Friday, 1st July 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-21 We Must Really Know
V1-3 ‘In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”’
V4 ‘Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”’ What does three days mean for the disciples? When Jesus was teaching, the disciples were also with Him, they were hungry, thirsty, tired… and they showed their true-self and they responded emotionally. When our physical body is worn out, we would often not able to follow God wholeheartedly. But Jesus still did what He had to do; He was not affected by the emotions of the disciples.
V5-6 ‘He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.’ This time, Jesus did something different from last time. The first five thousand people came because the disciples went out to find them and lead them to Jesus, but this time, these four thousand people came simply because they were hunger and thirsty for the Word of God. Jesus has authority over all these people, yet He was humble before them, He gave thanks for the food in front of the people, to show them that everything He did was from the Father.
After giving thanks, Jesus passed on the bread to the disciples, all the authority the disciples had was from Jesus. We must also know that the authority we have right now is from God, we must honour our authority and position, and to really know what Jesus wants us to do. The disciples followed Jesus’ instructions and passed on the bread, it was them doing the miracles in front of the people, but their authority is from Jesus. We must stop showing off ourselves and revealing God in our lives to the people around us! Do we really see the bread in our hands is from Jesus? If we believe that whatever is given is our hands is from Jesus, then we can perform the signs and wonders.
V9-10 ‘Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.’ Jesus did not allow the people to stay and wait, instead He sent them away so they can preach and teach more people. If we always just sit there and wait for someone else to feed us or to help us, then we can never fulfil the Great Commission from Jesus.
V11-12 ‘Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”’ Jesus didn’t come to reveal signs and miracles, but to teach and preach, but when we are willing to accept the teaching and preaching, then the signs and miracles will be revealed. Jesus didn’t attend any Bible College, He didn’t lean any methods of preaching and teaching, He simply passed on any message from God to the people.
V17-19 ‘But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”’ The disciples saw the presence of Jesus and the power of Jesus, they should not worry. A lot of time we are also like this, we have been Christians for many years, but we still don’t see and don’t know Jesus and we still worry about many things!
Section Two V22-30 We Must Really See
Do we really see Jesus in our lives? Do we really see ourselves as the disciples of Jesus?
Section Three 31-38 We Must Really Follow
V32-33 ‘He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”’ Jesus came to suffer and to offer, but Peter told Him not to go on the cross. Therefore, Jesus turned around and looked at the disciples because no one reacted. Then Jesus rebuked Satan to get behind Him because He knew this was from Satan. We also must rebuke Satan in our lives, anything that stand in our way to follow God, our schedules, our to do list, our desires…
V34-35 ‘When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.’ Do we really to follow Jesus? Jesus has already carried His own cross, it’s our time to become His true disciples, also carry our cross and follow Him!
马可福音 8 – 要成为主的真门徒
2022年7月1日 星期五
潘锡安牧师
一、v.1-21 我们要真知道
V1 “那时”指的是第七章的最后耶稣医治那个曾经不能听不能说、充满羞愧的人。周围的人看到神迹的发生就认为耶稣所做的事“都好”，所以如今来聚集的人都是很渴慕耶稣的。
V2-3 耶稣不断的教导众人，而他们也很渴慕，过了三天也不愿意离开。当我们被教导的时候，心态如何？是感觉被冒犯吗，还是开心？那些来找耶稣的人并没有求耶稣给他们吃的，反而是耶稣主动怜悯他们，因为先求神的国和神的义，我们的一切所需神都加给我们。如今的我们有圣灵同在，所以我们不是去跟神求印证，而是求信心。圣灵帮助我们能时常省察自己的生命，但我们是否只是去省察别人的生命、批评论断他们？不要叛逆、放纵自己的情欲。
V4 众人禁食三天，就为了听耶稣的讲道，于是耶稣“怜悯”他们，可惜跟在耶稣身边的门徒没有学到主的怜悯。我们说自己愿意放下一切来跟随耶稣，但我们真的有效法耶稣吗，还是像门徒那样在心里依旧惦记着以色列复国？门徒跟着耶稣三天，自己也一定累了，所以当主耶稣怜悯的时候，他们无法去怜悯。当我们面对自己所不期待的事情时，我们的老我是否又会跑出来？我们是否只在心情、身体好的时候才跟从神？
V5 我们若像门徒那样只有七个饼，是否会担心不够分？是否会不满耶稣讲道时间太长？
V6-9a 这四千人跟之前五饼二鱼神迹中的五千人不一样，这四千人是渴慕来听耶稣讲道的，耶稣在他们生命中有权柄，所以亲自叫众人坐下来。耶稣拿起饼之后先“祝谢”，说明他没有显露自己，而是谦卑承认是天父在做事。耶稣让门徒分饼，让人看到他们的权柄从耶稣而来。我们的权柄从何而来？没有一个权柄不是从神和我们的权柄而来，权柄的传承是可以公开的，我们是否尊荣神给我们的位份？不要想用doing的心态在人前故意表现自己。耶稣只是将饼“掰开、递给门徒”，但把饼“摆在众人面前”的是门徒。我们期待耶稣帮我们、给我们自己想要的，但我们却没有接到耶稣给我们的“饼”，只看到他给我们“不可能”。当我们真的知道耶稣给我们的是“饼”时，喂饱四千人的神迹奇事就发生在我们身上。
V9b 耶稣打发这些人回去，让他们将学到的道传给周围的人，而不是留在原地等吃的。我们是否一直坐在原地等着别人喂我们，还是愿意走出去行出大使命?
V11-12 我们其实也像这些法利赛人一样求“神迹”- 希望自己的身体、家庭、工作等等事事顺利。当我们愿意听耶稣的教导时，神迹自然会发生，因为这就是耶稣的生命。神的道、神的真理是否在我们里面？
V13 他们求的不是神要给他们的，所以神没有怜悯，而是离开他们。我们是否只是求神给我们印证，是否在做决定时只将神的话当作“参考”？我们常说自己是新约基督徒，可以直接从神那里领受启示，然而新约里的使徒呈现出来的都是谦卑顺服的生命。
V14 门徒们还是在乎的他们的饼。
V15 希律是当时犹太人的王，却不是真正的王；法利赛人整天讲圣经，但他们的生命却行不出来，遇到事情就忘了神的话。耶稣不要他的门徒有这些虚假的生命。
V17-21 门徒已经经历之前的神迹，看到耶稣的能力、同在，却还在担心饼不够分。我们说自己跟从耶稣，然而我们真的知道耶稣吗？
二、v.22-30 我们要真看见
V22-25 耶稣不是随便医治那瞎眼的人，而是让他真看清楚。
V27-30 耶稣问门徒对于自己身份的看法。当彼得说“你是基督”之后，耶稣就没有让他们继续说了，说明耶稣谦卑自己，因为他不用多说，而是在行动上让人看见。我们真的看见耶稣是基督、而我们是跟随耶稣的门徒吗？
三、v.31-38 我们要真跟从
耶稣来是受苦的、要摆上生命，彼得反而劝耶稣不要这样做。耶稣看着门徒，但门徒都没有反应。耶稣责备时不是说彼得的名字，而是说“撒旦”，因为那话是从撒旦而来。有任何拦阻我们全心跟随神的东西我们都要奉主耶稣的名斥责他们退后！有什么事让我们无法先神后人再大地呢？
我们跟从神是否带着自己的情欲、不愿背起神给我们的十字架？我们愿意真的跟从耶稣吗？