九乡新闻网野人王的士高加长版:在基督的學校里作門徒（史百克 著 方克仁 譯）
来源：百度文库 编辑：九乡新闻网 时间：2024/07/07 12:41:34
在基督的學校里作門徒（史百克 著 方克仁 譯）
目錄
簡介
1、門徒的主要職責
2、屬天生命的性質
3、屬天生命的特性
4、屬天的生命不受時間空間的限制
5、屬天的生命与從罪和死的捆綁中得拯救
6、全足与無窮盡的屬天生命
7、胜過天然能力的屬天生命
8、屬天的生命与屬靈的看見
9、屬天的生命胜過死亡最大的權勢
簡介
一個重生有神生命的人，都被稱為基督徒。但這人是否在祂的生命里得到訓練，成為真正基督的門徒？這本小書從主的門徒的經歷里，告訴你如何使生命成長、成熟，作基督的真門徒。
Discipleship in the
by T.
Preface
The following messages were given at the conference in
T. AUSTIN-SPARKS.
1、門徒的主要職責
在開頭這一章，我們要作一點概略的說明，作為下面几章的根基。然后逐章的把我們現在所題的加以較詳盡的講解。我們要先引述主的話來概略的看看作門徒的性質。這一章是相當重要的。
你在新約中，會看見主的百姓有各种不同的名稱；從這些名稱我們就可以看出基督徒是怎樣的一般人。這些名稱大部分是他們自己起的，卻有兩個例外。『基督徒』這名稱是某些人開玩笑起的。安提阿人本來就喜歡給人起綽號，他們發現『基督徒』這名字，對于這般信徒是再恰當不過了，所以就稱呼他們為基督徒。另外一個名字雖然不是他們特別為自己選擇的，卻是普遍的被采用，并且別人因這名稱認識他們過于任何其他的名稱。
這些不同的名稱，也許你還記得。它們是：門徒、信徒、圣徒、弟兄、路中之人（中文譯為『信奉這道的人』）而耶穌稱呼他們為『我的朋友』。
這六個主百姓的名稱中的每一個，都可用來包容并表達某些特別的觀念。若是我們把主耶穌放在中心位置，這些稱呼就顯示出主的百姓是聚集在祂周圍的一班人：在祂周圍的就是這些門徒、信徒、圣徒、弟兄、路中之人，以及那些祂所稱呼為『我的朋友』的人。
我們要專一來看頭一個稱呼：『門徒』，我們所要講的也不會越過這稱呼。這稱呼有雙重的含意：其含意的一面是關乎祂的子民，另一面是關乎主自己。就著那些被稱為門徒的一班人，這稱呼就說出他們是學習的人。這稱呼是來自一個希腊字，其意義為『學習』；不過它含著一种積極的要素，意指著某种不僅僅靠頭腦的學習；也就是說，『把所學得的付諸實行。』所以門徒乃是一班學習的人，且把所學得的付諸實行。
Chapter 1 - The Chief Occupation of a Disciple
In this initial chapter we shall be laying the foundation for what is to follow. Later we shall be breaking up the whole ground that we shall be covering now, and we shall get to the real application of the Lord's Word, but this chapter will be of a general character, but quite important.
You will know that in the New Testament the Lord's people were called by various names, and these were the names by which Christians came to be known. Most of the names were given to them by themselves, but there were two exceptions. The name 'Christian' was someone's joke. The inhabitants of
The various names, as you will remember, were: Disciples; Believers; Saints; Brethren; People of the Way; and Jesus called them 'My Friends'.
There you have six different titles for the Lord's people, and every one of them was intended to embody and convey some special idea. Put the Lord Jesus in the centre, and all these titles indicate that His people are gathered around Him. Around Him are the disciples, the believers, the saints, the brethren, the people of the Way, and those of whom He speaks as 'My Friends'.
It is the first of these titles that is going to occupy us mainly, and it is possible that we will not be able to go beyond this one.
The first title, then, is 'Disciples'. That name had a double implication. There was that which it implied where people were concerned and that which it implied where the Lord was concerned. As to those who were called disciples, it simply meant that they were learners. The title came from a Greek word which just meant 'to learn', but it had an active element in it and signified something more than just learning in the head: it meant putting into practice what was learnt. So disciples were people who learned and then put into practice what they learned.
在使徒行傳中，這個稱呼出現了三十次，這是頗耐人尋味的。那就是說，它是在主离開這世界以后，繼續存在的一個名稱；這也表示，他們仍然不斷的學習且把他們所學習的付諸實行。我們常把門徒与主耶穌在地上時聯想在一起，可是『門徒』這名稱是在主离開這世界以后，很長一段時間仍然存在的。的确，它甚至延續到現在，并且我實在盼望你們能看見，我們在此時此地仍是祂的門徒：是向主耶穌學習，為要把所學習的付諸實行的一班人。這是就著我們這一面的觀點所看的門徒的意義。我們是蒙召在這時候來作基督的門徒。
這名稱的另一含意是關于主耶穌的。當然它的意義就是說，祂是教師，是我們所從而學習每一件事的。當祂還在地上的時候，那名稱（教師）常用在祂身上，而在這一方面祂有四個稱呼：即『師傅』（或作夫子）、『拉比』、『拉波尼』以及『主』。你大概還記得人家是用這四個稱呼來叫祂。他們稱呼祂為『師傅』——尼哥底母說：『我們知道你是
從神那里來作師傅的』（約三2）。但是祂与所有其他的教師都不同。祂不像一般學校的教師，因為祂的教訓是屬靈的，而不是學術性的。而『教師』這稱呼本身含著某种非常重要，非常丰富的意義。我們這時候要花大部分時間來看約翰福音，因為在這卷書里，我們能更深的學習到主耶穌是『教師』的意義。在這卷福音書里『認識』這詞出現了五十五次，而這詞是教師和門徒所常用的。因此我們可以很清楚的看出，這卷福音書的題目乃是『認識』，因為它的內容都是關于認識方面的，而主耶穌就是那位屬靈的教師。
其次，我們要注意，『那真理』在這卷書中出現了二十五次。要認識什么？『你們必曉得真理，真理必叫你們得以自由』（約八32）。所以題到二十五次的『那真理』是和題到五十五次的『認識』互相關連的。
另有一個詞是和前述二詞有密切關系的，就是『那光』；它在約翰福音中出現了二十三次，所以這卷書的主題乃是『藉那光認識那真理』，這就替我們描繪了門徒的學校的光景。
這一切都是有關于『教師』這稱呼的。
It is interesting to notice that this name for the Lord's people occurs thirty times in the Book of "the Acts of the Apostles". That means that it was a name which continued after Jesus had gone and indicated that they were still learning and putting into practice what they were learning. We usually think of the disciples as related to the Lord Jesus when He was here, but the name 'disciple' goes on a long time after Jesus went from this world. Indeed, it continues until today, and I do want you to realize that we are here at this time as disciples: those who are learning from the Lord Jesus in order to put into practice what we learn. That is what the name means where we are concerned. We are meant to be the disciples of Christ now.
Then the name carried with it an implication where the Lord Jesus was concerned. Of course, it just meant, and still means, that He is the Teacher, the One from whom we have to learn everything. That name was often used about Him when He was here, and in that capacity He had four names: Teacher; Rabbi; Rabboni; and Master. You will remember that He was called by all those four titles. They addressed Him as 'Teacher' - Nicodemus said: "We know that thou art a teacher come from God" (John 3:2). But He was a different kind of teacher from all other teachers. He was not a teacher of the schools, for His teaching was spiritual, not academic. But this name 'Teacher' carried with it something very important and very rich. We are going at this time to be very much occupied with the Gospel by John, because it is there that we learn more deeply of the meaning of the Lord Jesus. The little phrase 'to know' occurs fifty-five times in that Gospel, and that very phrase belongs to the teacher and to the disciples. It is perfectly clear in the Gospel that the subject is 'To know', for it is all about knowing, and Jesus is the spiritual Teacher.
And then the phrase 'The Truth' occurs twenty-five times in that Gospel. To what does 'To know' relate? "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). So 'the truth' mentioned twenty-five times is linked with 'to know' occurring fifty-five times.
Then another phrase is linked with those two: 'The Light', which occurs twenty-three times. 'To know the Truth by the Light' is the subject of John's Gospel, and, indeed, describes the school of the disciples.
All that is connected with the title 'Teacher'.
『拉此』這稱呼是特別用在主耶穌身上的。在馬可福音中，祂三次被稱呼拉比；在馬太福音中有四次，而在路加福音中一次也沒有題到。其原因你馬上可以看出來。在約翰福音中祂有八次被稱呼拉此——此其他三
卷福音書題到的總次數更多。從這一點就可以很清楚的看出，約翰所真正要表達的是什么。
『拉波尼』不常出現，它是『拉此』的強調稱呼。你可能還記得，复活日早晨的園中當主耶穌轉過身來叫『馬利亞』時，她便呼喊祂『拉波尼』。這稱呼的意思，就是『那位偉大的教師』；它只有在約翰福音中使用過。
可是何以路加福音省略了『拉比』的稱呼？在這福音中主耶穌被稱呼為『主』的次數此其他三种稱呼的次數更多。路加在他的福音中對主耶穌所喜愛的稱呼乃是『主』（主人）；你若是還記得他寫福音的目的，乃是要顯明主耶穌是那位最完美的人；那你就會明白為什么他喜歡這稱呼。主耶穌是『主』人，而路加的意思是說：『我們都是這人的仆人』。
我說這些乃是為了要說明作門徒是怎么一回事：并且讓大家知道基督徒的偉大職分，乃是要學習基督。這并不僅僅是一個研討的題目，請問你，什么是你一生中最大的愿望？恐怕你的答案与我的并不相同！在我心中的最大愿望乃是要認識主耶穌；并且這愿望隨著年日的增加而加強。對于祂，我還有許許多多不知道的；關于祂我常遭遇許多難題；并且這些難題根本不是頭腦方面的，而是屬靈方面的，是一些屬于心中的難題：例如，為什么主耶穌那樣說，那樣作事？祂為什么照著祂所是的來對待我？祂之于我一直是那么深奧，而我是多么盼望能認識祂！認識主耶穌是人一生中最重要的事。我們現在所說的并不是一些新奇的資料，而是古老的，且是大家所熟識的圣經，可能有人想，他已經十分明白約翰福音了；也許你真是如此，我可不是這樣。我始終發現，這卷福音包含著比任何我所知道的事物更深的真理和价值。我仰望主，使我們繼續看下去的時候，我們都能明白這一點。
前面所說的都是比較偏重門徒方面的，至于這位教師本身又如何呢？祂教的是什么科目？每位教師都有他自己的科目：有的教神學，有的教科學，有的教哲學、或藝術、或机械、或各种其他的事物；而主耶穌的科目又是什么呢？
The name 'Rabbi' is used separately of the Lord Jesus. In the Gospel by Mark He is called 'Rabbi' three times, and in Matthew four times, but this title is not used once in the Gospel by Luke. You will see why in a moment. In John Jesus is called 'Rabbi' eight times - more than in all the other three Gospels put together. It is quite clear from that what John is really seeking.
'Rabboni' does not occur often. It is an intensified form of 'Rabbi'. You will remember that Mary Magdalene cried 'Rabboni' in the garden on the resurrection morning, when Jesus turned to her and said 'Mary'. It simply means 'the great Teacher' and it only comes in John's Gospel.
But why did Luke leave out this title of 'Rabbi'? In his Gospel the Lord Jesus is called by a fourth title more than He is in any of the others. Luke's favourite title for Him in this capacity is 'Master', and when you remember the object of his Gospel, which was to set forth Jesus as the very perfect Man, then you understand why he preferred this title. Jesus is the Master Man, and Luke meant to say: 'We are all the servants of that
I have said all that just to introduce this matter of discipleship and to show that the great business of Christians is to learn Christ. This is not just a subject to study. I want to ask you: What is the greatest desire in your life? I wonder if it is the same as mine! The greatest desire in my heart - and the longer I live the stronger it grows - is to understand the Lord Jesus. There is so much that I do not understand about Him. I am always coming up against problems about Him, and they are not intellectual problems at all, but spiritual ones: problems of the heart. Why did the Lord Jesus say and do certain things? Why is He dealing with me as He is? He is always too deep for me, and I want to understand Him. It is the most important thing in life to understand the Lord Jesus. Well, we are here that He may bring us to some better understanding of Himself. The material of the word will not be new - it will be old and well-known Scripture. Perhaps we think that we know the Gospel by John very well. Well, you may, but I do not. I am discovering that this Gospel contains deeper truth and value than I know anything about, and I trust the Lord will make us all see that as we go on.
That has to do with the disciples, who are learners, but what about the Teacher Himself? What is His subject? Every teacher has his subject. Some teach theology, and others teach science, or philosophy, or art, or engineering, or various other things. What is the subject of the Lord Jesus?
（我倒是希望你們現在都回自己的房間，各人在一張紙上寫下自己的答案，我想若是等一會念出各人的答案，那將是一件很有趣的事，）
答案乃是『祂自己』，祂自己就是祂教導的『科目』。『耶穌』永遠是祂自己要教訓的題目。祂把每一件事都說到祂自己身上。祂說：『我就是道路、真理、生命』（約十四6），『我是好牧人』（約十14），『我就是生命的糧』（約六48），『我就是門』（約十9），『我就是复活，我就是生命』（約十一25另譯）；祂自己就是祂的題目，祂曾經講論過許多的事，但祂總是把這些事引到自己身上。祂對于父說了很多，我們也能從祂對父的講論中對父有所認識；但祂總是從父說到祂自己，也從祂自己引到父，祂說：『我与父原為一』（約十30）。祂對于圣靈講了很多，但祂總是把圣靈聯于祂自己。祂對于人講了很多，但祂又是把人引到祂自己，祂喜歡稱自己為『人子』。祂對生命也講了許多，但祂總是把生命聯于祂，并且從不把生命看作祂自己之外的東西。祂對于光、真理和能力也講了許多，但總是把它們聯于祂自己。總而言之，祂就是祂自己教訓的題目和內容。
可是我們現在要來看，這种把祂自己當作教導內容的方式，帶來了一种完全的創新。無疑的，主耶穌開創了一個更新性的舉動。當然，有些人不能接受它，因為它對他們來說，太具創新性了。然而卻有人說：『從來沒有像祂這樣說話的』（約七46），有人曾經為祂作見證說：『祂教訓他們正像有權柄的人，不像文士』（可一22）。祂是帶進了一种完全的創新，而這种作為是藉祂對自己的講論啟示祂自己所帶進來的。祂永遠說到祂自己，祂也是在這世上惟一有資格這樣作的人。
因此，門徒的本分乃是要認識祂，并且作祂召他們去作的事：『你們當負我的軛，學我的樣式』（太十一29）。耶穌自己帶來屬天的知識，并且在祂里面我們得以進入屬天知識的領域中。祂所說的并不是僅僅止于字面上的意義而已，尤其重要的乃是這些所指明祂是如何的一位。
(I would like to send you to your rooms to put your answer down on a piece of paper, and I think it would be very interesting if I were to read out all the answers later on!)
However, the answer is: Himself. He is His own subject. Jesus was always the subject of His own teaching. He related everything to Himself. He said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6): "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:14): "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48): "I am the door" (John 10:9): "I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 11:25). He is His own subject. He spoke about many things, but He always related them to Himself. He said very much about His Father, and we may come to see something of what He taught about Him, but He always related the Father to Himself and Himself to the Father. He said: "I and the Father are one" (John 14:9). He spoke much about the Holy Spirit, but He always related Him to Himself. He said much about man, but He always related man to Himself. His own favourite title for Himself was 'Son of man'. He said much about life, but He always related it to Himself and never thought of life apart from Himself. He said much about light, about truth and about power, but always in relation to Himself. He was His own subject of teaching.
But we are going to see that Jesus brought in a complete revolution in this way of teaching Himself. There is no doubt whatever that Jesus created a revolution. Of course, some people would not have it, for it was too revolutionary for them. But others said: "Never man spake like this man" (John 7:46 - A.V.). And it is said of Him that "He taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22). He brought in a complete revolution, but He did it by bringing Himself into view by what He said about Himself. He was always talking about Himself, and He is the only one in this world who has a right to do that. We are here today because He had a right to talk about Himself.
So the one business of disciples is to know Him, and to do what He called His disciples to do: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me" (Matthew 11:29). Jesus came to bring heavenly knowledge in His own person, and in His person we come into heavenly knowledge. It is not just what He says: it is what He says He is.
每一位真實的教師，并不重在說很多事情，而是重在當他講說事情的時候，總是帶著某些他自己的成分。你在學校的時候，遇過各种教師；我在求學階段也遇過好几位。有些教師教導我或試著要教導我某些事——也許是算術、英語或是許多科目中的一种。我希望能從那些教師對我所說的話中，學一點東西；而其中的一位，在我記憶中，印象特別深刻。他說了那么多事情，但他卻同時把某些他自己的成分帶給我。我能夠說：他不僅僅在講課，他留下某种的印象；他把某些自己的東西留給我。我之能記得他，不是因為他教的科目，而是因著他自己。他在我的生命中影響了我。主耶穌就是這种教師；祂不只是光講論事情或某些課題而已；祂的題材非常奇妙，正如我們看過的，就是：父、圣靈、生命等等；但祂在話語之外，還給我們更多的領受。當人們听過祂的道以后，便說：『從來沒有人像這人這樣說話』。是祂在他們的生命中留下某种的痕跡，以致他們走的時候就把某些東西帶走了。后來，圣經上有這樣的話說：『他們就想起耶穌的話來』（路二十四8）。某些東西已經進入他們生命的深處，所以他們能說：『我不僅從耶穌學得某些真理，而且在我的生命中我還從我的教師得著某种東西。我已經被祂影響。』耶穌說『我對你們所說的話就是靈，就是生命』（約六63）。那就是說，祂話的背后還藏著某些東西。
在一切學習中，具有包容性并控制性的一個基本問題是：『為什么主耶穌來到這世界？』當然，你可以用一處簡單的經節來回答這問題，『基督耶穌降世，為要拯救罪人』（提前一15）。那是圣經的話，一點也不錯。或者你要說：『人子來為要尋找拯救失喪的人』（路十九10），那也是千真万确的。還有很多其他類似的話，似乎都可以回答這問題；可是，你要把這些經節合并起來看——這時候你就不容易得著完滿的答案
了。這個問題除了前面題的几點以外，還有許多其他方面的。我們必須分成兩個步驟，來試著解答這問題；頭一步實際上是非常大的一步。
Every true teacher is not one who says a lot of things, but one who, when he says things, gives something of himself. You have had teachers at school, and I had many during my school years. Some taught me, or tried to teach me, this and that and something else - it might be arithmetic, or English language, or one of the many subjects. I hope I learned something from what those teachers said to me, but of them all one stands out in my memory. He said all the things, but he also gave me something of himself. I could say of him: 'He did not only talk; he made an impression. He left something with me. I remember him, not for his subject, but for himself. He made a difference in my life.' And that is the kind of teacher Jesus is. He did not just say things, or teach subjects only. His subjects were very wonderful, as we have seen: the Father, the Spirit, life, and so on, but Jesus gave more than words. When people listened to Him they said: "Never man spake like this man." He made an impression on their lives and they carried something away. Afterwards, it says, "they remembered his words" (Luke 24:8). Something had entered right into the deep places of their lives and they were able to say: 'I not only learned certain truths from Jesus, but I have got something in my life from my Teacher. I have been influenced by Him.' Jesus said: "The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life" (John 6:63). That is something more than words.
The question which covers and governs all learning is this: Why did the Lord Jesus Christ come into this world? Of course, you might answer that in simple fragments of Scripture. You might say: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). That is the Scripture and is quite true. Or you might say: "The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10), which is also quite true. There are many other things like that which seem to answer the question, but you need to put them all together - and even then you do not have the full answer. It has many more aspects than those! We have to approach it by two steps, and the first is a very big step indeed.
耶穌在伯利恒的降生，并不是神儿子的誕生，祂的存在，并不開始于祂來到這世界：祂在未有世界以前就已經与父同在了。祂說：『父阿，現在求你使我同你享榮耀，就是未有世界以先，我同你所有的榮耀』（約十七5）。我們不知道祂什么時候開始存在；不過必定是在時間開始以前開始祂的存在。祂從永遠就与父同在。若是你能确定圣經中最早的話語的日期，那你就能知道問題的答案。也許你正在猜想，我現在為什么說這件事？那是因為約翰福音是從這里開始的，并且你絕不能明白主耶穌，除非回到那里：『太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神』（約一1）。那是這卷書的教訓開始的地方。哦！我們是已經進入一個非常大的學校！就是永遠的學校。我們后面還要看如何把這件事應用到我們身上？但目前我們只須注意這件事：主耶穌來到這世界并不就是祂存在的開始。
第二步我們要看：祂在人的樣式中來到這世界，必定是和人類有關。祂并沒有完全脫离祂的神性，卻以人的樣式來到這世界。這就說出祂的來到，必是和人類之生命發生極密切的關系。『這不是為著天使，乃是為著人類。』祂以人的樣式來到人群中間為要教導人。神是在基督里，卻來成為人的樣式，為要作工在人里面；不僅是為著人，而且是在人的里面作工。神可以不必來成為人的樣式就可以為人完成每件事，但為要在人里面作工，祂就必須以人的樣式來到。
對于我們的問題，完滿的答案是這樣的：耶穌在祂自己里面帶來神所希望人類得著的（卻從未得著）。本來神希望人類得著他從未得著的，他卻因著自己的不順服而失落了它；并且一直沒有得著神所要他得著的，像這樣失敗的人類是絕對沒辦法得著它的；因此就須另一等人來把它帶給人類。
The birth of Jesus at
The other step is this: His coming into this world in human form definitely related to mankind. He did not completely break with His deity, but He came in the form of humanity, and that means that His coming had something vitally connected with human life. 'It is not unto angels: it is unto men.' He came as Man to men in order to teach men. God was in Christ, but in human form in order to do something in man: not only for man, but in man. God could have done everything for man without coming in human form, but in order to do something in man he had to come in the form of a man.
The full answer to our question, then, is this: Jesus came to bring in His own person all that which man was intended to have, but never had. Man was intended by God to have something that he has never yet had. He missed it by his disobedience and has never possessed what God intended him to possess. And man as he was never could possess it, so there had to be another kind of Man to bring it to man.
我們再重复的說，回答我們主要問題的答案是這樣的：耶穌是在祂自己里面把神所希望人類得著的帶給人，而這是人所從未得著的。這就是為什么耶穌的教訓和祂的作為連在一起的原因。你有沒有注意到這一點？當耶穌說完某些事之后，祂就作些事來證明它；祂從來沒有說到任何關于祂自己的事而不作一些事來證明的。祂豈不說過：『我在世上的時候，是世上的光』（約九5）么？于是祂就把一個生來是瞎眼的人的眼睛開了。祂豈不也說過：『我就是复活，我就是生命』（約十一25另譯）么？于是祂就使拉撒路從死里复活：就這樣祂總是把祂的話語和作為連在一起，把祂的工作連于祂的教訓。祂不只是講論，而是在講論的同時隨著祂的作為。這仍是祂今日的法則，也是你我必須明白的。我希望這些日子我們就能有這樣的學習；同時盼望不僅有話語，也有祂的作為隨著祂的話語。
在此，我們順便題一件事，是非常有幫助的：在這位偉大的教師身上有一些事是很不尋常的。你曾否注意，祂所揀選的門徒是怎樣的一班人？為什么主揀選這一類的門徒？他們是怎樣的人？他們不是當時一些偉大的學者，也不是具有大學學位的一班人。我想我們可以說，大體上他們是一些拙劣的人，并且似乎腦筋遲鈍，他們總是把祂所說的話領會錯了；或者不能抓住其中的要點。他們也常常忘記祂對他們所說過的事情，以致祂后來需要題醒他們，或者藉著圣靈使他們想起這些事。保羅對哥林多基督徒的描述很可以用來說明這些門徒：『……你們蒙召的，按著肉體有智慧的不多，有能力的不多，有尊貴的不多，神卻揀選了世上愚拙的……又揀選了世上軟弱的……』（林前一26-27）。神這种作法并
不是這世界處理事情的法則。如果你是彼得、雅各、或約翰，你在這世界的高階層上，不會有什么地位的。祂為什么要揀選這些人；因為在他們里面有足夠的地方容納祂所要帶給他們的。他們并不是已經富足或強壯的一班人。從某一角度來看，他們給祂最好的机會來把他們所沒有的給他們。基督在世的日子，那一班已經『有』的人從來沒有得著什么，你知道這是何等的真實！祂使人空空的來，飽飽的回去；祂卻叫富足的人，空手回去。這是我們所該學習認識的！
當我們爬到山頂時，那些該撇在山下的事物之一，乃是我們的無知。你要說：『無知的意義就是我不知道』；但請你再想一想，什么是無知的特征？那就是『我全知道』。這豈不正對么？真正無知的人都以為他們什么都知道。
And we repeat: the answer to our main question is just this. Jesus came to bring in His own person all that which God meant man to have, but which he had never had. That is why the teaching of Jesus was always united with His acts. Do you notice that? After Jesus said something He did something to prove it, and He never said anything about Himself without doing something to prove it. Did He say: "I am the light of the world" (John 9:5)? Then He opened the eyes of a man born blind. Did He say: "I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 11:25)? Then He raised Lazarus from the dead. And so He was always uniting His words with acts, His works with His teaching. He was not just saying things, but with the saying He was doing. That still continues to be His method, and is what you and I have to understand. I hope we are going to learn that in these days, and that it will not just be only words, but the works of the Lord Jesus accompanying the words.
