路加福音 第十一章 11:37-53 Luke Chapter 11:37-53
- 馬克牧師
- Mar 17
- 9 min read
各位弟兄姊妹平安，
【路加福音第11章 — 六禍的提醒】
今天我們一起來讀《路加福音》第11章最後一段的故事。在和合本聖經裡，這段經文有一個很清楚的標題，叫作「六禍」。這是耶穌對法利賽人提出的六個嚴厲責備。不過，這六條提醒，不只是對當時的法利賽人說的，更是給我們每一個人的提醒。
我們來看看這六條是什麼，也一起想一想，這些提醒對我們今天有什麼樣的幫助。
首先來了解一下這裡的背景。所謂口傳律法就是猶太人在上帝啟示的摩西五經之後，又增加了千百條的 “定義”。而因為他們是這些口傳律法的創造者，他們就擁有了 “解釋” 這些律法的權柄，以至於他們可以用這些所謂的律法來操控人，但自己用巧言辯解去逃避這些律法的要求。
舉個例子，安息日在繩子上打個結都算是 “工作”，這是被禁止的事情。但是如果沒有用繩子的話，就沒辦法從井裡把水打上來，這一天怎麼辦呢？而他們卻說，女人可以在她的腰帶上打結，畢竟安息日還是得換衣服的，所以用腰帶綁水桶打水變成可以了！類似這種荒謬的律法多如牛毛。也是當時法利賽人不斷想要控告耶穌的方式。
有句話說最會破壞法律的都是最懂法律的人，有一定的真實性。
第一禍
耶穌說：你們把薄荷、芸香和各樣菜蔬的十分之一獻上，這沒有錯，律法上確實有這樣的規定。但你們卻忽略了更重要的事——公義和愛神。所謂 “沒有規矩，不成方圓”。我們人生各方面有一些固定的儀式和條規，這些目的是為了提醒人。但有時候當我們學習這些條條規規的時候，有沒有去思考這些的出發點和目的是為了什麼？
今天，我們會不會也常常只注重外在儀式，卻忘了內心的真正敬虔？
第二禍
耶穌說：你們喜歡在會堂裡坐高位，喜歡在人前被問安。每個人或多或少都會有愛面子的問題。有時候，當我們擁有某個位置、某些權柄時，不知不覺中就會把這個權柄看得比肩上的責任還重要，好像只要我有這個權柄，別人就應該順從我、聽從我。然而，我們常常忘記了，別人尊重的從來不是我們這個人，而是我們所承載的那份責任和角色。
當時的法利賽人，就是這樣。他們強調的是別人應當向他們問好、向他們致敬，因為他們是懂律法的人。他們喜歡在人前被尊崇、把面子和虛榮看得比分享真理還重要。他們更在意外在的尊榮，而不是內心真正的敬虔與誠實。
這句話提醒我們，信仰不是表演，也不是為了得到人的掌聲，而是要在神面前單純、真誠。
第三禍
耶穌說：你們像不顯露的墳墓，外表好看，裡面卻腐敗。耶穌用“不顯露的墳墓” 來形容這些法利賽人。意思是什麼？他們內心充滿了腐敗和罪惡，卻用外表包裝起來，讓人看不出來。在猶太律法裡，碰觸墳墓是會使人不潔淨的。耶穌在這裡提醒，這些人的教導如同隱藏的墳墓，聽他們的話、跟隨他們的人，也會在不知不覺中被玷污，卻還不知道自己已經不潔淨了。
接著，有一位律法師也不太高興，覺得耶穌是在說他們。耶穌就接著針對律法師說了三個問題：
第四禍
耶穌說：你們把沉重的規條加在別人身上，自己卻不動一根指頭。
第四條，耶穌說：你們不斷地增加更多的律法，不斷提出更多的要求，但自己連一根指頭都不動。因為你們是制定這些口傳律法的人，知道所有的漏洞在哪裡，懂得如何去規避，如何利用律法來管理別人，卻不讓自己受到約束。耶穌指出，他們只會創造無用的規條，讓別人身上的負擔越來越重，卻沒有親身成為榜樣，真正去實踐。
第五禍
耶穌說：你們修建先知的墳墓，卻不聽從先知的教導。這點真的很值得我們深思。你看這些律法師，表面上尊重那些早已離開世界的先知，把他們當成尊貴的人物，努力傳講、記錄、背誦這些先知所留下的教訓和書信。但矛盾的是，當先知還活著、努力說話的時候，他們卻不願意聽，甚至抵擋、排斥。換句話說，他們只尊重『死掉的先知』，卻不尊重當下正在說真理的人。
這不只是那時候法利賽人的問題，也是我們今天需要反思的。我們很喜歡傳誦古聖先賢的話，講孔子、講孟子、講歷史上的偉人說過什麼，但當有人今天站在我們面前，用古聖先賢得話語指出我們的錯誤、提醒我們悔改時，我們卻會不高興，甚至恨惡這個講真理的人，說他不會看場合。
這就是所謂的「修造先知的墳墓，卻不聽先知的教導」——寧可背誦過去的智慧，卻不願聆聽今天的真言。弟兄姊妹，讓我們想一想，我們是否也有這樣的態度呢？
第六禍
耶穌說：你們奪去了知識的鑰匙，自己不進去，還攔阻別人進去。耶穌責備他們奪去了知識的鑰匙，自己不進去，還阻止別人進去。當時能夠讀聖經的人非常少，因為聖經都是手抄本，非常珍貴，只有律法師和法利賽人才有機會接觸和學習。而這些人，不只是自己不真心追求神，還用複雜的解釋和規條，把別人也擋在門外。
