每日活灵(313)…

🔊 Play 音频 三分钟

「我告诉你们，你们的义，若不胜于文士和法利赛人的义，断不能进天国。」【太5: 20】

杀人是指我们的脾气暴走，奸淫指我们的情欲燃燒。我们的脾气和情欲一直破坏、困扰我们。我们若是像石头，就不会受这两件事的干扰。但我们每天不是受脾气的困扰，就是受情慾的试诱。我们多么容易被激怒、冒犯！有些人也许一天至少被冒犯数十次。也有些人受情慾的困扰。为这缘故，要避免单独与异性朋友在一起。若非如此，就要被自己燃燒的情慾所试诱。后果的罪难逃审判。

主耶稣在这里宣布了三种审判的法庭：

第一种是「初级法庭」即「本地法庭」，由二十三人组成的审判场所，有定人斩首或绞死之权。

第二种是「高级法庭」即「中央政府法庭」，由七十二人组成的较高审判场所，此法庭处理较大犯人及有权定人被石头击死之罪，尼哥底母便是此法庭之一员。

第三种是「最高法庭」即「永远法庭」，由天使们主持，上主为法官，此法庭定人受永远的刑罚。

主耶稣不主张动怒、咒骂、恨人及藐视人，祂提倡彼此相爱，有爱心便不自私，化解上述这些犯罪的行动。犯罪者所受的心灵痛苦远比上述这些场所所给予的刑罚为大也。

为了要活出比旧律法的道德标准更高的生活，我们必须胜过自己的脾气和情慾。我们也许说这不容易作到。不错，这不容易。这就是我们需要基督的救恩，需要复活的新生命的原因。我们需要与基督同在！活在基督里 ! 我们里面的脾气和情慾，需要主的磨煉与陶造，常以谦卑的心，爱心为人作事。我们也需要常常与主不断的交通和祷告。

我们照着信仰的原则得救之后，需要过更高的生活，有最高标准的生活。就是胜过我们脾气和情慾的生活。乃是天国的标凖 ! 奉主蒙恩! 阿们! 

每日活灵(311)…

🔊 Play 音频 三分钟

「这些原是后事的影儿；那形体却是基督。」【西2: 17】

旧约中的礼仪、律法和规条，都不过是向人描述并指明基督的豫表和象征，我们注意的重点应当集中于那位是实体的基督；如今基督既已来临，我们若再坚持遵守礼仪、律法和规条，便是舍本逐末，没有划到重奌。

基督教不是用『新约』来补充『旧约』，乃是以『新约』来取代『旧约』。凡是想遵行旧约律法规条的，反而会败坏新约的信仰。基督徒须要脱去『旧人』、穿上『新人』，也不可新、旧并重，这是要完成基督的救赎恩典。

当我们接受基督时，我们就接受了基督所为我们成全的神的旨意；如今我们是凭这旨意，蒙圣灵的更新，而得以分别为圣。

得以成圣，并不是救恩的最终目的，而是救恩的必经程序，使我们得以坦然进入至圣所，来到神面前。地位上的成圣，是主替我们作成的；生活上的成圣，便须我们努力追求。

我们不可因怕人的论断，而转从人的意思，不敢为真理站立。不只是别人认为『不可作』的事，甚至是别人认为『应当作』的事，也不能让它们轻易地左右我们的立场。

我们的对错、好坏、称义与不称义，不在乎人的看法，乃在乎神的认定。仪式是一种形式、影儿，是我们今天不需要硬遵守的。

在旧约影儿的时代，需要祭牲、节期和守安息日。但今天是实际的时代。我们的祭牲不是羊羔或山羊，乃是基督，就是一切旧约祭牲的实际。基督耶稣釘上十字架，用祂的宝血来救赎能悔改归回与神和好，并能称义。这就是在基督里的真实 ! 奉主蒙恩! 阿们! 

每日活灵(312)…

🔊 Play 音频 三分钟

「既知道人称义，不是因行律法，乃是因信耶稣基督，连我们也信了基督耶稣，使我们因信基督称义，不因行律法称义；因为凡有血气的，没有一人因行律法称义。」【加2: 16】

基督耶稣在十字架上已经满足了律法的要求，除祂以外，没有人能尽律法上的义；我们必须借着信心，与耶稣基督联合，在祂里面，因祂作我们的义，才能在神面前称义。

称义是神白白恩典的一个赏赐；并不是人的品德或行为的结果。信心最大的表现，还不在于人相信、倚靠、等候神来作工，而是在于人停止自己的工作。

在旧约时代里，神照着律法接纳人。人若要被神接纳，就必须达到律法的标准。但今天神接纳我们不是照着律法，乃是照着我们是否相信基督耶稣。因此，今天神接纳我们乃是基于我们的信心。在基督里己得着复活的新生命。

神不再照着律法的规条对待信徒，这不是说，旧律法的诫命已经废除了。例如，旧律法的头两条诫命是论到不可有别的神，以及不可雕刻偶像。说律法的规条已经废除了，意思不是这些诫命已经废除了。照着新约，这些诫命反而被强调、加强并且提高了。

赐生命之灵的律释放我们，使我们不必去随从肉体行事。十字架治死我们的天然和肉体的经历，是单单注视基督，并活在基督生命里的自然后果，也是我们摸着藉着基督的明证。

没有藉着基督而要有十字架的经历，必属于人工的假冒；没有十字架的经历而说在基督里，也必是假冒为善的自欺。 

内心贪婪的欲望是罪恶的根源；贪婪的人迟早会被引诱离开神，因为财物会夺去他的心、时间、甚至性命。旧约告诉我们不可造物质的形像，但新约告诉我们，连贪婪都是一种拜偶像。贪心是一个偶像。由此可见，关于拜偶像的诫命就提高了。

不错，律法的规条已经废除了，但律法的诫命没有废除。关于孝敬父母的诫命从来没有废除。在新约里，也重申、加强并且提高这条诫命。今天我们必须在基督里必须比从前的以色列人更加孝敬父母。彰显并履行神的旨意。奉主蒙恩! 阿们! 

