【台南東門巴克禮紀念教會．台語查經班．20241119】 1. 讚美：《聖詩》552首 2. 經文：《舊約聖經．創世記》第40章起 3. 訊息：改革宗「五個唯獨」

 【台南東門巴克禮紀念教會．台語查經班．20241119】

1. 讚美：《聖詩》552首

2. 經文：《舊約聖經．創世記》第40章起

3. 訊息：改革宗「五個唯獨」

幾處耶穌出現

 The statements attributed to Jesus across the Gospels, both canonical and non-canonical, resonate with a profoundly mystical understanding of divinity, one that transcends traditional dogma and points toward an inherent unity between humanity and God. Each of these passages reveals layers of insight about the nature of our true self, the divine spark within us, and the potential for spiritual realization.

1. John 10:34 – “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?”

In this moment, Jesus echoes Psalm 82:6, where God declares, "You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High." This assertion cuts to the core of spiritual identity. Jesus, in responding to accusations of blasphemy, doesn't merely defend himself; he highlights a deeper truth about humanity itself. The phrase "you are gods" is not a metaphor or a distant theological abstraction. It is a revelation that each human being is imbued with divine essence.

We are not separate from God, standing before an external deity in fear or submission. Rather, within each of us lies the capacity to realize our own divinity. This is not about ego or elevating oneself in pride but about remembering the sacred within—the spark of the Infinite that animates us all. By acknowledging this, we tap into the power to transform our consciousness, no longer seeing ourselves as limited beings but as divine co-creators in the universe.

2. Luke 17:21 – “The Kingdom of God is within you.”

Here, Jesus directs our attention inward. The Kingdom of God, often thought of as a distant realm or an eschatological promise, is not something to be found "out there" but exists within the very core of our being. This profound statement invites us to shift our focus from seeking salvation externally to recognizing that divine reality is an intrinsic part of who we are.

The "Kingdom" is not merely a place but a state of consciousness, an inner awakening to our oneness with the Divine. When we turn inward, shedding the layers of ego, illusion, and separation, we uncover this kingdom of peace, wisdom, and love. This internal kingdom is timeless, unshaken by the external chaos of the world, and it is only through self-realization and inner stillness that we can enter it. Jesus’s message here is deeply aligned with Hermetic and mystical traditions that teach that the ultimate truth and divine presence reside within, awaiting our discovery.

3. John 14:12 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

This is a declaration of the immense potential within every human soul. Jesus, revered for his miracles and teachings, emphasizes that his works are not exceptional but a demonstration of what is possible for all who embody the same divine consciousness. The "greater things" speak to an evolutionary process—the awakening of divine power in more profound ways within humanity.

Jesus’s message here is that we are not to be mere followers, idolizing his life and works, but rather we are to embody the same Christ consciousness that he demonstrated. To “believe in him” is not to engage in blind faith but to align with the divine truth he represents. His life is an invitation for us to awaken to our own divine nature and to realize that we, too, can manifest the miraculous when we transcend the limitations of the ego and attune to the infinite creative potential within.

4. The Gospel of Thomas – "When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father."

The Gospel of Thomas, one of the more esoteric texts of early Christianity, offers a glimpse into a mystical understanding of Jesus’s teachings. Here, the path to realizing one’s divine nature is through self-knowledge. The phrase "when you know yourselves" suggests that our ignorance of our true divine identity is the primary obstacle to spiritual awakening. The journey is inward—when we truly know the essence of who we are, we come to understand that we are, in fact, “children of the living Father,” sharing in the same divine source as Jesus himself.

This idea challenges the notion of separation between the divine and the human. The key to the Kingdom of God is found in this inner knowing. To recognize our divine origin is to awaken to our limitless potential, our innate divinity, and the reality that the "living Father" is not a distant being but the very life force that flows through us. This text places emphasis on gnosis, or spiritual knowledge, as the means of awakening to the truth of our nature and destiny.

"He who understands my message will become like I am, and I will become like he, and the hidden things will be revealed to him."