There is something that we could just put in at this point which is very helpful. There is something very unusual about this great Teacher. Have you noticed the kind of disciples that He chose? Why did the Lord choose that kind of disciple? What kind of people were they? They were not the great scholars of the day, nor men with university degrees. I think we could say that on the whole they were a poor lot and seemed to have poor brains. They were always misunderstanding what He said, or failing to grasp the point. They were always forgetting things He had said to them and He had to remind them later on, or bring these things back to them by the Holy Spirit. Paul's description of the Christians at
One of the things that we have to leave down in the valley when we come up on to the mountain is our ignorance. You will say: 'Ignorance means "I don't know"', but just think again. What is the hallmark of ignorance? It is: 'I know it all.' Is that not true? The really ignorant people are those who think that they know everything.
我想起几年前遇見的一位女士。當然，我不以為我是一位偉大的教師；但她對于我所講的每一句話，都說『我知道！我知道！』如果她的生活證實她确實知道的話，那還說得過去；但事實證明她并不知道；對于這种一直說『我知道，我知道』的人，你是不容易幫助他的。無知的標記就是『什么都知道』，那也是我們來到山上時該撇在山下的事物之一。（注：此信息是在瑞士山上的特別聚會所釋放的）我們必須是容易受教導的，倒空的、軟弱的、自覺愚昧的，也是算不了什么的一班人。耶穌基督的學校充滿像這樣的人——這是為什么祂揀選那
些人的原因。
我們要記得我們是祂的門徒，每樣事情都需要學習。我們對主耶穌的認識實在太少；但祂是我們中間的拉波尼，是我們偉大的教師。我信，如果我們的心向祂敞開，祂就要向我們啟示祂自己。
I remember a certain lady some years ago. I do not profess to be a great teacher, but to every sentence that I uttered she said: 'I know it! I know it!' That would have been all right if her life had proved that she did know it, but it proved that she did not know it, and you could get nowhere with that dear soul because of: 'I know it! I know it!' The mark of ignorance is knowing it all, and that is one of the things to leave down there when we come up on to the mountain.* We must be teachable, empty, weak, foolish in our own eyes, just nobody. The School of Jesus Christ is filled with people like that - and that is why He chose the men that He did.
Let us remember that we are His disciples and still have everything to learn. We really understand the Lord Jesus very little, but He is amongst us as Rabboni, our great Teacher, and I believe that He will reveal Himself to us if our hearts are open to Him.
2、屬天生命的性質
『我來了，是要叫羊得生命』（約十10）。
我們再回頭來看約翰福音，因我們已經看過這是一卷屬靈教育的福音。其他的福音書大多是關于歷史方面的——是主耶穌在地上的生活、
工作、和教訓的歷史。而約翰福音是基督在祂身位中的屬靈生活和說明。你有沒有注意到這卷福音開頭是怎么說的呢？『生命在祂里頭，這生命就是人的光』（約一4）。這卷福音主要部分，以底下的話作結尾：『耶穌在門徒面前，另外行了許多神跡，沒有記在這書上。但記這些事，要叫你們信耶穌是基督，是神的儿子；并且叫你們信了祂，就可以因祂的名得生命』（約二十30—31）。（請注意，第二十一章是后來加上
的——很顯然的約翰原是想以二十章作結束，實際上他也是以這些話作
結束）。所以，約翰福音是開始于『生命在祂里頭』，而以『要叫你們得生命』作結尾。這福音主要部分有二十章，恰位于中間的第十章第十節說：『我來了，是要叫羊得生命。』
這卷福音最開頭的話是『生命在祂里頭』，中間的話是『我來了，是要叫羊得生命』，最終的話是『你們信了祂，就可以……得生命』。因此我們可從『生命』這詞得到我們的問題：『為什么耶穌基督要來到這世界？』的完滿答案。
請注意几件事：第一，主耶穌的一切教訓和工作，都是關于一樣東西，這就是祂所說的生命。祂所有的教訓和工作，都和生命發生關系。
第二件要注意的是：耶穌曾明白的表示過：要得著這生命，乃是一個神跡，并且祂也證明過除非藉神跡是無法得著這生命的。另一面，我們要看見，若是要被這生命所得著，也是一件超然的事。
第三件我們當注意的事乃是：神的話已經啟示出，得著這生命乃是神一切工作的基礎。除非我們有了這生命，祂在我們里面不可能作什么事；祂要退在一邊，并說：『我不能作什么，除非我的生命在你里面』，所以說，祂在我們里面的生命是祂所有工作的基礎。
Chapter 2 - The Nature of Divine Life
"I came that they might have life" (John 10:10).
We come back to the Gospel by John, for we have seen that this is the Gospel of spiritual education. The others are largely a matter of history - the history of the earthly life, work and teaching of the Lord Jesus, but the Gospel by John is the spiritual life and interpretation of Christ in Person. Do you notice how the Gospel begins? It begins with these words: "In him was life; and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). The main part of the Gospel ends with these words: "Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name" (John 20:30,31). (Notice that chapter 21 is something added on afterward - it is quite clear that John intended to finish with what is chapter 20, and he really finished with these words.) The Gospel begins with: 'In Him was life'. It ends with: 'That ye may have life'. The main Gospel comprises twenty chapters, and halfway through twenty is ten. In chapter 10, verse 10, we have: "I came that they might have life".
The beginning: 'In Him was life'; the middle: 'I came that they might have life'; the end: 'Believing, ye may have life'. In that one word 'life' we have the full answer to our question: 'Why did Jesus Christ come into this world?'
Note one or two things: All the teaching and works of the Lord Jesus related to this thing that He called life. All His teaching and all His works were in relation to life.
The second thing to notice is this: Jesus demonstrated that to possess this life is a miracle, and showed that it is impossible to have it without a miracle. To come to be possessed by this life is something super-natural.
And the third thing we have to notice is: It is revealed by the Word of God
that the possessing of this life is the basis of all God's works. He can do nothing in us until we have this life. He has to stand back and say: 'I can do nothing until I have My life in you.' His life in us is the basis of all His work.
So now we are going to look at this Gospel by John to instruct us in this matter of life.
因此現在我們要來看約翰福吾，俾能從其中得著關于生命的教導。請再注意第二十章的話：『耶穌在門徒面前，另外行了許多神跡』。注意『在門徒面前』這几個字，約翰實際上是這樣說：『耶穌所行的這一切的神跡，祂是行在祂的門徒面前的』。那是因為祂所要教導的乃是祂的門徒；他們該學習這些事的意義，因為他們將來要繼承祂的工作。所以我們可以認為，除非門徒在場。耶穌絕不行一個神跡。若是有什么偉大的工作要完成，祂要四周看看是否有門徒在。祂行這些神跡不是僅為了眾人的益處，（雖然他們可以得著某些好處，例如祂叫五千人吃飽）；而這些事都是為了要教育門徒。耶穌非常關切他們到底是否明白祂所作的事的意義。底下我們會看見那是何等重要。
我是多盼望，當我使用『門徒』這字眼的時候，你不要想到兩千年前的事！我想大部分在這里的人（即使不是全部），都是門徒：是那班學習基督的人。從前那些門徒的主要職責是要學習基督；我們今日的主要職責也是如此。基督徒最重要的事乃是學習基督。
我們現在再回到第二十章的末了兩節圣經，也希望你標出三個詞：在『耶穌……另外行了許多神跡』這句話里面，標出『神跡』；在『記這些事，要叫你們信……』這句話中，標出『信』；在『叫你們信了祂，就可以因祂的名得生命』這句話中，標出『生命』。神跡——信——生
命。整卷約翰福音，就總括在那三個詞里面了，并且我們要花一點時間來看這三個詞。
首先，我們要看『神跡』的意義。整卷約翰福音都集中在七個神跡上；而它們都是經過特別選擇的。約翰說：『耶穌另外行了許多神跡』，并且如果這些神跡一一都寫出來的話，『所寫的書，就是世界也容不下了』（約二十一25）。必定還有很多其他的神跡，但約翰只選了其中的七個，并把整個『學習基督』這件事都包括在里面了。
新約中曾用四個不同的詞，來表達『神跡』。在有些地方，它們被稱為『奇事』，說出某些事是相當不尋常、不普通、是一件奇妙的事。在別的地方，它們被稱為『异能』，這字眼帶給我們某些屬靈、超然的能力的觀念。在有些地方它們被稱為『似非而是之事』，似是一种矛盾，而卻是真的；因為它們与自然界中的次序互相抵触。而第四個用在神跡方面的詞是約翰常使用，也是他自己喜歡用的詞，他總是稱它們為『兆頭』，那就是說這些工作含著某些比它本身更多的東西。工作不是僅止于它本身，在它背后帶著某种意義。它指著某些事物。的确有一個實際的工作，但它卻帶著一個屬靈的意義，并且更是某些東西的兆頭。那是約翰在神跡方面所使用的詞。
Notice again what it says in chapter 20: "Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of his disciples". Note - 'in the presence of His disciples'. John said, in effect: 'All these signs that Jesus did He did in the presence of His disciples.' That was because it was His disciples whom He was teaching. They were the ones who had to learn the meaning of these things because they had to carry on His work. So we can take it that Jesus never performed a miracle unless His disciples were there. If there was some great work to be done, He looked round to see if the disciples were there. He was not just doing these things for the benefit of the multitude, though they may have had some benefit, as in the case of the feeding of the five thousand, but these things were for the education of the disciples. Jesus was most careful that they came to understand the meaning of what He was doing. We are going to see how important that is. I do hope that when I use that word 'disciple' you are not thinking back two thousand years! I think the majority of the people here, if not all, are disciples: those who are learning Christ. Just as the chief business of the disciples in those days was to learn Christ, so it is our chief business today. The most important thing for Christians is to learn Christ.
We turn once more to those two verses at the end of chapter 20, and I want you to underIine three words: In "Many other signs did Jesus" underline the word 'signs'. In "These are written that ye may believe" underline the word 'believe'. And in "that believing ye may have life in his name" underline the word 'life'. Signs - believe - life. The whole of this Gospel is summed up in those three words, and we are going to look at them for a few minutes
Firstly: signs. The whole of the teaching of the Gospel by John is gathered around seven signs, and they were seven especially selected signs. John says: 'Many other signs did Jesus', and that if they were all written "even the world itself would not contain the books" (John 21:25). There must have been many more signs, but John has selected seven and has gathered the whole of this matter of learning Christ into them.
There are four words used for 'miracles' in the New Testament. In some places they are called 'wonders', and that conveys the idea of something quite unusual, extraordinary, a wonderful thing. In other places they are called 'powers', which conveys the idea of spiritual, super-natural energy. In other places they are called 'paradoxes', which, as you know, is a contradiction. They were called 'paradoxes' because they were something which contradicted the natural order of things. But the fourth word for 'miracles' is this one which John always chose and is his favourite word for them. He always called them 'signs', which meant that these works indicated something more than themselves. The work was not just something in itself: there was a meaning behind it. It signified something. There was the actual work, but it had a spiritual meaning and was a sign of something more. That is John's word for 'miracle'.
這件事我們暫時說到這里，底下我們還會再講到它。
第二個詞：『信』，這是全本約翰福音的鑰字，在其中出現了九十八次。在這書中的每一件事都以此為中心，『要叫你們信……』。但什么是『相信』？這字本身意味二件事。它的意義乃是承認真理，也就是某种反應說『那是真的』，『他是對的』，『我信他是對的』。但它有更進一步的意義。希腊文這個字的意義是：『當你相信那件事是真的時候，你就把你自己委身于說這事的人』。在另一處，約翰以另一种方式說明它的意義：『凡接受祂的』（約一12另譯），那僅是『他們把自己交給祂』的另一种說法而已。相信不僅僅是一种心智的事情；它乃是把一生都委托于你所相信的那一位。我曾听過****博士用一种很簡單的方式說明它。那時我正坐在他后面的平台上，并且你曉得他是一個身材高大的人。他能把他的重量放于他所站立的平台上。他說：『現在當我要走上這平台時，我并不是站在台階上說：我怀疑這平台是否能托住我，或者當我走上去時它會不會垮下去而使我掉下來。我對這平台是那么有信心，所以我就走上去，并把我自己交給它。我對這平台沒有任何的疑問，我把我整個重量都放在上面。』接著他又說：『那就是新約所說相信主耶穌基督的意義』。所以，相信祂就是把你自己交托給主耶穌。
現在再看第三個詞：『生命』，這件事把我們帶到我們思考的主要題目上。『兆頭』是主耶穌所使用的憑藉；相信乃是人對『兆頭』的反應；而生命乃是他們反應的結果。當他們把自己交托給主的時候，他們就得著生命。
讓我們來看看這生命。它是什么？它的性質如何？它的意義如何？我想你已經知道：這乃是一种未得著主耶穌的人所沒有的生命。此處關于生命所用的詞，和其他關于生命所用的詞，是不同的。這不是動物或人類的生命，乃是屬天的生命，是只有在神里面才有的生命。這是一种和所有其他生命不同的生命，因為在它里面具有另一种不同的性質。每一种生命都有它自己的性質，因此屬天的生命就有屬天的性質在里面。彼得說到我們『得与神的性情（或作性質，）有分』（彼后一4），因著這生命，神的性情就种植在我們里面。這种性情和我們天然的性情不同。我們也要來看那性情是如何表現的。
We leave that for the moment - we are going to take it up again.
The second word: believe. This is the key word to the whole of the Gospel by John and occurs ninety-eight times in it. Everything in this Gospel gathers around that word: "That ye may believe". But what does the word 'believe' mean? It means two things, which are in the word itself. It means an acknowledgment of the truth, that is, the reaction which says: 'That is true', or 'He is true', 'I believe He is true'. But it means more than that. The word in the Greek means: 'Believing that it is true, you commit yourself to the one who says it.' John puts that in another way in one place: "As many as received him" (John 1:12). That is only another way of saying 'They committed themselves to Him'. Believing is not only a mental thing: it is the committing of the life to the one whom you believe. I once heard Dr. Billy Graham put it in a very simple way. I was sitting on the platform just behind him, and, as you know, he is quite a big man physically. He could put his weight on to the platform where he stood. He said: 'Now, when I come on to this platform I do not stand on the steps and say: I wonder if the platform will hold me or whether, if I get on to it, it will collapse and let me down. I have such confidence in this platform that I walk right on to it and commit myself to it. I have no question about the platform. I put my full weight on to it.' He went on to say: 'That is what the New Testament means by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.' 'That believing'... that is, committing yourself to the Lord Jesus.
Now our third word - life, and this brings us to the main object of our consideration. The signs were the instruments used by the Lord Jesus; the believing was the reaction of men to the signs, and the life was the result of their reaction. They committed themselves and they received life.
Let us look at this life. What is it? What is its nature and what does it mean? I do not think it is necessary to remind you that this is a kind of life that no one has who does not possess the Lord Jesus. The very word that is used for life here is different from other words for life. This is not animal or human life, but divine life, the life which is in God alone. It is a life which is different from every other kind of life because it has a different nature in it. Every kind of life has its own nature, and divine life has divine nature in it. Peter speaks about being made "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), and with this life the very nature of God is implanted in us. It is a different nature from our own nature. We are going also to see how that is.
但是，要記得——『生命在祂里頭』（約一4）。祂在性情上是否和
其他的人不同？每一個人都能看出祂的本性是和別人不同的，而這不同，是由于在祂里面的生命所造成的。這生命本身就帶著一個新而不同的知覺。請看看主耶穌！什么是祂真正的知覺？這是一件祂常論到的事，而且這在祂身上是何等的明顯！祂說：『我与父原為一』（約十30），『我常作祂（父）所喜悅的事』（約A．29）『我奉我父之名所行的事』（約十25），哦，在約翰福音中『父』是何等奇妙的一個字！耶穌基督每天所感覺到的就是祂与父之間的聯合，是那一种存在它們中間的合一：『正如你父在我里面，我在你里面』（約十七21）。主耶穌所感覺到的乃是祂和父神有最密切的聯合，那是因為神自己的生命是在祂里面。祂的生命乃是一种對神有知覺的生命；這是一种在完全合一感覺中，對神的知覺。這就是得著這生命的意義。人類從來沒有得過這生命。耶穌就在祂的身位中把祂帶給我們；主不是來論到与神的聯合，乃是來活出一种与神聯合的生活，而且要把祂的門徒帶進相同的聯合中。『我來了，是要叫人得生命』，這句話的意思乃是說：『我來了，是要叫他們也能得著我這种對神（与父相同）的知覺，使他們也能像我一樣有屬天的性情。』（不是神格，乃是神的性情）。
這生命還有另一面。生命必須一直增長。你對這一點知道得很清楚！不論是什么生命，只要它真是生命，它必定會增長的。在你的花園里，你可以看出這件事；在人類身上當然也是如此。生命的律，乃是不斷的有新的發展。主耶穌就是這樣的光景：圣經上說祂乃是『因受苦難得以完全』（來二10），并且這里所說的乃完全是指長大，祂之得以完全、長大是藉著諸般的苦難——『祂雖然為儿子，還是因所受的苦難學了順
從』（來五8），耶穌乃是藉著在祂里面的這生命的能力而長大；如果我們也得著這生命，我們也必定會長大。保羅說：『使我們不再作小孩……卻在凡事上長大……』（弗四14一15另譯）『直等到我們眾人……長大成人，滿有基督長成的身量』（弗四13），所以得著這生命，實在說來，乃是告訴我們必須長大。如果不是這樣，那我們身上必定是出了毛病。
現在，請注意這些事：一個不同的性情——一個不同的知覺——一個
不同的關系——以及一個不斷的增長。
But, remember - "In him was life" (John 1:4). Is He different in nature from other men? Everyone can see that He is different from other men in His very nature, and the difference is made by this life that is in Him. This life brings with it a new and different consciousness. Look at the Lord Jesus! What was His real consciousness? This was a thing about which He was always speaking, and it was so very evident in His case. He said: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30); "I do always the things that are pleasing to him" (the Father) (John 8:29); "The works that I do in my Father's name" (John 10:25). Oh, this word 'Father' in John's Gospel! The consciousness of Jesus Christ every day was of His union with His Father, the oneness that existed between them: "As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee" (John 17:21). The consciousness of the Lord Jesus was of the very closest union with God as His Father, and that was because the very life of God was in Him. His life was a God-conscious life; but God-consciousness in the sense of perfect oneness. And that is what it means to have this life. Man never had that. Jesus came to bring it in His own person: not to talk about union with God, but to live out a life of union with God and to bring His disciples into the same union. "I came that they might have life" - in other words: 'I am come that they may have the same consciousness of God as Father that I have and that they may have the same divine nature in them as I have.' (Not deity, but nature.)
This life means another thing. Life must always grow. You know that very well! Whatever kind of life it is, if it is really life it must grow. You know that in your garden, and it is true in human beings. The law of life is constant development. This was true of the Lord Jesus. It is said of Him that He was made "perfect through sufferings" (Hebrews 2:10) and that word 'perfect' means 'complete'. He was made complete, full-grown, through sufferings - "Though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). Jesus was growing by the power of this life in Him, and if we possess this life we should grow. Paul says: "That we may be no longer children... but may grow up in all things" (Ephesians 4:14,15)... "Till we all attain... unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). So, to possess this life really means that we ought to be growing, and if we are not there is something wrong with us.
Now notice these things: a different nature - a different consciousness - a different relationship - and a constant growth.
這些事都明白的表示在這卷福音書中。現在就以尼哥底母為例來說明前面的話；他夜里來見耶穌。我們就把他當作一個相當高尚的人。經上關于他題了不少的事，這不是說他是一個多好的人，但我相信他是一個很誠懇的人。他來到耶穌跟前，并稱呼祂『拉此』（意師傅）——『我們
知道你是由神那里來作師傅的』（約三2），他到耶穌那里去作什么？很顯然的，他來乃是要討論神的國，因為耶穌看出他里面的意念。祂知道尼哥底母對神的國有興趣，然而對他們所說的話，含有下面的意思：『除非你得著神的生命，你絕對不可能進入神的國；你与我也不可能談論神的國，因為我們的生命不一樣。你如何得著這生命呢？你必須重生，并且如果你沒有重生，你并不是活的。』因此，我們很清楚的看出尼哥底母當時并沒有神國的性質，因為他并沒有神的生命。我們中間的任何人，若是要進入神的國就必須接受神的生命，這生命就是祂的本性。
接著，我們要說：這生命具有不同的知覺。這件事在撒瑪利亞婦人身上，顯得何等的美麗。可怜的婦人，她想知道生命的奧秘；可是她并沒有得著它，她曾經試著要尋找它；而仍沒有尋到。因此只能苟延殘喘，于是耶穌開始對她說到生命，實際上祂是這樣對她說：『我要給你的水，將要在你里面成為活水，要涌流到永生。當你有了我所賜給你的生命，也就是在我里面的生命，你就會發現生命的奧秘。』這种新的知覺，又是怎么一回事呢？約翰福音的某一段的整個內容，都是說到這一方面。在這段的經文中，我們可以看到耶穌單獨在一邊，另一邊是猶太人的首領們。他們在兩個不同的世界中，彼此都不同于對方——至少猶太人的
首領們不了解耶穌。他們是何等的不同！耶穌以祂的指頭點出真正不同的地方——祂講到神是祂的父。祂對他們說：『你們不認識父……』，
這一切都是因為『你們是出于你們的父魔鬼』（約八44），『我是從上頭來的——神是我的父』。祂具有對父神的知覺，而他們卻沒有如此的
知覺，其原因乃是他們沒有這生命在他們里面。
關于生命的不斷的擴展這件事又如何呢？在約翰福音第十二章中，也有一個關于這方面很美麗的說明。祂說：『一粒麥子不落在地里死了，仍舊是一粒；若是死了，就結出許多子粒來』（約十二24）。在复活中出來的新生命使我們看見，那個『种子』增加了一百倍。只要那顆种子是有复活的生命，它的擴展就沒有限量了；由于這新生命的能力，就能有不斷的擴展，那就是生命的律。
You see how these things are illustrated in this Gospel. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. Let us think of Nicodemus as being a perfectly honest man. A great many things have been said about him which are not to his credit, but I believe that he was a very sincere man. He came and he called Jesus 'Teacher' - "We know that thou art a teacher come from God" (John 3:2). What did he come to Jesus about? Evidently he had come to talk about the
Then we said it is a different consciousness. How beautifully this is illustrated by the woman of
Then what about this matter of constant development? There is a very beautiful illustration of this in John's Gospel, in chapter 12, where Jesus says: "Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone:" ...By itself alone... "But if it die, it beareth much fruit" (John 12:24). The new life that comes in resurrection means that that seed is multiplied a hundredfold. There is no end to the development of it once resurrection life comes into it. There is constant development by the power of this new life, and that is a law of life.
親愛的朋友，所有的這一切事情，對于你我都應該是真實的，因為這就是所謂得著新生命的意義。我信，我們所能說的這些事，使得『主耶穌基督來到這世界，乃是要把生命賜給我們』的這件奇妙的事，顯得格外真實。約翰在他自己的書信中說：『人有了神的儿子就有生命』（約壹五12）。所以如果我們有主耶穌，我們就必有這生命；而這生命在這几方面的表現，在我們身上也應該是實在的。這就是永生的奇跡。但愿這奇跡對于我們每一個人，都是實在的。我們有了神的儿子，我們也就有這生命；正如前面說過的，我們知道我們既得著了這生命，還要得的更丰盛；也就是說，這生命要永遠不斷的成長。
Dear friends, all these things are meant to be true of you and of me, for this is what it means to have this new life. I trust that what we have been able to say makes very real this wonderful thing that Jesus Christ came into the world to give to us. In his Letter John said: "He that hath the Son hath the life" (1 John 5:12). If we have the Lord Jesus then we have this life, and what this life is in all these respects is supposed to be true of us. That is the miracle of eternal life. May it be true of every one of us! We have the Son and we have the life; we know that we have the life and that, as we said, we are having it more abundantly, meaning that the life has to grow forever.
3、屬天生命的特性
我們已經說過，『門徒』一詞希腊文的意思，乃是『一個學習的人』；但我要對這說法略加修正。福音書原來并非都用希腊文寫的，馬太福音是以亞蘭文寫的，在亞蘭文中『門徒』這詞的意思并不是『學生』，而是『學徒』。因此，我們必須對原先的說法加以修正。門徒并不僅是學生——他們是學徒。主耶穌本身是一個木匠，因此，祂不會把自己的門
徒當作學生，祂多半把他們看作是一班學某一行業的學徒。你也許是工程方面的，或者是法律方面的一個學徒；一提到『學徒』，就表明一些相當實際的事，而說到『學生』則較重在理論方面的。主耶穌絕對不希望祂的門徒是理論化的，祂要他們十分務實，因此祂的訓練并不是理論的，而是實行的。祂乃是為著祂的工作才訓練祂的門徒，不僅要把他們訓練成傳道人，更要他們去作工。主耶穌自己不僅是一位演說家，祂更是一位示范家——此二者是何等的不同呢！因此主耶穌就帶祂的門徒進
入各种極其實際的局面中。
在上一章中我們已經提過，約翰在他所寫的約翰福音書中，說到耶穌的一切作為都是在門徒面前行的。祂帶他們進入實際的局面中，使他們參与當時的局面而成為該事的一部分。既然主把我們當作祂的門徒，我們就必須牢記這點；也許這一點你本來沒有想到過——但只要你是与主耶
穌有關連的，你就是祂的學徒。可能這觀念對你來說是新的，但這事實早巳存在了；主耶穌正在帶領你進入非常實在的境遇中，并使你在其中學些屬靈的功課。你必須學習如何來掌握每一個境遇，這是非常實際的訓練。所以不管有沒有名稱，事實總是存在的。什么時候我們与主耶穌發生關連，什么時候我們就成為祂的學徒了。
在新約中，有三方面說到關于門徒這件事。
第一方面，乃是呼召。這個似乎比對十二門徒的呼召更為普遍，圣經這么說：『耶穌隨自己的意思叫人來，就從他們中間挑選十二個人。』第一個呼召是一般性的。主耶穌呼召所有的人說：『來，跟從我。』于是有相當多的人答應了這呼召；然后祂就從這些人中揀選了十二個人。這并不是說其他的人都不忠心或者不合适，但是很清楚的給我們看見這十二個人，是進入了他們蒙召的真正職務中。
Chapter 3 - The Quality of Divine Life
We have pointed out that the Greek word for disciple means 'a learner', but I want to make a correction to that. The Gospels were not all written originally in Greek, but in Aramaic, and in Aramaic the word 'disciple' does not mean a student, but an apprentice. So we have to make an adjustment. Disciples are not just students - they are apprentices. Jesus was a carpenter and would not think of His disciples just as students. He was far more likely to think of them as apprentices learning a business. You may be an apprentice to engineering, or to the law, and the idea of an apprentice is something quite practical. The idea of a student is only theoretical, and Jesus never wanted His servants to be merely theoretical. He intended them to be very practical, so His training was not in theory but in practice. He was training His disciples for His work: not just to be preachers, but to work. Jesus was not just a lecturer. He was a demonstrator, and there is a lot of difference between a lecturer and a demonstrator! So Jesus took His disciples into very practical situations.
