Wednesday, 22nd June 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-12 Jesus Reveals Authority
We must have the ‘Upper Room’ mindset. To take ownership of it and to firmly believe that this is for us! Believing in Jesus does not mean that our problems will go away, but when we are at the altitude near Jesus, then our problems will seem so small that they would not matter anymore. The lower we go, the higher God will lift us up. And we can easily deal with them with ease and a positive attitude. Jesus doesn’t want people to just bring their problems to Him, He doesn’t want them to just follow for the miracles, signs and wonders, but to really know the truth.
V1-2 ‘And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.’ Jesus saw the followers and He started to preach the truth. This is the essence of the Upper Room and the satellite network church, to speak the Word of God to those who are willing to listen and follow.
V3-4 ‘Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus release the Word or God, people came in with a paralysed man.’ When the paralysed man came in, most people would think he was trouble, a problem, some people even thought it was a curse, but Jesus saw faith.
V5 ‘When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”’ He said to the paralysed man, the one who’s been looked down on all his life, that his sins had been forgiven. Jesus called him ‘son’ and restored his identity in front of all the people. Jesus healed not just his body, but his identity and his heart.
Section Two V13-17 Jesus Calls the Sinners
V13-14 ‘ Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Jesus does not go around praising people but He went everywhere to teach people. But He doesn’t just teach anyone, He teaches those who are willing to follow Him. Jesus saw and He called. Do we also see people following us and calling them to follow Jesus? We don’t call because we don’t want to reveal the authority of the Kingdom we are given, we’re scared to call people to follow.
V15 ‘Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.’ At Levi’s house, there were the Jewish people and also the gentiles. Levi had a lot of connections and he used his connections to call people to Jesus. We also have a lot of contacts and connections, but what are we doing with these connections? Do we just make friends with them and extend our connections or do we really seek every opportunity to teach and preach the Gospel through these connections?
