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Ye Su Ji Du的使命，现在要由你我活出来。
中文和英文版本语音
Listen to the Chinese or English Audio
Are you ready for Jesus to return? How can you know?
你为Ye Su再来做好准备了吗？你如何知道呢？
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In Matthew chapter 24 Jesus gives the disciples and us a chilling description of the difficult times ahead leading up to His glorious return. After His foretelling of wars, earthquakes, famines and the day of distress, the disciples and all of us (who are living in times much closer to this day than the disciples were living in!) are all left wondering – how can we be ready for such a trial?
在马太福音24章，Ye Su向门徒们描述了祂荣耀再来之前让人胆战心惊的大灾难时期。在祂预言战争、地震、饥荒和大灾难后，门徒和我们所有人都不得不思考，如何为这大试炼做好准备？（我们现在生活的时代比门徒离那日子要近得多！）
In Matthew 25 Jesus uses virgins, servants, sheep and goats to paint a colorful word mural of what that time will be like when He returns. When we look at all three stories together, we see that Jesus gives us a solid plan of how to be ready for the days ahead. From the virgins we learn to be watchful and prepare. From the servants we learn to get to work with what God has given us and from the sheep and goats we learn to compassionately serve those in need.
在马太福音25章中，Ye Su用童女、仆人、绵羊和山羊为祂再来的情形描绘了一幅色彩鲜艳的文字壁画。一起阅读这三个寓言故事，我们会看见Ye Su提供给我们可靠的计划来为未来的日子做好准备。从童女的故事我们学到要警醒准备。从仆人的故事我们学会要运用Shen的恩赐来做工。从绵羊和山羊的故事我们学到要恩慈服侍有需要的人。
Ten Virgins: Be prepared and watch
10个童女：警醒预备
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
Matthew 25:1-13 NIV
「那时，天国好比十个童女拿着灯出去迎接新郎。其中有五个是愚拙的，五个是聪明的。愚拙的拿着灯，却不预备油；聪明的拿着灯，又预备油在器皿里。新郎迟延的时候，他们都打盹，睡着了。半夜有人喊着说：『新郎来了，你们出来迎接他！』那些童女就都起来收拾灯。愚拙的对聪明的说：『请分点油给我们，因为我们的灯要灭了。』聪明的回答说：『恐怕不够你我用的；不如你们自己到卖油的那里去买吧。』他们去买的时候，新郎到了。那预备好了的，同他进去坐席，门就关了。其余的童女随后也来了，说：『主啊，主啊，给我们开门！』他却回答说：『我实在告诉你们，我不认识你们。』所以，你们要警醒；因为那日子，那时辰，你们不知道。」
马太福音25:1-13
The ten virgins all were very similar. They all went out to meet the bridegroom, they all fell asleep, they all awoke when the call came that the bridegroom was coming, and they all trimmed their lamps. But there was one difference between them that made five of them wise and five of them foolish. It was how prepared they were – prepared for a long night. The wise virgins brought extra oil to keep their lamps burning. The foolish ones didn’t even think about it until it was too late.
10个童女非常相似。她们都出去迎接新郎，都睡着了。有人声喊说新郎来了时，她们都醒过来，收拾自己的油灯。但有一点不同使其中5个童女变得聪明，5个变为愚拙。不同之处在于她们如何为漫长的夜晚做预备。聪明的童女取来额外的油，使油灯长燃；愚拙的童女却根本不考虑预备，直至为时已晚。
Jesus does not explain the symbolism of this parable, He merely ends it with a sharp warning: keep watch. There are lamps that are tended by priests in the temple. The Word of God is a light to our path. We are to shine our lights before all people and Jesus Himself was the light of the world. In the parable of the ten virgins, the oil was necessary to keep their lights burning. Oil was used when offering sacrifices and when anointing kings. Oil can be a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Ye Su没有解释这则寓言的寓意，祂只是在结束时发出明确的警告：保持警醒。我们知道灯和光是整本Sheng Jing中的主要象征。在圣殿中祭祀们要照管灯。Shen的话是我们路上的灯。我们要在人前发光，Ye Su自己就是世界的光。在10个童女的寓言中，必须用油来使灯持续燃烧。油被常常用于奉献祭物和膏抹王。油也可用来象征圣灵。
How can we be like the wise virgins? Watch and be prepared. Live a sacrificial life under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Consider how you can have long-term burning of the light inside of you. Burning for a short time is not enough. We need to persevere and continue to shine to the very end. The end of the story of the virgins was a wedding feast. The wise virgins arrived on time with well-lit lamps. Let us watch and be prepared for the future wedding feast!