We have shown how John said that Jesus always did His works in the presence of His disciples. He took them into actual situations and involved them in the situations so that they became a part of them. We must remember that because, as we have already said, we are supposed to be disciples. Perhaps you have not thought of this before - but you are apprentices if you are related to the Lord Jesus. That may be a new idea to you, but the reality is no new idea. You know quite well that the Lord Jesus is taking you into very practical situations, and is involving you in situations where you have to learn something. You have to learn how to be the master of a situation, and that is very practical training. So, whether you take the name or not, the truth remains. If we have come into relationship with the Lord Jesus it means that we at once become apprentices.
In the New Testament there were three phases in discipleship.
First of all , there was the call, and it seems that this was much more general than the call to the twelve. It is put like this: 'He called unto Him whom He would and He chose twelve.' The first was a general call. Jesus was calling to people: 'Come, follow
在各時代中都是如此。有成群的人不過是主耶穌的跟隨者而已。他們都說自己是基督徒，這是在第一章中所提及的各种名稱之一。如果你問：『你是不是跟隨耶穌的？』他們會回答說：『是的』。可是很多這樣的人并不是認真的跟隨主。主必須得著一班認真的人，因此祂就吸引這樣的人与祂格外親近。蒙召是一件事，被揀選又是另一回事。在啟示錄中提及羔羊的跟隨者，就這樣說：『同著羔羊的，就是蒙召被選有忠心的』（啟十七14）。所以被選与蒙召是有區別的。（這是第二方面——譯者注）
第三方面，祂使他們進入祂自己的『任務』中，且把重大的使命托付給他們。這一點我只說到這里。
門徒被選所要從事的工作是什么？我可以把這句話的時態用現在式來表達，因我們是在同一個時代中：主揀選我們所要從事的工作是什么？就是：祂國度的工作。請注意：『……就從他們中間挑選十二個人……』（路六土3）。十二是國度的數字。耶穌這樣作，是照以色列十二支派的樣式，這十二支派將成為要來之彌賽亞的國度。十二是國度的數字，主耶穌來到這地上是要建立祂的國度，并揀選門徒或學徒來從事那國度的工作。
我們現在來注意一件重要的事，主耶穌事先就知道事情要怎樣演變，祂
也清楚的知道在以后的一生中要發生什么事。祂知道以色列人會拒絕祂這位彌賽亞，就是這位國度的元首；也要拒絕祂來到地上所建立的國度。這一切祂事先都知道，所以祂帶著這樣的預知作祂的工。祂早就知道有一天祂要對以色列人說：『神的國必從你們奪去，賜給那能結果子的百姓』（太二十一43）祂作工時就預知國度要從以色列奪去，賜給教會。因此祂就揀選了十二個人，這些人是祂新國度的核心，他們是這國度的代表，他們稱祂為『主』。他們到處宣告說：『耶穌基督是主』。他們是一班由于神的啟示而看見耶穌基督在神命定中之地位的人。他們已經看見『神已經立祂為主為基督了』（徒二36 ） 。
主耶穌是那位新的君王，祂要建立新的國度，這与舊的以色列國有何等大的不同，后者是暫時的屬地的國度，而前者乃是一個屬靈的屬天的國度。我現在不是要專講國度，而是要指向某一目標而去的。祂曾揀選人，現在還在揀選人來從事于祂國度的工作。祂把我們放在祂的學校里作學徒，為要學習并認識祂國度的性質就是那真正的屬天國度。
You can see quite clearly how true this is at all times. There are multitudes of people who are just followers of the Lord Jesus. They would take one of the other names and call themselves Christians. If you said: 'Are you a follower of the Lord Jesus?' they would say 'Yes', but many of these people are not really meaning business with Him. And the Lord must have those who do mean business, so He draws such ones nearer to Himself. It may be one thing to be called, but it may be another thing to be chosen. You remember that in the Book of the Revelation these words are used when speaking about the followers of the Lamb: "And they that are with him are called, and chosen" (Revelation 17:14 - AV). There is a difference between being chosen and being called.
The third phase was that He put them into His business and gave them the great commission. I am going to leave that there for the moment.
What was the work for which the disciples were chosen? I can put that in the present tense, for we are in the same dispensation: What is the work for which the Lord would choose us? The answer is: the work of His Kingdom. Notice: "And he chose from them twelve" (Luke 6:13). Twelve is the number of the Kingdom. Jesus was following the pattern of the twelve tribes of
Here is an important thing for us to notice. Jesus knew beforehand how things were going to work out and exactly what would happen in His own lifetime and afterward. He knew that
So you have the new Kingdom and the new King, but there is a great deal of difference. The old kingdom of
最后一件事，也是我們開始的地方，就是這新國度的根基，就是屬天的生命、神圣的生命……現在我們又回到上一章的信息中。當約翰在開頭介紹主耶穌時，說：『生命在祂里頭』（約一4），在這本福音書的正中間，約翰引用主耶穌的話說：『我來了是要叫羊（作人）得生命』（約十10）。在此書未了總結時他說：『叫你們信了祂，就可以因祂的名得生命』（約二十31）。
正如前面說過的，約翰以七個兆頭构成他整本的福音書，就是屬靈國度的福音，并且那些兆頭就把國度生命的意義彰顯出來。你記得約翰曾說過，他是從很多事跡中選出這七個來。我喜歡來思考約翰為什么這樣做，他說主耶穌所行的兆頭是非常的多！『若是一一的都寫出來，我想所寫的書，就是世界也容不下了』（約二十一25）。所以你可以想一想，約翰面對著那么多的資料！就對自己說：『現在我要把這神圣生命的真正性質和意義傳給那些讀這書的人：所以我必須從這么多的資料中，選出一些最能夠說明這生命的，作為這書的內容』。于是他把這些資料從頭到尾再看一遍，便說：『這是第一個兆頭，那是第二個兆頭，。然后他說：『這七個兆頭就夠了』。他就把這七個兆頭寫在他的書信中，而成了講永生的福音書。請記得他稱它們為兆頭，而不是神跡，雖然它們本身就是神跡；他也不稱它們為异能，雖然它們是异能；他也不稱它們是大能，雖然它們是大能。他讓馬太、馬可和路加去使用那些稱呼，他卻稱呼它們為『兆頭』；因為他們不是僅指事情的本身，而是指向更大更重要的事。主耶穌作了工是一件事，它的意義往往是另一回事。約翰說：『我想要透過主所作的工，來摸著其背后的屬靈的意義』。
你知道約翰福音中的七個兆頭是什么，我們很快的再把它們看一遍以加深我們的印象：
1．變水為酒。
2．醫治大臣的儿子。
3．在畢土大的池子邊使久病的人起來。
4．使五千人吃飽。
5．在水面上行走。
6．使生來瞎眼的人能以看見。
7．使拉撒路從死人中复起。
The last thing, and where we start again, is the basis of this new Kingdom. What is the basis of this new spiritual and heavenly Kingdom? It is heavenly life, divine life... and now we are back again where we were in the last message. John, introducing the Lord Jesus, said: "In him, was life" (John 1:4). Right in the middle of the Gospel he put the words of Jesus: "I came that they might have life" (John 10:10). And he summed up the whole of his Gospel with: "That believing ye may have life" (John 20:31).
John, as we have said, gathered the whole of his Gospel, his spiritual Gospel of the Kingdom, around seven signs, and those signs are a setting forth of the meaning of this life of the Kingdom. You remember that John said he selected these signs out of a great many more. I like to think of John doing this. He said that the signs which Jesus did were so many that "if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written" (John 21:25). And so you can think of John, with this great mass of material, saying to himself. 'Now I want to convey to those who are going to read this the real nature and meaning of this divine life. I have to select the best illustrations out of this great mass of material.' And so he went through it and said: 'That is the first one, that is the second', and so on, and then 'Those seven will do', and he put these seven signs into his book, which is the Gospel of eternal life. Remember, he called them signs, not miracles, although they were miracles. He did not call them wonders, although they were wonders, nor did he call them powers, although they were powers. He left Matthew, Mark and Luke to call them by those names. He called them signs, which meant that they pointed to something more than themselves. There was the work that Jesus did, which was one thing, but the meaning was another thing. John said: 'I want to get at the meaning through the work.'
You know what the seven signs are in the Gospel by John, but let us just run through them to refresh our memories:
(1) The Turning of the Water into Wine:
(2) The Healing of the Nobleman's Son:
(3) The Raising of the Impotent Man at the Pool of
(4) The Feeding of the Five Thousand:
(5) The Walking on the Water:
(6) The Giving of Sight to the Man born blind:
(7) The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead.
約翰說：『夠了，我只要使人能了解那些兆頭的意義，他們就會認識生命的意義了』。
我們現在要來看七個兆頭中的頭一個兆頭，就是變水為酒。
我們讀經：約翰福音二章一至十一節
在這件事里面當然有許多教訓，但我想我們只把握其中的一個重點。我們現在是討論屬天生命，這生命是耶穌到地上來所賜的。我們要來明白這生命的性質。我相信我們都已經領受新約所說的永遠的生命！但是，能認識我們所接受的是什么，就是認識得著永遠生命的意義，這生命是主耶穌在祂的位格中所帶給我們的，這些對我們來說是重要的。在這段經文中就說到這生命的頭一個特性。
這個兆頭的關鍵乃是管筵席的人的話。你們都承認這人知道所有關于酒的事，他知道什么是好酒，什么是坏酒，他是酒的專家。如果他不能鑒定酒的類別，他就不會被派來管理這筵席了。這位酒的權威就在他的斷言中，把整個故事的奧秘向我們揭露。他的斷言是什么？『你倒把好酒留到如今』。如果這酒是被主耶穌和約翰用來說明永生的話，那么，這生命就具有一個特質，是有別于任何其他种類的生命的。每一种其他的生命都是這位專家所說的『坏酒』。但是，除非你已經嘗到那更好的酒，不會知道其他的酒是多差。重點是說：主耶穌所賜的生命是具有它的特性的。
我們再來看這個故事，要記得這件事的中心目的是要訓練門徒。圣經說：『第三日，在加利利的迦拿有娶親的筵席』。我們不容易明白為什么約翰在這里說：『第三日』。如果你讀一讀前面的一章，你就要說：哦，原來那一件事是發生在第一天，另一件事發生在第二天，而這件事就是發生在『第三天』——但圣經不這么說。它只說『第三日』，難道這
有意義嗎？有，『祂第三天复活』（林前十五4），第三天是复活的日子，是屬天的生命胜過死亡的日子，是生命的日子。『第三日，在加利利的迦拿有娶親的筵席』。當約翰寫這些話的時候，是胸有成竹的，因為他始終有一個思想支配著他的記載：『我是照著复活生命的路線而寫的。』在他的福音書里每一件事物中，他都說到生命。所以管筵席的斷言就說出屬天生命的關鍵。在這生命里的特質是与任何別的生命回然不同的。所以你就能從字里行間讀出什么是這生命的特質。
John said: 'That is quite enough. If only I can get the meaning of those things over, then people will know the meaning of life.'
Now we are going to consider these seven signs, the first of which is the Turning of the Water into Wine.
Of course, there are many lessons in this incident, but I am going to leave them in order to come to the one main point. We are dealing with the matter of divine life, which Jesus came to give, and we are seeking to understand the nature of that life. I trust it is true of all of us that we have received what the New Testament calls eternal life! But it is important for us to know what it is we have received, that is, what it means to have eternal life, the life which Jesus has brought to us in His own Person. And here you have the first characteristic of that life.
The key to this sign is the verdict of the master of the feast. You can take it that this man knew all about wine, whether it was good or bad. He was an authority on wine. He would not have been responsible for the feast if he did not know what wine was. Therefore, this authority on wine gives us the secret of the whole thing in his verdict. What was that? "Thou hast kept the good wine until now." If this wine was intended by John and by Jesus to illustrate eternal life, then there is a quality about that life which is different from every other kind of life. Every other kind of life is what this man called 'poor wine', but you never know how poor the other wine is until you have tasted the better. The point is that this life which Jesus gives has a quality in it.
Let us look again at this story and remember that the heart of the incident is the training of disciples. It says: "And the third day there was a marriage in
這和人類失敗的途徑是逆道而行的。在此筵席中有人犯了嚴重的錯誤，失敗了：他們沒有預備足夠的酒，所以圣經說：『酒用盡了』。在一個婚筵中，那是一件不得了的事，因為在其中酒是一切，沒有酒筵席就開不成。結果怎樣？每一個人都以責備的眼光望著管筵席的說：『哦，你這人真糊涂，事情都給你弄糟了，你該感到羞恥！』這個可怜的人羞愧的低著頭。這個管筵席的人真是一點光彩都沒有了，而主耶穌因著帶來了新酒就挪去了人的失敗，消除了一切人類的羞恥。祂使這個可怜的人得以再抬起頭來，并使他感覺這次筵席很成功而不是失敗。
親愛的朋友，這正是屬天生命所要成就的——它從我們的人生中清除
失敗。它使我們能抬起頭來說：『我的一生并不是失敗也不是可羞恥的』。我們不需要羞傀地垂頭喪气，我們能抬起頭來歡喜快樂。主所給我們的生命豈不是這樣么？在這生命里面具有一种与眾不同的特質——它把這特質給凡接受它的人。如果你認為我是從我自己的想像中讀出某种思想來，那我能向你證明我前面所說的話都是實在的。
我要你們注意，因著耶穌基督的复活，在門徒們身上所產生的改變。請看當酒用盡了的時候，也就是主耶穌被釘十字架的時候。他們的光景好像失去了一切。他們在詫异也許他們那樣信靠祂是錯了，他們都垂頭喪气了；他們怕遇見那些知道他們是耶穌門徒的人。當那一個領頭的彼得，在大祭司的院子里烤火的時候，有一個小使女過來就說：『這個人素來也是同那人一黟的』（路二十二56）。彼得卻回答說：『女子，我不認得祂』（路二十二57）。這是何等的羞恥！多沒有光彩！是的，他們是一班垂頭喪气的人，因為他們以為酒用盡了。
再看他們在不多几日后的光景！他們抬起頭來了，他們可以面對全世界而沒任何羞恥的跡象，他們以相信主耶穌為夸耀，生命有了何等大的轉變！在此之前他們是一班懦夫，甚至怕一個小使女；現在再看看他們的勇气！圣經里說到官長們『見彼得約翰的膽量』（徒四13），他們由懦夫一變而為大有膽量的人。本來他們沒有瞼面活在地上，現在成為一位滿具威嚴的人——他們能在任何人面前昂然站立。他們本來只想到他們
自己，而且總想把每件事据為已有——諸如國度中的首位——現在成為
一班忘記自己而且絕不自私的人，只想到主的利益，而不是他們自己的利益。
This was the reversing of human failure. Someone had failed, had made a terrible mistake: they had not provided enough wine - it says: "When the wine failed". That was a terrible thing for a marriage feast, for the wine was everything, and if that failed the whole feast broke down. And what happened? Everybody looked at the master of the feast, and looked on him with reproach: 'Oh, you terrible man! You have spoiled everything. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!' And the poor man bowed his head in shame. He was altogether dishonoured as the master of the feast. Jesus, in bringing in the new wine, removed the human failure and took away all the human shame. He made it possible for this poor man to lift up his head and to feel that the feast was a great success and not a great failure.
Dear friends, that is exactly what divine life does - it takes the failure and shame out of life. It makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and say: 'Life is not a failure, not something to be ashamed of.' We need not hang down our heads in dishonour. We can lift them up and rejoice. Is that not true of the life which the Lord gives? There is a quality about this life which is different - it gives character to the people who receive it. If you think that I am just reading into this something out of my own imagination, I can prove to you that what I have said is true.
I want you to notice the change which came about in these disciples with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look at them when the wine failed - when Jesus was crucified! It was as though they had lost everything. They were wondering if they had made a great mistake in trusting Him, and were going about with their heads hanging down. They were afraid to meet the people who knew they were His disciples. When Peter, the leader of them, was down in that room warming himself by the fire, a little serving-maid came in and said: "This man also was with him" (Luke 22:56), but Peter said: "Woman, I know him not" (Luke 22:57). What shame! What dishonour! Yes, they were men going about with their heads hanging down because they thought the wine had failed.
Look at these men not many days afterward! Their heads are up. They can look the whole world in the face and there is not the slightest sign of any shame about them. They are boasting in their faith in the Lord Jesus. What a difference the life has made! Before, they were cowards, afraid even of a little servant maid. Now look at their courage! It is said of the rulers: 'When they beheld the boldness of Peter and John' (Acts 14:13). From being cowards they became men of courage. From being men who were ashamed to be in the world they became men of dignity - they are standing upright before everybody. From men who were always thinking about themselves and trying to draw everything to themselves - such as the first places in the Kingdom - they are men who have forgotten themselves and are altogether selfless, thinking only of the Lord's interests and not their own.
他們本來對別人是缺乏同情心的，當那個可怜的迦南婦人來到主身后，喊著求祂幫助她女儿時，門徒就說：『這婦人在我們后頭喊叫，請打發她走罷』（太十五23），當主進了一個村庄，那里的人不接待祂，門徒就說：『主啊！你要我們吩咐火從天上降下來，燒減他們，像以利亞所作的么』（路九54）。也有作母親的帶他們的小孩子到主那里，求祂祝福，門徒們就要把他們赶走，在他們心中對別人沒有多少的同情。
再看現在他們的光景！當主复活之后，生命進入他們里面后，全世界都在他們心中，而他們的心也如同世界那么大。他們帶著這個偉大的同情心，到各處去尋找罪人。
從前，他們不能忍受任何困難，只要情況不太對勁，他們就准備要放棄。『這話甚難』（約六60），『從此祂門徒中多有退去的，不再和祂同行』（約六66）。當情況變得艱難時，這十二個人也隨時有放棄跟隨主的可能。
再看看他們現在的光景！什么是艱難？他們已經大過任何他們從前所知道的事！所有的官長們，整個世界，一切的環境，連撒但自己都与他們作對，但他們仍然前往，他們不會放棄。因為這生命把新的維持的力量，就是忍受的力量放在他們里面。
所有這一切都是在這新酒里面。這生命本身具有一种特質，它使他們成為另一班人，是与我們天然的人完全不同的。這生命把基督自己里面的一切都放在我們里面。所以我們就更能明白這句話的意思：『基督在你們里面成了榮耀的盼望』（西一27另譯）。親愛的朋友們，在原來的陳酒里，沒有什么榮耀的盼望；在那老舊、天然的生命里，沒有榮耀的盼望。這盼望只有在基督所帶給我們的新生命里才有。這生命就是主自己的特質。
你看見，在祂身上是有某种不同的情形。當官長們注視祂時，在他們的瞼上顯露出極大的不解。他們實在是困惑，也不曉得如何來解釋祂這個人。他們看見過祂的生活、祂的工作，以及祂的生活及工作的奇妙事跡；他們听見過祂的教訓，也發現祂的教訓确是能應付百姓的需要。他們說：『這不是那本匠么？』（可六3）。但這木匠身上有某种不同的光景，并不是尋常的木匠所能有的。當祂在他們中間行走時，祂是何等的卑微，但祂在彼拉多面前顯出的又是何等尊貴！他們想要使祂顯得微不足道，但他們對祂所作的一切卻并無損于祂的尊貴。
They had been men who had very little sympathy in their hearts for other people. The poor Canaanitish woman came crying after the Lord to help her daughter and the disciples said: "Send her away; for she crieth after us" (Matthew 14:23). When He entered into a certain city the people did not receive Him, so the disciples said: "Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?" (Luke 9:54). Mothers brought their little children to Him to get a blessing, and the disciples drove them away. There was not much sympathy in their hearts for other people.
Now look at them! After the resurrection and the life had come into them the whole world is in their hearts, and their hearts have become as large as the whole world. They go everywhere in this great sympathy for sinful men.
In the old days they could not stand up to any kind of difficulty. They began to give up altogether as soon as things went wrong. "This is a hard saying" (John 6:60) ..."Upon this many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him" (John 6:66). These twelve were all too ready to give up too soon when things became difficult.
Now look at them! What about difficulties? Why, they are greater than anything they had known before! All the rulers, all the world, all the circumstances and the devil himself are against them, but they are going on: they are not giving up. This life has brought into them a new stamina, the power to endure.
All that is in this new wine. There is a quality about this life. It makes us different people from what we are naturally. It puts into us that which was in Christ Himself, and we are better able to understand the words: "Christ in you the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). There is not much hope of glory in the old wine, dear friends. There is not much hope of glory in that old, natural life, but it does come with the life which Christ brings. This life is the very character of the Lord Himself.
You see, there was something about Him that was different. The rulers looked at Him and there was a big question on their faces. They were really perplexed and did not know how to explain Him. They saw His life, His work, and the wonderful fact of His life and His work. They heard His teaching and saw how it met the need of the people. And they said: "Is not this the carpenter?" (Mark 6:3). But there is something different about this carpenter, something more than just an ordinary carpenter. See His dignity as He walked amongst them - and what dignity there was when He was before Pilate! They tried to make Him look very small, but all that they did to Him did not take away His dignity.
祂在他們身上顯出的又是何等的忍耐！祂忍耐『到底』。主耶穌具有一种与眾何等不同的特質！乃是在祂里面的生命的特質，只有神的生命、神圣的生命、永遠的生命的特質才能說明祂性格的每一件事。
親愛的朋友們，神要你我都有這相同的生命。這生命已由主在十字架上釋放出來，且藉著圣靈把它帶給我們，現在我們是否明白這生命的意義？在我們這些人身上必須有某种不同的光景。凡是有理智的人，都該像這位管筵席的人一樣的能說『這些人是不同的。他們有我們所沒有的，在他們身上具備某种特質』。我們這些身為基督徒的人必須帶著屬靈尊貴的標記，我們不該垂頭喪气、沒有勇气的活著；我們應當抬起頭來，在我們身上該顯出真正的膽量，在我們里面該具有受苦的恒忍。是的，這生命是有它的特質。
我不知道世人對我們要下什么斷案？他們是否要這樣說：『我們的生命此起他們的生命來，顯得那么可怜；他們的生命是不一樣的，是更好的。你們竟把好酒留到如今？』
這是頭一個兆頭。這兆頭是何等丰富，是何等具有挑戰性！它把一個大的問題帶到我們心中。親愛的朋友們，如果我們有了這生命，并且讓這生命在我們里面自由運行，祂就要把這兆頭的意義成就在我們身上。按天然說，我們都是坏酒，但當主耶穌帶著祂的生命臨到我們時，它就是最好的酒！
What endurance there was in Him! He endured 'to the end'. What a different quality there was in Jesus from other men! It was the quality of the life that was in Him, the very life of God, divine life, eternal life, that explained everything as to His character.
Dear friends, you and I are supposed to have that same life. It was released from Him at the Cross and has been brought to us by the Holy Spirit. Now do we see what it means? There ought to be something about us that is different. Anybody who has any intelligence, like the master of the feast, ought to be able to say: 'These people are different. They have something that we have not. There is character about them.' We as Christians ought to be marked by a spiritual dignity. We ought not to be going about with our heads hanging down, ashamed to be alive! We ought to have our heads up in a right sense. There ought to be real courage about us and endurance of suffering in us. Yes, there is a quality about this life.
I wonder what the verdict of this world is upon us! Does it say - is it able to say: 'Well, our kind of life is poor stuff in comparison with theirs. Their life is different, and it is better. You have kept the best wine till now'?
That is sign Number One. How rich, how challenging it is! It comes home to our hearts with a big question. But, dear friends, if we have the life, and if we allow the life to have its way in us, that is what it will do. We may naturally be poor wine, but when the Lord Jesus comes in with His life, it will be the best wine.
4、屬天的生命不受時間空間的限制
在我們還沒有繼續看第二個兆頭之先，我要說几句很重要的話。這并不是說別的事不重要，但是就著我們開頭所說的事而言，這件事是不容忽視的。
我們所說的屬天的生命并不是某种抽象的東西，而是和主耶穌有真實的關系的。耶穌自己就是這生命，而我們不可能沒有祂卻有這生命。它并不是与成位的主耶穌分開的。如果有人以為我們是在講論某种稱為生命而与耶穌基督這人無關的『東西』，那就令我十分難過。生命就是主耶穌藉以顯示祂的位格的，這生命是那位屬天的人的彰顯。
這是一件非常重要的事情，因為有些吹毛求疵的人很容易說：『你以生命代替了主耶穌』。對于這种的指責，我們已經有了防備。我們所注意的是主耶穌的本身。我們只有藉著生命的靈才能認識祂自己。那一位是耶穌之靈的圣靈，就是生命的靈。這并不是說基督是某种被稱為生命的抽象東西；乃是說，基督本身就是這生命。
這一點說過之后，我們就要繼續來看約翰所挑選的第二個兆頭。
讀經：約翰四章四十五至五十四節
這件事的關鍵乃是五十二和五十三兩節：
『他就問什么時候見好的。他們說昨日未時熱就退了。他便知道這正是耶穌對他說，你儿子活了的時候，他自己和全家就都信了。』
在這故事中我們要注意几個特點。頭一點，這個迦百農人是國王的一個官員，無疑的，他是一個外邦人。
其次我們要注意他對主耶穌的禮貌。他稱祂為『先生』——『先生求
你趁著我的孩子還沒有死就下去』，—那是一個尊敬和禮貌的稱呼。
Chapter 4 - Divine Life, Unlimited by Time and Space
Before we go on to the next of these signs I just want to put in an important word. This does not mean that anything else that is said is not important, but this must be important as the beginning of anything that we say.
