各位弟兄姊妹平安，我們今天要來看的是關於潔淨和污穢的定義。這段故事記在馬可福音的七章1-23。耶穌和法利賽人和這些文士們的一場激烈的辯論。這故事有很大啟發性，也在我們今天的日常生活中有很大的實用性，我們一同來看看這個故事給我們的分享與教訓。
首先法利賽人和文士注意到，耶穌的門徒吃飯前不洗手，就責問說，你的門徒為什麼不照古人的遺傳，用俗手吃飯呢？
首先我們先來了解一下，法利賽人這一段這邊在說的是什麼意思？他們說的並不是我們是為飯前不洗手，手髒這個事情。很長的一段時間當摩西寫下的摩西五經以後，裡面都只是給大原則。一些比較大的方向性的原則，並不是每天生活的細節。當你把這些大原則的抓到以後，生活的細節是由每個人自己去進行並實踐的。
大概在西元前四，五百年左右出現了一幫法律專家，這些文士們，他們開始鑽研每一條法律的細分，定義，動機等等的。他們把這些法律的原則擴大跟分析了，所以產生了一大堆的日常生活的規矩，他們希望想要規範指導生活中的每一切的言行舉止。這一切的律法原本只是一些口傳律法，後來他們把它們寫下來，這就是所謂的古人的遺傳 The Tradition of the Elders。 這些規矩相當相當的繁瑣，包括洗手這個事情就一大堆的規範跟方式，該怎麼洗，要洗多久等等的，所以在這裡他們都相信的是這些律法必須要完全被服從，才能夠完美上帝的旨意，所以當他們看到門徒沒有洗手的時候，這件事情對他們來說是非常大的一個冒犯。
而這個時候耶穌回應他們的話，更是讓他們震驚到無話可說了。他說“以賽亞指著你們假冒為善的人所說的預言是不錯。這百姓用嘴唇尊敬我，心卻遠離我，他們將人的吩咐當作道理教導人，所以拜我也是枉然。你們離棄神的誡命，卻拘守人的遺傳”
耶穌在第15節所說的更是一個革命性的思想 – “從外面進去的不能污穢人，惟有從裡面出來的才能污穢人“ 他說的是什麼呢？因為在猶太人的眼裡面有許多不潔淨的食物和東西，他們把這一切物品和食物當成是忌諱，不能夠碰，不能夠吃，甚至在古代的故事裡面有猶太人為了不吃豬肉，不惜犧牲生命，都不願意吃到這些不潔淨的肉。
這個是我們看到耶穌跟法利賽人在宗教的觀念上是完全的對立，完全不相同的。人在這個時候把宗教的重點放在儀式，規則跟條文，但是耶穌在說的宗教的重點在於愛上帝跟愛人。所有的出發點是愛而不是規矩。用英文來表達，法利賽人強調的是宗教和禮儀 Religion and Rituals，但耶穌強調的是關係 Relationship. 而這也是人最容易誤會，也是耶穌一直在強調的，是我們與上帝的關係，以及我們與人的關係。我們是否從心裡面愛上帝？我們是否能夠從心裡面愛人？這才是基督教真正的核心要素。
耶穌指控法利賽人的重點有兩個方面。其實在這兩點中我們也當審查一下自己是不是也有類似的事情。可能我們不是故意的，但是我們可能在無意之間也犯了這樣的問題。
首先耶穌說他們偽善。偽善這個意思呢，有點作為一個演員的感覺。最後這個字演變成說生活只顧演戲沒有真誠的態度。如果人把宗教做成一個履行一些律法的規則跟責任，看重遵守外表的條文的時候，這樣的宗教會成為一個虛偽偽善的宗教。理由很簡單，當人一直看重外面的規條而不去思想他的內心和動機，審查內心的念頭的時候，在外表上他有著敬虔的外表，就認為自己是個好人，這是宗教的虛偽。
第二個大問題在於這些人想要靠守律法，想要靠自己的努力去取代上帝的恩典，所以他的宗教行為變成了在嘴上的辯駁，遵守精細的規範，依照專家的意見來做。真誠的宗教不是從知識上去了解而已。他不是從人的辯論去產生出來，而是從我們倚靠上帝的話語，聆聽上帝的聲音，並且發自內心的去與人和神有愛心的相處，活出生命上可見的改變，這才是困難的事情，也是信仰核心的事情。一個基督徒，如果只記得守主日，讀聖經和禱告，卻沒有真正從內心愛他的鄰舍，去為鄰舍思想他們所需的一切，那麼基督徒還是流於形式主義而已，這樣的基督教也不會真的有能力，能夠去影響或是改變這個世界。當我們不斷地去了解我們所有的行為重點在於愛為出發點彼此相愛，並且要愛人如己。就如保羅所說的所有的律法都包在愛人如己這一句話中了 (加拉太書 5:14)。
願我們都能夠仔細的省察我們自己的內心，並且思考我們有沒有發自內心的去愛人，並且行出來，而不是只在嘴上，並且能夠將我們心中的惡念消除掉。這才是基督教信仰給我們的生命的改變。明白上帝的恩典，洗淨我們的罪，但同時間成聖的路需要我們每一天和聖靈一起的努力。
感謝各位的聆聽。明天我們繼續聆聽兩個神蹟故事。
Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you all. Today, we're delving into the definitions of cleanliness and impurity. This narrative is found in Mark 7:1-23, depicting a heated debate between Jesus, the Pharisees, and the scribes. It's not only insightful but also profoundly relevant to our daily lives. Let's explore the lessons this story offers us.
