第九週■週四

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晨興餧養

太十二49 ～ 50『〔耶穌〕就伸手指着門徒說，看哪，我的母親，我的弟兄！因爲凡實行我在諸天之上父旨意的，就是我的弟兄、姊妹和母親了。』

主耶穌還對羣眾說話的時候，祂的母親和兄弟站在外面，要找祂說話。有人對祂說，『看哪，你的母親和兄弟站在外面，要找你說話。』（太十二46 ～ 47。）…主說，『誰是我的母親？誰是我的弟兄？』就伸手指着門徒說，『看哪，我的母親，我的弟兄！因爲凡實行我在諸天之上父旨意的，就是我的弟兄、姊妹和母親了。』（48 ～ 50。）這指明屬天的王放棄了祂和猶太人肉身的關係。在馬太十二章裏，猶太人棄絕基督達到極峯，以致基督完全放棄他們。此時，他們開始與基督決裂，而與基督隔絕了。（羅十一17，19 ～ 20。）基督與猶太人決裂以後，就轉向外邦人。此後，祂與跟從之人的關係，不再是在肉身裏，乃是在靈裏。凡實行祂父旨意的，就是幫助祂的弟兄，同情祂的姊妹，以及柔和慈愛的母親。（馬太福音生命讀經，四七六頁。）

信息選讀

在馬太十二章四十六至五十節我們看見一大轉換，甚至是時代的轉換。從此以後，耶穌與人的關係不再是基於天然的出生，乃是基於屬靈的出生。凡實行在諸天之上父旨意的，就是耶穌的親屬。換句話說，在十二章末了，主有力的指明，祂已經放棄了整個以色列族。此後，祂與人的關係必須基於屬靈的事。所有實行父旨意的人，都是祂的親屬。阿利路亞，我們不僅是基督的親屬，也是祂的肢體！我們是祂的肢體，不是憑着天然的血緣或天然的出生，乃是憑着我們靈裏屬靈的出生。那與主聯合的，便是與主成爲一靈。（林前六17。）如今我們不僅是祂的弟兄姊妹；我們也與祂是一靈，在祂裏面是一個身體，在祂裏面是一個新人。

在馬太十二章末了，主耶穌向全宇宙明確的宣告，按着天然的血緣說，祂和以色列人的關係結束了。因此，羅馬十一章說，以色列人被折下來了。這個折下來發生在馬太十二章末了。羅馬十一章也說，外邦人被接上去了。這也發生在馬太十二章末了。

在七章二十一節，主不是說，『你們…父，』乃是說，『我…父。』這裏主似乎說，『我是人子，是神子，我一直實行我父的旨意。你們也是神的兒子，是我的弟兄。因此，你們必須是我的同伴，並走我所走的路。現在你們不是實行你們父的旨意，乃是實行我父的旨意。你們是我的弟兄、我的同伴、我的同夥。你們和我走同樣的路，實行同樣的旨意。你們照着我父的旨意與我同活。』在〔國度〕憲法的最後一段，不再是論到消極的方面，諸如我們的脾氣、情慾、己、肉體和憂慮；而完全是論到積極的方面，就是實行天父的旨意。…要實行父的旨意，我們需要走狹路。在屬世哲學家的教訓裏，旣沒有神聖的生命、神聖的性情，也沒有神聖的路。但在這裏，諸天之國憲法的終極結果，乃是天父的旨意。這就是說，我們有一位天父，我們是父的兒子。…我們的父有一個旨意要成就，但這旨意只能藉着祂的生命纔能成就。我們需要活在天父的生命裏，並且憑着這生命而活。這種生活乃是爲着實行父的旨意。（馬太福音生命讀經，四七六至四七七、三三六至三三七頁。）

參讀：馬太福音生命讀經，第三十四篇。

WEEK 9 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

Matt. 12:49-50 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother.

As the Lord Jesus was speaking to the crowds, His mother and His brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him, and someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You” (Matt. 12:46-47)…The Lord said, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” (v. 48). And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother” (vv. 49-50). This indicates that the heavenly King forsook His relationship in the flesh with the Jews. In this chapter the Jews’ rejection of Christ, having reached its climax, caused Christ to forsake them fully. At this point, the break between them and Christ began, and they were severed from Christ (Rom. 11:17, 19-20). After breaking with the Jews, Christ turned to the Gentiles. Thenceforth, His relationship with His followers was not in the flesh but in the spirit. Whoever does the will of His Father is a brother who helps Him, a sister who sympathizes with Him, and a mother who tenderly loves Him. (Life-study of Matthew, p. 405)

Todays Reading

In Matthew 12:46-50 we see a great turn, even a dispensational turn. From this point onward, Jesus’ relationship with people was not based upon the natural birth but upon the spiritual birth. Whoever does the will of the Father who is in the heavens is a relative of Jesus. In other words, at the end of chapter 12, the Lord indicated strongly that He had given up the entire race of Israel. After that, His relationship with people was to be based upon something spiritual. All those who do the will of the Father are His relatives. Hallelujah, we are not only Christ’s relatives but His members! We are His members not by our natural blood or natural birth but by our spiritual birth in our spirit. He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). Now we are not only His brothers and sisters; we are one spirit with Him, one Body in Him, and one new man in Him.

At the end of Matthew 12 the Lord Jesus made a clear declaration to the whole universe that He was through with Israel according to the natural blood. Thus, Romans 11 says that Israel was cut off. This cutting off took place at the end of Matthew 12. Romans 11 also says that the Gentiles have been grafted in. This also took place at the end of Matthew 12.

In Matthew 7:21 the Lord did not say “your Father” but “My Father.” Here the Lord seemed to be saying, “I, the Son of Man and the Son of God, have been doing the will of My Father. You also are sons of God and My brothers. Therefore, you must be My companions and take the same way that I take. Now you are not to do the will of your Father but the will of My Father. You are My brothers, My companions, and My partners. You and I are walking the same way and doing the same will. You are living with Me according to the will of My Father.” In this last section of the constitution, it is no longer a negative matter of dealing with our temper, lust, self, flesh, and anxiety. It is absolutely a positive matter of doing the will of the Father who is in the heavens…In order to do the will of the Father, we need to walk on the constricted way. In the teachings of the worldly philosophers, there is neither the divine life and divine nature nor the divine way. But here the ultimate issue of the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens is the will of the heavenly Father. This means that we have a heavenly Father and that we are the Father’s sons…Our Father has a will to accomplish, but we can accomplish it only by His life. We need to live in the life of the heavenly Father and also by that life. This kind of living is for the doing of the Father’s will. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 405-406, 284-285)

Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 34