馬可福音 8:34-38
34於是叫眾人和門徒來，對他們說：「若有人要跟從我，就當捨己，背起他的十字架來跟從我。 35因為，凡要救自己生命的，必喪掉生命；凡為我和福音喪掉生命的，必救了生命。 36人就是賺得全世界，賠上自己的生命，有甚麼益處呢？ 37人還能拿甚麼換生命呢？ 38凡在這淫亂罪惡的世代，把我和我的道當作可恥的，人子在他父的榮耀裏，同聖天使降臨的時候，也要把那人當作可恥的。」
各位弟兄姊妹平安，接續昨天的故事，彼得認耶穌之後，耶穌也說出了跟隨上帝的代價 – 這不是一個輕鬆的呼召，也不是一個簡單的旅程。這是一個要放下自我，捨棄自己，預備受苦的旅程。耶穌從來沒有用美好的話語引誘人相信他，祂明明白白地說，“若要跟隨我，就當捨己，背起自己的十字架來跟隨我。”耶穌背起的十字架上有背叛，有孤獨，有肉身的劇痛，有心靈的折磨，有靈魂的孤寂，也有與深愛的人的痛苦，在客西馬尼園裡的禱告，那時候的汗滴如血，祂明知道這一條路荊棘滿佈，但是他沒有逃離這一個使命。耶穌為我們背起了沒有人能揹得起的十字架，祂不是一個高高在上，遠離塵世的上帝，祂是一個與我們同行，與我們同在，與我們同喜同悲的上帝。
成為基督徒，我們開始學習放下自己，首先體貼神的心意。這是一條漫漫長路，因為我們內心的私慾和私心必定不斷地會出現，在我們耳邊不斷訴說，讓我們去追求舒服的生活。而這也是我們要每天決定繼續跟隨或是遠離。 跟隨耶穌必定會經歷今生的磨練和辛苦。正如保羅在加拉太書 2:2 所說，“我已經與基督同釘十字架，現在活著的不再是我，乃是基督在我裡面活著。“
曾經有這樣一個故事，在羅馬時代的時候，大約公元四世紀的時候，有一位名為特雷馬丘斯的僧侶，他決志放下世俗的生活和物質，獨自靜修，祈禱，禁食等等為他的信仰擺上。但是有一天，他內心的不安讓他明白，一個人躲在荒山野嶺，只是自私地自己與上帝相處，卻完全沒有對上帝所愛的人群付出愛。他決定回到世界上，回到繁忙的城市裡。
當時的羅馬帝國已經是基督教的國家，但是由於戰鬥民族的傳統緣故，競技場裡的殊死鬥仍然是當時重要的娛樂和社交活動。當時已經不再有基督徒被丟進場裡餵獅子的場境，死囚們仍然被強迫拿起武器在場內打鬥至死亡，而一場競技通常都會有數萬人和皇帝和貴族共同欣賞。
特雷馬丘斯對這一件事情深感不忍，於是在一次的打鬥場時候跳進場中，所有的戰士愕然停手，不知道這個老頭是哪裡來的。他在場中大聲喊著，但是周圍的群眾依然瘋狂要求戰士繼續打鬥，而其中一位的鬥士就當場把特雷馬丘斯殺死。突然之間，全場安靜下來。這一位無辜的聖徒因著要阻止無意義的打鬥而犧牲了自己。信奉基督教的羅馬皇帝和里諾二世深受感動，因此下了旨意禁止競技場的殘忍殊死鬥。史學家以此為一個例子，特雷馬丘斯捨了生命，而拯救了更多的生命。如果他貪圖自己的修行，終生躲在深山野嶺，那麼還有多少人會繼續死在競技場中呢！
也許一個人的生活可以非常富裕，但是他的生活可能也是毫無價值。耶穌提出給我們的一個重要問題是：你的生命價值在哪裡？人如果是為了利益，權力， 財富而不擇手段去奪取，這樣的財富和人生就是 “賺得全世界，卻喪掉自己的生命”。就算外面有豐盛和富足，生命的空虛是任何東西都無法填滿的。
耶穌的問題千百年來對我們每一個人發問。我們的生命價值在哪裡呢？我們把耶穌和他福音的信息當成什麼呢？值得我們用一生去好好思考。
感謝各位的聆聽，明天我們繼續聽故事。
Gospel of Mark 8:34-38
The Way of the Cross
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Dear brothers and sisters,
Peace be with you all. Continuing from yesterday's story, after Peter recognized Jesus, Jesus also spoke about the cost of following God - this is not an easy calling, nor is it a simple journey. It's a journey of self-denial, of giving up oneself, and being prepared to suffer. Jesus never used sweet words to lure people into believing in him; he plainly said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." On the cross that Jesus carried, there was betrayal, loneliness, physical agony, mental torment, spiritual loneliness, and the pain of being separated from beloved ones. In the Garden of Gethsemane, his sweat was like drops of blood; he knew full well that the path ahead was filled with thorns, yet he did not flee from this mission. Jesus bore a cross that no one else could bear for us. He's not a distant God, far removed from the world; he's a God who walks with us, who is present with us, who shares in our joys and sorrows.
As Christians, we begin to learn to let go of ourselves, firstly by considering God's will. This is a long road because the desires and selfishness within us will inevitably arise, constantly whispering in our ears, urging us to pursue a comfortable life. And this is something we must constantly understand: following Jesus will inevitably entail trials and hardships in this life. Just as Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."
There's a story from the Roman era, around the fourth century AD, about a monk named Tremachus. He resolved to leave behind worldly life and possessions, to engage in solitary meditation, prayer, fasting, and other practices for his faith. But one day, his inner turmoil made him realize that hiding alone in the wilderness, just selfishly communing with God, without showing love to the people loved by God, wasn't right. He decided to return to the world, to the bustling city.
At that time, the Roman Empire was already a Christian country, but due to the tradition of combatant nations, gladiatorial combat in the arena remained an important form of entertainment and social activity. Although Christians were no longer thrown into the arena to be fed to lions, condemned prisoners were still forced to fight to the death, and each spectacle was typically watched by tens of thousands of people, including the emperor and nobles.
Tremachus felt deeply troubled by this, so during one of the fights in the arena, he jumped into the arena. All the fighters were stunned, not knowing where this old man came from. He shouted loudly in the arena, but the surrounding crowd still fervently demanded that the fighters continue their combat. One of the fighters then killed Tremachus on the spot. Suddenly, the whole arena fell silent. This innocent saint sacrificed himself to stop meaningless fights. The Roman emperors and especially Emperor Honorius, who was deeply moved, issued a decree to ban the cruel gladiatorial combat in the arena. Historians use this as an example: Tremachus sacrificed his life and saved more lives. If he had indulged in his own practice and hidden in the deep mountains for life, how many more people would continue to die in the arena!
Perhaps one's life can be very wealthy, but it may also be utterly worthless. An important question Jesus poses to us is: Where is the value of your life? If a person pursues profit, power, and wealth by any means, such wealth and life are "gaining the whole world but losing one's own soul." Even if there's abundance and prosperity outwardly, the emptiness of life is something that nothing can fill.
Jesus' question has been asked to each one of us for thousands of years. Where is the value of our lives? What do we regard Jesus and his gospel message as? It's worth pondering over throughout our lives.
Thank you all for listening, and tomorrow we'll continue with the story.
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