The impossible becomes possible|| 不能变成可能

This Spiritual Waimai is a part of a series entitled Mission Accomplished: the mission of Jesus Christ as told by Matthew and now lived out by you and me.

这篇属灵外卖是“完成的使命”系列文章之一，这个由马太福音所述耶稣基督的使命，现在要由你我活出来。

The impossible becomes possible
 不能变成可能

Do you know what will happen to you after this life on earth? Everyone would like a happy ending, but how do we get there? Can you do something to gain eternal life? Some people hope that they do enough good things to result in scoring a ticket into heaven. But is that how it works? 

你知道在地球上的生命结束之后会发生什么吗？每个人都想要有个幸福的结局，但我们怎样才能实现呢？你能通过做些什么来获得永生吗？有些人希望通过做足够多的善事，从而获得进入天国的门票。但这样真的行得通吗?

How do you get into heaven?
 怎样才能进入天国？

There was a man who lived a very good life on earth. He wanted to make sure that his good life continued into eternity, so he asked Jesus this question directly. Unfortunately the answer wasn’t what he wanted to hear. 

从前有个人在世上过着非常美好的生活。他想要确保他的美好生活能延续到永恒，所以他直接问了Ye Su这个问题。但不幸的是，答案并不是他想听到的那样。

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Matthew 19:16-22 NIV

 

有一个人来见Ye Su说：“夫子（注：有古卷作“良善的夫子”），我该做什么善事才能得永生？” Ye Su对他说：“你为什么以善事问我呢？只有一位是善的（注：有古卷作“你为什么称我是良善的？除了　Shen以外，没有一个良善的”）。你若要进入永生，就当遵守诫命。” 他说：“什么诫命？”Ye Su说：“就是不可杀人，不可奸淫，不可偷盗，不可作假见证，当孝敬父母，又当爱人如己。” 少年人说：“这一切我都遵守了，还缺少什么呢？” Ye Su说：“你若愿意作完全人，可去变卖你所有的，分给穷人，就必有财宝在天上；你还要来跟从我。” 那少年人听见这话，就忧忧愁愁地走了，因为他的产业很多。
马太福音 19:16-22

Can you do something to get eternal life? This man hoped that he could just tick off a list of good things to do and then through his goodness get a free pass to heaven. When Jesus answered that there is only One who is good, he corrected this man’s wrong thinking. Is anyone good enough for heaven? 

你能通过做点什么来获得永生吗？这个人希望他能列出一系列善行清单，然后通过他的良善得到一张通往天国的免费通行证。但是Ye Su纠正了这个人的错误想法，祂说，除了Shen以外，没有一个良善的。那么有人配得进天国吗?

The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Psalms 14:2-3 NIV

 

Ye He Hua从天上垂看世人，要看有明白的没有，有寻求Shen的没有。他们都偏离正路，一同变为污秽；并没有行善的，连一个也没有。
诗篇 14:2-3

Even the best person you know has sinned at some point in their life and has not followed all of God’s commands 100%. In this story, Jesus knew this man’s heart and helped him to see that He really was not good enough for heaven. 

即使是你认识的最好的人，在他们生命中的某个时刻也犯了罪，没有100%遵守Shen的诫命。在这个故事中，Ye Su知道这个人的心，并帮助他明白他真的不够好，还不能进天国。

With man this is impossible
 在人这是不能的

The man seems to really want to make sure he had done everything right – he even asked Jesus specifically what commands he had to follow. Jesus listed off only five of the Ten Commandments to test the man. These were the commands that the man had no problem following: honor your father and mother, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal or lie. The man must have felt pretty good about passing this initial test. But then Jesus took it deeper and spoke directly to the issue that was holding the man back from fully following Jesus: the man’s personal wealth. When the man asked Jesus what he had to do to gain eternal life, was he ready to make a change in his own life? Or was he trusting in his religious observance of the commands and hoping that Jesus would verify his holiness as a good rule-follower? It seemed he was ready to be a rule-follower but not exactly a Jesus-follower. When Jesus pointed out the one thing preventing this man from completely and whole-heartedly following Jesus, the man was not ready for the change in his lifestyle and he walked away with sadness. 

