Baptism Candidates’ Testimonies 受洗者的见证
Ling Siew Kim’s Testimony 林秀金的见证
信耶稣以前我我是一个多愁善感的人, 经常忧虑许多的事, 忧虑女儿的工作、母亲的健康, 心中许多的重担, 工作遇到老板的责备就很懊恼, 不开心的时候经常发脾气, 生活一天过一天, 非常的平淡。
我信主的妹妹经常向我传福音, 劝我不要为生活忧虑, 要向耶稣祷告, 祂会帮助我. 我就开始学习祷告, 祷告后心情比较放松, 很感谢耶稣听我的祷告, 后来女儿工作比较顺利、母亲的健康也比较稳定. 妹妹也鼓励我看圣经; 约翰福音3 : 16 “神爱世人, 甚至将祂的独生子赐给他们, 叫一切相信祂的, 不至灭亡, 反得永生.” 我认识了耶稣是救主, 相信祂得永生. 后来我开始在教会上基督教教育课程, 认识到我在思想与行为上有得罪神的, 我必须认罪, 求耶稣赦免我的罪并接受祂做我的救主与生命的主. 明白了什么是信耶稣, 妹妹就邀请教会的传道到我家为我做决志信耶稣的祷告。
信主后, 我的生命有许多的改变, 我想我既然信耶稣. 我必须像耶稣, 要宽恕人, 不要计较别人的过错. 于是我就祷告, 求耶稣帮助我. 我渐渐变得比较乐观、开朗. 从此, 我积极读经祷告, 继续参加教会的聚会还有上课, 更多的认识神, 了解神的教导. 我今天接受洗礼, 在撒旦、上帝与众人面前宣告我已经接受耶稣为我的救主与生命的主, 一次相信永远相信. 阿门！
Zac Low’s Testimony 刘子杰的见证
Growing up, I was no stranger to bible stories and hymns like “To be like Jesus”. While I did profess Christ as my Lord and saviour when I was 10, as a young child I still thought to be like Jesus meant being perfect. So I tried, I aimed to be polite, said my please and thank you’s, obeyed my parents, and tried to eat my vegetables.
But as I got older, I realised there was one thing that I couldn’t control: My thoughts.
I tried to fix it on my own, thinking that if I scrubbed hard enough, the sin would go away. But an eraser can never erase what’s permanently written in pen. So I began to take more “extreme measures”, imagining or burning the thoughts away, hoping that would work, but the more I fought, the more bad thoughts plagued my mind.
So I began to wear masks, not just to fool others but to fool myself. I became a version of myself others expected to see.
I thought, if I looked like a good christian boy, that must mean I was one.
Things started to change in JC2 during Timothy fellowship when we went through “The Gospel Centered Life” by Thune and Walker. One thing that stood out to me was the Cross chart.
I didn’t fully get it then, but it planted a seed.
Years later, I realized I never grasped how broken I was.
Sure I hadn’t done any of the “bad stuff” that would get me into serious trouble. But the issue wasn’t my outward behavior, it was my heart. My pride. My self-dependence. I had convinced myself I was “okay” but in reality, I was a hypocrite. That realization hit hard.
At that point in time, I thought it would be hard to see God’s holiness, so I asked God for the opposite: to be able to see my own sinfulness. I thought maybe if I knew what was wrong, I could fix it and be good enough, no need to be perfect anymore, just… enough.
Did I really know what I was asking for? No.
But God answered and began exposing the dark corners of my broken, sinful heart, even places I didn’t even want to admit were there.
My life went from a seemingly straight line to a super wavy line
But even in that mess, I began to understand Romans 3:23 that “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”. I couldn’t fake or hide it anymore. From the beginning, I was and still am, a sinner through and through. And no amount of effort could save me. This problem was something I never could fix on my own and never will.
At that point, I began to doubt. Could God really love someone like me?
That’s when Romans 5:8 hit me differently: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Not when I got better.
Not when I finally became ‘good enough.’
But while I was still broken.
Because of God’s great love, He gave His only son, the only truly perfect man, Jesus Christ. Who took the punishment I deserved by dying on the cross. And three days later, His resurrection proved that He truly is the Son of God.
And because of that, I found a new kind of rest, not a false sense of security propped up by my own effort, but a deep peace in knowing that even when I fall short, I am already forgiven, because the work is finished.
