洗的手吃飯。（原來法利賽人和猶太人都拘守古人的遺傳，若不仔細洗手就不吃飯；從市上來，若不洗浴也不吃飯，還有好些別的規矩，他們歷代拘守，就是洗杯、罐、銅器等物。）法利賽人和文士問他說：「你的門徒為甚麼不照古人的遺傳，用俗手吃飯呢？」耶穌說：「以賽亞指着你們假冒為善之人所說的預言是不錯的。如經上說：『這百姓用嘴唇尊敬(G5091)我，心卻遠離我。他們將人的吩咐當作道理教導人，所以拜我也是枉然。』你們是離棄神的誡命，拘守人的遺傳(傳統, tradition, G3862)。」 又說：「你們誠然是廢棄神的誡命，要守自己的遺傳。摩西說：『當孝敬(G5091)父母』，又說：『咒罵父母的，必治死他。』你們倒說：『人若對父母說：我所當奉給你的，已經作了各耳板』（各耳板就是供獻的意思），以後你們就不容他再奉養父母。這就是你們承接遺傳，廢了神的道。你們還做許多這樣的事。」」(馬可福音 7:1-13)

        同樣的事情在馬太福音 15:1-6 也有簡短的記載，但加上了「假冒為善的人哪！以賽亞指着你們說的預言是不錯的。他說：『這百姓用嘴唇尊敬我，心卻遠離我；他們將人的吩咐當作道理教導人，所以拜我也是枉然。』」耶穌就叫了眾人來，對他們說：「你們要聽，也要明白。入口的不能污穢人，出口的乃能污穢人。」當時，門徒進前來對他說：「法利賽人聽見這話不服，你知道嗎？」耶穌回答說：「凡栽種的物，若不是我天父栽種的，必要拔出來。任憑他們吧！他們是瞎眼領路的；若是瞎子領瞎子，兩個人都要掉在坑裏。」」(馬太福音 15:7-14) 在下面這些經文中說，「同他在那裏的法利賽人聽見這話，就說：「難道我們也瞎了眼嗎？」耶穌對他們說：「你們若瞎了眼，就沒有罪了；但如今你們說『我們能看見』，所以你們的罪還在。」」(約翰福音 9:40-41) 我們看到耶穌對法利賽人是瞎子的評價是一致的。

        馬可福音 7:1-13 對不要離棄神的誡命而拘守人的遺傳說得很清楚，並舉例說明法利賽人是「…承接遺傳，廢了神的道。…」(馬可福音 7:13) 就不多說這點了。在這裏，我們要討論這例子的翻譯中，「摩西說：『當孝敬(G5091)父母』，…」(馬可福音 7:10) 因在前面的「…如經上說：『這百姓用嘴唇尊敬(G5091)我，心卻遠離我。」 (馬可福音 7:6) 兩者是用的同一個字 G5091，但卻有不同的翻譯，所以這個字到底是什麼意思？

        這個字出現了 22  次，如果你看完所有相關的經文，就會發覺這兩節經文說明它的意義很清楚。就是「叫人都尊敬(G5091)子如同尊敬(G5091)父一樣。不尊敬(G5091)子的，就是不尊敬(G5091)差子來的父。」(約翰福音 5:23) 和「務要尊敬(G5091)眾人，親愛教中的弟兄，敬畏神，尊敬(G5091)君王。」(彼得前書 2:17) 因為神有絕對的主權，不會犯錯，所以「彼得、約翰說：「聽從你們，不聽從神，這在神面前合理不合理，你們自己酌量吧！」」(使徒行傳 4:19) 在聽從神的條件下，我們要尊敬(G5091)衆人和君王，所以這個字的翻譯應是如此這般的尊敬。

       和合本的翻譯說：『當孝敬(G5091)父母』，是因為中國傳統說要孝順父母，且倡導「二十四孝」這本書中不對的愚孝，用孝敬這辭是為了和孝順這辭分別出來，會比較好，但我們要了解其真正的涵義，遵循聖經的教導。

2. 各樣的食物都是潔淨的

       「耶穌又叫眾人來，對他們說：「你們都要聽我的話，也要明白：從外面進去的，不能污穢人；惟有從裏面出來的，乃能污穢人。」（有古卷加：有耳可聽的，就應當聽！）耶穌離開眾人，進了屋子，門徒就問他這比喻的意思。耶穌對他們說：「你們也是這樣不明白嗎？豈不曉得凡從外面進入的，不能污穢人，因為不是入他的心，乃是入他的肚腹，又落到茅廁裏。這是說，各樣的食物都是潔淨的。」又說：「從人裏面出來的，那才能污穢人，因為從裏面，就是從人心裏發出惡念、苟合、偷盜、兇殺、姦淫、貪婪、邪惡、詭詐、淫蕩、嫉妒、謗讟、驕傲、狂妄。這一切的惡都是從裏面出來，且能污穢人。」」(馬可福音 7:14-23)

        耶穌說得很清楚，各樣的食物都是潔淨的，這是「因為不是入他的心，乃是入他的肚腹，又落到茅廁裏。…」(馬可福音 7:19) 祂又舉例說明，「…從人裏面出來的，那才能污穢人。」(馬可福音 7:20)這點實在非常清楚。所以保羅說，「我憑着主耶穌確知深信，凡物本來沒有不潔淨的；惟獨人以為不潔淨的，在他就不潔淨了。」(羅馬書 14:14) 又說，「其實食物不能叫神看中我們，因為我們不吃也無損，吃也無益。」(哥林多前書 8:8)

     這和下面這節經文有明顯的矛盾，「因為聖靈和我們定意不將別的重擔放在你們身上，惟有幾件事是不可少的，就是禁戒祭偶像的物和血，並勒死的牲畜和姦淫。這幾件你們若能自己禁戒不犯就好了。 願你們平安！」(使徒行傳 15:28-29) 這節經文是說有不能吃的。但聖經是神所默示的，我們看到這裏默示了明顯的矛盾，是要我們意識到這節經文是人說的，絕對不是從聖靈來的，因為聖靈的話絕對不會和耶穌所說的不合。經文是這麼說，「但保惠師，就是父因我的名所要差來的聖靈，他要將一切的事指教你們，並且要叫你們想起我對你們所說的一切話。」(約翰福音 14:26) 另方面仔細的看這經文，如果門徒百分之百的確定是從聖靈來的，祇要說「聖靈定意」就好，根本不必說「聖靈和我們定意」，所以他們也是就那時所暸解的，制定了這樣的律法。

        其實門徒也不是第一次這樣照那時所暸解的做錯誤決定，我們來看在五旬節之前發生的事情，在約有一百二十名弟兄的聚會中(參使徒行傳 1:15)，那時他們「…選舉兩個人，就是那叫做巴撒巴，又稱呼猶士都的約瑟和馬提亞。眾人就禱告說：「主啊，你知道萬人的心。求你從這兩個人中，指明你所揀選的是誰，叫他得這使徒的位分。這位分猶大已經丟棄，往自己的地方去了。」於是眾人為他們搖籤，搖出馬提亞來，他就和十一個使徒同列。」」(使徒行傳 1:23-26) 所以馬提亞是抽籤來的，並不是像其他 十一個使徒一樣，是耶穌這羔羊親自選的。有人會說，衆人禱告過啊! 是的，但新約沒有說這禱告被應許。禱告被應許會明說的，「基督在肉體的時候既大聲哀哭，流淚禱告，懇求那能救他免死的主，就因他的虔誠蒙了應允。」(希伯來書 5:7)

    反觀保羅，他是在大光中被復活後的耶穌親自揀選的(參使徒行傳 22:6-16)，所以保羅是羔羊的使徒，而馬提亞不是，在新耶路撒冷的「城牆有十二根基，根基上有羔羊十二使徒的名字。」(啓示錄 21:14) 保羅的名字在上面。

       請注意，馬可福音 7:16 是指有古卷加的那一段，「有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」不是每本新約的正文都有。其實沒有也沒關係，因為新約提到同樣的句子多次， 譬如其中之一就在馬太福音 11:15。

3.  遙治有信心的希臘婦人的小女兒

       「耶穌從那裏起身，往推羅、西頓的境內去。進了一家，不願意人知道，卻隱藏不住。當下，有一個婦人，她的小女兒被污鬼附着，聽見耶穌的事，就來俯伏在他腳前。這婦人是希臘人，屬敍利腓尼基族。她求耶穌趕出那鬼，離開她的女兒。耶穌對她說：「讓兒女們先吃飽，不好拿兒女的餅丟給狗吃。」婦人回答說：「主啊，不錯！但是狗在桌子底下也吃孩子們的碎渣兒。」耶穌對她說：「因這句話，你回去吧！鬼已經離開你的女兒了。」她就回家去，見小孩子躺在牀上，鬼已經出去了。」(馬可福音 7:24-30)

       我們又一次看到耶穌時間沒到的時候是採取低恣態，因為「耶穌從那裏起身，往推羅、西頓的境內去。進了一家，不願意人知道，卻隱藏不住。」(馬可福音 7:24) 我們也看到那外邦的婦人很有信心，相信耶穌可以遙遠治癒她那不在的小女兒，即使是她被比作狗，她的信心仍不減，耶穌因她的信心，就遙遠的趕出那在她小女兒身上的污鬼。她是真的相信祂的話，因此回家了，事後才証實果如耶穌所說的。

4. 治癒耳聾舌結的人

       「耶穌又離了推羅的境界，經過西頓，就從低加坡里境內來到加利利海。有人帶着一個耳聾舌結的人來見耶穌，求他按手在他身上。耶穌領他離開眾人，到一邊去，就用指頭探他的耳朵，吐唾沫抹他的舌頭，望天歎息，對他說：「以法大！」就是說：「開了吧！」他的耳朵就開了，舌結也解了，說話也清楚了。耶穌囑咐他們不要告訴人，但他越發囑咐，他們越發傳揚開了。眾人分外希奇，說：「他所做的事都好，他連聾子也叫他們聽見，啞巴也叫他們說話！」」(馬可福音 7:31-37)

       我們看到耶穌並沒有照所求的按手在那人身上，而是用自己的方式治癒了他。聖經沒有說衪為什麼選擇了這方法，猜不來的。我們也看到了衪有使污鬼聽衪的屬靈的權柄，但沒有屬世的權柄，可以支配他們。最後我們看到祂自己「…說：「你們去，把所看見所聽見的事告訴約翰，就是瞎子看見，瘸子行走，長大痲瘋的潔淨，聾子聽見，死人復活，窮人有福音傳給他們。」(路加福音 7:22) 使聾子聽見，啞巴說話，衹是祂工作的一小部份。

(經文除了特別註明外，是基於和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到這網站後要按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。)

First, we looked at the two times Jesus experienced that prophets were not honored in their own country. Second, we mentioned Jesus sending out the twelve apostles, citing previous discussions. Third, here we see clearly record the views of Herod and the crowd, discussing a situation that seems to be obviously contradictory. Fourth, we discussed in detail the death of John the Baptist, and from his example of weakness, we know that even if we know that something is right, we can still fall due to human weakness. Fifth, we briefly described the results of Jesus sending out the twelve apostles. Sixth, on the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes, we also quoted previous discussions, in which we took a combination of the descriptions of the four gospels to restore the scene at that time. Finally, we cited our previous discussion of Jesus and Peter walking on the sea, and saw that after the woman with a hemorrhage touched the fringe of His cloak and was healed, the practice of touching the fringe of His cloak started.

1. Prophets are not honored in their hometown 

“Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.”(Mark 6:1-6)

Although this passage tells us, “…A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”(Mark 6:4), it also emphasizes the importance of faith. Matthew 13:53-58 essentially tells the same story. This is the second time in the Bible that Jesus was disapproved of in his hometown, which happened after His resurrecting Jairus’ daughter.

The first time was when He returned to the place where He grew up. Someone handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and He spoke of “To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”(Luke 4:19) “And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.”(Luke 4:22-24) This happened before the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter, as Luke clearly states, “And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house.”(Luke 8:41) Since the book of Luke is written “…in consecutive order, …”(Luke 1:3), we know that Jesus was not accepted in his home country on at least two occasions. No wonder John says, “For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.”(John 4:44)

From these passages, we can also see why Jesus was not accepted in his home country. His brothers and sisters and the people in his hometown thought they were very familiar with Him. From a human perspective, it was difficult for them to accept that Jesus was different from others. However, people in more distant places would notice what Jesus did.

2. Jesus sending out the twelve apostles

“And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff⁠—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt⁠— but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.”(Mark 6:7-13)

The same incident is recorded in Luke 9:1-6 and Matthew 10:5-16. The record in the book of Luke is similar. We have previously discussed Luke in detail in “3. Jesus sent the twelve apostles” in “1056 Healing a hemorrhage woman, resurrecting a daughter, and sending the twelve -The image of Jesus (11)”. It mentions the book of Matthew and emphasizes that Jesus said in Matthew 10:16. The article says: “Please notice what Jesus said about in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” It was when they were sent to unbelievers. Towards brothers and sisters in Christ, we should behave like what said in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Otherwise, one may be accustomed to be a snake and may become a snake without knowing by himself.” For those interested in this article, please visit the website “https://a-christian-voice.com/” and click on “On spiritual understanding about life.”

3. Herod and the crowd viewpoint about Jesus and John the Baptist

“And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!” For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.”(Mark 6:14-20)

This clearly records the opinions of Herod and the crowd. However, the same incident is only briefly described in Matthew 14:1-5, which says, “Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.”(Matthew 14:5) So there seems to be a clear contradiction here. Did Herod really want to kill him or not? Clearly, we can be sure that Herodias wanted to kill him, but Herod clearly did not fully obey her at the time. That is, “Herod had For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.”(Matthew 14:3) This is because he was afraid of the people, so he only imprisoned John. If Herod truly did not want to kill him, why would he have imprisoned him?

However, the book of Mark describes the interaction between Herod and John. At that time, Herod changed his mind but did not release him. Was it because he wanted to hear more of his speech, or did he not want to offend Herodias, or both? However, this sowed the seeds for the death of John the Baptist, which will be discussed in the next section. The book of Luke also briefly mentions this incident, saying, “So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”(Luke 3:18-20) “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; …From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””(Matthew 4:12-17) He then began to call the apostles. (See Matthew 4:18-25) The Bible clearly states, “When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, …”(Luke 3:23)

4. The death of John the Baptist

“A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee; and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.”(Mark 6:21-29)

These verses clearly describe John the Baptist’s death. Matthew 14:6-12 essentially tells the same story, adding, “His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.”(Matthew 14:12) So Jesus also learned what He needed to know from others, which is a common occurrence for Christians.

John the Baptist must have been very clear about Jesus being the Son of God, for he testified, “John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.””(John 1:32-34) But he was also human, and after being in prison for a long time, he began to have doubts. For example, “Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?””(Matthew 11:2-3) “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.””(Matthew 11:4-6) The Bible does not record John stumbling again before his death. So even though we know clearly that something is right, we can still stumble due to human weakness. The Lord, knowing our weakness, has left us a way out: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) How can we not repent?

Some may ask, since John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, couldn’t God have protected him from such a beheading and allowed him to live on earth? No, God’s view of death is very different from ours. Although “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.”(Psalm 116:15), when a person has fulfilled his mission, God will take him away. For example, in the Old Testament, there is the example of Moses, “Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated.”(Deuteronomy 34:4-7) In the New Testament, Stephen was the first disciple to be martyred for the Lord, and the Lord stood to welcome him. (See Acts 7:54-60) The apostle Jacob was martyred for the Lord at a young age, but he was glorious. (See Acts 12:2; Luke 22:29-30; Revelation 21:14) Actually, if we must look at this from a positive perspective, John the Baptist lived and died, but he did not experience the typical illness and aging process. The point is, John the Baptist completed his mission, and God has absolute sovereignty in deciding how to take him away.

5. The results of Jesus’ sending out the twelve apostles

“The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”(Mark 6:30-34).

What they did was “…they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.”(Luke 9:6). Upon their return, they reported the results to the Lord. Here we see how Jesus diligently preached the gospel during his three-plus years on earth and even more so, how compassionate he was. The book of Luke also describes the results of Jesus’ sending out the twelve apostles: “When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.”(Luke 9:10). It was there that the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes occurred which will be discussed in the next section.

6. The miracle of the five loaves and two fishes

“When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.”(Mark 6:35-44) 

We have previously discussed this miracle in detail in “1. The miracle of five loaves and two fish” under “1118 Five loaves and two fish, calm wind in sea, and spiritual food – John (6) 1-33”. We quote from the article: “The miracle of the five loaves and two fishes is obviously a major miracle. It is found in all four Gospels. We must read the four Gospels together to restore the scene at that time. Now we will focus on the Gospel of John and refer to the other Gospels when needed. In other words, we take a union of descriptions from the four Gospels.” Please use the previous method to find this article.

7. Jesus and Peter walking on the sea

“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened. When they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. When they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, and ran about that whole country and began to carry here and there on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was. Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe (G2899) of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.”(Mark 6:45-56)

Here, only Jesus’ walking on the sea is mentioned; Peter’s walking on the sea is mentioned only in the book of Matthew. Previously, in “1038 Walking on the sea with a testimony, and healing a born blind,” we discussed in detail the miracle of Jesus and Peter walking on the sea in “1. The miracle of walking on the sea: the fifth miracle in the book of the Gospel of John.” Please follow the previous method to find this article.

The second passage discusses the events in Gennesaret, where we see His mercy and grace. Here we come to the word fringe (G2899), which only appears five times, but the meaning is clear in this verse, “But they (the scribes and Pharisees) do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels (G2899) of their garments.”(Matthew 23:5) This is based on the Old Testament, “Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels (H6734)  on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel (H6734) of each corner a cord of blue.”(Numbers 15:38) This word H6734 only appears four times in the Strong’s Concordance. Its meaning is very clear, “It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God.”(Numbers 15:39-40) The only application is in this verse, “He stretched out the form of a hand and caught me by a lock (H6734) of my head; …”(Ezekiel 8:3) We are not paying special attention to this word because it appears infrequently. Rather, we see that the New Testament uses this word after the woman with a hemorrhage touched the tassel of His garment and was healed (see Matthew 9:20-22). From then on, we have the phrase, “and they implored Him that they might just touch the fringe (G2899) of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured.”(Matthew 14:36). Someone said that the woman with a hemorrhage only touched the blue cord on the fringe (G2899), which seems reasonable, but the Bible refers to the fringe (G2899) of His cloak, so don’t speculate.

