路加福音 第13章 13 Luke Chapter 13
- 馬克牧師
- Mar 20
- 7 min read
各位弟兄姊妹平安，今天我們要開始來讀《路加福音》第13章。這一章其實和第12章講的「耶穌來不是叫地上太平，而是帶來分爭」，以及第14章提到「做門徒的代價」，這三個主題可以合在一起來看，我打算下一集跟大家分享「做門徒的代價」。那麼今天，我們就先來專注分享第13章，主題是「悔改——把握機會」。
其實這整章聖經，都圍繞著一個核心觀念：悔改。一開始，耶穌提到一件當時社會上的大事——西羅亞樓倒塌，壓死了18個人。耶穌問大家：「難道這些人比其他人更有罪，所以才死嗎？」然後祂自己回答說：「不是的。如果你們不悔改，每一個人都會如此滅亡。」
接著，耶穌又用了一個祂很常用的方式——用人的角度、生活裡的例子，來說明屬靈的真理。
祂講了一個無花果樹的比喻：一個園主在園子裡種了一棵無花果樹，已經三年了，卻一直沒有結果子。他覺得這棵樹只是在白占土地，就想要把它砍掉。可是園丁跟他說：「再給它一次機會吧，今年我會特別照顧它，幫它鬆土、施肥，如果今年還不結果子，那我們再決定要不要砍掉它。」
很多時候，我們都很清楚，有期限的事情會讓我們感受到壓力和緊迫感。比如，作業有期限，如果超過了期限，你的成績就沒有了；考試有固定日期，如果你不去考，那考試就當了。生活中太多事情，如果不抓住機會，一旦錯過了就沒有了。我們對這些世界上的事，都非常理解。
但是，有趣的是，當我們面對人生最關鍵的決定——每天是否跟隨耶穌、每天是否去完成上帝交託給我們的事，甚至是「悔改、轉向耶穌」這樣的重要決定，很多人卻總是覺得這件事情不急。我們常常會想：「以後有空再說吧」、「總有一天我會決定的」、「現在先忙別的，之後再來跟上帝認真」。但弟兄姊妹，我們真的要明白：沒有什麼事情是有無限時間的。當我們選擇把重要的事情不斷延後，把時間留給其他看似更緊急的事，那麼最終，真正重要的事就會被遺忘、被耽誤。
時間管理的智慧就是，要先把「最重要」的事情安排在優先位置。什麼是人生中最重要的事？是那些今天做了，能影響你一年、五年、十年，甚至影響永恆的事情。不是那些只是「看起來很緊急，但其實沒什麼用」的瑣事。
Steven Covey在《高效能人士的七個習慣》裡面提到了「時間管理的四個象限」。我們常常被「緊急又重要」和「緊急但不重要」的事情牽著鼻子走，好像事情只要緊急了，就覺得非得馬上處理。但最容易被忽略的，反而是「重要但不緊急」的事情。舉個例子，如果你知道六個月後要考一個很重要的考試，你會怎麼做？很多人會覺得「還有六個月，慢慢來」，結果就一直拖，拖到只剩下一個月才開始著急，到那時候就變成了「重要又緊急」，讓自己非常慌亂。
耶穌在這裡提醒我們：救恩、悔改、結果子的生命，其實一直都是「重要又緊急」的事情！只是，我們常常看不見它的緊急性，因為我們不知道我們生命的最後一天是哪一天。我們不知道什麼時候就會離開這個世界，所以，每一天，我們都需要去面對、去行動。弟兄姊妹，我們就是那棵無花果樹。我們不能只是待在園子裡，享受肥料、享受陽光雨水，卻不結果子。如果我們只是一直待在教會裡，聽道、聚會，卻從不去分享、不去祝福別人、不去服事教會，不也就是在白佔土地嗎？
讓我們一起學習，用智慧來安排生活中的事情。每天，我們都應該先選擇那些真正會對我們生命產生深遠影響的事來做。也許這些事情表面上看起來一點都不緊急，沒有人催你，也沒有人每天提醒你要完成它。但我們都知道，這些事情的影響是長遠且深刻的。
比如說：– 持續運動，看似不急，但對身體健康的影響會影響我們一生。你的身體健康會影響你如何度過這一生。– 每天與神親近、靈修禱告，可能沒有人盯著你做，但它會影響你整個屬靈生命的穩定。– 花時間去建立真誠的人際關係，雖然不會立刻看見果效，但它會在你需要支持時成為祝福，也成為別人的祝福。
相反地，很多「看似緊急」的事情，如果你不立刻回應，其實真的沒有那麼嚴重。手機訊息不馬上回，Email 不立刻處理，往往也不會出現什麼問題。但我們卻常常被這些短暫的「緊急感」牽著走，而忽略了那些真正重要的事情。
弟兄姊妹，時間是有限的。讓我們有智慧地去選擇，把最寶貴的時間，投資在那些會影響我們一生、甚至影響永恆的事情上。不要等到時間不夠了、生命快走到盡頭了，才後悔沒有好好安排。
求神幫助我們，每一天都專注在真正重要的事情上，活出祂為我們預備的美好計畫。
感謝各位的聆聽，我們明天分享12/13/14章關於 “做門徒的代價”。願上帝祝福各位！
Dear brothers and sisters, peace to you all.