我们怎样才能像那些聪明的童女？警醒预备。被圣灵膏抹，过奉献的生活。思想自己里面的灯怎样才能长燃不灭。短时燃烧是不够的。我们需要坚持并持续发光到最后。童女故事的末尾是一场婚宴。聪明的童女手持燃烧的灯，及时赶到。让我们为将来的婚宴警醒预备！
As we head towards the return of Christ, Jesus tells us to watch and be prepared. And we will be welcomed into the wedding feast.
在迈向Ye Su的再来时，Ye Su告诉我们要警醒预备。我们将被迎接进入婚宴。
Three Servants: get to work with what God has given you
三个仆人：运用Shen的恩赐做工
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Matthew 25:14-30 NIV
「天国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们，按著各人的才干给他们银子：一个给了五千，一个给了二千，一个给了一千，就往外国去了。那领五千的随即拿去做买卖，另外赚了五千。那领二千的也照样另赚了二千。但那领一千的去掘开地，把主人的银子埋藏了。过了许久，那些仆人的主人来了，和他们算账。那领五千银子的又带着那另外的五千来，说：『主啊，你交给我五千银子。请看，我又赚了五千。』主人说：『好，你这又良善又忠心的仆人，你在不多的事上有忠心，我要把许多事派你管理；可以进来享受你主人的快乐。』那领二千的也来，说：『主啊，你交给我二千银子。请看，我又赚了二千。』主人说：『好，你这又良善又忠心的仆人，你在不多的事上有忠心，我要把许多事派你管理；可以进来享受你主人的快乐。』那领一千的也来，说：『主啊，我知道你是忍心的人，没有种的地方要收割，没有散的地方要聚敛，我就害怕，去把你的一千银子埋藏在地里。请看，你的原银子在这里。』主人回答说：『你这又恶又懒的仆人，你既知道我没有种的地方要收割，没有散的地方要聚敛，就当把我的银子放给兑换银钱的人，到我来的时候，可以连本带利收回。夺过他这一千来，给那有一万的。因为凡有的，还要加给他，叫他有余；没有的，连他所有的也要夺过来。把这无用的仆人丢在外面黑暗里；在那里必要哀哭切齿了。』」
马太福音25:14-30
This story has a very clear beginning, middle and end. At the beginning, the master makes preparations for his trip. He considers his servants’ abilities and gives them a job to do while he was away: take care of his things. He didn’t give them an outlined plan for investment, he just entrusted them with his wealth and left. The middle part of the story is when the two servants immediately get to work. Notice they did not take it easy and give themselves a holiday while the master was gone; they hopped to it. The third servant also got to work – digging a hole to hide the money and then possibly kicking back and relaxing. The ending of the story is quite dramatic. The first thing to note is that the master called everyone to give an account for what they had done with the money. The most capable and the least capable. All were expected to bring him some return. For the two servants who got to work and grew the funds, the master called them good and faithful and promoted them by putting them in charge of many things and entering into his own joy. The third servant he called wicked and lazy. (Note the contrast: good/wicked, faithful/lazy.) He took away the money from the worthless servant and kicked him out.