每日活灵(310)…

🔊 Play 音频 三分钟

「只是我告诉你们：凡向弟兄动怒的，难免受审断；凡骂弟兄是拉加的，难免公会的审断；凡骂弟兄是魔利的，难免地狱的火。」【太5: 22】

旧时代的律法是对付杀人的行为，国度的新律法却是对付怒气，也就是杀人的动机。因此，国度新律法的要求，比旧时代律法的要求更深，需要新造更高级得胜的生命来应付。信徒不可以轻看、藐视弟兄。千万不要随便说话，随便骂人，随便责备人；主看所有不是出于爱的，都是另一形式的杀人。

虽然导致杀人的怒气和仇恨不受世间法庭的审判，但在天国里一样要受到审判。地狱里永远的刑罚，也表明拒绝创造主的人，就像垃圾一样失去了被造的机会。

传统的、传说的，都是外表的、字句的；只有神儿子直接的启示，才摸着属灵的实际。主不喜欢有一个属乎祂的人无缘无故地发脾气，随便地动怒，特别是生弟兄的气，向弟兄动怒，这都不对，而要听主劝说，快快的听、慢慢的说，不可动怒。

主重视我们说话时心里面的动机，凡从我们老我生命、肉体、老亚当出来的话，都要受到审判。

我们最难做到的就是控制自己的舌头、自己的怒气。有些人似乎很温和，但他们发脾气时，他们的怒气就像一匹野马。当人的怒气发出来，再也勒不住、也控制不了，禍也随之降臨。

信徒们不要失望，当彼此鼓励。我们在基督里都有得胜的生命。我们是国度里的子民，我们里面有主的居所。祂是君尊、得胜的生命。不是看自己。若看自己，会完全灰心失败。必须专注你里面拥有君尊的生命。乃是这生命使我们成为基督国度里的子民。忘掉你老我的生命，跟随这君尊来獲得得胜的生命。奉主蒙恩! 阿们! 

?真实的恩典[29…

那地方的人问到他的妻子，他便说：那是我的妹子。原来他怕说：是我的妻子；他心里想：恐怕这地方的人为利百加的缘故杀我，因为她容貌俊美。【创26:7】

以撒的人生充满着祝福。顺服就蒙福。面对生命的每一个十字路口，要不断的练习。可能刚好那天蒙对了，但是，其实，下一次再考的时候，我就乱蒙的，就蒙错了，以致于我自己知道我不是真的会，我只是那个时候刚好乱蒙。

在人生里面，面对上帝给我们的考卷也是这样。顺服这样的功课不是一蹴可就，一次就学会了。其实是一个生命成长的过程。每一次面对这样的难题，靠着神的恩典，做一个对的决定。

而接下来呢，亚伯拉罕也面对过，日光之下，没有新事。以撒碰到的许多的事，他爸爸都碰过。饥荒爸爸碰过；老婆长得很漂亮，怕别人因为老婆伤害他，真的，人生有很多的考古题是圣经上这些人他们走过的路，其实有一天你我也会走过。

以撒，当他来到了基拉耳这个地方，别人在打听他的老婆，他就害怕了。恐怕这地方的人为利百加的缘故就杀我，因为利百加容貌俊美。这里面有两个词，第一个词是以撒害怕。因为他心中恐怕。恐怕的事情不是已经发生了，是他自己吓自己。让他害怕。有人来抢他的老婆吗？

我们的神是保守你的，祂保守你像眼中的瞳人。但是，你心中允许仇敌让你的眼光一直在看问题、看难处、看风浪，越看越害怕。你应该勇敢的站起来，对撒但说，撒但，退我后面去。是，问题很大、很困难，然而，主保守我，祂的恩典够用。转眼仰望神，拒绝心中那个自己吓自己的恐怕。

君子之德是风，小人之德是草。草上如果有风，那个草就会倒。那个意思就是说，那些站在大位上的人，他们做事情的一些榜样会影响到下面的人，下面的人会跟着。亚伯拉罕在这样的事上跌倒，他的儿子跟着跌倒。所以求神帮助我们，让我们能够做一个对的决定，不只为自己，也为着你所影响到的许多人。感谢神 ! 奉主蒙恩! 阿们 !