這樣的狀況一直持續到中世紀，直到馬丁路德宗教改革之前也都差不多。在那時候，只有教廷中的神職人員才能讀懂拉丁文聖經，一般百姓沒有教育，不懂拉丁文，甚至連本地語言都不熟悉，更別說閱讀聖經了。解釋聖經的權柄掌握在少數人手裡，他們說什麼就是什麼，別人根本沒有辦法分辨對錯。
這就是耶穌所責備的：他們壟斷了真理的鑰匙，自己不進天國，還攔住別人進去。
弟兄姊妹，今天我們要反思，當我們手中有知識，有資源，有能力時，我們是幫助別人更親近神，還是不自覺地把人攔在門外？
今天的屬靈反思：
我們是否也像法利賽人一樣，喜歡高位、喜歡別人向我們問安、喜歡別人的稱讚？我們是不是也常常想要被認可，而忽略了自己承擔的責任和榜樣的重要？
在教導或解釋聖經時，我們是不是也只是表面了解，沒有真正用心去明白上帝想要對我們說的話？我們有沒有因為自己的疏忽，讓別人失去了進一步認識上帝的機會？
願我們都能成為別人通往上帝的墊腳石，而不是絆腳石。
感謝各位的聆聽，我們明天繼續分享第十二章的故事。願上帝祝福各位。
Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you.Luke Chapter 11 — The Reminder of the Six Woes
Today, we are reading the last section of Luke chapter 11. In the Chinese Union Version Bible, this passage has a very clear title called "The Six Woes." These are six strong rebukes that Jesus gave to the Pharisees. But these six warnings are not only for the Pharisees of that time — they are also reminders for each one of us today.
Let’s take a look at these six woes together and reflect on how they apply to us in our daily lives.
First, let’s understand the background. The so-called oral law refers to the countless definitions that the Jewish teachers added after God's revelation in the Torah. Since they were the creators of these oral laws, they held the authority to interpret them. As a result, they used these so-called laws to control others while cleverly finding ways to avoid following the same rules themselves.
For example, tying a knot on the Sabbath was considered "work" and was forbidden. But what if they needed to draw water from a well? They came up with a loophole: a woman could tie a knot on her sash (since changing clothes was allowed on the Sabbath), and using that sash to tie the water bucket was then considered permissible! Absurd rules like this were everywhere — and this was exactly how the Pharisees kept trying to accuse Jesus.