When we say so much about this divine life, we are not iust thinking about it as some abstract element, but in its true relationship to the Lord Jesus. Jesus Himself is this life and we cannot have the life without having Him. It is not something separate from the person of the Lord Jesus, and I would be very sorry if there should be any thought that we are speaking of some thing called life as apart from the person of Jesus Christ. The life is the way in which the Lord Jesus manifests His person - it is the expression of the divine person.
That is a very important thing, for it would be quite easy for some people who want to find fault to say: 'You put life in the place of the person.' Well, we have safeguarded ourselves against that accusation. It is the person of the Lord Jesus who is in view, but we can only know that person by the Spirit of life, and the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Jesus, is the Spirit of life. It is not that some abstract element called life is Christ, but Christ personally is the life.
Now, having said that, we can come to the second of the signs chosen by John.
The key to this incident is in verses 52 and 53: "So he inquired of them the hour when he began to amend. They said therefore unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth."
There are several features to note in this story, and the first is that this man of
Then we note his courtesy toward the Lord Jesus. He called Him 'Lord' - "Lord, come down ere my child die" which was a title of honour and courtesy
然后我們要注意他不因主耶穌回答他的方式而跌倒。有時候主似乎以不太仁慈的態度來回答人。我們曾看過在迦南的婚筵上，祂是如何回答祂母親的：『婦人我与你有什么相干？』（約二4）在另一個場合中，當一個敘利非尼基族的婦人，因著自己的難處來到祂那里時，祂似乎也沒有很和气地回答她（町七26—27）。而在這里，這人因著極大
的難處，非常有禮貌的來找祂，但耶穌卻這樣回答他：『若不看見神跡奇事，你們總是不信。』可是如果你更深入的注意耶穌這些回答，就會看見其中的原因。有時候主似乎相當不仁慈，但祂并不真是這樣。在祂能顯出祂的仁慈之前，有一件事是不可或缺的，那就是我們必須清楚，我們所要的不僅是某种益處，而是祂自己。）不僅相信祂能為我們完成，更是相信祂自己。我們是要祝福呢？還是要主自己？主耶穌總是設法使我們要祂自己，這正是這故事的情形。大臣對祂說：『主，請你下去。我所需要的是你自己，沒有你，我無法前進，這是生或死的問題』。主耶穌看出這就是他的靈——他不是要和祂爭辯存心或討論兆頭的問題
，卻對祂說：『主，你就是我所需要的。』——對于這樣的光景祂總是
要答應的。是的，祂有時候似乎是相當不仁慈，那是要試驗到底我們的心是真要祂呢？或僅是求祝福。結果這人『他自己和全家就都信了』。
請注意，在這里『信』這字使用了兩次。當耶穌說：『回去罷，你的儿子活了』；底下圣經便記載『那人信耶穌所說的話』；但是從后面所使用的『信』，我們可以很清楚的看出，原先的相信是帶著些許的保留、困難或疑問。我想那人可能站了一會儿，并問自己：『如果我不照著祂所告訴我的去做，那我便會落到絕望的境地，我最好還是相信祂所說的。我要回去，并且相信祂所說的是對的。』他并沒有把自己完全信托在主的手中。有一种相信并不是全心信托。可是最終圣經記載著『他自己和全家就都信了』；這是一种完全的信心，把他自己連他所有的都信托在主手中。
這些事我們只要注意一下就可以了，我們真正的負擔乃是關于生命及其性質。我們不須花很多的時間就可以摸著這個特殊兆頭的核心，這是這個屬天生命很重要的特點，也是非常簡單的。
Then we notice his refusal to be offended with the way the Lord Jesus answered him. It did seem sometimes that He answered people in a not very kind way. We saw how He answered His mother at the marriage in
You notice that the word 'believe' is used twice here. When Jesus said "Go thy way; thy son liveth", it says that "he believed the word that Jesus spake", but it is quite clear from the second use of the word 'believe' that that was a belief with some reservation, or difficulty, or question. I expect the man stood still for a moment and had to ask himself a question: 'Now, if I don't do what He tells me to do, then I am in a desperate situation. I had better believe what He says. I will go, and believe that what He says is all right.' But he was not wholly committed. There is a kind of belief which is not a wholehearted committal. At the end, however, it says: "Himself believed and his whole house" and this is complete faith, the kind of belief which commits himself with all that he has.
Well, these are things that we take note of as we go on, but we are really dealing with this matter of life and its nature. It will not take us long to get to the heart of this particular sign. It is a very important feature of this divine life, but it is very simple.
請再仔細的看這故事。我們曾說過五十二，五十三兩節圣經是這兆頭的鑰句。這是有關于時間的因素。當耶穌說：『回去罷，你的儿子活了』的時候，乃是下午一點鍾——仆人說：『昨天未時（即第七小時——譯
者注）熱就退了。』那人便知道這正是耶穌對他說那句話的時候。猶太人的白天是從早上六時開始直到下午六時結束；因此第七小時便是下午一點。
或許你會記得在福音書中其他的時間標志。當耶穌在十字架上把祂的靈交与父神的時候，經上說：『遍地都黑暗了，直到申初』（即第九小時——譯者注），那就是下午三點，正是太陽照射最厲害的時候。
在這兆頭中時間的因素是特別重要的。主耶穌在下午一點鍾說了這句話，那個人或許還須要從迦拿徒步旅行到迦百農。于是他開始長途的步行。可能在下午六點當太陽下山時，他不再繼續他的旅程，因為當時在他們那個地方夜晚是沒有人旅行的。因此他必定是走到某一個地方停留一夜，在第二天早晨再出發。于是他的仆人們前來迎見他。我們并不知道，這些主仆們相遇的准确時間，可是在他和主耶穌相會以及他和仆人相遇的期間，包括了第一天的其余的部分及晚上，并第二天早晨。這二次的相會的地方有好多英哩之隔——需要花相當多的時間和距离，可是生
命在霎時間克服了這一切。當耶穌說了話之后這一切的時間和距离就消失了。當耶穌說這句話的同時，在迦拿事情便成就了——生命進來了。
顯然的，死亡在這孩子身上已經作了相當時間的工。在希腊原文中形容這孩子的光景所用的字是屬于未完全式的，也就是說他越過越接近死亡。死亡已經逼近這孩子相當一段時間了，當這大臣到耶穌那里說：『我的孩子快要死了』的時候，死亡在這孩子身上的作為已近完成階段。所以在這里除了地理因素之外，也有時間的因素。可是當耶穌說話之后，時間和地理就沒有了。即使孩子是在六千哩之外，甚至在金星上面，也沒有關系！
屬天的生命是一個沒有時間性的生命。它是永遠的生命，因為是在神永遠之子的里面。
正如我們所看過的，約翰告訴我們，所有的這一切都是要證明耶穌是神的儿子。我們怎能知道祂是神的儿子？乃是因為祂賜給我們永生。
Just look carefully at the story again. We have said that the key of this sign is in verses 52 and 53, and it is the time factor. It was one o'clock in the afternoon when Jesus said: "Go thy way; thy son liveth" - and the servant said: "Yesterday at the seventh hour". The man knew that that was the time when Jesus said those words. The Jewish day began at six o'clock in the morning and ended at six o'clock in the afternoon, so the seventh hour was one o'clock in the afternoon.
You will remember, perhaps, other time marks in the Gospels. When Jesus yielded up His Spirit to the Father on the Cross, it says: "A darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour" (Luke 23:44). That was three o'clock in the afternoon, when the sun ought to have been shining most powerfully.
This time factor is very important, especially in this sign. The Lord Jesus said these words at one o'clock in the afternoon, and the man had to journey, perhaps on foot, all the way from Cana to
Apparently death had been at work in this child for some time. The Greek word which describes his condition is in the imperfect tense, which means that he had got nearer and nearer to death. It had been coming on for some time. When the man came and said: 'My child is at the point of death', it was just about to finish its history in this child. So the time factor is here as well as the geography factor. Jesus spoke the word and time and geography were no more. It would not have mattered if that child had been six thousand miles away, or if he had been on Venus!
This divine life is a timeless life. It is eternal life, because it is in the eternal Son of God.
John has told us, as we have seen, that all this was to prove that Jesus was the Son of God. How do we know that He is the Son of God? Because He gave us eternal life.
我們可以以此來試驗其他的人——例如印度的護持神的第八化身
（Krishna）或者這世上的其他的偶像，看看它在半哩外能否有這樣的能力。并看看它要多長的時間才能完成這樣的事。即使在現場也不能作這樣的事。但是我們今天在這里就可以享受在數百哩或數千哩之外的代禱的益處。如果我們能認識一點主耶穌的同在和祂的生命，那很可能是在于數哩外有人代禱的緣故，當然，那只是按人所能領會的方式說的。就主耶穌而論是沒有時間也沒有里程的。只要祂同在。便沒有這類的事存在。祂是神，而神的一個特性就是無所不在。在同一時間內祂是存在于每一個地方。
這件事是我們可以試驗的。我們為什么為那些在地球的另一邊的人禱告？因為我們信主耶穌是超時間和距离的。那些正在經歷死亡工作的神的百姓，可以因著我們在這里与主之間的接触，而得著生命。可惜，我覺得我們這班主的百姓，主的教會，并沒有充分的運用這生命的偉大效能。我們必須相信在世界另一邊的人和主親近的程度与我們并沒有什么兩樣。而我們到底和祂親近到何种程度？祂比手更近，比呼吸更親。
無論祂的百姓在那里，祂之于他們都是一樣的。我說過，要摸著這兆頭的核心問題并不須要花很多的時間，但這是何等奇妙的一個兆頭！主耶穌只要說一句話，所有的時間和距离就都消失了。這位大臣的信心摸著了主耶穌，主就把這信心引發了出來。也把這信心加以試驗。祂的意思是這樣：『你是真心的么？你是否真的信靠我？或者你要的只是兆頭和奇事？你真的相信我是誰么？』這一切都包括在這試驗的里面。當這人相信了主耶穌，雖然他信得不夠剛強，但他接受了他的信心（只是一粒芥菜种那樣小的信心），藉著這個消除了如山一般的難處。
這里的重點乃是：信心永遠是摸著主耶穌的。它摸著了神永遠之子，祂是全宇宙之神的儿子，也就是那位遠超過一切時間和距离的儿子。
Try this out on someone else - on the Hindu Krishna, for instance, or any other god in this world, and see if it will work half a mile away. And see how long it takes to work. It never works, even right on the spot. But we in this place today are in the benefit of prayer hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles away. If we are knowing something of the presence of the Lord Jesus and His life, it is largely due to prayers many, many miles away. Of course, that is only a human way of putting it. There are no miles nor hours where the Lord Jesus is concerned. His presence means that all those things go. He is God, and one of God's characteristics is omnipresence. He is everywhere, at the same time.
This is something that we can put to the test. Why do we pray for people on the other side of the world? Because we believe that Jesus is more than time and distance. And His people who are knowing the working of death can receive life by our touching the Lord Jesus here. I feel that we, the Lord's people, and the Lord's Church, have not used this great value of life enough. We must believe that people on the other side of the world are as near to Him as we are. And how near to Him are we? He is nearer than hands and closer than breathing.
And He is the same to all His people, wherever they are. I said it would not take long to get to the heart of this sign - but what a wonderful sign it is! Jesus has only to speak a word and all time and distance disappear. This nobleman's faith touched the Lord Jesus and He drew it out. He put that faith to the test. He really said: 'Do you mean business? Do you really trust Me? Or is it signs and wonders that you want? Do you really believe who I am?' All that is in this test, and when this man believed Jesus, even if it was in a weak way, He took that faith, which was only like the grain of mustard seed, and through it the mountain of his trouble disappeared.
The point is that faith always touches the Lord Jesus, and so it touches the eternal Son of God, the universal Son of God, the Son of God who is greater than all time and all distance.
這就是這兆頭的意義。當我們真是『在基督里』時（用保羅的話），雖然我們相隔有數千哩之遠，但神把我們看作是一班在一起的人。在主耶穌看來，我們這些人并沒有在這國家、在那國家、或別的國家之分。在這宇宙中祂自己就是那惟一的國家；因此，當我們進入基督里的時候，我們就脫离了自己原先的國家和國籍。猶太人是相當排外的，且自以為是獨一無二的國家和民族。主耶穌卻常走出他們的國界而接触外面的世界。這大臣是列國的代表，因為他是一個外邦人。但在主基督里，每一個屬地的區別都已除去。在基督里沒有英國人，瑞土人，德國人，法國人或印度人。祂是惟一的國籍，這國籍是屬天的。祂是惟一的語言，這語言是屬靈的。祂也是屬天的家鄉。不管我們在這地上原來是什么种的人，在祂里面我們都成為在基督里的一個新人。在祂里面所有屬地的時間和地方的區別都消失了。雖然也有人想，若能以每分數百哩或數千哩的速度，在短時間內飛上月球，那是一件多奇妙的事！但在這世界里來往奔跑總要耗去我們相當多的時間，然而，親愛的朋友們，就在這時候，在基督里我們能与在數千万哩之外的弟兄們互相交通。
這是一個神跡。這故事就是這神跡的兆頭。這生命是永遠的生命，它是沒有時間性的；它不知道什么是空間；當耶穌同在的時候，什么就都同在了。
在我們要結束之前，再回頭說几句話。約翰告訴我們，主耶穌是『在門徒面前』（約二十30）行這些兆頭。我們也曾指出，在馬太，馬可，路加的福音書中，『門徒』這詞的亞蘭文乃是『學徒』的意思。要學習基督也就是要學習這個偉大的奧秘。我們乃是在這永遠學校里的學徒，因此我們就要學習基督在這方面的意義。的确我們也知道一些這樣的事。我們中間也有人有這樣非常真實的經歷：在數百哩之外，別人正為我們禱告的時候，神就在我們這邊垂听了他們的禱告。我們能學習這功課是極美好的。這就是耶穌所要教導祂的學徒的。他們都能說：『多奇妙！耶穌在一個地方說了一句話，第二天就發現：正當那時候，且在好几哩之外事情就發生、成全了。』
That is the meaning of this sign. You see, when we are really 'in Christ', to use Paul's phrase, we are always regarded as being together, though we may be thousands of miles apart. The Lord Jesus does not look upon us as being in this country, in that country and in another country. He Himself is the only country in this universe, and so we leave our country and our own nationality when we come into Christ. I think perhaps this is found in the fact that this man is a Gentile. The Jews were exclusive and said: 'We are the only people and our country is the only country.' Jesus went outside those frontiers and touched the world outside. This man was a representative of all the nations, for he was a Gentile. In the Lord Jesus every earthly division is removed. There are no British, Swiss, German, French or Indian in Christ. He is only one nationality and that is a heavenly one. He is only one language and that is a spiritual one. He is the heavenly country. No matter what we are here, in Him we are all together as one man in Christ. All the earthly distinctions of place and time disappear in Him. It may take us a long time to travel about this world, though men think it is a very wonderful thing to travel at so many hundred or thousand miles a minute and get to the moon in no very great time! But, dear friends, in this very moment in Christ we can touch our brethren six or seven thousand miles away.
That is a miracle. But here is the sign of that miracle. This life is eternal life; it is timeless; it knows no space; everything is present when Jesus is present.
Let us just go back for a moment before we finish. John tells us that Jesus did these signs "in the presence of his disciples" (John 20:30), and we have already pointed out that in Matthew, Mark and Luke the word 'disciples' is in Aramaic and means 'apprentices'. To learn Christ is to learn this great secret. We are apprentices in the
我确實知道這是初期教會所發生的大事之一。你在使徒行傳中看見這類事情常常發生。例如：在該撒利亞有一個外邦人正在禱告。這時候在巴勒斯坦海邊的約帕也有另一個人在禱告。這二人的禱告都在同時得著答應；而結果他們相聚在一起，并且使主耶穌得著榮耀。
親愛的朋友們，這對我們有什么意義呢？主實在是把這件事放在我們手中讓我們來運用。如果祂是木匠，我們是祂的學徒，那么祂就把這個工具放在我們手中，說：『現在去，藉著由禱告而得到的屬天生命的能力去成就一切！』
在這故事中還有很多別的內容，但我們只想把其中最核心的問題提出來。我想主已經向我們啟示了祂的奧秘。而我們所得著的是何等奇妙的奧秘呢！不論我們在那里，我們都不孤單。哦！正因為我們在這里的禱告，使某些在遠處我們所親愛的為主受苦的神的仆人們，得著從主來的幫助！我們要相信這個并運用這個。也使主得著榮耀。
我想這件事就說到這里；雖然我們在這方面說的不多，也沒有花很長的時間去講論它，但這是圣靈所已經啟示出來的許多奇妙事情之一。主耶穌是何等偉大！在祂沒有時間，乃是從永遠到永遠；在祂也沒有空間的限制，祂是無所不在的。
I am quite sure that this is one of the great things that came into the Church at the beginning. You can see it at work in the Book of the Acts. There, up in
Dear friends, what does this mean to us? Surely this is something that the Lord has put into our hands? If He is the carpenter and we are the apprentices, He has put this tool into our hands and is saying: 'Now go and make things out of this wonderful power of divine life which is ministered through prayer.'
There is much more in this story, but we have just sought to get to the heart of it. I think the Lord has revealed His secret to us, and it is a wonderful secret to possess. We need not be alone, wherever we are. Oh, what some of the dear, suffering servants of God far away are knowing of help from the Lord because we are praying here! Let us believe this and use it. Let us bring glory to Him in this way.
We are going to leave it there, but if these have been only a few words, not taking a long time to say, it is one of the most wonderful things that have been revealed by the Holy Spirit. How great the Lord Jesus is! No time, but from eternity to eternity. No limitation of place, but everywhere.
5、屬天的生命与從罪和死的捆綁中得拯救
讀經：約翰五章一節至十八節。
我們已經指出，解開這些兆頭的關鍵可在對這些兆頭所產生的反應中找到。在本章的兆頭中仍不例外，現在我們來看看其中的一些特徽。
首先我們必須注意在這個兆頭中猶太人的背景。這事發生在『猶太人的一個節期』，那很可能就是逾越節。若是這樣的話，那是猶太人最大的一個節期，這也說出在那時候為什么有一群人在耶路撒冷。既然百姓在其他節期可以不上耶路撒玲，那么他們上去很可能是為要過逾越節。因此在這時候邪路撒冷城里面有一大群的人，而這兆頭就發生在那里——在以色列的中心地。
其次，這兆頭是發生在安息日。你可以注意到『安息日』這詞，在僅僅數節中出現了四次。『安息日』控制了以色列人所有的生活，而以色列人一切的律法也以此為中心。它代表著以色列人生活的每一件事。
我希望你能把這一切的特征集在一起，因為我們要藉著它們來找出解開這兆頭的關鍵。
我再提一樣的特征：這兆頭的當事人一直有三十八年之久處在無助的光景之下。這一點引我們進入各种事情的意義中。所以我們現在要來把這個人看一看。
他是一個受地捆綁的人，他的床鋪不過是一個很薄的褥子，他和地之間的距离不超過一寸，他是一個十足在地上的人，也是地的一個附屬品。但他并不接受那樣的地位；他与地以及他的處境一直掙扎了三十八年之久。我們不需花多大的力气就可以具體的想像出這人的光景：他時常努力著要起來，掙扎著要离開他自己的床鋪。然而他不得不再次跌回到自己的床上——他常回到他原初開始的地方。每一次努力要
离開那個床鋪，結果總是又落回去，他是床鋪的囚犯，那床鋪是他的主人，而他在其上是一個完全無助的人。本來以為能給他安息的東西，卻一點沒有把安息帶給他。他就在這种光景中達三十八年之久，這足以表明那是多絕望的處境！
Chapter 5 - Divine Life and Deliverance from Bondage to Sin and Death
We have pointed out that the key to these signs is to be found in the reaction which took place toward them, and that is true in this case. Let us look at a few of the features.
First of all, we must note the Jewish setting of this sign. It was at the "feast of the Jews", and most likely that was the Feast of the Passover. In that case it would be the greatest of all the Jewish feasts and would account for the multitude being in Jerusalem at that time, for while it was not necessary for the people to go up there for the other feasts, it was imperative that they went up for the Passover. So there was a great multitude in
And then it was performed on the Sabbath Day. You will have noticed that the Sabbath is mentioned four times in these few verses. It was that which governed the whole life of
I hope you are collecting all these features, because we are going to find our key to this sign in them.
One more feature. The man upon whom this sign was performed had been in his place of helplessness for thirty-eight years. That prepares our way toward the meaning of things, so we turn to have a look at this man.
He was an earthbound man. His bed was only a very thin mat and there was not an inch between him and the earth. He was well down on the earth, and was a fixture. But he had not accepted that position; he had been struggling with the earth and against his situation for thirty-eight years. It does not need much imagination to visualize him: every so often he made an effort to get up, struggled to get away from his bed. And then he had to fall back again - and he always came back to the place from which he started. Every effort to leave that bed only resulted in his having to fall back on it again. He was a prisoner of his bed. It was his master and he was completely helpless there. The thing which was supposed to give him rest gave him no rest at all. And he was in that position for thirty-eight years. That is long enough to show that the situation was hopeless!
現在我們還要來看看這人背景所代表的意義。你會看見為什么我前面要題及猶太人的背景，因為這是以色列人在律法之下，三十八年在曠野的一幅圖畫。從埃及出來的頭一代，當他們到達迦南地的邊境時，因著不信，就被命令轉回曠野，在曠野，他們在律法的重擔之下掙扎了三十八年。他們想要脫离他們的地位，卻是不能。他們想要進入那地，卻根本沒有到達。如果他們自己的努力能使他們到達那地的話，他們早就到達了；但事實上他們兜著圈子轉，常常回到他們原先离開的地方。律法的褥子只是使他們認識肉體的軟弱。它沒有給他們安息——它只是讓他們
看見他們是多絕望的一班人。
凡是認識新約圣經的人，在此都會想起羅馬書，特別是第七章。你還記得這章圣經嗎？這章圣經告訴我們有一個可怜的人在律法之下掙扎。他說：『我所愿意的善，我反不作；我所不愿意的惡，我倒去作。哦，我真是個可怜的人哪！』（羅七19—24另譯）。這就是在畢士大池邊的這
個人的寫照：『我想要作的事，我一點都不能作；我不想作的事（留在褥子上），卻是一直在作。哦，我真是個可怜的人哪！誰能救我脫离這取死的身體呢？』
我們再回頭說到以色列人。你當記得希伯來書常把應許之地稱為『神的安息』。圣經說到從埃及出來的第一代以色列人絕不能進入『祂的安息』，『這樣看來，必另有一安息日的安息為神的子民存留』（來四9）。應許之地乃是基督在天上的一個表號：基督從死人中复活。當約但河水漫過兩岸時以色列人必須過這河，約但河水的漲溢乃是死亡的表號，他們必須經過死亡進入复活的境地，然后神才吩咐約書亞，要他上去得那地，這說出复活与升天，說到基督在天上，祂已胜過了死亡，并且祂的子民也与祂一同在那里。正如保羅所說：『祂又叫我們与基督一同复活，一同坐在天上』（弗二6）。
在新約圣經里，我們是處在那一卷書的地位呢？不錯，是在希伯來書里。不過畢土大池邊的這人很清楚的把我們引到另一卷書：加拉太書；你必須把整卷加拉太書應用在約翰五章一至十八節的經文中。什么是加拉太書的信息？首先說到律法的捆綁，以及律法并不能成全什么，反而把每一個人帶進捆綁之中。它告訴我們那些在律法之下的人都是受捆綁的。使徒說，在下的耶路撒冷『和她的儿女都是受捆綁的』（加四25另譯）。那就是在耶路撒冷這可怜的人的所在地，他就是在這『在下的耶路撒冷』的捆綁中。因此，加拉太書首先是說到律法之下的捆綁。
Now we will look at the background. What is it that lies behind this? You will see why I spoke about the Jewish setting, for this is a picture of
Of course, those of you who know your New Testament are already thinking of the Letter to the Romans, and especially Romans 7. Do you remember that chapter? Here is the poor man struggling under the law. He says: "The good which I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I practise... O wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:19,24). That is the man at the Pool of Bethesda: 'What I want to do I never can do. What I do not want to do (that is, stay here), I am having to do all the time. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this dead body?'
