第八週．週三

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晨興餧養

太九１２『…強健的人用不着醫生，有病的人纔用得着。』

３６『祂看見群眾，就對他們動了慈心，因為他們困苦流離，如同羊沒有牧人一樣。』

３８『所以要祈求莊稼的主，催趕工人收割祂的莊稼。』

［馬太九章三十六節的『困苦流離』，其原文］困苦指羊給兇牧剝皮而遭受的痛楚；流離指羊給惡牧撇棄而落到流離失所、無助無依的苦境。主耶穌這話是說出當時那些可憐的以色列人，在他們那些兇惡的牧人，祭司長和經學家等手下受折磨、遭痛苦的情景。（聖經恢復本，太九36註1。）

屬天的王認為以色列人是羊，祂自己是他們的牧人。基督第一次臨到以色列人時，他們如同患痲瘋的、癱瘓的、鬼附的、和各樣可憐的人，因為他們沒有牧人照顧。現今基督為着建立祂屬天的國度，在祂君尊的職事裏不僅作醫生，也作牧人服事他們，正如以賽亞五十三章六節和四十章十一節所豫言的。（馬太福音生命讀經，四○一頁。）

信息選讀

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。［太九11∼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。主這裏的話，含示自義的法利賽人，不領會他們需要主作醫生。他們認為自己很強健，因此被自義蒙蔽，不曉得自己是有病的。

在馬太九章三十七節主對門徒說，『莊稼固多，工人卻少。』屬天的王認為百姓不僅是羊，也是莊稼。羊需要牧養，莊稼需要收割。雖然以色列民的首領棄絕了屬天的王，百姓中仍有相當數目需要收割。

屬天國度的王認為自己不僅是羊的牧人，也是莊稼的主。祂的國是用能長大並繁衍的生命之物建立的。…我們是羊群，也是莊稼。羊群是由活的動物組成，莊稼是由活的植物組成。…在這屬天之王照顧之下的一切，都是活的。

我們都需要看見主耶穌是莊稼之主的異象。在三十八節主告訴我們，要祈求莊稼的主，催趕工人收割祂的莊稼。首先，神在祂的經綸裏，有一個計畫要完成；然後，需要祂的子民為此祈求、禱告。祂要答應他們的禱告，成就他們為祂的計畫所求的。（馬太福音生命讀經，三六八至三六九、四○二至四○三頁。）

參讀：馬太福音生命讀經，第二十七、二十九篇。

WEEK 8 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

Matt. 9:12 …Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill.

          36 And seeing the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and cast away like sheep not having a shepherd.

         38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest.

In Greek harassed [in Matthew 9:36] refers to the sheep’s being skinned by a cruel shepherd and thus suffering pain. Cast away refers to the sheep’s being abandoned by a wicked shepherd and falling into a distressed condition in which they are homeless, wandering from place to place, and helpless. The Lord Jesus’ word here depicts a situation in which the pitiful Israelites were afflicted and in anguish under the hands of the chief priests and scribes, the evil shepherds.

The heavenly King considered the Israelites as sheep and Himself as the Shepherd. When Christ came to the Jews the first time, they were like lepers, paralytics, the demon-possessed, and all manner of pitiful persons because they had no shepherd to care for them. Now in His kingly ministry for the establishing of His heavenly kingdom, He ministered to them not only as a Physician but also as a Shepherd, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:6 and 40:11. (Lifestudy of Matthew, p. 340)

Today’s Reading

The Lord took the opportunity given Him by the Pharisees’ question to give a very sweet revelation of Himself as the Physician [Matt. 9:11-12]…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. The Lord’s word here implies that the self-righteous Pharisees did not realize that they needed Him as a Physician. They considered themselves strong; hence, blinded by their own self-righteousness, they did not know that they were ill.

In verse 37 the Lord said to His disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers few.” The heavenly King considered the people not only sheep but also the harvest. The sheep needed shepherding, and the harvest needed reaping. Although the leaders of the nation of Israel rejected the heavenly King, there was still a good number among the people that needed reaping.

The King of the heavenly kingdom considered Himself not only the Shepherd of the sheep but also the Lord of the harvest. His kingdom is established with things of life that can grow and multiply…We are both the flock and the crop. The flock is made up of living animals, and the crop, of living vegetation … Everything under the care of this heavenly King is living.

We all need to see a vision of the Lord Jesus as the Lord of the harvest. In verse 38 the Lord told us to beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest. First, in His economy God has a plan to accomplish; then there is the need for His people to beseech Him, to pray to Him, concerning it. In answering their prayer, He will accomplish what they have prayed concerning His plan. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 311-312, 340-341)

Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msgs. 27, 29