提要
本章有兩件事特別突出。第一件是耶穌醫好一個生來就枯萎一隻手的人。請注意,耶穌叫這個從來沒有使用過手的人伸出他的手,這似乎是個不近情理的要求,那人可能期望耶穌先採取行動,但耶穌卻看著他,對他說:「你主動,伸出你的手來。」他照做了。當他試著伸展他的手,耶穌就使他的手完全復原。
這是我們的好榜樣。當我們求上帝來觸摸我們的生命,我們應該先伸出手來觸摸祂,我們應採取主動。另一件特別的事是有關「不得赦免的罪」(本章再一次讓我們看到,污鬼承認耶穌是上帝的兒子)。有一些宗教領袖將耶穌趕鬼的能力解釋成是一種魔力。他們說耶穌是被別西卜──鬼王──附身,這實在太過分了。耶穌對這項污衊的回答是,一家若自相分爭就必站立不住。然後祂又繼續說到不得赦免的罪──也就是褻瀆聖靈的罪。許多人在感到靈裡消沈,或只是靈裡疲乏時,就經常以為自已是犯了這種不得赦免的罪。但,請看清上下文,耶穌是在對一群宗教領袖說話,他們照理說應該更明白真理,但卻糊塗的將聖靈的能力歸因於邪靈撒但。耶穌說,將上帝的工作視為撒但的工作是絕對不能接受的。一個人如果存心堅持自己屬靈的盲目而不信的話,終將被拒於恩典之門外。
那罪不可赦的情況是一種故意、執意不信的行為,惡意攻擊上帝聖靈的工作。本人服事主二十多年來還沒見過有人犯這種罪。大概也將永不會有。
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Overview
Two things stand out in this chapter. First of all, Jesus heals someone who has had a withered hand all his life. Notice that Jesus asks a man who has never used his hand before to stretch it out. This seems to be a rather unreasonable demand. The man probably expected Jesus to take the initiative in this healing; instead, He looks at the man and says, “You take the initiative. You stretch out you hand.” So he did. As he made the attempt, Jesus empowered him.
This is a good word to us. When we seek God’s touch in our lives we should, from time to time, think in terms of touching Him. We should take the initiative. The other thing standing out in this chapter is the mention of the “unpardonable sin”. (Once again there is a record of evil spirits expressing belief that Jesus is the Son of God.) The religious teachers explain Jesus’ power itself. In fact, they go so far as to say that He is Himself possessed by Beelzebub, the “ruler of demons”. To this Jesus says a house divided against itself cannot stand, and then He goes on to talk about the unpardonable sin – the sin against the Holy Spirit. Many people, feeling spiritually depressed, or just spiritually flat, often think they have committed the unpardonable sin. But look at the context. Jesus is speaking to religious leaders who should know better, but are in fact attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to Satan. He says it is absolutely unacceptable to credit Satan with what is the work of God. As long as one persists willfully in that kind of spiritual blindness and unbelief, he is beyond the reach of Grace.
The unpardonable sin is a deliberate, willful act of unbelief, where one maliciously impugns the work of the Spirit of God. I’ve been in ministry twenty years and I have yet to see anyone guilty of this sin. And I probably never will.
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Prayer
Lord, May we learn about active faith from the account of the healing of the withered hand. Your Word tells us that the man had to take the first step, stretching out his hand, before the miracle came, help us to put our faith into action before the answer comes. |