我們比先知和義人更有福 We Are More Blessed Than Prophets and the Righteous

我們比先知和義人更有福（瑪13:10-17）

讀經切忌『斷章取義』，應該儘量全盤地研讀，以經解經，避免解錯。
耶穌基督來應驗舊約的預言（瑪5:17），但時代不同，古人沒有現代人的詞彙，很難準確地應驗百分百的細節。例如，今天《瑪竇》所引述的《依撒意亞》預言（13:14-15; 依6:9-10），給讀者的印象，是天主不願意以色列人獲得醫治，獲得罪赦！這樣理解是錯的，不但違反天主的本性，也與其他經文所啟示的真理，產生矛盾。例如「天主是愛」（若一4:8）；「因為我〔吾主上主〕不喜歡任何人喪亡」（則18:32）。

群眾來自不同背景，生活著不同程度的『心盲』，各人懷著不同的意圖和渴望…因此耶穌基督對他們只講比喻，給群眾自由選擇。有些人因為聽不懂而離去；有些人聽不到符合他們期望的道理，也會失望地離開；部份群眾聽了比喻，覺得天國原來是那麼實在，而且並不深奧，便興高采烈地走了；有些想認識更多『天國奧秘』的人，便留下跟隨耶穌，請教耶穌…這就是耶穌所說的：「因為凡有的，還要給他，使他富足；但是，凡沒有的，連他所有的，也要由他奪去」（瑪

13:12; 25:29）！其實耶穌在後來講述的『塔冷通比喻』中再次指出，每個人的天賦固然不同，但決定性的因素在於個人的抉擇（25:24-25）！所以，不是天父不願意罪人獲得赦免，而是罪人是否願意回心轉意，尋求與主與人修和！

各位親愛的兄弟姊妹，在《瑪竇福音》，『義人』一詞出現過18次，是指『無罪、守法或天主悅納的人〔例如：亞伯爾〕』。他們的賞報是光榮的：「那時，義人要在他們父的國裡，發光如同太陽」（13:43）。不過，我們作為耶穌的門徒，比先知和義人更有福。因為耶穌解釋了『天國奧秘』給我們知道，是先知和義人沒有機會看到和聽到的。並且祂要派遣『護慰者聖神』親自教訓我們，使我們想起祂所說的一切（若14:26）。請注意，即使我們擁有比先知和義人更大的優勢，將來我們未必「發光如同太陽」。相信大家已經心領神會。
天主保祐！

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生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：gemini.google.com

We Are More Blessed Than Prophets and the Righteous (Matthew 13:10-17)

Quoting a piece of biblical text out of context is the worst thing we are able to do against believers. We should study the Bible as a whole, explaining scripture with scriptures so as to avoid misinterpreting the Bible.
Jesus Christ came to fulfil prophecies in the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17). But our ages are different. Ancient people did not have modern vocabulary. It is next to impossible to fulfil up to 100% of the details. For example, Matthew quotes a prophecy by Isaiah (13:14-15; Isaiah 6:9-10) which gives the readers an impression that God is reluctant to heal and to forgive the Israelites! This interpretation is categorically wrong. Not only does it go against the nature of God, but it also contradicts the truth revealed in other passages. For example, “God is love” (1 John 4:8); “For I [the Lord God] find no pleasure in the death of anyone …” (Ezekiel 18:32).

The crowd came from different backgrounds, living in different degrees of “spiritual blindness”. Each one of them harboured different intentions and desires … Therefore Jesus Christ told them parables, giving the crowd the freedom to choose. Some did not understand and left. Some did not hear the messages they anticipated and left in disappointment. Some felt that the Kingdom of Heaven was not difficult to understand and left joyfully. Some wanted to know more about the “mysteries of the Kingdom” and decided to stay and follow Jesus. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (13:12; 25:29)! In fact, Jesus spoke again later in the Parable of Talents. He points out that our talents are of course different but the definitive factor is the personal choices (25:24-25). Thus, it is not that the Father does not want to forgive. Instead, the ball is in the court of sinners. It is up to them to decide whether they are willing to repent and to seek reconciliation with the Lord and with their neighbour!

Beloved brethren, in the gospel of Matthew, “the righteous” appears 18 times to mean “the innocent, the law-abiding or those whom God looks with favour [e.g. Abel]”. Their reward is glorious, “Then, the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (13:43). However, being disciples of Jesus, we are more blessed than prophets and the righteous. It is because Jesus explains the “mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” to us. Prophets and the righteous did not have the opportunity to see or to hear. Furthermore, Jesus will send us the “Advocate” to teach us everything and to remind us of all that He has told us (John 14:26). Pay attention! Even if we have advantages over prophets and the righteous, we may not be able to shine like the sun in the future. I am sure you understand what I mean.
God bless!