Today, we are going to begin reading Luke Chapter 13.Actually, this chapter, together with Chapter 12 — where Jesus says He came not to bring peace on earth but division — and Chapter 14 — where He speaks about the cost of discipleship — can all be read as part of one continuous theme.In the next session, I will share more specifically about “the cost of discipleship.”
But for today, let’s focus on Chapter 13, with the theme: “Repentance — Seizing the Opportunity.”
This entire chapter revolves around one core concept: repentance.
It begins with Jesus mentioning a well-known incident of the time — the collapse of the tower of Siloam, which killed 18 people.Jesus asks, “Do you think these people were more sinful than others, and that’s why they died?”And then He answers Himself: “No! But unless you repent, you too will perish.”
Then, Jesus uses one of His favorite teaching methods — explaining spiritual truths through relatable, everyday life examples.He tells the parable of the fig tree:A landowner had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. For three years, he came looking for fruit on it and found none. He thought, “This tree is just taking up space. I should cut it down.” But the gardener said, “Let’s give it one more year. I’ll dig around it, fertilize it, and take special care of it. If it still doesn’t bear fruit, then we can cut it down.”
Often, things with a deadline give us a sense of pressure and urgency.For example, homework has a due date; if you miss it, you lose the grade.Exams have a fixed date; if you don’t show up, that chance is gone.In life, there are so many opportunities that, once missed, are gone forever.We all understand this well when it comes to worldly matters.
But here’s the strange part — when it comes to life’s most important decision — whether we follow Jesus every day, whether we accomplish what God has entrusted to us, or whether we repent and turn back to Jesus — we often don’t feel the same urgency.We tend to think, “I’ll do it later when I have time,” or “One day I’ll make that decision,” or “Let me handle other things first, and I’ll get serious about God later.”
Brothers and sisters, we really need to understand: there is no such thing as unlimited time.When we keep postponing what’s truly important and let other seemingly urgent things take over, those most important matters eventually get forgotten and neglected.The wisdom of time management is this: always prioritize what is truly most important.
So what are the most important things in life?They are the things you do today that will impact you for one year, five years, ten years, or even for eternity.They are not the trivial, seemingly urgent matters that don’t really matter in the long run.
Steven Covey, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about the four quadrants of time management.Most of us are constantly pulled between “urgent and important” and “urgent but not important” tasks.But the thing that’s most easily ignored is the “important but not urgent” quadrant.
Let me give you an example:If you know there’s a very important exam in six months, what would you do?Many people think, “I still have six months; no rush.”So they procrastinate, and only start preparing when there’s just one month left.By then, it turns into something that’s both urgent and important, causing panic and stress.
Jesus is reminding us here: salvation, repentance, and living a fruitful life — these are always important and urgent!The problem is, we don’t often feel the urgency, because we don’t know when our last day on earth will be.We don’t know when we’ll leave this world.That’s why, every single day, we need to face this reality and take action.
Brothers and sisters, we are that fig tree.We cannot just sit comfortably in the vineyard, enjoying the fertilizer, the sunshine, and the rain, without bearing fruit.If we come to church, listen to sermons, attend gatherings, but never share with others, never bless others, never serve — then aren’t we also just taking up space?
Let’s learn together to arrange our lives with wisdom.Each day, we should choose to do those things that will have the deepest and most lasting impact on our lives.These might not feel urgent on the surface. No one is chasing after you to do them. But we all know that these things have a long-term, profound effect.
For example:
Consistent exercise — it may not feel urgent, but it impacts your lifelong health.
Spending daily time with God in prayer and devotion — no one is checking up on you, but it builds the foundation of your spiritual stability.
Investing in sincere, genuine relationships — you may not see the results right away, but when the time comes, these relationships will become blessings for both you and others.
On the flip side, many seemingly urgent things, if you don’t respond immediately, won’t really cause big problems.Not replying to a text message right away, or not answering an email the moment it arrives — rarely is that a life-or-death matter.But we are often led by these small “urgencies” and forget what’s truly important.
Brothers and sisters, time is limited.Let’s be wise in how we use it.Invest your most valuable time in things that will impact your whole life, and even eternity.Don’t wait until time is running out, or until you’re near the end of your life, to regret that you didn’t plan wisely.
Let’s ask God to help us focus on what really matters each day,and live out the wonderful plan He has prepared for us.
Thank you all for listening.Tomorrow, we will continue with chapters 12, 13, and 14, and share about “The Cost of Discipleship.”
May God bless you all!
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