跨越信仰的門坎(二) 瑪麗.瓊斯

作為人的耶酥, 大概是有史以來對人類影響最根本最巨大的人物. 耶酥的巨大影響, 從本質上講, 在於他對生命, 對人生的改變. 從他的十二門徒開始, 看他對彼得的改變 (一個普普通通的漁夫到一個殉道者), 到一般老百姓, 看他對妓女, 對病者的改變;  到保羅, 看他對保羅的改變 (從殘害基督徒者到最偉大的福音傳播者和基督信仰理論的奠基人之一).  從初期基督教開始, 兩千多年來, 先不講聖經裏的大道理, 看無數信者心靈和人生的改變… 而這, 根據聖經, 正是耶酥來到人間的使命: 耶酥來到人間, 就是要改變亞當以來蛻變了的人性, 就是要純潔人性, 使人性融合於神的聖潔公義.
耶酥靠的什麽改變人性? 一個字: 愛.

耶酥也是最具爭議性的人物. 今天, 連他是否在地球上存在過都還有爭議, 更不用講他的神跡, 他的複活, 他的神子地位, 他在人間和天堂的地位, 他在萬物中的地位.
盡管其他的古代宗教和曆史典籍上有關耶酥說法和聖經不盡一致, 但是那些記載旁證了耶酥的真實性. 看一段伊斯蘭信者的文章:

"穆斯林尊敬並尊崇耶穌（他所帶來的和平）。 他們將他視為真主派遣給人類的最偉大信使之一。 古蘭經確認他是童貞女之子，並在古蘭經中標題為 Maryam [瑪利亞] 的章節中有所描述。 古蘭經說明耶穌的出生如下：
（記得）當時，天使說：“瑪利亞啊！真主的確把從他發出的一句話向你報喜。他的名字是瑪利亞之子麥西哈耶穌，在今世和後世都是有麵子的，是真主所親近的。 他在搖籃裏在壯年時都要對人說話，他將來是一個善人。”她說：“我的主啊！任何人都沒有和我接觸過，我怎麽會有兒子呢？”天神說：「 真主要如此創造他所意欲的人。 當他判決一件事的時候，他隻對那件事說聲‘有’，它就有了。”  (古蘭經，3：45-47)"
http://www.yich.org/ljysl/class165/Class129/200404/2392.html

基本上, 古蘭經不認為耶酥是神的兒子, 而隻是使者; 也不認為耶酥被釘十字架. 這些是伊斯蘭信仰和基督信仰的根本區別.

約兩千年前的聖經之外的一些曆史文獻, 雖然不認同基督信仰, 但是這些文獻不僅見證了耶酥的真實性, 也記錄, 見證了當時耶酥信仰者們的經曆和體驗. 這些信者, 在刑罰甚至死亡麵前堅持對基督的信, 拒絕放棄基督信仰. 這和聖經所記載的耶酥門徒的殉道精神是一致的. 我引兩段教會提供的資料:

Josephus, (ca. 37-100AD), Jewish Historian,  describing actions of the Jewish high priest Ananias
He convened a meeting of the Sanhedrin and brought them before a man named James, the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, and certain others.  He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned.….
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man…For he was one who did surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly.  He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks…When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him…And the tribe of Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared. (Source:  Antiquities of the Jews, 20:200 & 18:63-64, written ca. 94 AD)

Pliny the Younger, Governor of Bithynia, in an official letter to his friend, the Emperor Trajan, asking clarification on how to treat the Christians
I have asked them if they are Christians, and if they admit it, I repeat the question a second and third time, with a warning of the punishment awaiting them.  If they persist, I order them to be led away for execution, for, whatever the nature of their admission, I am convinced that their stubbornness & unshakeable obstinacy ought not to go unpunished…
Those who denied they were…Christians, and who repeated after me an invocation to the gods, and offered formal worship…before your statue, together with those of the gods, and who finally cursed Christ---none of which acts, it is said, those who are really Christians can be forced into performing, these I thought proper to discharge…
They declared that the sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: they had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses alternately amongst themselves in honor of Christ as to a god, and also to bind themselves by oath, not to perform any wicked deed, but to abstain from theft, robbery, and adultery, never to falsify their word, …This made me decide that it was all the more necessary to extract the truth by torture from two slave-women, whom they called deaconesses.  I found nothing but a degenerate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths…
Persons of all ranks and ages, and of both sexes are, and will be, involved in the prosecution.  For this contagious superstition is not confined to the cities only, but has spread through the villages and rural districts, it seems possible, however, to check and cure it.  It is certain at least that the temples, which had been almost deserted, begin now to be frequented; and the sacred festivals, after a long intermission, are again revived; while there is a general demand for sacrificial meat, which for some time past had met with but few purchasers.  (Source:  Pliny, Letters, 10:96-97, written ca 111AD)