Firstly, the Pharisees and scribes took issue with Jesus' disciples for not washing their hands before eating, questioning why they didn't adhere to the ancestral tradition of using ceremonially clean hands to eat.
Firstly, let's understand what the Pharisees are referring to here. It's not merely about the cleanliness of hands before meals. For a long time after Moses wrote the Pentateuch, the Torah, it mainly consisted of broad principles, not detailed instructions for daily life. People were left to interpret and practice these principles individually. However, around four to five hundred years before the birth of Christ, a group of legal experts emerged – the scribes. They began scrutinizing every aspect of the law, defining its nuances, motives, and so forth. They extrapolated and analyzed these legal principles, resulting in a plethora of daily life regulations. They sought to regulate and guide every aspect of life. These laws were initially oral traditions but later transcribed, forming what's known as the Tradition of the Elders. These regulations were incredibly intricate, including detailed guidelines on handwashing – how, for how long, and so on. Thus, they believed these laws must be strictly obeyed to perfectly fulfill God's will. Hence, when they observed the disciples not washing their hands, it was deeply offensive to them.
At this point, Jesus responds in a manner that leaves them speechless. He quotes Isaiah, saying, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions." (Mark 7:6-8)
In verse 15, Jesus presents a revolutionary idea: "Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them." What does this mean? In the eyes of the Jews, many foods and items were considered unclean, treated as taboo – forbidden to touch or consume, such as pork.
Here we see Jesus fundamentally opposed to the Pharisees in matters of religious ideology. While the Pharisees focused on rituals, rules, and regulations, Jesus emphasized love for God and others. The essence of religion, he taught, lies in relationships, not rules. To put it simply, while the Pharisees stressed Religion and Rituals, Jesus emphasized Relationship. This is a common misunderstanding, one that Jesus consistently addressed: our relationship with God and others, whether we genuinely love God from the heart and whether we can genuinely love others from the heart – this is the true essence of Christianity.
Jesus accuses the Pharisees on two fronts, both of which we should examine within ourselves as well. Perhaps unintentionally, we might also fall into similar traps.
Firstly, Jesus accuses them of hypocrisy. What does hypocrisy mean? It's akin to being an actor. Eventually, it evolved to mean living a life solely for the sake of appearances, lacking sincerity. When religion becomes about fulfilling rules and obligations, focusing on outward compliance rather than examining one's heart and motives, it becomes hypocritical religion. The reason is simple: when one continually emphasizes external rules without considering their inner thoughts and motives, appearing devout outwardly, they might consider themselves good people, but their religion becomes hypocritical.
The second major issue is these individuals seek to replace God's grace with their own efforts by adhering strictly to the law, engaging in verbal disputes, meticulously following regulations based on expert opinions. Genuine religion isn't merely about acquiring knowledge or engaging in debates. It doesn't arise from human arguments but from relying on God's word, listening to His voice, genuinely interacting with others and God with love from the heart, and living a life visibly transformed – this is the challenge and the core of faith. If a Christian only remembers to observe the Sabbath, read the Bible, and pray but fails to genuinely love their neighbor, considering their needs, then their Christianity remains superficial. Such Christianity lacks the power to influence or change the world. As we continually strive to understand that the essence of all our actions is rooted in love, loving one another and loving others as ourselves, as Paul said, "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Galatians 5:14).
May we carefully examine our hearts, considering whether we genuinely love others from within and actively demonstrate it, rather than merely professing it verbally, and may we eradicate any evil thoughts from our hearts. This is the transformative power of the Christian faith – understanding that God's grace cleanses us from sin, yet the path to sanctification requires daily effort in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Thank you all for listening. Tomorrow, we'll continue exploring two miraculous stories.
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