提要
本章有一段棘手的經文。首先,耶穌竟會咒詛一顆無花果樹,這似乎不合祂一貫的作風;特別是,馬可福音告訴我們,當時並不是無花果樹收成的時候。其次,即使我們習慣耶穌像任何一個猶太拉比和教師一樣用誇張法來教導門徒,我們還是會被祂「一座真實的山能投在海裡」,以及「禱告無論求什麼,只要信就必得著」的話嚇一跳。
耶穌在這裡真正要教導我們的是什麼﹖「如果你有信心,一點也不疑惑,或者只要你相信,那麼你無論求什麼就必得著。」這個應許並不是照它字面的意思應驗。「挪山」是當時很普通的誇張話。耶穌指的是在我們生命中每天所面對層層如山的困難。而祂特別用黑門山(當時耶穌和門徒所看見的山很可能是黑門山)是為了使祂的例子更逼真,門徒也更容易瞭解。這個應許事實上與山無關,將黑門山挪到地中海裡也不是信心的目標。耶穌援引這個誇張話的目的是要使門徒對它背後的真理有深刻的印象。
當耶穌說相信就能使我們得到祈禱所求的任何事,這裡面包含了一個條件,如我們在第七章所讀到的,就是我們所求的必須合乎上帝的律法和祂的旨意。事實上,如果我們所求的不符祂的律法和祂的旨意,那就不是憑信心求。真誠的禱告必須遵從上帝的旨意。這也是為什麼我們需要對這類的經文特別小心,才不致把它當作依據,做出不負責任的禱告,或把禱告當作達到世俗目的的手段。
我們的祈禱,永遠必須順服上帝對我們生命及這個世界的恢宏旨意,並且,不論上帝選擇要我們做什麼,都像小孩子一樣單純的去做。
|
Overview
This chapter includes a tough passage. First of all, it seems uncharacteristic of Jesus to be going about cursing trees, especially trees, as Mark tells us, that are out of season, Secondly, even though we’re accustomed to Jesus using hyperbole (that is, exaggeration for the sake of emphasis), as any good Semitic teacher and rabbi would do we are thrown by His reference to physical mountains being cast into the sea, and anything being received that is asked for in prayer with faith.
What is Jesus really telling us here? “If you have faith and doubt not, or if you believe, you’ll receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” The promise in its very form excludes a literal fulfillment. The phase, “to remove mountains,” was a natural exaggeration and Jesus is referring to the mountains of difficulty that we face every day in life; but to refer to Mount Hermon, as likely this mountain indicates, just gave a greater vividness to an illustration which the disciples could easily understand. A mere physical miracle, such as Mount Hermon being thrown into the Mediterranean, would never in itself be the object of faith as Jesus describes it. The exaggeration is meant to impress on the disciples’ mind the truth that lies beneath it.
When Jesus says that belief will see you receiving whatever you ask in prayer, there is the implied condition, as we see in chapter 7, that is asked is in harmony with God’s law and God’s will. In fact, if it weren’t in harmony with His law and His will, it wouldn’t be asked in faith. Every true prayer involves submission to God’s will in the matter. This is why we don’t use it as a springboard to irresponsible praying, or prayer as a mean to a worldly end.
We must always submit what it is we ask to the greater issue of God’s will for our lives and the world and commit ourselves in a childlike way to whatever He chooses to do.
|