你若有一段时间没有使用身体某个部位的肌肉,它便会退化了。故事中这人的手因某些事故以致不能使用,对他来说,这只手毫无用处,这手实际上已经死了。
然而,在某个安息日,当群众在会堂(他们敬拜的地方)聚集时,耶稣吩咐这人站在众人当中,这人被邀请成为公众关注的焦点。耶稣要保证会堂里每一个人都看到将要发生的事。
在场的人中,有些正在伺机找耶稣麻烦,他们刚硬的心令耶稣感到忧愁。于是,耶稣用了一个代表复活的词语来发出邀请,要求这人在群众当中“起来,”接着,当众人都注目那人已死的手上时,这只手突然在众目睽睽下完全复原了。
在这个故事中,耶稣表明安息日、律法、和弥赛亚的使命,是要为已死去的带来生命。这个故事的重心,就是要把这个信息展示给现场每一个人看。
耶稣不是单单在行善,祂是要表明和宣告祂有能力带来新生命。今天是耶稣的教会庆祝显现节的日子,耶稣叫我们生命中那些我们认为已死的部份重获生命,让我们为此欢喜快乐吧。
主啊,我承认我是何等无助,若没有你医治的能力,我根本无法改变。求你恢复我的生命,又帮助我去赞美你,因为你为我们的缘故而来,又为我们战胜了死亡。阿们。
马可福音 3:1-6
1耶稣又进了会堂。在那里有一个人枯干了一只手。
2众人窥探耶稣在安息日医治不医治,意思是要控告耶稣。
3耶稣对那枯干一只手的人说:“起来,站在当中!”
4又问众人说:“在安息日行善、行恶,救命、害命,哪样是可以的呢?”他们都不作声。
5耶稣怒目周围看他们,忧愁他们的心刚硬,就对那人说:“伸出手来!”他把手一伸,手就复了原。
6法利赛人出去,同希律一党的人商议怎样可以除灭耶稣。
"Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, 'Stand up in front of everyone.'" - Mark 3:3
When you don’t use a muscle for some time, it weakens. Something had happened to this man’s hand so that he could not use it, and it had become virtually useless to him. For all practical purposes, the man’s hand had died.
One Sabbath day, however, while the people of the town were in the synagogue (their place of worship), Jesus called this man to stand up in front of everyone. This was an invitation to be at the center of the crowd’s attention. Jesus wanted to make sure that everyone could see what would happen.
Some of the people there were looking to cause trouble for Jesus. They had stubborn hearts, and that made him distressed. So Jesus used a resurrection word, inviting the man to “arise” in front of the whole crowd. And then, with all eyes on the man’s dead hand, it was suddenly and completely restored to life.
In this story Jesus shows that the purpose of the Sabbath, the law, and the Messiah is to bring life to what is dead. That’s what is on display, for everyone to see, at the center of this story.
Jesus is not just doing nice things; he is demonstrating and announcing the new life he is bringing. On this day in which the church of Jesus celebrates Epiphany, let us rejoice in the ways he restores all the parts of our lives that we may have thought were dead.
Lord, I confess that I am helpless and cannot change without your restoring power. Restore my life and help me to praise you for coming to triumph over death for our sake. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