?真实的恩典[27…

?真实的恩典[30…

🔊 Play 音频 三分钟

这事临到你身上，不是你自招的吗？不是因耶和华─你神引你行路的时候，你离弃祂吗？【耶2:17】

耶利米书是圣经里面的一卷先知书，神透过一个先知向那个时代说话，而这些神对那个时代所说的话被记载在圣经里，就表示神要透过圣经也仍然继续在历世历代向你我说话。

在耶利米的世代，那个大环境里面，人越走离神越远，越来越往下走，而在今天这个世代里面，神也常常透过那个时候耶利米说的话，对我说，也提醒我，我是不是也正在越来越往下走，而这里面其实都是人的一生充满各式各样的决定，但是当我们要面对这些决定的时候，我都要承担那个结果。

许多的决定有的也许懊恼，我转一转就回来了；但是有更多的时候，那些决定所带来的结果我要付很大的代价去承担。好像当时的以色列人，神对他们说，你们现在所遭遇的这些事，他们遇到很多别国来侵占他们、欺负他们，他们落到很不好的光景里。他说这些事情临到你们身上不是你们自招的吗？就是你们自讨苦吃嘛！是你们自己找的，你们自食恶果。

那因为你做了这样的一个决定，你往那条路上去走，就一定会碰到这些事。那个决定叫作离弃神。我求神恩待我们，帮助我们在上帝的恩典当中，“自招”的这两个字给我们一个很深的提醒。

在我的生命当中，我也曾经面对许许多多的一些重要的决定。我非常感恩的是，常常面对重要的决定的时候，我都有一些我的想法，我要这样，我要那样做，我今天就是打定主意了，我就是要这样。可是很多的时候，成为一个基督徒，生命里面有一个很宝贵的恩典，就是圣灵在我们里面会踩煞车。那个时刻，真的就是你的决定，有一个是我里面的我说的，我翻脸；另外一个是说，停下来，让我替你解决这个问题。

你也正在面对生命当中的两个不同的声音吗？我非要这样不可，神说不要。接下来是我们的选择，容许我恭恭敬敬的对你说，不管你做任何一个选择，我们都要承担后果。感谢神 ! 奉主蒙恩 ! 阿们 !

生命福音[145]…

🔊 Play 音频 三分

「因为这是我立约的血，为多人流出来，使罪得赦。」【太26: 28】

信心是我们属灵的眼睛，使我们藉以看见那肉眼所不能看见的主，因此与祂亲密相交，并且爱祂。因信而爱，而非因眼见的爱，这种爱必蒙神悦纳。

信心是我们在百般的试炼中，仍有大喜乐的原因；信徒享用神的恩典，就在于此。基督徒能否喜乐，并不取决于地上环境的顺逆，而是因那位已经复活并被升为至高、如今在神右边的基督。没有人可以夺去圣徒的喜乐，正如没有人可以侵犯神的主权。

诗人说：祂何等佳美！ 祂不排斥任何人。愿意的人可以到耶稣这里来白白取生命的水喝。祂对刚硬拒绝祂的人感到非常遗憾！ 主耶稣已经打开了监狱的门，现在借着祂的仆人到你这里来，请你走出来。

如果祂叫你离开王宫或乐园，被你所拒绝并不希奇。虽然亚当轻易地被骗离乐园；但基督是帶领你离开困境、困绑、地牢、和黑暗；祂要引领你得自由，难道你还在踌躇吗？祂的轭是容易的，祂的律法是自由；服事主就是自由。

不管你对祂的道路有什么成见，只要神是可信的，你会发现祂的道是安乐， 祂的路全是平安。你将会一生平安有喜乐跟随，也会在祂的道路上经历到神无限丰盛的恩典。

若有人认为拒绝神是小事；但你却正在藐视创造你的神；你也正在拒绝救主的慈悲和劝勉；如果你现在拒绝被说服悔改归正，那你也是抗拒圣灵的人。

主耶稣说，不要为那必坏的食物劳力，要为那存到永生的食物劳力，就是人子要赐给你们的，因为人子是父神所印证的。谦卑的人必吃得饱足，寻求耶和华的人必赞美他。愿你们的心永远活着。

神应许，若人肯悔改甘心听从，祂必降福，吃美物。万军之耶和华必为万民用肥甘设摆筵席，用陈酒和满髓的肥甘，并澄清的陈酒设摆筵席。耶和华指着自己的右手和大能的膀臂起誓说：我必不再将你的五谷给你仇敌做食物，外邦人也不再喝你劳碌得来的新酒。唯有那收割的要吃，并赞美耶和华，那聚敛的要在我圣所的院内喝。他们必不徒然劳碌，所生产的也不遭灾害，因为都是蒙耶和华赐福的后裔，他们的子孙也是如此。

人蒙神赐的资财、丰富、尊荣，以致他心里所愿的一样都不缺，若違反神旨意的人，祂必使他不能吃用，反有外人来吃用。这是虚空，也是祸患。他们种的是麦子，收的是荆棘，劳劳苦苦却毫无益处。

因耶和华的烈怒，你们必为自己的土产羞愧。他们所种的是风，所收的是暴风；所种的不成禾稼，就是发苗也不结实，即便结实，外邦人必吞吃。我们必须明白基督立约的血为多人流出来使罪得赦，我肯定要归回基督里，方可享用基督丰盛的复活生命。感谢神 ! 奉主蒙恩 ! 阿们 !

生命福音[144]…

🔊 Play 音频 三分钟

「节期的末日，就是最大之日，耶稣站着高声说：『人若渴了，可以到我这里来喝。」【约7: 37】

圣灵正运行在我们的心里，祂时时引导我们走正路。我们听神的话常感到心里发热，但总离不开自己的罪行，不肯顺服圣灵，也沒来就基督。

人生命中所得到的成就与享受，都有其「末日」- 拥有的财富、健康、事业、美满婚姻，都会有终结的一天；所以别完全浸沉在世界上短暂的享受中，而忽略了到主面前那永恒的国度里。

世间快乐达到极限之后，才会意识到这一切也不过是虚空的虚空；惟真正有智慧的人，不须等到那一日，有远见者就能及早醒悟绸缪。

人若没有「渴」的需求，就不会到主这里来「喝」；当人仍旧以属地的喜乐为满足时，就不会来追求属天的喜乐。

我们必须望断主之外的一切俗世繁华，才会转眼专一注目主自己。我们每次来到主面前，应当打开自己的心房，好好的享用祂的话语。耶稣基督就是生命的活泉，到祂那里就永远不渴。祂也是生命的糧，到祂那里也永远不餓 ! 