This passage from the Gospel of Thomas encapsulates the core of Jesus’s mystical teachings. The idea that the one who understands will “become like I am” points to the transformative power of true spiritual understanding. Jesus does not position himself as the unattainable ideal, but as a mirror reflecting our own potential. The process of understanding his message is not intellectual but experiential—it is a realization that leads to becoming, to embodying the same divine consciousness.

When he says, "I will become like he," it speaks to the unity of Christ consciousness and individual consciousness. There is no separation between the teacher and the disciple in the highest understanding; both are expressions of the same divine reality. As we come into this realization, the “hidden things”—the mysteries of life, the universe, and our purpose—are revealed to us. It is not that these mysteries are concealed by God, but rather, they are hidden by our own ignorance. When we awaken, we see clearly the interconnectedness of all things and our place within the divine order.

A Unified Understanding: We Are Gods, Awaken to the Divine Self

The teachings of Jesus, especially when viewed through the lens of both canonical and non-canonical texts, are radical in their implications. Jesus did not come to establish a hierarchy where he is to be worshipped as the singular Son of God while the rest of humanity remains distant and inferior. Instead, he came to reveal that we, too, are children of God, with the same divine potential within us.

To "know yourself" is to realize that the divine is not something separate from you, but the very essence of your being. The Kingdom of God is not a future reward, but a present reality accessible through the realization of this truth. As we awaken to our divine nature, we no longer see Jesus as an unattainable ideal but as an embodiment of the same Christ consciousness that exists within all of us. His life, his works, and his message are not to be revered from a distance but to be lived and embodied.

In understanding this, we break free from the illusion of separation—from God, from one another, and from our true selves. The hidden things are revealed not through external revelation but through inner transformation. We become co-creators, aligned with the divine flow, capable of "greater works" as we awaken to the truth that we, too, are gods.

This is the essence of Jesus’s message, hidden in plain sight for those with the eyes to see and the heart to understand.

十三維談新約中的‘’ 恨‘’、“孝”等

 跟耶穌學孝道

昨天，香港「教育局」公布「宗教教育課程指引（中一至中三）」，明言宗教科教師須幫助學生「認識、培育及踐行」国民身分認同，又提及有天主教學校教導學生認識聖母在耶穌出生、成長、傳道的角色和貢獻，讓學生「學習傳統中華文化中孝道的重要性」。

在新時代香港做學生真「幸福」。回想我在港英年代唸中小學，白白讀了十幾年宗教科（聖經），從未聽過可以透過耶穌「學習傳統中華文化中孝道」，更想像不到宣揚天國福音的耶穌，究竟如何培育我的「国民身分認同」。現在看新聞，才知道宗教科和中國文化科原來可以溝埋做瀨尿牛丸，實在眼界大開。

聖經當然有教你孝敬父母（這是十誡之一），但看過四部福音的人，都應該知道「孝道」從來不是耶穌教導的核心。祂反覆強調的，反而是你要有心理準備捨棄父母兄弟姊妹，甚至棄絕自己的俗世生命，那才有資格追隨祂。

例如路加福音第14章記載，有許多人與耶穌同行，耶穌就轉身向他們說：「如果誰來就我，而不惱恨自己的父親、母親、妻子、兒女、兄弟、姊妹，甚至自己的性命，不能做我的門徒。」這段話最耐人尋味的自然是「惱恨」一詞。難道耶穌叫大家「恨」自己的父母嗎？當然不是。

「惱恨」原文是古希臘語「μισεῖ」，即英文的（he / she) hates，直譯為「惱恨」，字面上沒有錯，只是中文讀者未必明白耶穌的原意。耶穌當時講的是亞蘭語，跟希伯來語同屬閃族語系，在希伯來語及亞蘭語的習慣用法中，「恨」往往有特別意思，不能照中文字面理解。

