【读圣经学英语】羊绝不跟着生人

【读圣经学英语】羊绝不跟着生人

约翰福音-John 10 章 1~5节

10:1 我实实在在的告诉你们,不从门进羊圈,倒从别处爬进去的,那人就是贼,就是强盗。
Truly, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter through the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up from somewhere else, he is a thief and a robber; 
10:2 从门进去的,才是羊的牧人。
But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 
10:3 看门的就给他开门,羊也听他的声音;他按着名叫自己的羊,领它们出来。
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 
10:4 当他把自己的羊都放出来,就在前头走,羊也跟着他,因为认得他的声音。
When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 
10:5 羊绝不跟着生人,反要逃避,因为不认得生人的声音。
But they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.

亮光

羊就是神的选民。在已过的永远里,神照着祂的先见拣选了祂的百姓;在时间里,当基督未来以先,神将祂的选民放在律法的看管之下。基督来到之后,祂要祂所有的百姓都从律法的看管下出来。那被赶出犹太会堂,来到主耶稣这里的瞎子,乃是神的选民之一。他原是在律法的看管之下,但从其中被带出来,归于主自己。

基督还未来以先,神将祂的选民放在律法的看管之下,律法就是那个圈。例如,你若去访问牧场乡村,你会发现羊群大部分时间都不留在圈内。一年中大半时间羊群都在草场。草场才是他们久留之处,而羊圈只是暂时的地方。只有在草场没有准备好的时候,羊群才被看守在圈内。羊圈是暂时用来看管并保护羊群,直到草场准备妥当。这正好说明基督就是草场,是神儿女永远居留之地。

Enlightenment:

The sheep are God’s chosen people. In eternity past, God with His foresight had chosen His people. In time, before Christ came, God put His chosen people into the custody of the law. After Christ came, He wanted all of His people to come out of the law’s custody. The blind man who was cast out of the Jewish synagogue and who came to the Lord Jesus is one of God’s chosen people. He was under the custody of the law, but he was taken out of it unto the Lord Himself.

Before Christ came, God put His chosen people under the custody of the law. The law was the fold. For example, if you visit the ranch country, you will discover that the sheep do not stay in the fold most of the time. Most of the year the sheep stay in the pasture. The pasture is the permanent place for them to stay, but the sheepfold is merely a temporary place. Only when the pasture is not ready will the sheep be kept in the fold. The fold is used temporarily to keep and protect the sheep until the pasture is ready. This illustrates that Christ is the pasture, the permanent place for the Lord’s children to stay. But before Christ came, God prepared the law as the sheepfold to keep and confine His chosen people temporarily.