（若16:16-20）
每個人的際遇，不盡相同。有些人一生一帆風順，好像從來沒有遇上過甚麼困難。另一些人卻一生顛沛流離，朝不保夕，英年早逝。真的嗎？「好命」的人，真是從來沒有遇上過甚麼困難嗎？抑或是從來沒有被困難難倒過呢？「劣命」的人，真是從來未嘗安樂的日子？抑或是從來沒有安樂地享受每一天呢？人世間，真是「不如意事十常八九」嗎？我看未必！主觀上如何看待客觀的事件，決定了世事是不如意居多，抑或順利居多。
在吃過最後晚餐之後，只有片時，門徒們就看不見耶穌了。（若16:16）為甚麼呢？因為門徒們為了自保，掉下耶穌逃跑了。倘若他們有信德、有勇氣留下，目睹耶穌被捕、釘十字架、目睹耶穌斷氣、被埋葬，他們又怎會看不見耶穌呢？倘若他們以信德的眼光看耶穌的受難，是天父拯救世界的旨意，他們怎會看不見贖世的真理─耶穌基督呢？
門徒們要痛哭，哀號（16:20），不是因為耶穌基督為他們的罪死了，而是因為他們對耶穌基督為他們復國的期望幻滅了。世界卻要歡樂（16:20），這裡，「世界」是指針對耶穌的宗教權貴。他們之所以歡樂，不是因為他們有虐待狂，而是因為耶穌基督對他們的威脅，已經解除了。
再過片時，門徒們的情緒平伏之後，不再哀號，祗是憂愁，最後甚至變為喜樂。可見他們領會到，耶穌基督的受難是天父拯救世界的旨意。他們看見了真理，又要看見了耶穌基督（14:6）。客觀事實並沒有改變，改變的是眼光。人世間不如意事，不是十常八九，而是十常二三！
父啊！請賜下真理之神，讓我們可以多看見真理─我們的主耶穌基督，不如意事便會煙消雲散了。亞孟。
What Perspective to Adopt
(John 16:16-20)
The fate of everybody is not identical. Some people sail smoothly across life and do not seem to have met any difficulty. Some other people lead a fugitive life and even die young. Is it really true that people born with a silver spoon in their mouths have never met any difficulty? Or rather no difficulty is too big for them? Is it really true that poor people have never enjoyed comfortable days? Or rather they have never comfortably live their days? Is it really true that 90% of life is filled with frustrations? I disagree! It is the manner with which we subjectively perceive the objective events that decides whether life is full of frustrations or successes.
A little while after the Last Supper, the disciples would see Jesus no more. (John 16:16) Why? It was because the disciples wanted to save their skins and abandoned Jesus. Had they had faith and courage to stay, to witness Jesus' arrest, crucifixion, last breath and burial, how would they not have seen Jesus? Had they seen with faith God's will to save the world with Jesus' passion, how would they not have seen the redemptive truth --- Jesus Christ?
The disciples would weep and lament (16:20), not because Jesus Christ had died for their sins, but because their Messianic expectation --- the restoration of Israel --- had been shattered. But the world would rejoice (16:20). Here, "the world" refers to the religious authority who were hostile to Jesus. They rejoiced not because they were sadists but because the threat Jesus posed was neutralized.
After a while, the emotion of the disciples was stabilized. They lamented no more. They were sorrowful but in the end, their sorrow would turn into joy. It showed that they had understood that Jesus' passion was God's will to save the world. They had seen the truth and Jesus Christ who is the truth (14:6). The objective reality had not changed. What was changed was the way they perceived the events. Frustrations occupy not 90% of life but 20%!
Father, grant us the Spirit of truth. Let us see more the Truth --- Jesus Christ our Lord. Then frustrations in life shall vanish. Amen.
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