【读圣经学英语】拉撒路病了

【读圣经学英语】拉撒路病了

约翰福音-John 11 章 1~6节

11:1 有一个患病的伯大尼人拉撒路,是马利亚和她姐姐马大那村子的人。
Now there was a certain man who was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 
11:2 这马利亚就是那用香膏抹主,又用自己头发擦祂脚的,患病的拉撒路是她的兄弟。
It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 
11:3 姊妹二人就打发人到耶稣那里说,主啊,看哪,你所爱的人病了。
The sisters therefore sent to Him saying, Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick. 
11:4 耶稣听见,就说,这病不至于死,乃是为着神的荣耀,叫神的儿子藉此得荣耀。
But when Jesus heard it, He said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, in order that the Son of God may be glorified through it. 
11:5 耶稣素来爱马大,和她妹妹,并拉撒路。
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 
11:6 祂听见拉撒路病了,就在所居之地,仍住了两天。
When therefore He heard that he was sick, He remained at that time in the place where He was for two days.

亮光

现在我们来看最后一个事例。这事例不是在犹太教的羊圈中,乃是在羊圈外。当主离开了耶路撒冷,祂到了伯大尼一个兄弟两个姊妹的家中,他们都很爱主。在祂来到之前,这家发生了一件事:那名叫拉撒路的弟弟患了重病,两姊妹就打发人去送信给主-这就是向主祷告的意思。(约十一3。)祷告没有什么错,你若在难处中,就必须送信给主。任何时候你都可以通知祂。你可以将任何情况通报给祂。

十一章有非常特别的目的:给我们看见除了宗教的反对之外,人的意见也是生命最大的阻挠。在前面各章中,生命所面临的问题都是宗教的。在每一章中,生命都受到宗教的反对。然而,十一章没有宗教,却有另一种阻挠-从人意见来的阻挠。照着这章所启示的,到底什么是主复活能力的阻挠呢?那就是人的意见。这章生动的描绘出,人的意见如何阻挠了主复活的生命。一旦人的意见被征服,复活的生命就得彰显。这不是在宗教里的事,乃是在召会,伯大尼的家里,那是召会生活的小影。在耶路撒冷,你是在宗教中;在伯大尼,你就是在地方召会里。在耶路撒冷,有宗教;在地方召会,就有人意见的问题。从一至十章,作生命的基督充分被启示了出来,同时,宗教也被暴露了。现在到了十一章,作复活生命的基督被表明了,但人的意见同时也揭示了。在召会中虽没有宗教的问题,但有另一种障碍,就是人意见的障碍。主是复活的生命,但祂却被意见所阻碍。在这章里充满了人的意见。

马大和马利亚认为主应当立刻就来。这是她们的意见。但主行事从不根据任何人的意见,祂行事总是照着祂自己的定意。他们认为主应当立刻就来,但主却故意多耽搁了两天。

Enlightenment:

Now we come to the last case. This case is not in the Judaistic fold; it is outside of it. After the Lord went out of Jerusalem, He went to a home in Bethany of one brother and two sisters who loved Him very much. Before He came, something happened in this home. The brother, Lazarus, became seriously ill, and the sisters sent a message to the Lord, which means that they prayed to Him (11:3). There is nothing wrong with prayer. If you are in trouble, you must send a message to the Lord. At any time you can send a word to Him. You may send Him the information about any situation. 

Chapter eleven serves a very specific purpose: it shows us that besides the opposition of religion, human opinions are the strongest frustration to life. Throughout the foregoing chapters, the problem that life faced was with religion. As we have seen, in every chapter life was opposed by religion. However, there is no religion in chapter eleven. But there is another kind of frustration—the frustration from human opinion. What is revealed in this chapter that frustrates the resurrection power of the Lord? It is the human opinions. This chapter vividly portrays how the human opinions frustrate the Lord’s resurrection life. Once human opinions are subdued, resurrection life is manifested. This is not a matter in religion, but in the church, at the home in Bethany, which is a miniature of the church life. In Jerusalem, you are in religion; in Bethany, you are in the local church. In Jerusalem you have religion; in the local church you have the problem of human opinions. In chapters one through ten, Christ as life is fully revealed and, at the same time, religion is exposed. Now, in chapter eleven, Christ as the resurrection life is unfolded, but, at the same time, human opinions are brought to the surface. Although there is no problem of religion in the church, there is nevertheless another kind of hindrance, the hindrance of human opinion. The Lord is the resurrection life, but He is hindered by the opinions. This chapter is filled with human opinions.

Martha and Mary considered that the Lord should have come immediately. This was their opinion. But the Lord never acts on the basis of anyone’s opinion; He always acts according to His own will. They thought that the Lord should come immediately, but the Lord purposely stayed away for two more days.