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  • Yoke and Little Children

Yoke and Little Children

  • Posted by 杨牧师
  • Categories 杨牧师的主日证道
  • Date June 16, 2019
  • Comments 0 comment

July 5/6, 2014

Text: Matthew 11:25-30

In the name of Jesus, Amen!

What does a yoke have anything to do with little children? I was wondering this too when I was preparing the sermon. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus puts these two together. In the beginning of the text, it says. “At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.’” And in the end, He says, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” It seems that the relationship between yoke and little children has to do with revelation from God the Father and the gentleness and lowliness of Jesus. But what is exactly the connection?

First, let’s find out what a yoke and little children are. What’s a yoke here? Jesus uses a yoke as an illustration to explain his helping carry our loads. People at the time of Jesus knew this very well. Some people say, Jesus may have learned from Joseph how to make a yoke because it’s so common at that time. A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen or other animals for them to share the load. It may also be a shoulder yoke of a carrying pole used by people to carry a heavy burden, buckets of water or baskets of goods. When Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you,” He is not talking about giving you another burden as if you didn’t have enough of it. He is talking about sharing your load and bearing your burden. Then, who are the little children? Well, it seems that we all know who little children are. But you may not know who the little children are that Jesus is talking about here. What are the essential characteristics of a little child? What so special are these little children that God the Father reveal something to them that are hidden from the wise and understanding? Little children are little and simple. They are gentle and humble, totally dependent on parents. So, Jesus is talking about not only literally little children but also those who are pure and simple, gentle and humble in heart, totally depending on God. Immediately, I thought of those blessed ones in the beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek and humble, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the pure and simple in heart, for they shall see God.” Also Jesus rebuked the disciples and embraced the little children and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

You may ask, what’s wrong with the wise and understanding? Firstly, Jesus is talking about wisdom and understanding in the eyes of this world, not in the eyes of God. Sin and unbelief make people so complicated and so sophisticated that they doubt everything and anything. They are so strong-willed that they bend everything to their own advantage. They are so proud that they are blind to the truth of the Gospel and despise the grace of God. They have lost the pure and simple trust in God. They are too adult to be like little children. They think little children are too meek and humble that anyone can take advantage of them. Adults think the babes and little children are too dependent. Yes, they are. In the morning, when they wake up and open their eyes, they know who their parents are. They trust their mom to feed them and their dad to protect them. But a lot of adults don’t. They don’t recognize their parents. They are too independent. They are too smart to let their elderly parents to be a burden to them. Adults think the babes and little children are too simple and pure. Yes, they are simple. They are too simple to understand why adults cannot get along with one another, why mom and dad have to divorce.

Ironically, selfish sinful nature together with all the sophistication and the pride of this world doesn’t give us ease and peace in heart that it’s supposed to bring. Rather it brings a heavy burden upon us. Temptations, conflicting loyalties, broken relationships, struggles, stress, cares and worries are normal patterns of our life. We have to bear loads of sins, guilt of conscience and accusation of the law. These burdens are not just heavy, they are unbearable. They are getting heavier and heavier as we grow older and older. They pull us down and down until we are totally crushed by sickness, death and punishment of the Law. Like a millstone tied to our neck, they drown us in the sea of destruction. This is the problem of the wise and understanding in the eyes of this world.

But, thanks be to God, here and now, with sweet sound of the Gospel, Jesus invites us. In fact, He all inclusively invites everyone. He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus is asking us to learn from Him, the littlest child, and the most humble and simplest one for He says, “I am gentle and lowly in heart.” In many places of the Bible, God shows us a principle called the great reversal. “God resists the proud and give grace to the humble,” says Apostle James. Jesus says to His disciples, “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” In Mary’s Magnificat, she sings, “God has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.”