我们或许会像小撒母耳，主再三地叫他，他却不认得主的声音。这些行动就是圣灵的供应、呼召、和感动。我们要把握这个机会，我们要警醒知道是神眷顾我们的时候。

现在主耶稣张开双手要迎接受你。弟兄姐妹欢迎你到主这里来；一同认识主声音，一同享用主宴席。教会兴旺时，听到祂的声音就欢喜快乐：“我良人的声音”。何等的善、何等的美。感谢神 ! 奉主蒙恩 ! 阿们 ! 

Testimony…

🔊 Listen to this  Listen for 11 min

“Where are the nine?” Pastor Xiaofeng

Scripture: Luke 17:11 Jesus went to Jerusalem, passing through Samaria and Galilee. 【Luke 17:12】 Entering a village, ten maniacs of marijuana came towards them, standing far away. Luke 17:13 Say aloud, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Luke 17:14 When Jesus saw it, he said to them, Go and show your body to the priests. They were clean when they went. Luke 17:15 One of them, seeing that he was well, returned to glory and God with a loud voice. Luke 17:16 And he fell at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. This man was a Samaritan. 【Luke 17:17】 Jesus said, Isn’t it ten who are cleansed? Where are the nine? Luke 17:18 Except this foreigner, will no one return to glory and God? Luke 17:19 And say to the man, Get up and go. Your letter saved you.

Preface:

Last week’s passage speaks of the office and duty of Christ’s servant, the incomparable grace to be a servant of Christ, the obedience to all commands of Christ is due, and obedience is not merit but duty and glory. It is not that God is harsh on us, ignoring our needs, only allowing us to sacrifice and consume our lives, but it is the love of Christ urging us to keep running, giving us more grace and power, joy and satisfaction in the process of service, and it is in this process that He Himself builds us up and makes our lives more abundant.

Therefore, no one ever gave it to God first and God will pay it back to Him later (Rom 11:35), and it is always God who gives grace first, then grace, and then grace, grace. Today’s passage addresses the most basic duties of those who receive grace and God’s willingness to give greater, unexpected grace.

Ten cannabis patients

In this story, Luke first states the time and place of the event, or more precisely the context in which it occurred. This occurred on Jesus’ way to Jerusalem and indicates that Jesus was marching toward God’s time of passion. This reminds us that the signs and wonders that Jesus performed along the way all happened in the process toward this goal, and were for this goal. This is when John the Baptist had doubts in his heart and asked the Lord Jesus, “Is it you who is going to be?” Or do we wait for someone else? (Matthew 11:3), the Lord’s answer to him: “Go and tell John what you have heard and seen; That is, the blind see, the lame walk, the cleansing of the wind, the deaf see, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is anyone who does not fall because of me” (Matthew 11:4-6). Even, the renunciation of Jesus by the grace of nine Jews here already implies the rejection of the Messiah by the Jews in Jerusalem.

“Passing through Samaria and Galilee, into a village”

And specifically indicate the peculiarities of this place, at the junction of Samaria and Galilee. Galilee, though despised by Jerusalem, belonged to the Jewish zone, and Samaria was completely condemned and rejected by Jerusalem because of its historical blood and faith mixed with Gentile paganism, and the Jews hated them even more than other Gentiles.

Although the Jews regarded the Samaritans as impure in their faith, the Samaritans regarded the Torah as their canon, so those who were despised and despised were treated according to the laws and regulations of Leviticus. Lepers are to live in isolation, and they themselves “shall be torn apart and unkempt, covering their lips, and crying out, Unclean, unclean.” He is unclean in the days when plague is upon him, and since he is unclean, he will live alone outside the camp” (Lev. 13:45-46).

As a result of their common suffering, the Jewish lepers and the Samaritans lived in a village (this so-called village may have been a quarantine colony specially prepared for lepers). Jews and Samaritans are far from each other, and those who are separated by them live together because of their isolation. Of course, they were forced to live in the same village (which is unlikely under normal circumstances), or they may still keep their distance from each other in their daily lives. But at the very least, being isolated by their own ethnic groups has in a sense allowed them to break through some of the barriers between their original ethnic groups. When the world is far from them, some kind of bondage of the world on them is also far from them. So much so that they could come together as a group of ten to seek Jesus. If suffering can awaken people from sin, break through some of the constraints of sin, and make people seek God, then suffering has meaning. But what pains God is that sinners, often when the pain is relieved, often slip into sin again and suffer a lot in vain. So what really keeps them away from each other is their distance from God, and what really brings people closer to each other is our closeness to God.

“There are ten long cannabis winds coming on”

The Lord Jesus came specifically for them so they could face Jesus. Although the village is isolated, it is not completely isolated, and the basic supplies of life still need to be sent by family and friends from the surrounding villages. Apparently, these ten cannabis patients somehow heard some things about Jesus, such as the signs and wonders that Jesus performed, many speculations and rumors about Jesus’ identity, and so on. So when they heard that Jesus had come to this village, they seized the opportunity and came to meet Jesus. Although they did not dare to get too close according to the rules of the law, only “stood far away,” they “cried out, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Their courage to come to Jesus, their deepest desire for healing, and even in some ways, their daring to act and cry out through hearsay is already an expression of faith.