这个人似乎真的很想确保他做的每件事都是正确的——他甚至特地问Ye Su他必须遵守什么诫命。Ye Su只列出了十诫中的五诫来考验这个人。这些命令是这个人可以遵循的：当孝敬父母，不可杀人，不可奸淫，不可偷盗，不可作假见证。这人一定对通过了初步考验感觉很好。但随后，Ye Su更深入、直接谈到了阻碍这个人完全跟随Ye Su的问题:他的个人财宝。当这个人问Ye Su他必须要做些什么才能获得永生时，他已经准备好改变自己的生活了吗？或者他对自己遵守宗教诫命很有信心，现在希望Ye Su为他的圣洁和遵守诫命做个认证？他似乎已经准备好成为一名诫命的跟从者，但并不是一名Ye Su的跟从者。当Ye Su指出有一件事阻碍了这个人全心全意地跟从Ye Su时，他还没有准备好改变自己的生活方式，于是他悲伤地走开了

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:23-26 NIV

 

Ye Su对门徒说：“我实在告诉你们：财主进天国是难的。我又告诉你们：骆驼穿过针的眼，比财主进　Shen的国还容易呢！”门徒听见这话，就希奇得很，说：“这样谁能得救呢？” Ye Su看着他们说：“在人这是不能的，在Shen凡事都能！”
马太福音 19:23-26

With God all things are possible
 在Shen凡事都能

The answer to the question of who can enter heaven is clearly answered by Jesus: it is impossible for us to enter heaven. Only with God is possible. Throughout the Bible it is clear, the only way to receive eternal life is by receiving this gift through faith. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves good enough. 

Ye Su清楚地回答了谁能进入天国的问题：靠我们自己是不可能进入天国。只有与Shen同在才有可能。整本Sheng Jing都清楚地告诉我们，接受永生的唯一途径就是凭着信心领受这份礼物。除此以外，我们无论做什么都无法让自己变得足够好。

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

 

你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是Shen所赐的；也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。
以弗所书 2:8-9

Unfortunately, the wealthy man in this story didn’t stick around long enough to hear the good news: it is by faith that he could be saved, not by just following the commandments. 

不幸的是，故事中的富人并没有停留足够长的时间，他错过了这个好消息：他是靠着信心才能得救，而不是仅仅通过遵守诫命。

Follow Me
 跟随我

Does Jesus require that all people sell everything they have and give it all to the poor? No, He does not. But He does ask that we let go of the personal hold we have on our lives and follow Him. Jesus knew that this man’s wealth portfolio was what was preventing him from fully following Jesus. It was as if the man had a rope tied around his wrist that tethered him to his riches. He could only go so far with Jesus before the rope on his wrist pulled him back to his money. Jesus wanted that man to be free from that trap of money, so Jesus gave him what he needed: freedom from the pull of the wealth. Give it all away and that money would no longer be the man’s master.

Ye Su要求所有的人都要变卖所有的，分给穷人吗?不，他没有。但他确实要求我们放下对自己生命的个人掌控，来跟从祂。Ye Su知道，是这个人的财富阻碍了他完全跟从Ye Su。就好像这个人的手腕上系着一根绳子，把他和他的财富拴在了一起。他也就只能和Ye Su走这么远了，因为他手腕上的绳子把他拉回了财富身边。Ye Su想让这个人从金钱的陷阱中解脱出来，所以Ye Su给了他所需要的指引：摆脱财富的束缚。把钱都捐出去，钱就不再是他的主人了。

The man’s money was hindering him. Jesus wanted him to be free. Being wealthy is not a sin, so Jesus was not condemning the man for having money but loving money could lead to sin as in the case of this man.

这人的钱财阻碍了他。Ye Su想要他获得自由。富有并不是罪，所以Ye Su并没有因为这个人有钱而谴责他，但是贪恋钱财可能会导致罪，就像这个人的例子一样。

A man who followed: Timothy
 跟从者：提摩太

There is another young man in the Bible who gave up all to follow the call of Jesus. His name is Timothy. He is Paul’s spiritual son. He traveled with Paul and then led a church. Paul instructed Timothy to never allow money to trip him up. Instead of pursuing money, Paul said to pursue a godly life following Jesus.

