新约 - 马太福音(Matthew)第23章

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
马太福音第廿三章   太 23:2-3> 法利赛人以外表看人;人看你的外表,也不是很好吗?你看你的内心,那是…… 

  23:2-3 法利赛人把自己的传统、对律法的解释和应用看成与律法本身同样重要。这些规条并非全都不好,有些还很有价值,但问题是:( 1 )宗教领袖把人所定的规条看得如同神的律法同样重要。( 2 )教导人去遵行这些规条,自己却不遵行。( 3 )遵从规条却不尊重神,徒有外表。耶稣通常不谴责他们的教训,只斥责他们的虚伪。 

  太 23:5> 佩戴经文成了伪善的人身分的象征;今天,你所表现出来的敬虔又是为何? 

  23:5 佩戴的经文是指用细小的皮盒装着的经文,虔诚的人为遵守圣经的吩咐(参申 6:8 ;出 13:9 , 16 ),将这些盒子戴在额上和手上。但这些佩戴的经文已成了身分地位的象征,失去了佩戴的原意。 

  太 23:5-7> 法利赛人只关心自己所行的是否被人看到;若你所行的没有人“关心、注意”,你会…… 

  23:5-7 耶稣再次揭露了宗教领袖的虚伪心态:他们认识圣经却没有实践出来;不关注“成为圣洁”,只关心是否被“看为圣洁”,使别人羡慕和欣赏自己。今天,许多人像法利赛人一样,认识圣经,却没有让真理改变他们的生命;说跟随耶稣,却没有按着祂的爱的标准来生活,这样就是假冒为善的生活。我们必须确定自己所行的要与所信的相符。 

  太 23:5-7> 站在高处,赞美、尊重、附和样样齐──处在高位的你所期待的是…… 

  23:5-7 人不单希望在事业上领导别人,同样也希望在教会中作领袖,喜爱地位的高升过于对神的效忠是十分危险的!法利赛人和文士就是我们的鉴戒了。耶稣并不是反对所有的领导权,我们也需要基督徒领袖,祂谴责的是服事自己而不是服事人的领导。 

  太 23:11-12> 要为大,便要作众人的用人?不可能吧?我只要为大…… 

  23:11-12 耶稣向社会的观念挑战,对祂而言,伟大是由服事而来的──献出你的力量来服事神和他人。服事使我们保持对别人需要的敏感,亦停止我们专顾自己的心态,耶稣以奴仆的身分来到世上,你要寻求什么形式的伟大呢? 

  七祸 

  太 23:13-14> 人所行的是会影响别人的!我可不要像法利赛人般给人坏影响…… 

  23:13-14 当时作宗教领袖,与今天在世俗的社会中作牧师有很大分别。以色列的历史、文化和生活起居都是围绕着与神的关系,宗教领袖是所有领袖中最有名望、最有能力、最受尊敬的。耶稣对他们作出这些尖锐的控告,因为他们渴求更多权力、金钱、地位,令他们看不见神,也影响到整个民族看不见神。 

  太 23:15> 小心!你的内心是否正在制造“法利赛人”? 

  23:15 法利赛人被规条而不是被神所吸引。他们被附加于律法规条的繁琐细则所辖制,以致完全失去了律法所指的神。行善的宗教给人很大的压力,要在所知所行的事上超越别人,因此伪善的教师往往会有更伪善的学生。我们必须小心,不要牺牲内心的更新而强调外表的顺服,制造出“法利赛人”来。 

  太 23:23-24> 付出金钱,不易;行公义怜悯,也不易,那人还可以做什么? 

  23:23-24 我们遵从了律法的细则,却仍然有可能在一般的行为上违背神,例如我们忠心地把十分之一的金钱献给神,却拒绝付出时间帮助别人。十一奉献是重要的,但这并不表示我们可以豁免遵从神其他的指示。 

  太 23:24> 法利赛人那么注意饮食清洁,却忽略内心的清洁;你不会这样吧…… 

  23:24 根据律法蠓虫是不洁的昆虫,法利赛人过滤饮用的水,避免吞下蠓虫。他们这样仔细地注意洁净礼仪的细则,却失去了对真正洁净的透视力;有外表礼仪上的洁净,内心却败坏了。 

  太 23:25-28> 看看你手、你脚、你的外表,啊,蛮好的;再看看你的心…… 

  23:25-28 耶稣斥责法利赛人和宗教领袖只有外表上的圣洁,内心仍然充满了败坏和贪婪。我们的宗教生活若只做给别人看,就好像只洗净外面的杯一样,徒有其表。如果我们里面是干净的,那清洁的外表就不虚假了。 

  太 23:34-36> 历代流义人血的罪都归到这世代了──这样说不是太不公平了? 

  23:34-36 这些先知、智慧人和文士可能是指耶稣所预言那些被逼迫、蹂躏和杀害的初期教会领袖。当时的人口口声声说不会像他们的祖先那样,杀害神所差来的先知( 23:30 ),心里却想着杀害弥赛亚及祂忠心的跟从者。所以,历代流义人血的罪都归到他们身上。 

  太 23:35> 也许你没有想过,但如果有一天,你要面对殉道,你会欣然面对或是…… 

  23:35 亚伯是第一个殉道者(参创 4 章),撒迦利亚则是希伯来圣经记载的最后一位殉道者(参代下 24:20-21 ),是属神的人被自称为神的子民所杀害的典型例子。 

  太 23:37> 我曾伤心流泪,却看不到主,其实我真不知道你在不在…… 

  23:37 耶稣希望招聚属祂的人在一起,正如母鸡用翅膀覆庇小鸡一样,但人却不肯让耶稣这样做。只要我们来到祂那里,祂就会保护我们。许多时候我们受伤害,但拒绝基督的帮助,认为祂不能把我们所需的给我们,但有谁会比我们的创造主更知道我们的需要呢?那些转向耶稣的人将发现祂的帮助和安慰是无人能及的。 

  太 23:37> 耶稣的伤痛你感觉得到吗?对你所居住的城市,你有没有耶稣的心怀? 

  23:37 耶路撒冷是神选民的首都,是以色列伟大君王大卫的京城、神在地上的居所,本应是敬拜真神的中心、全人类公义的象征,但耶路撒冷变得看不见神,对人的需要麻木不仁。这里,我们看到耶稣对失落了的子民及祂所爱又将快毁灭的圣城的伤痛。 ──《灵修版圣经注释》