(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

    首先我们来看耶稣经历过两次，先知在本地是没有人尊敬的。第二，我们提到了耶稣差遣十二使徒，引用了以前的讨论。第三，这里清楚的记载了希律和众人的看法，讨论了一个好像明显矛盾的情况。第四，我们详细讨论了施洗约翰之死，而且从他也会软弱的例子，就知道我们虽然明知道对的一件事，还是会因人的软弱而跌倒的。 第五，我们简短的叙述了耶稣差遣十二使徒的成果。第六，在五饼二鱼的神迹上，我们也引用了以前的讨论，在其中是取了四本福音书描述的联集，去还原当时的情景。最后，我们引用了以前耶稣和彼得在海上行走的讨论，也看到了血漏的女人摸了祂的衣裳䍁子而得到治愈之后，从此才有了摸著祂的衣裳䍁子就会都好了的事情。

1. 先知在本地是没有人尊敬的       

    「耶稣离开那里，来到自己的家乡，门徒也跟从他。到了安息日，他在会堂里教训人。 众人听见，就甚希奇，说：「这人从哪里有这些事呢？所赐给他的是甚么智慧？他手所做的是何等的异能呢？这不是那木匠吗？不是马利亚的儿子雅各、约西、犹大、西门的长兄吗？他妹妹们不也是在我们这里吗？」他们就厌弃他。耶稣对他们说：「大凡先知，除了本地亲属、本家之外，没有不被人尊敬的。」耶稣就在那里不得行甚么异能，不过按手在几个病人身上，治好他们。他也诧异他们不信，就往周围乡村教训人去了。」(马可福音 6:1-6)       

    这段经文虽然是告诉我们，「…大凡先知，除了本地亲属、本家之外，没有不被人尊敬的。」(马可福音 6:4)，也强调了信的重要。在马太福音 13:53-58 基本上是说同一件事，这是在复活睚鲁的女儿之后，是圣经记载的耶稣第二次在自己的家乡不被人悦纳的事。        

    第一次是当祂回长大的地方，有人把先知以赛亚的书交给衪，衪说到了「报告神悦纳人的禧年。」(路加福音 4:19) 「众人都称赞他，并希奇他口中所出的恩言。又说：「这不是约瑟的儿子吗？」耶稣对他们说：「你们必引这俗语向我说：『医生，你医治自己吧！我们听见你在迦百农所行的事，也当行在你自己家乡里。』」又说：「我实在告诉你们，没有先知在自己家乡被人悦纳的。」」(路加福音 4:22-24) 这是在复活睚鲁的女儿之前发生的事，因在路加福音明说，「有一个管会堂的，名叫睚鲁，来俯伏在耶稣脚前，求耶稣到他家里去。」(路加福音 8:41) 因路加福音写的方式是「…按著次序写…」(路加福音 1:3) 所以我们知道，至少有两次耶稣在家乡不被悦纳， 难怪约翰福音会说，「…耶稣自己作过见证说：「先知在本地是没有人尊敬的。」」 (约翰福音 4:44)        

    从这些经文我们也可以看到耶稣为什么没有在家乡被悦纳，因为弟兄姊妹和家乡的人自以为对耶稣非常熟习，从人的角度看，相当难接受耶稣于众不同，而在较远的地方中，人们会注意到耶稣所做的事。

2. 耶稣差遣十二使徒       

    「耶稣叫了十二个门徒来，差遣他们两个两个地出去，也赐给他们权柄，制伏污鬼，并且嘱咐他们：「行路的时候不要带食物和口袋，腰袋里也不要带钱，除了拐杖以外，甚么都不要带；只要穿鞋，也不要穿两件褂子。」又对他们说：「你们无论到何处，进了人的家，就住在那里，直到离开那地方。何处的人不接待你们，不听你们，你们离开那里的时候，就把脚上的尘土跺下去，对他们作见证。」门徒就出去传道，叫人悔改；又赶出许多的鬼，用油抹了许多病人，治好他们。」(马可福音 6:7-13)       

    同样的事情在路加福音 9:1-6 和马太福音 10:5-16 也都有记载。在路加福音的记载是类似的，以前在「2056 医血漏和睚鲁女儿复活，及差遣十二个门徒  -耶稣的形像(11)」 中的「3. 差遣十二个门徒」，我们详细讨论过路加福音。其中提到马太福音并强调耶稣说，「我差你们去，如同羊进入狼群，所以你们要灵巧像蛇，驯良像鸽子。」(马太福音 10:16) 在文章中是这样说: 这是差遣他们到不信主的人时说的话，对弟兄姊妹是要，『我赐给你们一条新命令，乃是叫你们彼此相爱；我怎样爱你们，你们也要怎样相爱。你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了。』 (约翰福音 13:34-35) 要不习惯了像蛇，会有可能真正的变成了蛇而自己都不知道！对这篇文章有兴趣的人，请到网站『 https://a-christian-voice.com/』，按『对属灵生命的了解』。

3. 希律和众人看耶稣与施洗约翰       

    「耶稣的名声传扬出来。希律王听见了，就说：「施洗的约翰从死里复活了，所以这些异能由他里面发出来。」但别人说：「是以利亚。」 又有人说：「是先知，正像先知中的一位。」希律听见却说：「是我所斩的约翰，他复活了。」先是希律为他兄弟腓力的妻子希罗底的缘故，差人去拿住约翰，锁在监里，因为希律已经娶了那妇人。约翰曾对希律说：「你娶你兄弟的妻子是不合理的。」于是希罗底怀恨他，想要杀他，只是不能。因为希律知道约翰是义人，是圣人，所以敬畏他，保护他，听他讲论，就多照著行，并且乐意听他。」(马可福音 6:14-20)        

    这里清楚的记载了希律和众人的看法，而同样的一件事情，在马太福音 14:1-5 祇有简短的叙述，但说「希律就想要杀他，只是怕百姓，因为他们以约翰为先知。」(马太福音 14:5) 所以这里似乎是有明显的矛盾，到底希律想不要想杀他？很显然的，我们能确定希罗底想要杀他，但希律那时显然没有全听她的，也就是「起先希律为他兄弟腓力的妻子希罗底的缘故，把约翰拿住锁在监里。」(马太福音 14:3) 这是怕百姓，就只把约翰下了监，如果希律真不想杀他，怎么会将约翰下监呢？       

    但在马可福音叙述了希律和约翰的互动，那时希律就改变了主意，但并没有释放他，不知是想多听他讲论，或是不愿得罪希罗底，或是两者？不过这就种下了下节要讨论的施洗约翰之死的原因。       

    路加福音也简短的提到这事，是这样说的，「(施洗)约翰又用许多别的话劝百姓，向他们传福音。只是分封的王希律，因他兄弟之妻希罗底的缘故，并因他所行的一切恶事，受了约翰的责备，又另外添了一件，就是把约翰收在监里。」(路加福音 3:18-20) 「耶稣听见约翰下了监，就退到加利利去；…从那时候，耶稣就传起道来，说：「天国近了，你们应当悔改！」(马太福音 4:12-17) 其后开始了呼召使徒。 (参马太福音 4:18-25) 圣经说得很清楚，「耶稣开头传道，年纪约有三十岁。…」(路加福音 3:23)

4. 施洗约翰之死        

    「有一天，恰巧是希律的生日，希律摆设筵席，请了大臣和千夫长，并加利利作首领的。希罗底的女儿进来跳舞，使希律和同席的人都欢喜。 王就对女子说：「你随意向我求甚么，我必给你。」又对她起誓说：「随你向我求甚么，就是我国的一半，我也必给你！」她就出去对她母亲说：「我可以求甚么呢？」 她母亲说：「施洗约翰的头！」她就急忙进去见王，求他说：「我愿王立时把施洗约翰的头放在盘子里给我。」王就甚忧愁，但因他所起的誓，又因同席的人，就不肯推辞，随即差一个护卫兵，吩咐拿约翰的头来。护卫兵就去，在监里斩了约翰，把头放在盘子里，拿来给女子，女子就给她母亲。约翰的门徒听见了，就来把他的尸首领去，葬在坟墓里。」(马可福音 6:21-29)        

    这些经文清楚的描述了施洗约翰之死，在马太福音 14:6-12 基本上是说同一件事，加上了「约翰的门徒来，把尸首领去埋葬了，就去告诉耶稣。」(马太福音 14:12) 所以耶稣也会从人知道该知道的事，这对基督徒而言，也是常发生的事。       

    施洗约翰应是非常清楚耶稣是神的儿子，因他作见证说：「我曾看见圣灵仿佛鸽子从天降下，住在他的身上。我先前不认识他，只是那差我来用水施洗的，对我说：『你看见圣灵降下来，住在谁的身上，谁就是用圣灵施洗的。』我看见了，就证明这是神的儿子。」(约翰福音 1:32-34) 但他也是人，在监狱久了就会产生疑惑，就是「约翰在监里听见基督所做的事，就打发两个门徒去，问他说：「那将要来的是你吗？还是我们等候别人呢？」」(马太福音 11:2-3) 「耶稣回答说：「你们去，把所听见、所看见的事告诉约翰：就是瞎子看见，瘸子行走，长大痲疯的洁净，聋子听见，死人复活，穷人有福音传给他们。凡不因我跌倒的就有福了。」」(马太福音 11:4-6) 圣经没有记录约翰身前再跌倒过。        

    所以我们虽然明知道对的一件事，还是会因人的软弱而跌倒的，主知道我们的软弱就留给了我们一条后路，「我们若认自己的罪，神是信实的，是公义的，必要赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义。」(约翰一书 1:9) 怎么能不悔改呢？       

    可能有人会问，即然施洗约翰是耶稣的开路先锋，难道神不能保守他不遭到这样的杀头而活在世上吗？不是的，神看死亡是和人大不相同的。 虽是「在耶和华眼中，看圣民之死极为宝贵。」(诗篇 116:15)，但当一个人完成了他的使命，神会接他走的。譬如，在旧约有摩西的例子，「耶和华对他说：「这就是我向亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓应许之地说：『我必将这地赐给你的后裔。』现在我使你眼睛看见了，你却不得过到那里去。」于是，耶和华的仆人摩西死在摩押地，正如耶和华所说的。耶和华将他埋葬在摩押地、伯毗珥对面的谷中，只是到今日没有人知道他的坟墓。摩西死的时候年一百二十岁。眼目没有昏花，精神没有衰败。」(申命记 34:4-7) 在新约，司提反是最早为主殉道的门徒，主是站著欢迎他的。(参使徒行传 7:54-60) 使徙雅各年轻时就为主殉道，却大有荣耀。(参使徒行传 12:2; 路加福音 22:29-30; 启示录 21:14) 其实如果一定要从正面来看这事，施洗约翰有生死，但没有经过一般人的病老过程。重点是，施洗约翰完成了他的使命，神有绝对的主权决定如何接他走。

5. 耶稣差遣十二使徒的成果       

    「使徒聚集到耶稣那里，将一切所做的事，所传的道全告诉他。他就说：「你们来，同我暗暗地到旷野地方去歇一歇。」这是因为来往的人多，他们连吃饭也没有工夫。他们就坐船，暗暗地往旷野地方去。众人看见他们去，有许多认识他们的，就从各城步行，一同跑到那里，比他们先赶到了。耶稣出来，见有许多的人，就怜悯他们，因为他们如同羊没有牧人一般，于是开口教训他们许多道理。」(马可福音 6:30-34)        

    他们所做的事就是「…走遍各乡宣传福音，到处治病。」(路加福音 9:6) 回来后就将结果报告给主听。在这里我们也看到，耶稣是如何的用祂那在地上的三年多时间，勤奋的做宣道的工作，更看到了祂的怜悯。路加福音也说到了耶稣差遣十二使徒的成果，「使徒回来，将所做的事告诉耶稣，耶稣就带他们暗暗地离开那里，往一座城去，那城名叫伯赛大。」(路加福音 9:10) 在那里就有了下节的五饼二鱼神迹。

6. 五饼二鱼的神迹       

    「天已经晚了，门徒进前来，说：「这是野地，天已经晚了，请叫众人散开，他们好往四面乡村里去，自己买甚么吃。」耶稣回答说：「你们给他们吃吧！」 门徒说：「我们可以去买二十两银子的饼，给他们吃吗？」耶稣说：「你们有多少饼，可以去看看。」 他们知道了，就说：「五个饼，两条鱼。」耶稣吩咐他们，叫众人一帮一帮地坐在青草地上。众人就一排一排地坐下，有一百一排的，有五十一排的。耶稣拿著这五个饼，两条鱼，望著天祝福，擘开饼，递给门徒，摆在众人面前，也把那两条鱼分给众人。他们都吃，并且吃饱了。门徒就把碎饼碎鱼收拾起来，装满了十二个篮子。吃饼的男人共有五千。」(马可福音 6:35-44)        

    以前我们在「2118 五饼二鱼, 平静风和海, 及灵粮 – 约(6)1-33」中的「1. 五饼二鱼的神迹」详细的讨论过这神迹，引用其中的话: 「五饼二鱼的神迹显然是一个主要的神迹，在四本福音书都有，我们必须四本福音书一起看才可能还原当时的情景，我们现在就以约翰福音为主而参考其他本的福音书，也就是要取四本福音书描述的联集。」请到『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』的网站后，按『对属灵生命的了解』，找到这篇文章。

7. 耶稣和彼得在海上行走       

    「耶稣随即催门徒上船，先渡到那边伯赛大去，等他叫众人散开。他既辞别了他们，就往山上去祷告。到了晚上，船在海中，耶稣独自在岸上，看见门徒因风不顺，摇橹甚苦。夜里约有四更天，就在海面上走，往他们那里去，意思要走过他们去。但门徒看见他在海面上走，以为是鬼怪，就喊叫起来。因为他们都看见了他，且甚惊慌。 耶稣连忙对他们说：「你们放心，是我，不要怕！」于是到他们那里上了船，风就住了，他们心里十分惊奇。这是因为他们不明白那分饼的事，心里还是愚顽。既渡过去，来到革尼撒勒地方，就靠了岸，一下船，众人认得是耶稣，就跑遍那一带地方，听见他在何处，便将有病的人用褥子抬到那里。凡耶稣所到的地方，或村中，或城里，或乡间，他们都将病人放在街市上，求耶稣只容他们摸他的衣裳䍁子(G2899)，凡摸著的人就都好了。」(马可福音 6:45-56)        

    在这里只说了耶稣在海上行走，在马太福音中才提到了彼得行在海上的事。以前我们在「2038 在海上走和相应的见证、及医治生来是瞎子的」中的「1. 在海面上行走的神迹: 约翰福音的第五个神迹」，我们详细的讨论过耶稣和彼得在海上行走的事，请按照以前的方法找到这篇文章。        

    第二段经文是说到了革尼撒勒地方发生的事，我们看到了祂的怜悯和恩典。在这里我们来看看䍁子(G2899)这个字，它只出现过五次，但意义在这节经文很明显，「他们(文士和法利赛人)一切所做的事都是要叫人看见，所以将佩戴的经文做宽了，衣裳的䍁子(G2899)做长了。」(马太福音 23:5) 这是基于旧约，「你吩咐以色列人，叫他们世世代代在衣服边上做䍁子(H6734)，又在底边的䍁子(H6734)上，钉一根蓝细带子。」(民数记 15:38) 这字H6734在汇编(Strong’s Concordance)中也祇出现了四次。它的意义非常清楚，「你们佩带这䍁子(H6734)，好叫你们看见就记念遵行耶和华一切的命令，不随从自己的心意、眼目行邪淫，像你们素常一样，使你们记念遵行我一切的命令，成为圣洁，归与你们的神。」(民数记 15:39-40) 唯一的应用就在这经文，「他伸出仿佛一只手的样式，抓住我的一绺(H6734)头发，灵就将我举到天地中间，…」(以西结书 8:3) 我们不是因为它出现不多而特别注意这字，而是看到了新约使用这字是在血漏的女人摸了祂的衣裳䍁子而得到治愈之后(参马太福音 9:20-22)，从此才有了，「只求耶稣准他们摸他的衣裳䍁子，摸著的人就都好了。」(马太福音 14:36) 有人说，血漏的妇人只摸到䍁子上的蓝细带子，好像是很合理，但圣经是说䍁子，就不要猜了。

(经文除了特别注明外，是基于和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。)  

       首先我們來看耶穌經歷過兩次，先知在本地是沒有人尊敬的。第二，我們提到了耶穌差遣十二使徒，引用了以前的討論。第三，這裏清楚的記載了希律和衆人的看法，討論了一個好像明顯矛盾的情況。第四，我們詳細討論了施洗約翰之死，而且從他也會軟弱的例子，就知道我們雖然明知道對的一件事，還是會因人的軟弱而跌倒的。 第五，我們簡短的敍述了耶穌差遣十二使徒的成果。第六，在五餅二魚的神蹟上，我們也引用了以前的討論，在其中是取了四本福音書描述的聯集，去還原當時的情景。最後，我們引用了以前耶穌和彼得在海上行走的討論，也看到了血漏的女人摸了祂的衣裳繸子而得到治癒之後，從此才有了摸著祂的衣裳繸子就會都好了的事情。

1. 先知在本地是沒有人尊敬的

       「耶穌離開那裏，來到自己的家鄉，門徒也跟從他。到了安息日，他在會堂裏教訓人。 眾人聽見，就甚希奇，說：「這人從哪裏有這些事呢？所賜給他的是甚麼智慧？他手所做的是何等的異能呢？這不是那木匠嗎？不是馬利亞的兒子雅各、約西、猶大、西門的長兄嗎？他妹妹們不也是在我們這裏嗎？」他們就厭棄他。耶穌對他們說：「大凡先知，除了本地親屬、本家之外，沒有不被人尊敬的。」耶穌就在那裏不得行甚麼異能，不過按手在幾個病人身上，治好他們。他也詫異他們不信，就往周圍鄉村教訓人去了。」(馬可福音 6:1-6)

        這段經文雖然是告訴我們，「…大凡先知，除了本地親屬、本家之外，沒有不被人尊敬的。」(馬可福音 6:4)，也強調了信的重要。在馬太福音 13:53-58 基本上是說同一件事，這是在復活睚魯的女兒之後，是聖經記載的耶穌第二次在自己的家鄉不被人悅納的事。

        第一次是當祂回長大的地方，有人把先知以賽亞的書交給衪，衪說到了「報告神悅納人的禧年。」(路加福音 4:19) 「眾人都稱讚他，並希奇他口中所出的恩言。又說：「這不是約瑟的兒子嗎？」耶穌對他們說：「你們必引這俗語向我說：『醫生，你醫治自己吧！我們聽見你在迦百農所行的事，也當行在你自己家鄉裏。』」又說：「我實在告訴你們，沒有先知在自己家鄉被人悅納的。」」(路加福音 4:22-24) 這是在復活睚魯的女兒之前發生的事，因在路加福音明說，「有一個管會堂的，名叫睚魯，來俯伏在耶穌腳前，求耶穌到他家裏去。」(路加福音 8:41) 因路加福音寫的方式是「…按着次序寫…」(路加福音 1:3) 所以我們知道，至少有兩次耶穌在家鄉不被悅納， 難怪約翰福音會說，「…耶穌自己作過見證說：「先知在本地是沒有人尊敬的。」」 (約翰福音 4:44)