Since it is a village, there may be more than these ten lepers. If there are other people, but only these ten lepers come to meet Jesus, it shows that the rest of the people are completely desperate in their hearts, and they have little hope for their own lives or healing. They also heard about Jesus’ fame and deeds, but it touched them little and expected nothing from Jesus. They were so dead in their hearts that they didn’t even have the slightest idea of getting up and trying to get a chance if they could be healed. And these ten people, regardless of their heart’s desires and thoughts, can come to Jesus to show that they have not given up on their lives, and they still have longing; The rest, though alive, are already dead. As long as there is still the breath of life, a little power to act, and a slight possibility, it means that God’s grace is still there, then we should seize any possible opportunity to seek help to solve those problems in our lives that we cannot do anything about.

For Christians, never despair as long as your God is still there. Even if you look at yourself and the environment, there is no possibility of rational judgment of many things, and there is no hope in your feelings, but as long as you still believe in your heart that God is real and He is willing to help us, then you should have hope and persevere. God may not solve problems when and how we expect, but God can solve them, and God’s solutions are better than we hope. Christians should have greater courage and faith than these ten lepers to ask the Lord Jesus for His grace to heal our weaknesses and sickness.

“Go, show the body to the priests”

Usually, after the miracles that healed the sick with marijuana, the Lord Jesus commanded them to “go and examine their bodies to the priests and offer the gifts that Moses commanded to testify to the people” (Matthew 8:4). But this time Jesus’ healing of these ten lepers was very different from the previous healing of lepers. For example, all three books of the Synoptic Gospels record, “A man with a long wind came to worship Him and said, If the Lord wills, he will make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him and said, I will, you are clean. His cannabis wind is immediately cleansed” (Matthew 2-3, Mark 1 40-43, Luke 5:12-13). This time Jesus did not touch them or promise to heal, but requested for them to show their bodies to the priests.

This can be seen as a challenge to their level of confidence. When Jesus said this, he was already giving a promise of healing. The Lord Jesus was well aware of Leviticus’ rules of etiquette for returning to the community after a leper’s purification, and that only before being cleansed could he go to the priests for examination. If the Lord Jesus did not give the grace of healing, but asked them to show their bodies to the priests, and the priests saw that they were still marijuana, was this not deceiving and teasing them? Therefore, since he sent these ten people directly to the priest, the implicit meaning was that he had already healed you, but you have not seen it yet, and you do not know exactly when you will have to heal, either at the beginning of the departure, or when the high priest is coming, but this grace has already been given.

They begged, and Jesus answered. Now is the time for them to respond to Jesus’ words. But they have not seen their bodies healed at this moment, they have not seen it with their own eyes at this moment! But they heard the order to go to the priests. According to the law, after purification, you can go; Now, only the word of Jesus, which has not yet been cleansed, has been asked to go. The tension in this order is a great challenge to confidence. The response in an ideal state of faith is that these people have the confidence that “I have not seen it now, but I believe that I have already attained it” (Mark 11:24), then the person can naturally go to the priest with a body still covered in marijuana. When he walked to the priest, he probably thought to himself, Maybe I will be healed as soon as I lift my foot? Maybe I’m halfway through the healing moment? I don’t know exactly when, but since Jesus said, let me go, then He must have cleansed me at some point before the priests saw me. The response in the second stage of faith is that the person may be thinking, “Is this man named Jesus reliable?” nor pray for us, nor declare that I am healed; Instead of letting me see the healing, he asked me to go to the priest, hey, let the dead horse be a living horse doctor, since he said, I’ll give it a try, what if it’s just halfway? ”。 This latter state of mind, we feel that this cannot be called confidence, at most it is called helplessness under desire; None of this can be called submission, at most an attempt. But because they are faced with such desires and attempts from the Son of the Living God, this half-belief can also be seen as a kind of faith, and obedience with doubts in the heart is also obedience. The mental state of these ten people is likely to be this latter one.

“They were clean when they went”

Regardless of the mentality and thoughts inside them, after all, they really went. They also really had the fruits of their obedience. Luke’s account does not specify exactly at what moment the miracle of healing befell them. It may be that they are healed halfway, or they may find out that they are healed when they are about to reach the priests and the more they are healed, the greater the challenge to their faith. But from Luke’s context, it is very likely that they were healed not when they were about to see the priests, but that they were healed as soon as they left the village.

It was such a “weak” and half-believing faith that caused them to experience incredible miracles in their lives! God is a generous God! This scene should be a momentous moment in their hearts and worth telling everyone they see. Because for a cannabis patient, their biggest dream in life is to be healed and return to a normal life. At this moment, their life dream has come true because of meeting Jesus. It was just an unrealistic expectation in a dream, but it came true. Their hearts at this moment may be in shock, ecstasy, or helpless gaffes, crying, we don’t know how they feel and behave at this time, if someone has experienced that kind of desperate life, experienced that kind of expectation but knows that there is no possibility, what happened, may be able to experience one or two.

After being healed, what do they do next? Although the story is a major miraculous event, Luke’s pen seems to be deliberately downplaying the color of signs and wonders, and there is only one sentence for this extremely important event that happened to these ten men, “They were cleansed when they went.” I think it’s likely that Luke was there to highlight subsequent twists in the story; The twist that follows is the peak of this story.

