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。

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What does it mean to be a disciple?
做门徒意味着什么?

“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Matthew 16:21

 

从此,耶稣才指示门徒,他必须上耶路撒冷去,受长老、祭司长、文士许多的苦,并且被杀,第三日复活。
马太福音16:21

From that time on
从此

From this time on the whole trajectory of Jesus’ teaching and traveling turns towards His death on the cross. He is in Caesarea Philippi when he asks the disciples the all-important question, “Who do you say I am?” Caesarea Philippi is in the far north of Israel. From that time on, Jesus will point His face towards Jerusalem and start the steady walk towards the cross.

从此,耶稣四处游走教导的轨迹转向祂在十字架上的死。在该撒利亚腓立比,祂问门徒这个最重要的问题:“你们说我是谁?” 该撒利亚腓立比位于以色列最北部。从此,耶稣将面朝耶路撒冷,稳步走向十字架。

What kickstarts this movement towards His destiny as Savior of the World? Of course it was God’s timing, but it is interesting to note that the journey seems to begin with Peter’s revelation and proclamation that Jesus was the Messiah:

祂命定要成为世界的救主,是什么开启了这个旅程?当然这是神安排的时间,但似乎此旅程开始于彼得接到启示,宣称耶稣是弥赛亚。注意到这一点也是饶有兴味:

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:15-19 NIV

 

耶稣说:“你们说我是谁?”西门彼得回答说:“你是基督,是永生神的儿子。”耶稣对他说:“西门巴约拿,你是有福的!因为这不是属血肉的指示你的,乃是我在天上的父指示的。我还告诉你:你是彼得,我要把我的教会建造在这磐石上,阴间的权柄不能胜过他(“权柄”原文作“门”)。我要把天国的钥匙给你,凡你在地上所捆绑的,在天上也要捆绑;凡你在地上所释放的,在天上也要释放。”
马太福音16:15-19

It was after Peter blurted out His faith in the Messiah that the road to the cross became determined. It was at this point that Jesus gave the disciples His first very clear prediction of His death. Matthew will record four times that Jesus sat the disciples down to explain what would happen to Him.

彼得脱口道出自己对弥赛亚的信心,之后,十字架之路确定下来。就是在此刻,耶斯第一次明确地向门徒预言自己的死。马太福音四次记载耶稣让门徒坐下来,跟他们解释将要发生在自己身上的事。

 

Peter the Rock’s first leadership move
磐石彼得作为领袖的第一个举动

When Peter hears Jesus’ prediction of His imminent suffering and death, Peter rose up as the rock that he was called to be. But unfortunately, it was the wrong kind of rock.

听到耶稣预言自己将要受苦和死亡,被呼召成为磐石的彼得立刻采取了行动。不幸的是,他是块错误的磐石。

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Matthew 16:22-23 NIV

 

彼得就拉着他,劝他说:“主啊,万不可如此!这事必不临到你身上。”耶稣转过来,对彼得说:“撒但,退我后边去吧!你是绊我脚的,因为你不体贴神的意思,只体贴人的意思。”‘
马太福音16: 22-23

Peter was truly acting like a rock, but not the rock that Jesus called him to be. I can imagine that Peter was feeling pretty good at this moment. Jesus had just given him a new name: Rock. Peter must have been feeling the power of his new name when he felt that it was his duty to rebuke Jesus. Can you imagine rebuking Jesus? ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Well, we might laugh a bit and look down on Peter, but how many times have I felt powerful in my own strength and demanded or even expected that God follow my plans? When have I told God that my good ideas for myself and others were superior to what He had prepared?

彼得是像磐石那样行动,但不是耶稣呼召祂要成为的那种磐石。我能想象彼得那会儿感觉良好。耶稣刚赐给他一个新名字:磐石。他认为责备耶稣是自己的责任,他一定能感受到新名字所蕴含的力量吧。你能想象自己能责备耶稣的情形吗?好吧,我们或许觉得好笑,会鄙视彼得,但有多少次我们会觉得自己大有能力,命令甚至期待神执行自己的计划?曾几何时,我告诉神,关于自己和他人的好主意要比祂预备的更胜一筹?

