第一週 · 週二

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📖晨興餧養

太八8~10 『百夫長回答說，…只要你說一句話，我的僕人就必得醫治。因為我也是一個在權柄之下的人，有兵在我以下；我對這個說，去，他就去；對那個說，來，他就來；…耶穌聽見，就希奇，對跟從的人說，我實在告訴你們，這樣大的信心，我在以色列中，沒有遇見人有過。』

主耶穌是有權柄的人。外邦的百夫長…承認主耶穌的權柄。…主耶穌的權柄主要是在祂的話裏行使的。當主告訴百夫長，祂要來治好他的僕人時，百夫長對祂說，『主阿，我不配你到舍下來，只要你說一句話，我的僕人就必得醫治。』（太八8）外邦的百夫長曉得主的話帶着醫治的權柄；因此，他不僅相信主，也相信祂的話，求祂不必親自去，只要說一句話就可以了（新約總論第九冊，三二頁）。

📖信息選讀

一面，就主而言，祂的權柄是在祂的話裏行使的；另一面，就我們而言，主的權柄是藉着祂注入我們裏面的信而行使的。當我們看見主，聽祂的話語時，祂的所是，祂的特性，就將相信的能力注入我們裏面；這相信的能力乃是來自於祂。當我們觀看主的榮美，以及祂那優越的美德時，祂就將活的元素注入我們裏面，這注入的元素就成為我們的信，我們相信的能力。這就是為甚麼主耶穌稱為信心的創始者與成終者（來十二2）。百夫長有這種由主耶穌注入到他裏面的信心。主希奇百夫長這樣的信心，說，『這樣大的信心，我在以色列中，沒有遇見人有過。』（太八10）然後祂就對百夫長說，『去罷，照你所信的，給你成就了。』（13）（新約總論第九冊，三二至三三頁）

主在會堂帶着權柄教訓眾人〔可一22~23〕。…神的奴僕作墮落之人的奴僕救主，在服事裏所行的…就是施教（二13，四1，六2、6、30、34，十1，十一17，十二35，十四49），將人從撒但的黑暗裏，帶到神聖的光中（徒二六18）。

在神的主宰權柄下，主耶穌在加利利長大；而祂開始祂的傳揚與教訓，也不是從猶太地，乃是從加利利。按照聖經的記載，加利利不僅是受藐視的地區，也是一個黑暗之地。馬太四章十五至十六節論到這事說，『西布倫地和拿弗他利地，沿海的路，約但河外，外邦人的加利利：那坐在黑暗中的百姓，看見了大光；並且向那些坐在死亡的境域和陰影中的人，有光出現，照着他們。』這指明主耶穌行過加利利時，祂是照在黑暗中的大光，照耀坐在死亡境域裏的人。奴僕救主的教訓特別就是大光的照耀。從祂口裏出來的每一句話，都是照耀的話語。因此，祂教訓人的時候，光就照在他們身上。這樣，主的教訓光照了黑暗裏的人。

按照馬可一章二十二節，那些在會堂裏的人很驚訝主的教訓，說祂教訓他們，像有權柄的人，不像經學家。自命為經學家的人，憑自己將虛空的知識教訓人，沒有權柄，也沒有能力；但神所授權的奴僕，憑神將實際教訓人，不僅有屬靈的能力征服人，也有神聖的權柄使人服從神聖的管治（馬可福音生命讀經，六一至六二頁）。

參讀：以西結書生命讀經，第十一篇；馬可福音生命讀經，第六篇。

WEEK 1 — DAY 2

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Morning Nourishment

Matt. 8:8-10 But the centurion answered and said, Lord,…only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes…Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed, Truly I say to you, With no one in Israel have I found such great faith.

The Lord Jesus is the One who has authority. The Gentile centurion… recognized the authority of the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s authority is exercised mainly in His word. When the Lord told the centurion that He would come and heal his servant, the centurion said to Him, “Lord, I am not fit for You to enter under my roof; but only speak a word, and my servant will be healed” (Matt. 8:8). The Gentile centurion realized that the Lord’s word was with healing authority. Thus, he believed, not only in the Lord but also in His word, asking Him not to go personally but only to send His word. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2778)

Today’s Reading

On the one hand, regarding the Lord, His authority is exercised in His word. On the other hand, regarding us, the Lord’s authority is exercised through faith infused into us by Him. When we see the Lord and listen to Him, His being, His very character, infuses into us the ability to believe. This believing ability is something that comes from Him. As we behold the Lord in His beauty and in the excellency of His virtues, He infuses a living element into us, and this infused element becomes our faith, our believing ability. This is why the Lord Jesus is called the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2). The centurion had such faith infused into him by the Lord Jesus.
The Lord marveled at the centurion’s faith, saying, “Truly I say to you, With no one in Israel have I found such great faith” (Matt. 8:10). Then He said to the centurion, “Go; as you have believed, so be it done to you” (v. 13). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2778-2779)

In the synagogue the Lord Jesus taught the people with authority [Mark 1:21-22]…The Slave of God…in His service as the Slave-Savior to fallen men [carried] out such teaching (2:13; 4:1; 6:2, 6, 30, 34; 10:1; 11:17; 12:35; 14:49) to bring people out of the satanic darkness into the divine light (Acts 26:18).

It was of God’s sovereignty that the Lord Jesus was raised in the region of Galilee and also that He began His proclaiming and teaching not from Judea but from Galilee. According to the biblical record, Galilee was not only a despised region but was also a place of darkness. Concerning this, Matthew 4:15-16 says, “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light; and to those sitting in the region and shadow of death, to them light has risen.” This indicates that when the Lord Jesus walked through Galilee, He was a great light shining in the darkness and shining upon the people sitting in the region and shadow of death. In particular, the
teaching of the Slave-Savior was the shining of a great light. Every word that issued out of His mouth was an enlightening word. Therefore, while He was teaching the people, the light was shining upon them. In this way the people in darkness were enlightened by the Lord’s teaching.

According to Mark 1:22, those in the synagogue were astounded at the Lord’s teaching and said that He taught them as One having authority and not like the scribes. The self-appointed scribes, who by themselves were teaching vain knowledge, had no authority and no power. But this God- authorized Slave, who by God was teaching realities, had not only spiritual power to subdue people but also divine authority to subject people to the divine ruling. (Life-study of Mark, 2nd ed., pp. 51-53)

Further Reading: Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 11; Life-study of Mark, msg. 6