        從這些經文我們也可以看到耶穌為什麼沒有在家鄉被悅納，因為弟兄姊妹和家鄉的人自以為對耶穌非常熟習，從人的角度看，相當難接受耶穌於衆不同，而在較遠的地方中，人們會注意到耶穌所做的事。

2. 耶穌差遣十二使徒

       「耶穌叫了十二個門徒來，差遣他們兩個兩個地出去，也賜給他們權柄，制伏污鬼，並且囑咐他們：「行路的時候不要帶食物和口袋，腰袋裏也不要帶錢，除了枴杖以外，甚麼都不要帶；只要穿鞋，也不要穿兩件褂子。」又對他們說：「你們無論到何處，進了人的家，就住在那裏，直到離開那地方。何處的人不接待你們，不聽你們，你們離開那裏的時候，就把腳上的塵土跺下去，對他們作見證。」門徒就出去傳道，叫人悔改；又趕出許多的鬼，用油抹了許多病人，治好他們。」(馬可福音 6:7-13)

       同樣的事情在路加福音 9:1-6 和馬太福音 10:5-16 也都有記載。在路加福音的記載是類似的，以前在「2056 醫血漏和睚魯女兒復活，及差遣十二個門徒  -耶穌的形像(11)」 中的「3. 差遣十二個門徒」，我們詳細討論過路加福音。其中提到馬太福音並強調耶穌說，「我差你們去，如同羊進入狼羣，所以你們要靈巧像蛇，馴良像鴿子。」(馬太福音 10:16) 在文章中是這樣說: 這是差遣他們到不信主的人時說的話，對弟兄姊妹是要，『我賜給你們一條新命令，乃是叫你們彼此相愛；我怎樣愛你們，你們也要怎樣相愛。你們若有彼此相愛的心，眾人因此就認出你們是我的門徒了。』 (約翰福音 13:34-35) 要不習慣了像蛇，會有可能真正的變成了蛇而自己都不知道！對這篇文章有興趣的人，請到網站『 https://a-christian-voice.com/』，按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。

3. 希律和衆人看耶穌與施洗約翰

       「耶穌的名聲傳揚出來。希律王聽見了，就說：「施洗的約翰從死裏復活了，所以這些異能由他裏面發出來。」但別人說：「是以利亞。」 又有人說：「是先知，正像先知中的一位。」希律聽見卻說：「是我所斬的約翰，他復活了。」先是希律為他兄弟腓力的妻子希羅底的緣故，差人去拿住約翰，鎖在監裏，因為希律已經娶了那婦人。約翰曾對希律說：「你娶你兄弟的妻子是不合理的。」於是希羅底懷恨他，想要殺他，只是不能。因為希律知道約翰是義人，是聖人，所以敬畏他，保護他，聽他講論，就多照着行，並且樂意聽他。」(馬可福音 6:14-20)

        這裏清楚的記載了希律和衆人的看法，而同樣的一件事情，在馬太福音 14:1-5 祇有簡短的敍述，但說「希律就想要殺他，只是怕百姓，因為他們以約翰為先知。」(馬太福音 14:5) 所以這裏似乎是有明顯的矛盾，到底希律想不要想殺他？很顯然的，我們能確定希羅底想要殺他，但希律那時顯然沒有全聽她的，也就是「起先希律為他兄弟腓力的妻子希羅底的緣故，把約翰拿住鎖在監裏。」(馬太福音 14:3) 這是怕百姓，就衹把約翰下了監，如果希律真不想殺他，怎麼會將約翰下監呢？

        但在馬可福音敍述了希律和約翰的互動，那時希律就改變了主意，但並沒有釋放他，不知是想多聽他講論，或是不願得罪希羅底，或是兩者？不過這就種下了下節要討論的施洗約翰之死的原因。

        路加福音也簡短的提到這事，是這樣說的，「(施洗)約翰又用許多別的話勸百姓，向他們傳福音。只是分封的王希律，因他兄弟之妻希羅底的緣故，並因他所行的一切惡事，受了約翰的責備，又另外添了一件，就是把約翰收在監裏。」(路加福音 3:18-20) 「耶穌聽見約翰下了監，就退到加利利去；…從那時候，耶穌就傳起道來，說：「天國近了，你們應當悔改！」(馬太福音 4:12-17) 其後開始了呼召使徒。 (參馬太福音 4:18-25) 聖經說得很清楚，「耶穌開頭傳道，年紀約有三十歲。…」(路加福音 3:23)

4. 施洗約翰之死

        「有一天，恰巧是希律的生日，希律擺設筵席，請了大臣和千夫長，並加利利作首領的。希羅底的女兒進來跳舞，使希律和同席的人都歡喜。 王就對女子說：「你隨意向我求甚麼，我必給你。」又對她起誓說：「隨你向我求甚麼，就是我國的一半，我也必給你！」她就出去對她母親說：「我可以求甚麼呢？」 她母親說：「施洗約翰的頭！」她就急忙進去見王，求他說：「我願王立時把施洗約翰的頭放在盤子裏給我。」王就甚憂愁，但因他所起的誓，又因同席的人，就不肯推辭，隨即差一個護衞兵，吩咐拿約翰的頭來。護衞兵就去，在監裏斬了約翰，把頭放在盤子裏，拿來給女子，女子就給她母親。約翰的門徒聽見了，就來把他的屍首領去，葬在墳墓裏。」(馬可福音 6:21-29)

        這些經文清楚的描述了施洗約翰之死，在馬太福音 14:6-12 基本上是說同一件事，加上了「約翰的門徒來，把屍首領去埋葬了，就去告訴耶穌。」(馬太福音 14:12) 所以耶穌也會從人知道該知道的事，這對基督徒而言，也是常發生的事。

        施洗約翰應是非常清楚耶穌是神的兒子，因他作見證說：「我曾看見聖靈彷彿鴿子從天降下，住在他的身上。我先前不認識他，只是那差我來用水施洗的，對我說：『你看見聖靈降下來，住在誰的身上，誰就是用聖靈施洗的。』我看見了，就證明這是神的兒子。」(約翰福音 1:32-34) 但他也是人，在監獄久了就會產生疑惑，就是「約翰在監裏聽見基督所做的事，就打發兩個門徒去，問他說：「那將要來的是你嗎？還是我們等候別人呢？」」(馬太福音 11:2-3) 「耶穌回答說：「你們去，把所聽見、所看見的事告訴約翰：就是瞎子看見，瘸子行走，長大痲瘋的潔淨，聾子聽見，死人復活，窮人有福音傳給他們。凡不因我跌倒的就有福了。」」(馬太福音 11:4-6) 聖經沒有記錄約翰身前再跌倒過。

        所以我們雖然明知道對的一件事，還是會因人的軟弱而跌倒的，主知道我們的軟弱就留給了我們一條後路，「我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義。」(約翰一書 1:9) 怎麼能不悔改呢？

        可能有人會問，即然施洗約翰是耶穌的開路先鋒，難道神不能保守他不遭到這樣的殺頭而活在世上嗎？不是的，神看死亡是和人大不相同的。 雖是「在耶和華眼中，看聖民之死極為寶貴。」(詩篇 116:15)，但當一個人完成了他的使命，神會接他走的。譬如，在舊約有摩西的例子，「耶和華對他說：「這就是我向亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓應許之地說：『我必將這地賜給你的後裔。』現在我使你眼睛看見了，你卻不得過到那裏去。」於是，耶和華的僕人摩西死在摩押地，正如耶和華所說的。耶和華將他埋葬在摩押地、伯毗珥對面的谷中，只是到今日沒有人知道他的墳墓。摩西死的時候年一百二十歲。眼目沒有昏花，精神沒有衰敗。」(申命記 34:4-7) 在新約，司提反是最早為主殉道的門徒，主是站著歡迎他的。(參使徒行傳 7:54-60) 使徙雅各年輕時就為主殉道，卻大有榮耀。(參使徒行傳 12:2; 路加福音 22:29-30; 啓示錄 21:14) 其實如果一定要從正面來看這事，施洗約翰有生死，但沒有經過一般人的病老過程。重點是，施洗約翰完成了他的使命，神有絕對的主權決定如何接他走。

5. 耶穌差遣十二使徒的成果

       「使徒聚集到耶穌那裏，將一切所做的事，所傳的道全告訴他。他就說：「你們來，同我暗暗地到曠野地方去歇一歇。」這是因為來往的人多，他們連吃飯也沒有工夫。他們就坐船，暗暗地往曠野地方去。眾人看見他們去，有許多認識他們的，就從各城步行，一同跑到那裏，比他們先趕到了。耶穌出來，見有許多的人，就憐憫他們，因為他們如同羊沒有牧人一般，於是開口教訓他們許多道理。」(馬可福音 6:30-34)

        他們所做的事就是「…走遍各鄉宣傳福音，到處治病。」(路加福音 9:6) 回來後就將結果報告給主聽。在這裏我們也看到，耶穌是如何的用祂那在地上的三年多時間，勤奮的做宣道的工作，更看到了祂的憐憫。路加福音也說到了耶穌差遣十二使徒的成果，「使徒回來，將所做的事告訴耶穌，耶穌就帶他們暗暗地離開那裏，往一座城去，那城名叫伯賽大。」(路加福音 9:10) 在那裏就有了下節的五餅二魚神蹟。

6. 五餅二魚的神蹟

       「天已經晚了，門徒進前來，說：「這是野地，天已經晚了，請叫眾人散開，他們好往四面鄉村裏去，自己買甚麼吃。」耶穌回答說：「你們給他們吃吧！」 門徒說：「我們可以去買二十兩銀子的餅，給他們吃嗎？」耶穌說：「你們有多少餅，可以去看看。」 他們知道了，就說：「五個餅，兩條魚。」耶穌吩咐他們，叫眾人一幫一幫地坐在青草地上。眾人就一排一排地坐下，有一百一排的，有五十一排的。耶穌拿着這五個餅，兩條魚，望着天祝福，擘開餅，遞給門徒，擺在眾人面前，也把那兩條魚分給眾人。他們都吃，並且吃飽了。門徒就把碎餅碎魚收拾起來，裝滿了十二個籃子。吃餅的男人共有五千。」(馬可福音 6:35-44)

        以前我們在「2118 五餅二魚, 平靜風和海, 及靈糧 – 約(6)1-33」中的「1. 五餅二魚的神蹟」詳細的討論過這神蹟，引用其中的話: 「五餅二魚的神蹟顯然是一個主要的神蹟，在四本福音書都有，我們必須四本福音書一起看才可能還原當時的情景，我們現在就以約翰福音為主而參考其他本的福音書，也就是要取四本福音書描述的聯集。」請到『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』的網站後，按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』，找到這篇文章。

 7. 耶穌和彼得在海上行走

       「耶穌隨即催門徒上船，先渡到那邊伯賽大去，等他叫眾人散開。他既辭別了他們，就往山上去禱告。到了晚上，船在海中，耶穌獨自在岸上，看見門徒因風不順，搖櫓甚苦。夜裏約有四更天，就在海面上走，往他們那裏去，意思要走過他們去。但門徒看見他在海面上走，以為是鬼怪，就喊叫起來。因為他們都看見了他，且甚驚慌。 耶穌連忙對他們說：「你們放心，是我，不要怕！」於是到他們那裏上了船，風就住了，他們心裏十分驚奇。這是因為他們不明白那分餅的事，心裏還是愚頑。既渡過去，來到革尼撒勒地方，就靠了岸，一下船，眾人認得是耶穌，就跑遍那一帶地方，聽見他在何處，便將有病的人用褥子抬到那裏。凡耶穌所到的地方，或村中，或城裏，或鄉間，他們都將病人放在街市上，求耶穌只容他們摸他的衣裳繸子(G2899)，凡摸着的人就都好了。」(馬可福音 6:45-56)

        在這裏衹說了耶穌在海上行走，在馬太福音中才提到了彼得行在海上的事。以前我們在「2038 在海上走和相應的見証、及醫治生來是瞎子的」中的「1. 在海面上行走的神蹟: 約翰福音的第五個神蹟」，我們詳細的討論過耶穌和彼得在海上行走的事，請按照以前的方法找到這篇文章。

        第二段經文是說到了革尼撒勒地方發生的事，我們看到了祂的憐憫和恩典。在這裏我們來看看繸子(G2899)這個字，它衹出現過五次，但意義在這節經文很明顯，「他們(文士和法利賽人)一切所做的事都是要叫人看見，所以將佩戴的經文做寬了，衣裳的繸子(G2899)做長了。」(馬太福音 23:5) 這是基於舊約，「你吩咐以色列人，叫他們世世代代在衣服邊上做繸子(H6734)，又在底邊的繸子(H6734)上，釘一根藍細帶子。」(民數記 15:38) 這字H6734在彙編(Strong’s Concordance)中也祇出現了四次。它的意義非常清楚，「你們佩帶這繸子(H6734)，好叫你們看見就記念遵行耶和華一切的命令，不隨從自己的心意、眼目行邪淫，像你們素常一樣，使你們記念遵行我一切的命令，成為聖潔，歸與你們的神。」(民數記 15:39-40) 唯一的應用就在這經文，「他伸出彷彿一隻手的樣式，抓住我的一綹(H6734)頭髮，靈就將我舉到天地中間，…」(以西結書 8:3) 我們不是因為它出現不多而特別注意這字，而是看到了新約使用這字是在血漏的女人摸了祂的衣裳繸子而得到治癒之後(參馬太福音 9:20-22)，從此才有了，「只求耶穌准他們摸他的衣裳繸子，摸着的人就都好了。」(馬太福音 14:36) 有人說，血漏的婦人衹摸到繸子上的藍細帶子，好像是很合理，但聖經是說繸子，就不要猜了。

(經文除了特別註明外，是基於和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到這網站後要按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。)

This article is an expansion of a sharing session at a Fellowship last Saturday (8/23/25). It combines the material presented with subsequent insights. This article proposes a method that everyone can follow. As long as we persevere and trust in the absolute sovereignty of the Triune God, He will, at the most opportune time, allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in Bible study. This will fundamentally transform our lives, ultimately leading us to have life and becoming fully conformed to the image of Jesus. We can be certain of this because it is the Bible’s promise.

First, we know that the purpose of Bible study is to have life. This is what the Lord Jesus Himself said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”(John 5:39-40). Life can only come from the Triune God. Paul made this point very clear: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”(1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Therefore, today, only “Holy Spirit-led Bible study” can “have life.” Although many believe that Bible study by this way “regularly” is impossible, I know it is absolutely possible, because it is a promise in the Bible. It simply does not specify when the Holy Spirit will begin to lead our Bible study. In this and other biblical promises, He is absolutely sovereign, for He fully determines the time of initiation. (Note 1)

We know that the Holy Spirit leads us by opening our eyes. This opening can be a direct work of God, such as Paul’s seeing the great light in the New Testament (see Acts 9:1-9), or it can be through the words of others. For example, after Paul saw the great light, God sent Ananias to tell him something (see Acts 9:10-18). Thus, not all revelation have to be supernatural. In fact, we must have a hearing ear, as said to all seven churches in the book of Revelation (see Revelation 2:1-3:22). There are many such opening-eye examples in the Old Testament as well. (Note 2)

Now let us introduce a method for retaining the words of the Bible in our hearts. The method is simple and can be practiced by anyone who truly desires. Start by reading from the first page of the book of Matthew in the New Testament and continue in sequence to the last page of the book of Revelation. Then, continue to the first page of the book of Genesis in the Old Testament and continue in sequence to the last page of the book of Malachi. This is one reading. Repeat in this manner.

The purpose of this kind of Bible reading is to retain the Bible’s words in your heart. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand something; just read through it. This is better than misinterpreting the Bible, because even if a misinterpretation can be corrected, it takes a lot of time. Each time you read the Bible, you can pray to God to forget past mistakes, starting from scratch each day and building upon past correct readings. In other words, those who are less tainted by false teachings will find this approach easier, and this may be more common with new believers. Because of the repetition, you can certainly start with the Old Testament and then move on to the New Testament. However, for those who haven’t read the Bible once, the New Testament is much easier to read, so starting with the New Testament is recommended.

If you are willing to spend about an hour daily reading the Bible this way, and if you’re guided by the Holy Spirit (unconsciously) from time to time, like the pillar of cloud and fire during the Exodus, you can read the Bible about three times a year. However, remember that committing to an hour daily is not easy. You can start with fifteen minutes and gradually increase to an hour, and of course, more than an hour is also acceptable. Never, just because you know you can read the Bible three times a year, divide the number of chapters you should read in three years by three and then decide to read a fixed number of chapters every day, thus allowing you to read the Bible three times a year. This is a kind of Law-like, self-imposed reading, and it lacks the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

It is crucial to retain the words of the Bible in your heart. If the Holy Spirit leads us through the words of the Bible, but we are completely unaware of such words, then all this is in vain. Don’t say the Holy Spirit won’t do this because we don’t know whether He wants to teach us the importance of retaining the words of the Bible.

It is important to emphasize that when we willingly read the Bible in this way, Satan’s servants will not let us off. The closer we draw to God, the more temptations we will face. (Note 3) In this process, you may discover that simply listening isn’t enough; reading is essential. Remember, the ultimate goal of this kind of Bible reading is to “let the Holy Spirit lead you in Bible study” and thus “have life.” If someone tells you it takes at least three years, that’s encouragement. If you see success in five years, be happy. Ten years isn’t much; it may take twenty years or more. (Note 4)

Finally, I want to thank those who sometimes ask me if I want to share. I wonder if you noticed my last answer: “I don’t want to share today.” This is obedience to God. If I said I didn’t think about sharing, I would be lying, acknowledging Satan as my father, because the Bible clearly states, “…the devil (Satan) …Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”(John 8:44). Why is it a lie? Because I hear some discussions that are inconsistent with the Bible, and especially in the translation of the Union Version which is used in the Fellowship. Because they conflict with “what God tells us through the Bible is consistent,” and thus there are obvious errors, so I really think about sharing. However, based on my past experience with everyone’s reactions, I know that sharing is futile, so it’s better not to say anything. (Note 5) This may be the work of Satan’s servants, or it may be due to a failure to have ears that can hear, as told to all seven churches in the book of Revelation, or both.

