Posted December 2, 2013 by FLL Editorial Team in
 
 

Salvation for All

那時候，耶穌進了葛法翁，有一位百夫長來到他跟前，求他說：「主！我的僕人癱瘓了，躺在家裡，疼痛的很厲害。」耶穌對他說：「我去治好他。」百夫長答說：「主！我不堪當你到舍下來，你只要說一句話，我的僕人就會好的。因爲我雖是屬人權下的人，但是我也有士兵屬我權下；我對這個說：你去，他就去；對另一個說：你來，他就來；對我的奴僕說：你作這個，他就作。」耶穌聽了，非常詫異，就對跟隨的人說：「我實在告訴你們：在以色列我從未遇見過一個人，有這樣大的信心。」我給你們說：將有許多人從東方和西方來，同亞巴郎、依撒格、雅各伯在天國裡一起坐席。」
瑪竇福音 8:5-11

JesusHealingCenturionServant

Paolo Veronese [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

今天的福音提到一位百夫長來到耶穌跟前，他的僕人病重在家，他只求耶穌說一句話，深信這已足夠治癒他的僕人。

值得留意的是這位百夫長並非猶太人，他是一位羅馬軍隊的軍官，駐守在猶太地區。而耶穌聽到他的請求，只考慮到這位外邦人的信德而立即回應，由此可見耶穌對猶太人和外邦人一視同仁。

耶穌在最後說：「將有許多人從東方和西方來，同亞巴郎、依撒格、雅各伯在天國裡一起坐席。」祂的意思：天國是向所有人開放的。耶穌來到世上，祂宣講的福音是為所有人宣講的。在這將臨期，讓我們默想耶穌降生成人的真正意義。

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: Commentaries on the daily readings by Sacred Space, 天國開放給一切相信耶穌的人.

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 8:5-11

In today’s Gospel, we read that a centurion approached Jesus, for his servant was very ill at home. He asked that Jesus say the word and trusted that would be enough to cure his servant.

What deserves our attention is that the centurion was a Gentile. He was part of the Roman Army. When Jesus heard his request, He only considered his faith and responded at once. From this we see that Jesus’ impartiality in dealing with the Jews and Gentiles.

Jesus said in the end: “Many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven”. What He meant is that the kingdom of heaven is for all peoples everywhere. Jesus comes to proclaim the Good News to everyone. This Advent, let us reflect on the real meaning of Jesus coming to live among us.

This reflection is prepared by the FLL Inspire editorial team as a digest of the following two articles: Commentaries on the daily readings by Sacred Space, 天國開放給一切相信耶穌的人.


FLL Editorial Team

 


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