三年之久,耶稣以教导和医治来传扬神国的福音。之后,时间到了,祂知道自己要去耶路撒冷了。在那里祂将以应许中的弥赛亚的身份进入圣城,洁净圣殿,教导关于天父的真理(路加福音19:28-48),被逮捕,被鞭打,死在十字架上,以及“被接升天”。
耶稣定意要忍受这一切,祂如此的专注,以至于一个撒玛利亚村庄的冷淡怠慢祂都毫不在意。当门徒们想让这些人为自己的傲慢无礼的行为付点代价时,耶稣却责备他们,并赶往下一个村庄去了。正如祂所说:“人子连枕头的地方都没有。”耶稣知道自己没有别的地方可去,只有耶路撒冷和十字架,而且任何事物都不能阻拦祂。
因为基督徒生活的目标是与基督同钉十字架,因此我们需要以极大的决心,将注意力聚焦在耶稣身上,寻求跟随祂的脚踪。
因此让我们定睛在祂身上,祂忍受了“罪人的顶撞”,包括被拒绝接待的羞辱。为我们的缘故,祂甚至“忍受了十字架的羞辱”。继续专注祂为我们所作的一切,才能避免“疲倦灰心”。并且正如祂所应许的,我们被钉且复活的主将伴随我们旅程的每一步。
神啊,求使我定睛于耶稣,好使任何事物都无法转移我的注意力不跟从祂。耶稣啊,感谢祢在十字架上为我所有的罪付上了代价。奉祢的名祷告,阿们。
路加福音 9:51-58; 希伯来书 12:1-3
51 耶稣被接上升的日子将到,他就定意向耶路撒冷去,
52 便打发使者在他前头走。他们到了撒马利亚的一个村庄,要为他预备。
53 那里的人不接待他,因他面向耶路撒冷去。
54 他的门徒雅各、约翰看见了,就说:“主啊,你要我们吩咐火从天上降下来烧灭他们,像以利亚所做的吗?”
55 耶稣转身责备两个门徒,说:“你们的心如何,你们并不知道。
56 人子来不是要灭人的性命,是要救人的性命。”说着就往别的村庄去了。
57 他们走路的时候,有一人对耶稣说:“你无论往哪里去,我要跟从你。”
58 耶稣说:“狐狸有洞,天空的飞鸟有窝,只是人子没有枕头的地方。”
1 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,
2 仰望为我们信心创始成终的耶稣。他因那摆在前面的喜乐,就轻看羞辱,忍受了十字架的苦难,便坐在神宝座的右边。
3 那忍受罪人这样顶撞的,你们要思想,免得疲倦灰心。
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. — Luke 9:51
After three years of teaching and healing to announce the good news of the kingdom of God, Jesus knew that it was time for him to go to Jerusalem. There he would enter the city as the promised Messiah, cleanse the temple, teach the truth about his Father (Luke 19:28-48), be arrested and beaten, die on a cross, and be “taken up to heaven.”
Jesus’ determination to endure all this so focused his journey that not even the inhospitality of a Samaritan village distracted him. When his disciples wanted to make them pay for their insolence, he instead rebuked the disciples and moved along to another village. As he put it, “the Son of Man [had] no place to lay his head.” Jesus knew he had nowhere else to go but to Jerusalem and the cross, and nothing would hinder him.
Because the goal of the Christian life is to crucify our passions with Christ, we need to, with great determination, keep our focus directly on Jesus and seek to follow him.
So let us keep our eyes on him who endured “opposition from sinners,” including the humiliation of refused hospitality. For our sake he even “endured the cross.” Keeping focused on all he has done for us, we will not “grow weary and lose heart.” And, as he has promised, our crucified and risen Lord will be with us every step of the way.
Lord, keep my eyes on Jesus, so that nothing may distract me from following him. Jesus, thank you for paying the price for all my sins on the cross. In your name, Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