I will from now on not share during Bible study for a few years. Please do not ask me if I want to share during these years. This will prevent Satan’s servants from telling me, “Look, God wants you to speak again,” and increase my exposure to temptation. Previously, due to incorrect teaching in another Fellowship, I didn’t speak a word during Bible study for several years. I only spoke during group prayer and the period of afterward snacks. By not sharing during Bible study this time, I am obeying God. I hope I can learn to control my tongue. I won’t share something in vain just because Satan’s servants tell me it will benefit the Fellowship, thereby offering myself up and giving Satan’s servants an opportunity to attack me. You may be happy that you won’t have to hear obvious errors that conflict with your teachings during Bible study for a few years, or you may think that although God is patient, He has issued a warning of “let it be.” (Note 6) I just hope you will make the right decision.

Some might ask, since I don’t talk during Bible study, what’s the point of attending Fellowship? Isn’t it just observing the Law, “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”(Hebrews 10:25). This is completely wrong, because I am very busy in Bible study even without sharing. It is due to the fact that I never know when the Holy Spirit will speak through the Scripture or through the mouths of others. “Others” doesn’t just refer to brothers and sisters, but also includes non-believing gospel friends. For example, when a gospel friend asks a question, I think about what the Bible teaches on that issue. Isn’t sharing in group prayer and afterwards refreshments also about encouraging one another? Therefore, I’ll happily attend the weekly meetings as much as possible.

Notes

Note 1: We discussed this promise in detail in the topicwise Bible study “1152 A Practical Method to Have Life,” and shared the link with the Fellowship on August 19, 2025: https://a-christian-voice.com/2025/07/30/1152-a-practical-method-to-have-life-by-whirlwind/. Other promises, such as a prayer with importunity (G335) allows for one time filling with the Holy Spirit, but also do not specify a timeframe. (See Luke 11:5-13)

Note 2: For example, “Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”(2 Kings 6:17). For a partial description of the entire incident, please refer to 2 Kings 6:8-17. Another example, “Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.”(Numbers 22:31). For a partial description of the entire incident, please refer to Numbers 22:1-35.

Note 3: Christians are servants of the Lord Jesus. Let us first look at how Satan treated the Lord. When Jesus was tempted by the devil (Satan) forty days after His baptism, “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”(Luke 4:13). At that time, he only left Him temporarily. Later, He “…has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”(Hebrews 4:15). The Bible clearly states, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.”(Matthew 10:24). How can we not face more temptations as we get closer to God? But God will protect us in the midst of temptation. The Bible clearly states, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13)

Note 4: After Paul saw great light, he spent some time to receive revelations. Someone says that he spent about three years in the wilderness although Bible does not clearly say so. We definitely are not better than Paul and from my experience three years are not enough. Moses lived for 120 years, the first 40 years of which he spent in the royal palace in Egypt, and the middle 40 years as a shepherd. By the time he was called, he was already slow of speech and slow of tongue(see Exodus 4:10). After 40 years of shepherding, he would have long forgotten what he had learned in Egypt. It was only during the last 40 years that God called him out to do God’s work. Therefore, the Bible mentions that the person who was the longest in God’s training school was Moses, who was in it for 40 years. We also see that slow work produces fine results, but we won’t be in that situation for that long. It takes us shorter time since we don’t have that much time, thus there’s no need to worry. By the way, God will restore forgotten but necessary knowledge when needed. Didn’t Moses later wrote the Pentateuch?

Note 5: I wouldn’t have reached this conclusion if I hadn’t conducted numerous tests. For example, you’ve seen me mention the original texts used in Strong’s Concordance during Bible studies. People don’t seem to care what the Bible says; they just accept what they believe it says. It’s not that asking questions is wrong; it’s a matter of mindset. Human free will can lead to disregard for facts. Let me give you an example where many people fail to see the errors in the Union Version translation. The Union Version translates John 4:23 this way: “…the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and honesty (G225); …” This word G225 appears 110 times, 25 of which are in the book of John. Its meaning can be seen in this typical verse: “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth (G225) were realized through Jesus Christ.(John 1:17). How could anyone insist on translating this word as “honesty”? In fact, considering that “what God tells us through the Bible is consistent,” it’s abundantly clear. If someone honestly tells you they worship other gods than Jehovah, would God want such an honest person to worship Him? This is exactly what happened when Peter and John said to them, “…Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge.”(Acts 4:19). Of course there is no problem in English translation this time since it is clearly translated as “…the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; …”(John 4:23) I merely use this example to show that people have free will and can decide whatever they want even by discarding facts.

Note 6: It seems some people are unclear about the concept of “let it be,” so let’s use a real-life example to illustrate. Churches with a prosperity philosophy teach that as long as you believe in the Lord, everything will be prosperous. This teaching is accepted by many, but it is clearly inconsistent with the Bible. The Bible says, “…In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33) God “allows” such a tare-like church to grow. It is clearly stated in this verse, “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”(Matthew 13:29-30) For a description of the entire incident, please see Matthew 13:24-30.

(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

    这是基于上周六(8/23/25)在一个团契分享后而扩展的文章，就是分享的材料加上事后所得的。这文章提出一个每个人都可以做的方法，只要坚持下去，相信三位一体的神有绝对的主权，祂会在祂选的最适当的时间，让圣灵带领我们查经，使生命会从本质上有所改变，也就是得到生命，直到完全的模成耶稣的形像，我们会这么确定，因为这是圣经的应许。           

    首先，我们知道查经的目的是要得生命，这是主耶稣自己说的，「你们查考圣经，因你们以为内中有永生；给我作见证的就是这经。然而你们不肯到我这里来得生命。」(约翰福音 5:39-40) 而生命只能从三位一体的神来，在这点上，保罗说得很清楚，「我栽种了，亚波罗浇灌了，惟有神叫他生长。可见栽种的算不得甚么，浇灌的也算不得甚么，只在那叫他生长的神。」(哥林多前书 3:6-7) 所以现今只有「圣灵带领查经」才能「得生命」。虽然许多人都认为「经常」是不可能的，但我知道是绝对可行的，因为这是圣经的应许，只是没有说圣灵会什么时候开始带领我们查经，在这或其他圣经的应许上，祂都有绝对的主权，因祂全权决定了开始的时间。(注一)

    我们知道圣灵会借著开我们的眼睛来带领我们，开眼睛这事可以是神直接的工作，譬如在新约中的保罗见大光(参使徒行传 9:1-9)，也有可以经过别人所说的话，譬如保罗见大光后，神是差亚拿尼亚告诉他一些事情(参使行传 9:10-18)，并不是全部要超自然的才可以，要有一个能听的耳， 这就是对启示录中所有七个教会所说的(参启示录 2:1-3:22)。在旧约中也有许多这样的例子。(注二)          

    我们现在就介绍一个可以把圣经的话语存在心中的方法，方法很简单，每一个真实愿意的人都可以做。就是从新约的马太福音的第一页开始读，顺序读下去直到新约的启示录的最后一页，然后接著就是旧约的创世记第一页，顺序下去直到旧约的玛拉基书的最后一页，这是一遍。以后就是这样的重复。           

    这样读经的目的，是要把圣经的话语存在心中，所以看不懂没有关系，看过去就好，这会好于强解(曲解)圣经，因为即使曲解能被更正的话，也会要非常花时间。每一次读经都可以求神要我们忘记以前的读经错误，每天从零开始，累积加到过去对的读经上。换句话说，被错误的教导玷污愈少的人，愈容易如此读经，所以可能是初信者更容易这样读经。因为是重复，当然可以从旧约开始，然后到新约，祇是对没有读过圣经一遍的人，新约比旧约容易读得多，所以建议从新约开始。           

    如果愿意每天花一小时左右去把圣经看过去，加上何时会停会有(不自知的)圣灵带领，犹如出埃及时有云柱和火柱的带领般，可以每年读圣经约三次。但要知道，一下子要每天花一小时很不容易，可以从十五分钟开始，慢慢增加到一个小时，当然超过一小时也可以。绝对不要因为知道一年可以读三次，就把三年该读的章节除以三，然后决定每天读固定的章节，因此一年可以读三次，这是律法似的强迫自己读经，不会有圣灵的带领的。          

    把圣经的话语存在心中是非常重要的，因为如果圣灵用圣经的话语引导我们，而我们里面根本不知道圣经有这样的话语，这岂不是枉然。不要说圣灵不会这样做，因为我们不知道祂是否要告诉我们，把圣经的话语存在里面的重要性。           

    要强调的一点是，当我们甘心情愿的这样读经时，撒但的差役不会放过我们的，当我们愈接近神时，我们会经过愈多的试探。(注三) 在这样的过程中，你可能会发觉，只是用听的不行，一般人一定要用看的才可以，因为看和听在身体上的机置是很不相同的。请记住，这样读经的终极目的是要「让圣灵带领查经」而「得生命」。如果有人告诉你最少要三年，那是鼓励你。如果五年有成，就该高兴，十年不算多，可能要花二十年或更多的时间才行。(注四)           

    最后是要谢谢有人有时会问我要不要分享，不知道你们有没有注意我最后一次的回答，「今天我不要分享」，这是在顺服神。如果我说不想分享，是在说谎，这就是在认撒但为父，因为圣经明说，「…魔鬼(撤但)…说谎是出于自己，因他本来是说谎的，也是说谎之人的父。」(约翰福音 8:44) 为什么是说谎呢？因为听到和圣经不合的地方，尤其是在和合本的翻译中，因和「神借著圣经告诉我们是一致的」相冲突，有明显错误的地方，所以实在很想分享 ! 但是由于我过去看大家反应的经验，知道分享也是枉然，不如不说。(注五) 这或是出自撒但的差役的工作，或是出自没有对启示录七个教会都说的要有能听的耳，或是两者都有。           

    以后我会有几年的时间在查经时不会分享，所以请这几年不要再问我要不要分享，这会不让撒但的差役有机会在意念中告诉我说，你看神又要你发言了，增加我受试探的机会。以前我在另一个团契因为错误的教导，有几年在查经的时候一句话都没有说，只在分组祷告和事后茶点和人交通时说过话。这次在查经中不分享是在顺服神，希望能学会控制自己的舌头，不要因为撒但的差役告诉我，分享某些事对团契有益就分享了枉然分享的事，以致于把自己摆上而却让撒但的差役有个攻击的机会。对于我在查经时有几年不会分享的这件事，你可能会很高兴的认为不必再听到和你教导不合的明显错误，或是认为虽然神很有耐心，但发出了「任凭」的警告(注六)，祗希望你能做出一个正确的抉择。          

    有人可能会问，既然查经时都不说话，那去参加团契有什么意义，不就是守律法的去遵守，「你们不可停止聚会，好像那些停止惯了的人，倒要彼此劝勉。既知道那日子临近，就更当如此。」(希伯来书 10:25) 这是大不对的，因为查经时可是忙著呢，不知道圣灵什么时候就借著经文或别人的口说话了，别人不祇是指弟兄姊妹，也包括了不信主的福音朋友。譬如说，福音朋友在问某些问题时，我会想到圣经在这问题上是如何教导的。在分组祷告和事后茶点的和别人交通，不就是彼此劝勉吗？所以我会高高兴兴的尽可能的参加每周的聚会。

注解

注一: 在专题查经的「3152 一个得生命的实际可行方法」，我们详细的讨论过这应许，已在8/19/25转送给团契了其链接: https://a-christian-voice.com/2025/07/30/3152-%e4%b8%80%e4%b8%aa%e5%be%97%e7%94%9f%e5%91%bd%e7%9a%84%e5%ae%9e%e9%99%85%e5%8f%af%e8%a1%8c%e6%96%b9%e6%b3%95-%e6%97%8b%e9%a3%8e%e8%91%97/。其他应许如只要情词迫切地直求(厚脸皮的求 , importunity, G335) ，就能一次性的被圣灵充满，也是没有说时间。(参路加福音 11:5-13)

注二:  譬如，「以利沙祷告说：「耶和华啊，求你开这少年人的眼目，使他能看见。」耶和华开他的眼目，他就看见满山有火车火马围绕以利沙。」(列王纪下 6:17) 对整件事情的描述，请参考列王纪下 6:8-17。又如，「 当时，耶和华使巴兰的眼目明亮，他就看见耶和华的使者站在路上，手里有拔出来的刀，巴兰便低头俯伏在地。」(民数记 22:31) 对整件事情的部份描述，请参考民数记 22:1-35。

注三:  基督徒是主耶稣的仆人，我们就先看看撒但如何对待主，在耶稣受洗后四十天受魔鬼(撒但)的试探时，「魔鬼用完了各样的试探，就暂时离开耶稣。」(路加福音 4:13) 那时祇是暂时离开而已，后来则是，祂「…凡事受过试探，与我们一样，只是他没有犯罪。」(希伯来书 4:15) 圣经明说，「学生不能高过先生，仆人不能高过主人。」(马太福音 10:24) 我们怎么会在愈接近神时，不会经过愈多的试探呢？但试探中神会保守我们，圣经明说，「你们所遇见的试探，无非是人所能受的。神是信实的，必不叫你们受试探过于所能受的。在受试探的时候，总要给你们开一条出路，叫你们能忍受得住。」(哥林多前书 10:13)

注四:  保罗在见过大光后，他花了一些时间得到启示，他说，「弟兄们，我告诉你们，我素来所传的福音，不是出于人的意思，因为我不是从人领受的，也不是人教导我的，乃是从耶稣基督启示来的。」(加拉太书 1:11-12) 而启示不是一天就可以得到的，而是慢慢累积的。虽然圣经没有明讲，有人说他得到启示也要在旷野待约三年，我们不会比保罗更强的，而且我自己的经验告诉我，三年是不够的。再看，摩西活了一百二十岁，前四十年是在埃及的王宫生活，中间四十年在牧羊，在他被呼召的时候，已是拙口笨舌的 (参出埃及记 4:10) ， 牧羊四十年该早已忘了在埃及所学的，最后的四十年才被神呼召出来做神的工作，所以圣经提到被制作最久的人是摩西，有四十年。我们也看到了虽然慢功出细活，但我们不会这么久，有这么多时间的，不必担心。顺便一提的是，神会在需要的时候，会还给我们忘掉但有需要的知识，摩西后来不是写了摩西五经吗？

注五: 我如果不是测试过非常多次，不会得到这样的结论的。这其中包括了你们过去有时会看到我在查经时，提到工具书的原文，大家好像不在乎圣经怎么讲，只要我认为圣经怎么讲就可以了。不是不可以问问题，这是心态的问题，因为人有自由意志，会造成罔顾事实，我现在就举一个相当多人没有看到和合本翻译错误的例子。和合本是这样翻译的，「…那真正拜父的，要用心灵和诚实(G225, truth)拜他，…」(约翰福音 4:23) 这个字 G225 出现了110 次，在约翰福音就出现了25次，它的意义可以从这典型的经文看到，「律法本是借著摩西传的，恩典和真理(G225)都是由耶稣基督来的。」(约翰福音 1:17) 怎么会有人坚持可以把这个字翻译成诚实呢！ 其实从「神借著圣经告诉我们是一致的」来看，就非常清楚。如果一个人诚实的告诉你说，我敬拜的是别神而不是耶和华，神会要这样的诚实的人拜祂吗？其实这就是「彼得、约翰说：「听从你们，不听从神，这在神面前合理不合理，你们自己酌量吧！」(使徒行传 4:19)

注六: 好像有些人对「任凭」的概念不清楚，所以我们就举一个现实的例子来说明。成功哲学的教会说，只要信主，一切都顺利，这样的教导为许多人接受，但显然不符合圣经，圣经是说，「…在世上你们有苦难，但你们可以放心，我已经胜了世界。」(约翰福音 16:33) 神就「任凭」这样稗子似的教会发展，也就是，「主人说：『不必，恐怕薅稗子，连麦子也拔出来。容这两样一齐长，等著收割。当收割的时候，我要对收割的人说：先将稗子薅出来，捆成捆，留著烧；惟有麦子要收在仓里。』」(马太福音 13:29-30) 对整件事情的描述，请看马太福音 13:24-30。

(经文除了特别注明外，是基于和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。)  

          這是基於上週六(8/23/25)在一個團契分享後而擴展的文章，就是分享的材料加上事後所得的。這文章提出一個每個人都可以做的方法，衹要堅持下去，相信三位一體的神有絕對的主權，祂會在祂選的最適當的時間，讓聖靈帶領我們查經，使生命會從本質上有所改變，也就是得到生命，直到完全的模成耶穌的形像，我們會這麼確定，因為這是聖經的應許。

           首先，我們知道查經的目的是要得生命，這是主耶穌自己說的，「你們查考聖經，因你們以為內中有永生；給我作見證的就是這經。然而你們不肯到我這裏來得生命。」(約翰福音 5:39-40) 而生命衹能從三位一體的神來，在這點上，保羅說得很清楚，「我栽種了，亞波羅澆灌了，惟有神叫他生長。可見栽種的算不得甚麼，澆灌的也算不得甚麼，只在那叫他生長的神。」(哥林多前書 3:6-7) 所以現今衹有「聖靈帶領查經」才能「得生命」。雖然許多人都認為「經常」是不可能的，但我知道是絕對可行的，因為這是聖經的應許，衹是沒有說聖靈會什麼時候開始帶領我們查經，在這或其他聖經的應許上，祂都有絕對的主權，因祂全權決定了開始的時間。(註一)

           我們知道聖靈會藉著開我們的眼睛來帶領我們，開眼睛這事可以是神直接的工作，譬如在新約中的保羅見大光(參使徒行傳 9:1-9)，也有可以經過別人所說的話，譬如保羅見大光後，神是差亞拿尼亞告訴他一些事情(參使行傳 9:10-18)，並不是全部要超自然的才可以，要有一個能聽的耳， 這就是對啓示錄中所有七個教會所說的(參啓示錄 2:1-3:22)。在舊約中也有許多這樣的例子。(註二)

          我們現在就介紹一個可以把聖經的話語存在心中的方法，方法很簡單，每一個真實願意的人都可以做。就是從新約的馬太福音的第一頁開始讀，順序讀下去直到新約的啓示錄的最後一頁，然後接著就是舊約的創世記第一頁，順序下去直到舊約的瑪拉基書的最後一頁，這是一遍。以後就是這樣的重複。

           這樣讀經的目的，是要把聖經的話語存在心中，所以看不懂沒有關係，看過去就好，這會好於強解(曲解)聖經，因為即使曲解能被更正的話，也會要非常花時間。每一次讀經都可以求神要我們忘記以前的讀經錯誤，每天從零開始，累積加到過去對的讀經上。換句話說，被錯誤的教導玷汚愈少的人，愈容易如此讀經，所以可能是初信者更容易這樣讀經。因為是重複，當然可以從舊約開始，然後到新約，祇是對沒有讀過聖經一遍的人，新約比舊約容易讀得多，所以建議從新約開始。

