从种子到枝子
在一月时，我会翻阅种子销售目录、选择和购买一些种子，准备春天时在我们的园圃栽种。我们需要运用想像力，才能预想到那些种子长成后的样子；例如，无论你如何细心察看一颗西红柿种子，也不能看到它变成丰盛的枝叶和结满果子的景象。你若栽种它，它就会长大，过一段时间，你才能真的看到枝叶和果子了。
尽管种子的开始看来是如此微不足道，但你只要把它种下，便会发生一个戏剧性的改变。
神的国开始时就像种子那样看来没有什么重要性，耶稣勉励衪的门徒，不要因此灰心沮丧，衪教导他们，不要单看芥菜种的微小，乃要把目光放远，去看它将会变成的样子；它将会成为高大的灌木，长出大枝来，可以容得下飞鸟，成为荫庇它们的栖身之所！真是奇妙啊！
这个比喻为耶稣的门徒带来很大的鼓舞，因为他们要到后来才能看到神藉着耶稣的死和复活所成就的事：耶稣就像一粒被种在地里的种子，然而衪却破土而出，衪的国到处发出枝桠，好叫万国万民都领受恩惠。
基督的门徒啊，你们应当欢欣鼓舞！神的国此时的规模，并不代表计划完全实现的景象！
亲爱的神，你的国度仍然未曾完全成长，有时我会因此感到不耐烦。我为已经传开去的和为现今仍然未来临的感谢你！愿你的国完全降临！阿们。
马可福音 4:30-34
30又说：“神的国，我们可用什么比较呢？可用什么比喻表明呢？
31好像一粒芥菜种，种在地里的时候，虽比地上的百种都小，
32但种上以后，就长起来，比各样的菜都大，又长出大枝来，甚至天上的飞鸟可以宿在它的荫下。”
33耶稣用许多这样的比喻，照他们所能听的，对他们讲道。
34若不用比喻，就不对他们讲；没有人的时候，就把一切的道讲给门徒听。
From Seed To Branches
“What shall we say the kingdom of God is like . . . ?” - Mark 4:30
In January I look through seed catalogs and choose seeds to buy for planting our garden in the spring. It takes a sense of vision to see what those seeds will become. For example, no matter how closely you look at a tomato seed, you cannot actually see the plant or the fruit that it will develop. But if you plant it and it grows, after some time you will actually see the plant and its fruit.
A seed seems to make for such a small, insignificant beginning, but just planting it can lead to a dramatic transformation.
Jesus encourages his disciples not to be discouraged by the seeming insignificance of the seedlike beginning of the kingdom of God. He urges us to look beyond the mustard seed to see what happens to it. It will grow into a tall shrub that will have branches large enough to welcome and shelter birds! Amazing!
This parable offers great encouragement to Jesus’ disciples, who only later saw glimpses of what God would accomplish through the death and resurrection of Jesus: a single seed would be sown, and yet Jesus would emerge from the ground and his kingdom would begin spreading its branches everywhere so that people of all nations could enjoy its benefits.
Be encouraged, disciple of Christ! The present size of the kingdom of God is not the whole story!
Dear God, sometimes I am impatient with your kingdom not being fully grown. Thank you for its spread and for what is still yet to come! May your kingdom come fully! Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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