Now, when I strive toward Christlikeness, it’s no longer out of guilt or to prove my worth, but as a response to His love, not relying on my own strength, but His.
While my journey so far hasn’t been a dramatic overnight change, that’s okay. God, in His love, has been guiding my steps, growing me through both the highs and the lows. And now, I no longer need to wear a mask but I can be authentic and genuine with others.
So, please pray for me, that I will continue to maintain my focus, fixing my eyes on Jesus and when I fall, to get back up again, persevering till the very end. All in all not forgetting that it is also He who holds me fast.
As part of the body, to grow and spur others on in Christ-likeness and by His spirit, to be continuously sharpened to proactively emulate Christ, this time, from the inside, out.
In short, to be like Jesus.
For His glory and my good.
Amen.
从小我就对各种圣经故事耳濡目染，也常常唱诗歌，比如《要像耶稣》。虽然我十岁那年就承认耶稣基督是我的救主但我以为 “要像耶稣” 就是言行举止要做到最完美。于是我尽我所能：要有礼貌、说 “请” 和 “谢谢”、听父母的话、乖乖吃蔬菜。
但随着年龄渐长，我发现有一件事是我完全无法控制的：我的思想。
我尝试靠自己解决，以为只要足够努力地“擦干净”，罪就会消失。但用橡皮檫是无法擦去已经用墨水写下的东西。所以，我开始采取一些“极端”的方法，比如试着在脑海中 “烧掉” 那些想法，想看看是否奏效。但越是挣扎，那些负面想法反而越缠绕我。
于是，我开始戴上 “面具”，不仅是为了骗别人，也是为了骗我自己。努力表现得像一个“好基督徒”的样子。
我以为，只要看起来像是个好的基督徒，那我就真的是了。
直到我十八岁时，在提摩太团契里，我们一起查考《以福音为中心的生活》（The Gospel-Centered Life）这本书，其中有一个“十字架图”（The Cross Chart）让我印象特别深刻。
当时我还不完全明白，但它在我心中埋下了一颗种子。
后来，我终于意识到，我从来没有真正认识到自己有多破碎。
我或许没有做什么 “大错事”，没有闯祸。但问题不在于外表的行为，而是在我的内心；我的骄傲，我的自恃。我一直说服自己 “我还好”，但其实我是个假冒为善的人。这个认知对我打击很大。
我以为，要看见神的圣洁有点难，于是我向神祷告，求祂让我看见自己内心的罪恶。我认为，只要我知道哪里错了，就可以自己去修复，不需要完美，只要 “够好” 就行了。
当时的我知道自己在求什么吗？其实，我不知道。
但神回应了祷告，祂开始显明我心中那些黑暗的角落。甚至是我自己都不愿意面对的地方。
我的生命轨迹，从一条看似直的线，变成了一条崎岖波动的曲线。
但也正是在这混乱当中，我开始真正明白罗马书3章23节所说：“因为人人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀”。 我无法再假装，也无法再隐藏。从一开始，我就是个罪人，现在仍是。而且，无论我多努力，都无法靠自己解决这个问题。
就在那时，我开始怀疑：神真的会爱像我这样的人吗？
这时，罗马书5章8节以全新的方式触动了我：“唯有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死，神对我们的爱就在此显明了。”
不需要等到我变好了， 也不是等我变得 “够好”， 而是就在我仍然破碎的时候。
正因着神伟大的爱，祂赐下了祂的独生子，耶稣基督，唯一真正完全的人，代替我承受应得的惩罚，为我钉在十字架上。三天后，祂从死里复活，显明祂真的是神的儿子。
正因如此，我得着了一个全新的安息。这不是靠自己努力营造出来的虚假安全感，而是一种深深的平安。知道即使我再一次跌倒，我已经被赦免了，因为救恩的工作已经完成。
如今，当我竭力追求效法基督，不再是出于愧疚或想证明自己的价值，而是出于对祂的爱，是一种回应。我不再倚靠自己的力量，而是靠祂的大能。
虽然我的属灵旅程并不是一夜之间就翻转改变，但没关系。神在他的爱中一步步引导我，无论在高山还是低谷中塑造我。现在，我不再需要戴上面具，而是可以真实地、坦然地面对人。
所以，请你们为我祷告，求主帮助我持续定睛在耶稣身上，跌倒时能重新站起来，持守信仰直到最后。我要记得，不是我抓住祂，而是祂一直在扶持我。
作为基督的肢体，愿我能继续在基督里成长，并激励他人追求效法基督，同时也愿圣灵不断地磨炼我，使我从内心开始，真实地活出基督的样式。
简而言之：要像耶稣。为着祂的荣耀，也为我自己的益处。
阿们。
Zann Low’s Testimony 刘子岩的见证
My childhood was quite a simple one. My parents were Christians who brought me to church every week where I would usually attend Chinese Sunday school, which honestly felt more like Chinese tuition. During sermons, I’d be at the back of the hall sleeping under the bench on the floor or folding origami completely in my own world, not really paying attention or understanding what was being said.