           如果願意每天花一小時左右去把聖經看過去，加上何時會停會有(不自知的)聖靈帶領，猶如出埃及時有雲柱和火柱的帶領般，可以每年讀聖經約三次。但要知道，一下子要每天花一小時很不容易，可以從十五分鐘開始，慢慢增加到一個小時，當然超過一小時也可以。絕對不要因為知道一年可以讀三次，就把三年該讀的章節除以三，然後決定每天讀固定的章節，因此一年可以讀三次，這是律法似的强迫自己讀經，不會有聖靈的帶領的。

        把聖經的話語存在心中是非常重要的，因為如果聖靈用聖經的話語引導我們，而我們裏面根本不知道聖經有這樣的話語，這豈不是枉然。不要說聖靈不會這樣做，因為我們不知道祂是否要告訴我們，把聖經的話語存在裏面的重要性。

           要強調的一點是，當我們甘心情願的這樣讀經時，撒但的差役不會放過我們的，當我們愈接近神時，我們會經過愈多的試探。(註三) 在這樣的過程中，你可能會發覺，只是用聽的不行，一般人一定要用看的才可以，因為看和聽在身體上的機置是很不相同的。請記住，這樣讀經的終極目的是要「讓聖靈帶領查經」而「得生命」。如果有人告訴你最少要三年，那是鼓勵你。如果五年有成，就該高興，十年不算多，可能要花二十年或更多的時間才行。(註四)

           最後是要謝謝有人有時會問我要不要分享，不知道你們有沒有注意我最後一次的回答，「今天我不要分享」，這是在順服神。如果我說不想分享，是在說謊，這就是在認撒但為父，因為聖經明說，「…魔鬼(撤但)…說謊是出於自己，因他本來是說謊的，也是說謊之人的父。」(約翰福音 8:44) 為什麼是說謊呢？因為聽到和聖經不合的地方，尤其是在和合本的翻譯中，因和「神藉著聖經告訴我們是一致的」相衝突，有明顯錯誤的地方，所以實在很想分享 ! 但是由於我過去看大家反應的經驗，知道分享也是枉然，不如不說。(註五) 這或是出自撒但的差役的工作，或是出自沒有對啓示錄七個教會都說的要有能聽的耳，或是兩者都有。

           以後我會有幾年的時間在查經時不會分享，所以請這幾年不要再問我要不要分享，這會不讓撒但的差役有機會在意念中告訴我說，你看神又要你發言了，增加我受試探的機會。以前我在另一個團契因為錯誤的教導，有幾年在查經的時候一句話都沒有說，衹在分組禱告和事後茶點和人交通時說過話。這次在查經中不分享是在順服神，希望能學會控制自己的舌頭，不要因為撒但的差役告訴我，分享某些事對團契有益就分享了枉然分享的事，以致於把自己擺上而卻讓撒但的差役有個攻擊的機會。對於我在查經時有幾年不會分享的這件事，你可能會很高興的認為不必再聽到和你教導不合的明顯錯誤，或是認為雖然神很有耐心，但發出了「任憑」的警告(註六)，祗希望你能做出一個正確的抉擇。

           有人可能會問，旣然查經時都不說話，那去參加團契有什麼意義，不就是守律法的去遵守，「你們不可停止聚會，好像那些停止慣了的人，倒要彼此勸勉。既知道那日子臨近，就更當如此。」(希伯來書 10:25) 這是大不對的，因為查經時可是忙著呢，不知道聖靈什麼時候就藉著經文或別人的口說話了，別人不祇是指弟兄姊妹，也包括了不信主的福音朋友。譬如說，福音朋友在問某些問題時，我會想到聖經在這問題上是如何教導的。在分組禱告和事後茶點的和別人交通，不就是彼此勸勉嗎？所以我會高高興興的儘可能的參加每週的聚會。

註解

註一: 在專題查經的「2152 一個得生命的實際可行方法」，我們詳細的討論過這應許，已在8/19/25轉送給團契了其鏈接: https://a-christian-voice.com/2025/07/30/2152-%e4%b8%80%e5%80%8b%e5%be%97%e7%94%9f%e5%91%bd%e7%9a%84%e5%af%a6%e9%9a%9b%e5%8f%af%e8%a1%8c%e6%96%b9%e6%b3%95-%e6%97%8b%e9%a2%a8%e8%91%97/。其他應許如衹要情詞迫切地直求(厚臉皮的求 , importunity, G335) ，就能一次性的被聖靈充滿，也是沒有說時間。(參路加福音 11:5-13)

註二:  譬如，「以利沙禱告說：「耶和華啊，求你開這少年人的眼目，使他能看見。」耶和華開他的眼目，他就看見滿山有火車火馬圍繞以利沙。」(列王紀下 6:17) 對整件事情的描述，請參考列王紀下 6:8-17。又如，「 當時，耶和華使巴蘭的眼目明亮，他就看見耶和華的使者站在路上，手裏有拔出來的刀，巴蘭便低頭俯伏在地。」(民數記 22:31) 對整件事情的部份描述，請參考民數記 22:1-35。

註三:  基督徒是主耶穌的僕人，我們就先看看撒但如何對待主，在耶穌受洗後四十天受魔鬼(撒但)的試探時，「魔鬼用完了各樣的試探，就暫時離開耶穌。」(路加福音 4:13) 那時祇是暫時離開而已，後來則是，祂「…凡事受過試探，與我們一樣，只是他沒有犯罪。」(希伯來書 4:15) 聖經明說，「學生不能高過先生，僕人不能高過主人。」(馬太福音 10:24) 我們怎麼會在愈接近神時，不會經過愈多的試探呢？但試探中神會保守我們，聖經明說，「你們所遇見的試探，無非是人所能受的。神是信實的，必不叫你們受試探過於所能受的。在受試探的時候，總要給你們開一條出路，叫你們能忍受得住。」(哥林多前書 10:13)

註四:  保羅在見過大光後，他花了一些時間得到啓示，他說，「弟兄們，我告訴你們，我素來所傳的福音，不是出於人的意思，因為我不是從人領受的，也不是人教導我的，乃是從耶穌基督啓示來的。」(加拉太書 1:11-12) 而啓示不是一天就可以得到的，而是慢慢累積的。雖然聖經沒有明講，有人說他得到啓示也要在曠野待約三年，我們不會比保羅更強的，而且我自己的經驗告訴我，三年是不夠的。再看，摩西活了一百二十歲，前四十年是在埃及的王宮生活，中間四十年在牧羊，在他被呼召的時候，已是拙口笨舌的 (參出埃及記 4:10) ， 牧羊四十年該早已忘了在埃及所學的，最後的四十年才被神呼召出來做神的工作，所以聖經提到被製作最久的人是摩西，有四十年。我們也看到了雖然慢功出細活，但我們不會這麼久，有這麼多時間的，不必擔心。順便一提的是，神會在需要的時候，會還給我們忘掉但有需要的知識，摩西後來不是寫了摩西五經嗎？

註五: 我如果不是測試過非常多次，不會得到這樣的結論的。這其中包括了你們過去有時會看到我在查經時，提到工具書的原文，大家好像不在乎聖經怎麼講，衹要我認為聖經怎麼講就可以了。不是不可以問問題，這是心態的問題，因為人有自由意志，會造成罔顧事實，我現在就舉一個相當多人沒有看到和合本翻譯錯誤的例子。和合本是這樣翻譯的，「…那真正拜父的，要用心靈和誠實(G225, truth)拜他，…」(約翰福音 4:23) 這個字 G225 出現了110 次，在約翰福音就出現了25次，它的意義可以從這典型的經文看到，「律法本是藉着摩西傳的，恩典和真理(G225)都是由耶穌基督來的。」(約翰福音 1:17) 怎麼會有人堅持可以把這個字翻譯成誠實呢！ 其實從「神藉著聖經告訴我們是一致的」來看，就非常清楚。如果一個人誠實的告訴你說，我敬拜的是別神而不是耶和華，神會要這樣的誠實的人拜祂嗎？其實這就是「彼得、約翰說：「聽從你們，不聽從神，這在神面前合理不合理，你們自己酌量吧！」(使徒行傳 4:19)

註六: 好像有些人對「任憑」的概念不清楚，所以我們就舉一個現實的例子來說明。成功哲學的教會說，衹要信主，一切都順利，這樣的教導為許多人接受，但顯然不符合聖經，聖經是說，「…在世上你們有苦難，但你們可以放心，我已經勝了世界。」(約翰福音 16:33) 神就「任憑」這樣稗子似的教會發展，也就是，「主人說：『不必，恐怕薅稗子，連麥子也拔出來。容這兩樣一齊長，等着收割。當收割的時候，我要對收割的人說：先將稗子薅出來，捆成捆，留着燒；惟有麥子要收在倉裏。』」(馬太福音 13:29-30) 對整件事情的描述，請看馬太福音 13:24-30。

(經文除了特別註明外，是基於和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到這網站後要按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。)

    首先我们引用了以前的讨论，看到耶稣有属灵的权病，祂吩咐污鬼「群」，他们就听祂的，祂最终允许他们进入猪群，但是那群猪也受不了，投在海里淹死了。第二，我们看到众人因害怕央求耶稣离开，我们也引用了以前的讨论。第三，耶稣治愈管会堂的睚鲁的小女儿，让她的灵再回到身上而复活，我们引用了以前的讨论，并说到其扩展，看到三分法是圣经所说的。最后我们来看患了十二年血漏的女人，我们也引用了以前的讨论，她因信了只要摸到衣裳䍁子就可得医治，其中也顺便谈了䍁子的来历及其意义。

1.  治愈被污鬼「群」附身的人和准许污鬼进入猪里       

    「他们来到海那边格拉森人的地方。耶稣一下船，就有一个被污鬼附著的人从坟茔里出来迎著他。那人常住在坟茔里，没有人能捆住他，就是用铁链也不能，因为人屡次用脚镣和铁链捆锁他，铁链竟被他挣断了，脚镣也被他弄碎了。总没有人能制伏他。他昼夜常在坟茔里和山中喊叫，又用石头砍自己。他远远地看见耶稣，就跑过去拜他，大声呼叫说：「至高神的儿子耶稣，我与你有甚么相干？我指著神恳求你，不要叫我受苦！」是因耶稣曾吩咐他说：「污鬼啊，从这人身上出来吧！」耶稣问他说：「你名叫甚么？」 回答说：「我名叫『群』，因为我们多的缘故。」就再三地求耶稣，不要叫他们离开那地方。在那里山坡上，有一大群猪吃食，鬼就央求耶稣说：「求你打发我们往猪群里，附著猪去。」耶稣准了他们，污鬼就出来，进入猪里去。于是那群猪闯下山崖，投在海里，淹死了。猪的数目约有二千。」(马可福音 5:1-13)        

    同样一件事情在路加福音 8:26-33 有其记载，并在马太福音 8:28-32 也有简略的记录，但在马太福音 8:28 是说，「耶稣既渡到那边去，来到加大拉人的地方，就有两个被鬼附的人从坟茔里出来迎著他，… 」(马太福音 8:28) 很显然的，这里默示的明显矛盾是要我们注意事情本身。不要自己骗自己说是圣经非要在字句上是一致的，而说谎认撒但为父，因撒但「…说谎是出于自己，因他本来是说谎的，也是说谎之人的父。」(约翰福音 8:44) 不要玩文字游戏，说是圣经的初版没有字句上的矛盾，而初版早已失传，因此没有人能证实这句话的真伪 ! 要能真正找到默示明显矛盾的原因。     

    关于这事件的本身，以前在「2055 亲属，平静风浪，和鬼入猪群事件- 耶稣的形像 (10)」中的「3. 赶鬼入猪群事件」，我们讨论了路加福音 8:26-33，这里说了猪的数目约有二千，但基本上是相同的，在这里我们就只简短的讨论一下。     

    首先我们注意到这被污鬼附身的人有过于常人的力气，但他不能控制自己而会伤害自己。这是圣经所讲被最多的鬼附身的人，他是被「群」附身。即使如此，他的自由意志还是没有被完全的抹杀，因「他远远地看见耶稣，就跑过去拜他。」(马可福音 5:6) 我们看到祂有属灵的权柄，祂允许他们进入猪群，他们就听祂的，祇是那群猪也受不了，投在海里淹死了。请到『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』的网站后，按『对属灵生命的了解』，找到这篇文章。谢谢。

2. 众人害怕央求耶稣离开       

    「放猪的就逃跑了，去告诉城里和乡下的人。众人就来，要看是甚么事。他们来到耶稣那里，看见那被鬼附著的人，就是从前被群鬼所附的，坐著，穿上衣服，心里明白过来，他们就害怕。看见这事的，便将鬼附之人所遇见的和那群猪的事，都告诉了众人，众人就央求耶稣离开他们的境界。」耶稣上船的时候，那从前被鬼附著的人恳求和耶稣同在。耶稣不许，却对他说：「你回家去，到你的亲属那里，将主为你所做的是何等大的事，是怎样怜悯你，都告诉他们。」那人就走了，在低加坡里传扬耶稣为他做了何等大的事，众人就都希奇。耶稣坐船又渡到那边去，就有许多人到他那里聚集。他正在海边上。」(马可福音 5:14-21)        

    同样的事在路加福音 8:34-39 有叙述，并在在马太福音 8:28-34 有简略的记载，在「2055」中的「4. 事后发生的事」，我们详细的讨论了路加福音 8:34-39，并扩展说明祂对接受治愈神迹的人处理的方式很不一样，请看那篇文章。在这里我们就也只简短的讨论一下。    

    我们注意到那人是回到外邦的低加波里家中，所以他是外邦人。在扩展中，我们提到耶稣怎样不同的处理犹太人事件。关于他们央求耶稣离开他们，是在知道鬼附之人所遇见的和那群猪的事之后，因不知道耶稣是何等人，害怕也是正常的反应，更也许是加上了惧怕和猪的主人一样的有财务上的损失，以致于他们都求耶稣离开他们，失去了救恩的机会。我们也看到了耶稣虽行了神迹，但不强迫他们相信而接受祂。

3.  治愈管会堂的睚鲁的小女儿       

    「有一个管会堂的人，名叫睚鲁，来见耶稣，就俯伏在他脚前，再三地求他，说：「我的小女儿快要死了，求你去按手在她身上，使她痊愈，得以活了。」耶稣就和他同去，有许多人跟随拥挤他。…还说话的时候，有人从管会堂的家里来，说：「你的女儿死了！何必还劳动先生呢？」耶稣听见所说的话，就对管会堂的说：「不要怕，只要信！」于是带著彼得、雅各、和雅各的兄弟约翰同去，不许别人跟随他。他们来到管会堂的家里，耶稣看见那里乱嚷，并有人大大地哭泣哀号，进到里面，就对他们说：「为甚么乱嚷哭泣呢？孩子不是死了，是睡著了。」他们就嗤笑耶稣。 耶稣把他们都撵出去，就带著孩子的父母，和跟随的人进了孩子所在的地方，就拉著孩子的手，对她说：「大利大，古米！」翻出来就是说：「闺女，我吩咐你起来！」那闺女立时起来走，他们就大大地惊奇；闺女已经十二岁了。耶稣切切地嘱咐他们，不要叫人知道这事，又吩咐给她东西吃。」(马可福音 5:22-24…35-43)    

    一开始我们就看到睚鲁是相当有信心的，他相信只要耶稣按手在他快要死的女儿身上就可以了。请注意，在耶稣去睚鲁家的路上，还发生了一件事情，就是下段要提到的患了十二年血漏的女人，也就是用「…」表示这段插的经文。同样的一件事情记录在路加福音 8:41-42…49-56，在马太福音 9:18-19…23-26 也有记载。     

    我们看到耶稣对彼得、雅各、约翰和对其他使徒很不同，去变化山上时也只带了他们三个，在十二使徒中，彼得是大使徒，约翰活得最久，而雅各是最先为主殉道的使徒。以前在「2056 医血漏和睚鲁女儿复活，及差遣十二个门徒  -耶稣的形像(11)」中的「2. 睚鲁的女儿死而复活」，我们详细的讨论这些经文，并从这些扩展到相关的看见。请用前述的方法，找到这篇文章。     

    说到扩展，譬如说，按照经文，死的时候是灵先走，当魂离开后，人就死了。耶稣不也是在十字架大声喊著说：『…父啊！我将我的灵(魂)(G4151, spirit)交在你手里。」说了这话，气就断了。』(路加福音 23:46) 没有说魂，可见灵和魂是可以分开的。就像圣经明说，「神的道是活泼的，是有功效的，比一切两刃的剑更快，甚至魂与灵、骨节与骨髓，都能刺入、剖开，连心中的思念和主意都能辩明。」(希伯来书 4:12) 所以人由灵、魂、和体构成的，如经文所说，『…愿你们的灵与魂与身子得蒙保守，…』(帖撒罗尼迦前书 5:23) 也就是说，三分法是对的。从「神借著圣经告诉我们是一致的」，我们也可以看到这个希腊字 G5053 有两个意义，「快要死了」和「死了」。

4.  患了十二年血漏的女人       

    「有一个女人，患了十二年的血漏，在好些医生手里受了许多的苦，又花尽了她所有的，一点也不见好，病势反倒更重了。她听见耶稣的事，就从后头来，杂在众人中间，摸耶稣的衣裳，意思说：「我只摸他的衣裳，就必痊愈。」于是她血漏的源头立刻干了，她便觉得身上的灾病好了。耶稣顿时心里觉得有能力从自己身上出去，就在众人中间转过来，说：「谁摸我的衣裳？」门徒对他说：「你看众人拥挤你，还说『谁摸我』吗？」耶稣周围观看，要见做这事的女人。那女人知道在自己身上所成的事，就恐惧战兢，来俯伏在耶稣跟前，将实情全告诉他。耶稣对她说：「女儿，你的信救了你，平平安安地回去吧！你的灾病痊愈了。」」(马可福音 5:25-34)       

    以上是在耶稣去睚鲁家的路上，发生了这件件事情，同样的事情在马太福音 9:20-22 有简短的记录，在路加福音 8:42-48 也有记录，并明说是衣裳䍁子，「她来到耶稣背后，摸他的衣裳䍁子，血漏立刻就止住了。」(路加福音 8:44) 她只是听见耶稣的事就有这样的信心，难怪耶稣会说，妳的信救了妳。     

    以前在「2056」的「1. 患血漏的女人」中，我们讨论在患血漏的女人身上的神迹，她因信了只要摸到衣裳䍁子就可得医治，我们也顺便谈了䍁子的来历及其意义。经文告诉我们很清楚，耶稣在地上的时候，是完全的人，经文不是明说吗？「并且因为他是人子，就赐给他行审判的权柄。」(约翰福音 5:27) 在道成肉身的这段期中，祂从来没有用过祂的神性，因此从祂身上出去的那能力是从圣灵而来，并不是祂主动的，但祂感觉到了。请用前述的方法找到这篇文章。

(经文除了特别注明外，是基于和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。)  

