真正的權柄
那時候，耶穌進入聖殿，正教訓人時，司祭長和民間的長老來到他跟前說：「你憑什麽權柄作這些事？誰給了你這種權柄？」耶穌回答說：「我也問你們一句話，你們若答覆我，我就告訴你們：我憑什麽權柄作這些事。若翰的洗禮，是從那裏來的？是從天上來的？還是從人來的？」他們心中思量說：如果我們說：是從天上來的，他必對我們說：你們為什麼不信他？如果我們說：是從人來的，我們害怕民眾，因爲眾人都以若翰為一位先知。他們便回答耶穌說：「我們不知道。」耶穌也對他們說：「我也不告訴你們：我憑什麽權柄作這些事。」
瑪竇福音 21:23-27
Head of Jesus Christ 47 by Waiting For The Word, on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
在今天的福音中，司祭長和長老問耶穌：「你憑什麽權柄作這些事？」耶穌之前在聖殿驅趕商販，又時常在那裡教導人。祂不是司祭，亦非長老，但說的話充滿天主的智慧，司祭長和長老於是質疑祂憑什麽權柄施教。
面對富挑釁性的提問，耶穌很少直接回答，祂向司祭長和長老提出另一條問題：「若翰的洗禮，是從那裏來的？是從天上來的？還是從人來的？」耶穌洞悉他們的心思，即使祂如實回答，他們封閉的心也不會相信。
權柄的英文是authority，而authority的拉丁文是auctoritas，是augere的抽象名詞。Augere的意思是「增加、放大」。一個具有權柄的人不該強制別人服從自己。要行使真正的權柄該像耶穌一樣，使人發放內在的潛力。耶穌邀請人跟隨祂，祂到來是服事人，而不是受服事。我們在生命裡都被賦予某程度的權柄，讓我們效法耶穌，好好行使我們的權柄。
這篇默想由生命恩泉文摘編輯小組撰寫，內容以下列文章為根據: Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27, 耶穌的權柄從何而來。
When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John's baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,' he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?' But if we say, ‘Of human origin,' we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Matthew 21:23-27
In today's Gospel, the chief priests and the elders asked Jesus: "By what authority are you doing these things?" Jesus had cleansed the temple and taught there often. He was not a chief priest, yet He spoke with divine wisdom. As a result, the chief priests and elders questioned His authority to teach.
When asked provocative questions, Jesus seldom answers directly. He responded with another question: "Where was John's baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?" Jesus recognized their stubborn blindness, even if He answered the question, they would refuse to believe.
The word "authority" comes from the Latin auctoritas, which is an abstract noun from the verb "augere". Augere means "to increase, make bigger". A person with authority should not coerce others into submission. The exercise of genuine authority is to release the potential in people. Jesus invited people to follow Him. He came to serve, not to be served. In our own lives, we are given different levels of authority, let us learn from Jesus to exercise our authority properly.
This reflection is prepared by the FLL Inspire editorial team as a digest of the following two articles: Commentary on Matthew 21:23-27, 耶穌的權柄從何而來。
打開聖經 – 服從上級，有沒有例外？
打開聖經 – 服從上級，有沒有例外？