Jesus Christ is the ultimate great reversal. His pure and simple heart compelled Him to say the truth even in front of Pontius Pilate, which eventually became the only so-called crime that He committed, “the King of the Jews.” But His purity and simpleness reflect His relationship with the Father. In the middle of today’s Gospel reading, that is between text about little children and the text about the yoke, Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Jesus is THE little Child, the only begotten Son of God. He and the Father are one and simple, undivided. At the same time, His meekness and humbleness led Him to the suffering and death on the cross. On the cross, Jesus made a “yoke” that bore the sin of the whole world and carried the burden of God’s law and His wrath. This yoke lifted up all humanity by the power of the resurrection. The littlest child, the most humble and simplest one, Jesus Christ, accomplished the greatest thing and brought the peace, pardon and eternal life to everyone who should believe. The littlest Child of the greatest God bears the yoke of this world. This is the connection between yoke and little children.

Now, He invites you to take His yoke on your shoulder to bear your burden and to lighten your load. You, who labor and are heavy laden ones, come to Him. Lay all your sins, guilt, frustrations and worries on Him, on His yoke. And He will give you rest. When two oxen pull a load with a yoke, the stronger and faster one bears the most of the load. The same way, imagine two people share a yoke to carry a burden. If the stronger person bears the most weight, the weaker person like me can just pretend and whistle-blow some happy tunes along the way. That’s the picture. Jesus promises that when you take His yoke upon you, He actually will bear the entire burden. When He says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” He means it’s going to be so easy and free that you will feel like no burden at all. May the peace and rest from the littlest and the most humble child, Jesus be with you now and always.

