The Faith Scale || 信心尺度

At times faith seems like an abstract concept and hard to obtain. At other times, usually in crisis, faith is all you have. Jesus was always on the lookout for faith. There seemed to be a sort of scale of faith He used to describe people: no faith, little faith or great faith. There were only two people that Jesus declared as having “great faith”. Surprisingly, these two were not Jesus’ main followers. They were not even in His inner circle. They were in fact Gentiles living on the outside of Jewish society. But they were both people with intense need.

信心有时似乎是很抽象的概念，颇难获得。有些时候，通常是在危难中，所拥有的就仅有信心。耶稣一直在寻找信心。祂似乎使用这样的尺度来描述人的信心：没有信心、小信或者极大的信心。耶稣仅称两个人有“极大的信心”。让人吃惊的是，这两个人并不是耶稣的主要追随者，他们甚至不是祂圈子里的核心成员。事实上，他们是生活于犹太群体之外的外邦人，都有大的患难。

One of those “great faith” people was a Canaanite woman that Jesus met when He and His disciples traveled to a region called Phoenicia in which lived many Gentiles. This was the historic home of the wicked Queen Jezebel, and the place where the prophet Elijah went to stay with a Gentile widow during a famine. Even though Phoenicia was traditionally home to many Gentiles, Jesus did not skip this region on his preaching circuit. Due to the many Gentiles living in this area, it is not surprising that a Gentile woman came to Jesus with her tremendous need. But what is surprising is Jesus’ reaction to her.

其中一位大有信心之人是一位迦南地的妇女。耶稣和祂的门徒前往称为腓尼基的地区时遇到了她。许多外邦人住在那里。历史上，这里是邪恶的女王耶洗别的家乡。先知以利亚在灾荒期间也是来到这里，住在一个外邦寡妇家里。尽管腓尼基传统上是诸多外邦人的居所，耶稣在巡回传道时并没略过这个地区。正是由于许多外邦人居住在这个地区，所以丝毫不奇怪会有一位身处巨大患难的外邦妇人来到耶稣面前。令人吃惊的倒是耶稣对她的回应。

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Matthew 15:21-28 NIV

耶稣离开那里，退到推罗、西顿的境内去。有一个迦南妇人从那地方出来，喊着说：“主啊，大卫的子孙，可怜我！我女儿被鬼附得甚苦。”耶稣却一言不答。门徒进前来，求他说：“这妇人在我们后头喊叫。请打发她走吧！”耶稣说：“我奉差遣，不过是到以色列家迷失的羊那里去。”那妇人来拜他，说：“主啊，帮助我！”他回答说：“不好拿儿女的饼丢给狗吃。”妇人说：“主啊，不错，但是狗也吃它主人桌子上掉下来的碎渣儿。”耶稣说：“妇人，你的信心是大的，照你所要的，给你成全了吧！”从那时候，她女儿就好了。
马太福音15:21-28

What is your first impression of this story? Does it seem odd that Jesus would ignore and then two times put off a woman who is desperately begging for help? At first glance, this story just doesn’t seem to match with what we know about Jesus’ compassion and heart to heal all people. Did He really mean to ignore her and call her a dog? Or is there something happening here on a deeper level?

这个故事给你的第一印象是什么？这个妇人绝望地祈求帮助，耶稣居然无视她，甚至两次拒绝她，这看起来是不是很奇怪？我们都知道耶稣对所有人都心存怜悯且愿意医治他们，这个故事乍看之下，却好像跟我们对耶稣的认知并不相符。祂真要忽视她或者称她为狗吗？还是有更深层次的含义？

If we read this story backwards, maybe we can get a different understanding of the meaning. The story ends with a victory. Jesus declares the Canaanite woman to have great faith (not just faith, but great faith!) and the daughter is instantly healed. If Jesus’ previous opening comments were truly about excluding the woman from God’s blessings and insulting her, Jesus would not have praised her and healed her daughter.

如果往回看这个故事，也许就会对其含义有不同理解。故事以胜利告终。耶稣称这个迦南妇人有大的信心（不只是信心，而是极大的信心），她的女儿也即刻得了痊愈。如果耶稣开头的话真是要将这位妇人拒于神的祝福之外并且要侮辱她，那么祂就不会称赞她，也不会医治她的女儿。

The Jewish-Gentile separation
犹太人和外邦人的隔绝

Beginning in the book of Genesis, God chose to reveal Himself to the entire world through one man and his family – Abraham. To accomplish a world-wide revelation, God started small and then went big. Through this family, He taught us all how to live God’s way and we learned the importance of repentance and forgiveness for when we do not follow His way. To do this, Abraham’s family had to be different from all of the other families of the world who did not know God. This family grew to become the Jewish people and God required them to be separate from the other godless families of the world. Throughout the Old Testament, many non-Jewish people (Gentiles) came to know God and receive His blessings. But God’s main focus was always on the Jews and the promise to bless the world through this family.