Let us go back to
Well, now where are we in our New Testament? It is quite true - we are in the Letter to the Hebrews, but with this man at the Pool of Bethesda we are somewhere else, very distinctly: we are in the Letter to the Galatians, and you have to put the whole of that Letter right into these eighteen verses of John 5. What is the Letter to the Galatians all about? First of all, it is about the bondage of the law and the law making nothing perfect but bringing everybody into bondage. The people who are under the law are in this Letter spoken of as being in bondage. The Apostle says that the
加拉太書第二件是說到在基督里儿子名分的靈。此書信重要的詞乃是『儿子』与『圣靈』（The Spirit）。我們因信耶穌基督都是神的儿子。這
就是在基督里儿子的名分，而這儿子名分的靈就是圣靈。
我們再回到約翰福音并听主耶穌說：『所以天父的儿子若叫你們自由，你們就真自由了』（約八36）。『你們必曉得真理，真理必叫你們得以自由』（約八32）。什么是叫我們從律法的捆綁下得自由的真理？那就是指我們在耶穌基督里那偉大和榮耀的儿子名分的真理。
請你再看加拉太書關于『自由』的思想，在基督里的『自由』這詞書中題到十一次，此在其他各書信中出現的次數加起來還多。『基督釋放了我們，叫我們得以自由，所以要站立得穩，不要再被奴仆的軛轄制』。（加五1）還有，『弟兄們，你們蒙召，是要得自由』（加五13）。這就是因信耶穌基督而有的神儿子們的自由。
請再注意：『基督』這名字在加拉太書中題了四十三次。這是相當特別的。若是說此書說了許多關于律法和自由的話，那么，關于基督所說的話更多了。律法在基督里已經不再能捆綁人，它一切的鎖鏈已經因著神的儿子們而被打破了。他們藉恩已經得自由，基督已經使他們得以自由。
我不知道約翰是否想到這一點，但我實在看出許多存在約翰心中的意念，常是我們所沒有注意到的。例如，為什么當約翰說到畢土大池子的時候，他還說在那里有五個廊子呢？這是否像藝術家在他的畫上多加一筆？是的，約翰是位文字的藝術家，而圣靈是藉著約翰來寫這件事，并且『五』是恩典的數字。不管在圣經中的那一個地方，『五』總是恩典的數字。如果我們是正常的人，你我在手腳上都帶著這個數字；并且我們的身體有五种感官。是的，每一個人都是由『五』所組成的！因為神要我們成為恩典的子民。這個可怜的人是在律法的捆綁之下，但『律法本是藉著摩西傅的，恩典和真理都是由耶穌基督來的』（約一17）。就在那里，在律法的捆綁之下，出現了神在耶穌基督里的恩典的見證。
Then the second thing that the Letter to the Galatians speaks about is the spirit of sonship in Christ. You will recall that the great words of this Letter are 'sons' and 'the Spirit'. We are all sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ. It is sonship in Christ, and the spirit of sonship is the Holy Spirit.
Now we come back to John and hear the Lord Jesus saying: "If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36); "ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). What is the truth that makes us free from the bondage of the law? It is the great and glorious truth of our sonship in Jesus Christ.
Need I turn you to the Letter to the Galatians? The idea of liberty, 'liberty in Christ', is mentioned eleven times in that Letter, and that is more often than in all the other Letters put together. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1 - A.V.). And again: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty" (Galatians 5:13 - A.V.). It is the liberty of the sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
And note again: the name 'Christ' is mentioned forty-three times in this little Letter. That is tremendously impressive. If it has a lot to say about the law and about liberty, it has far more to say about Christ. The law is broken in Christ, and all its bondage is destroyed for the sons of God. They are free by grace, and Christ has made them free.
I do not know whether this was in John's mind, but I do see that he had a great deal in his mind which we do not always notice. What I mean is this: Why was it that when John spoke about the Pool of Bethesda he said that there are five porches there? Was it the artist giving a little touch to the picture? Well, John was an artist in words, but the Holy Spirit was writing this thing through John, and five is the number of grace. Wherever you look in the Bible five is the number of grace. You and I carry that very number on both hands and both feet, if we are normal people; and more than that, we have five physical senses. Why, we are made up of fives! God meant us to be people of grace. This poor man was in bondage to the law, but "the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). And right there, in the presence of the bondage of the law, was this testimony to the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
那么，這是什么兆頭？這是一個奇妙的兆頭！這人是一幅真實的圖畫，代表著一切在律法之下的光景。主耶穌站著高聲說：『凡勞苦擔重擔的人，可以到我這里來』（太十一28）。祂這話是什么意思？律法的重擔是壓在那人身上，對他們來說，這确是沉重的負擔。不只這樣，法利賽人對摩西的律法，又加上二千條以上的解釋，告訴人說：『摩西的律法并不是說，你們只須遵守十條誡命；而是說，你們須遵守二千條誡命。』在他們一切為人的生活中，沒有一點是不應用律法的，都是使他們感到為難的。而這一切都以安息日為中心：『你在安息日不可鋪床！你在安息日不可拿褥子！你在安息日不可以生火！你在安息日不可作任何事，你也不能行路超過三哩。』想想看，在生活中竟有兩千條的規定！他們每一日，尤其是安息日，所面對的一個問題乃是『你不可』。
『凡勞苦擔重擔的人，可以到我這里來，我就使你們得安息』（太十一28）。到底發生了什么事使主發出這樣的呼召？是因為主以自己代替了安息日。它不再是一周中的某一日——它乃是一位神圣的人物。〔如果『基督
复臨安息日會』（Seventh Day Adventists）看見這一點，他們一切的制度
立時要化為烏有！）不，主耶穌乃是神的安息日。祂是神一切工作的歸結，神在這位耶穌里面已經進入了祂自己的安息。這就是『為神的子民存留的安息』——并不是一周或日歷上的某一天，乃是一位神圣的人物，就是
神的儿子。我們在祂里面得以進入安息；并且從前曾經是捆綁我們的，現今卻成了服事我們的。在祂里面我們就能胜過一向所掙扎而難以脫离的。哦，是的，主耶穌就是那安息日。如果我們活在祂里面，我們就不會破坏安息日，每一天都將是我們的魂得安息的日子。哦，這真是主耶穌所完成的一件大事。
現在請注意：主耶穌認為祂為這人所作的乃是一件非常偉大并嚴肅的事。當祂在圣殿遇著他時，就對他說：『你已經痊愈了；不要再犯罪，恐怕你遭遇的更加利害』（約五14）。現在再回到加拉太書，使徒說：『你們向來跑得好；有誰攔阻你們』（加五7）。他的意思是說：『你們正在回到（或者是冒此危險）原先的捆綁中。你們听從那些想把你們重新帶回捆綁的猶太教師，如果你們真回到那种地位，那你們末后的景況要此先前更不好。從恩典中墜落，要比從來不曾在恩典中更為悲慘。』這就是神的話所說的『遭遇更加利害』。哦，親愛的朋友們，我們因信耶穌基督已經從整個律法得著釋放。就讓我們行走，且繼續行走在我們的自由里。『你們向來跑得好』——那是比行走更好了，我們不要停止奔跑。
What is this sign, then? It is a wonderful sign! This man is a true picture and representation of what it means to be under the law. Jesus stood and cried: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden" (Matthew 11:28). What did He mean? The burden of the law was upon the people, indeed, it was a heavy burden for them. The Pharisees gave more than two thousand interpretations to the law of Moses, and said: 'The law of Moses does not mean that you have only to keep ten commandments; it means that you have to keep two thousand.' There was not a point in all their human life where this law was not applied and made their lives difficult. And all this was gathered up into the Sabbath: 'You must not make your bed on the Sabbath! You must not carry your bed on the Sabbath! You must not poke your fire on the Sabbath! You must do nothing on the Sabbath - you may not even walk more than three miles.' Two thousand regulations for their lives! The one thing that they were meeting every day, and especially on the Sabbath, was 'You may not'.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). What has happened? Jesus has appropriated the Sabbath to Himself. It is no longer a day of the week - it is a divine person. (If the Seventh Day Adventists saw that, the whole of their system would go in five minutes!) No, Jesus is God's Sabbath. He is the end of God's works, and in Him God has entered into His rest. This is the 'rest which remaineth for the children of God' - not a day of the week or on the calendar, but a divine person, the Son of God. In Him we come to rest, and that which was our bondage is now our servant. In Him that against which we were always struggling is now our victory. Oh yes, Jesus is the Sabbath, and if we live in Him we shall not spoil the Sabbath. Every day should be a day of rest to our souls. Oh, this is a mighty thing that the Lord Jesus has done!
Now note: the Lord Jesus looked upon that which He did for this man as a very great and serious thing. When He found him in the
我們再來看希伯來書。有兩個詞一直出現在整卷書中。一個是『讓我們』——『讓我們竭力進到完全成長的境地』（來五1另譯）作者的意思是
說：『讓我們在基督里，在恩典所帶我們進入的新地位上，繼續前往。』
另一個在本書中經常出現的詞乃是『恐怕』或『免得』——『恐怕
有人失了神的恩』（來十二15），『免得有人學那不信從的樣子跌倒了』（來四11）。那是警誡或提醒的一個詞——不是向前就是退后。
現在你可以看出來，這一切都是說明我們在基督里的生命。這生命使我們得自由，拯救我們脫离捆綁，帶我們進入安息，并在我們面前展開了一個偉大而具有榮耀的展望。
讓我們听一听這個警誡：『從此不要再犯罪了。』我們若從恩典中墜落，而重新回到律法之下，那就是罪。這就是從自由轉回到捆綁的罪。經上說到在曠野中的頭一代以色列人他們『心里歸向埃及』（徒七39）。主論到這樣的一班人說：『我心里不喜歡他』（來十38）。失去主的喜悅是一件何等可怕的事！那的确是罪。
前面說的是關于這兆頭黑暗的一面。但在畢土大池邊的這人身上所發生的事，是具有何等丰富的意義！我對于這件事所說的一切并不是我個人的幻想，因為在此后的新約各處都證明那是真的。請再看看那些門徒們的光景。他們在五旬節圣靈降臨之前，是何等的失敗！他們一直想要作對的事，卻總是失敗。他們也常想不作錯事，或講錯話，但卻常常錯了。你們豈不是常為他們感到難過么？听听彼得對主說的話：『我要至死跟隨你。』當然，那是一個好的決心，是一個好的心意。他實在是有這意思，但實際遇到試煉時，他能這樣作么？哦，不，他受他自己軟弱的捆綁。但看看這人在五旬節的光景！他和其他的十一個人乃是一班被釋放的人。哦，是的，他們是自由的人。不再有捆綁！新約圣經一直啟示這個在耶穌基督里從一切的捆綁中得釋放的奇妙真理。
約翰選擇這個兆頭是對的，圣靈選擇它是十分正确的。它知道在這兆頭里的一切奇妙恩典的教訓与實際。『你要痊愈么？』這就是得痊愈的意義——從律法捆綁的國度中被救出來，而進入主耶穌恩典的國度中。
To return to the Letter to the Hebrews. There are two phrases in that Letter which run right through. One is: 'Let us'... "Let us press on to full growth" (Hebrews 4:1 - R.V. margin). 'Let us', says the writer, 'go right on in Christ in the new position that grace has brought us to.'
Then there is the other word that is constantly recurring in this Letter: 'Lest'... "Lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God" (Hebrews 12:15): "Lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Hebrews 4:11 - A.V.). It is a word of warning and precaution - the alternative to going on is going back.
Now, you see, all this is an explanation of the life which we have in Christ. It is a life which makes us free, delivers us from bondage, brings us into rest and opens up a grand and glorious prospect before us.
Let us hear the warning: "Sin no more". It is a sin to turn away from grace and to turn back to law. It is the sin of turning from liberty back into bondage. It says of this first generation of
Well, that is the dark side of the sign. But what a lot there is in this incident of the man at the Pool! What I have said about it is not just my own imagination, for all the New Testament afterward proves this to be true. See those disciples again. How defeated they were before the Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost! They were always trying to do the right thing and were always failing. They were always trying not to do the wrong thing and say the wrong thing, but they were always doing it. You are very sorry for them, are you not? You hear poor Peter saying: 'I will go with Thee, even unto death.' Well, that is a good resolve, a good intention. He meant well, but when it came to the test, did he do it? Oh no, he was in bondage to his own weakness. But look at that man on the Day of Pentecost! He, with the other eleven, are men who are set free. Oh yes, they are men at liberty. No more bondage! And the New Testament goes on to show this wonderful truth of deliverance in Jesus Christ from all bondage.
John was right in choosing this sign, and the Holy Spirit was right in choosing it. He knew all the wonderful doctrine and reality of grace that was in it. "Wouldest thou be made whole?" This is what it means to be made whole - to be taken out of the kingdom of the bondage of the law and to be put into the kingdom of the grace of the Lord Jesus.
我盼望這個能摸著你的心，而不僅僅是一些有趣的教訓！哦，我确信，如果你在靈里真的看見這件事，你必在你的瞼上綻出笑容，在你的心中唱出詩歌。你要唱出：『從律法中得釋放，哦，何快樂！』這就是這人所唱的詩歌。我想他并不知道我們的詩歌，但那就是他所唱的——『從那褥子得釋放，哦，何快樂！』
愿主帶我們進入那在基督里自由的福气中！
I hope this appeals to your heart and that it is not just some interesting teaching! Oh, I am quite sure that if you were seeing it in the spirit there would be a smile on your face and a song in your heart. You would be singing: 'Free from the law, O happy condition!' That is what this man sang. I don't suppose he knew our hymn, but that was what he was singing - 'Free from that bed, O happy condition'!
May the Lord bring us into the blessing of the liberty which is in Christ!
6、全足与無窮盡的屬天生命
耶穌說：『我來了，是要叫羊得生命』（約十10）。
保羅說：『我如今在肉身活著，是因信心而活，也就是在神儿子里的信心』（加二20另譯）。『現在活著的不再是我，乃是基督在我里面活著』（加二20），我們所要強調的就是『活』這個字——『基督在我們里
面活著』。
現在我們要來看『基督活在我們里面，成為我們的生命』這件事；我們也在尋求，要明白那生命的意義和性質的某些方面。為此我們正在詳細察看使徒約翰所選擇的七個兆頭。他稱它們為叫『兆頭』，因為它們是具有某种意義的神跡，并且那意義才是重要的。我相信我們都知道這些事情，都具有比我們所想像的更深入的意義。我們可以就著耶穌所行的這些神跡而下結論說：祂行了些神跡，當我們再往下看時便說：『祂還在行神跡』；然后再就著這些不同的神跡說：『這是耶穌所能作的』。
當然，那樣作并沒有錯；然而在這些里面含著比其表面更多的東西——在每一個兆頭里面，都具有一個完整的生命教育。其中的每一個兆頭都
含著整個生命的一個奧秘。
我們在約翰福音里面已經看過了其中的三個兆頭，并且你可能已經看出這些兆頭累進的性質。
在加利利的變水為酒，顯出這生命与其他生命不同的性質。耶穌所『制造』的酒和其他的酒全然不同，并且是更好的；在基督里賜給我們的生命也是一個具有全然不同特性的生命。
第二個兆頭是醫治大臣的儿子，我們看過，從耶穌而來的這生命是一個永遠的生命，時間和距离對它沒有權勢。祂在一個地方說話時，在許多哩之外就有事情發生。時間和距离被擺在一邊。這是超越時間的生命，那就是這生命的性質。這一點對老年人來說，是一個非常大的安慰。我們的身體和心思都會變老，但在我們里面那基督的生命永不會變老。哦，這生命真是具有一個胜過時間的奇妙能力！
Chapter 6 - Divine Life: All-Sufficient and Inexhaustible
Jesus said: "I came that they might have life" (John 10:10).
Paul said: "That life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20). "It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20 - R.V. margin). We put the emphasis upon the word 'liveth' - 'Christ liveth in me'.
And so we are occupied with Christ living in us as the Life; and we are seeking to understand something of the meaning and nature of that life. For that purpose we are looking into the seven signs which the Apostle John chose. He called them signs, because they were works with a meaning, and it is the meaning which is the important thing. I trust that we are seeing that these things have a deeper meaning than we had thought. We can take these miracles of Jesus and just conclude that He worked miracles, or we can go further and say that He still does work miracles, and then we can take these different miracles and say: 'This is what Jesus can do.'
Well, that is all quite true, but there is very much more in it than that - there is a whole life education in every one of these signs. Each of them contains a secret for the whole life.
We have already considered three of these signs in the Gospel by John, and perhaps you have noticed the progressive nature of the signs.
The turning of water into wine at
Then we went on to the healing of the nobleman's son, and we saw that this life which comes from Jesus is an eternal life, over which time and distance have no power. He spoke in one place and many miles away, at that very moment, something happened. Time and miles were set aside. it was timeless life, and that is the nature of this life. Dear friends, that is not only a statement of truth. It ought to be very comforting to old people. We get old - our bodies and minds get old, but the life of Christ in us never gets old. Oh, this life has a wonderful power of overcoming time!
其次我們看過在畢土大池邊的瘸子得醫治，我們也看過這生命使人從捆綁中得釋放的能力。這生命是一個具有榮耀自由的生命。我想保羅的話能夠徹底說出這人的經歷：『我已經与基督同釘十字架：現在活著的不再是我，乃是基督在我里面活著』（加二20）。這樣的話應用在畢士大池邊的這人身上正合适——在這生命中有一個偉大釋放的能
力。
在還沒有開始講到另一兆頭之先，我們再略作一點說明。雖然這只是讀經上的一個問題，但卻是必須注意的。我們應當知道，在約翰福音里面，對于主耶穌的作為，或祂的教訓并沒有按著順序排列。有許多記載在其他三卷福音書中的事，約翰并沒有提到，諸如祂的教訓，祂的工作，以及祂去的地方。因此在約翰所記的事情之間，可能相隔著很長的時間。當你讀這卷福音時，你會以為事情是一個緊跟著另一個發生的，其實并非如此。例如，第五章和第六章的開頭就是如此：『這事以后，到了猶太人的一個節期，耶穌就上耶路撒冷』（五1）。『那時猶太人的逾越節近了』（六4）。這并不是指同一個節期，并且很可能都是指逾越節。如果真是這樣的話，那么其間可能相隔就有整整一年；并且在那一年內一定有許多事發生是約翰所沒有記載的。當你在研讀這本福音書的時候，必須記得這一點。
現在既然為著底下所要說的話鋪了路，我們就要來看約翰福音第六章中約翰所選擇的第四個兆頭。（請注意，腓力本來說：『叫他們每一個人吃一點』——但結果是他們都得著他們所要的！）
為要明白這兆頭的意義，我們要知道其時間和當時情況：此時耶穌所受的歡迎已經達到最高峰。因為第十五節說：『耶穌既然知道眾人要來強逼祂作王……』。就著當時的群眾而論，祂已經達到極其受歡迎的地步。
其次，祂已經進入祂職事的第二階段，那是一個爭論時期，官長們的敵意逐漸增加。祂一面是受百姓們的歡迎，另一面卻不受官長們的歡迎。緊接在此兆頭之后，敵意立刻顯明，祂發現自己是處在一种正面爭論的气氛中。這有兩個原則：其一乃是祂對自己昕作的宣告，因為他們不愿接受祂對自己作的見證；另一原因乃是祂太受歡迎了。因為后來別處曾經這樣記載著：『祭司長是因為嫉妒才把耶穌解了來』（可十五10）。乃是官長們的嫉妒使他們產生這种的敵意。
Then we went on to the healing of the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda, and we saw the power of this life to set a man free from bondage. This life is a life of glorious liberty. I think Paul's word describes that man's experience perfectly: "I have been crucified with Christ: yet I live: and yet no longer I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20). That just fits into the man at
There is just a further word to say before we come to the next sign. It is only a technical word, yet it must be noted. It is important to remember that in John's Gospel we do not have an ordered arrangement of the works of Jesus, nor of His teaching. There are many things in the other three Gospels which are not mentioned by John, both as to His teaching and His works, and as to the places where He went. Therefore, a great deal of time has to be fitted in between the things which John does record. As you read this Gospel, it looks as though things follow closely, the one upon another, but that is not true. Take, for instance, the beginning of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6: "After these things there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
Well, having prepared the way, we can come to the fourth of the signs chosen by John.
To arrive at the meaning of this sign it is necessary for us to know the time and setting of it. At this point Jesus had reached the highest peak of His popularity. You notice that verse 15 says: "Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king". As far as the multitudes were concerned, He had reached a point of very great popularity.
Next, He had entered upon the second phase of His ministry, which was a time of controversy, with increasing antagonism so far as the rulers were concerned. Popularity with the people: unpopularity with the rulers. And immediately after this sign that antagonism sprang into life and He found Himself in an atmosphere of positive controversy. This had two causes: one was the claims which He made for Himself, for they would not accept His testimony concerning Himself, and the other was this very popularity. Later it is said that "for envy the chief priests had delivered him up" (Mark 15:10). It was the jealousy of the rulers which provoked them to this antagonism.
第三件要注意的事乃是：從這故事中就明顯的看出，有許多人都只是挂著『門徒』這名字而已。請看本章的六十節：『祂的門徒中有好些人听見了，就說，這話甚難，誰能听呢？』再看六十六節：『從此祂門徒中多有退去的，不再和祂同行。』因此，明顯的有許多人只是挂著『門徒』這名字而已。
所以我們發現面對著三班人物。第一班人乃是十二個門徒，第二班人乃是指上述那些門徒，第三班人就是那一大群的百姓。
這就是這兆頭的背景，而你必須考慮到這些背景才能明白這兆頭的意義。很顯然的，這兆頭是用來達成三個任務。
它的首一任務乃是要試驗每一個人，這兆頭并不是僅指某件完成的事，而是指一件事被設計好，要用來試驗每一個人。每一個人都要面對它的挑戰，且對它必須有所反應。主耶穌希望這兆頭能有如此的結果。
這兆頭的第二個任務乃是要把這些人篩一篩。你知道當主耶穌看出他們要來強逼祂作王時，祂『就獨自又退到山上去了』（六15）。祂不是按這件事的表面价值來接受它——祂早巳看透了它。過不久祂向他
們說：『你們找我，并不是因見了兆頭，乃是因吃餅得飽』（六26另譯）。哦！是的，所有的這些群眾，這一切百姓，都必須被篩過。
第三個任務乃是要确認那些是認真的人。正像基甸的三万二千大軍，被神減少成為極少數的一班認真的人。
請注意：祂用來完成這個三重任務的憑藉乃是在餅中的生命。耶穌的心意遠遠的走在祂的舉動之前，也遠遠超過祂藉著祂所作的來表明祂的意思的諸般作為。關于這一點我們有充足的證据，證明那是真的，這一點你在本章圣經故事的開頭就可以看出來——『我們從那里買餅叫這些人
吃呢？祂說這話是要試驗腓力，祂自己原知道要怎樣行』（五6）。對于這件事祂早巳胸有成竹了，它具有比外面的舉動更多的意義，祂藉這种舉動，朝著那种意義而去。
The third thing to notice: It is quite evident from this story that there was a large group of those who went by the name of 'disciples'. Look at verse 60 in this chapter: "Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" And verse 66: "Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." So it is evident that there was a large group of people who went by the name of 'disciples'.
We find ourselves, then, in the presence of three groups of people. Firstly, there were the twelve disciples, then there was this much larger group of disciples called 'many', and then there was the great multitude of people.
That is the setting of this sign, and you have to take all that into account in order to understand the meaning of it. It is quite clear that it was intended to do three things.
First of all, it was intended to be a test of everybody. It was not just something done, but something projected to test everybody. Everybody was going to be challenged by this, and there had to be some kind of reaction to it. Jesus meant it to be that.
In the second place, it was intended to sift out all these people. You notice that when Jesus perceived that they would come and take Him by force to be king, He "withdrew again into the mountain himself alone". He is not taking all this at its face value - He has seen through it all. Presently He will say: "Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves". Oh no, this whole crowd, all these people, have to be sifted out.
The third thing is that it was intended to confirm those who really did mean business. Like Gideon's great army of twenty-two thousand, He was bringing it down to a very small company of people who really did mean business.
Now note: the means that He employed for this threefold purpose was life in the form of bread. The mind of Jesus ran far ahead of His acts and beyond what He did to what He meant by what He did. Of course, there is abundant evidence that that was true: you have already seen it in this story - "Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do." Already He had thought this whole thing out: it had a meaning that was more than the act, and by the act He was moving toward that meaning.
什么是他們藉以被篩的試驗？在本章經文中可以找到這問題的答案。耶穌所要的門徒乃是那些祂能成為他們每天需要的糧食的一班人。如果他們在日用的飲食和主耶穌之間作一個選擇的話，祂所要的乃是那些揀選『主耶穌』的人。這是為什么祂說『我就是生命的糧』的原因。這是一件關于生存或死亡的問題：『你們有沒有我關系著生命或死亡。我所要的門徒就是那些知道得著我才是他們的生命的人。』因此你看出祂是在作篩的工作。請注意下面的經文：『你們若不吃人子的肉，不喝人子的血，就沒有生命在你里面……祂的門徒中好些人听見了，就說，這話甚難，誰能听呢？……從此祂門徒中多有退去的，不再和祂同行』（約六53、60、66）。這是這故事最終的結局，那也正是為什么耶穌行這兆頭的原因。祂曾說：『不要為那必坏的食物勞力，要為那存到永生的食物勞力』（二十七節）。祂對那些接受的門徒說：『你們若不吃人子的肉，不喝人子的血，就沒有生命在你們里面。』那些曾經強逼祂作王的群眾，不久就要喊著：『釘祂十字架！』當耶穌受審問的時候，那些人的聲音在那里？那時候是相當安靜的。不，他們還沒有看見，在他們的生命中，祂是他們所需要的。
因此祂篩出了許多門徒，在那些接受的門徒和真門徒之間划出一條明顯的界線。而當他們回答祂說：『主啊，你有永生之道，我們還歸從誰呢』（六十八節），這時候祂已經得著了祂行這兆頭所要得著的人。
你要注意，在此有三件事，其一乃是這兆頭是關乎祂到底是誰的問題。他們是否真看見，祂乃是從天上降下來神的糧？多數人之所以离去，是因為他沒有看見。因此若是我們里面能夠得著耶穌基督的啟示，對于我們的生命是何等的重要！就是這一件事，使得使徒保羅能夠一直走到他路途的終點。哦，這位親愛的弟兄所經歷的艱難是何其多呢！想一想他所受的苦難，他所受的逼迫，和他所必須面臨的一切反對！想一想在他一生的未了所說的：『凡在亞西亞的人都离棄我』（提后一15）。是什么原因使這人能得胜到底？答案乃是他自己所說的：『神樂意將祂儿子啟示在我里面』（加一16另譯）。耶穌基督在他里面的啟示，成了他的生命。
What was the test by which they were going to be sifted out? You have the answer in this chapter. Jesus only wants those as His disciples to whom He is as necessary as their daily bread. If it should come to the choice between daily bread and the Lord Jesus, He wants the people who say 'the Lord Jesus'. That is why He said: "I am the bread of life". This is a matter of living or dying: 'Whether you have Me is a matter of life or death. The people that I want for disciples are those who know that their only life is to have
So He sifted out the many disciples, drawing a broad line between professing disciples and real disciples. And when they answered Him: "To whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life", He had got where He wanted to get with this sign.