I wasn’t exactly the perfect son, nor was I trying to be. I understood what I should do, but I never really bothered. I was probably the most rebellious one at home, got caned a lot for doing all sorts of bad things, and generally didn’t like doing anything except what I wanted.
From early on, I was exposed to what it meant to be a Christian through church and I understood the idea that Christians shouldn’t lie, must obey their parents, and should honour God. But I never really lived that way so I just followed my parents to church and only thought about God during those times.
I generally enjoyed reading books, and around Primary 6, My school introduced this Manga Bible series (Annex 1). Which i really enjoyed as It helped me visualize biblical stories and really sparked my interest. I remember asking my parents to buy the whole series , which I read multiple times. It really helped me in familiarising myself with the biblical events which was helpful for Sunday school, especially when we went through familiar stories.
After my PSLE, in Primary 6, my dad posed a very intriguing question to me which was “Do you believe in Jesus as your Saviour?” At that time I said yes instinctively, without thinking too much about it. But the next day, while walking across the school plaza on my way home after playing Uno during the post-exam period, I was struck with a moment of realization of how much of a hypocrite I was. I called myself a Christian, told others I believed in God, went to church but I didn’t live like one. I didn’t even understand what it meant to believe in God. I realized I actually knew nothing about God which brought me into despair and fear of going to hell.
This sparked a desire in me to want to know more, I wanted to know God for myself. I already had a bit of understanding from the Manga Bible and Sunday school, but I wanted to know what the Bible really said to see if there was more information or details I had missed from the summarised Manga bible series. So from around October of Primary 6, I started reading the Bible from the old testament (Genesis) till the new testament (Revelation) (skipped Deuteronomy cause I couldn’t take it when i was young, too long) and, at the same time, I also wanted to change my behaviour starting with trying to stop lying and swearing.
It was also around this time that I tried listening to sermons more intentionally instead of sleeping (still happened very often), especially during bilingual services. I paid more attention during Christian Education (CE) lessons and was invited to join a cell group called Timothy Fellowship (TF). All these helped me grow in my understanding of who Jesus really is and what He has done for me. As I learned more about God, I also began to see more clearly my own sinful nature and tried to slowly correct my attitude.
After about three and a half years I finished the bible then. I reflected on what I had done the past few years and realised that honestly not that much has changed, I knew about God, but I didn’t know God but I also didn’t know what else I could do so I decided to read the Bible again but this time trying to do more reflecting and absorbing of his word instead of plain text reading.
Around 2020 – 2022 during the second read through of the bible along with what I learnt from TF, Sunday school and sermons where I understood more about the attributes of God and the more I learned about God and His holiness, the more I became aware of my sin and I saw how much grace God has given me to be allowed the chance to be saved which highlighted to me how much I needed Jesus in my life. This was when I truly accepted Christ into my life as my Lord and Saviour but as much as I accepted Jesus into my life this also marked the start of a lot of doubts, questions and struggles as to what it means to live out the faith or to follow Jesus. In my heart I struggled with the idea of grace that salvation is a free gift from God through Christ and not something I could earn through effort or good works which took awhile for me to accept.
And in my head the question I had was how true is the Bible, because having grown up with all these stories, the most important question to me was knowing whether what I read was actually true. Because if these bible stories were all true, then there would be no doubt that God was real.
I searched for external sources to verify the truth of the Bible, many of which cited all sorts of credible historians. But eventually, I realised that I’m not a historian myself, and I don’t actually know who these “credible historians” are. Believing them would still require a certain level of trust just like believing the Bible. In the end, it didn’t really help in convincing me, because it still came down to choosing what and who I was willing to trust.
