【4.22】无与伦比的饶恕 Incomparable Forgiveness


“人怎样饶恕了你们,你们也要怎样饶恕人。” -西 3:13

今天的经文提醒我们,因着耶稣,我们被呼召活出祂为我们所预备的整全生命。我们日常生活中很重要的一部份就是:“主怎样饶恕了你们,你们也要怎样饶恕人。”

耶稣在马太福音第18章讲了一个重要的比喻。一个王在跟他的仆人算账,发现有一个仆人欠他一万他连得。这个人付不起钱,于是王下令把他全家都卖了来偿还。但当这个人请求王的宽容时,王竟然赦免了他的巨额债务。然而,被宽恕的人对别人却并不慷慨。他追讨一个欠他100银币却还不上的人。那个人请求他的宽容,但这个被王宽容的人拒绝了宽容别人的请求,把他投入了欠债人的监狱。王听见这话,就大怒,把第一个人交给狱卒,等他还清所欠的债才能出来。

当我们思考这个比喻时,不妨这样来理解,100个银币是100天的工资,而一个他连得是大约20年的工资。所以一万他连得相当于20万年的工资!

耶稣是以比喻这样的方式在说,我们欠神的债是无法偿还的,但神已经赦免了。因此,我们蒙召彼此饶恕,正如神在基督里饶恕了我们一样(另见弗 4:17-32)。

祷告

主啊,你满有恩典。你的仁慈永无止境。你的宽恕大过我所有的罪。帮助我们每天通过宽恕他人来分享你的爱和恩典。奉耶稣的名,阿们。

歌罗西书 3:1-17

1所以,你们若真与基督一同复活,就当求在上面的事,那里有基督坐在神的右边。
2你们要思念上面的事,不要思念地上的事,
3因为你们已经死了,你们的生命与基督一同藏在神里面。
4基督是我们的生命,他显现的时候,你们也要与他一同显现在荣耀里。
5所以要治死你们在地上的肢体,就如淫乱、污秽、邪情、恶欲和贪婪,贪婪就与拜偶像一样。
6因这些事,神的愤怒必临到那悖逆之子。
7当你们在这些事中活着的时候,也曾这样行过。
8但现在你们要弃绝这一切的事,以及恼恨、愤怒、恶毒、毁谤并口中污秽的言语。
9不要彼此说谎,因你们已经脱去旧人和旧人的行为,
10穿上了新人;这新人在知识上渐渐更新,正如造他主的形象。
11在此并不分希腊人、犹太人,受割礼的、未受割礼的,化外人,西古提人,为奴的,自主的,唯有基督是包括一切,又住在各人之内。
12所以,你们既是神的选民、圣洁蒙爱的人,就要存怜悯、恩慈、谦虚、温柔、忍耐的心。
13倘若这人与那人有嫌隙,总要彼此包容,彼此饶恕;主怎样饶恕了你们,你们也要怎样饶恕人。
14在这一切之外,要存着爱心,爱心就是联络全德的。
15又要叫基督的平安在你们心里做主,你们也为此蒙召,归为一体;且要存感谢的心。
16当用各样的智慧,把基督的道理丰丰富富地存在心里,用诗章、颂词、灵歌彼此教导,互相劝诫,心被恩感歌颂神。
17无论做什么,或说话或行事,都要奉主耶稣的名,藉着他感谢父神。

Incomparable Forgiveness

“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13

In our reading for today we are reminded that because of Jesus, we are called to live into the full life he has made possible for us. And a crucial part of our daily living is this: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Jesus told an important parable about this in Matthew 18. A king was settling accounts with his subjects, and he found that one owed him 10,000 talents. The man was unable to pay, so the king ordered that the man’s entire family be sold. But when the man asked for patience, the king forgave his huge debt. The forgiven man, however, was not so generous. He found someone who owed him 100 denarii but could not pay. The second man begged for mercy, but the forgiven man refused and threw him into a debtor’s prison. When the king heard about this, he became angry and handed the first man over to the jailers until he should paid off his debt.

As we think about this parable, it can help to understand that 100 denarii was 100 days’ wages, and that one talent was about 20 years’ wages. So 10,000 talents was about 200,000 years’ wages!

In this way Jesus was saying that our debt to God is unpayable for us—and yet God has forgiven it. Therefore we are called to forgive one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us (see also Ephesians 4:17-32).

Prayer

Lord, you are gracious; your mercy has no end. Your forgiveness is greater than all my sins. Help us each day to share your love and grace by forgiving others. In Jesus, Amen.


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