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头上的好炭火
6 September, 2023

二零二三年九月三日 证道经文:罗马书12:9–21 奉耶稣基督的名,阿门! 我相信,你一定曾想过要把某些人烧死。我就会有这样的冲动,对于那些蛮横作恶的,欺压无辜的,和背后捅刀子的背叛者,在他们身上浇上滚烫的钢水,倒上燃烧的火炭;对那些作恶者、施暴者、罪魁祸首和肇事者,用针刺或用刀一片一片地切割他们,或者使天上降下硫磺和火在他们身上等等。人们喜欢复仇,有句话说“君子报仇十年不晚”。然而,在今天的书信经文罗马书第12章中,上帝教导我们,“不可自己伸冤,宁可让步,听凭主怒”。因为经上记著:“主说:『伸冤在我;我必报应』”。于是,与复仇相反,上帝教导我们要善待我们的仇敌,祂说:“你的仇敌若饿了,就给他吃,若渴了,就给他喝;因为你这样行就是把炭火堆在他的头上”。这里,上帝教我们用一种更好的方式对待我们的仇敌,就是在他们需要帮助的时候去帮他们,而把报仇的事情留给上帝;这样就是把炭火堆在他的头上了。想想看,如果上帝替你复仇的话,那劲儿可不是更大?上帝的复仇岂不是更公正,更有力吗? 更重要的是,当我们仔细阅读使徒保罗在这里所说的上下文时,我们发现这里真正的问题其实是:“这些人有资格成为你真正的敌人吗?”当我们读到罗马书第12章时,保罗已经开始谈论基督徒做为活祭的生活,并且说这种活祭的生活是“圣洁的,是上帝所喜悦的;如此的敬拜才是合宜的”。这种基督徒生活是基于我们因信耶稣基督而得到的上帝恩典和怜悯,保罗从第1章到第11章都在谈论这一点;在耶稣基督里并拥有祂的救恩,我们便属于上帝了。因此,圣经教导我们,不应该随从这个世界,而是要通过上帝的话语并遵行祂的旨意,“心意更新而变化”。这样,关于谁是我们敌人的这个思路也当更新和变化。保罗并不是在谈论某种特定的情况、某群人或某些令人不快和令人讨厌的人,他是一般性地谈论如何对待仇敌的问题。事实上,保罗,甚至整本圣经都提醒我们,我们常看做是仇敌的人其实都是我们的邻舍,他们需要我们的爱。“逼迫你们的,要给他们祝福;只要祝福,不可咒诅”(罗12:14)。保罗是在呼应主耶稣的教导:“你们的仇敌,要爱他!恨你们的,要待他好!”(路6:27)那么,到底谁才是我们真正的敌人呢?是魔鬼!彼得前书5:8说:“你们的仇敌魔鬼,如同吼叫的狮子,遍地游行,寻找可吞吃的人”。你可能会说:“但魔鬼会通过恶人做恶事,不是吗?圣经中有很多例子,还有我们自己的经验也告诉我们同样的道理”。是的,那么你也许又问,我们的仇敌到底是人还是魔鬼呢?这个关键在于,我们每个人在这个世界上既是魔鬼的受害者,也被魔鬼利用去加害于别人。这就是为什么圣保罗鼓励我们要穿上上帝所赐的全副军装,抵御 “魔鬼的诡计”。他在以弗所书第6章中继续说道:“因为我们并不是与属血气的争战,乃是与执政的、掌权的、管辖这幽暗世界的、以及天上属灵气的恶魔争战”。魔鬼通过人类邪恶与自私的欲望,通过世界上种种黑暗和变态的思想和理念,通过无神论和敌基督的文化、意识形态和哲学在这个世界上作恶,并攻击我们。 事实上,我们真正的敌人比你想象的要近得多。