“我们如今仿佛对着镜子观看，模糊不清。” – 林前13:12
如果你像我一样，是在1960年代渡过童年的，你可能会记得电视剧集Dragnet中的警官Joe Friday。Friday警官是不会浪费时间的，在盘问证人时，他不想听故事或意见；他会强调：“只需要讲出事实。”当一集剧完结时，他已经掌握到事情的真相；这时Friday便进行拘捕行动了。
警方查案时，专注在事情的真相是对的，但论到神的国就有点不同了。在谈到神的国时，耶稣没有一口气地讲出一套理论。而祂也从来没有为神的国下定义，因为关于神的国的真理，是远远超过我们所能理解的。
藉着故事和图画，耶稣让我们瞥见神的国是怎样的。衪说神的国“像一粒芥菜种”，也像很多其他的东西。然而，耶稣所说关于神的国的话却不一定是容易明白的，甚至门徒也捉摸不透。
耶稣所做的事情也是这样。马可福音4章记载，在刚刚说完芥菜种的故事后，我们看见耶稣在海上平静一场惊涛骇浪。这件事肯定能够证明耶稣是君王了，但看起来却不是那么明显。连门徒也只是彼此说：“这到底是谁？”（马可福音4:41）。
就让我们聆听更多耶稣所讲的故事，看看一些衪所作的事情，来尽量学习关于神的国和它的君王的真理吧。
祷告
主耶稣，求你教导我。我很想认识你是谁和认识你的国。否则我怎样服侍你呢？阿们。
马可福音 4:30-34
30又说：“神的国，我们可用什么比较呢？可用什么比喻表明呢？
31好像一粒芥菜种，种在地里的时候，虽比地上的百种都小，
32但种上以后，就长起来，比各样的菜都大，又长出大枝来，甚至天上的飞鸟可以宿在它的荫下。”
33耶稣用许多这样的比喻，照他们所能听的，对他们讲道。
34若不用比喻，就不对他们讲；没有人的时候，就把一切的道讲给门徒听。
Tell It Slant
“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror. . . .” – 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)
If you were a kid like I was in the 1960s, you might remember Sergeant Joe Friday from the TV show Dragnet. Friday was a no-nonsense police officer. When he questioned a witness, he didn’t want to hear stories or opinions. “Just the facts,” he would insist. And by the end of each episode, with the facts in hand, Friday would make an arrest.
A focus on facts may be right for a police investigation. But things are different with the kingdom of God. When Jesus talks about the kingdom, he doesn’t rattle off a set of facts. And he never offers a definition. Because the truth of the kingdom is more than we could ever take in.
Instead Jesus gives us glimpses of the kingdom through stories and pictures. He says the kingdom of God is “like a mustard seed.” Or like many other things. Yet what Jesus says about the kingdom isn’t necessarily obvious, even to the disciples.
The same is true about what Jesus does. Just after the mustard seed story in Mark 4, we see Jesus calming a dangerous storm out on a lake. That certainly said something about Jesus as King. But it wasn’t altogether clear. The disciples were left asking, “Who is this?” (Mark 4:41).
Let’s listen to some more of Jesus’ stories and watch some of his deeds to learn what we can about the kingdom and its King.
Prayer
Teach me, Lord Jesus. I want to know who you are and what your kingdom is about. How else can I serve you? Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