There’s an old saying: "Those who know the law best are often the ones who break it most skillfully." Sadly, it holds some truth.
The First Woe
Jesus said: "You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and all kinds of garden herbs — and that is correct according to the law — but you neglect justice and the love of God."There’s a saying: "Without rules, nothing can be accomplished." Rituals and rules in life are meant to remind us of important principles. But when we become obsessed with rules for rules’ sake, we must ask ourselves: what was the original purpose behind them?Today, do we sometimes focus so much on outward rituals that we forget the true heart of devotion?
The Second Woe
Jesus said: "You love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces."All of us, to some extent, care about saving face and being recognized. Sometimes, when we are given a position or authority, we slowly start placing more value on that power than on the responsibility that comes with it. We think, "I have this position, so others should listen to me." But we forget — respect is given to the responsibility and role we carry, not to us personally.The Pharisees emphasized that others should greet and honor them simply because they were experts in the law. They cared more about appearances and honor than about sharing truth.This reminds us that faith is not about performance or applause from others — it’s about sincerity and honesty before God.
The Third Woe
Jesus said: "You are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing."What did He mean by "unmarked graves"? He was saying that these Pharisees were full of corruption and sin inside, though their outward appearance looked fine. In Jewish law, touching a grave made someone ceremonially unclean. Jesus was warning that following the teachings of these people was like unknowingly stepping on a hidden grave — you would be defiled without even realizing it.
At this point, a teacher of the law spoke up, feeling that Jesus was speaking against them too. And Jesus continued with three more rebukes aimed at the teachers of the law:
The Fourth Woe
Jesus said: "You load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them."They kept adding more rules, more demands, but didn’t lift a finger themselves. As the creators of these oral laws, they knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them — using the law to control others while avoiding accountability themselves. Jesus exposed them for creating burdensome, useless rules without personally setting an example or living out what they preached.
The Fifth Woe
Jesus said: "You build tombs for the prophets, but your ancestors killed them."This is a very sobering point. These teachers of the law outwardly honored the prophets who had passed away. They quoted and recited their teachings, treating them as revered wisdom. But the irony is that, when those same prophets were alive, people didn’t listen to them and even rejected or persecuted them. In other words, they only respected dead prophets, not living truth-tellers.
This isn’t just a problem from that time; it’s something we must also reflect on today. We often quote the wisdom of ancient sages — Confucius, Mencius, and other great historical figures. But when someone stands in front of us today and points out our faults using those very teachings, we may get angry and accuse them of being tactless.This is what Jesus meant by "building the tombs of the prophets but not listening to their teaching." We’d rather recite old wisdom than listen to living truth. Let’s ask ourselves: are we also guilty of this?
The Sixth Woe
Jesus said: "You have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you hinder those who were entering."At that time, very few people had access to the Scriptures. The texts were precious and handwritten, only available to scribes and Pharisees. But these people not only didn’t seek God themselves; they used complicated explanations and restrictions to keep others out as well.
This situation persisted through the Middle Ages until the time of Martin Luther’s Reformation. Only church clergy could read the Latin Bible; common people were uneducated, didn’t know Latin, and sometimes didn’t even know their local language well — let alone Scripture. The authority to interpret the Bible rested in the hands of a few, and whatever they said was accepted without question.This is exactly what Jesus condemned: they monopolized the key to truth, didn’t enter the kingdom themselves, and prevented others from entering.
Spiritual Reflection
Today, when we have knowledge, resources, and abilities, are we helping others to know God better — or, without realizing it, are we placing barriers in their way?
Are we like the Pharisees, loving high positions, wanting to be greeted, craving praise? Do we desire recognition but forget the weight of responsibility and the importance of being a role model?
When we teach or explain Scripture, do we truly seek to understand God’s message deeply — or only skim the surface? Have we, through carelessness or pride, caused others to lose their chance to draw closer to God?
May we all become stepping stones that help others draw near to God, not stumbling blocks that hinder them.
Thank you for listening. Tomorrow, we’ll continue with chapter 12. May God bless you all.
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