Then I started looking into reasons for God’s existence. I remember a Sunday school lesson (it happened much later but I already had a rough and not fully fleshed out idea of this then) that summarized what I had been thinking about: “The probability of God’s existence.” It categorized arguments such as:
- The order and complexity of the universe (The universe and life exhibit intricate design and fine-tuning, it is more probable that the order and complexity of this universe is a result of an intelligent mind/designer (God) vs the universe came about by chance.)
- Life begets life (Life only comes from life, it is more probable that in the beginning God, who is life, gave life vs in the beginning, matter came into contact with some random energy sources or lifeless matter and evolved into life-forms.)
- Moral absolutes (Most humans recognize objective right and wrong, it would be more probable that there must be a moral lawgiver who placed these rights and wrongs inside of us.)
- Love and selflessness (Acts of sacrificial love, altruism, and compassion are often irrational from a survival-only view, If we are just evolved animals, survival of the fittest will be our greatest ethical compass and therefore, it would be more probable that we would prize self-interest above selflessness.)
- Question after death (Humanity’s preoccupation with life after death, If we are just evolved beings, we ought to be just thinking about this life because there is nothing for us in the next life. But we keep asking: “What’s in the great beyond?” There is this innate sense that we must answer to somebody with regard to how we live our lives. This preoccupation makes it more probable that there is more to this life than just energy and matter.)
These understandings, along with my own personal experiences with God, assured me much more of His existence and prompted me to pursue Him more personally and not just intellectually.
As I was about to enter polytechnic, I spent a lot of time reflecting and I noticed the tendency I had to live as a Sunday Christian; someone who didn’t think or talk about God outside of church. I wanted to shift my direction. I wanted to know God, not just know about Him. I felt the best way to experience God was to immerse myself in Him, to put myself in situations where I would need to rely on Him and be reminded of Him.
So, I joined a Christian community in school called Cru, which had a Discipleship Group (DG) that helped me grow in perspective by surrounding myself with people outside of my church community. It gave me the space to talk about God with others who had different backgrounds and experiences. Joining Cru had a great impact on me as it helped me to involve God more intentionally in my academic life as well as throughout the week. Through this community I was encouraged to explore new ways of serving and trusting in God through mission trips, evangelism, teaching, speaking, and leading. While each of these came with its own struggles they also helped me to experience God more personally.
