【读圣经学英语】绳子作成鞭子

约翰福音-John 2 章12~16节

2:12	这事以后，耶稣与祂的母亲、兄弟和门徒，都下迦百农去，在那里住了不多几日。 After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they remained there not many days.
2:13	犹太人的逾越节近了，耶稣就上耶路撒冷去。 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2:14	祂看见殿里有卖牛羊鸽子的，并有兑换银钱的人坐在那里， And He found in the temple those selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers sitting there.
2:15	就拿绳子作成鞭子，把众人连羊带牛都赶出殿去，倒出兑换银钱之人的钱币，推翻他们的桌子。 And having made a whip out of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, as well as the sheep and the oxen, and He poured out the money of the moneychangers and overturned their tables.
2:16	又对卖鸽子的说，把这些东西从这里拿走，不要将我父的家，当作买卖的场所。 And to those who were selling the doves He said, Take these things away from here; do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise.

亮光

主对付神的殿（家），是用绳子作成鞭子来洁净它。有些译本说，主用灯心草作的绳子来作鞭子，灯心草是不值钱的，平常的。主是用平常的东西，灯心草，作成鞭子来洁净殿。祂赶出牛、羊、鸽子和钱币，表征赶出所有属地的霸占。我们是神的殿，却没有被神充满，反而被许多神之外的事物充满。我们是神的殿，应该被神充满，可是事实上我们里面却充满了买卖、钱财、以及兑换银钱之人的桌子。因此主必须用绳子作鞭子，把这些东西从我们里面赶出去。

主常常使用普通平常的东西，就如灯心草，来洁净我们。有时祂用平常的人洁净你－就如你的妻子或丈夫，你的父母或儿女，你的上司或属下。我们都经历过主用普通、平常的人事物作成鞭子洁净我们。有时主把事情弄得天翻地覆，来干涉我们的生活。祂来赶出牛羊鸽子，推倒桌子，要把整个局面搞得乱糟糟。比方去年你的生意赚了不少钱，但今年你统统蚀光－这就是主用来洁净你的一根鞭子。每个有追求的基督徒总有人事物来洁净他。

一般说来，寻求神的妻子总是渴望她丈夫属灵、爱主，但有时正好事与愿违。爱主的丈夫总是仰望主叫他的妻子属灵、爱主，但有时事情也适得其反。照样，作父母的真诚寻求主，并天天为他们的孩子祷告，有时仍然难过的看着他们的孩子走错路。你经历的鞭子乃是主所作的。如果你的丈夫或妻子非常属灵，主就没有鞭子来洁净你。你的儿子若像彼得、约翰，你的女儿若像马利亚，就没有灯心草可以给主用来作成鞭子。你的父母若像亚伯拉罕和撒拉，就没有什么来洁净你。一面你可以天天享受主作筵席，但另一面主会多次打发鞭子来洁净你。

Enlightenment

The Lord dealt with the house of God by cleansing it with a scourge or a whip made of cords. The King James Version says that the Lord made “a scourge of small cords,” but some versions say that the Lord made a scourge or whip out of rushes, which are inexpensive and ordinary. The Lord made a scourge or whip of ordinary things, of rushes, and used it to cleanse the temple. He drove out the oxen, sheep, doves, and coins. That signified the casting out of all earthly occupations. We are the temple of God, yet we are not filled with God. We are filled with so many things other than God. Although we, as the house of God, should be filled with God, yet the fact is that we are filled with merchandise, money, and tables of the money-changers. Therefore, the Lord must make a whip of cords to drive these things out of us.

Often, the Lord uses the ordinary and common things, such as the rushes, to cleanse us. Sometimes He uses someone common to purge you—such as your wife or husband, your parents or children, your employer or employees. We all have experienced the whip of cords which the Lord has made of common persons or ordinary things to purge us. Sometimes the Lord comes to interfere with our lives by turning things upside down. He comes to cast out the sheep, oxen, and doves, and to overthrow the tables in order to bring confusion into the whole situation. For example, last year you gained a lot of money in business, but this year you lose everything—this is a scourge that the Lord uses to purge you. With every seeking Christian there is always someone or something purging him.

Generally speaking, a wife who is a seeking child of God always longs for her husband to be spiritual and to love the Lord, but it sometimes turns out to be just the opposite. A husband who loves the Lord always looks to the Lord that his wife might be spiritual and love the Lord, but it is sometimes contrary to his desire. Also parents who sincerely seek after the Lord and pray daily for their children sometimes suffer to see their children going astray. The scourge you experience is made by the Lord. If your husband or wife is quite spiritual, the Lord would have no scourge to purge you. If your sons are like Peter and John and your daughter is like Mary, there would be no rushes available for the Lord to make a scourge. If your parents are like Abraham and Sarah, nothing would purge you. On the one hand, you may daily enjoy the Lord as a feast, but, on the other hand, the Lord will send a scourge a number of times to purge you.