智仁兼備 Wisdom & Love Goes Together

智仁兼備（谷2:13-17）

當法利塞人質問耶穌的門徒，為甚麼耶穌與罪人同席，法利塞人是振振有詞，有根有據的（谷2:16）。因為不與罪人為伍，是聖經的教訓：「凡不隨從惡人的計謀，不插足罪人的道路…像這樣的人纔是有福的！」（詠1:1-2）那麼，法利塞人質疑耶穌的行為，他們有錯嗎？沒有錯！他們擁有真理，可惜缺乏了愛德。「真理」與「愛德」，是聖神的恩賜。二者缺一不可！二者缺一是甚麼意思？

愛心「爆棚」，卻沒有真理的支持，輕則「貽笑大方」，重則「好心做壞事」。這就是二者缺一的例子！在中環看見可憐的老婆婆跪在路邊行乞，便不假思索地施捨她五百元。這不是慷慨，而是孔子所說的「好仁不好學，其蔽也愚！」（論語‧陽貨）即使老婆婆真的是可憐，但這五百元也祇會落在幕後操縱她的「丐幫」手上，豈不貽笑大方嗎？今天互聯網大行其道，很多人在社交媒體，未驗證真相之前，便不假思索地隨便轉發短訊。「好心做壞事」的例子，實在多不勝數，用不著再舉例了。

與愛心「爆棚」相反，沒有「愛德」的真理，恐怖程度更大。最容易想起的例子，就是在集中營內的囚犯身上，進行各種冷血的人體實驗。又好像法利塞人一樣，法例是公義的載體，是正義的化身。那麼，冷酷無情地執法，甚至利用法律去對付自己的政敵，這樣的冷血行為，與野心勃勃的瘋狂科學家，有甚麼分別呢？沒有！倘著有，可能是流血殺人與殺人不見血的分別！以追求真理公義之名，出賣了自己的愛心良心，斷送了聖神的愛德與真理之恩，賠上了永恆的生命，值得嗎？法利塞人選擇「真理」，捨棄「愛德」，落得「偽善」的千古惡名。掌權者怎可以不汲取教訓呢？
聖神啊！請施恩我眾罪人，賜予真理，解放我們；賜予愛德，栽培我們。亞孟。
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：thegospelcoalition.org

Wisdom & Love Goes Together (Mark 2:13-17)

When the Pharisees challenged Jesus’ disciples why their master dined with sinners, their reason was sound and scripture-based (Mark 2:16). Staying away from sinners had always been a Biblical teaching, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers” (Psalms 1:1) Then, was it wrong for the Pharisees to question Jesus’ behaviour? Not at all! They possessed the truth but regrettably, they lacked charity. Both truth and charity are inspired by the Holy Spirit. They should not be decoupled! What does it mean?

Charity without truth is stupidity in minor situations but doing evil with good intention in serious cases! If you see a fragile old lady begging at the Central, you give her $500 without a thought. This is not generosity. Confucius says, “It is stupidity to be merciful without knowledge” (Analects, Yang Huo) Even if the old lady is truly pitiful, it is a laughing stock to see the $500 end up in the hands of the “Beggar Gang” which controls the old lady! Today, with the popularity of social media on the Internet, many people habitually forward messages without fact checks … There are far too many incidents of doing evil with good intention to enumerate.

On the contrary, truth without charity can be evil. Examples we can easily conjure up are cold-blooded human experimentations on prisoners of war inside concentration camps. Like the case of the Pharisees, laws are embodiment of justice. Then, isn’t enforcing justice without charity and manipulating legislation to kill off dissidents as cold-blooded, if not worse, than those ambitious mad scientists? No. If there is any difference, perhaps the difference lies in whether blood is shed! Is betrayal of charity and conscience in the name of the pursuit of truth and justice, giving up the gifts of truth and charity from the Holy Spirit and thus forfeiting one’s eternal life worth doing? The Pharisees who chose truth and forsook charity ended up earning an infamy of hypocrites for thousands of years. Can people in power ignore this lesson?
Holy Spirit! Have mercy on us sinners. Grant us truth to liberate us and charity to edify us. Amen.