Through these experiences, God has shown me just how much He cares for me and His people in different parts of the world. I have come to see how patient God has been with me, guiding me, teaching me and drawing me closer to Him even as I stumble through life. As I continue to follow Jesus, I want to obey His Word and follow Him. And for me, in this stage of life, baptism is the next small step of obedience that I believe God is leading me towards. Please continue to also journey with me and pray for me as God continues to reveal to me my shortcomings as I seek to live a life increasingly centered on Christ.
默想耶稣：他的怜悯
他们出去的时候，有人带着一个被鬼附着的哑巴来见耶稣。耶稣把鬼赶走之后，哑巴就说话了。众人都很惊奇，说：“这样的事，在以色列从来没有见过。”但法利赛人说：“他不过是靠鬼王赶鬼罢了。”耶稣走遍各城各乡，在各会堂里教导人，宣扬天国的福音，医治各种疾病、各种病症。 他看见群众，就怜悯他们，因为他们困苦无依，像没有牧人的羊一样。 他就对门徒说：“庄稼多，工人少； 所以你们应当求庄稼的主派工人去收割他的庄稼。”（新译本，太9:32-38）
那时，耶稣开始责备那些他曾在那里行过许多神迹的城，因为它们不肯悔改：“哥拉逊啊，你有祸了！伯赛大啊，你有祸了！在你们那里行过的神迹，如果行在推罗和西顿，它们早已披麻蒙灰悔改了。但我告诉你们，在审判的日子，推罗和西顿所受的，比你们还轻呢。迦百农啊！你会被高举到天上吗？你必降到阴间。在你那里行过的神迹，如果行在所多玛，那城还会存留到今天。但我告诉你们，在审判的日子，所多玛那地方所受的，比你还轻呢。”（新译本，太11:20-24）
最近灵修时，刚好遇上这2段经文，都是马太福音里相当熟悉的记载。
第9章的这一段，是耶稣连串神迹后的又一起；在众人惊奇的同时，这次还招来了法利赛人嫉妒的谤渎：“他不过是靠鬼王赶鬼罢了！”当时一读到这里，马上想到的，就是接下来在第12章里，耶稣就这样的认知和看法所作的关于亵渎圣灵的回应（见太12:22-32）；只不过，当时读将下去，却发现耶稣已经走开了，已经离开这个场景，已经继续去“走遍各乡各城”，在那些地方教导人、传福音、医病赶鬼了。
在耶稣这样的走动中，马太提到了一件事：“（耶稣）看见群众，就怜悯他们，因为他们困苦无依……”而这常常是我们忽略了的。
耶稣的怜悯之心自然是无法忽略的，只不过，我们总是很自然地把他这怜悯的心肠与他的“庄稼多，工人少”放在一起，成为召唤人以福音以宣教为事业的一个动机。我们忽略的，是——到底是如何深沉强烈的怜悯，让他即便面对再恶劣的谤言再恶毒的诋毁，也始终不受影响始终没有妥协？
在读着太11章时，一开始也是把重点放在耶稣的责备上，尤其是其中一再重复的“在审判的日子”，更凸显了这一小段里头，悔改或灭亡的主题。只不过，在反复阅读思想时，却发现有一个问题是我们在面对这一段时，并不常问的：“耶稣发出这样的责备时，他的心情到底如何？”
他的心情？谁能说得清楚呢？圣经没有明说，我们应该也不必多做猜测，不是么？而且，既然说是“责备”，那当然是生气的吧？……
确实如此。只不过，如果我们仔细阅读这一段的上下文，仔细聆听马太的用语，并且回想福音书的整体记载的话，我们也许就会看到耶稣对那冷漠无感的世代的“无奈”，也会看到他愿意人从他得安息的祈望；同时也要想起耶稣在另一处也发出过类似的“责备”，那就是他为耶路撒冷所要面对的厄运发出的叹息（太23:37-39；cf. 路13:34-35）。更何况，他在迦百农时，还遇见过那个信心让他极为“惊奇”的百夫长呐！（太8:5-13）
综观下来，耶稣在责备哥拉逊、伯赛大和迦百农的刚硬的同时，他的心其实也是深深地惋惜、切切地怜悯的吧？
耶稣的怜悯之心，有时候似乎是老生常谈，以致于我们在面对福音书的多处记载时，习惯性的就顺手翻过去了。然而，我们如果可以稍稍停下来，让我们可以稍稍沉淀这些我们以为熟悉的事件我们以为没什么新意的记载的话，我们也许就能多少体会他那深沉的强烈的怜悯心怀，然后，在面对不惬意不顺心的处境时，能够学习坚持心存怜悯地去关怀去服事；在面对刚硬和冷漠时，能够学习因怜悯而惋惜，而不是咬牙切齿地认为是罪有应得咎由自取……。
要学像耶稣，我们真的需要更多时间坐在他脚前，细细聆听他的说话，认真看看他的做法。
Visitation to Arunothai Ministry (June 2025)
Recently, during the June holidays, Ai Cheng, Bethley and I flew over to visit the ministry at Arunothai in Chiang Mai, which is a ministry that the church has been supporting since the year 2000. It was a fruitful trip as we witnessed how the ministry has grown from a small orphanage to a student centre, plus a school with three campuses.
The Home of Grace Student Centre houses 45 students. This is also where we stayed and had our meals. Some of the parents of the students there are separated or working in the city or other villages. There are also some whose parents were imprisoned or had already passed away. About 20 out of the 45 students are pre-believers. On weekdays, at 5 pm, they will be reciting Bible verses and At 9:10 pm is their Bible study time.
As for the school ministry, it now has three campuses.
Campus 1 consist of 410 students where 82 or about 20% are believers.
Campus 2 consist of 22 students where 4 or about 20% are believers.
Campus 3 consist of 130 students where 13 or about 10% are believers.
Campus 2 and 3 has children of new Myanmese refugees who fled from their country to escape the civil strife and unrest in Myanmar. These refugees are all pre-believers and therefore this is a great opportunity for the church to do gospel work among these refugees. Pastor Lee and his wife Ren Fang only employs Christian teachers for the school and so the school teachers themselves are very key points of Christian influence to the students.