例如希伯來聖經的申命紀21:15:「一人如有兩妻，一為所愛，一為所惡」，其中「所惡」的希伯來文為שְׂנוּאָה (senu'ah) ，直譯是「被恨」，但這裏意思只是說，比起另一妻子，這位妻子「不被偏愛」、「沒那麼受寵」。同理，路加福音的「μισεῖ」（恨）只是亞蘭語直譯，意思則保留亞蘭語特殊意義，不是表達「絕對的惱恨」，而是「相對上沒那麼愛」。

耶穌不是叫你恨自己的父母，祂的意思是：如果你沒有愛祂勝過愛你的父母妻兒兄弟姊妹，那麼你就不配做祂的門徒了。由此可見，我們不能說耶穌不孝，但祂顯然不是把「孝道」放在首位。再舉一個例子：路加福音第8章，有人告訴耶穌：「你的母親和你的兄弟站在外邊，願意見你。」耶穌的回答是：

「聽了天主的話而實行的，纔是我的母親和我的兄弟。（Μήτηρ μου καὶ ἀδελφοί μου οὗτοί εἰσιν, οἱ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ ἀκούοντες καὶ ποιοῦντες.）」

耶穌這句話也不是否認瑪利亞是自己的媽媽，但祂明顯要強調一點：世俗的家庭倫理關係並非最重要的，唯有聆聽及踐行天主聖言者才是祂的「至親」。這樣的事例還有很多，例如若望福音所載，耶穌在加納婚宴上把母親呼作「女人（γύναι）」，我覺得實在頗難借題發揮，藉以說明「傳統中華文化中孝道的重要性」。

跟耶穌學「孝道」，也不是不行，只是感覺總有點怪怪的，大概就像跟中共學習「民主」和「自由」一樣吧。

______________________

耶穌說：「一粒麥子不落在地裏死了，仍舊是一粒；若是死了，就結出許多子粒來。」

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圖片/明報

游常山談梵谷

 梵谷，牧師，畫家

傳世荷蘭畫家梵谷一百五十多年前在盧森堡窮鄉礦區當過〔鄉村牧師〕。

梵谷割耳朵事件，畫家個人的reasoning 其實有聖經根據。

[新約聖經]馬可福音9：43-45節。

梵谷一定熟讀這三節聖經。

〔倘若你一隻手教你跌倒，就砍下來，你缺了肢體進入永生，強如有兩隻手落到地獄，入那不滅的火裡去；倘若你一直腳教你跌倒，就把它砍下來，你瘸腿進入永生，強如有兩隻腳被丟到地獄；倘若你一隻眼睛叫你跌倒，就去掉它，只有一隻眼睛入神的國，強如有兩隻眼被丟在地獄。在地獄那裡蟲是不死的，火是不滅的。〕

牧師畫家梵谷油畫筆下的盧森堡山區礦工教友的臉孔，充滿木炭黑漆漆的鄉下人臉龐〔食薯者〕這一系列的畫作，就是那個時期當牧師的生活經驗。

梵谷應該是一個很屬靈常常反省自己的基督徒。

可惜神GOD給他胸中一根刺精神疾病太過嚴重，以至於他與世界格格不入 。

可惜後世評論說梵谷與畫家高更大吵一架，衝動割掉自己一只耳朵送人的事，其實2018年在〔梵谷：永生之門〕這部電影有詮釋說：梵谷是根據〔馬可福音〕裡面說的：你如果一隻手犯罪就把那只手剁下來。

勝過入地獄。

這是聖經的記載。

可見梵谷是敬虔的基督徒。

【胡適談聖經翻譯】1937

 

胡適紀念館 Hu Shih Memorial Hall

【胡適談聖經翻譯】

　　胡適是個無神論者，但他也是當時中國第二大的《聖經》收藏家。1937年3月17日在北平美華聖經會大樓舉行《聖經》展覽會，展出不同語言、方言、年代、版本的《聖經》，並由胡適演講「《聖經》與文學之關係」。胡適當天的演講從《聖經》翻譯出發，除略述《聖經》翻譯源流之外，更提出了對未來《聖經》翻譯的展望。

