Heal the sick, call the sinner part 1 | 医治病人，呼召罪人 1

The world is filled with needy souls. Will you join Jesus on a journey to bring healing and wholeness?

这个世界上充满着贫乏的灵魂。你愿意加入耶稣开启一段带来医治和健康的旅途吗？

Matthew chapter nine begins with Jesus stepping into a boat. He had just survived a storm with His disciples, set two demon-possessed men free and was begged by an entire town to leave. So He did. He got back into that boat and headed home across the lake one more time with His disciples.

马太福音第九章是从耶稣踏进船只开始讲起，祂刚刚和门徒们经历过一场风暴，释放了两个被鬼附的人，全村的人求衪离开那地。于是祂照做了。祂回到船上再一次和门徒们穿过河流返航。

When He got to His own town, the people started coming to Him. Matthew chapter nine is filled with a line-up of desperately needy people plus a bunch of incredibly sinful people. Jesus is bombarded with one person after another and He holds fast to His mission to heal the sick and call the sinners.

当祂回到自己的城镇，人们开始向祂涌来。马太福音第九章描述的全是一群绝望缺乏和极其罪恶的人。耶稣被一个接一个的人轰炸，却依然持守祂医治病人和呼召罪人的使命。

Faith-filled friends and faithless leaders
被信充满的朋友们和小信的领袖

The first people to get to Jesus as soon as He got out of the boat was a group of men bringing their paralyzed friend to Jesus.

耶稣一下船，就有几个男人来找祂，带着他们瘫痪的朋友来到耶稣面前。

“Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man. Matthew 9:1-8 NIV

耶稣上了船，渡过海，来到自己的城里。 有人用褥子抬着一个瘫子到耶稣跟前来。耶稣见他们的信心，就对瘫子说：“小子，放心吧！你的罪赦了。” 有几个文士心里说：“这个人说僭妄的话了。” 耶稣知道他们的心意，就说：“你们为什么心里怀着恶念呢？ 或说‘你的罪赦了’，或说‘你起来行走’，哪一样容易呢？ 但要叫你们知道，人子在地上有赦罪的权柄。”就对瘫子说：“起来，拿你的褥子回家去吧！” 那人就起来，回家去了。 众人看见都惊奇，就归荣耀与　神，因为他将这样的权柄赐给人。 马太福音 9:1-8

When Jesus saw these guys carrying their friend on a mat, He saw faith in each of the men, including the man lying on the mat. They must have been absolutely determined to bring their friend before Jesus. But the first thing Jesus did was not meet the man’s physical needs and heal his body. Instead, He spoke to the man’s spiritual needs. Just like the faith Abraham had, this man’s faith was seen by Jesus as righteousness and he was forgiven.

当耶稣看到这些人用褥子抬着他们的朋友，祂看到了每一个人的信心，包括那位躺在褥子上的人，他们一定是下了很大的决心才把朋友带到耶稣面前。但是耶稣首先并不是满足这个人肉身的需求，来医治他，而是指出了他灵魂的需要。就像亚伯拉罕所有的信一样，这个人的信被耶稣算为他的义，因此也蒙赦免。

What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3 NIV

经上说什么呢？说：“亚伯拉罕信　神，这就算为他的义。” 罗马书 4:3

To Jesus the heart is more important than anything else. So it was His priority to heal him spiritually and offer the forgiveness of sins. Jesus also cared for the man’s physical needs and to the astonishment of everyone, the man got up and walked away. Because of his faith, the paralyzed man received healing from Jesus. The group of men who had carried their friend to Jesus were full of faith and they left rejoicing. Left behind was the group of religious leaders who had no faith. Their lack of faith resulted in evil thoughts which were called out by Jesus. One group of men received the healing they were seeking, the other men received a rebuke. What a contrast.

对耶稣来说心灵比任何东西都更重要。所以祂优先在属灵上医治他并且赦免了他的罪。耶稣也同样关心这个人身体的需要，令众人惊奇的是，这个男人能够起来走回去。因着他的信，瘫子从耶稣这里接受了医治。这几位抬着瘫子来见耶稣的朋友们满有信心，带着喜乐离开。留下的是一群没有信的宗教领袖。他们的小信令他们对耶稣产生了恶念。一群人得到了他们所求的医治，另一群人却被责备，这是多么鲜明的对比。

Do you have faith that your needs can be met by Jesus?
你相信耶稣能满足你的需要吗？

Healing the sick, calling the sinner
医治病人，呼召罪人

The next stop Jesus made through town was when He was walking by a despised tax collector’s booth. The local people might have despised the tax collector, but not Jesus. He wanted to have dinner at his house and welcome this tax collector into His close circle of friends.