这个敌人在镜子中若隐若现,并侵入我们的心灵。保罗在歌罗西书中说:“你们从前与上帝隔绝,因著恶行,心里与祂为敌”。我们每个人都在罪性与软弱中与上帝为敌。保罗在罗马书第7章中说:“我所愿意的善,我反不做;我所不愿意的恶,我倒去做”。“我真是苦啊!谁能救我脱离这取死的身体呢?”看到了吧,真正的敌人就在我们的内心—是内在的敌人。今天的经文中,保罗用来表示“燃烧的煤炭”的希腊文是anthrakas,英语单词 anthrax 就是由此而来的,中文翻译成“炭疽”,是一种传染性细菌。如果一个人感染上炭疽,他的皮肤会出现病变,看起来就像被炭烧过一样;炭疽在动物之间和人类之间,以及动物与人类之间都极具传染力和致命性,它也被用作最常见的生物武器之一。做为一个被魔鬼的邪恶思想和意识形态感染了的,充满罪恶欲望的人类,我们会迫不及待地想把燃烧的炭火堆在我们敌人的头上,但同时却往往忽视了自己身体和灵魂中的 “炭疽”;这种仇恨的思想与其他邪恶的思想、观念一起,就像传染病一样传播开来。 但是,感谢上帝!上帝有祂自己的炭火—好的炭火。主上帝有烧净、洁净罪恶的炭火。当先知以赛亚在三位一体的真神面前时,他喊道:“我灭亡了!因为我是嘴唇不洁的人,又住在嘴唇不洁的民中,又因我眼见大君王万军之耶和华!”这时,“有一撒拉弗飞到我跟前,手里拿著红炭,是用火剪从坛上取下来的,将炭沾我的口,说:「看哪,这炭沾了你的嘴,你的罪孽便除掉,你的罪恶就赦免了。」”请注意,这里触碰以赛亚嘴的红炭来自圣殿中燃烧祭品的祭坛,它预表耶稣基督和祂在十字架上一次献上永远有效的祭。我们知道保罗心里一定想着耶稣基督献上的祭,因为这就是他提到的上帝在基督耶稣里的怜悯,这个祭促使我们将身体献上,当作活祭,成为我们信心果实的根本动力和原因。保罗在这里也一定想到了像亚伦这样的大祭司在献上燔祭和赎罪祭时,用来给以色列人除罪的炭火。他更想到了主耶稣被捕时,彼得用来取暖的炭火,然后彼得三次不认主。他想到主耶稣复活后为门徒烤鱼的炭火,然后耶稣三次问彼得“你爱我吗?”。是的,也许保罗还想到了另一种火,那就是第一个五旬节那天,圣灵降临在每个门徒头上像舌头一般的火。 中文繁体字“义”由两部分组成,下半部分是个“我”字,上半部是 “羊”字;我的头上有只羊就是义,没有羔羊,我只是我。没有上帝的羔羊,我只是我自己,根本没有义。主耶稣在十字架上经历了血与火的洗礼,为我们成就了这个义。现在,在圣灵大能的帮助下,我们接受上帝的羔羊,成为上帝眼中的义人。所有这些都是好的火炭,烧尽我们的罪孽,挑旺我们的信心,保守我们在上帝的爱中得到温暖,并将上帝的恩赐点燃,在我们周围和世界上将福音这大好消息传扬出去 所以,亲爱的弟兄姐妹啊,不要自己伸冤,宁可让步;不可为恶所胜,反要以善胜恶。这样做,你们就是把燃烧的炭堆在他的头上。宁可听凭主怒,因为上帝不仅更有能力、更公正,而且祂已经赐给我们饶恕和永生的好火炭。求圣灵感动我们,上帝在基督里的爱激励我们,让我们把福音的种子播撒出去,而不是传播魔鬼的 “炭疽”。把这些好的“炭火”,属上帝的炭火,倒在那些恨我们之人的身上和心里;在他们饿的时候给他们吃,在他们渴的时候给他们喝,使他们也感受到上帝在耶稣基督里的爱。阿门! 奉圣父、圣子、圣灵的名,阿门!

