Tuesday, February 22, 2011

施洗约翰的重要

马太福音 21:23-32 的默想

作为一个基督徒,我们对于耶稣的身份的认识是非常重要的。在这个关键的课题上,我们往往忽略了施洗约翰举足轻重的角色。从路加福音以施洗约翰的背景作为开始,我们其实就可以意识到了解施洗约翰的重要性。

当祭师文士质疑耶稣的权柄的时候,他们其实是在质疑耶稣的身份。因为耶稣在圣殿的教导方式是“有权能的新道理”(可1:27)。耶稣真的是那位带着权柄的弥撒亚吗?对于这样的质疑,耶稣巧妙的指向施洗约翰。弟兄姐妹,在这预备心的降临节期间,让我们借着施洗约翰,同样来更深的认识耶稣,对于他的身份更加坚定不移。

施洗约翰是谁?他是众人公认的先知。他是神的代言人,呼吁众人悔改,以他的洗礼来预备心迎接用圣灵洗礼的那位。不单如此,他也是弥撒亚的见证人。“有一个人,名叫约翰,是神所差来的。他来是要作见证,就是为光作见证,使众人藉着他可以相信。他不是那光,而是要为那光作见证。那光来到世界,是普照世人的真光。”(约1:6-9)所以,施洗约翰带有这个神圣特殊的身份。他是独一无二弥撒亚的见证人。用句现代的话,辨认弥撒亚的专利权在施洗约翰那里。

施洗约翰完成了他的使命吗?完成了!“耶稣受了洗,立刻从水中上来;忽然,天为他开了,他看见神的灵,好像鸽子降下来,落在他身上;又有声音从天上来,说:“这是我的爱子,我所喜悦的。” (太3:16-17)当施洗约翰见证这事件后,“约翰又作见证说:“我曾看见圣灵,好像鸽子从天上降下来,停留在他的身上。我本来不认识他,但那差我来用水施洗的对我说:‘你看见圣灵降下来,停留在谁身上,谁就是用圣灵施洗的。’我看见了,就作见证说:‘这就是神的儿子。’” (约1:32-34)

我们如今凭着先知施洗约翰的见证,对耶稣的身份与权柄其实施毋庸置疑的。但是,知道和正确的回应是两回事。这就是两个儿子的比喻的重点。税吏和妓女虽然有不好的过去,但是面对约翰的见证,他们还是悔改,接着信靠耶稣。就象第一个儿子,该做的最终有完成。这样的回应合乎“父亲”的心意。但祭师文士却象第二儿子,表面答应,可是最终还是没有完成天父的心意。弟兄姐妹,我们如今通过施洗约翰确认了耶稣的身份,让我们有正确的回应,承认耶稣的权柄,跟随他到底。

Thursday, February 17, 2011

What is your worth?

Answer: 29 silver or less.

45A.23 ‘First,’ quoth the king, ’Tell mee in this stead,
With the crowne of gold vpon my head,
Amongst my nobilitye, with ioy and much mirth,
Within one pennye what I am worth.’
45A.24 Quoth the shepard, To make your grace noe offence,
I thinke you are worth nine and twenty pence;
For our Lord Iesus, that bought vs all,
For thirty pence was sold into thrall
Amongst the cursed Iewes, as I to you doe showe;
But I know Christ was one penye better then you.
45A.25 Then the king laught, and swore by St Andrew
He was not thought to bee of such a small value.

This excerpt comes from the ballad King John and the Bishop.
From Wikipedia:

King John is firstly described as a man who does great harm and little good. He has heard that the bishop (or abbot) of Canterbury is running a very efficient household. On visiting Canterbury, he demands an answer to three questions: -
a. How long do I travel in a day?
b. How much money am I worth?
c. what am I thinking?
The bishop of Canterbury replies that these are hard questions. It will take him three days to find some replies. If he fails to arrive at the rights answers, King John will then execute the bishop. On his travels, the bishop meets a shepherd (or his own brother), and explains his dilemma. The shepherd says, "Lend me your clothes, I will deliver the correct answers for you". The disguised shepherd then meets King John. His answers are:
a. You rise in the morning with the sun. It travels all round in the sky till the following morning, when it is back where it started. That's how far you travel.
b. Judas sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver. You are worth almost as much as Christ. You are worth 29 pieces of silver.
c. You are thinking I am the bishop of Canterbury. In fact I am a shepherd in disguise.

FFoB 21: 30 pieces of silver coins for Jesus is only mentioned in Matthew. It is likely a reference to Zechariah 11:12 or Exodus 21:32. In Exodus, it is the price of a slave. In Zechariah, it is a sarcastic dismissal of a "considerable amount of money".

    Wednesday, February 16, 2011

    Noonan on Young vs Old

    Link to the Original Article


    "And youth trumps age. Egypt is a young nation, median age 24, with high youth unemployment. All revolutions, in the end, are about the young versus the old, because the young are driven by hope and the old by experience. The men who massed in Tahrir Square the first week looked to be aged roughly 16 to 35. A few days into the revolution, I received an email from a friend just back from Cairo. He told me, he'd seen a young man run out of his suburban Cairo house. He was off to the demonstrations, to take part in history. Running after him was his grandmother, who literally grabbed him by the ear and tried to drag him back inside.

    The young want revolution and progress, the old are inclined toward stability and peace. The grandmother was probably thinking, "I want you safe." The young man might have been thinking, "I want my freedom." The old are certain that happiness cannot be found in politics, that life is deeper and more mysterious than that. The young believe that happiness cannot be found without freedom, that freedom cannot be won without a fight, and that the fight is political. The old of Egypt will likely think the young have no idea what they're unleashing. The young think the old have no idea what they accepted—the limits, the oppression. "Anything is better than that," the young say. "We'll see," reply the old."


    What I like about Noonan's expression is that it is wise and balanced. With the use of a story linking to a conversation, the discussion comes alive. Very clever way of presentation.

    Monday, February 14, 2011

    James Fallows on Obama's SOTU speech

    This is the link

    Notable quotes:
    RE: What comes of this moment is up to us. What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow.

    Fallow says: "One of the actual “ideas” of the speech, returned to with the RFK quote near the end. The future is unknown, outcomes both good and bad are possible, nothing is set by fate, etc. (then, later in the speech) As Robert Kennedy told us, “The future is not a gift. It is an achievement.” "

    RE
    : an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people.
    Fallow says "
    IMO, this is the way to sell these projects. Whether that will have any influence during the budget debates of the next two years...."

    RE: In fact, to every young person listening tonight who’s contemplating their career choice: If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child -- become a teacher. Your country needs you.
    Fallow says "Nice idea"

    RE:
    The idea of America endures. Our destiny remains our choice. And tonight, more than two centuries later, it’s because of our people that our future is hopeful, our journey goes forward, and the state of our union is strong

    Fallow says: "Quite a remarkable penultimate paragraph! By federal law -- no, OK, just by custom -- Presidents must work in the line “The State of the Union is [some variant on ‘strong’]” as an important part of the speech. But it’s often right up at the top of the speech, or as the end of the introduction -- as a transition to the policy chat.

    To have the whole speech serve as, in effect, the logical basis for concluding that the State of the Union is strong today -- that’s unusual, and supports the observation that there’s a stronger logical core to this speech than most."