耶稣路过一个被人厌弃的税吏所在的税关时，衪把这里当作了出城后的下一站。当地的人都厌弃这位税吏，但是耶稣没有。祂想要去他的家里坐席并且欢迎这位税吏成为祂亲密朋友圈的一员。

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:9-13 NIV

耶稣从那里往前走，看见一个人名叫马太，坐在税关上，就对他说：“你跟从我来。”他就起来，跟从了耶稣。 耶稣在屋里坐席的时候，有好些税吏和罪人来，与耶稣和他的门徒一同坐席。 法利赛人看见，就对耶稣的门徒说：“你们的先生为什么和税吏并罪人一同吃饭呢？” 耶稣听见，就说：“康健的人用不着医生，有病的人才用得着。 经上说：‘我喜爱怜恤，不喜爱祭祀。’这句话的意思，你们且去揣摩。我来本不是召义人，乃是召罪人。” 马太福音 9:9-13

I wonder if the other disciples were shocked when they heard Jesus call out: ”Follow me.” These were the same words He had used to call the fishermen to become His disciples. They had left all of their fishing boats and great catch of fish on the lakeshore to follow Him. Now the scene plays out again but this time with a tax collector – not exactly a noble profession. Fishermen were hardworking strong men, it made sense for Jesus to want these guys on His team. But a tax collector who cheated people for his own gain and to serve the oppressive Roman government? The fishermen must have thought this was the last guy Jesus would choose. The religious leaders at least thought so. ‬‬‬‬‬‬

我在想其他门徒听到耶稣说：“你跟从我来。”的时候是否很震惊。祂当时呼召渔民做门徒时也是这么说的。他们把所有的渔船和许多的鱼都留在岸边去跟从祂。现在同样的一幕再一次上演，但这次是对一位税吏说，这是一个不怎么光彩的职业。渔民是努力靠双手劳作的人，耶稣希望他们加入是有道理的，但如果是一位为了自已的利益欺压百姓，为暴虐的罗马政府服务的税吏，耶稣也希望他加入吗？这些渔民一定以为耶稣最不可能选择这个人，至少宗教领袖们是这么认为的。

But Matthew was no ordinary tax collector. He immediately left everything behind to follow Jesus. He never returns to tax collecting; He is now a disciple of Jesus who goes wherever Jesus goes. He also becomes a writer who wrote the book of Matthew.

但是马太不是一位寻常的税吏，他立刻舍弃了一切来跟随耶稣。他再也没有回去收税，他现在是耶稣的门徒了，跟随耶稣去往祂要去的任何地方。他也成为了马太福音的作者。

“Follow me,” means to go somewhere. It means to leave behind the old thing and start the new thing. Following Jesus is not like following someone on Instagram. You can’t just follow Him by looking at His pictures and reading His words and tapping a like button. You have to actually get up and go. And sometimes it means having Jesus come into your home like Matthew’s home. It also can mean facing criticism. Matthew was hit pretty quickly with public criticism as the religious leaders called the tax collectors sinners and wondered why Jesus was with them.

“跟随我”意味着要去一个地方，也意味着要把旧的丢弃重新开始。这里的跟随不像是我们在社交媒体上的关注，你不能只是通过看祂的图片、读祂的话语、点一个赞来跟随祂。你需要真正的起行出发。有时候意味着要像马太一样让耶稣进到你的家里，也可能意味着要忍受诽议。马太很快就遭受了大众的诽议，宗教领袖称税吏为罪人，质疑耶稣为什么要和他们在一起。

But in this possibly awkward moment, Jesus reveals something about His way of living out the mission. He was going to heal the sick and call the sinners. That meant He had to go to where the sick and sinners were. If we are to follow Jesus, we will also go to where the sick and sinners are.

但就在这个尴尬的时刻，耶稣揭示了祂活出使命的方式，祂来是医治病人和呼召罪人。这意味着祂就要去到病人和罪人所在的地方。如果我们要跟随耶稣，我们也要同样去到病人和罪人所在的地方。

Have you followed Jesus to the sick and sinners?

你有没有跟随耶稣去到病人和罪人在的地方？