Sheng Jing里还有一位年轻人，他放弃了一切来跟从Ye Su的呼召。他的名字叫提摩太。他是保罗属灵的儿子。 他和保罗一起传道，然后带领了一个Jiao Hui。保罗指示提摩太，永远都不要让金钱绊倒他。 保罗说，与其追求金钱，不如追求跟随Ye Su，过敬虔的生活。

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:6-12 NIV

 

然而，敬虔加上知足的心便是大利了，因为我们没有带什么到世上来，也不能带什么去。只要有衣有食，就当知足。但那些想要发财的人，就陷在迷惑、落在网罗和许多无知有害的私欲里，叫人沉在败坏和灭亡中。贪财是万恶之根！有人贪恋钱财，就被引诱离了真道，用许多愁苦把自己刺透了。但你这属　Shen的人要逃避这些事，追求公义、敬虔、信心、爱心、忍耐、温柔。你要为真道打那美好的仗，持定永生。你为此被召，也在许多见证人面前，已经作了那美好的见证。
提摩太前书 6:6-12

Being rich is not a sin; it is the love of money that can cause many griefs. Paul also told Timothy how to lead those who are rich.

富有不是罪；但是对金钱的贪恋会造成许多痛苦。 保罗也告诉提摩太如何带领富人。

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 NIV

 

你要嘱咐那些今世富足的人，不要自高，也不要倚靠无定的钱财；只要倚靠那厚赐百物给我们享受的Shen。又要嘱咐他们行善，在好事上富足，甘心施舍，乐意供给（或译：体贴）人，为自己积成美好的根基，预备将来，叫他们持定那真正的生命。
提摩太前书 6:17-19

 ‬‬Don’t be hindered
 不要被阻碍

Is there anything hindering you? Money, popularity, status, beauty, independence? How about hobbies, daily schedule, habits or relationships? If Jesus asked you to give that up, would you walk away sadly or would you follow Him?

有什么事阻碍着你吗?是金钱、声望、地位、美丽、独立?还是爱好、日常行程、习惯或人际关系呢?如果Ye Su让你放弃，你会悲伤地走开还是跟从祂?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

 

我们既有这许多的见证人、如同云彩围着我们、就当放下各样的重担、脱去容易缠累我们的罪、存心忍耐、奔那摆在我们前头的路程，仰望为我们信心创始成终的Ye Su（或译：仰望那将真道创始成终的Ye Su）。他因那摆在前面的喜乐，就轻看羞辱，忍受了十字架的苦难，便坐在Shen宝座的右边。
希伯来书 12:1-2

There may be things in your life that might not be on the list of sinful things, but could they be hindering you from a closer relationship with Jesus.

在你的生命中，也许有些事情并不在罪恶事物的清单上，但它们可能会阻碍你与Ye Su建立更加亲密的关系。

Have we given up too much?
我们放弃的太多了吗?

The disciples had given everything up to literally follow Jesus for three years. Peter must have been thinking about Jesus’ statement to the rich man about gaining treasure in heaven, when he blurted out what could have been on everyone else’s mind: what about us? Will we also gain something in heaven?

门徒们放弃了一切，真的跟从Ye Su三年。彼得一定在思考Ye Su对这富人所说的“在天上得着财宝”的话，他脱口说出了每个人心里都在想的事情:我们呢?我们在天上也能得着什么吗?

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Matthew 19:27-30 NIV

 

彼得就对他说：“看哪，我们已经撇下所有的跟从你，将来我们要得什么呢？” Ye Su说：“我实在告诉你们：你们这跟从我的人，到复兴的时候，人子坐在他荣耀的宝座上，你们也要坐在十二个宝座上，审判以色列十二个支派。凡为我的名撇下房屋或是弟兄、姐妹、父亲、母亲（有古卷加妻子）、儿女、田地的，必要得着百倍，并且承受永生。然而，有许多在前的，将要在后；在后的，将要在前。
马太福音 19:27-30

What is there to gain by giving up everything for Jesus? God can give us 100 times as much as we give Him plus eternal life – which is infinite! So that means, His gifts to us are infinitely more than we can ever present to Him. It is never a waste to surrender all to Jesus. It is always a gain.
‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
为Ye Su放弃一切有什么好处呢?我们给Shen的，Shen可以百倍加与我们，加上永恒的生命——那是无限的! 所以这意味着，Shen给我们的礼物远比我们能给祂的要多得多。把一切都交托给Ye Su，绝对不会是浪费。交托给Ye Su会收获更多。