在【舊約】是找不到「永生」的概念，它祇有「高壽/長壽」。例如遵守「孝敬父母」的誡命，便可以「在上主你的天主賜給你的地方，延年益壽/高壽」（出20:12，申5:16），向天主奉獻馨香祭，可以為君王的長壽祈禱（厄上6:10）等。所以，這個少年可能受到外來思想的影響，纔會懂得詢問有關「永生」的問題（瑪19:16）。但他仍然擺脫不了舊約的觀念，以為多行一些「善」，便可以得到他所理解的「永生」！
很明顯，這少年的「永生」觀念是錯誤的；他心目中的「永生」，可能是指在俗世享受高壽的「不死版」！於是耶穌把它更正為「進入生命」（19:17）。這生命就是與天主子，生命的主宰結合的生命（若17:3）。而且，可能會令你失望，為了獲得這生命，並沒有甚麼嶄新的方法、其他的「善」，祇不過是舊約時代，梅瑟所傳授的誡命而已！可惜，以色列民族祇按字面的意義遵守；在遵守的過程中，並沒有領會到誡命的精神。這位少年也犯了同樣的毛病，既然他已遵守了所有的誡命，為甚麼他還感覺到空虛，好像尚欠缺了甚麼似的。
耶穌基督來，並不是為了廢除誡命，而是使它「成全」（瑪5:17）。所以，祂啟示給這少年誡命的精髓：愛德，一份好像耶穌基督所示範的，捨己為人的愛，一份令別人成長進步的愛！這樣做，他的真正「永生」便會在天上開始！注意，「永生」是在天上兌現，而不是在俗世上享受的！
主啊！惟祢有永生的話，我們去投奔誰呢？（若6:68）我們相信，祢就是生命。亞孟。
圖片鳴謝：https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChineseJesus.jpg
生命恩泉
Is there Eternal Life? (Matthew 19:16-22)
We are not able to find the concept of eternal life in the Old Testament. There is only longevity. For example, when you keep the honour thy father and thy mother commandment, "you may have a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16), and offering sacrifices of pleasing odour to the God of heaven, you may pray for the life of the king and his sons (Ezra 6:10) etc. Therefore, probably this young man was influenced by foreign ideas such that he knew to enquire about the question of eternal life (Matthew 19:16). Still, he was not able to free himself from Old Testament concepts, thinking that by doing more "good", he would be able to gain the "eternal life" as he understood it.
Obviously, his concept of "eternal life" was wrong. In his mind, eternal life is an immortal version of longevity! So, Jesus corrected it as "to enter into life" (19:17). This life is a life in union with the Son of God, the Author of Life (John 17:3). Furthermore, perhaps it would disappoint you that in order to gain this life, there is no new tricks, no extra "good", but the commandments handed down by Moses in the Old Testament! Unfortunately, the Israelites observed the letters of the laws only. In the process of keeping the laws, they failed to understand the spirit. This young man made the same mistake. He had kept all the commandments. Yet, he felt empty, that something was missing.
Jesus came not to abolish the commandments but to fulfil them (Matthew 5:17). Therefore, he revealed to this young man the essence of commandments: charity which Jesus Christ has demonstrated. A charity of sacrifice, a love of edifying others! In this way, his eternal life would start growing in heaven! Pay attention, eternal life is enjoyed in heaven, not in the secular world!
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68). We believe that you are life. Amen.
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