枯骨能否复苏？

“耶和华藉他的灵带我出去，将我放在平原中；这平原遍满骸骨。” - 结 37:1

　　神将一个骇人的异象显给先知以西结看，并问他：“人子啊，这些骸骨能复活吗？”

　　耶稣，既是神子又是人子，在祂开始传道以前，一定读过这段圣经。但耶稣和以西结不同的是，祂知道唯独祂能废去死亡，修复生命。于是，祂义无反顾地走向耶路撒冷。

　　作为一名海军牧师，我曾需要常常面对死亡。还记得第一次，我握着一位年轻人的手，他和我年龄相仿，却死于癌症，对我来说那是一个可怕的记忆。多年后，在一次研究生课上，一位教授敦促我们看所爱之人是一副“枯骨”，来帮助我们充分领悟还活着的他们对我们意味着什么。虽然这极其困难，却相当奏效。

　　后来，在一个朋友的葬礼上，神让我看到，我们都在迈向死亡。基督在各各他山上成就的大功以及祂的空坟墓对我们都十分个人化。我重新意识到，在被罪烧灼的世界中，祂使我们被晒得发白的骸骨复活，进入永生 (林前 15)。

　　“这些骸骨能复活吗？”神的提问凸显了大斋节期的实质：与耶稣同行，并跟随祂走向死亡然后从坟墓里复活——好使我们的骸骨成为新生命。我们对神的回应，显示了我们今天是要为神而活，抑或是像枯骨一样躺在那里。

祷告

全能的神，我们生来就死在罪中，像被晒白、枯干的骸骨。求祢赐给我们信心，相信祢的儿子已经为我们而死，使我们能永远与祢同住。奉耶稣的名，阿们。

以西结书 37:1-6

1耶和华的灵降在我身上。耶和华藉他的灵带我出去，将我放在平原中；这平原遍满骸骨。
2他使我从骸骨的四围经过，谁知在平原的骸骨甚多，而且极其枯干。
3他对我说：“人子啊，这些骸骨能复活吗？”我说：“主耶和华啊，你是知道的。”
4他又对我说：“你向这些骸骨发预言说：枯干的骸骨啊，要听耶和华的话。
5主耶和华对这些骸骨如此说：‘我必使气息进入你们里面，你们就要活了。
6我必给你们加上筋，使你们长肉，又将皮遮蔽你们，使气息进入你们里面，你们就要活了；你们便知道我是耶和华。’”

"Can These Bones Live?"

"The LORD... brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones." — Ezekiel 37:1

英语音频 English Audio

God showed Ezekiel a frightening vision and asked the prophet, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, had certainly read this passage before beginning his ministry. But unlike Ezekiel, Jesus knew that he alone had to restore life by putting death to death. So he headed to Jerusalem.

As a navy chaplain and a pastor, I've dealt with death often. The first time, holding the hand of a young man my age as he died of cancer, is a sacred memory. Years later, in a graduate course, a professor urged us to see loved ones as "dead bones" to fully appreciate what they mean to us alive. Painfully difficult, it nonetheless worked.

Later, at a friend's funeral, God showed me that we're all death in the making. Christ's work at Calvary and the empty tomb became extraordinarily personal. I realized anew that he'd raised our sun-bleached bones from the sin-scorched earth to eternal life (1 Corinthians 15).

"Can these bones live?" God's question highlights the essence of Lent: walking with Jesus and following him as he dies and rises from the grave—so that our bones can come to new life. Our response to God's question reveals whether we'll spend today living for God or lying about like dead bones.

Prayer

Almighty God, we are born as dead in sin as sun-bleached, dry bones. Grace us with faith to believe your Son died for us so that we might live forever with you. In his name, Amen.