Peter had to learn how to live out this calling in the right way. Just because Jesus called Peter the Rock didn’t mean that from now on whatever Peter thought was solidly correct. Jesus minced no words when He actually called Peter Satan and then said that Peter was acting as a stumbling block!

彼得需要学习正确地活出他的呼召。不是因为耶稣称彼得为磐石,就意味着从此以后彼得的所有想法都完全正确。耶稣直言不讳称彼得是撒旦,并说他的举动像是绊脚石!

God has called you and gifted you to be a part of His Kingdom work here on earth. Are you operating in this position and with these giftings according to God’s concerns or your own? If you are using the gifts God has given you for your own concerns, you might end up a stumbling block for what God is doing.

神呼召你,赐你才能,使你成为世上神国工作的一分子。你是在神国里运用这些恩赐吗?是在按着神的心意还是自己的心意运用这些恩赐?若按自己的意思来运用恩赐,那么你可能会变成神工作中的一块绊脚石。

God’s concerns or my concerns
神的意思或自己的意思

The key is to recognize that we often have human concerns first in our mind and God’s concerns second. If you view your life through the lens of “human concerns,” all that you think, speak, feel, decide and do will be guided by your concerns for yourself and the concerns of humans. When Peter listened to Jesus’ prediction of His suffering and death, Peter was wearing the “human concerns” glasses. He had possibly been excited about being someone important in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus dying therefore was not on Peter’s agenda. Jesus called this out in Peter. Jesus instantly recognized that Peter’s words were totally based on his own human concerns.

关键是要认识到我们常常把自己的心意放在首位,然后才是神的心意。如果透过“人的意思”来看待生活,那么对自己和人的心意将会决定你整体的思想、言语、感觉、决定和行为。听到耶稣预言自己的受苦和受死时,彼得戴上了“人的意思”的眼镜。他可能对成为耶稣国里的重要人物感到兴奋。所以在他的计划里,耶稣是不能死的。耶稣指出这一点。耶稣立刻看出,彼得的话是完全出于他里面人的意思。

How do you see the world? Through the lens of human concerns or God’s concerns? What if you shifted the way you interpreted the world around you through the lens of God’s concerns? Would this change the way you speak, think, feel, act and make decisions?

你如何看待世界?是透过人的意思还是神的意思?如果你改换诠释周边世界的方式,透过神的意思来看将会怎么样?这会改变你说话、思想、感觉、做事和做决定的方式吗?

 

Whoever wants to be my disciple
若有人做我的门徒

After the private convo with Peter, Jesus turned to the entire group of disciples. He needed to be very clear at this pivotal moment in His ministry. As He turned His face towards the cross, He had to also point His disciple’s faces towards the cross and warn them about what it meant to truly follow Him. From Caesarea Philippi they were going to begin the focused walk south through the land of Israel, destination: Jerusalem. After Peter’s “human concerns” outburst, Jesus had to be very straight with His followers. Were they ready for what was coming?

跟彼得私下对话后,耶稣转身面对所有门徒。这是祂事工的关键时刻,祂要非常明确。在祂转脸面向十字架时,祂也需要让门徒转脸面向十字架,并提醒他们跟随祂意味着什么。从凯该撒利亚腓立比出发,他们将要心无旁骛地朝南走过以色列地,直至到达耶路撒冷。在彼得脱口说出“人的意思”后,耶稣必须直面门徒,他们为将要发生的事做好准备了吗?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Matthew 16:24-28 NIV

 

于是,耶稣对门徒说:“若有人要跟从我,就当舍己,背起他的十字架,来跟从我。因为凡要救自己生命的(“生命”或作“灵魂”。下同),必丧掉生命;凡为我丧掉生命的,必得着生命。人若赚得全世界,赔上自己的生命,有什么益处呢?人还能拿什么换生命呢?人子要在他父的荣耀里,同着众使者降临,那时候,他要照各人的行为报应各人。我实在告诉你们:站在这里的,有人在没尝死味以前,必看见人子降临在他的国里。”
马太福音16:24-28

If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, these words are for you today. If you have determined to view the world through God’s concerns and not your own, this is how you do it. Jesus says that there are three things that the disciple must do.