可以看到, 兩千多年來, 和懷疑, 指責甚至斥罵的力量同樣巨大的, 假如不是更加巨大, 是人的心對耶酥的愛的強烈回應, 是人的心對耶酥的信. 底下是一個多世紀前一位普通信者的詩, 根據它而譜的曲, 如同無數的聖潔的詩歌一樣, 在今天的教會裏廣為傳唱. 它的基調就是: 耶酥替人的受難; 神的無條件的愛; 神的永生的應允:

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
…….
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
…….
Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/u/justasam.htm

關於耶酥, 關於他的大愛, 還有很多話, 留待稍後慢慢說.

耶酥的事跡, 主要見於聖經新約, 因此, 對耶酥的看法, 最終歸結為對聖經可靠性和聖經神聖性的看法.  美妙的是, 我覺得, 耶酥和聖經交相輝映: 聖經的無比的堅固性可靠性把耶酥帶給我們; 而耶酥的無與倫比的大愛犧牲, 反證了聖經是一本非凡的書.

其實, 不光是我覺得, 事實證明了這點. 大家都知道瑪麗.瓊斯和她的聖經的故事. 兩百年前, 瑪麗出生在貧窮的威爾士鄉村. 一次機遇讓她聽到了聖經的故事, 聖經吸引了她. 可是她連字都不認識. 為了識字, 她得步行好幾英哩去上學. 等到她學會識字了, 沒有聖經給她讀. 當時一本聖經昂貴的普通人根本不敢問津. 於是為了讀聖經, 她又每周步行好幾英哩到一個牧士那裏去讀. 聖經裏耶酥的故事震撼了她, 感動了她. 她於是下定決心要有自己的聖經. 為了攢這份錢, 她幹了幾乎所有一個十幾歲小女孩所能做的所有活, 這份錢, 還要支持家裏多病的父親. 整整六年, 瑪麗終於攢足了買聖經的錢. 到哪裏去買? 一個十六歲的少女, 再度步行二十五個英哩的山路, 找到了一位有可能賣給她威爾士語聖經的牧士……
瑪麗的故事, 感動了那位牧師, 感動了許多人, 最終促成了英國聯合聖經公會的成立, 形成了今天聖經在世界範圍, 幾百種語言的大推廣.

瑪麗讀聖經, 她並不懂什麽版本, 什麽考證, 對她來說, ALL IT MATTERS,  就是耶酥. 一個普通的鄉村少女, 被耶酥的大愛所感動, 以她不屈不撓的信念, 幾乎是, 按照一些人的理解, 實現了聖經但以理書的預言: 智慧, 知識的大推廣, 大豐富.

就象耶酥 Makes total sense to 瑪麗, 耶酥 Makes total sense to 我.

[小小艾]

阿們！！！

[虔謙]

謝謝盒子, LevelII , 青青和愛麗思. 謝謝你們….我是忙了些。。。你們的留言讓我又高興又感動, 一時難表達,謹祝你們好和順利. 你們瞧, 眼看著, 又快到周末了, 時間真快呀.
LevelII, 博客新創早期，我常去 遠方的河 博客， 記的他大概兩個禮拜才搞個新的。現在的博客新文章頻率好象高很多.謝謝你，你不留指紋， 不知你來過呢:) 祝你學業事業順利成功！
盒子我去看了你的貼了. 很感慨. 我們再討論. 我不是PUSHY的人, 隻是我認定的, 我會說出來.
朋友的留言, 是我的寶; 也是朋友的寶. 我總是喜歡把朋友的東西盡量貼一些到我博客來. 雖說博客是個人的空間, 但是也少不了心靈的分享和相互的欣賞和扶持. 是不是啊?

[LevelII]

QQ，有幾天沒貼新的了，一定很忙。人常說要勞逸結合，忙裏偷閑，別忘了休息而累壞了。

讀上麵一貼的想法：讓別人感到愛是靠心的感應和無邊的善行，爭吵或說教是達不到目的的。

[人間的盒子]

想去慈播找段東西來回你的貼的, 結果又在那邊吵起架來了, 就給你看吵架吧。

http://www.charitybroad.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=4011&start=0

本來想說都make sense, 後來變成都不make sense了。我寫在這裏, 以後再也不和他們吵了。