这则故事有着清晰的开头、中间和结尾。故事开头，主人为旅行做准备。他考虑仆人们的能力，分派他们在自己离开时做工：照看他的所有家产。他没有提供大致的投资计划，只是把自己的财产托付给他们，然后就离开了。故事的中间叙述两位仆人立刻开始做工。请注意他们并没在主人不在时轻轻松松，给自己安排度假。他们即刻开始做工。第三个仆人也做工—–挖了一个洞把钱藏起来，然后很可能轻松度日。故事的结尾颇具戏剧性。要注意的第一件事就是主人把每一个仆人都叫来汇报他们怎么运用那些钱财。主人期望所有仆人，能力最强的或能力最差的，都能赚得一些收益。那两个即刻做工并使资财增加的仆人，主人称他们为忠心又良善的仆人，且提拔他们，派他们管理更多事并同享主人的快乐。他称第三个仆人又恶又懒。（注意二者的对比：良善/恶；忠心/懒惰）他从无用的仆人手中夺过钱财，将他赶了出去。
The one thing the master is looking for is an increase of his wealth. He wants his servants to be good (know how to invest!) and faithful (get to work!). Even depositing the money in a bank would have been acceptable.
主人要看到的是资财加添。他想要自己的仆人是良善（知道如何投资）和忠心（着手做工！）的。即便把钱存入银行也是可以被接纳的。
Looking towards His return, Jesus expects us to be working with the riches He has entrusted to us. Regardless of your ability level, you have been given something and He is expecting an increase in your life. Upon His return when He sees how you have been responsible in a few things, He will welcome you into His joy and entrust you with even greater things.
展望祂的再来，Ye Su期望我们运用祂赐给我们的丰富做工。无论能力如何，你都有Shen的赐予，祂期望你的生命更加丰富。祂再来时，看到你在不多的事上负责任，祂将会迎接你进入自己的喜乐，并将更多事托付给你。
Sheep and goats: serving the needy with compassion
绵羊和山羊：用同情心来服侍有需要的人
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31-46 NIV
「当人子在他荣耀里，同着众天使降临的时候，要坐在他荣耀的宝座上。万民都要聚集在他面前。他要把他们分别出来，好像牧羊的分别绵羊山羊一般，把绵羊安置在右边，山羊在左边。 于是王要向那右边的说：『你们这蒙我父赐福的，可来承受那创世以来为你们所预备的国；因为我饿了，你们给我吃，渴了，你们给我喝；我作客旅，你们留我住；我赤身露体，你们给我穿；我病了、你们看顾我；我在监里，你们来看我。』义人就回答说：『主啊，我们什么时候见你饿了，给你吃，渴了，给你喝？什么时候见你作客旅，留你住，或是赤身露体，给你穿？又什么时候见你病了，或是在监里，来看你呢？』王要回答说：『我实在告诉你们，这些事你们既做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是做在我身上了。』王又要向那左边的说：『你们这被咒诅的人，离开我！进入那为魔鬼和他的使者所预备的永火里去！因为我饿了，你们不给我吃，渴了，你们不给我喝；我作客旅，你们不留我住；我赤身露体，你们不给我穿；我病了，我在监里，你们不来看顾我。』他们也要回答说：『主啊，我们什么时候见你饿了，或渴了，或作客旅，或赤身露体，或病了，或在监里，不伺候你呢？』王要回答说：『我实在告诉你们，这些事你们既不做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是不做在我身上了。』这些人要往永刑里去；那些义人要往永生里去。」
马太福音25：31-46
The final piece of the preparation picture Jesus shared was not a parable but was told like a parable. He said that when the Son of Man comes in His glory, all people will be gathered and then separated as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be called righteous and will receive an inheritance of a kingdom and eternal life! The goats will be called cursed and will go away to eternal punishment.
Ye Su分享的预备祂再来的画面上的最后一角不是比喻，但讲述时却像是比喻。祂说，人子在荣耀中降临时，将召集所有人，并像牧羊人分开绵羊和山羊一样将他们分开。绵羊被称为义人且会得到天国的产业和永生! 山羊则被称为可咒诅的人且要落入永远的刑罚。
This part of Jesus’ teaching was all about serving those in need. There were six things that the righteous would do:
Ye Su这部分的教导是说要服侍有需要的人。义人会做6件事：
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- Feed the hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Welcome the stranger in
- Clothe the naked
- Look after the sick
- Visit the imprisoned
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- 给饥饿的人吃
- 给干渴的人喝
- 迎接客旅入住
- 给赤身露体的人衣穿
- 照顾生病的人
- 探访坐监的人
These cover the basic physical needs of all people: food, water, shelter, clothing, health and comfort and companionship. These could also be viewed as spiritual needs. Spiritual food of the Word, spiritual drink of the spirit, clothing consisting of Christ’s righteousness, strengthening spiritual health and meeting those who are bound in spiritual chains. Serving the needy in these areas is not to be left to professional caregivers or ministry workers. This is precious service that all followers of Jesus Christ are called to.