Only one came back to thank God

These ten found themselves cleansed and healed. Then they split into two teams, and the nine men continued “according to what Jesus had commanded” to go to the priests. One man, however, “did not obey Jesus’ command” and went to the priests, but returned to Jesus. Cannabis patients were not only isolated from the crowd in the Old Testament law, but if they were healed, they could not return to the community on their own, but they needed to go to the priest first, have the priest check it, isolate them in the camp for another seven days (presumably seven more days of observation), and undergo a very complicated sacrificial ritual to bring them back into the congregation.

“One of the people inside saw that he was well and came back”

90% chose to go to the priests, and only one chose to come to Jesus. The man’s reaction seemed to be a minority and unusual. From the self-centeredness of human nature, the good things that have been dreamed of have happened, the great miracle has been performed on themselves, and in ecstasy, they hurry up to complete the rest of the procedures, the sooner they return to the family and normal society, the better, and everything else can be put aside first, lest if something happens in the middle, it is not good that the good life that they seem to have been within their reach slips away from their hands. The moment when years of pain are about to be lifted and incomparable expectations are about to be fulfilled can be tense and frightening, and all their hearts are already devoted to this matter, or filled and overwhelmed by this event. Jesus? Let’s wait until the normal life we have so much hoped for is really implemented.

But from the conscience that remains in human nature, after seeing such a great healing miracle that happened to him, didn’t he immediately think of thanking God and expressing gratitude to the Jesus who let them go to the priesthood? But only one out of ten was such a reaction. When he saw the grace of healing, he did not go to the priest first but immediately returned to Jesus. For the other nine people, the most important thing after being healed was to go to the priests to return to normal life, and to thank Jesus was not a priority. For this person, it is most important to find Jesus first after receiving grace, and then how other things will proceed. Most likely, the Samaritan knew that if he followed the rules of the law, it would be at least seven days after seeing Jesus again, and that would have to be the first time he could find Jesus after seven days of quarantine. Therefore, the person’s reaction is a normal one, having been healed, and it is okay to go to the priest to check at any time, but it is not always possible to ask Jesus to express thanksgiving, as the Lord Jesus said, “For there are always poor people with you, and you can do good to them at any time, but you do not always have me” (Mark 14:7).

This may be the choice we face when we meet Jesus today and receive grace, is it the first choice to enjoy life after receiving grace in this world, or the first choice to come back to Jesus first to express gratitude? Do we put the gracious God first, or do we put the grace of God first?

“Fall at Jesus’ feet and thank Him”

Luke records that this man “saw that he was well and returned to glorify God with a loud voice, and he fell at Jesus’ feet to thank Him.” The juxtaposition of glory and God and prostrate at Jesus’ feet to thank Him makes it clear that this man worshipped Jesus as God.

The man apparently realized that it was God’s glory that appeared to him through Jesus. If he had been familiar with the Old Testament Law and knew that healing the cannabis wind was one of the hallmarks of the coming ministry of the Messiah, it is likely that he had already begun to think and had faith that Jesus was the Messiah under the guidance and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is mysterious, but not completely incomprehensible. The knowledge of the laws of the past, the thirst for God’s thoughts, the miraculous healing grace he received today, and the thanksgiving of the Holy Spirit in his heart led to not only the miraculous grace of healing his body but also the greater grace of awakening of his heart. In this sense, his return to bow down to Jesus and express his gratitude is a manifestation of God’s greater grace in him, not only as an expression of his gratitude for Jesus’ previous healing grace but also as an expression of God’s kindness to him.

And from the normal rationality of a person, if a person has spiritual knowledge and actual grace comes, but does not come to seek God, the person’s sin cannot be blamed. Just as soon after the birth of the Lord Jesus, three doctors from the East came to worship Him, but it is not known in which city, the Jewish chief priests and folk scribes very skillfully, professionally, and definitively quoted the Old Testament prophets as telling them in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:5-6) in Judah. What is amazing is not their mastery of the law, but that they are done with what they say! They disregard God’s grace on two levels, one Old Testament Law and two Eastern Three Doctors. They knew that God had given them the prophecy of the Messiah and that God had sent Gentiles from the Far East to remind them that the Messiah had come. But they felt that the matter had nothing to do with them, and they were less concerned about the coming of the Messiah than Herod. Even if they had the mentality that if the Messiah was really born in Bethlehem, they would not finish and leave. They did not have the slightest search and hope for the Messiah in their hearts. They studied the law solely to satisfy their belly and vanity. The law is pure knowledge for them, touching their hearts and lives in the slightest, and they do nothing for what they know and see. The Holy Spirit no longer gives such a heart more grace.

“Where are the nine?”

Seeing that one man had returned to express his thanksgiving, the Lord Jesus sent out a triptych of questions, “Aren’t there ten cleansed?” Where are the nine? Except for this foreigner, is no one else returning to glory and God? These three questions may not be directed at the person who has returned, but primarily to the disciples. To stimulate the disciples’ thinking about this. This is not an ordinary thing, this is of course a miracle that the cannabis wind was healed, but the grace of miracles is not the focus of this matter, and two questions should be considered, ten people have received the same grace, and only one person has returned to give thanks. Having received such great grace, gratitude is only one-tenth. Lack of gratitude is not just the nine Jews here, it is a common characteristic of sinners in this world, and even it is the normal state of life in Christians (of course, it is an abnormal state of life). Compared to God’s grace, our gratitude is grossly disproportionate, and perhaps the ratio of grace to gratitude is far less than one-tenth for many people. We have so little gratitude that it seems that if we only have to verbally express a little gratitude to God, God has already received what He deserves, and we have given us a reward equivalent to God’s grace, and we are clear with God, and no one owes anyone.