       首先我們引用了以前的討論，看到耶穌有屬靈的權病，祂吩咐污鬼「羣」，他們就聽祂的，祂最終允許他們進入猪羣，但是那羣豬也受不了，投在海裏淹死了。第二，我們看到眾人因害怕央求耶穌離開，我們也引用了以前的討論。第三，耶穌治癒管會堂的睚魯的小女兒，讓她的靈再回到身上而復活，我們引用了以前的討論，並說到其擴展，看到三分法是聖經所說的。最後我們來看患了十二年血漏的女人，我們也引用了以前的討論，她因信了只要摸到衣裳繸子就可得醫治，其中也順便談了繸子的來歷及其意義。

1.  治癒被污鬼「羣」附身的人和准許污鬼進入豬裏

       「他們來到海那邊格拉森人的地方。耶穌一下船，就有一個被污鬼附着的人從墳塋裏出來迎着他。那人常住在墳塋裏，沒有人能捆住他，就是用鐵鏈也不能，因為人屢次用腳鐐和鐵鏈捆鎖他，鐵鏈竟被他掙斷了，腳鐐也被他弄碎了。總沒有人能制伏他。他晝夜常在墳塋裏和山中喊叫，又用石頭砍自己。他遠遠地看見耶穌，就跑過去拜他，大聲呼叫說：「至高神的兒子耶穌，我與你有甚麼相干？我指着神懇求你，不要叫我受苦！」是因耶穌曾吩咐他說：「污鬼啊，從這人身上出來吧！」耶穌問他說：「你名叫甚麼？」 回答說：「我名叫『羣』，因為我們多的緣故。」就再三地求耶穌，不要叫他們離開那地方。在那裏山坡上，有一大羣豬吃食，鬼就央求耶穌說：「求你打發我們往豬羣裏，附着豬去。」耶穌准了他們，污鬼就出來，進入豬裏去。於是那羣豬闖下山崖，投在海裏，淹死了。豬的數目約有二千。」(馬可福音 5:1-13)

        同樣一件事情在路加福音 8:26-33 有其記載，並在馬太福音 8:28-32 也有簡略的記錄，但在馬太福音 8:28 是說，「耶穌既渡到那邊去，來到加大拉人的地方，就有兩個被鬼附的人從墳塋裏出來迎着他，… 」(馬太福音 8:28) 很顯然的，這裏默示的明顯矛盾是要我們注意事情本身。不要自己騙自己說是聖經非要在字句上是一致的，而說謊認撒但為父，因撒但「…說謊是出於自己，因他本來是說謊的，也是說謊之人的父。」(約翰福音 8:44) 不要玩文字遊戲，說是聖經的初版沒有字句上的矛盾，而初版早已失傳，因此沒有人能証實這句話的真偽 ! 要能真正找到默示明顯矛盾的原因。

     關於這事件的本身，以前在「2055 親屬，平靜風浪，和鬼入豬羣事件- 耶穌的形像 (10)」中的「3. 趕鬼入豬羣事件」，我們討論了路加福音 8:26-33，這裡說了豬的數目約有二千，但基本上是相同的，在這裏我們就衹簡短的討論一下。

     首先我們注意到這被污鬼附身的人有過於常人的力氣，但他不能控制自己而會傷害自己。這是聖經所講被最多的鬼附身的人，他是被「羣」附身。即使如此，他的自由意志還是沒有被完全的抹殺，因「他遠遠地看見耶穌，就跑過去拜他。」(馬可福音 5:6) 我們看到祂有屬靈的權柄，祂允許他們進入猪羣，他們就聽祂的，祇是那羣豬也受不了，投在海裏淹死了。請到『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』的網站後，按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』，找到這篇文章。謝謝。

2. 眾人害怕央求耶穌離開

       「放豬的就逃跑了，去告訴城裏和鄉下的人。眾人就來，要看是甚麼事。他們來到耶穌那裏，看見那被鬼附着的人，就是從前被羣鬼所附的，坐着，穿上衣服，心裏明白過來，他們就害怕。看見這事的，便將鬼附之人所遇見的和那羣豬的事，都告訴了眾人，眾人就央求耶穌離開他們的境界。」耶穌上船的時候，那從前被鬼附着的人懇求和耶穌同在。耶穌不許，卻對他說：「你回家去，到你的親屬那裏，將主為你所做的是何等大的事，是怎樣憐憫你，都告訴他們。」那人就走了，在低加坡里傳揚耶穌為他做了何等大的事，眾人就都希奇。耶穌坐船又渡到那邊去，就有許多人到他那裏聚集。他正在海邊上。」(馬可福音 5:14-21)

        同樣的事在路加福音 8:34-39 有敍述，並在在馬太福音 8:28-34 有簡略的記載，在「2055」中的「4. 事後發生的事」，我們詳細的討論了路加福音 8:34-39，並擴展說明祂對接受治癒神蹟的人處理的方式很不一樣，請看那篇文章。在這裏我們就也衹簡短的討論一下。

    我們注意到那人是回到外邦的低加波里家中，所以他是外邦人。在擴展中，我們提到耶穌怎樣不同的處理猶太人事件。關於他們央求耶穌離開他們，是在知道鬼附之人所遇見的和那羣豬的事之後，因不知道耶穌是何等人，害怕也是正常的反應，更也許是加上了懼怕和豬的主人一樣的有財務上的損失，以致於他們都求耶穌離開他們，失去了救恩的機會。我們也看到了耶穌雖行了神蹟，但不強迫他們相信而接受祂。

3.  治癒管會堂的睚魯的小女兒

       「有一個管會堂的人，名叫睚魯，來見耶穌，就俯伏在他腳前，再三地求他，說：「我的小女兒快要死了，求你去按手在她身上，使她痊愈，得以活了。」耶穌就和他同去，有許多人跟隨擁擠他。…還說話的時候，有人從管會堂的家裏來，說：「你的女兒死了！何必還勞動先生呢？」耶穌聽見所說的話，就對管會堂的說：「不要怕，只要信！」於是帶着彼得、雅各、和雅各的兄弟約翰同去，不許別人跟隨他。他們來到管會堂的家裏，耶穌看見那裏亂嚷，並有人大大地哭泣哀號，進到裏面，就對他們說：「為甚麼亂嚷哭泣呢？孩子不是死了，是睡着了。」他們就嗤笑耶穌。 耶穌把他們都攆出去，就帶着孩子的父母，和跟隨的人進了孩子所在的地方，就拉着孩子的手，對她說：「大利大，古米！」翻出來就是說：「閨女，我吩咐你起來！」那閨女立時起來走，他們就大大地驚奇；閨女已經十二歲了。耶穌切切地囑咐他們，不要叫人知道這事，又吩咐給她東西吃。」(馬可福音 5:22-24…35-43)

     一開始我們就看到睚魯是相當有信心的，他相信衹要耶穌按手在他快要死的女兒身上就可以了。請注意，在耶穌去睚魯家的路上，還發生了一件事情，就是下段要提到的患了十二年血漏的女人，也就是用「…」表示這段插的經文。同樣的一件事情記錄在路加福音 8:41-42…49-56，在馬太福音 9:18-19…23-26 也有記載。

     我們看到耶穌對彼得、雅各、約翰和對其他使徒很不同，去變化山上時也只帶了他們三個，在十二使徒中，彼得是大使徒，約翰活得最久，而雅各是最先為主殉道的使徒。以前在「2056 醫血漏和睚魯女兒復活，及差遣十二個門徒  -耶穌的形像(11)」中的「2. 睚魯的女兒死而復活」，我們詳細的討論這些經文，並從這些擴展到相關的看見。請用前述的方法，找到這篇文章。

     說到擴展，譬如說，按照經文，死的時候是靈先走，當魂離開後，人就死了。耶穌不也是在十字架大聲喊着說：『…父啊！我將我的靈(魂)(G4151, spirit)交在你手裏。」說了這話，氣就斷了。』(路加福音 23:46) 沒有說魂，可見靈和魂是可以分開的。就像聖經明說，「神的道是活潑的，是有功效的，比一切兩刃的劍更快，甚至魂與靈、骨節與骨髓，都能刺入、剖開，連心中的思念和主意都能辨明。」(希伯來書 4:12) 所以人由靈、魂、和體構成的，如經文所說，『…願你們的靈與魂與身子得蒙保守，…』(帖撒羅尼迦前書 5:23) 也就是説，三分法是對的。從「神藉著聖經告訴我們是一致的」，我們也可以看到這個希臘字 G5053 有兩個意義，「快要死了」和「死了」。

4.  患了十二年血漏的女人

       「有一個女人，患了十二年的血漏，在好些醫生手裏受了許多的苦，又花盡了她所有的，一點也不見好，病勢反倒更重了。她聽見耶穌的事，就從後頭來，雜在眾人中間，摸耶穌的衣裳，意思說：「我只摸他的衣裳，就必痊愈。」於是她血漏的源頭立刻乾了，她便覺得身上的災病好了。耶穌頓時心裏覺得有能力從自己身上出去，就在眾人中間轉過來，說：「誰摸我的衣裳？」門徒對他說：「你看眾人擁擠你，還說『誰摸我』嗎？」耶穌周圍觀看，要見做這事的女人。那女人知道在自己身上所成的事，就恐懼戰兢，來俯伏在耶穌跟前，將實情全告訴他。耶穌對她說：「女兒，你的信救了你，平平安安地回去吧！你的災病痊愈了。」」(馬可福音 5:25-34)

       以上是在耶穌去睚魯家的路上，發生了這件件事情，同樣的事情在馬太福音 9:20-22 有簡短的記錄，在路加福音 8:42-48 也有記錄，並明說是衣裳繸子，「她來到耶穌背後，摸他的衣裳繸子，血漏立刻就止住了。」(路加福音 8:44) 她衹是聽見耶穌的事就有這樣的信心，難怪耶穌會說，妳的信救了妳。

     以前在「2056」的「1. 患血漏的女人」中，我們討論在患血漏的女人身上的神蹟，她因信了只要摸到衣裳繸子就可得醫治，我們也順便談了繸子的來歷及其意義。經文告訴我們很清楚，耶穌在地上的時候，是完全的人，經文不是明說嗎？「並且因為他是人子，就賜給他行審判的權柄。」(約翰福音 5:27) 在道成肉身的這段期中，祂從來沒有用過祂的神性，因此從祂身上出去的那能力是從聖靈而來，並不是祂主動的，但祂感覺到了。請用前述的方法找到這篇文章。

(經文除了特別註明外，是基於和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到這網站後要按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。)

First, we quoted the previous discussion and saw that Jesus had spiritual authority. He commanded the “Legion” of demons, and they obeyed Him. He eventually allowed them to enter the herd of pigs, but the pigs could not bear it and were thrown into the sea and drowned. Second, we saw that the crowd begged Jesus to leave out of fear and possible financial loss. We here also quoted the previous discussion. Third, Jesus healed the little daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, and allowed her spirit to return to her body and resurrect her. We quoted the previous discussion and talked about its expansion, and saw that trichotomy is what the Bible says. Finally, we look at the woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years. We also quoted the previous discussion on this. Because of her faith about being healed by touching the fringe of His cloak, she was healed. In previous discussion, we also talked about the origin and significance of the fringe.

1. Healing a Man Possessed by a “Legion” of Demons and Allowing Demons to Enter Pigs

“They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.”(Mark 5:1-13).

The same incident is recorded in Luke 8:26-33 and briefly in Matthew 8:28-32. However, Matthew 8:28 says, “When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. …”(Matthew 8:28). Clearly, the obvious contradiction implied here calls our attention to the incident itself. Do not deceive yourself by saying that the Bible must be consistent in words and sentences, and thus lie by claiming Satan as the father, because Satan “…speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”(John 8:44). Do not play word games by saying that the first edition of the Bible did not have any contradictions in words, but the first edition has long been lost, so no one can verify the authenticity of this statement! We must truly find the reason for the obvious contradiction inspired in the Bible. 

Regarding this incident itself, we previously discussed Luke 8:26-33 in “3. The event of casting out the demons into the swine” under “1055 Relatives, stilling the sea, and casting out demons into the swine -The image of Jesus (10).” Here it says that the number of pigs is about 2,000, but it is basically the same. We thus will only briefly discuss it. 

First, we notice that the man possessed by the unclean spirit has strength beyond that of an ordinary person, but he cannot control himself and hurts himself. This is the person most demon-possessed in the Bible; he was possessed by “Legion.” Even so, his free will was not completely erased, for “Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him.”(Mark 5:6) We see that He possessed spiritual authority. He allowed them to enter the herd of pigs, and they obeyed Him. However, the pigs could not bear it and were thrown into the sea and drowned. Please visit “https://a-christian-voice.com/” and click on “On spiritual understanding about life” to find this article. Thank you.

2. The crowds were afraid and begged Jesus to leave

“Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. And they began to implore Him to leave their region. As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed. When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore.”(Mark 5:14-21)

The same incident is recounted in Luke 8:34-39 and briefly recorded in Matthew 8:28-34. In “4. What happened afterwards” of “1055,” we discussed Luke 8:34-39 in detail and expanded on the very different ways Jesus dealt with those who received miracles of healing. Please refer to that article. Here, we will only briefly discuss it.

We noted that the man had returned to his Gentile home in the Decapolis, making him a Gentile. In the expanded discussion, we also mentioned how Jesus handled the Jewish situation differently. Their request for Jesus to leave them was based on their knowledge of what the demon-possessed man had encountered and the incident with the pigs. Since they did not know who Jesus was, fear was a natural reaction. Perhaps this was compounded by their fear of financial loss, similar to the pig owners’, leading them to ask Jesus to leave them and lose their chance for salvation. We also see that although Jesus performed miracles, He did not force them to believe and accept Him.

3. Healing the Younger Daughter of Jairus, the Synagogue Ruler

“One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. …While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.”(Mark 5:22-24…35-43)

From the outset, we see that Jairus had great faith. He believed that if Jesus laid His hands on his dying daughter, it would be enough. Note that on the way to Jairus’s house, another incident occurred: the woman 

with a hemorrhage for twelve years, which will be mentioned in the next paragraph. This incident is denoted by ‘…’, mentioned in the interpolated passage. The same incident is recorded in Luke 8:41-42…49-56 and Matthew 9:18-19…23-26.

We can see that Jesus treated Peter, James, and John very differently from the other apostles. He only took the three of them with Him to the Mount of Transfiguration. Among the twelve apostles, Peter was the leading apostle, John lived the longest, and James was the first apostle to be martyred for the Lord. Previously, in “2. The resurrection of the daughter of Jairus” of “1056 Healing a hemorrhage woman, resurrecting a daughter, and sending the twelve -The image of Jesus (11)”, we discussed these verses in detail and expanded them to related insights. Please use the above method to find this article. 

Speaking of expansion, for example, according to the Scripture, when a person dies, the spirit leaves first, and when the soul leaves, the person dies. Didn’t Jesus also cry out in a loud voice on the cross: “…“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.”(Luke 23:46) He did not mention the soul, which shows that the spirit and soul can be separated. As the Bible clearly states, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”(Hebrews 4:12). Therefore, man is composed of spirit, soul, and body. As the Scripture says, “… may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, …”(1 Thessalonians 5:23). In other words, trichotomy is correct. From the fact that “what God tells us through the Bible is consistent,” we can also see that the Greek word G5053 has two meanings: “dying” and “dead.”

4. The Woman with Hemorrhage for Twelve Years

“A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse⁠— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.””(Mark 5:25-34)

The above events occurred on Jesus’ way to Jairus’s house. The same event is briefly recorded in Matthew 9:20-22 and also in Luke 8:42-48, where it is specifically mentioned the fringe of His cloak: “came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.”(Luke 8:44). She had such faith simply by hearing about Jesus. No wonder Jesus said, “…Daughter, your faith has made you well; …”(Luke 8:48)

Previously, in “1. A woman who had a hemorrhage” under “1056 Healing a hemorrhage woman, resurrecting a daughter, and sending the twelve -The image of Jesus (11),” we discussed the miracle that happened to the woman with a hemorrhage. Her faith allowed her to be healed simply by touching the fringe of His cloak. We also discussed the origin and significance of the fringe. The Scriptures clearly tell us that Jesus was a complete human being while on earth. Doesn’t the Scripture clearly state this? “and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”(John 5:27). During His incarnation, He never exercised His divinity. Therefore, the power that emanated from Him came from the Holy Spirit. He did not initiate it, but He felt it. Please use the method described above to find this article.

(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

We first look at the call of the twelve disciples, and the fact that Jesus had to pray the whole night to make sure that his choosing them was due to the will of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, we see the time and place of the Sermon on the Mount, and also explain a seemingly apparent contradiction. Talking about the words, “power was coming from Him”, how do we interpret it? Thirdly, we can see that the Gospels of Luke and Matthew talk about the same event of the Sermon on the Mount, with many chapters talking about it in the latter. So, we’ll examine and explain first the three issues in common to both Gospels in the Beatitudes. Fourthly, we’ll do the same for the rest of the five which are only mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. Fifthly and lastly, we discuss the woes in the Gospel of Luke. Associated with it, we also use one example to illustrate the big difference between seeing things in the aspect of humans and in the aspect of God.

1. The call of the twelve disciples

In Luke 6:12-16, it says, “It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

We can see that Jesus as a man on earth had to pray the whole night to make sure that will of the Holy Spirit really wanted Him to choose these twelve disciples. Particularly, He wanted to make sure that the traitor Judas Iscariot was among them. The names of the twelve disciples also appears in Matthew 10:2-4 and Mark 3:13-19. If you compare the three, you know that Judas the son of James was also called Thaddaeus.

2. The time and place of the Sermon on the Mount

In Luke 6:17-19, it says, “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.” Then we look at what in Luke 7:1-2, it says, “When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.” We know that the Gospel of Luke is written according to chronological order, thus we know that the event of the Sermon on the Mount happened in between these two events. 

Now we examine the time of the Sermon on the Mount mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 5:1-12, it says, “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” …” After many words in several chapters, we see in Matthew 8:5-6 it says, “And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.”” Therefore, the event happened in the Gospel of Matthew has the same period of time as that in the Gospel of Luke, and should refer to the same event. Therefore, we should choose its union. In other words, as long as one of them is fulfilled, it is ok. For the common issues, they should be consistent because they are based upon the same fact.

In this case, we can see a seemly apparent contradiction. In the Gospel of Luke, it says in Luke 6:17, “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people …” And in Matthew 5:1, it says, “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.” We regard that this is the same event. Then, what happened? Up to the mountain or down from the mountain? It looks like a seemingly apparent contradiction. Let us examine what happened in detail. Take a look at the Gospel of Luke first. In Luke 6:12-13, it says, “It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles.” Jesus went alone to the mountain to pray. So, when day came, He had to go down the mountain to call His disciples to Him. And “Jesus came down with them…”(Luke 6:17) At this time, He saw a large crowd, “…He went up on the mountain …”(Matthew 5:1) “…and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people…”(Luke 6:17) “…and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.”(Matthew 5:1) With this observation, there is no contradiction at all. So, the Sermon of the Mount happened on that level place described in Luke 6:17.

