第一週 · 週三

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📖晨興餧養

太九11~13 『法利賽人看見，就對耶穌的門徒說，你們的老師為甚麼和稅吏並罪人一同喫飯？耶穌聽見，就說，強健的人用不着醫生，有病的人纔用得着。你們去研究，「我要的是憐憫，不是祭祀，」是甚麼意思；我來本不是召義人，乃是召罪人。』

主利用法利賽人題出問題的機會，非常甜美的啟示祂自己是醫生。…〔主〕說，『強健的人用不着醫生，有病的人纔用得着。』〔太九12〕主告訴法利賽人，這些稅吏和罪人是病人，主對他們不是審判官，乃是醫生，是醫治者。屬天國度的王，在祂盡職為着國度呼召人跟從祂的事上，是作醫生，不是作審判官。審判官的審判是按着公義，醫生的醫治是按着憐憫和恩典。那些被祂作成屬天國度子民的人，乃是患痲瘋（八2~4）、癱瘓（5~13，九2~8）、發燒（八14~15）、鬼附（16、28~32）、患各樣疾病的（16）以及受人藐視的稅吏並罪人（九9~11）。若是祂作審判官，臨到這些可憐的人，他們就都會被定罪、被棄絕，沒有一個彀資格、被選上並蒙呼召，成為祂屬天國度的子民。然而祂來盡職是作醫生，醫治、恢復、點活並拯救他們，使他們能重新構成為祂屬天的新公民，給祂用以在這敗壞的地上，建立祂屬天的國（馬太福音生命讀經，三六八頁）。

📖信息選讀

自義的法利賽人批評主耶穌，並且定罪所有不潔的人。但主似乎說，『這些人不是不潔的，乃是有病的。我來不是作審判官定罪他們，乃是作醫生，作他們可親、可愛、親密的醫治者。』主…的確指明那些自以為義的法利賽人，實際上和其他的人一樣是有病的。…自義的法利賽人，自以為知道一切關於神的事。為着使他們謙卑，主〔在馬太九章十三節〕告訴他們要多研究。

憐憫乃是人從神所領受之恩典的一部分。但自義的人寧願獻東西給神，卻不肯從神領受憐憫或恩典。這違反了神經綸的法則。…〔在十三節〕主說，祂來本不是召義人，乃是召罪人。事實上，沒有義人，連一個也沒有（羅三10）。所有的『義人』，都和法利賽人一樣，是自以為義的（路十八9）。…法利賽人誇耀自己的聖經知識，並且認為自己非常認識聖經。但在這裏，主耶穌告訴他們要去研究，研究『我要的是憐憫，不是祭祀』這話的意思。…不認為自己是義的，卻承認自己是有罪的人有福了。因為主來本不是召義人，乃是召罪人。

那些稅吏和罪人不是身體上有病，乃是屬靈上有病。當主耶穌與他們一同坐席時，祂就醫治他們。主告訴法利賽人說，『法利賽人哪，你們是審判官，我卻是醫生。身為醫生，我只能醫治有病的人。你們若覺得自己沒有病，那麼我就與你們無關，我就不能醫治你們。』（馬太福音生命讀經，三六九至三七○頁）

主雖然可能醫治或不醫治我們的身體，但祂總是願意醫治我們靈和魂的各部分。…祂是醫治我們屬靈疾病的一位（新約總論第九冊，三七至三八頁）。

參讀：新約總論，第二百六十八篇；馬太福音生命讀經，第二十五篇。

WEEK 1 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

Matt. 9:11-13 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, Why does your Teacher eat with the tax collectors and sinners? Now when He heard this, He said, Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill. But go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

The Lord took the opportunity given Him by the Pharisees’ question to give a very sweet revelation of Himself as the Physician…: “Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill” [Matt. 9:12]. The Lord was telling the Pharisees that these tax collectors and sinners were patients, sick ones, and that to them the Lord was not a Judge but a Physician, a Healer. In calling people to follow Him for the kingdom, the King of the heavenly kingdom ministered as a Physician, not as a Judge. A judge’s judgment is according to righteousness, whereas a physician’s healing is according to mercy and grace. Those whom He made people of His heavenly kingdom were lepers (8:2-4), paralytics (vv. 5-13; 9:2-8), the fever-ridden (8:14-15), the demon- possessed (vv. 16, 28-32), those ill with all kinds of diseases (v. 16), despised tax collectors, and sinners (9:9-11). Had He visited these pitiful people as a Judge, all would have been condemned and rejected, and none would have been qualified, selected, and called to be the people of His heavenly kingdom. However, He came to minister as a Physician, to heal, recover, enliven, and save them so that they might be reconstituted to be His new and heavenly citizens, with whom He could establish His heavenly kingdom on this corrupted earth. (Life-study of Matthew, 2nd ed., pp. 311-312)

Today’s Reading

The self-righteous Pharisees criticized the Lord Jesus and condemned all those unclean people. But the Lord seemed to say, “These people are not unclean; they are sick. I have not come as a Judge to condemn them but as a Physician, as their dear, lovely, intimate Healer.”…He was surely indicating that the Pharisees, who thought that they were righteous, were actually just as sick as the others were. The self-righteous Pharisees were confident that they knew all things concerning God. In order to humble them, the Lord told them [in Matthew 9:13] to learn more.

Mercy is a part of the grace that man receives from God. But self-righteous men do not like to receive mercy or grace from God; they prefer to give something to God. This is contrary to God’s way in His economy. The Lord said here that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Actually, there is none righteous, not even one (Rom. 3:10). All the “righteous” are self-righteous, as were the Pharisees (Luke 18:9)…The Pharisees were proud of their knowledge of the Scriptures, and they thought that they knew the Bible very well. But here the Lord Jesus told them to go and learn something, to learn the meaning of the word “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” Blessed are those who do not think that they are righteous but who recognize that they are sinful. The reason for this is that the Lord did not come to call the righteous; He came to call the sinners.

Those tax collectors and sinners were not physically sick; they were spiritually sick. While the Lord Jesus was feasting with them, He was healing them. The Lord was telling the Pharisees, “Pharisees, you are the judges, but I am the Physician. As a Physician, I can heal only the sick ones. If you feel that you are not ill, then I have nothing to do with you, and I cannot heal you.” (Life-study of Matthew, 2nd ed., pp. 312-313)

Although the Lord may or may not heal us in our body, He is always ready to heal us in every part of our spirit and soul…He is the One who heals our spiritual sicknesses. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2783)

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 268; Life- study of Matthew, msg. 25