Or do you still feel that I am thankful and do not continue to give me more grace? Just like a criminal person will say I apologize for everything, what else do you want, as if apology can offset the consequences of the crime. Therefore, “God blocks the proud and gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Paul also says of those who have defied God’s grace, those who have received more grace but despise the grace they have received, and who treat God’s grace as normal, even abandoned, and God allows them to remain in their delusion and ignorance, Paul also says of these people: “For though they know God, they do not glorify Him as God and do not thank Him.” Their thoughts become illusory, and their ignorant hearts are dimmed. To claim to be wise is to be foolish” (Romans 1:21-22).

The nine who abandoned Jesus turned out to be Jews, but the one who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, who was despised by the Jews. Luke specifically stated that the only person who returned to give thanks “was the Samaritan.” This is characteristic of Luke’s gospel account, which is to pay special attention to those who are despised, oppressed, marginalized, and oppressed, and the Samaritan is mentioned as people who are particularly discriminated against and excluded by the Jews. But this man, whom the Jews despised and looked down upon, did better and more pleasing to God than the Jews who thought they were more godly and knew God better. This was a big stimulus for Jews. In the fallen world, people pay more attention to those who have power, and wealth and power, people pay more attention those who are good-looking, knowledgeable, and capable, and people consciously or unconsciously despise and ignore those who have little, and regard them as the bottom and the edge; Because people measure the importance of a person by how much they have. But it is usually more difficult for people who have a lot of worldly things to rely on God.

Thus, in Luke’s writing, God is the God who cares for the widows and the sojourners, the poor, the miserable, and the miserable. This is not God’s injustice, for no one is worthy of God’s grace, as Jehovah God once said to Moses, “I will be gracious to whoever I want, and I will have mercy on whomever I want” (Exod. 33:19). His wisdom and goodness are greater than we can understand, as the apostle Paul later said, “Brethren, it is evident that you are not many wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, and not many honorable.” But God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise. And he chose the weak of the world and put the strong to shame. God also chose the lowly, the desolate, and the non-existent to abolish the lowly, the despised, and the nothing. so that no one of flesh and blood can boast before God” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

The word “foreigner” used by the Lord Jesus to refer to this Samaritan, which appears only in this verse in the New Testament, is said to have been used on a stone tablet at the entrance to the inner courtyard of the temple in Jerusalem, which reads, “If a Gentile enters, he will die.” The Samaritans were not eligible to enter the temple to worship God, and only Jews were allowed to enter the inner court. The Jews were proud of this, and they considered themselves chosen children to be more pleasing to God than others, so many of them entered the temple with pride, self-righteousness, and pride, especially the Pharisees (Lk 18:11). But the Jews, faced with the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the “tabernacle” of the true God appearing in the world, did not come to worship, but instead Samaritans who could not enter the temple came to worship and bow down in thanksgiving. This reminds us not only of what the Lord Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Woman, believe in me, and the time will come, and you will worship the Father, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”  The time has come and now is for those who truly worship the Father to worship Him in spirit and in truth, for the Father wants such people to worship Him” (John 4:21, 23). Obviously, whoever worships God in Christ worships in spirit and truth, and is a true worship of God. Christ is the manifestation of the kingdom of God in this last age, and anyone who recognizes Christ in his heart and welcomes Christ in his heart is in the kingdom of God (Lk 17:21).

This nine-to-one comparison may also imply that the Lord Jesus fulfilled what he said to the Galileans who rejected Him, that is, the prophets were not respected in their own homeland, so “at the time of the prophet Elisha, there were many madmen in Israel; But none of them are cleansed except Naman, the kingdom of Syria” (Lk 4:27). Now it’s happening again.

Your letter saved you

Miracles do not turn people to Jesus

Seeing that only this one person came back to thank Jesus, we see again that signs and wonders do not lead to repentance. The previous method of evangelizing Abraham by the rich man who was suffering in hell in the story of Lazarus the Beggar was to convince people with signs and wonders, and this is what sinners considered the most powerful method, as the apostle Paul said, “The Jews wanted miracles, and the Greeks sought wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:11). But signs and wonders can only make people prostrate themselves on the surface, and they do not make people truly obey and worship God from the heart. The visible grace exerted on the sinner does not turn the sinner’s heart, such as air, water, food, affection, order, and so on, especially the air and water food is much more precious than the healing of the disease from a certain point of view, because without air you can’t even live, if you are sick, you can at least live, but all these graces that people have received do not make the sinner feel thankful and turn their hearts to God, but the sinner feels that all this is what we deserve. Without thanksgiving for the grace that already exists, even the grace of miracle healing does not make sinners truly thankful. It can be seen that the numbness of the heart cannot be restored by externally visible grace and the poverty, hardness, and necrosis of the heart must be healed by a more transcendent spiritual grace.

But in this story, the power of signs and wonders does not even do the external prostration, and these nine people who have received God’s miracle healing grace have not even returned to thank Jesus, they have received the greatest grace in their lives other than creation, which is a life-saving grace from this world. They were finally able to return to their normal lives, and they were immediately filled with the joy of healing grace, they immediately left the gracious Jesus who had treated them behind. They regard living a normal life as their highest ideal in life; In their sight, having received such great healing grace, I had nothing to ask for, and Jesus could not give me anything more. As for whether or not to thank Him, I think they didn’t think about it, but they didn’t put it in an important place. They may feel that there are too many things more important than coming back to this Jesus of Nazareth, they have too many people and things to love, and Jesus who graces them to save them is not at the forefront. By the time they wanted to come back and look for Jesus a few days later, Jesus had already left the village. They may say with great regret, Hey, it’s a little late, people have already left, let’s look for opportunities later. When God condemns them in the future, they can’t say I went back to find them, but Jesus has already left. Was Jesus going to stay here just waiting for them to express their thanks? For them to express their gratitude, do they have to be at the right time?