Below are some of the ministries that we had the opportunity to get involved in while we were there.
We conducted a night sharing session where we explained the gospel and the Christian worldview to all the students at the student centre.
We went on several visitations. Above left is a visitation to new refugees seeking refuge in an old Chinese school. Above right is a visitation to an old deaconess, who is the sister of Rev Du Guang Yao who spoke at our church retreat in 1998.
We visited all three campuses in their various locations. On the right is a class watching the Jesus film.
We attended a house meeting after the Sunday church service and preached at a house meeting on Saturday afternoon (see above) where among them are three young adults who were the first and only believers in their household.
We preached a bilingual sermon (with Ai Cheng translating to Mandarin) at the church on Sunday morning.
We held a night session for the older youth in the student centre where we conducted games and ice-breakers to get to know them better and Bethley shared her testimony at the end.
Do continue to keep the ministry in Arunothai in prayer as Pastor Lee seeks to find a suitable successor to take over the reins of the ministry there.
“He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Luke 10:2
默想耶稣：怜悯？愤慨？
σπλαγχνίζω (splanchnizō)
同情、怜悯。可1:41
（也见于太14:14；可6:34；路7:13 等其他11处新约经文。）ὀργίζω (orgizō)
生气；对某人/某事生气。可1:41；
（也见于太18:34、22:7；路14:21、15:28；弗4:26 等其他8处新约经文。）
可1:40-41（大多数中英译本）
可1:40-41
（新国际版英文圣经&新英语译本）
有一个患痲风的人，来到耶稣跟前，跪下求他说：“如果你肯，必能使我洁净。” 耶稣动了怜悯的心 (Moved with pity /compassion)，就伸手摸他，说：“我肯，你洁净了吧！”
新国际版英文圣经 NIV
有一个患痲风的人，来到耶稣跟前，跪下求他说：“如果你肯，必能使我洁净。” 耶稣很是愤慨/愤怒 (Jesus was indignant)。他伸出手触摸他。“我肯。”他说：“你洁净了吧！”（自译）
新英语译本 NET
40 有一次，一个痲风病人来求耶稣帮助，跪下说：“你若肯，必能使我洁净。”41 耶稣感到愤慨 (Moved with indignation)，就伸手摸他，说：“我肯，你洁净了吧！”（参考并修订2011年《新英语译本中文版》）
马可福音第一章结尾处，记载了耶稣医治一个痲风病人的事迹。这是另一个我们熟知的神迹，也是又一起显露出耶稣慈怜心怀的奇事。只不过，如果我们恰好也翻阅查考了新国际版英文圣经（NIV，新国际）或是最新版的新英语译本（NET，新英语）的话，我们就会看到稍微不一样的描述，也许还会生出些许的疑问。（见上表）
按新国际或新英语这2个译本的处理，在大多数主要中英译本都把耶稣对那痲风病人的回应译为“动了怜悯的心”这里，它们却译为“（耶稣）感到愤慨/生气/愤怒”，叫整个原本温馨让人动容的场面另外增添了一股说不出来的不自在。向来被视为柔和的耶稣竟然生气？竟然感到愤慨？他又为什么生气？为什么愤慨？是因为那个痲风病人怀疑他医治的意愿（因为他对耶稣说：“如果你肯”）？还是另有原因？当然，另一个不得不问的就是：同是一本福音书的记载，为什么竟有如此不同的描述？这是神的话语不是？若真是神不变且无误的话语，那为什么有不同的说法？
第二个问题，涉及了还原圣经原稿(Autograph)的圣经文本鉴别学(Biblical Textual Criticism)，不是在这里三言两语就说得清楚的。然而可以肯定的是，这2种不同的描述，都有很可靠的抄本(manuscripts)作为根据，因此，都是可以放心接受的内容。既然是可靠的内容，那么，我们就可以在这个前提下，来反思这2种不同的记载所呈现的耶稣面貌。
用以描述耶稣“动了怜悯的心”的希腊字 σπλαγχνίζω，源于另一个描述人体五脏六腑的希腊词 σπλάγχνον (splanchnon)，并因而引申为人内心的情感，诸如：温柔 (tenderness)、爱意 (affection)、怜悯(compassion) 等，表明发自人内里诚挚深沉的感情，跟中文的“肺腑之言”一类的表达很相似。换言之，耶稣的“动了怜悯的心”并不是一种流于表面的感情用事，或是一时有感而发的情绪反应。耶稣的“动了怜悯的心”乃是发自他内心深处，一股温柔而强烈的爱意；这爱意并不是静止的，而是有所动作的——痲风病人因此得了医治！
根据另一些抄本的记载，耶稣在面对痲风病人时，表现的，是一种的 ὀργίζω，一般译作愤慨，也可以译为“义愤填膺”。这个希腊词本身指的就是生气，或是针对某人或某事而生气。但是，耶稣为什么会生气，会愤慨，会义愤填膺呢？这段记载并没有明明指出，然而，综观耶稣的教导与事工，我们或多或少就可以对他的愤慨有一些的理解。他生气，并不是因为痲风病人本人或他的那番诉求，而是痲风病人所带出来的一个让他深恶痛绝的事实：罪在这个世上所带来的极度破坏！创造之初，一切都是好的，而按着神的形象所造的人，神更称其为“很好”的。曾几何时，罪的来到却叫这一切的美与善都变了质换了样，一切的美好创造都在罪的腐蚀下，逐渐逐渐地败坏溃烂；人也不例外，从此心灵扭曲不安、身体为岁月与疾病所折腾。原本应该的真、善、美，此刻在耶稣面前却只剩下假、恶、丑……他如何能不深深伤痛？如何能不极其愤慨？