Here, we want to discuss one verse in Luke 6:19, “And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.” We discussed before that although Jesus took the likeness of man and was a complete man at that period, He was also a complete God. But He never used His Godhead at that period. How can we perceive the words, “power was coming from Him?” Let us take a look at the verse in John 3:34, “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.” If Jesus used His Godhead during the period of Word becoming flesh, it is not necessary to give Him the Spirit at all since He can do everything Himself. Thus, we can realize that the power came from the Spirit Who was given to Him without measure.

Some people may have similar experiences. God can use them as a channel, and power came from them. Because “…we have this treasure (the aboding Holy Spirit) in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.”(2 Corinthians 4:7) “…but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”(Romans 8:13) In Romans 8:29 it is said clearly, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” If we can be like Jesus to empty ourselves, how can the power not come from the aboding Holy Spirit? But remember. The absolute authority lies on the hand of God. It is up to Him when the time should be. Because “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.”(Ecclesiastes 3:1）

3. Three issues of the Beatitudes described the Gospel of Luke

In Luke 6:20-21, it says, “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” Then it follows in Luke 6:22-23, “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.” Similar to these words are given in Matthew 5:11-12. This paragraph is pretty clear, and we’ll not further discuss it.

Now we take a look the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-10 to compare with that in Luke 6:20-21, “”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.””

In Luke 6:20, it says, “…Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” And in Matthew 5:3, it says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” So, those are poor are the poor in spirit. If a person knows that he is poor in spirit, how can he not be humble in front of God and the others? How can the kingdom of heaven not be his? In Luke 6:21, it says, “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. …” And in Matthew 5:6, it says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” So, the people who hunger are those who thirst in righteousness, how can they not be satisfied? (ref. Matthew 7:7-8) The remainder of Luke 6:21 says, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” And in Matthew 5:10, it says, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Those who have been prosecuted should be the ones who weep, but they will be joyful since the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Isn’t it what said in Acts 5:41? “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.”

4. The rest of the five in Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew

In Matthew 5:4, it says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” How can some people who are humble not mourn for themselves and thus repent? As said in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Thus, they shall be comforted.  In Matthew 5:5, it says, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” Those who are gentle are referred to as humble persons. Being humble is really important. Jesus said Himself, “…for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”(Matthew 11:29) We want to be conformed to the image of Jesus, how is it possible if a person isn’t humble? As discussed before, being proud is a big sin which is hard to deal with. Like what was said in 1 John 2:16, “…the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, …” It is among the reasons that Eve was seduced as said in Genesis 3:6, “When the woman saw that …the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; …” Aren’t the self-righteousness of Job and the counting of the number of people by David due to being proud? Some people may say that there always remains a little of being proud no matter what one does. Is it so? Not according to the Bible. When God involved Himself like what happened to Job and David, we need to work with God actively. Job knew himself better once he learned the facts God asked him. And David asked for a penalty himself. After those, the Bible doesn’t mention their being proud anymore, and says that they died full of days. (ref. 1 Chronicles 29:28, Job 42:17) Of course, there are other examples in the Bible. Yes, God can help us to get rid of being proud. But remember again, God has absolute authority and everything has its appointed time. Humans indeed can be proud to the extent that one doesn’t realize that he is being proud, if we are not careful enough. Here, it emphasizes again the importance of being humble. And we see that they shall inherit the earth.

The next is in Matthew 5:7, it says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Due to the grace of God, this is naturally true. But you have to be merciful to others first as said similarly in Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” Particularly, if some people think that there is no fault in his part, it is very difficult to first apologize for his fault. If you are moved to apologize first in this situation, the Holy Spirit will let you know where your fault is even though you don’t perceive it at first. If no such a thing happens, you can conclude that you are fooled by the servants of Satan because the Holy Spirit will not to ask you to lie. You need to repent in front of God. You need to discern since even supernatural things are not necessary coming from God as depicted clearly in the beginning of the Book of Job. So, the teaching that one has to apologize first no matter what is not true. Unfortunately, sometimes we need to know after the fact to decide if it came from God and we don’t know how long we should wait. But to apologize for wrong attitudes is always correct.

Although if the Holy Spirit wants you to know ahead of time, you’ll know for sure. In this case, you can know from the accomplishment of the event know that it is true. Normally, we wouldn’t know ahead in order to face our true self.  The event of Hezekiah that he showed everything among his treasuries to them is an example. (ref. 2 Kings 20:12-15) But the Bible also has a different example about knowing ahead like what given in 1 Kings 14:5, “Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that she will pretend to be another woman.”” In the New Testament, didn’t Jesus prophesied that Peter “…by what kind of death he would glorify God. …”(John 21:19)

Talkin about what in Matthew 5:8, it says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” As said in 1 Peter 1:22, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.” A person is pure in heart. He has the Agape love. And thus, he fervently loves his brothers and sisters in Christ. He shall see God. Lastly in Matthew 5:9 it says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Although this is said clearly, if one wants to be called the son of God and tries to be a peacemaker, the motivation is wrong and can be utilized by enemy. Remember, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”(Proverbs 4:23)

5. The woes in the Gospel of Luke

Jesus is a doer and He did whatever He taught. And He also gave us a warning in Luke 6:24-26, which says, “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

Several examples in these verses basically talk about the same thing. Please don’t think that you feel comfortable in your point of view means that you are rich. Looking at things in the aspect of human and in the aspect of God can be very different. The situation in the church of Laodicea mentioned in Revelation 3:17-18 is well illustrated this point. “Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

We really need to see things in the aspect of God. The Bible is inspired by God. Thus, looking at things in the aspect of the Bible is to see things in the aspect of God. But it isn’t vice versa. Because God is infinite, and the words in the Bible is finite. Jonn in the Gospel of John specifically said how he chose the material in John 20:31, “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” Therefore, to looking at things in the aspect of the Bible and the God are not equivalent.

The examples of feeling well-fed and laugh merely indicate the difference between looking at things in the aspect of human and God. To see things in the aspect of human, aren’t those fake prophets all men-pleasers? But God knows that they are fake. We need to discern as said in Hebrews 5:14, “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” How to become mature? As said in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” Life can only come from God. What we need to do is “Do not quench the Spirit.”(Thessalonians 5:19)  

   (Verses refer to those in NASB unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

    首先，我们看到有耳可听的，就应当听这撒种的比喻。第二，我们来看新约如何解释这撒种的比喻，并引用以前讨论过的关于以赛亚预言的部份。第三，谈到了基督徒要有作光作盐的生命，要想作光作盐，必需要有这样的生命才行。第四，我们讨论了神的国如何成长和应如何片去比喻，并引用了以前讨论过的关于芥菜种和面酵的比喻。最后，我们看到耶稣有权柄使风和海听从祂的命令。

1. 撒种的比喻      

    「耶稣又在海边教训人。有许多人到他那里聚集，他只得上船坐下。船在海里，众人都靠近海，站在岸上。耶稣就用比喻教训他们许多道理。在教训之间，对他们说：「你们听啊！有一个撒种的出去撒种。撒的时候，有落在路旁的，飞鸟来吃尽了。有落在土浅石头地上的，土既不深，发苗最快，日头出来一晒，因为没有根，就枯干了。有落在荆棘里的，荆棘长起来，把它挤住了，就不结实。又有落在好土里的，就发生长大，结实有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。」又说：「有耳可听的，就应当听！」」(马可福音 4:1-9)        

    关于撒种的比喻，在路加福音 8:4-8 和马太福音 13:1-9 都记载了同样的事，马太福音并说了那一天发生的事情，就是那一天当耶稣说，「凡遵行我天父旨意的人，就是我的弟兄、姐妹和母亲了。」(马太福音 12:50) 在这里，我们特别要强调，「有耳可听的，就应当听！」 这也是对启示录的七个教会所说的，要有一个能听的耳。以下我们就看圣经是如何解释这撒种的比喻。

2. 新约如何解释撒种的比喻       

    「无人的时候，跟随耶稣的人和十二个门徒，问他这比喻的意思。耶稣对他们说：「神国的奥秘，只叫你们知道，若是对外人讲，凡事就用比喻，叫『他们看是看见，却不晓得；听是听见，却不明白；恐怕他们回转过来，就得赦免。』」又对他们说：「你们不明白这比喻吗？这样怎能明白一切的比喻呢？撒种之人所撒的就是道。那撒在路旁的，就是人听了道，撒但立刻来，把撒在他心里的道夺了去。那撒在石头地上的，就是人听了道，立刻欢喜领受，但他心里没有根，不过是暂时的，及至为道遭了患难，或是受了逼迫，立刻就跌倒了。还有那撒在荆棘里的，就是人听了道，后来有世上的思虑，钱财的迷惑，和别样的私欲进来，把道挤住了，就不能结实。那撒在好地上的，就是人听道，又领受，并且结实，有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。」」(马可福音 4:10-20)        

    对于神国的奥秘这一段，马太福音说得很清楚，「门徒进前来，问耶稣说：「对众人讲话为甚么用比喻呢？」耶稣回答说：「因为天国的奥秘，只叫你们知道，不叫他们知道。凡有的，还要加给他，叫他有余；凡没有的，连他所有的也要夺去。所以我用比喻对他们讲，是因他们看也看不见，听也听不见，也不明白。在他们身上，正应了以赛亚的预言，说：『你们听是要听见，却不明白；看是要看见，却不晓得。因为这百姓油蒙了心，耳朵发沉，眼睛闭著；恐怕眼睛看见，耳朵听见，心里明白，回转过来，我就医治他们。』但你们的眼睛是有福的，因为看见了；你们的耳朵也是有福的，因为听见了。我实在告诉你们：从前有许多先知和义人要看你们所看的，却没有看见；要听你们所听的，却没有听见。」」(马太福音 13:10-17)        

    关于以赛亚的预言，约翰福音是这样说的，「他虽然在他们面前行了许多神迹，他们还是不信他。这是要应验先知以赛亚的话，说：「主啊，我们所传的有谁信呢？主的膀臂向谁显露呢？」他们所以不能信，因为以赛亚又说：「主叫他们瞎了眼、硬了心，免得他们眼睛看见，心里明白，回转过来，我就医治他们。」」(约翰福音 12:37-40) 我们看到神是有怜悯有恩典的神，只要真正悔改，神就会医治他们，所以神用的是回授(feedback)策略，这也就是新约所说的，「我们若认自己的罪，神是信实的，是公义的，必要赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义。」(约翰一书 1:9)     

    看和合本的翻译，好像神怕他们悔改一样，不是的，看原文就很清楚了，以前我们在『 2117 实实在在, 逻辑, 真理, 和刚硬 – 约(5)19-47』中的『4. 人的心是何等的刚硬啊！ 』分享过约翰福音12:38-40，就是这预言的真谛，请到『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』的网站后，按『对属灵生命的了解』，找到这篇文章，我们就不在这重复了。           

    关于这比喻的意思，这里说得很清楚，马太福音 13:18-23 基本是说同样的事情。路加福音 8:11-15 对同样的事情是这样说的，「这比喻乃是这样：种子就是神的道。那些在路旁的，就是人听了道，随后魔鬼来，从他们心里把道夺去，恐怕他们信了得救。那些在磐石上的，就是人听道，欢喜领受，但心中没有根，不过暂时相信，及至遇见试炼就退后了。那落在荆棘里的，就是人听了道，走开以后，被今生的思虑、钱财、宴乐挤住了，便结不出成熟的子粒来。那落在好土里的，就是人听了道，持守在诚实善良的心里，并且忍耐著结实。」(路加福音 8:11-15) 这和马可福音讲的基本是一样的，但说了种子就是神的道，强调了持守和忍耐。        

    问题是有些人一看这些经文就问，我们到底是结几倍的，像我以前一样，但在这样问之前，要先能确定自己不是那撒在路旁的，那撒在石头地上的，还有那撒在荆棘里的。

3. 要有作光作盐的生命   

    「耶稣又对他们说：「人拿灯来，岂是要放在斗底下，床底下，不放在灯台上吗？因为掩藏的事，没有不显出来的；隐瞒的事，没有不露出来的。「有耳可听的，就应当听！」」(马可福音 4:21-23)     

    在马太福音是这样说的，「你们是世上的盐。盐若失了味，怎能叫它再咸呢？以后无用，不过丢在外面，被人践踏了。「你们是世上的光。城造在山上，是不能隐藏的。人点灯，不放在斗底下，是放在灯台上，就照亮一家的人。你们的光也当这样照在人前，叫他们看见你们的好行为，便将荣耀归给你们在天上的父。」」(马太福音 5:13-16)        

    基督徒是要作光作盐没错，但不要忘记，灯有发光的生命，即使放在床底下仍会发光。请注意，这里是说犹太人用的「岩盐」，据说是从死海的岸边(参西番雅书 2:9)及死海西南方的盐山开采，是一种含有盐成分的岩石。也是据说在烹饪时，用绳子绑住岩盐来调味，越煮岩盐越小，盐分越少，到最后成了无味的石头，失去了含盐的生命，只能被丢弃在外。如直接舔著吃尝咸味，也会有一样的效果。     

    所以基督徒是要得生命，就像耶稣自己所说的，「你们查考圣经，因你们以为内中有永生；给我作见证的就是这经。然而你们不肯到我这里来得生命。」(约翰福音 5:39-40) 即使读经时的解释对而没有得到生命，也最多是得到知识，要愿意让圣灵带领读经，因为生命只能从三位一体的神来，如保罗所说，「我栽种了，亚波罗浇灌了，惟有神叫他生长。可见栽种的算不得甚么，浇灌的也算不得甚么，只在那叫他生长的神。」(哥林多前书 3:6-7) 我们知道祂来，「…是要叫羊得生命，并且得的更丰盛。」(约翰福音 10:10) 得生命是真正重要的，所以说，「有耳可听的，就应当听！」(马可福音 4:23) #####4. 神的国如何成长和应如何比喻        

    「又说：「你们所听的要留心。你们用甚么量器量给人，也必用甚么量器量给你们，并且要多给你们。因为有的，还要给他；没有的，连他所有的也要夺去。」又说：「神的国，如同人把种撒在地 上。 黑夜睡觉，白日起来，这种就发芽渐长，那人却不晓得如何这样。地生五谷是出于自然的：先发苗，后长穗，再后穗上结成饱满的子粒。谷既熟了，就用镰刀去割，因为收成的时候到了。」又说﹕「神的国，我们可用甚么比较呢？可用甚么比喻表明呢？好像一粒芥菜种，种在地里的时候，虽比地上的百种都小，但种上以后，就长起来，比各样的菜都大，又长出大枝来，甚至天上的飞鸟可以宿在它的荫下。」耶稣用许多这样的比喻，照他们所能听的，对他们讲道。若不用比喻，就不对他们讲，没有人的时候，就把一切的道讲给门徒听。」(马可福音 4:24-34)        

    很显然的，量器要公平，「两样的法码，两样的升斗，都为耶和华所憎恶。」(箴言 20:10) 天国的原则和一般是不同的，「…有的，还要给他；没有的，连他所有的也要夺去。」(马可福音 4:25, 并参马太福音 13:11-12, 25:28-30; 路加福音 8:18, 19:22-27) 至于神的国会自然成长，这里说得很清楚。        

    关于「…神的国，我们可用甚么比较呢？可用甚么比喻表明呢？」(马可福音 4:30) 这里祗有芥菜种的比喻，在马太福音 13:31-35 用的是神的国犹如芥菜种和面酵的比喻，这两个比喻是指同一件事情。我们知道这是一个争议性的话题，但我们不像平常的结论是往好的方向想，认为神的国必定发展如芥菜种和面酵般的加以状大。在圣经中，酵通常是指不好的事，所以我们是从「神借著圣经告诉我们是一致的」来看，看到神的国的确发展得相当快，但教会的成员参差不齐，而是把这比喻看做一个事实和警告。     

    基本上芥菜种是和菜(G3001)比较，本应是菜，欲长成了树(G1186)，变质了！这不是和现在相当多的教会的情况类似吗？ 譬如成功哲学，教导人只要信主就一切顺利，这不是依照圣经的教导，圣经是说，『…在世上你们有苦难，但你们可以放心，我已经胜了世界。』(约翰福音 16:33) 这样的教会如老底嘉的教会般，把主耶稣关在门外而不自知，让神的国参差不齐，但最终只会如稗子般被吹散，只有麦子会被收在仓里(参马太福音 13:24-。以前在「2065 悔改，不结实的下场，医治，和面酵的比喻 -耶稣(19)」中的「4. 神的国用芥菜种和面酵比喻」，我们详细的讨论过这问题，有兴趣的人可依照以前所述的方法，找到这篇文章。

5. 风和海听从耶稣的命令       

    「当那天晚上，耶稣对门徒说：「我们渡到那边去吧。」门徒离开众人，耶稣仍在船上，他们就把他一同带去，也有别的船和他同行。忽然起了暴风，波浪打入船内，甚至船要满了水。耶稣在船尾上，枕著枕头睡觉。门徒叫醒了他，说：「夫子！我们丧命，你不顾吗？」耶稣醒了，斥责风，向海说：「住了吧！静了吧！」风就止住，大大地平静了。耶稣对他们说：「为甚么胆怯，你们还没有信心吗？」他们就大大地惧怕，彼此说：「这到底是谁，连风和海也听从他了。」」(马可福音 4:35-41)       

    这些经文一开始就述说了情况的危急，但耶稣安心得很，祂在船尾睡觉。因危急的情况，他们显然知道祂能做一些事，就只好叫醒祂，「…说：「夫子！我们丧命，你不顾吗？」」(马可福音 4:38) 只是他们没有想到风和海都听从耶稣的命令。     

    在马太福音是这样说，「耶稣说：「你们这小信的人哪！为甚么胆怯呢？」于是起来，斥责风和海，风和海就大大地平静了。」(马太福音 8:26) 有一次，「使徒对主说：「求主加增我们的信心。」主说：「你们若有信心像一粒芥菜种，就是对这棵桑树说：『你要拔起根来，栽在海里』，它也必听从你们。」(路加福音 17:5-6) 这样的信心实在是很不容易。我们凡事都可求，但不是每次都会得到应许，而且结果有时是和我们想像的不一样。很显然的，耶稣生前他们并没有得到这样的信心，因为当祂被捕的时候，「门徒都离开他，逃走了。」(马可福音 14:50) 这是一般的情况，所以你不能说这不对，只因彼得和约翰没有跑，彼得是三次不认主后出去痛哭悔改的(参马太福音 26:69-75)  而约翰是唯一在十字架下的使徒(参约翰福音 19:25-27)。 