自创世纪开始，神选择透过一个人和他的家族—亚伯拉罕–将祂自己启示给世人。为了完成对所有世人的启示，神从小处着手而慢慢成就大事。透过这个家族，神教导我们所有人如何活在祂的道中，若我们没有遵循神的道，要学会悔改并接受饶恕的重要性。为达此目标，亚伯拉罕的族群必须有别于其他不认识神的族群。他的家族慢慢成长为犹太民族，神要求他们从世上其他不信神的族群中分别出来。在旧约中，许多非犹太人(外邦人)认识了神并从祂领受了祝福。但神始终关注的却是犹太民族和要透过这个民族祝福所有世人的应许。

Jesus was the ultimate blessing that came to the world through the Jews. His first focus was to reach the Jewish people, but then He also welcomed Gentiles and set the stage for them to be fully adopted into this family. I wonder if His conversation with this Canaanite woman was a part of Him preparing the way for the eventual unifying of the Jews and Gentiles in Jesus Christ?

耶稣透过犹太民族来到世上，祂是最终的祝福。祂首先关注拯救犹太人，然后祂才迎接外邦人，并分阶段使他们完全进入这个大家庭。犹太人最终将和外邦人永远在耶稣基督里合而为一，耶稣在为此预备道路，我猜想，祂跟这位迦南妇人的对话是不是就是祂预备的一部分？

Jesus’ response
耶稣的回应

Let’s look closely at how Jesus interacted with the Canaanite woman. To begin, the woman was fully aware of the difference between her and Jesus. She clearly called Him the Son of David which places Him squarely as Israel’s king. She knew full well that she was not a part of the Jewish kingdom. But she persisted nonetheless. What was Jesus’ response? He completely ignored her. But this did not deter the woman. She pressed on and soon the situation became so irritating or awkward that the disciples asked Jesus to dismiss this woman.

我们来仔细看看耶稣跟这位迦南妇人的互动。一开始，妇人就全然意识到她和耶稣之间的差别。她清楚地称呼祂为大卫的子孙，显然把祂当作以色列的王。她完全明了自己不属于犹太王国。但她依然坚持。耶稣如何回应呢？祂完全无视她。但此举并没有阻止这位妇人。她继续坚持，很快，情况变得让人烦扰难堪，门徒便请求耶稣把这个妇人打发走。

When the disciples came to Jesus, He spoke to them – not the woman. And said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Why did He say this to the disciples? Was He reminding them of the great divide between Jews and Gentiles?

门徒来到耶稣面前时，祂对他们而不是对妇人说。祂说：“我奉差遣，不过是到以色列家迷失的羊那里去。” 祂为何对门徒说这话？祂在提醒他们犹太人和外邦人之间的巨大鸿沟吗？

Next the woman came directly to Jesus and knelt before Him. This was a bold and desperate move. She begged for help. And this is when He finally spoke directly to her and said something that makes our eyebrows raise: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

然后这位妇人径直来到耶稣面前并跪倒在地. 这个出于绝望的举动极其大胆。她祈求帮助。这时耶稣才直接对她说话，而且祂说的话令我们瞠目结舌：“不好拿儿女的饼丢给狗吃。”

Was He insulting her? The original Greek word for “dog” used here is not an insult, but more of a plain word used for dog or even puppy. Maybe Jesus was setting her up, asking her a question to led her to proclaim her faith. Was He testing her in front of the others to prove a point?

祂在侮辱她吗？在希腊原文中，这里用的“狗“字并不是侮辱，就是单纯的一个字眼，指狗甚至是小狗。也许耶稣在诱导她，通过问题来引导她宣告自己的信心。祂是在众人面前试验她以证明什么吗？

The woman did not argue with Jesus nor did she move. In that lowly position of bowing before Jesus – just like a dog at its master’s knee waiting for a scrap of food – she remained still. She asked believing she would receive and she unashamedly said, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

这位妇人没有跟耶稣争辩，也没有移动。跪拜在耶稣脚前，以如此卑微的姿态—正如狗伏在主人膝头，等待食物碎渣一样—-这位妇人就这样静俯不动。她请求并相信她会得着，她坦然说到：“但是狗也吃它主人桌子上掉下来的碎渣儿。”

I can picture a huge smile breaking out across Jesus’ face as He looked at her and the disciples standing around them. And then He said these incredible words. “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”

我想象得出，耶稣看着她和站在旁边的门徒时，脸上露出开心的微笑。然后祂娓娓道出这些不同寻常的话语：“妇人，你的信心是大的，照你所要的，给你成全了吧！”

Breaking down the walls
拆毁中间的墙

I wonder how the disciples reacted. Were they surprised that Jesus gave such an honor to this Gentile woman? Was this a part of the breaking down the walls between the Jews and Gentiles?

我好奇门徒会怎么反应。耶稣给这位外邦妇人如此的尊荣，他们会心存惊异吗？这是拆毁犹太人和外邦人之间的墙的一部分吗？

Years later, the disciples would work together with the Apostle Paul to reach the Gentile world and welcome all people – even non-Jews – into God’s family. This was a difficult shift for the Jews who were always separate from the Gentiles. But through Jesus, both groups could come together.