这些涵盖了所有人身体上的基本需要：食物、水、住处、健康和安慰以及陪伴。这些也可以被视作是属灵上的需要。Shen的话语作为属灵的粮，圣灵作为属灵的水，Ji Du的义则是衣服，加强灵里的健康，陪伴灵里受捆绑的人。不能把服侍在这些领域里有需要的人的工作全留给专职的护理人员或Shen职人员。所有Ye Su的门徒都被呼召来从事这宝贵的事工。
You might be wondering, “But I don’t know who needs help? I’ve never met someone in prison and everyone in my family has enough to eat.” Sometimes those in need are hidden away and need someone to come looking for them. Other times, the person who needs help is right in front of you but you didn’t have a mindset to help and you missed the opportunity.
你可能会想，“可是我不知道谁需要帮助呀？我从没碰到过蹲监狱的人，家里的人也个个吃得饱足。“有些时候，有需要的人是隐而未现的，得有人去把他们找出来。有时那些需要帮助的人就在眼前，但你缺乏助人为乐的心，所以就错过了机会。
Consider your life in four circles. The first circle is the circle of people immediately around you. This would be your family members and maybe closest friends. The next circle is your broader friend group, fellowship, coworkers and people you see on a daily basis. Maybe even just casual acquaintances. The third circle would be a wide circle of your city and community. In this circle there are people you do not know, but you live in the same area. The fourth circle is the widest circle which includes people out of your immediate community/city and really is the whole world. Are you impacting peoples’ lives in all four circles? Are you looking for those in need and serving with the compassion of Jesus?
把自己的生活分成四个圈子。第一个圈子是就在你身边的人，比如家庭成员、最要好的朋友。下一个圈子是更宽泛的朋友群、团契、同事和每天接触的人。也许甚至还有你不经意认识的人。第三个圈子则是你所在城市或社区的大圈子。你不认识这个圈子里的人，但你们居住在同一区域。第四个圈子范围最广，包括你居住的城市或社区之外的人，其实也就是整个世界。你对所有四个圈子里的人都有影响吗？你在找寻那些需要帮助的人且用Ye Su的爱来服侍他们吗？
It is common for us all to focus on one circle and ignore others. For instance, you might be really connected to your friend group and looking for how you can take care of these people that you really enjoy spending time with. Have you ever thought of looking beyond your circle of friends to the next circle of your community? How can you serve the city? Are there organizations that are caring for the sick or poor? Nowadays it is possible to reach the world through the internet, our giving and of course prayers. The closest circle around you might be the only circle you see, or the opposite – the circle you find it hardest to serve.
我们通常会关注一个圈子而忽略其他的圈子。比如，你可能跟自己的朋友们关系密切，就会想办法关照那些你愿意花时间在一起的人。那你曾想过超越自己的朋友圈，去关注下一层的社区的圈子吗？你如何服务所在的城市？那里有关怀病人或穷人的组织吗？现在通过互联网、我们的赠予当然还有祷告，我们可以顾及全世界。你可能只看到身边最亲近的圈子，或者正相反，它也是你觉得最难服侍的圈子。
Ask the Lord to show you how you can be counted as one of His sheep who serve Him. For whenever you care for someone in need, it is as if you were caring for Jesus Christ Himself. If we have that mindset of serving Jesus, not just serving people, that will give us a whole new motivation for looking for those in need.