　　1937年3月18日《華北日報》對此事有詳細的報導（因為報導版面過長，所以附圖版面有經過調整）：

　　由利瑪竇迄今三百年來，《聖經》展覽此尚為第一次，允足稱貴，蓋僅就收藏興趣一點言之，對此「天下奇書」之搜羅展覽，已足令人心快。惟「聖經與文學」一題，周作人先生曾於十四年前《小說日報》上著論發揮，既詳且盡，可以參看。今日祇略言其宗教經典之繙譯，對於中國之文學影響及本人對於《聖經》之數點希望而已。

　　在我國歷史上大規模之從事繙譯外國文字，約有二次：二次且皆為受宗教信仰之啟發。一為第一至第十世紀之九百年來繙譯佛家書籍之努力，成書二千種，現仍為人諷誦者尚有《華嚴經》、《法華經》、《維摩詰》等二十餘種。其影響於中國文學者則（一）介紹國人創作上之新材料，新形式。（二）引起創作家之想像力，擴大文學描寫之範圍。此皆中國文學篇所缺乏者。第二次則為近世紀來之西洋書籍之大批繙譯，而此中最足稱述者為「《聖經》」之繙譯。其故亦有二。（一）因繙譯《聖經》者之具有宗教的虔誠嚴肅態度，忠實於繙譯，及《聖經》本身之優美故譯本成為一種「直譯的模範作品」（Model literal translation）簡明可愛，由以官話譯本中「〈福音〉」（Gospels）及「〈舊約〉」（Old Testment）中〈詩篇〉等部，堪稱為優美之文學作品，影響於中國創作家及譯著家者甚多。（二）則為中文聖經之於中國方言方面的供献。中國方言甚多，初無有文字之形式記載，有方言《聖經》之譒譯後，乃給中國多種方言以文學上之價值，對於研究語言學、語音學、民俗學上，有莫大之裨益。

三點希望:

　　惟中文之譒譯聖經，尚有為能如吾人希望之極者，簡言之有三，亦即余對《聖經》譒譯之希望：（一）譯語尚未能完全近代化。蓋近年中國語言，變化甚速，而《聖經》譯語尚多守舊者，故仍須繼續新譯，以合時代。（二）宗教的守舊拘謹精神，致《聖經》尚未採用新式標點、排列、形式，以更發揮其文學的趣味。─Moulton之「《近代讀本的聖經》」則清新可喜─如〈雜歌〉、〈詩篇〉、〈箴言〉、〈約伯記〉，皆最美之文學，而未能以新形式體裁表達之。（三）將《聖經》作為文學看，注重「科學的《聖經》學」，提倡收藏、批評、校刊、訓詁，諸工作，並編著用作參考之辭典類書，以備閱者之方便檢閱。果能如此，則影響中國文學喚起更多讀者，必更廣大也云云。

路加福音 8 16：18

 奧秘必要傳揚出去

沒有人點上燈，用器皿遮蓋住，或放在床底下的，而是放在燈台上，為叫進來的人看見光明。

因為沒有隱藏的事，不成為顯露的；沒有秘密的事，不被知道而公開出來的。

所以，你們應當留心要怎樣聽；因為凡有的，還要給他；凡沒有的，連他自以為有的，也要從他奪去。

（路加福音 第八章16-18）

 / Bertrand Russell /

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"There’s bible on that shelf there. I keep it next to Voltaire - poison and antidote."

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Example of B. Russell's humor.

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"Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell was a Welsh polymath. As an academic, he worked in philosophy, mathematics, and logic. His work has had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, and various areas of analytic philosophy, especially philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of language, epistemology and metaphysics. He was a public intellectual, historian, social critic, political activist, and Nobel laureate. He was born in Monmouthshire into one of the most prominent aristocratic families in the United Kingdom. Russell was one of the early 20th century's most prominent logicians, and one of the founders of analytic philosophy, along with his predecessor Gottlob Frege, his friend and colleague G. E. Moore and his student and protégé Ludwig Wittgenstein. Russell with Moore led the British "revolt against idealism"."

W

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Bertrand Russell, Kennet Harris Talking To: Bertrand Russell, 1971.

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