Section Three V18-27 Jesus Brings Truth
V18 ‘The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” It talks about fasting and observing the sabbath. We must know that Jesus comes not to bring another religious ritual, He comes to bring life. When we observe the Sabbath or when we fast, it’s not following a religious task, but really believing from the heart. Who is the true Christ we believe and we follow?
马可福音 2 – 真基督
2022年6月22日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
我们现在处在马可楼的阶段，也要有马可楼的思维方式，要坚定相信神所给的这个异象是属于我们的。马可福音第一章记载了跟从耶稣的人看到真的福音，虽然他们的环境充满艰难。有时我们看到、高举的都是环境中的困难，但马可楼上的门徒们明白神的国度远超过我们所能看到的环境。神或许并没有拿走环境中的难题，但他能将我们抬高到一个新的境界，让我们不再纠结于那些问题。基督的信仰对我们来说意味着什么？本章的经文告诉我们真的基督到底如何，帮助我们活出基督的样式。
一、v.1-12 耶稣彰显权柄
V1 上一章的末尾讲到那原本长大麻风但被耶稣医好的的人到处宣传耶稣，结果很多人就像如同现代人追星一样跑来找耶稣。耶稣是真正的基督，他不想带出偶像崇拜，不想让人只因为医治的能力来跟随他。我们是否渴望自己能有施行神迹奇事的能力去彰显福音，让人来赞叹我们？人们听了那长大麻风的人的见证之后“过了些日子”，耶稣去到一个叫“迦百农”的地方 – 意思是安慰之乡。耶稣选择来这里不是为了神迹奇事，而是要安慰人。犹太人希望耶稣能帮助他们的民族除掉被罗马欺压的羞辱，于是耶稣要来这里彰显安慰的能力。当我们越降低，神就越将我们升高。
V2 耶稣看见“许多人”好像他的“粉丝”一样跟随他，就对他们“讲道”，这也对应我们马可楼和网络卫星教会的异象。当我们传福音、有人愿意跟随我们的时候，我们跟他们讲什么话呢？是属世界的话吗，还是像耶稣那样讲神的话语？
V3-4 瘫子是生来就瘸了腿、走不了路。瘫子的朋友拆通天花板把他放到耶稣面前，这样大张旗鼓的事给耶稣带来很大的挑战，因为瘫子并不是普通的生病，而是生来就有身体残缺。当时的人看不起一出生身体就有残缺的人，认为他们不洁净、甚至是受咒诅的。我们若遇到这件事情，是否会觉得瘫子和他的朋友给我们带来难题、找麻烦? 可是，耶稣有健康的心态，他没有往负面去想，而是看这些人的信心。
V5 这人从小被周围的人厌弃，但耶稣在乎他，赦免他的罪。耶稣不仅停留在医好身体，而是在众人面前承认、恢复这人“儿子”的身份：“小子”就是儿子的意思。这是一个无父的世代，每个人都希望得到别人的认同。面对别人纷纷躲避的大麻风病人，耶稣愿意去碰他们，接纳他们，因为耶稣有爱，这是多伟大的医治! 神是赐福的神，但也是追讨人的罪的神，所以耶稣对那个瘫子说“你的罪赦了！”
V11 那个瘫子的罪赦免了，耶稣就吩咐他起来。耶稣完全没有去触碰这个人，如果他没能按照耶稣的所说的站起来，就会更丢脸 – 说明罪更大。然而，这个瘫子愿意回应神，站起来，将曾经代表自己的羞辱的褥子带回家给父母作见证。
V6-8 耶稣的权柄不但能医治人的病，更知道我们的心思意念。“文士”对神学很有研究，然而他们来耶稣这里并非真正的跟从神，只想知道更多知识。我们跟从耶稣的目的是什么？是否愿意得着生命的改变，在生命树下谦卑顺服、舍己利他？那几个文士的“议论”其实是在批评论断所看到的事，然而“耶稣心中知道他们心里这样议论”。耶稣不仅自己知道这件事，也对跟从他的人负责，就把这件事当中说出来，以教导在场的人。我们是否为了对跟随的人负责而敢于讲一些人不喜欢听的话？耶稣讲的是关于生命的话，对瘫子也对文士彰显权柄。
V12 当个瘫子被医治的时候，文士也看到了耶稣的权柄。我们要如何运用我们的权柄？
二、v.13-17 耶稣是召罪人
V13 耶稣无论去哪里都教训众人。他不是什么人都教训，而是教训那些跟从他的人。我们跟随耶稣，想要听的是什么呢? 只是一味的夸奖吗？我们都是虚伪的，很懂包装，耶稣知道我们的为人，所以亲自教训人。
V14 当我们看见神给我们的人时，是否呼召他们来跟从耶稣？我们的生命若没有彰显天国的权柄，就不敢去呼召他们。
V15 利未跟从耶稣后，不仅将耶稣带回家，甚至还将其他税吏和没有宗教信仰的外邦人一同带回家认识耶稣，这说明利未认识很多人，有很强的社会关系。如今我们的社会关系是什么？我们用这些关系来帮助自己赚钱，还是带他们来认识耶稣？耶稣愿意与那些被犹太人鄙视的人吃饭，说明他接纳他们，让他们在这里有家。
V17 我们如何看待那些未信主的人，我们与他们的关系是为了什么，是否只在利益里面？我们与未信主的人打交道，是否想着帮助他们信主？
三、v.18-27 耶稣带出真理
V18-20 当时的人禁食只是一个宗教仪式，但耶稣来是带出生命。
V23 耶稣带着门徒在安息日仍然传福音、行神迹奇事。他们殷勤服侍，自然会饿，所以耶稣让门徒掐麦穗吃。真基督给我们带来的是真自由，让我们能活在生命树下，而不是被绑在条条框框里。无论是禁食还是守安息日，都是为了神，但当神已经与他们同在，他们就不需要再死守条规。神不要宗教仪式，神要的禁食是好像以斯帖和大卫禁食那样完全谦卑来到他面前祈求。