The healing grace of cannabis can only bring them out of quarantine to normal society in a fallen world, but it cannot bring them from a sinful world back to God’s kingdom and to Jesus. They did receive great grace, but the way they responded to grace caused them to miss the greatest opportunity for grace in their lives.

“Your letter saved you”

The goal of signs and wonders is not simply to heal our mortal body, for healing is followed by death; So, the goal of signs and wonders is to make people think through the healing of the body, Who is this miracle, Jesus? The desire to be physically healed or to have many of the difficulties of this world resolved into the power of knowing and trusting Jesus is what miracles are all about.

We can divide the faith in this story into three levels, the first level is the faith of these ten marijuana patients who greet Jesus and cry out for mercy, the second level is the confidence that these ten people will do it after hearing Jesus’ words, and the third level is the faith that the person rushed back to glory to God as soon as he was healed and bowed down to thank Jesus. The first two faiths are shared by ten people, and these two beliefs are not so much faith as a strong desire for the body to be healed, in fact, it is not an attempt to give much hope, in case it will do! When this desire met Jesus, God truly gave them the grace of healing out of His mercy and generosity. There is a third type of faith that only this Samaritan has. The preciousness of the third type of faith is that it goes beyond the desire for physical healing and rises to the level of longing to know Jesus and be close to Him.

This faith can lead to a healing that is more precious than physical healing, that is, the salvation of the soul. When the Samaritan returned to Jesus, a sign and miracle more important than the cleansing of the marijuana occurred again, and God gave him the grace of justification throughout his life and the resurrection of his soul. The miracle of marijuana wind being healed was already undeserving, incredible grace, and what the Samaritan did not expect was that an even greater and more precious grace would come to him again.

The inner world of the other nine may be: I just want to heal, and I don’t care where this healing comes from. This man’s heart is: I have been healed, who gave this healing? Is it a desire for miracles? Or a God who longs for miracles? This is the type of confidence that is fundamentally different. Which is more important, a miracle or a God who performs miracles? Healing is grace and power, grace and power, and God who gives grace and power, which is more desired by us? The value orientation of this world is to focus more on ability than on people, and the more you have, the more people pay attention and respect to you, and vice versa. In fact, people do not pay attention to you, but to themselves, because what you have may be useful to me, and the worst of your ability should not harm me, so I treat you very seriously. This is why Jesus does not commit Himself to Jesus in the Gospels, even though many people come to embrace Jesus because He knows that many people do not desire God, but come to eat bread. People don’t care about God and therefore don’t care about the condition and whereabouts of their souls. They were healed, but they were far from Jesus, and this is what is the so-called buying and returning beads. In fact, the opportunity to meet Jesus is the greatest blessing of a person’s life, just as many people today hear the gospel. Knowing who Jesus is and following Him is the more important thing than meeting Jesus in this life, and the greatest gift and most precious gift from God is not the healing of sickness, wealth, and peace, but Jesus Himself, as the psalmist says, “My good is not outside of you” (Psalm 16:2). What matters is not freedom from disease, but freedom from sin and death.

This man’s seeking, thanksgiving, and worship of Jesus is an expression of his faith, a faith that saves not only the soul but also the body from eternal death, not temporary sickness. The salvation of the whole person is the goal of Christ to perform signs and wonders, heal the sick, and cast out demons.

“Get up, let’s go”

God does not disregard the basic needs of man or deny us our duty to our families, but He wants people to be able to prioritize, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Therefore, seeing this Samaritan who had returned to bow down in thanksgiving, the Lord Jesus told him, “Get up and go.” It is to tell this person that you can come back for the first time to express your gratitude to God and thank you for Jesus has been pleasing to God, and God has given you a greater grace, which is to know Christ. Later, the priesthood inspection and family meetings can be carried out. God has never been stingy and harsh, and sinners are often ungrateful and ungrateful.

epilogue

The Lord Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14), and in terms of man’s response to grace, it can be said that there are many who receive grace and few who are thankful. Some people seek Jesus through the grace they receive, and some people turn away from God after receiving grace because they care whether the person is more thankful to God than the person who values the grace he has received. Different responses to grace determine from a certain angle how much grace a person receives. The goal of God’s grace is never to keep people stuck in the grace that has been given, but God’s goodness, generosity, and wisdom make God’s gift always aim to give more and greater grace through the gift of grace, that is, we know, fear, close, and love God more.

A person who focuses on what he has gained in this life does not take to heart the one who gives grace. And those who focus on the blessings of this world will basically not have true satisfaction and gratitude; For no matter how much benefit is given in this life, it is always not enough, and even if a man receives the glory of all nations, it cannot satisfy it. If one tries to satisfy one’s soul with what he gains in this life, the result is endless taking and emptiness. Therefore, it is certainly worth thankful and joyful to receive many blessings in this life, but how you face the gracious Jesus is the foundation that determines the blessings of life and death.

Finally, I conclude the day with a verse written by David: “Praise the Lord, O my heart. Whoever is in me shall praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my heart, and do not forget all his favors. He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from death and crowns you with love and mercy” (Ps. 103:1–4).