为所有人
6 September, 2023

二零二三年八月二十日 证道经文:马太福音15:21–28 奉耶稣基督的名,阿门! 在今天的福音经文中,主耶稣来到推罗、西顿的境内,治好了一个迦南妇人的女儿。主耶稣身为以色列人来到另一个国家,不但善待这个外邦人,后来更夸奖了这个外国人,并且她还是个妇女。这在当时来说是极为大逆不道的事情。其实,自古以来甚至到现在,外邦人与犹太人之间的矛盾,某个国家的本地人与外国人之间的矛盾,或男女之间的矛盾都一直存在。外邦人与以色列人的矛盾,不只体现在反犹太主义方面,换个立场来说也反映在犹太人歧视、剥削、欺压其它人民的问题上。至于怀疑、歧视、或排斥外国人,应当是全世界普遍的现象;我记得刚改革开放时,大家看见走在路上的外国人,个个都好像看见了猴子或怪物一样。另外,男女之间的矛盾更可以说是源远流长了,如今的变性人和变性手术,使男女之间矛盾更加激化;一个男人现在可以自称是女人,然后大摇大摆地走进女厕所,或者通过手术变成女性,然后在女子运动项目中不费吹灰之力一举夺冠。而具有讽刺意义的是,这使得一直在男女问题上为妇女争取权益的女权主义者大为光火,高喊“这不公平”。 这确实是不公平。在这个罪恶的世界里,充满着自我为中心,和自私的罪性动机,一方面人自高自大,喜欢夸耀自己和自己的族群,并极力捍卫自身利益;另一方面又会想方设法地占别人的便宜,侵犯别人和其它族群的利益。所以,人们在对待外国人或异性上,一方面会有排斥异己的心态,另一方面又会不顾法律和秩序去侵害别的国家,别的种族或异性的利益,造成世界上许多的战争和社会的动荡。比如,自古以来的文化或宗教战争;非法移民的入侵造成社会秩序的混乱,同时也对本地居民造成工作和生活上的侵扰与伤害;国家与国家之间的战争永无止息;甚至,如今关于如何使用性别代名词,都可以引发诉讼和争执等等。男女之间界限与区别的模糊使得变态与淫乱泛滥,在这种种情况下,我们如何能做到上帝要求我们当“爱人如己”呢?爱人如己不是只爱自己喜欢的人,而是要爱所有人,无论是什么样的人,我们都当以爱心相待。这个要求你做到了吗?感谢主,主耶稣今天给我们做了一个榜样,祂医治了一个外邦、外国妇人的女儿。 是的,我们无法做到主耶稣这样大的爱心,但你如果仔细看今天的经文,主耶稣其实还是很讲究秩序的,祂尊重一定的先后次序和规律。一开始,当这个迦南妇人大声喊叫,求主可怜并医治她女儿的时候,经文说,“耶稣却一言不答”,接着祂还说,“我奉差遣不过是到以色列家迷失的羊那里去”。在圣经的其它地方,比如使徒保罗就曾一再说,上帝拯救的秩序,“先是犹太人,後是希利尼人(外邦人)”(罗1:16)。主耶稣也是先在自己本国本地区传福音,虽然人们拒绝福音,但主还是先向祂自己家乡的人传。保罗也是这样,当他谈到以色列民不接受福音的时候说,“为我弟兄,我骨肉之亲,就是自己被咒诅,与基督分离,我也愿意”。至于男女之间的区别与先后次序,圣经中的经文就更多了,这里就不一一列举。 当然,主耶稣毕竟是天地万物的主宰,是全世界人的创造主和救赎主。当祂面对谦卑的、出于信心的祈求,祂打破一切的禁忌,不顾一切的忌讳,怜悯并医治好这个外邦人、这个外国女人的女儿。在与上帝的关系上,在生与死的问题上,在救恩面前,人人都是平等的,并无区别。上帝爱世人,爱所有被造的人,无论犹太人还是外邦人,无论哪一个国家的人,无论是男是女;正像保罗在加拉太书中说“你们受洗归入基督的都是披戴基督了。并不分犹太人、希利尼人,自主的、为奴的,或男或女,因为你们在基督耶稣里都成为一了”。主耶稣在十字架上是为全人类死并复活的,正如祂在约翰福音中所说,“我若从地上被举起来,就要吸引万人(“万人”的原文是“所有人”)来归我”(约12:32)。主耶稣在马太福音最后一章中宣布教会大使命的时候说,“天上地下所有的权柄都赐给我了。所以,你们要去,使万民作我的门徒,奉父、子、圣灵的名给他们施洗。凡我所吩咐你们的,都教训他们遵守,我就常与你们同在,直到世界的末了。”上帝怜悯所有人,上帝的救恩是为了所有人。 我知道,我们每个人都有个舒适区域,不愿意轻易走出来。在教会里弟兄姐妹也很谈得来,喜欢敬拜完后扎堆儿在一起聊天吃饭。这固然很好,弟兄姐妹之间应当有这样的团契与交流。但我们也当注意留心看当天有没有新来的朋友,无论是什么样的人。中国人也许我们还愿意接触一下,欢迎他们一下,但如果是其他族群的人呢?我们眼中的“正常人”,我们也许会去了解、关心一下,但如果是装束打扮奇怪,说话阴阳怪气的人呢?在许多不信主的人眼里,教会已经像是个特殊俱乐部,我们也把自己当成不信主的人眼中的“以色列人”,这就可能导致不信主的人自然就对我们敬而远之。所以,我们应该在不丧失原则,并注意教会秩序的情况下,对那人显出最大的爱心和耐心。我们要让人知道,教会欢迎所有的人,包括在基督徒眼中的“外邦人”,“外国人”,和异族、异性、异类。 所以,求主怜悯我们,饶恕我们以自我为中心,排外的心态和其它许多的罪;也求主的圣灵常常感动我们,让我们能以基督的心为心,怜悯并接纳我们周围所有的人,欢迎他们来教会,向他们传福音;因为只有主的圣道和圣礼才能使他们得到主耶稣基督和在祂里面的新生命,并且祂的福音、祂的救恩不只是为我们喜欢的人,而是为全世界所有人的。 奉圣父、圣子、圣灵的名,阿门!

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