求主告诉你如何才能被算作服侍祂的绵羊中的一员。因为你在任何时候照顾有需要的人，就如同是在照顾Ye Su本人。如果我们有这样服侍Ye Su的心，而不仅仅是想着服侍人，那么这会让我们拥有新动力来寻找有需要的人。
Last night a friend called me in tears asking for prayer. She was in pain and had been to the emergency room that day but was not feeling better. I had just read this passage in Matthew 25. Here was my opportunity to care for the sick. I didn’t have to look too far – she called me! We prayed and then I offered to go with her to the hospital in the morning if she still wasn’t feeling better and I told her she could message me in the night. I had a restless sleep and woke up several times to check my phone for her message, there was none. At 4:50am I heard a knock three times and I woke up. I wondered if the Lord had woken me up, I checked the phone and there was a message from my friend. She was still in pain and asked if I could meet her at 7:30am to go to the doctor. When I met her in the morning, we prayed that God would lead us to the right doctor and that she would get immediate relief. After some wandering in the hospital, we were strangely sent by the hospital staff to the VIP part of the hospital. She saw a doctor and immediately found relief. We were both so happy! We got to spend this special time together, see God’s goodness and both have a testimony of God helping us find the way in the hospital – even to receive VIP help! She was relieved of pain and I was so blessed to be with her. Before I said goodbye, I told her I had just read Matthew 25 about the sheep and the goats and God gave me an opportunity to respond.
昨晚有位朋友哭着打电话给我，请我为她祷告。她身体疼痛，去了急诊室，但没觉得有好转。我刚刚读完马太福音25章的信息。现在是我关怀病人的机会。我不需要去寻找—–她打电话给我！我们一起祷告，然后我提出，如果她还是没觉得有好转，那我第二天一早可以跟她去医院。我也告诉她晚上可以给我发信息。我晚上睡得不踏实，中间醒了好几次看手机上有没她发的信息，没有。早上4点50我听到3次敲门声，就醒了。我在想是不是主把我叫醒的。我查看手机，有一条短信。她还是很痛苦，问我能不能7点半跟她一起去看医生。早上见面时，我们一起祷告，求Shen带领我们找到合适的医生并使她的痛苦即刻得到缓解。在医院里转了一会儿，很奇怪的，我们被医院的工作人员送到了VIP部。她看了医生，疼痛即刻得到缓解。我们俩都很高兴！我们一起度过了这么特别的一段时间，经历了Shen的美善，也都见证了Shen帮我们在医院找路，甚至到了医院的VIP部！她的疼痛缓解了，我能跟她在一起也是备受祝福。在分手前，我告诉她自己刚读了马太福音25章讲到的绵羊和山羊，然后Shen给了我一个回应的机会。
To prepare for the return of Jesus, let’s live in Christ’s compassion to meet the needs of the world around us. From our family and friends to strangers in our city and beyond. We will be blessed and when we stand before Jesus, we will be counted among the righteous.
为了预备Ye Su的再来，让我们活出Ye Su的恩慈，来满足周边世界的需求。从家人、朋友到所居住城市里和其他更广阔区域的陌生人。我们将会受到祝福，当我们站在Ye Su面前时，将被算作义人。
All the nations of the world
世上万族
There will come a time when all of the people of the world will stand before God. On that day, will you be ready? Jesus instructs us in three vivid stories how we can be prepared for that great and awesome day. We are to watch and be prepared, keeping our light shining fueled by the Spirit. Whatever God has given us, we should faithfully get to work to multiply, and with compassion we can meet the needs of the world. This is a life that is worthy of God’s kingdom. All that is needed for this life is provided by Jesus. He is the light, He gives the riches and He is there with the ones who need help.
会有一天，世上所有人要站立在Shen面前。在那天，你会预备好了吗？Ye Su用三个生动的比喻指示我们如何为那伟大而可畏的一天做好准备。我们要警醒预备，靠圣灵使我们持久发光。无论Shen的赐予是什么，我们都应该忠心做工，使赐予增加。我们能用恩慈满足世界的需要。这种生活才配得上Shen的国。Ye Su已经供给我们今生所需用的一切。祂是光，祂赐下丰富，祂在有需要的人身边。