从这2个方面来看这起事件，我们对耶稣的作为其实就有了更为立体的认识；面对承受罪的恶果的痲风病人，耶稣发自内心的怜惜他，以致伸手医治了他，让他得以浅尝神国度的美好；与此同时，面对罪的丑陋恶果，耶稣也是发自内心的恨恶，以致他面向耶路撒冷的决心始终不曾动摇，客西马尼园里的激烈挣扎也无法让他选择顺从自己的意愿，并且在面对与父神隔绝的无以言喻的孤单中，他仍然坚持走上了十字架。
这样想着，这2种的描述，也许是神在祂难以测度的智慧与旨意里，为我们留下的。好叫我们在教会年踏入寻常日子 (The Ordinary Time) 的这段长长的教会季节里，能以学像耶稣，怜他所怜，感他所感。
Puzzling Passages #10 – The need to remedy puzzling passages
This is the tenth in this puzzling passages series, and therefore, I supposed this would be a good time to pause and consider why it is a good idea to get to the bottom of passages that confound us whenever we come across one.
When we look at a puzzling passage, our brain sets off alarm bells warning us that something is off about the interpretation we currently hold of this passage because we perceive contradictory info from what we are reading. We are experiencing cognitive dissonance. The reason we are experiencing cognitive dissonance is precisely because we understand the word of God to be free from contradictions and errors. Surely God’s word must pass the “internal contradiction” test. We also feel disturbed as Christians because we know that the stakes are high, simply because wrong thinking (that arises from wrong interpretation) leads to wrong living.
In order to resolve this cognitive dissonance, we need to think out of the box for alternative interpretations, and then weigh “for” and “against” arguments to see which interpretation fits better with the big picture of the Bible (whole counsel of God).
We need to bear in mind that accepting a lone passage or instruction in the Bible at face value without checking it against the whole counsel of God (big picture) can be dangerous and detrimental to our spiritual health. If we do so, we will experience cognitive dissonance. The mental toil (alarm bells) ought to move us towards a remedy.
At the same time, we also need to be careful of the other side of the coin: refusal to accept a legitimate instruction in the Bible and choose to “remedy” it unnecessarily. In doing so, we are simply justifying our bid to disobey God’s word. Therefore, it is as important to check our own motives as we engage in Bible interpretation.
In general, a good interpretation will:
- Resonate with the overall teaching in Scripture. It ought to be in line with the big picture.
- Resonate with logic. It cannot be self-contradictory. For example, to say that my red table is not red defies logic. Remember that God chose to communicate with us logically. Yes, there are many mysteries in the Bible that we will never be able to comprehend, but note that something being a mystery is different from something being illogical.
- Usually resonate with tradition. Usually, how respectable theologians have interpreted it over the decades would generally be rather trustworthy. However, the keyword is “usually.” Traditional interpretations are still subject to error. For example, many years ago, theologians were using passages in the Bible to justify slavery or defend the flat-earth theory.