You notice that there were three things here. One was that it was a matter of their perception as to who He really was. Did they really see that He was the Bread of God come down from Heaven? It was because the majority did not see that that they went away. How important it is for our very life that we should have an inward revelation of Jesus Christ! That was the very thing that kept the Apostle Paul going right to the very end. Oh, what a lot of trouble that dear man went through! Think of all his sufferings, all his persecutions and all that he had to meet of opposition! Think of him at the end of his life saying: "All that are in
我想我們能說，這件事在彼得和約翰以及許多其他的人身上也是真的。對我們今天在這里的人也能成為真的。我們由于圣靈的啟示得以看見耶穌是那從天上降下來神的糧，而外面的人如何需要天然的食物，我們里面的人照樣需要祂。這件事常可以從我們所揀選的看出來。例如，我們有一個机會可以使我們得屬靈的食物，而同時又有机會或受邀請可得某些物質上的享受，那么，那些真實的門徒總是要說我所要的是屬靈的食物！因為它對我比任何屬天然的快樂更為重要。這才是耶穌所期望得到的門徒：就是那些以祂為他們惟一生命的人。這种情形可用祂所用的一個詞來表達，就是『若不』（Except）：『你們若不吃人子的肉……你們若不喝人子的血，就沒有生命……』。除此之外別無選擇，你找不到別的能代替這件事。只有這件事，否則什么都沒有—或者說，就是這件
事，否則就是屬靈的死亡。
是的，祂要的是那些以祂為惟一生命的門徒，有無數的門徒要基督，也要別的；基督對他們不是全足、惟一的生命，而主就是要這一群挂名的門徒篩出去。祂一直在作這樣的事，祂在新約時代就是作這樣的事。那些臨到早期教會的逼迫乃是祂用來篩出這种門徒的方法，并且歷代以來祂也用了許多的方法來作這件事。祂今天也在作同樣的事。哦，神在基督徒當中所進行的是一個何等厲害的篩的工作！這工作在東方已經開始，并且將要擴展到西方，西方世界無法免去祂這工作。無數自稱是基督的門徒的人，將被顯明他們的本相。因此在基督所強調的這一點上，我們必須非常清楚而有把握。如果基督不是我們惟一的生命，我們將會离去，因為遲早在這試驗跟前我我們要站立不住。
但在未了，我們要說到一件較令人欣慰的事。這事是這兆頭的奇跡。祂在每一件事上都是從很小的地方開始。在我們的英譯本圣經中有一句話：『在這里有一個少年人』（九節），但希腊原文說：『在這里有一個小孩』，可能這小孩受他母親差遺，帶著一籃子的餅和魚出去賣，以便維持她的生活，那些离家的群眾就對他提供了一個很好做生意的机會。因此他盡量接近前面，他獻上了他的『貨物』，對于將要發生的事充滿了好奇心。結果使他大為惊訝！耶穌把他的几塊小圓餅和几條小魚拿在手中，禱告之后祂就開始遞給門徒。祂給了，再給，再給，不斷的給，直到那五千人中的每一個人都得著他們所能吃的，并吃飽為止，而且后來還有許多剩下來的。耶穌所給的生命是何等的沒有窮盡！祂是沒有終了，也不受任何限制！
I think we can say that that was true of Peter and John, and of many others. It may be true of some of us here today. We have seen who Jesus is by revelation of the Holy Spirit. He is the very Bread of God come down from Heaven and is as necessary to our inward man as natural food is to our outward man. That is so often proved by our choices. If, on the one hand, there is an opportunity for some spiritual food, and on the other hand there is an opportunity or invitation for some natural enjoyment, the true disciple always says: 'I am for the spiritual food! That is more important to me than all natural pleasures.' This is the kind of disciple that Jesus must have: those to whom He is the only life. That is gathered into this word which He used: 'Except'... 'Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man... Except ye drink His blood ye have not life.' There are no alternatives to this. There is nothing that you can put into the place of this. It is this, or nothing - or, it is this or spiritual death.
Yes, He wants disciples to whom He is the only life, not just life and something else. There are whole multitudes of disciples who want Christ and something else, to whom Christ is not all-sufficient, the only life, and the Lord is going to sift out this large body who carry the name of 'disciples'. He has always done it. He did it in New Testament times. The mighty persecutions which came upon the early Church were His means of sifting out, and through the ages He has done this thing by many means. He is doing it in the world today. Oh, what a tremendous sifting is going on amongst Christians! It is already beginning in the east and is going to develop in the west - the western world is not going to escape this. The great multitudes who may call themselves by the name of Christ's disciples are going to be found out. Let us be quite clear and certain on this point. If Christ is not our only life we are going out, for sooner or later we shall not be able to stand up to the test.
But we come to a happier note to finish with, and that is the wonder of this sign. He began with everything very small. In our translation it says: "There is a lad here", but in the Greek it is: "There is a little child here". The probability is that this lad had been sent out by his mother with a basket of loaves and fishes to sell for her support, and that the multitude away from home presented to him a good opportunity for business. So he got as near to the front as possible, offering his wares, and at the same time, like all boys, full of curiosity as to what was happening. He got a big surprise! When I was sitting downstairs yesterday I saw someone come in with a huge basket in which there were loaves about a metre long. Now, don't think of loaves like that with this boy. They were probably just little round pieces of baked dough, and only a few of them. And the fishes were very small. And Jesus took that into His hands, and after He had prayed He began to give to the disciples. He gave, and gave and gave, and still He went on giving until every one of the five thousand people had had all that they could eat and were filled. And then there was a lot over afterward. How inexhaustible is the life that Jesus gives! There is no end and no limitation to it.
親愛的朋友，這并不僅僅是某些我們用來說說的事情而已，它是非常真實的。也許我們會一再、一再地像安得烈那樣令人怀疑的樂觀的人。我們可能面臨一种的局面，并說：『那里會有那么多的餅叫這些人吃飽呢？』但主已經應付了那需要，并且永遠是有多出來的。也許我們今天已經『滿』了，但明天還有更多的。
這一點是很實際的。如果你回到你自己的生活中，你就知道每天都有要求臨到你身上，而且有時候這些要求可能是你無法應付的，于是你就說：『我不知道如何越過這難關！我也不知道如何應付這需要！』請你記得，你有生命的主住在你里面，在祂里面有無窮盡的生命。你今天可以過得丰丰富富的，當明天來到時也是一樣，直到你一生的最后一刻仍然一樣。
我求主耶穌使我們在這聚會未了時，祂自己在這种方式里得榮耀——就是求祂使我越講越丰富。這就是在主耶穌基督這人里面，臨到我們的生命的特性。
但愿我們學習靠祂而活！我所說的『活』，并不是光指『生存』而已。我所指的乃是按天然來說我們決不可能有的『活』。
Dear friends, this is not just something that we are saying. It is very true. Again and again we have been the doubtful optimists like Andrew. We have faced a situation and said: 'Well, whence will there be bread enough for this?' But the Lord has met the need and there has always been something over. We need never, never come to an end when we have this life, for it is an inexhaustible life. There is always something more. We may be filled today, but there is more for tomorrow.
Now that is very practical. If you go back to your own life, you know that every day will make demands upon you, and sometimes the demands may seem too big for you, and you may say: 'I wonder how I am going to get through! I wonder how I am going to meet this situation!' Remember, you have the Lord of Life in you, and He is inexhaustible in His life. You may have fullness for today and then for tomorrow when it comes, and right to the end.
I am asking that at the end the Lord Jesus will be glorified in this way - that I have more than when I started. That is the kind of life that has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
May we learn to live by Him! And when I say 'live', I do not mean just exist. I mean live, in a way that naturally we could never live.
7、胜過天然能力的屬天生命
『耶穌在門徒面前，另外行了許多神跡，沒有記在這書上；但記這些事，要叫你們信耶穌是基督，是神的儿子；并且叫你們信了祂，就可以因祂的名得生命』（約二十30—31）。
耶穌在祂的門徒面前行了許多神跡，約翰就從其中挑選几個，使作祂門徒的人能相信并因此得生命。因此，訓練門徒最后所達到的境界乃是生命。我們已經看過約翰為此所選擇的七個兆頭：就是耶穌在祂門徒面前所行的，是用來產生生命的。
我們也是主的門徒，所以祂也要以相同的方式訓練我們，使得祂對我們的訓練所產生的結果，乃是祂的生命活在我們里面。
現在我們來看這些兆頭的第五個。
讀經：約翰六章十六至二十一節
這個故事并不長，卻是相當完滿。因為這是約翰從許多兆頭中挑選出來的一個，他既然從那么多兆頭中選定了它作為他七個兆頭中的一個，他必定認為它是非常重要的。
請注意這件事是單為門徒而行的。因為當時群眾都已經离開了，耶穌所應付的只是門徒而已。因此，這件事對門徒的訓練是非常重要的。
馬太与馬可都記載這件事，而且他們所記的比約翰更為詳盡，那就意味著約翰自己只是有一個目的，為此他就刪減他的內容，只為達到一個目標。但在馬太和馬可福音里面說，耶穌催門徒上船，這個『催』是很強的一個字：它的意思是『使變成必須』——耶穌使門徒覺得需要上船。
在新約圣經中這個『催』字另有几种不同的翻譯，它們會使你覺得這個字是十分強烈的。
Chapter 7 - Divine Life: Triumphant Over Natural Forces
The matter with which we are occupied in these days is the training of disciples. One of the passages which was at the foundation was: "Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name" (John 20:30,31).
Jesus did many signs in the presence of His disciples, and John says that out of those many he selected a few, that they might lead the disciples into faith through which they would receive life. So the training of disciples is unto life. We have been seeing something of these seven signs that John chose for that purpose: seven signs given by Jesus in the presence of His disciples and intended to result in life.
We are the Lord's disciples also, and He would train us in the same way, so that the result of His training of us might be His own life in us.
We now come to the fifth of these signs.
This is not a very long story, but it is very full. It is one sign which John selected out of the many, and if he decided, out of so many, to include this one in his seven, he must have regarded it as being very important.
You will have noticed that this was something for the disciples alone. The multitude had gone away, and Jesus was going to deal with the disciples alone. It was therefore something very important as to their training.
Both Matthew and Mark record this incident, and they have more to say about it than John has, which means that John had just his one object and was reducing this whole thing to one purpose. But in Matthew and Mark it says that Jesus constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and that word 'constrain' is a very strong word. It means 'to make necessary' - Jesus made it necessary for them to get into that boat. That word 'constrain' is translated in several other ways in the New Testament, and they will give you some idea of how strong the word is.
你或許記得那一個關于患血漏婦人的故事，她擠在人群中間，摸主耶穌衣裳的禭子，祂知道有能力從祂身上出去。耶穌周圍看看說：『誰摸我？』門徒說：『夫子，眾人擁擁擠擠緊靠著你，你還問，摸我的是誰麼？』（路八45），在希腊文里面這里的『擁擁擠擠』和『催』是同一個字。你曾否擠在人潮里過？當你擠在一大群人中間時，你是多沒辦法！如果人潮是向著某方向，而你要朝另一方去是非常困難的。他們『催』著你朝著他們的方向而走。因此你看得出這是一個強烈的字。
另一個例子乃是當耶穌被抓去受審時，經上說：『看守耶穌的人』，這句話里就使用了与『催』相同的一個字。我希望這里沒有人曾經被強有力的警察逮捕過！但你如果真有這樣的經驗，你就知道，你想要逃跑是沒有用的。因為他就這樣抓住了你，說：『你跟我來』，你反抗也是沒有用的。他『催』你走，這就是圣經記載當時耶穌催門徒上船時所用的字。祂并不是以請求的口气說：『現在我希望你們上那條船。』祂卻是這樣說：『我要你們上那條船并到對岸去。』
你或許以為我在這方面說得太多了，但底下你會看見這個字對這個兆頭是非常重要的。
耶穌曾對腓力說：『我們從那里買餅叫這些人吃呢？祂說這話是要試驗腓力，祂自己原知道要怎樣行』（約六5）。當時祂既然知道祂要如何使五千人吃飽；因此，當祂催門徒上船時，祂當然也知道要作什么。那就是說，在祂心思里早已有了一個計划和一個目標——祂早預定好這件
事要成為他們受訓的一部分。耶穌總是把門徒們放進諸般的環境中，藉此使他們覺得須要對祂自己有新的『發現』。我們看過，這一點在使五千人吃飽的事上，是多實在。祂故意把祂的門徒們放進某种的環境中，使他們絕對需要對祂自己有某些新的發現。這也正是在現在這种情況中祂所要作的。在湖中所發生的狂風大浪，對耶穌來說，并不足為奇——祂在事情發生之前就知道了——所以祂就催門徒上船。
底下我們就要從這故事本身來看其中的兆頭。我認為在這兆頭中含有四個兆頭，但我們要記得：一個兆頭要比一個實際的事件含意更廣，也就是說，這件事具有比它本身更深入的意義。另外，我們要知道主耶穌的工作与教訓都著眼于將來，而整個將來都包容在這兆頭里面。
You will remember the incident when the woman with her infirmity pressed through the multitude and touched the hem of the Lord's garment, and Jesus knew that virtue had gone out of Him. He looked round and said: 'Who touched Me?' The disciples said: "Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?" (Luke 8:45 - A.V.). That word 'throng thee' is the same word in the Greek as this word 'constrain'. Have you ever been in a multitude? How helpless you are when you get into a great crowd of people! If they are all moving in one direction, it is no use trying to go in the other. They constrain you to go their way. As you see, it is a strong word.
Then, when Jesus was arrested to stand His trial, it says: "And the men that held Jesus" (Luke 22:63). That word is the same as is here translated 'constrained'. I hope that no one here has ever been arrested by a strong policeman! But if that has ever been your experience, you know it is no use trying to get away. He just takes hold of you and says: 'Come with me', and it is no use resisting him. He constrains you to go - and that is the word. Jesus constrained His disciples to get into that boat. It was not just a request - He did not say: 'Now, I would like you to get into that boat.' He said: 'I want you to get into that boat and go over to the other side.'
You may think that is just a lot of words, but you will see before we have finished that it is very important to this sign.
Now if Jesus knew what He would do about feeding the five thousand when He asked Philip: "Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do" (John 6:5), He knew quite well what He was doing when He constrained the disciples to get into that boat. That is, He had a plan and a purpose already in His mind - it was a deliberate part of their training. Jesus was always putting these disciples into situations which would make it necessary for them to make a new discovery of Himself. We saw how true that was in the case of the feeding of the five thousand. He deliberately put His disciples into a situation which made it absolutely necessary for them to discover something new of Him. And that is exactly what He was doing on this occasion. The storm that took place on the lake was no surprise to Jesus - He knew all about it before it happened. He knew it was going to happen - and He constrained them to get into the boat.
So we come from the story to the sign. I think there are four signs inside this one sign, but let us remind ourselves of this - that a sign is something more than an actual event. It implies that the event has a deeper meaning than itself. John does not call this a miracle: he calls it a sign. He says that there is a meaning hidden inside this event, and we are going to see what a very great meaning there was in it. For we must remember that Jesus knew all things. He was always teaching and working in the light of the future, and the whole future was inside this sign.
現在我們就來看其中的細節。這時候耶穌正在山上禱告，在那里代求。『山』在圣經中都有屬靈的意義；在此乃代表『高處』。因此在這兆頭中的頭一件事乃是說出：耶穌已被高舉坐在『高天至大者寶座的右邊』（來一3）。作詩的人預言到耶穌時，說：『你已升上高天，擄掠仇敵』（詩六十八8）。『使祂從死里复活，叫祂在天上坐在自己的右邊，遠超遇一切執政的……』（弗一20-21）。祂在天上作什么呢？希伯來
書的作者告訴我們：『祂是長遠活著替他們祈求』（來七25）。
祂在屬天的山上禱告，為圣徒代求。『你已升上高天』，『你在為人代求』，那就是這兆頭的內容。耶穌按著心中對將來的展望進行祂的工作，祂也預見將來有一天『天上地下一切的權柄都賜給祂了』的實現，我們要說：連海上的權柄也都賜給祂了。
其次，請注意在海上的兆頭。我盼望你知道『海』在圣經中乃是代表這世界和其中的万國。當耶穌呼召在海上的漁夫西門時，祂說：『我要使你得人如得魚一樣』（太四19），換句話說：『我要差遣你到万國中成為得人的漁夫。』加利利海只不過是這世界和其人民的一個表號。彼得在五旬節得了一大群的『魚』。圣經中對當時的群眾有一句簡括的話：『從天下各國來』（徒二5），這位偉大的屬靈漁夫在五旬節的日子撒下了他的网，得了一大网的魚。所以很顯然的，『海』乃是指世界中的万國。
但世上的万國是多煩亂不安！海本身就不是一個平靜的東西，它總是在改變，而你絕不能對它有什么把握。有時它起了狂風大浪，有時它似乎平靜安宁，但它總是非常不穩定。那天晚上門徒們坐船出發時，海面似乎相當平靜，但不久就起了變化。你也許記得保羅最后一次航行到羅馬，當他們起航時，海面極為平靜，但不久照樣起了很大的變化。海的改變實在太快了！世上的万國是何等的煩亂不安，整個世界的局勢也是何等的不穩定！或許這世界從來沒有一個時候像今天這樣的動蕩不定，万國都在一片喧囂的光景中。
耶穌就這樣故意叫這些人進入海中，前面所說的，就是海的兆頭，或是海的意義。
Now look at the details. Jesus at this time was up in the mountain praying, making intercession, and you know that mountains in the Bible always have a spiritual significance. They speak of the high places. So the first thing we have inside this sign is Jesus exalted to "the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3). The Psalmist, in prophesying about Jesus, said: "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led thy captivity captive" (Psalm 68:18). "He raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all" (Ephesians 1:20). And what is He doing up there? The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us: "He ever liveth to make intercession" (Hebrews 7:25).
He is praying, making intercession for the saints, up in the heavenly mountain. "Thou hast ascended on high" - 'Thou art making intercession.' That is in this sign. Jesus was working with the future in mind and was foreseeing the time when it would be true that 'all authority had been given unto Him in heaven and on earth' - and, we may say, on the sea as well.
That is the sign in general. Jesus is up on high making intercession, and He was already, by this sign, telling the disciples something about what it would be like in the future.
Then, next, note the sign of the sea. I expect you know that the sea is often used in the Bible as a type of the world and the nations of this world. When Jesus called Simon, the fisherman, from the sea He said: "I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19) - in other words: 'I will send you into the nations to be fishers.' The
But how restless the nations are! The sea is a very restless thing. It is always changing, and you can never be sure of it. Sometimes it is in a tempest, and then sometimes it seems to be quiet and placid, but it is a very uncertain thing. When the disciples set out that evening the sea seemed to be quite quiet, but it was not long before it changed its face. You will remember, on Paul's last journey to
Now Jesus deliberately sent these men into the sea, and that is the sign of the sea, or the meaning of the sea.
狂風又說出什么？什么是這狂風的兆頭呢？它說出有一陣大風在吹著——『忽然狂風大作』，指邪惡的勢力橫行在這世界的万國中，空中滿了
這些邪惡的勢力，而這些勢力像風一樣的引發諸般的事物來反對神的百姓。這种光景在今天比以前任何時代更為實在。這是一個何等強勁的風吹向著神的百姓！在許多國家中，像蘇俄、中國、剛果以及許多其他的地方，邪惡的勢力正在反抗著主的百姓，挑起事端來反對他們。但我們不須親自去這些國家就能證明這种光景。如果我們是主的百姓，我們就都能覺察出反對我們的邪惡勢力。是的，有一個強風在吹著，是沖著我們而來的，要逆向著它『航行』的确是相當吃力的。主也曾對祂的門徒說過：時候要到，『他們都要因祂名的緣故被万民恨惡。』祂說：『在世上你們有苦難』（約十四33）。是的，祂已經告訴過他們，事情將要如此，當他們進入万國中間時，他們要發覺每一件事情都和他們相敵對。祂很早就知道這一切了……，但祂仍差他們進入這『海』中。
其次是祂在海面上的行走。我們要注意，雖然耶穌是在山上，門徒們是在海上，祂仍知道他們一切的情況：祂与他們之間并沒有失去聯系。祂清清楚楚的知道所發生的一切事情。這雖然是一件簡單的事，卻是相當叫人得安慰的。如果祂是在天上（我不知道那是在什么地方），而我們是在這地上，即使有這么大的距离，祂還是十分清楚我們的景況，祂与我們所處的環境是分不開的。
他們既然在這海上，當然要受這海權勢的壓制。前此，他們曾在同一個海上，同樣的遭遇狂風；那時他們把主叫醒說：『夫子，我們喪命喇』（路八24）。這一次和那一次是同樣的經歷，他們在這樣的情形下，被這些反抗的勢力所淹沒，似乎是必然的事，因為這些力量太強了，是他們所胜不過的。按天然來說，他們必定是要被制伏的。就在這時候耶穌走在海面上，要到他們那里去。
那天晚上門徒學到了什么功課？他們認識了：只要有耶穌同在，一切必然發生的事情都要整個被扭轉過來。祂超越過一切天然的勢力。祂的生命要此一切和祂相敵對的勢力更具權能。這是祂所想要教導門徒們的。
What about the storm? What is the sign of the storm? It says that a great wind was blowing - 'there arose a strong wind'. There are evil forces at work over and around the nations of this world - the very atmosphere is full of them, and these forces, like the wind, are stirring up things against the people of God. That was never more true than it is today. What a mighty wind is blowing against the people of God! In so many nations, in
Next, the sign of His walking on the sea. We note here in this story that although Jesus was away up on the mountain, and they were away down on the sea, He knew all about their situation. He was not out of touch with them. He knew exactly what was happening. That is, of course, simple, but it is very comforting. If He is in Heaven (and I do not know where that is), and we are down here on this earth, even if there is a long way between the two, He knows all about our situation. He is closely in touch with the position that we are in.
The natural thing was that they would be overpowered and forced under by this sea. There was an occasion, you remember, when they were on the same sea and the same kind of storm arose. That time they awoke the Lord Jesus, saying: "Master, we perish" (Luke 8:24). This was another experience like that, and it was quite the natural thing that these adverse forces should drown them, should prove to be too strong for them. Naturally they would go under. And Jesus came to them walking on the water.
What did the disciples learn that night? That if Jesus is present all the natural course of things is reversed. Natural laws are just turned round the other way. He has ascendancy over all the natural forces. His life is more powerful than all the forces which are against it. And that is what He was trying to teach these disciples.
現在我們可以把這件事應用在我們自己的經歷上，因為我們知道在這世上敵擋我們的是什么，也知道那些反對我們的巨大的屬靈力量。而且可能有很多人也知道這故事的另外一面——按天然來說，我們可能多次早
就伏在這些勢力之下，因為這些勢力是太具威勢了，是我們自己無法胜過的。那在我們自己里面天然的力量太大，是我們胜不過的。要使我們伏在我們自己的努力、我們自己的環境、其他的人、甚至其他的基督徒的天然力量之下，并不難；保羅曾經和在哥林多信徒的天然力量厲害的爭戰過。此外，還有在這世上的天然力量，而所有的這些天然力量又從超然的邪惡勢力得著加倍的力量，也就是在我們自己或其他人之外，另有一個『東西』在作祟，那惡者激動我們里面、經過我們工作，也經過其他的人工作，并且制造了一些環境。我向你們承認，有一個在新約圣經中，我一直無法解決的問題，就是保羅說：『我們有意到你們那里，我保羅有一兩次要去，只是撒但阻擋了我們』（帖前二18）。我一直無法解釋這件事！但你可以看出仇敵要直接反對在這世上屬于主的一切；而且他的能力所驅使的天然的事情是你我所難以應付的。我們的确能證明這件事。我們不須要在我們自己之外來證明這件事。我們豈不知在我們里面有一些力量是我們所胜不過的么？若是主不管我們，任其發展，這些力量豈不是要胜過我們并把我們制伏么？
是的，湖上的風暴在主百姓屬靈生活中，有極真實而類似的光景。但是我所要說的乃是：我們并沒有屈服，我們這些主的百姓并沒有被制伏！仇敵多盼望能胜過我們；有人也一直想把我們踩在腳底下；這世界也很想制伏我們，但迄今我們仍未被制伏。為什么呢？是因為我們十分剛強么？哦，不，絕非如此！是因為我們有十分堅強的意念么？是因我們說：『我是不會被制伏的！』么？這是仇敵立刻能接受的挑戰。哦，不，絕不是這樣。那乃是因為耶穌在我們里面，就是能在水面上行走的那位。祂不需要与水或風搏斗，祂把這些都踩在腳下：『天上地下所有的權柄，都賜給我了，所以你們要去，使万民作我的門徒』（太二十八18-19）。你們在世上會遭遇許多的狂風，但是『看哪，在一切的日子里，我都和你們同在』（太二十八20另譯）我們能站住是因為祂生命的權能胜過了世上一切的『狂風』。
耶穌藉著他的作為來教導門徒，后來他們就更從自己生活中的經歷和實際的遭遇得著證實。
Now, of course, we can interpret this in our own experience, for we know something about adversity in this world and the tremendous spiritual forces that are against us. But perhaps many of us know the other side of the story - that naturally we should many times have gone under and these other forces would have proved to be far too powerful for us. The natural forces in our own selves are far too strong for us. It is not difficult for us to go down under the natural forces in our own make-up, in our circumstances, in other people, and, yes, even in other Christians - Paul had a real battle with the natural forces in the believers at Corinth. And then there are the natural forces in this world - but all these natural forces are reinforced by super-natural evil forces. There is something more than ourselves and other people - there is the devil working in and through us, working through other people and creating circumstances. I confess to you that one of the problems in the New Testament which I have never solved is something that Paul said: "We would fain have come unto you, I Paul once and again; and Satan hindered us" (1 Thessalonians 2:18). I have never been able to explain that! But, you see, the enemy is right up against what is of the Lord in this world, and his power reinforcing the natural things is far too much for you and for me. Surely we have all proved that! We do not have to go outside ourselves. Do we not know that there are forces inside us which are too strong for us? If we were left to ourselves they would overpower us and put us under.
