我喜爱群体（community）这个名词。在过去几年我曾带领的学生小组中，很多都听厌了我谈论群体，但我总是忍不住要说。我喜爱群体的观念，群体就是人们聚在一起，以彼此负责、学习、团契和宣教为目标；此外，圣经中也提到群体，所以这个观念必然是好的！
耶稣正在教导众人关于信心、天国和作门徒的课题；正在教导他们时，祂自己的家人到来要与祂说话，但耶稣没有放下一切来与他们交谈，祂仍然继续祂的教导，祂甚至用祂的家人来作教材。实际上祂提出了这个问题：“谁是我的家人？”“凡遵行我天父旨意的人，就是我的家人了。”
在这里，耶稣是否不认祂地上的家人呢？不是，但祂是不会看重他们过于遵行神旨意的。
耶稣为家庭和群体下了创新的定义。群体不再单单是亲人或同声同气的朋友的共聚，它是一群与我们一起相聚的人，我们以信仰、宣教和挑战神而活的为目标。
谁是你的家人？当你寻求神在你生命中的旨意时，你要向谁负责呢？不论顺境或逆境，有谁与你同行？你与谁一起，共同以造就信心、履行使命、和面对挑战为目标呢？你在那里找到这些人，那里就是你的家，是在神里的群体。
父啊，我为祢在我周围建立的群体感谢你。求祢帮助我找到陪伴我同走天路的人。阿们。
马太福音 12:46-50
46 耶稣还对众人说话的时候，不料他母亲和他弟兄站在外边，要与他说话。
47 有人告诉他说：“看哪，你母亲和你弟兄站在外边，要与你说话。”
48 他却回答那人说：“谁是我的母亲？谁是我的弟兄？”
49 就伸手指着门徒说：“看哪，我的母亲，我的弟兄！
50 凡遵行我天父旨意的人，就是我的弟兄、姐妹和母亲了。”
“Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” — Matthew 12:50
I love the word community. Many of the student groups I have worked with over the years have gotten tired of hearing me talk about community. But I can’t help it. I love the concept of people gathering together for the purposes of accountability, learning, fellowship, and mission. Besides, it’s in the Bible, so it’s got to be good!
Jesus was teaching a group of people about faith and the kingdom and discipleship. And while he was talking to the crowd, his own family came to speak to him. But instead of dropping everything and talking to them, Jesus continued teaching, and he even used his family as an example. “Who is my family?” he asked, in effect. “Those who do the will of my Father in heaven—they are my family.”
Was Jesus denying his biological family here? No, but he was not going to put them ahead of doing the will of God.
Jesus redefined family and community here in a radical way. Instead of simply being a gathering of relatives or like-minded neighbors, the community became people we gather with for the purpose of faith, mission, and challenge in living for God.
Who is your family? Who holds you accountable to God’s purposes in life, and who walks alongside you in both good and bad times? With whom do you gather for the purposes of faith-building, mission, and challenge? Wherever you find those people, there is your family—the community of God.
Father, thank you for the community you have built around me. Help me to find people to walk with me through life. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
