【读圣经学英语】头一件神迹

约翰福音-John 2 章6~11节


2:6	照犹太人洁净的规矩，有六口石缸摆在那里，每口可盛两三桶水。 Now there were six stone waterpots lying there, according to the Jews' rite of purification, holding two or three measures each.
2:7	耶稣对仆人说，把缸倒满了水。他们就倒满了，直到缸口。 Jesus said to them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
2:8	耶稣又说，现在舀出来，送给管筵席的。他们就送了去。 And He said to them, Draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast. And they took it to him.
2:9	管筵席的尝了那水变的酒，并不知道是那里来的，只有舀水的仆人知道。管筵席的便叫新郎来， And when the master of the feast tasted the water which had become wine and did not know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom
2:10	对他说，人都是先摆上好酒，等客人喝足了，才摆上次的，你倒把好酒留到如今。 And said to him, Every man sets out the good wine first, and when they have drunk freely, then that which is worse; you have kept the good wine until now.
2:11	这是耶稣所行的头一件神迹，是在加利利的迦拿行的，显出祂的荣耀来，祂的门徒就信入了祂。 This beginning of signs Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed into Him.

亮光

圣经首次题起任何事，都是立定那件事的原则。因此，这里的头一个表号，就立下了往后一切表号的原则，就是变死亡为生命。

主神奇的变水为酒，表征祂将我们的死亡变为生命。水象征死亡，酒象征生命。当主将我们的水变为酒时，在我们婚筵中的酒就取用不竭了。我们既已重生，生命带着其属灵的享受，就会持续到永远。我们会有一个永远的婚筵，是永不止息的。这婚筵不在我们原有的生命里，而是在我们藉重生所得着的新生命里。正如管筵席的发觉，新酒比先前的酒更好；（约二9～10；）照样，我们也将发现，我们藉重生所得的生命远胜于我们天然的生命。由劣酒所象征我们先前的生命，是非常低劣的。主并没有将上好的先给我们，乃是将上好的留到末了。第一个生命，人的受造生命，是次等的生命；上好的生命是第二个生命，神圣而永远的生命。这生命是上好的，因为这生命就是在基督里神自己的生命。因此，我们的喜乐要持续到永永远远。我们有永远的享受，因为基督已将我们从死亡迁到生命里。祂是我们永久、永远的生命，能维持我们的喜乐与享受，直到永永远远。我们得救的时候，新的婚筵开始了，这婚筵将永无止境。我们里面始终有喜乐，始终有婚筵，因为我们有神圣的酒，就是神圣的生命－主自己。

我们都必须承认，我们许多的祷告未蒙答应。比方说，好些已婚的弟兄为他们的妻子祷告，对主说，『主阿，你知道我的妻子。主，你必须改变她。』这是怎样的祷告？这是马利亚的祷告，天然人的祷告。不要那样祷告。让你妻子里面的死亡表面化。让拉撒路死而埋葬，然后主耶稣要来叫他从死人中复活。让你的妻子像拉撒路一样，死了，埋了，并且开始腐烂。你若这样作，主耶稣要来，变死亡为生命。

Enlightenment

The first mentioning of anything in the Scriptures sets forth the principle of that particular matter. Therefore, the first sign here sets forth the principle of all the following signs, that is, to change death into life.

The Lord’s miraculously changing water into wine signifies that He changes our death into life. The water signifies death, and the wine signifies life. When the Lord changes our water into wine, that wine in our marriage feast will never end. Since we have been regenerated, life with its spiritual enjoyment will last forever. We shall have an eternal marriage feast which will never end. This feast is not in our original life, but in the new life which we received through regeneration. Even as the ruler of the feast discovered that the new wine is better than the former wine (2:9-10), so we too shall find that the life we receive through regeneration is much better than our natural life. Our former life, symbolized by the poor wine, was greatly inferior. The Lord did not give us the best first, but the best last. The first life, the human, created one, is an inferior life; the best life is the second life, the divine and everlasting one. This life is the best because it is the life of God Himself in Christ. So, our pleasure will last forever and ever. We have everlasting enjoyment, for Christ has translated us from death into life. He, as our everlasting, eternal life, can maintain our pleasures and enjoyment forever and ever. A new marriage feast began when we were saved, and it will never end. There is always joy within and there is always a marriage feast within because we have the divine wine, which is the divine life—the Lord Himself.

We all must admit that many of our prayers have gone unanswered. For instance, many of the married brothers have prayed for their wives, telling the Lord, “O Lord, You know my wife. Lord, You must change her.” What kind of prayer is this? It is the prayer of Mary, the prayer of the natural man. Do not pray in that way. Let the death in your wife come to the surface. Let Lazarus be dead and buried. Then the Lord Jesus will come and raise him from the dead. Let your wife, like Lazarus, die, be buried, and begin to putrefy. If you do this, the Lord Jesus will come and change death into life.