若要跟随耶稣,这些话今天就是对你说的。若要决心从神的意思而不是自己的意思来看待世界,那么你要这么做。耶稣说门徒必须要做三件事情。

Deny yourself
舍己

This first step is so incredibly difficult. Our sinful human nature instinctively puts ourselves first in every situation. From wanting to order the food that you like to trying to get the boss’s praise to wanting friends to notice you above the rest. To deny yourself is putting God first, others second and yourself third. Have you done this today? Or have you orchestrated your day so that it meets all of your needs and personal preferences? To be a follower of Jesus Christ, this selfish way of living must stop.

第一步异常艰难。在任何境况下,人的罪性都本能地要把自己放在首位。从点自己喜欢的饭菜,到努力获取老板的称赞,到想要朋友最关注自己。舍己是将神摆在首位,其次是他人,然后才是自己。今天你这样做了吗?还是一切安排是为了满足自己的需要、照顾自己的喜好?要做耶稣的门徒,必须停止这种自私的生活方式。

Take up your cross
背起自己的十字架

Crucifixion on the cross was the Romans’ standard administration of the death penalty. So when Jesus said, “Take up your cross,” the disciples would immediately recognize that this meant to prepare for your death. In this case, death is not an ending. But the beginning of a new life with Christ. The thing is, you can’t have your old life plus a new life with Jesus. There are no double lives with God. You have to choose one. This is not just a one-time action, but something that we are called to do on a daily basis. Over and over we will surrender ourselves to God.

被钉十字架是罗马人执行死刑的标准方式。所以在耶稣说“背起你的十字架”时,门徒们会立刻认意识到这意味着预备受死。在这里,死亡并不是结束,而是跟基督开始新生命。问题是,你不能同时拥有老生命和与耶稣同在的新生命。在神面前没有双重生命。你只能选择其一。这也不是一次性的举动,而是每天被呼召要做的事情。我们要一次又一次降服在神面前。

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 NIV

 

我已经与基督同钉十字架,现在活著的不再是我,乃是基督在我里面活著;并且我如今在肉身活著,是因信神的儿子而活;他是爱我,为我舍己。
加拉太书2:20

Follow me
跟随我

The final step is to follow Jesus. Do the things He does, say what He says, live as He lives and go where He goes. You can’t be a disciple and follow yourself, your family, your friends, your entertainment, your culture. When you follow someone, you are relinquishing your choices to the one you are following. But you are also trusting that the one leading you will lead you to the best place possible. Following Jesus is always the right way to go. Denying yourself is hard. Taking up your cross is painful. But following Jesus is a joy!

最后一步是跟随耶稣。如祂一样生活,行祂所行,言祂所言, 去祂所往。作为门徒,你不能跟随自己、家人、朋友、娱乐和文化。若当你追随某人时,就是把选择权交给了那个人。但你也是在相信那个人会带你到最美好的地方。追随耶稣将永远走在正道中。舍己非常困难,背起十字架是痛苦的,但跟随耶稣却是喜乐!

 

What have you got to lose?
你会失去什么?

The thing is, the new life that we have in Christ is far superior to the old life that we had on our own. But we cannot live a double life. You have to choose one. Jesus said that some people choose their own life and the life this world offers them. That life might include riches, pleasure, comfort, reputation and honor. But Jesus said that this kind of life is empty and if you chase after it the result is that you will lose your soul.

好处是,我们在基督里的新生命远比自己的老生命优越。但是我们不能过双重生活。你必须选择其一。耶稣说有人选择了自己的生命和这个世界给予他们的生活。这种生活可能拥有财富、享乐、安逸舒、名望和荣誉。但耶稣说这种生活是虚空的,如果追逐它,结局是你会失丧自己的灵魂。

But with Jesus, when you give it all away to Him, you will gain your life.
但与耶稣同在,若你舍弃一切给祂,你将会得着生命。