多年后，门徒将和使徒保罗携手向外邦世界传福音，欢迎所有世人，甚至非犹太人，进入神的大家庭。犹太人跟外邦人一向隔绝，这对他们将是一个困难的转变。但透过耶稣，两者可以合而为一。

Paul wrote these encouraging words to the Gentile believers living in Ephesus:
在以弗所书，保罗对外邦信徒写下了这样鼓舞人心的言语：

“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”
Ephesians 2:11-16 NIV

所以你们应当记念，你们从前按肉体是外邦人，是称为没受割礼的，这名原是那些凭人手在肉身上称为受割礼之人所起的。那时，你们与基督无关，在以色列国民以外，在所应许的诸约上是局外人，并且活在世上没有指望，没有神。你们从前远离神的人，如今却在基督耶稣里，靠着他的血，已经得亲近了。因他使我们和睦（原文作“因他是我们的和睦”），将两下合而为一，拆毁了中间隔断的墙，而且以自己的身体废掉冤仇，就是那记在律法上的规条，为要将两下藉着自己造成一个新人，如此便成就了和睦。既在十字架上灭了冤仇，便藉这十字架使两下归为一体，与神和好了。
以弗所书2:11-16

Would Jesus ever say that you have great faith?
耶稣会称你有大的信心吗？

The woman in the story must have seen the compassion and power in Jesus and she knew that even though she was not a Jew, He was her only hope. Jesus did not disappoint her. Like this woman, you do not deserve any special favor from the hand of Jesus Christ. But you can come to Him on your knees in humility asking for His touch. Not because you are good or worthy of His time, but because He is powerful, merciful, loving and kind. In faith, you can come before Him with your desperate need as well as knowing that He loves you and has compassion on you.

故事中的这位妇人一定看到过耶稣对人的爱和祂的能力，她明白即便自己不是犹太人，耶稣也是她唯一的盼望。耶稣没有让她失望。跟这位妇人一样，你也不配从耶稣的手中接受特别的恩惠。但你可以谦卑屈膝来到祂面前祈求祂的触摸，这不是因为你的良善，或者你配得祂为你花费时间，而是因为祂大有能力，充满怜悯、恩慈和爱。带着你的迫切需要，凭信来到祂面前，相信祂也爱你，对你心存怜恤。

Jesus’ evaluation of people was not based on their status, knowledge or ability. Most often He assessed people based on their faith: no faith, little faith or great faith. The degree to which Jesus moved in a person’s life was based on their faith.

耶稣对人的评价并非基于地位、学识或者能力。通常祂以信心来评价人：缺乏信心、小信或者极大的信心。耶稣在人的生命中动工的程度是基于他们的信心。

Those who Jesus described as having no faith were the religious leaders and Jesus’ own hometown friends. He said the disciples had little faith as they were still learning to trust Jesus in difficult situations. Interestingly, the ones Jesus declared as having great faith were both Gentiles, both in desperate situations. The Canaanite woman being one of them. The faith of these people resulted in miracles that changed their lives forever.

耶稣称宗教领袖和自己的同乡人没有信心。门徒尚在学习在困难的境况中信靠耶稣，耶稣称他们为“小信的人”。令人回味的是，耶稣宣称为有大的信心的两个人都是身处绝境的外邦人。这位迦南妇人是其中一位。他们的信心令神迹发生，这些神迹永远改变了他们的生命。

Does Jesus notice your faith? How can you become someone with great faith? What role does faith play in your life today?

耶稣注意到你的信心了吗？如何成为大有信心之人呢？信心在你今天的生命中发挥什么作用呢？

We are saved through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)
Faith comes when we hear God’s Word. (Romans 10:17)
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
The shield of faith stops the flaming darts of the enemy. (Ephesians 6:16)
Faith must involve action. (James 2:17)
We stand firm in faith. (1 Peter 5:9)
We live by faith. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Our faith can be tested. (James 1:3)
Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)

信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据。（希伯来书 11:1）
我们因信得救。（以弗所书 2:8）
信心的藤牌可以灭尽恶者一切的火箭。（以弗所书 6:16）
信心须伴有行为。（雅各书 2:17）
我们必须信心坚固。（彼得前书 5:9）
我们凭信心生活。（哥林多后书 5:7）
信心是从神的话来的。（罗马书 10:17）
信心会被试验。（雅各书 1:3）
人非有信就不能得神的喜悦。（希伯来书 11:6）

If you find yourself low on the faith scale today, ask God to give you more faith. For faith is a gift! Every time you encounter a need, bring it humbly to Jesus and believe that He will respond with compassion and love. The Canaanite woman put all of her hope in Him and she was not disappointed. Her daughter was healed and she became an example to us of a woman of great faith.

今天如果发现自己的信心很小，祈求神赐给你更多信心。因为信心是恩赐！每次遇到困难时，谦卑地把它带到耶稣面前，相信祂会以怜恤和爱回应你。这位迦南妇人将一切希望寄予耶稣身上，她没有失望。她的女儿得了医治，她成为了我们大有信心的妇人典范。