(经文除了特别注明外，是基于和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到这网站后要按『对属灵生命的了解』。)  

       首先，我們看到有耳可聽的，就應當聽這撒種的比喻。第二，我們來看新約如何解釋這撒種的比喻，並引用以前討論過的關於以賽亞預言的部份。第三，談到了基督徒要有作光作鹽的生命，要想作光作鹽，必需要有這樣的生命才行。第四，我們討論了神的國如何成長和應如何片去比喻，並引用了以前討論過的關於芥菜種和麪酵的比喻。最後，我們看到耶穌有權柄使風和海聽從祂的命令。

1. 撒種的比喻

       「耶穌又在海邊教訓人。有許多人到他那裏聚集，他只得上船坐下。船在海裏，眾人都靠近海，站在岸上。耶穌就用比喻教訓他們許多道理。在教訓之間，對他們說：「你們聽啊！有一個撒種的出去撒種。撒的時候，有落在路旁的，飛鳥來吃盡了。有落在土淺石頭地上的，土既不深，發苗最快，日頭出來一曬，因為沒有根，就枯乾了。有落在荊棘裏的，荊棘長起來，把它擠住了，就不結實。又有落在好土裏的，就發生長大，結實有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。」又說：「有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」」(馬可福音 4:1-9)

        關於撒種的比喻，在路加福音 8:4-8 和馬太福音 13:1-9 都記載了同樣的事，馬太福音並說了那一天發生的事情，就是那一天當耶穌說，「凡遵行我天父旨意的人，就是我的弟兄、姐妹和母親了。」(馬太福音 12:50) 在這裏，我們特別要強調，「有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」 這也是對啓示錄的七個教會所說的，要有一個能聽的耳。以下我們就看聖經是如何解釋這撒種的比喻。

2. 新約如何解釋撒種的比喻

       「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。耶穌對他們說：「神國的奧秘，只叫你們知道，若是對外人講，凡事就用比喻，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。』」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？撒種之人所撒的就是道。那撒在路旁的，就是人聽了道，撒但立刻來，把撒在他心裏的道奪了去。那撒在石頭地上的，就是人聽了道，立刻歡喜領受，但他心裏沒有根，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。還有那撒在荊棘裏的，就是人聽了道，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。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。」」(馬可福音 4:10-20)

        對於神國的奧秘這一段，馬太福音說得很清楚，「門徒進前來，問耶穌說：「對眾人講話為甚麼用比喻呢？」耶穌回答說：「因為天國的奧秘，只叫你們知道，不叫他們知道。凡有的，還要加給他，叫他有餘；凡沒有的，連他所有的也要奪去。所以我用比喻對他們講，是因他們看也看不見，聽也聽不見，也不明白。在他們身上，正應了以賽亞的預言，說：『你們聽是要聽見，卻不明白；看是要看見，卻不曉得。因為這百姓油蒙了心，耳朵發沉，眼睛閉着；恐怕眼睛看見，耳朵聽見，心裏明白，回轉過來，我就醫治他們。』但你們的眼睛是有福的，因為看見了；你們的耳朵也是有福的，因為聽見了。我實在告訴你們：從前有許多先知和義人要看你們所看的，卻沒有看見；要聽你們所聽的，卻沒有聽見。」」(馬太福音 13:10-17)

        關於以賽亞的預言，約翰福音是這樣說的，「他雖然在他們面前行了許多神蹟，他們還是不信他。這是要應驗先知以賽亞的話，說：「主啊，我們所傳的有誰信呢？主的膀臂向誰顯露呢？」他們所以不能信，因為以賽亞又說：「主叫他們瞎了眼、硬了心，免得他們眼睛看見，心裏明白，回轉過來，我就醫治他們。」」(約翰福音 12:37-40) 我們看到神是有憐憫有恩典的神，衹要真正悔改，神就會醫治他們，所以神用的是回授(feedback)策略，這也就是新約所說的，「我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義。」(約翰一書 1:9)

     看和合本的翻譯，好像神怕他們悔改一樣，不是的，看原文就很清楚了，以前我們在『 2117 實實在在, 邏輯, 真理, 和剛硬 – 約(5)19-47』中的『4. 人的心是何等的剛硬啊！ 』分享過約翰福音12:38-40，就是這預言的真諦，請到『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』的網站後，按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』，找到這篇文章，我們就不在這重複了。

        關於這比喻的意思，這裏說得很清楚，馬太福音 13:18-23 基本是說同樣的事情。路加福音 8:11-15 對同樣的事情是這樣說的，「這比喻乃是這樣：種子就是神的道。那些在路旁的，就是人聽了道，隨後魔鬼來，從他們心裏把道奪去，恐怕他們信了得救。那些在磐石上的，就是人聽道，歡喜領受，但心中沒有根，不過暫時相信，及至遇見試煉就退後了。那落在荊棘裏的，就是人聽了道，走開以後，被今生的思慮、錢財、宴樂擠住了，便結不出成熟的子粒來。那落在好土裏的，就是人聽了道，持守在誠實善良的心裏，並且忍耐着結實。」(路加福音 8:11-15) 這和馬可福音講的基本是一樣的，但說了種子就是神的道，強調了持守和忍耐。

        問題是有些人一看這些經文就問，我們到底是結幾倍的，像我以前一樣，但在這樣問之前，要先能確定自己不是那撒在路旁的，那撒在石頭地上的，還有那撒在荊棘裏的。

3. 要有作光作鹽的生命

    「耶穌又對他們說：「人拿燈來，豈是要放在斗底下，牀底下，不放在燈台上嗎？因為掩藏的事，沒有不顯出來的；隱瞞的事，沒有不露出來的。「有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」」(馬可福音 4:21-23)

     在馬太福音是這樣說的，「你們是世上的鹽。鹽若失了味，怎能叫它再鹹呢？以後無用，不過丟在外面，被人踐踏了。「你們是世上的光。城造在山上，是不能隱藏的。人點燈，不放在斗底下，是放在燈台上，就照亮一家的人。你們的光也當這樣照在人前，叫他們看見你們的好行為，便將榮耀歸給你們在天上的父。」」(馬太福音 5:13-16)

        基督徒是要作光作鹽沒錯，但不要忘記，燈有發光的生命，即使放在牀底下仍會發光。請注意，這裏是說猶太人用的「岩鹽」，據說是從死海的岸邊(參西番雅書 2:9)及死海西南方的鹽山開採，是一種含有鹽成分的岩石。也是據說在烹飪時，用繩子綁住岩鹽來調味，越煮岩鹽越小，鹽分越少，到最後成了無味的石頭，失去了含鹽的生命，衹能被丟棄在外。如直接舔著吃嚐鹹味，也會有一樣的效果。

     所以基督徒是要得生命，就像耶穌自己所說的，「你們查考聖經，因你們以為內中有永生；給我作見證的就是這經。然而你們不肯到我這裏來得生命。」(約翰福音 5:39-40) 即使讀經時的解釋對而沒有得到生命，也最多是得到知識，要願意讓聖靈帶領讀經，因為生命衹能從三位一體的神來，如保羅所說，「我栽種了，亞波羅澆灌了，惟有神叫他生長。可見栽種的算不得甚麼，澆灌的也算不得甚麼，只在那叫他生長的神。」(哥林多前書 3:6-7) 我們知道祂來，「…是要叫羊得生命，並且得的更豐盛。」(約翰福音 10:10) 得生命是真正重要的，所以說，「有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」(馬可福音 4:23)

4. 神的國如何成長和應如何比喻

        「又說：「你們所聽的要留心。你們用甚麼量器量給人，也必用甚麼量器量給你們，並且要多給你們。因為有的，還要給他；沒有的，連他所有的也要奪去。」又說：「神的國，如同人把種撒在地 上。 黑夜睡覺，白日起來，這種就發芽漸長，那人卻不曉得如何這樣。地生五穀是出於自然的：先發苗，後長穗，再後穗上結成飽滿的子粒。穀既熟了，就用鐮刀去割，因為收成的時候到了。」又說﹕「神的國，我們可用甚麼比較呢？可用甚麼比喻表明呢？好像一粒芥菜種，種在地裏的時候，雖比地上的百種都小，但種上以後，就長起來，比各樣的菜都大，又長出大枝來，甚至天上的飛鳥可以宿在它的蔭下。」耶穌用許多這樣的比喻，照他們所能聽的，對他們講道。若不用比喻，就不對他們講，沒有人的時候，就把一切的道講給門徒聽。」(馬可福音 4:24-34)

        很顯然的，量器要公平，「兩樣的法碼，兩樣的升斗，都為耶和華所憎惡。」(箴言 20:10) 天國的原則和一般是不同的，「…有的，還要給他；沒有的，連他所有的也要奪去。」(馬可福音 4:25, 並參馬太福音 13:11-12, 25:28-30; 路加福音 8:18, 19:22-27) 至於神的國會自然成長，這裏說得很清楚。

        關於「…神的國，我們可用甚麼比較呢？可用甚麼比喻表明呢？」(馬可福音 4:30) 這裏祗有芥菜種的比喻，在馬太福音 13:31-35 用的是神的國猶如芥菜種和麪酵的比喻，這兩個比喻是指同一件事情。我們知道這是一個爭議性的話題，但我們不像平常的結論是往好的方向想，認為神的國必定發展如芥菜種和麪酵般的加以狀大。在聖經中，酵通常是指不好的事，所以我們是從「神藉著聖經告訴我們是一致的」來看，看到神的國的確發展得相當快，但教會的成員參差不齊，而是把這比喻看做一個事實和警告。

     基本上芥菜種是和菜(G3001)比較，本應是菜，欲長成了樹(G1186)，變質了！這不是和現在相當多的教會的情況類似嗎？ 譬如成功哲學，教導人只要信主就一切順利，這不是依照聖經的教導，聖經是說，『…在世上你們有苦難，但你們可以放心，我已經勝了世界。』(約翰福音 16:33) 這樣的教會如老底嘉的教會般，把主耶穌關在門外而不自知，讓神的國參差不齊，但最終只會如稗子般被吹散，衹有麥子會被收在倉裡(參馬太福音 13:24-。以前在「2065 悔改，不結實的下場，醫治，和麪酵的比喻 -耶穌(19)」中的「4. 神的國用芥菜種和麪酵比喻」，我們詳細的討論過這問題，有興趣的人可依照以前所述的方法，找到這篇文章。

5. 風和海聽從耶穌的命令

       「當那天晚上，耶穌對門徒說：「我們渡到那邊去吧。」門徒離開眾人，耶穌仍在船上，他們就把他一同帶去，也有別的船和他同行。忽然起了暴風，波浪打入船內，甚至船要滿了水。耶穌在船尾上，枕着枕頭睡覺。門徒叫醒了他，說：「夫子！我們喪命，你不顧嗎？」耶穌醒了，斥責風，向海說：「住了吧！靜了吧！」風就止住，大大地平靜了。耶穌對他們說：「為甚麼膽怯，你們還沒有信心嗎？」他們就大大地懼怕，彼此說：「這到底是誰，連風和海也聽從他了。」」(馬可福音 4:35-41)

        這些經文一開始就述說了情況的危急，但耶穌安心得很，祂在船尾睡覺。因危急的情況，他們顯然知道祂能做一些事，就衹好叫醒祂，「…說：「夫子！我們喪命，你不顧嗎？」」(馬可福音 4:38) 衹是他們沒有想到風和海都聽從耶穌的命令。

     在馬太福音是這樣說，「耶穌說：「你們這小信的人哪！為甚麼膽怯呢？」於是起來，斥責風和海，風和海就大大地平靜了。」(馬太福音 8:26) 有一次，「使徒對主說：「求主加增我們的信心。」主說：「你們若有信心像一粒芥菜種，就是對這棵桑樹說：『你要拔起根來，栽在海裏』，它也必聽從你們。」(路加福音 17:5-6) 這樣的信心實在是很不容易。我們凡事都可求，但不是每次都會得到應許，而且結果有時是和我們想像的不一樣。很顯然的，耶穌生前他們並沒有得到這樣的信心，因為當祂被捕的時候，「門徒都離開他，逃走了。」(馬可福音 14:50) 這是一般的情況，所以你不能說這不對，衹因彼得和約翰沒有跑，彼得是三次不認主後出去痛哭悔改的(參馬太福音 26:69-75)  而約翰是唯一在十字架下的使徒(參約翰福音 19:25-27)。

(經文除了特別註明外，是基於和合本。)

(你可以在『 https://a-christian-voice.com/ 』看到所有的文章，到這網站後要按『對屬靈生命的瞭解』。)

First, we saw that those who have ears to hear should listen to the parable of the sower. Second, we looked at how the New Testament interprets the parable of the sower and quoted the part about Isaiah’s prophecy that we discussed previously. Third, we talked about the life that Christians must have to be salt and light. To be salt and light, we must have such a life. Fourth, we discussed how the kingdom of God grows and how it should be interpreted, and quoted the parable of the mustard seed and the leaven that we discussed previously. Finally, we saw that Jesus has the authority to make the wind and the sea obey His command.

1. The Parable of the Sower

“He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””(Mark 4:1-9)

The parable of the sower is recorded in Luke 8:4-8 and Matthew 13:1-9. The book of Matthew also describes that day when the events occurs, that is, when Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”(Matthew 12:50). Here, we must emphasize the verse, “He who has ears, let him hear.”(Matthew 13:9) The same is said for the seven churches in book of Revelation: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”(Revelation 2:29) Let’s see how the Bible interprets the parable of the sower. 

2. How the New Testament Explains the Parable of the Sower

“As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.” And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.””(Mark 4:10-20)

The book of Matthew clearly explains this passage about the mysteries of the Kingdom of God: “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”(Matthew 13:10-17)

The Gospel of John says this about Isaiah’s prophecy: “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.””(John 12:37-40) We see that God is a merciful and gracious God. As long as they truly repent, God will heal them. Therefore, God uses a feedback strategy, which is what the New Testament says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9) 

The translation of the Union Version seems to make it seem like God is afraid of them repenting. This is not the case. It is very clear when we read the original text. Previously, we saw in “4. How hard is the human heart!” under “1117 Truly truly, logic, truth, and hardness – John (5) 19-47”, we’ve already shared John 12:38-40, which explains the true meaning of this prophecy. Please visit https://a-christian-voice.com/ and click on “On spiritual understanding about life” to find this article. We won’t repeat it here.

The meaning of this parable is clearly explained here. Matthew 13:18-23 essentially says the same thing. Luke 8:11-15 describes the same thing: ““Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”(Luke 8:11-15) This is essentially the same as what the book of Mark says, but it emphasizes perseverance and endurance by saying the seed is the word of God.

The problem is that some people, like me, immediately ask, “How much folds can we bear – thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold?” after reading these verses. But before asking this question, we must first make sure that we are not the ones sown by the wayside, on rocky ground, or among thorns.

3. Have a life of being salt and light

“And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.””(Mark 4:21-23)

In the book of Matthew, it says, ““You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”(Matthew 5:13-16)

It is true that Christians should be light and salt, but don’t forget that a lamp has a luminous life and will continue to shine even if placed under a bed. Please note that the salt refers to the “rock salt” used by the Jews. It is said to be mined from the shores of the Dead Sea (see Zephaniah 2:9) and the salt mountains southwest of the Dead Sea. It is a salty rock. It is also said that when cooking, rock salt is tied with ropes to season food. As it cooks, the rock salt becomes smaller and less salty, eventually becoming a tasteless stone, losing its salty life and having to be discarded. Licking it directly to taste the saltiness will

eventually become a tasteless stone, and thus have the same effect.

Therefore, Christians seek to have life, just as Jesus Himself said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”(John 5:39-40). Even if one interprets the Scripture correctly but does not have life, at most one can gain knowledge only. We must be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our reading of the Scriptures, because life can only come from the Triune God. As Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”(1 Corinthians 3:6-7). We know that He came “…that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”(John 10:10). Having life is truly important, so it is said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”(Mark 4:23).

4. How the Kingdom of God Grows and How to Use Parables to Describe It 

“And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows⁠—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.”(Mark 4:24-34)

Obviously, the measuring vessel must be fair. “Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are abominable to the LORD.”(Proverbs 20:10). The principles of the kingdom of heaven are different from ordinary ones. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”(Mark 4:25, see also Matthew 13:11-12, 25:28-30; Luke 8:18, 19:22-27). As for the natural growth of the kingdom of God, this is clearly stated here.

Regarding “…How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?”(Mark 4:30), here only the parable of the mustard seed is used. Matthew 13:31-35 uses the parable of the kingdom of God as a mustard seed and leaven. These two parables refer to the same thing. We know this is a controversial topic, but we don’t tend to assume the Kingdom of God will grow like the mustard seed and leaven. In the Bible, leaven typically refers to something bad. Therefore, we consider the parable as a fact and a warning, by considering “What God tells us through the Bible is consistent.” We see that the Kingdom of God is indeed growing rapidly, but the church’s membership is uneven.

Essentially, the mustard seed is being compared to vegetables (G3001). It was supposed to be vegetables, but it wanted to grow into a tree (G1186), and so it became corrupted! Doesn’t this resemble the situation in many churches today? For example, the philosophy of success teaches that everything will go smoothly as long as people believe in the Lord. This is not in line with the Bible’s teaching, which says, “…In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33) Such a church is like the church in Laodicea, which shuts out the Lord Jesus without realizing it, making the Kingdom of God uneven. But in the end, it will be scattered like tares, while only the wheat will be gathered into the barn (see Matthew 13:24-). We have previously discussed this issue in detail in “4. The parable of the kingdom of God with the mustard seed and the leaven” under “1065 Repentance, unfruitful end, healing, and the parable of leaven – Jesus (19)”. Those who are interested can find this article according to the method described previously.

5. The Wind and the Sea Obeyed Jesus’ Command

“On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””(Mark 4:35-41)

These verses begin by describing the critical situation, but Jesus was at peace, sleeping in the stern. Because of the critical situation, they obviously knew He could do something, so they had no choice but to wake Him, “and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?””(Mark 4:38). However, they didn’t realize that the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus’ command.

In the book of Matthew, it says, “He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.”(Matthew 8:26). On another occasion, “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.”(Luke 17:5-6). Such faith is truly not easy to come by. We can ask for anything, but not every prayer will be granted, and sometimes the results are different from what we imagine. Obviously, they did not have such faith during Jesus’ lifetime, because when He was arrested, “And they all left Him and fled.”(Mark 14:50). This is a general statement, so you cannot say the description of the Bible is wrong just because Peter and John did not run away. Peter went out and repented weeping bitterly after denying the Lord three times (see Matthew 26:69-75), and John was the only apostle who was at the foot of the cross (see John 19:25-27).

(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)