Yes, this storm on the lake has a very real counterpart in the spiritual life of the Lord's people. But what I began to say was this: that we have not yet gone under. We who are the Lord's people are not under yet! The enemy has had a good try to put us under; people have had a good try to put us under; and the world has had a good try to put us under - but so far we are not under. Why is that? Because we are so strong? Oh no, never that! Because we have such a determined will? Because we say: 'I am not going under!'? That is a challenge to the devil which he will quickly take up. Oh no, it is nothing like that. It is because this same Jesus is inside, this One who can walk upon the water. He is not struggling with the water or the Wind - He has them under His feet: "All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:18,19). 'You will find plenty of storms there, but "lo, I am with you all the days" (Matthew 28:19).' It is the power of His life that is stronger than all the storms.
Jesus taught the disciples this in His act, and they lived to prove it in their own experience and history.
請注意最后這件事。當我們把自己的一生交托在基督手中時，并不是永遠蒙保守脫离難處。祂卻常有意把我們帶進難處中。祂要『催』我們上那船。當然，我們并不知道將要發生什么事，但我們卻知道主正在帶領我們朝某一方向而去——于是我們就遇到了難處。我們必須這樣說：
『是主把我帶進這難處中，我雖在這環境中，但有主負一切的責任。』我們可能把自己完全交托給主，但這樣并不是說，此后我們可保沒有難處發生。如果你們以為：藉著把自己徹底的奉獻給主，你就要蒙拯救脫离難處；那你不久要發現并非如此，許多年青的基督徒都是這樣。當我自己年青時，我常想：『只要我完全為著主，主就完全為著我，我也就絕不會有任何難處了。』這些年日過來，我發覺我弄錯了。不，完全交托的人并未蒙拯救脫离難處，但是主卻使他們超越難處，或者使我們靠著祂的能力得以從難處中經過。難處并沒有毀滅他們。難處在主的手中，反成為主教導他們某些極其寶貴功課的憑藉，事后他們要說：『經歷這一切難處是值得的。』凡管教的事，當時不覺得快樂，反覺得愁苦。后來卻……結出平安的果子，就是義』（來十二11）。
我不知道當這些門徒到達對岸時說了些什么話！我想若是有机會在一起交談，他們會說：『哦，這是多可怕的經歷！我當時真不知道將要發生什么事，但我對基督的能力學了一個偉大的功課，就是把世上任何東西給我，我也不愿失去這經歷。』
因此我們的屬靈教育，乃是在于『必須』這個詞，因為它是『催』字的真實意義。祂使門徒必須上船，而我們也必須有這樣的經歷，因為惟獨藉著這類的經歷，我們才發現：我們所得著的是何等的一位基督，神所賜給我們是何等奇妙的永生。
Note this last thing. When our life is committed to Christ we are not always kept from trouble. He very often deliberately leads us into it. He constrains us to get into that boat. Of course, we do not know what is going to happen, but we do know that the Lord is making us go in a certain direction - and then we meet trouble. We have to say: 'Well, the Lord has brought us into this trouble. He is responsible for our being in this situation.' We may be wholly committed to the Lord, but that does not mean that we are going to be kept free from trouble. If you think that by being thoroughly devoted to the Lord you are going to be saved from trouble, you are going to find that that is not true. A lot of young Christians think like that. When I was a young Christian I used to think: 'If only I am out and out for the Lord, He will be out and out for me and I will never have any trouble.' I have lived to see that that is a mistake. No, wholly committed people are not saved from trouble, but they are made ascendant over it, or they are kept through it by His power. The trouble does not destroy them. It becomes the means in the Lord's hands of teaching them some very valuable lessons, and afterward they say: 'It was worth all the trouble.' "All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous, but grievous: yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit... of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11).
I wonder what these disciples said when they reached the other side! I expect, if they had an opportunity to talk together, they said: 'Well, that was a terrible experience! I really wondered what was going to happen - but I have learnt a mighty lesson of Christ's power and I would not be without the experience for anything.'
So, you see, our spiritual education rests upon this word 'necessity', for that is the real word for 'constrain'. He made it necessary for the disciples to get into the boat, and it is necessary for us to have experiences like this, because it is only by such experiences that we discover what a Christ we have, and what a wonderful thing is this eternal life.
8、屬天的生命与屬靈的看見
讀經：約翰第九章
我們曾經指出，耶穌藉著叫五千人吃飽的兆頭，進入了祂職事的新階段。也就是沖突的階段。由于那次的工作，引起了很大的沖突，從此以后，祂就處于爭論的气氛中。
當我們來到本章的故事中時，我們就要看見：這個沖突正在加劇，決裂正在擴大中，而最終是完全決裂。在本故事中對這人的強烈說法乃是：『于是把他赶出去了。』結果就造成了完全的決裂。
決裂所造成的兩面越過越清楚越确定：一邊是宗教，另外相對的一邊乃是屬靈的看見；一邊是傳統，另一邊是啟示；一邊是歷史的系統，另一邊是屬靈的實際；一邊是『摩西』的門徒（請注意他們在第廿八節所說的：『你是他的門徒，我們是摩西的門徒』），另一邊是基督的門徒。這兩邊越离越遠，他們之間的區別越過越明顯。一邊是宗教、傳統、歷史系統和『摩西』；另一邊則是屬靈的看見、啟示、屬靈的實際和基督的門徒。
這整個沖突和決裂都集中在一件事情上面。約翰在他福音的開頭就說：『生命在祂里頭，這生命就是人的光』（約一4）。一切爭論的焦點乃是：從生命中出來的光。你可以從本章圣經看出這兩邊前途的不同。就著反對的這一邊來說，事情顯得相當絕望。你只要把整個故事讀過，就會看出猶太宗教的背景是何等的絕望。在本章未了的話可以很清楚的說明這一點。耶穌對于整個這一邊的宣判乃是：『你們的罪還在』。宗教、傳統、歷史系統以及『摩西』的門徒，制造了一個絕望的局面——這
樣說是不得了的一件事，但這不是我說的，是主耶穌下的宣判。你只要把充滿爭論的几章圣經讀過，再來看我們下一章所要思考的部分，就會同意說：整個猶太教是何等的沒有指望。
另一面我們看見的這人，代表著另外一班人。我相信，我們都屬于這人所代表的一班人——也就是能說：『有一件事我知道，從前我是瞎眼
的，如今能看見了』的一班人。与前述絕望局面相對立的，就是這种奇妙的指望：一個新的希望已經進入這人的生命中，并且他也已經進入這個新希望的境界中。
Chapter 8 - Divine Life by Spiritual Sight
We have pointed out that with the sign of the feeding of the five thousand Jesus entered upon a new phase of His ministry, that is, upon the phase of conflict. There arose a great deal of conflict out of that work, and from that time He was in an atmosphere of controversy.
When we come to this incident we see how the conflict is intensifying and the division is widening, and the end of this incident is complete division. The emphatic statement concerning this man is: "And they cast him out", and that made the division complete.
The two sides were becoming increasingly distinct and definite. On the one side there was religion, and over against that was spiritual sight. On the one side there was tradition, and on the other side there was revelation. On the one side there was the historic system, and on the other side was spirituality. On the one side there were disciples of "Moses" - you notice what they said in verse 28: "Thou art his disciples; but we are disciples of Moses" - and on the other side there were the disciples of Christ. And these two sides were getting further and further apart - the distinction between these things was becoming more manifest. On the one side religion, tradition, historic system, "Moses": on the other spiritual sight, revelation, a spiritual state and disciples of Christ.
The whole of this conflict and division focused upon one thing. John had opened his Gospel with these words: "In him was life: and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4), and that was the focal point of all this controversy: Light through life. And you see the difference in the prospect or outlook of these two sides. So far as the opposition was concerned the situation had become quite hopeless. You have only to read the whole of this story and you will see how hopeless was the Jewish situation. The words at the end of the chapter we have just read indicate that quite clearly. The verdict of the Lord Jesus upon that whole side was: "Your sin remaineth". It is a great thing to say that religion, tradition, historic system and disciples of "Moses" create a hopeless situation, but that is not my verdict: it is the verdict of the Lord Jesus. And you have only to read through these chapters of controversy and come to that which we shall be considering in the next chapter, and you will agree that that whole situation was a hopeless one.
On the other side was this man, the representative of another class. I trust that we all belong to this man's class - the class which is able to say: "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." Over against this hopeless situation was this wonderful hopefulness. A new hope had come into this man's life, and he had come into a new hope.
我們曾經說過這兩班人之間整個沖突的焦點乃是：從生命中出來的光。耶穌說他們都是瞎眼的，而這人本來与所有其他的人并沒有什么不同。當然，他原先的瞎眼是肉身上的，但那也是屬靈上瞎眼的一個顯著的記號。所有其他的人在屬靈上和他一樣是瞎眼的。但區別希望和絕望的一件事乃是：他知道他是瞎眼的，而他們不知道自己是瞎眼的，這就是希望和絕望之間的關鍵所在。這是毫無疑問的，因為他自己說：『有一件事我知道，從前我是瞎眼的……』可是其他的人雖然同樣是瞎眼的，卻不知道。其中的不同是這樣的：這人覺察到在他里面一個可怕天然方面的限制，他對于這限制知道得很清楚。他每過一天，都感覺到它的存在。他每天必須被人用手牽到同樣的地方去乞求度日。呈現在我們面前的這人乃是一個天天感覺到自己是『無靠』的人。
与這种光景相反的，乃是另外一班每天活在『自足』之感覺中的人。天然的限制与天然的自足彼此發生了沖突。請再看看這人的光景。
那些門徒們對主發了一個神秘的問題，我們不准備來解釋它：『這人生來是瞎眼的，是誰犯了罪，是這人呢？是他父母呢？』那就是說，他們和一般人一樣，都以為人的『靈』有它早期的存在，并且人來到這世界之先，已經有過一段歷史了。這或許是純迷信的看法，不過我們不想在這一點上耗費我們的精神，因它与我們的主題沒有多大的關連。他們以這問題問主之后，祂只是輕描淡寫的回答了几句：『也不是這人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪。』不管怎樣，這人是生來就有缺陷的；是的，每一個人都是這樣——我們生來的共同缺陷，乃是
屬靈上的瞎眼。
不論我們身上的缺陷是那一种形態，它都是藉以顯明神主宰權能的机會。這里的缺陷是屬靈上的瞎眼，但我們都有各种不同生來的缺陷。在你的生命中有什么事始終是你最大的難處？你豈不是在主所呼召你的事上感覺自己是多么夠不上么？你發現主對你有所要求，卻感覺你里面沒有什么能符合這要求。
We were saying that the whole conflict focused upon this one thing: light through life. Jesus said that they were all blind, and to begin with there was no difference between this man and all the others. Of course, his was physical blindness, but it is quite evident that that was only a sign of spiritual blindness. All these others were just as blind as he was in a spiritual way. But the thing which made the difference between hope and hopelessness was just this: he knew he was blind and they did not, and hope or hopelessness turned upon that. There is no doubt about it - this man knew he was blind: "One thing I know... whereas I was blind". There is no question about that. However, these people were just as blind, but they did not know it. The difference was this: that there was in this man a terrible natural limitation of which he was conscious. He knew all about his limitation. Every day that he lived he was made aware of it. He had to be led by the hand and put in the same place every day to beg for his living. The picture of this man is of one who is every day aware of his dependence.
Over against that were these other people, and they lived every day in their own sense of self-sufficiency. Natural limitation and natural self-sufficiency were in conflict, just look at this man again.
The disciples asked a mysterious question, and we are not going to try to explain it: "Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?'' That only means they had the idea, which was a common one, of the pre-existence of spirits, and that people had a history before they came into this world. That may have been pure superstition, but we are not going to try to wrestle with that one, as it does not concern us very much. They asked the Lord that question and He just disposed of it: "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents". All it amounts to is that the man was born with a handicap, and, of course, that is true of everybody. It is just as true of us as it was of this man - the handicap with which we are all born is spiritual blindness.
Whatever form our handicap may take, it is meant to be an opportunity for the sovereignty of God. Here it is spiritual blindness, but we all have various kinds of handicaps with which we are born. What has been one of your greatest problems in life? Is it not that you feel yourself to be quite unfit for that to which the Lord calls you? You find that the Lord makes demands upon you and are conscious that it is not in you to meet them.
請你回憶一下摩西的光景。當耶和華遇見摩西，且吩咐他到埃及去把以色列人拯救出來時，他想要逃避這命令，最后沒辦法，他只好說他是有缺陷的人。可能他以為：『這么一來，耶和華就對我沒辦法了！』他說：『我素來不是能言的人，這件工作需要一個雄辯家，一個會講道的人。我不是這件工作的适當人選。耶和華阿，你找錯人了；耶和華阿，你不知道你在作什么！』你可以這樣去揣摸他在神面前的態度。但耶和華怎樣對摩西說呢？『誰造人的口呢？如果是我造你的口，我就知道我造的是怎樣的一個口。如果我造你的口使你不善講話，這反而成了我藉著你說話更好的机會。我豈不是花了四十年的工夫，要把你的才能倒空么？這樣作，是為了使我得榮耀，而不是你得榮耀。』
這些猶太人說：『我們是摩西的門徒』——但實際上他們對摩西是何
等的虛謊！他們或許會說：『沒問題，我們能遵行摩西的話！』不，他們并不是摩西的真實門徒。
請再回憶一下耶利米的光景。當耶和華呼召耶利米并給他一個重大的托付，差他到以色列人那里去時，他的表現和摩西完全一樣。他想要逃避這命令，他的理由是：『我不知怎么說，因為我是年幼的。耶和華對他說：你不要說，我是年幼的；因為我差遣你到誰那里去，你都要去：我吩咐你說什么話，你都要說』（耶一6-7）。
這些例子都說出一些天生有缺陷的人，卻給主最好的机會來顯明祂的作為。若是主要求我們必須公義，我們應立刻說：『在我里頭，就是在我肉體之中，沒有良善』（羅七18），我們應當這樣轉向祂要求的另一面：『哦，我并不好，在我里面沒有頁善，在這件善事上我完全絕望。』
關于這方面主在祂的話語中說了很多。我們有一卷很長的羅馬書！『神的義，因信耶穌基督，加給一切相信的人』（羅三22），我們知道在這一卷書中的教訓是什么，可是我們卻常活在這天然的缺陷之下。我可以繼續講許多我們天生的缺陷——我們多半都确知，若照我們的
本相都不适合于主對我們的要求。我們發現我們是這樣的被生下來；但能成就主的要求的，并不在我們天然的人里面。我們是有這种缺陷的人，而主卻因這神跡（兆頭）在我們身上大得安慰。
You remember Moses. When the Lord met Moses and gave him the command to go into
These people said: "We are disciples of Moses" - but how false to Moses they were! They would have said: 'Oh, we can do it!' No, they were not true disciples of Moses.
You remember Jeremiah. The Lord called Jeremiah and gave him a great commission to
These are examples of men born with a handicap but providing the Lord with a great opportunity to show what He can do. If the Lord requires of us that we should be righteous, we will at once say: "In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing" (Romans 7:18). And how often we turn to that side: 'Oh, I am no good. There is no good in me. In this matter of goodness I am perfectly hopeless.'
Well, the Lord has given us quite a lot in His Word about that. We have had the Letter to the Romans for so long! "The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ" (Romans 3:22). We know all about the doctrine, and yet so often we just come down under this natural handicap. I could go on speaking about many handicaps with which we are born - most of us do truly know that we in ourselves are not fit for the thing the Lord requires of us. We have discovered that we were born that way and it is not in us naturally. We have this handicap. Well, the Lord Jesus has much comfort for us in this sign.
這人是有極嚴重缺陷的人——他生來就是瞎子。他從來沒有看見過，
也不知道什么是看見。他自己既然沒有能『看見』的官能，就必須有人給他說明每一件事。耶穌對這种光景卻說：『這正是彰顯神榮耀的最好机會。』
現在請再注意這件事在門徒訓練中的地位。沒有過多久——僅僅几天
而已——門徒發現了這兆頭反面的意義。彼得過不久就對主說：『雖
然眾人都棄絕你，我總不會，我要至死跟隨你。』圣經上說：『眾門徒都是這樣說。』（太二十六35）——其語气乃是說：『我們能做到。』
你能么？這句話是要經過試煉的——你知道當試煉真臨到時，發現了什
么事。下以馬忤斯的兩個門徒使我們清楚的知道，他們從自以為能的幻想中清醒過來時的光景：一切的事都遠离他們，他們只能說：『但我們素來所盼望要贖以色列民的就是他』（路二十41）。意思就是說：『我們所有的盼望都失去了。』哦，這些門徒真是狼狽不堪。他們必須發現他們的缺陷——他們必須被帶到那樣的境地。他們必須發現主所要求于
他們的，根本無法在他們里面找到；而這發現卻是他們隨后的榮耀的根基。我們在五旬節從這些人身上看到厲害的改變。榮耀降臨在他們的缺陷上，并加以遮蓋。主耶穌的生命供給他們各种新的本能。在基督里那大能的生命，藉著圣靈占有了他們，他們就能作向來所不能作的一切事。所有三年來屬靈的瞎眼都過去了。他們屬靈的眼睛大大的被開啟。請讀他們在五旬節郡天所說的話：『彼得和十一個使徒站起……』（徒二14）。我不知道當時其他十一個使徒是否同聲說話！若是不然，那就是說，彼得代表他們說話。而那是一篇帶著奇妙啟示的講論，他們對于主耶穌看見了他們向來所沒有看見過的事。
好几年前我曾把彼得的那篇信息分析過，要看他在其中論到那几個主題。若是你也作了同樣的分析，你就會希奇他在其中包括的內容是何等的廣泛。是的，他的眼睛已經被開啟了！門徒們不只能看見，他們還能作他們向來所不能作的事，主耶穌的生命使他們達到這樣的光景。
這是門徒們所需要的訓練。基督的門徒應當是這种光景，摩西的門徒并不是這樣。他們都在律法之下，且必須一直承認說：『我不能』。但基督的門徒卻能說：『我靠著那加給我力量的，凡事都能作』（腓四:3）這就是祂在我們里面之生命的能力，也就是我們得著了我們按天然絕不可能有的恩賜和本能。
This man had a terrible handicap - he was born blind. He had never seen and did not know what it was to see. He had to have everything explained to him, having no faculty of his own. And Jesus said over against that: 'This is just the greatest opportunity for the glory of God.'
Now, dear friends, look at this in the training of disciples. It will not be long - only a few days - before these disciples discover that side of the meaning of this sign. Peter will say: 'Though all men forsake Thee, yet will I not forsake Thee. I will go with Thee even unto death.' And it says: "Likewise also said all the disciples" (Matthew 26:35) - already, 'We can do it.' Can you? Let us put it to the test - and you know what happened when the test was applied. Those two poor disciples on the road to Emmaus give us a very good idea of their disillusionment. Everything had gone for them, and all they could say was: "We hoped that it was he which should redeem
Many years ago I made an analysis of that address of Peter's, just to see how many subjects he touched upon. If you do that you will be surprised at the large number of subjects included in that sermon. Indeed, his eyes had been opened! Not only were the disciples seeing, but they were able to do what they could never do before, and the life of the Lord Jesus had effected this.
This is the kind of training that disciples need. The disciples of Christ are like this, but not the disciples of Moses. They are under the law and have always to say 'I cannot'. The true disciples of Christ can say: "I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). It is the power of His life within and means that we have gifts and abilities that we never have by nature.
這只是福音的開始，你們不要以為這就是基督徒生命的高深部分，它只是每一件事的開端而已。主所交給保羅的托付就是用這些詞句說的。主說：『我差你到他們那里去，要叫他們的眼睛得開，從黑暗中歸向光明』（徒二十六18）。這就是福音的開始，而且這神跡（兆頭）必須在我們基督徒生命的開始就成就在我們身上。一個真正的基督徒或門徒必須在最開始的時候就能說：『我從前是瞎眼的，如今能看見了，主已經開啟了我屬靈的眼睛，也除去了我天然的缺陷。』
但這只是初步的開始，僅是在起步階段。每一個人都能看出在這人身上進步的跡象。他們問他說：『誰開了你的眼睛呢？』在第十一節中他回答說：『有一個人名叫耶穌』。這是相當簡單也是相當初步的開始。后來他們對他說：『你說他是怎樣的人？』他說：『他是個先知。』（十七節）那是從『有一個人』向前跨了一大步。但是在最未了，當耶穌知道他們把他赶出去，祂就去找他，當祂遇見他時，就說：『你信神的儿子么？』他回答說：『主阿，誰是神的儿子，叫我信祂呢？耶穌說，現在和你說話的就是祂。他說，主阿，我信，就拜耶穌。』現在他以祂為神而敬拜祂，又是從稱呼祂是個人，向前跨了更大的一步。
這些情形都是在這個兆頭里面，也是各樣事情的意義。我們在基督里所得著的生命有它簡單的開始，但那是一個長進的生命，并且那個長進的性質顯在對主耶穌有更完滿的發現上。我們『要在我們主救主耶穌基督的恩典和知識上有長進』（彼后三18）。我不過是從圣經中抽引一些這類的經文而已。當然，這件事是真的；但那些話又是從何而來的？哦，彼得曾經告訴我們：『愿頌贊歸与我們主耶穌基督的父神，祂曾照自己的大怜憫，藉耶穌基督從死里复活，重生了我們，叫我們有活潑的盼望』（彼前一3）。我們怎樣能在恩典和知識上有長進？乃是藉著在我們里面复活生命的能力。這是一個在屬靈上不斷向前進步的生命。
This is the beginning of the Gospel. I do not want anyone to think that this is something advanced in the Christian life. It is the very beginning of everything. The commission to the Apostle Paul was in these terms. The Lord said: "Unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light" (Acts 26:17,18). That is the beginning of the Gospel, and this sign ought to have been fulfilled in us right at the beginning of our Christian life. The very first thing that a true Christian and disciple ought to be able to say is: 'I was blind, but now I see. The Lord has opened my spiritual eyes and has removed my natural handicap.'
But while it is the beginning, it is only the beginning. Everyone has noticed the progressive feature in this man's case. They asked him: 'Who opened thine eyes?' In verse 11 he says: "The man that is called Jesus". That is a very simple and elementary beginning. Later on they said: 'What have you to say about Him?' In verse 17 he says: "He is a prophet." That is quite a long way on from 'a man'. But in the end, when Jesus met him - or shall I put it in another way, for this is what it really means - when Jesus knew that they had cast him out and went to find him and said: "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" he answered: "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?" Jesus replied: "He it is that speaketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him." Worshipping Him as God is a long way beyond calling Him just a man.
You see, this is all in the sign: it is in the meaning of things. This life which we receive in Christ has a simple beginning, but it is a progressive life, and the progressive nature of that life is a fuller and fuller discovery of the Lord Jesus. We "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18 - A.V.). We just detach words like this and separate them from their context. Of course it is quite true, but where do those words come from? Oh, Peter has told us - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3). How shall we grow in grace and in knowledge? By the power of resurrection life in us. This life is a life of spiritual progress.
現在我們必須再回到開頭的地方。你有沒有看出一件十分重要的事？我們曾說到那個大的決裂，說到事情如何區分為兩部分，那個決裂是由于有一個人得到了屬靈的開啟。這一直是形成這類難處的因素。親愛的朋友們，承認自己是基督徒的人我們可以把他們分成兩大類。一類是相信圣經都是神所默示的話的人；他們也相信基督的神性，以及一切基督徒信仰的基礎真理；他們卻仍可能是沒有屬靈啟示的一班人——他們仍
可能是一班不屬靈的人。這樣說對不對？是的，這兩班人的不同，是和信徒与非信徒之間的區別那樣清楚。如果主真的開啟某些人的眼睛，給他們屬靈的啟示，他們就要遭遇到難處——而他們的難處是從宗教世界
來的。
在約翰第九章中的那些人都是正統的猶太人，他們相信圣經，只要是其中所教導的，他們都相信。但是當他們中間的一個人得著了屬靈的看見時，他們就把他赶出去了。屬靈的啟示總是容易招惹他人的敵意——但傳統就絕不會這樣。正統的宗教絕不會引起難處；但如果你是活在复活生命的大能中，你的眼睛大大的開啟，你就要遇見難處；并且正如我前面說過的，這難處將要從那些信主的人而來。
對于這种情形，你的態度如何？我們說過，曾經有許多主的門徒說：『這話甚難，誰能听呢？』并且『門徒中多有退去的，不再和祂同行』（約六60—66）……『這條屬靈開啟的路太艱難，我們不准備要付
上這代价。我們不想走那樣的道路。』
因此主要在這樣的事上再『篩』出一些人，而惟獨那些眼睛實在被啟開的人，才是祂真實的門徒。求主使我們都成為祂真實的門徒！
這是一條充滿代价的道路，雖然這兆頭要引起多人的反對，但我們的眼睛得開，是何等的寶貴——就因為主使我們能看見，我們就看見
了。在主眼光中最有分量的人，乃是那些具有屬靈的眼睛，能看見的人。
因此，在門徒訓練的事上，開啟眼睛的兆頭也是其中的項目之一。但愿我們都能學習并認識這兆頭的意義！
Now we must come back to where we started. Have you recognized one thing that is so important? We have spoken of the great division, of how things were dividing into two classes, and that division was because a man had received spiritual illumination. That is the factor which always causes the trouble. Dear friends, we can divide professing Christians into two classes. The one class may believe all the Scriptures as being inspired by God; they may believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God; they may believe in the deity of Christ and all the fundamentals of the Christian religion; and they may still be people without spiritual revelation - they may still be unspiritual people. Is that true? Yes, the division there was just as distinct as between believers and unbelievers. And if the Lord really does open someone's eyes and give them spiritual revelation, they are in for trouble - and their trouble will come from the religious world.
