路加福音 第四章 4:12-44 Luke Chapter 4:12-44
- 馬克牧師
- Feb 22
- 8 min read
各位弟兄姊妹，平安！
我們今天要讀的是《路加福音》第四章的下半段。耶穌在受了魔鬼的試探之後，回到了家鄉——加利利。
當時的加利利其實是一個非常繁榮的地方，這裡有許多市鎮和村落，聚集了大量人口。此外，由於加利利水源充足、氣候宜人，因此這片土地成為巴勒斯坦地區一塊茂盛的花園，擁有許多果樹與農作物，農業發展相當興盛。
還有一點值得注意，加利利人其實是一群非常勇敢的人，他們熱愛革新與創新。然而，這也使他們容易受到影響，甚至有可能成為叛亂者的風險。我們在《新約》中讀到的奮銳黨，就是一群懷抱猶太復國主義的猶太人。他們不斷試圖推翻羅馬帝國，渴望恢復以色列昔日的榮光。
接著，我們來看拿撒勒——耶穌的家鄉。很多人認為拿撒勒只是一個小村落，但事實上，拿撒勒當時是一個市鎮，甚至可以說是一座城市。它的人口並不少，約有兩萬人，在當時來說，這已經是相當大的城市了。
舉個例子，我們熟知的以弗所，作為一座國際大都會，當時的人口大約20萬人。相較之下，拿撒勒雖然不是國際大城，但在當時的標準來看，確實是一個具有規模的都市。
因此，當我們認為耶穌成長於窮鄉僻壤的小地方時，這其實是不正確的。事實上，耶穌是在一座繁榮的大城市中成長的。
這裡有一件事情值得注意，那就是當時猶太人聚會的規矩。在猶太的各個村落裡，都會設立會堂，這會堂有點像我們今天的教會，是一個聚會並分享上帝話語的地方。然而，與今天的教會不同的是，會堂沒有固定的牧師或拉比（Rabbi），而是由具備聖經知識的人站起來誦讀經文，並加以講解，讓眾人能夠一同討論、分享和學習聖經。
當天，耶穌按照這個傳統來到了會堂，拿起了書卷，向眾人分享上帝的話語。當天正好誦讀到《以賽亞書》中有關祂的預言。
原本，這些人只是聽祂講解聖經，當祂自稱說是以賽亞預言中的那一位時，眾人已然非常驚奇，而耶穌還繼續提出了兩個舊約中的故事。
撒勒法的寡婦——這是在以利亞的時代，當時以利亞奉上帝的差派，被這位寡婦供養了三年零六個月。
敘利亞的乃縵大將軍——當時，先知以利沙傳上帝的話，使他得著醫治。
耶穌舉出這兩位大先知的名號，同時又提到了這兩個外邦人得著上帝的拯救，這讓在場的猶太人極為憤怒。
為什麼呢？因為當時大多數的猶太人都認為外邦人不配得上帝的拯救，甚至認為外邦人應該受到懲罰。然而，耶穌偏偏舉出了這兩個例子，強調外邦人也能得到上帝的恩典與拯救，這完全挑戰了當時猶太人的民族優越感，讓現場的人極為憤怒，但這又是清清楚楚記載在經文中的事情，無可辯駁。
我們看到，耶穌從開始傳道的時候，就不斷提到外邦人得拯救的故事，而且祂引用的是舊約中外邦人得拯救的記載。這件事一直在挑戰猶太人的民族優越感，以及他們根深蒂固的觀念——認為上帝只屬於他們。
這也是為什麼耶穌在傳統的猶太會堂中並不受歡迎，我們從這裡就可以看出一些端倪了。
接下來，路加開始記載耶穌所行的各種神蹟，其中包括趕鬼的神蹟。直到今天，仍然有人在進行趕鬼的儀式，但我們看到的這些趕鬼行為，往往充滿大吼大叫、各種做法與奇怪的儀式。然而，耶穌趕鬼時，從不需要這些喧鬧的儀式，祂只需要一句話：「不要作聲！從這人身上出來！」
當我們仔細閱讀耶穌所說的每一句話，就會發現祂的話語本身就是權柄。我們對比舊約中的先知，他們在開口宣講時，通常會說：「主耶和華如此說」或「我奉上帝的名如此說」。然而，耶穌開口時，卻只說：「我實實在在地告訴你。」
這顯示出耶穌的權柄與其他先知完全不同。
祂趕鬼時，從來不需要第二次，只要一句話，任何邪靈都立即順服。後來，我們甚至看到一大群邪靈，或是整個污鬼的軍團，只要聽到耶穌的聲音，就不得不順服。
這樣的權柄是祂自帶的，因為這是上帝的權柄，不是人可以模仿或代替的。
我們看到，加利利各個會堂都歡迎耶穌前來，但他們只是希望祂醫治病人，為他們帶來好處，而並不是真的想聽祂的話語。這其實是一件令人遺憾的事情。
當人有需要的時候，他們樂意來到教會，也願意與教會的人相處。然而，當他們的需求被滿足後，卻不再願意繼續來教會。當時的情況也是如此——許多人來找耶穌，不是為了領受祂的話語或信息，而是因為身體有病痛、生活有困難，想讓耶穌幫助解決問題。但當問題解決後，他們就離開耶穌，不再跟隨祂。
教會的首要工作不是滿足人的生活需要，而是要供應解釋上帝的話語給眾人聽。給予靈魂的糧比給身體的糧更為重要。
今日的屬靈反思
讓我們深思：我們是否真的把耶穌當成擁有權柄的主？還是我們只是把祂當成一個「萬事通」——當我們有困難時就來求祂，沒事的時候就不理祂，並沒有真的認定祂是上帝敬拜祂？
願我們都能真正認識耶穌，認識祂是上帝本身，敬拜祂，不僅僅是有事的時候才來尋求祂。
我們明天繼續分享《路加福音》第五章。感謝各位的聆聽！
Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you!
Today, we are going to read the second half of Luke, Chapter 4. After overcoming the devil’s temptations, Jesus returned to His hometown—Galilee.
At that time, Galilee was a highly prosperous region with many towns and villages, inhabited by a large population. Additionally, due to its abundant water sources and pleasant climate, this land became a flourishing garden of Palestine, filled with numerous fruit trees and crops, making agriculture highly developed.
Another noteworthy point is that the people of Galilee were very courageous. They loved innovation and reform, yet this also made them easily influenced and, at times, prone to rebellion. In the New Testament, we read about the Zealots, a group of Jews devoted to Jewish nationalism. They were constantly plotting to overthrow the Roman Empire, hoping to restore Israel to its former glory.
Now, let’s look at Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown. Many people assume that Nazareth was just a small village, but in reality, at that time, it was a town, and could even be considered a city. Its population was not small, with around 20,000 residents—a significant number for that era.
For comparison, Ephesus, a well-known international metropolis, had a population of approximately 200,000 at the time. In contrast, while Nazareth was not a global metropolis, by the standards of that period, it was indeed a well-developed urban center.
Thus, when people assume that Jesus grew up in a remote, underdeveloped village, this is actually incorrect. In reality, Jesus grew up in a flourishing city.
One important aspect to note is the Jewish tradition of gathering. In every Jewish village, there would be a synagogue, which functioned somewhat like our modern-day churches—a place where people gathered to hear and share God’s word. However, unlike today's churches, synagogues did not have a fixed pastor or rabbi (Rabbi). Instead, those who were knowledgeable in the Scriptures would stand up, read the texts, and explain them to the congregation, allowing everyone to discuss, share, and learn from the Scriptures together.
On that day, Jesus followed this tradition and entered the synagogue. He picked up the scroll and shared God’s word with the people. It just so happened that the passage He read was a prophecy about Himself from the book of Isaiah.
Originally, the people were only listening to His explanation of the Scriptures. However, when Jesus declared that He was the One whom Isaiah had prophesied about, they were already quite astonished. Then, Jesus further referenced two Old Testament stories:
The widow in Zarephath—During the time of Elijah, this widow provided for Elijah for three years and six months, as God had commanded.
Naaman, the Syrian commander—In the time of Elisha, the prophet proclaimed God’s word to Naaman, and he was healed of his disease.
By mentioning these two great prophets, Jesus simultaneously pointed out two Gentiles who received God’s salvation. This deeply angered the Jews present.
Why? Because at that time, most Jews believed that Gentiles were unworthy of God’s salvation and that they deserved punishment. However, Jesus specifically chose these two examples to emphasize that Gentiles, too, could receive God’s grace and salvation. This directly challenged the nationalistic pride of the Jews and deeply provoked them. Yet, this truth was clearly recorded in the Scriptures and was undeniable.
From the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus consistently spoke about the salvation of the Gentiles. He referenced Old Testament records of Gentiles receiving God’s salvation, challenging the Jews’ deeply ingrained sense of superiority, as well as their belief that God belonged exclusively to them.
This is also why Jesus was not welcomed in the traditional Jewish synagogues—we can already see some indications of this here.
Next, Luke begins to record the miracles of Jesus, including His authority over demons. Even in today’s world, some people still practice exorcisms, but we often see dramatic displays of shouting, rituals, and bizarre ceremonies. However, when Jesus cast out demons, He never needed such theatrics. He simply spoke a single sentence: "Be silent! Come out of him!"
When we carefully examine each word spoken by Jesus, we can see that His words carried absolute authority. In contrast, the Old Testament prophets would often begin their proclamations with phrases like “Thus says the Lord” or “This is the word of God”. However, Jesus simply declared, "Truly, truly, I say to you."
This demonstrates that Jesus’ authority was entirely different from that of the prophets.
Whenever He cast out demons, He never needed to repeat Himself—one word from Him, and every demon had to obey immediately. Later, we even see an entire legion of demons, or a group of unclean spirits, that immediately submitted to His command the moment He spoke.
This authority belonged to Jesus Himself—it was the authority of God, something no human could imitate or replace.
We also observe that all the synagogues in Galilee welcomed Jesus. However, they only wanted Him to heal their sick and perform miracles for them, rather than truly listening to His teachings. This is truly regrettable.
When people are in need, they are willing to come to church and interact with believers. However, once their needs are met, they are no longer willing to continue coming to church. The same thing happened back then—many people sought Jesus, not for His words or His message, but because they had illnesses, troubles, or difficulties. They came to Jesus for solutions, but once their problems were solved, they left Him.
The Primary Mission of the Church
The church’s primary mission is not to fulfill people’s material needs, but to proclaim and explain God’s word to the people. Feeding the soul is far more important than feeding the body.
Spiritual Reflection for Today
Let us reflect: Do we truly recognize Jesus as the One with ultimate authority?
Or do we simply treat Him as a “problem solver”—seeking Him only when we are in trouble, but ignoring Him when everything is fine?
Do we truly acknowledge Him as God and worship Him, or do we only come to Him when we need help?
May we all come to truly know Jesus, recognize Him as God Himself, and worship Him—not just in times of trouble, but always.
Tomorrow, we will continue studying Luke, Chapter 5. Thank you all for listening!
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