Well, here were these orthodox Jews. They believed in the Bible and in all that the Bible taught so far as the words were concerned. But when one man in their midst received spiritual sight they cast him out. Spiritual revelation always provokes hostility - tradition never does. Orthodox religion never does cause trouble, but if you are a man or a woman living in the power of resurrection life, with your eyes wide open, you will meet trouble, and, as I have said, that trouble will come from the religious people.
What are you going to do about it? Well, we have already pointed out that many of the Lord's disciples said: "This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" and "Many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (John 6:60,66)... 'This way of spiritual illumination is too hard. We are not prepared to pay the price for it. We are not going that way.'
And so the Lord sifts out on this one thing, and the true disciples are those who have really had their eyes opened. The Lord make us true disciples!
It is a costly way and it does provoke a lot of opposition, but it is a very precious thing to have had our eyes opened - just to be able to see because the Lord has made us see. Those who have counted most for the Lord have been men and women who have come to see with spiritual eyes.
So here in the training of disciples is the sign of the opened eye. May we be able to learn the meaning of this sign!
9、屬天的生命胜過死亡最大的權勢
讀經：約翰第十章四十節至第十一章五十七節
我們現在所要看的這故事，乃是主耶穌在地上的生平与職事的最后階段。祂本來已經离開了猶太，因為猶太人的官長們想法子要殺祂；但現在祂勇敢的來到那地方，并且祂所行的這最后神跡（即兆頭，下同），將使他們更要下定決心設法除滅祂。門徒們清楚的知道祂若回到猶太地必死無疑：『門徒說，拉比，猶太人近來要拿石頭打你，你還往那里去么？』（約十一8），耶穌知道，門徒也很清楚，猶太地意味著死亡。
我們曾說過耶穌一直對付死亡各种形態的意義，并藉著生命來胜過它的每一种形態。
首先，在加利利的迦拿之婚筵中，酒用盡了，祂對付了死亡的某一方面，那就是失望和失敗，死亡總是帶著這种意義的，祂以生命胜過了死亡。
后來祂又回到迦拿，迦百農的大臣就來見祂，因為他的小孩病得快要死了。當耶穌在祂所在的地方說了話的時候，那個遠在迦百農的孩子就得了醫治。死亡總是要牽涉到時間——它是在時間里的一個東西，
我們死的時候就是我們在地上時間的結束。但是在某一個時候耶穌說了話，而在許多哩外的小孩就得了醫治。若是耶穌當時要從迦拿來到迦百農，就要花費許多時間。這行程使大臣必須從下午一時動身直到太陽下山，然后第二天早晨再動身。可是當耶穌說話的時候，所有的時間都被祂所消除。祂的生命胜過了在死亡中的時間因素。
我們也看過祂來到邪路撒冷的畢土大池子，那里有一個被他的褥子捆綁了三十八年的可怜病人。他的褥子把他所有的一生与地緊緊的捆在一起，我們曾說過，他乃是在律法捆綁下之以色列人的寫照。主耶穌就在一霎時間，藉著祂的生命把那人從他整個的捆綁中釋放出來。死亡就是捆綁。希伯來書的作者說到那些『一生因怕死而為奴仆的人』（來二15）。但在律法捆綁形態中的死亡被基督的生命所胜過。
Chapter 9 - Divine Life: Overcoming Death in its Fullness
You will recognize that with this story, or incident, we are at the last stage in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. He had left
We have been seeing that Jesus had been meeting the meaning of death in many forms, and had overcome every form of it with life.
Firstly, at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, where the wine faded, He met that aspect of death which is disappointment and failure - and death always means that. He overcame it with life.
Then, later, He was back in Cana again and the nobleman of
Then we had Him at the Pool of Bethesda in
接著我們就隨從祂回到加利利，我們看見祂使五千人吃飽，那几個餅和几條魚一直增加，直到每一個人都吃飽，而且還有很多剩下的。死亡也說出限制——它使每一件事都受限制。但耶穌卻藉著生命胜過在加利利
一切的限制。我們可以這樣說，在祂所給的那餅里面的生命是無窮盡的；如果當時在場的有兩万人或五万人，結果仍然是一樣的。死亡就是限制。這一點在屬靈上此在物質上更為實在。屬靈的死亡是一個大的限制，但耶穌所給的生命除去了一切的限制。
接著我們看見祂行走在海面上，這就說出祂超越了自然律。最大的自然律乃是死亡。如果你決不會死，那必定是非常不『自然』了！但是在那狂風勁吹的海面上，耶穌胜過了一切自然律。就在門徒們由于自然的權勢而受死亡威脅的地方，耶穌藉著生命廢除了自然的權勢。
然后我們又看見祂行第六個神跡，就是使一個生來瞎眼的人得看見。死亡永遠是瞎眼——這一點在屬靈上比在肉身上更為真實。屬靈的死亡就
是屬靈的瞎眼，在這方面我們都是生來的死人，因我們一生下來都是在屬靈上瞎眼的人。但耶穌叫那生來瞎眼的能看見，因此這神跡就說出在耶穌里的生命廢除了屬靈死亡中的瞎眼。
因此我們看見了耶穌對付死亡在這几种形態中的意義。這些事情的每一樣都呈現在我們的眼前，作為死亡某些形態的表樣；而耶穌藉著在祂里面那屬天生命的能力，對付了這一切死亡的形態。祂藉著祂的生命把死亡變為生命。
現在我們要來看第七個兆頭，而前面六個兆頭都集中在這兆頭里面。這是讀拉撒路复活故事的方法。這是一個總括性的故事——死亡的各种形
態都被集中起來，而最終被耶穌基督完完全全的對付了。這是為什么這位智慧的圣靈要引導約翰，用這個兆頭來包括其他六個兆頭的原因。
Then we went back to
We went on to see Him walking on the sea, and we saw His ascendancy over natural laws. Now the most natural law is death. It is certainly something very unnatural if you never die! But on the lake in that storm Jesus triumphed over all natural laws. Where the disciples were threatened with death by the power of nature Jesus by life set aside the natural forces.
And then we came to the sixth sign, the giving of sight to the man born blind. Death is always blindness - and that is more true spiritually even than physically. Spiritual death is spiritual blindness, and in this matter we are all born dead, because we are spiritually blind from birth. But Jesus gave sight to the man born blind, and the sign was that the life that is in Jesus sets aside the blindness of spiritual death.
So we have seen Jesus meeting the meaning of death in all these different forms. Every one of these incidents sets forth as a sign, or as a type, some form of death, and Jesus, by the power of His divine life, the life that was in Him. met all these forms of death. And He changed death into life with His life.
Now we come to the seventh sign, and in this one all those six are brought together. This is the way in which to read the story of the raising of Lazarus. It is all-inclusive - all the forms of death are gathered together and dealt with fully and finally by Jesus Christ. This is why the Holy Spirit of Wisdom led John to conclude all his signs with this one.
這是符合屬靈原則的，七包涵其他所有的一切；因為如果你知道一點關于圣經數字的話，你就知道七是屬靈丰滿的數字。當你遇到七時，你就摸著了屬靈的歸結。我們只須要看看圣經的最后一卷書就清楚了，因為那是一本說到各种未了的事物的書。其中的每一件事都要達到歸結和丰滿。而在這書中最顯著的一個數字乃是七，有七個教會，七個燈台，神的七靈，末后的七災，末后的七號——你可以這樣的一直看過本書中的
七，因為在本書中每一件事都達到了丰滿，也達到了最后的階段。全本圣經都可以歸結在這最后一本書里面。這本書的開頭提到創世記『神樂園中的生命樹』——生命的河涌流出來。
因此，七這數字是屬靈丰滿的一個數字。而圣靈就照著這原則，引導約翰把拉撒路复活的事記在末了，因為在這兆頭中，死亡最大的權勢被主耶穌所胜過，因為祂就是复活，祂就是生命。耶穌是安穩地行走在死亡所彌漫的气氛中。每一個人都知道祂一接近耶路撒冷就必死亡。這一點祂知道，祂的門徒知道，其他的人也知道；官長們就等待著祂回來，要置祂于死地。整個气氛都充斥著死亡。而就在耶路撒冷近郊的伯大尼，拉撒路淹淹一息，最后也死了。
但請看看耶穌！祂對拉撒路的死的態度就代表了祂對死亡的態度。有人告訴祂拉撒路快要死了；而祂在靈里知道拉撒路已經死了。祂也在靈里知道祂自己不久也要死。祂怎樣面對這局面？請看看祂面臨這情況時那安祥的態度：祂沒有惊慌、沒有緊迫的感覺，沒有懼怕、沒有失望、沒有忽促。祂完完全全的掌握了這局面；并且祂如何掌握了拉撒路的局面，祂也同樣的掌握了自己所面對的死亡。在拉撒路的事件中我們一點也看不出任何跡象顯示死亡得胜，或死亡是主宰者，耶穌對于這一點從不擔懮，祂能夠安祥的行走在其間，并向它走去。
這是相當感人的一個場面。你有否看出這件事的意義？讓我們再說一遍。耶穌知道這几天在耶路撒冷的公會決議要殺害祂，因此祂知道回到耶路撒冷必定是死，但祂仍然安安靜靜的來了，沒有任何懼怕。祂正掌握著整個局面——這一切都包含在拉撒路的兆頭中。
哦，每一個人都要催促祂快一點！他們都認為這局面將是一個可怕的悲劇，是一極為嚴重的事，他們就不明白為什么耶穌并不把它看得那么嚴重。祂是那樣的掌握了這局面，以至于它對祂來說并不像一回事似的。
True to spiritual principle, seven includes all the others, for, if you know anything about Bible numbers, you know that seven is the number of spiritual fullness. You reach spiritual finality when you come to seven. We have only to turn to the last book of the Bible, for that is the book of the final things. Everything there is coming to finality and to fullness. And the number which is most prominent in that book is number seven. There are the seven churches, the seven lampstands, the seven spirits of God, the seven last plagues, the seven last trumpets - and so you go on through the book with number seven, because in it everything is brought to fullness and finality. All the Bible is gathered into the last book. It begins with the book of Genesis - "the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7) - the river of life flowing out.
So number seven is the number of spiritual fullness. And, true to that principle, the Holy Spirit led John to put this sign of the raising of Lazarus right at the end, because in this sign we have death in its fullness overcome by Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life. Jesus was moving in an environment of death in its fullness. Everybody knew that His coming back into the vicinity of
But look at Jesus! His attitude toward the death of Lazarus signified His own attitude toward death. He was told that Lazarus was dying; and then He knew in His spirit that Lazarus was dead. He also knew in His spirit that He, too, would be dead before long. How did He face this situation? Look at the quiet way in which He met it all. There was no panic, no sense of emergency, no fear, no despair and no hurry. He was completely master of the situation, and as He was master of the situation with Lazarus, so He was master of His own death. There is no suggestion here in the case of Lazarus that death was a victory, nor that death was the master. Jesus was not worried about it for one moment. He could just move serenely in the midst of it and toward it.
That is very impressive. You see what it means? Let us just go over it again. Jesus knew that in a few days the Council in
Oh, everybody was trying to make Him hurry up! They were looking upon this situation as a terrible tragedy, as something terribly serious, and they could not understand why Jesus was not taking it more seriously. He was such a master of the situation that it was almost as though it was nothing to Him.
但是我們說過，有一兩件事我們必須注意，就是祂必須讓人知道死亡就是死亡，死亡乃是一种情況，說出所有的事都是人類一切能力所達不到的。當我們死的時候，我們所有作事的本領都結束了。耶穌必須讓我們知道，死亡的确是死亡，意思就是說，人類盡一切所能的仍然是無辦法的情況。那是完全超越了天然的能力和盼望。耶穌非常注意觀察，事情是否這樣演變，并看看人們知道不知道死亡的意義。這就是為什么祂在所居之地仍住了兩天，并且在祂到達之前又拖了兩天的原因。祂要使整個情況坏到連盼望都沒有了，這是祂特意促成的，因為祂那時正教導門徒們一個屬靈的功課：死亡就是死亡，并且在這种情況下，惟獨那位全能的神才有辦法：除了主沒有人能夠有任何的作為。發生在拉撒路肉身上的事既然是一個兆頭，其背后必然有一個偉大的屬靈意義。
過不久耶穌將要受死，那時，只有全能的神才能有所作為；除非祂親自干預，就再無前途可言。天然的能力絕對不能作什么。
親愛的朋友，這就說出在基督的死上与祂聯合的意義。你從羅馬書第六章知道，我們已經『在祂死的形狀上与祂聯合』（第五節）。并且保羅在別處也說：『我已經与基督同釘十字架』（加二20）。与基督的死聯合是什么意思？那就是說，我們被放進一個完全沒有指望的地位上，除非主作事。當保羅說：『我已經与基督同釘十字架』時，他又加上：『不再是我，乃是基督。』不再是『我』！對于大數的掃羅，那是一個何等大的『我』！從前他是一個大『我』——就是滿帶著天然能力的『我』。看看他如何
逼迫教會！他使盡了他強勁的力量。我們也知道他智慧中的『我』。大數的掃羅乃是一個具有相當大的天然智慧以及極多天然知識的人。他具有一個強烈的熱心——實在是一個非常大的『我』。現在這個非常大的『我』
說：『我已經……釘十字架……不再是我』。不再是天然的能力、天然的智慧和領悟；不再是天然的熱心或是任何其他的『我』。不再是『我』——『我已經与基督同釘十字架，除非是主，再沒有什么事是我所能作的
了。』
哦，教會到現在竟然還沒有學會這功課！我們都讀羅馬書和加拉太書。但我們和當初以色列人的光景沒有什么兩樣：圣經說他們每安息日讀神的話，但他們對他們所讀的，完全不明白。雖然我們手中有羅馬書六章和加拉太書二章二十節，但請看看基督教中還有那么大的『我』！
But we have said that there are one or two things that we must notice. While that is all true where Jesus was concerned, He must let people know that death is death, and death means that everything is put beyond any kind of human ability. When we are dead that is the end of all our ability to do anything. Jesus had to let it be known that death really is death, and means that the situation is beyond man's resource to do anything. It is altogether beyond natural power and natural hope. Jesus took very great care to see that that was how things were and that people knew it. That is why He stayed two days where He was, and then took another two days before He got near the place at all. He let this whole situation go beyond human hope, and He did that quite deliberately because He was teaching the disciples a spiritual lesson: that death is death and only God Almighty can do anything when it is like that. No one but the Lord can do anything. Now, while this was a sign in the case of Lazarus physically, behind the sign there is a great spiritual meaning.
Presently Jesus will be dead, and when that happens only God Almighty can do anything about it. There is no more future unless He comes into the situation. No natural power can do anything at all.
That, dear friends, is what union with Christ in His death means. You know from Romans 6 that we have been "united with him in the likeness of his death" (verse 5), and Paul said elsewhere: "I have been crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20). What does it mean to be united with Christ in His death? It means to be put into the position where there is no hope whatsoever for anything unless the Lord does it. When Paul said: "I have been crucified with Christ" he added: "No longer I, but Christ". No longer 'I'! What a big 'I' that was with Saul of Tarsus! He was just one big 'I' - 'I' in natural strength. See him in his persecuting of the church! He put forth all his mighty strength. And we all know about the great 'I' of his wisdom. Saul of Tarsus was a man of considerable natural wisdom and he had much natural knowledge. He was a man of mighty zeal and enthusiasm - a very big 'I'. Now that very big 'I' says "I have been crucified and it is no longer I". It is no longer natural strength, natural wisdom and understanding, nor natural zeal and enthusiasm, and whatever more there was of 'I'. It is no longer 'I' - 'I have been crucified with Christ, and there is nothing more possible unless it is the Lord'.
Oh, the Church has not learnt this lesson yet! We can read the Letters to the Romans and to the Galatians, but it is as it was with
前面說過，當耶穌死的時候，所有一切天然的盼望都結束了；惟一的希望乃是神來到，并使祂從死里复活。這就是拉撒路复活的兆頭。
首先，耶穌必須使每一個人都知道死亡就是死亡，它乃是人盼望的結束，沒有人再能對它作什么。拉撒路的兩個可怜的姊妹跟死亡的局面搏斗，想要找到些許的盼望，但他們每一個嘗試都失敗了，只好接受這事實。他已經死了四天了。這是耶穌所必須教導的第一個功課。
盼望你們的思路是屬靈的，而不是屬天然的。屬靈的死亡是真正屬靈的死亡。在屬靈上認識死乃是指再沒有任何天然的盼望。當耶穌建立了那事實之后，祂就轉到事情的另一邊：顯明祂，也只有祂，是复活，是生命。只要祂在場，事情就不會絕望。在祂里面的生命——超越過整個環
境的——這件事在屬靈上和肉身上同樣是真實。
現在我們必須把前面六個兆頭再看一遍，因為我們說過，它們都可以合并到第七個兆頭里面。
在加利利迦拿的婚筵：我們曾說，耶穌所變成的酒，具有一种新而不同的性質，好得無比的性質，是舊的酒所沒有的。管筵席的說：『你倒把好酒留到如今』（約二10）。耶穌所給的生命，具有一种完全不同的性質。當然，這件事在拉撒路的兆頭的表面是看不出來的。但是我們卻很容易領悟出來。設想拉撒路是你親愛的兄弟，而你卻因著他死了而失去他，因著時間的拖延，使得你再沒有任何盼望（當時在猶太地死了四天，那是一點希望都沒有了：他們說『主阿，他現在必是臭了，因為他死了已經四天了』）：但神卻使他從死里活過來，并把他交還給你；你豈不發現，你在复活中得回的他，和從前不一樣么？還記得抹大拉的馬利亞么？她已經失去她的『主人』，卻在園中再找到祂。當祂呼喚她『馬利亞』時，她轉過身來說『拉波尼』——『我偉大的主人』。她以前常
稱呼祂『拉比』，意思就是『主人』，但現在改稱『拉波尼』而想要拉住祂的腳。她的意思就是說：『我曾經失去，我今后絕不能再失去你，你之于我比往昔更寶貴。』我相信在伯大尼就是這樣的情形。在复活里有一种新的性質，乃是一种完全不同种類的生命，比從前的更為珍貴。因此在拉撒路身上就包括了第一個兆頭，就是在迦拿的婚筵。
We were saying that when Jesus died that was the end of all natural hope; the only hope was that God came in and raised Him from the dead. That is the sign of the raising of Lazarus.
First of all, Jesus had to make everybody know that death is death, and the end of all hope so far as man is concerned. No one could do anything about it. These poor sisters struggled with the situation and tried to find some hope, but they were defeated in every attempt, and they had to accept the situation. Lazarus was dead, and there was no doubt about it. He had died four days before. That is the first thing that Jesus had to teach.
But I hope that you are thinking in spiritual terms and not just natural. Spiritual death is real spiritual death, and to be spiritually dead means that there is no natural hope whatsoever. When Jesus had established that fact, then He went over to the other side and showed that He, and He alone, was the Resurrection and the Life. The situation was not hopeless when He was on the scene. The life that was in Him was superior to the whole situation - and that is true spiritually as it is naturally.
Now we have to run over the six signs again, because we have said that they are all gathered up into number seven.
The marriage at Cana in
這第七個兆頭也包括了大臣的儿子得醫治的事。我們曾指出，在這兆頭中一切時間和距离都被耶穌的話所消除了。所有的哩數和小時都在一霎之間被消除了。我們再回來看看拉撒路的故事。哦，對這些人，時間是何等的重要！祂為什么不急忙赶到？祂為什么一直遲遲不來？現在這位兄弟已經死了四天了。時間是何等重要的因素阿！距离也是個重要的因素阿！他的一個姊妹所能說的，最好也不過是『我知道在末日复活的時候，他必复活』——惟獨主知道他什么時候要复活！耶穌來到現場，就
用一句話，所有時間和距离都被消除了。在耶穌里面的生命摧毀了時間——祂的生命就是永生。因此拉撒路的故事包括了第二個兆頭。
那么，在畢土大池邊的那可怜病人又怎樣呢？他被他的床褥和他的病，捆在地上有三十八年之久。那是一個活的死——被律法所捆綁。耶穌就
藉著生命，釋放了那人。在拉撒路的故事中包括了這情形：『拉撒路出來』——墳墓再沒有能力扣留他。『解開，讓他們走。』這就是耶穌所
給的生命中釋放的能力。因此在畢士大池邊的這人被包涵在拉撒路的兆頭中。
我們從主使五千人吃飽的事上，可以看見耶穌所給的生命是何等的無限。它就是那樣的繼續下去，不斷的延續，要延續多久呢？耶穌活多久就延續多久！就是那么的久，不會再久了——但在這件事上你所信的是什
么？『祂長遠活著』（來七25）……『我是……那存活的；我曾死過，看哪，現正又活了，直活到永永速速』（啟一18另譯）。主耶穌所給的生命如同祂自己一樣。會一直延續下去，『我就是复活，我就是生命』。這個也包括在拉撒路的兆頭里面。
關于主在海面上行走的事：我們看見在祂里面具有超越一切自然權勢的能力。這一點在拉撒路的故事中也十分明顯！在他身上的自然定律是什么呢？那就是死、朽坏，以及這一切所表明的，那就是自然律。而耶穌的腳就踩在這律的上面。祂行走在水面上；祂把這一切踩在腳下，盡管有這一切自然律，祂仍叫拉撒路复活。
And then this seventh sign took up this matter of the nobleman's son being healed. We pointed out that in this sign all time and all distance were dismissed by the word of Jesus. All the miles and all the hours were simply dismissed in a moment of time. Now look at this story of Lazarus. Oh, what an important thing time was with these people! Why does He not hurry and come? Why does He stay away for so long? And now the brother has been dead for four days. What a factor time was! And what a factor distance was! And the best that a sister can say is: "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" - and only the Lord knows when that will be! Jesus came on the scene and with a word all time and all distance were dismissed. The life that is in Christ destroys time - it is eternal life. So Lazarus took up the second sign.
And then, what about the poor man at the Pool of Bethesda? He was bound to the earth by his bed and his infirmity for thirty-eight years. That was a living death - bound by the law. And Jesus, by life, released that man. Lazarus took that up: "Lazarus, come forth" - and the grave had no power to hold him. 'Loose him and let him go.' Here is the liberating power of the life which Jesus gives. So the man at the Pool of Bethesda is included in the sign of Lazarus.
Is it necessary to go on with the rest? We saw in the feeding of the five thousand how limitless is the life which Jesus gives. It can just go on, and on, and on. And how long will it go on? As long as Jesus lives! Just that long and no longer - but what do you believe about that? 'He ever liveth' (Hebrews 7:25)... "I am... the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive unto the ages of the ages" (Revelation 1:18 - R.V. margin). And the life that Jesus gives will go on just as long as Jesus does. "I am the resurrection, and the life". And that is taken up in this sign of Lazarus.
As to the walking on the sea: we saw in Him the power which transcends all natural forces. Well, that is so obvious in Lazarus! What were the natural laws in his case? Well, death, corruption and all that that means. That is the natural law, and Jesus put His feet on top of that. He walked on those waters; He had that under Him, and He brought Lazarus up in spite of all natural laws.
關于那生來瞎眼的人：他乃是一個生來具有很大缺陷的人，耶穌把握住那缺陷，使它成為顯明神榮耀的憑藉。而這里的拉撒路也是一個有缺陷的人。你可以這樣想，這兩個姊妹盡她們所能的，要叫她們的兄弟不死。很顯然的，他們是有錢的人，我們确信他們有最好的醫學處方。他們為了要使兄弟的病情好轉，什么都作了，但他就是天生有缺陷，注定某一天要死的，而現在他的缺陷正在發生作用。像那個生來瞎眼的人一樣，按天然來說，那是一個絕望的情況。耶穌對這情況怎么說？『這病不至于死，乃是為神的榮耀，叫神的儿子因此得榮耀』。雖然死亡可以來臨，但它并非最后的定案，最后的定案是屬于耶穌的，祂把缺陷轉變成為祂自己的榮耀。
末了我們必須注意，所有的這一切在門徒們的經歷中都變成實際。你必須再把這七個兆頭复習一遍，并看看它們在他們日后的生活中如何被他們所經歷。這是耶穌在祂自己里面所要帶給我們的，因為祂說：『我就是复活，我就是生命。』
親愛的朋友，如果我們是門徒（每一個基督徒都應該是），這些就是我們在屬靈的經歷中該學習的事情。你回去后，坐下來靜靜的默想這七件事，你會看見其中的每一件事都在新約的書信中，是耶穌升天之后寫下來的。在新約中充滿這些事。圣經告訴我們：我們要『心中的眼睛得開』，使『我們能認識祂和祂复活的能力』，并且我們得以『從律法的捆綁中被釋放出來』。
這一切事就构成了真正基督徒的生活。我們必須問自己：『我在基督的學校中有否學習這功課？在我自己的屬靈經歷中，對于這件事我知道些什么？』當我想到你們在這方面有相當多的認識時，我就高興。我們并不僅僅是在研讀圣經，或者講論到圣經中的某些題目而已。我們是在論及屬靈的經歷。我們能和約翰同樣說：『論到從起初原有的生命之道，就是我們……親眼看過，親手摸過的』（約壹一1）。
這一切就是我們所該知道的，因為這是合在基督里之生命的要素。
愿我們每一個人都求主把這件事的意義教導我們，并把我們帶進這偉大生命的實際中。
-全書完-