Falling Into God’s Grace 掉落在神的恩典中 – Pastor Jade Yi

Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Mark 4:35-41

Our Story

What is it like to nearly drown? It happened to me twice. The first time was at a swimming pool when I was 6 or 7 years old. My swimming skills were pretty basic at that time. All I remember is that I was upside down in the water and vaguely saw a man walking toward me. Then a big hand grabbed my foot and pulled me out of the pool. That was my dad’s hand. What happened was that he had heard people shouting, “Someone is drowning!” Then he saw my feet floating above the water. 

差一點被溺死，是什麼樣的感覺呢？這種事在我身上發生過兩次。第一次是我在六、七歲的時候，發生在游泳池。那時我的游泳技術還很基礎。我只記得我是倒立著，頭在水里，腳在水上。隱隱約約的看到一個人向我的方向走來。然後有一隻大手，抓住了我的腳，把我從泳池裡拉了出來。那是我父親的手。當時他聽到人們喊叫著：「有人溺水了」，然後看到我的腳浮在水面上。

The second time was at a beach about 13 years ago. I was trapped underwater beneath the ocean waves. I was terrified for a moment since my own strength couldn’t fight against the speed and energy of the wave surrounding me. All I could do was to wait until the wave slowed down and its energy dissipated.

第二次是在海灘，大約13年前。我被困在海浪的水下。我當時有點驚荒，因為我根本無法對抗周遭那股波浪的速度和能量。我所能做的就是等待，直到波浪的數度減慢，和波浪的能量消散。

Drowning doesn’t just happen in water. It can happen emotionally. Emotions are complicated, and when we don’t deal with them properly in a timely manner, even the most positive of emotions can turn negative. A person drowning in their emotions feels helpless, stuck, suffocated, and paralyzed. They lose the ability to make decisions to fight through fear and anxiety on their own, especially when their emotions have escalated into a storm.

我們人不僅是會被水淹沒，我們人也會被情緒淹沒。情緒是很複雜的，如果我們沒有及時正確處理我們的情緒，即使是最積極正面的情緒也會轉變成消極負面的情緒。一個被情緒淹沒的人，會感到無助，像似被困住、有著窒息和癱瘓的感受。他們失去了克服恐懼和焦慮的能力，無法獨自做決定，尤其是當他們的情緒升高到無法控制的情況下，就像似一個突來的暴風雨。

God’s Story

In our gospel reading from Mark 4 today, we heard the story about the fear and anxiety of  Jesus’ disciples in the midst of a storm. Remember, some of them were professional fishermen, at least four of them. Sailing in a sea storm wasn’t new to them. But their terror clearly indicated the severity of the storm. 

在今天的馬可福音第 4 章，我們聽到了有關耶穌的門徒，在暴風雨中，所感到的恐懼和焦慮的故事。我們要記得，其中至少有四位門徒，是專業的漁民。在海上暴風雨中航行，對他們來說，並不是一件新鮮事。但他們的恐懼，清楚地顯示了，當時暴風雨的嚴重性。

Was their boat the only one on the water? No, there were other boats with them. What makes a terrifying situation even worse is when you see yourself drowning as well as others. Their incapability to fight against the chaos and their terror in their eyes are like a mirror through which you see your own terror and your own incapability of fighting against the same chaos. 

當時水面上只有耶穌他們自己的船嗎？不是的，經文告訴我們，還有其他的船，和他們一起航行。你知道甚麼其況能夠使恐懼更加惡化嗎？也就是當你看到自己和其他人都溺水時，因他們無法對抗眼前的困境，在他們眼裡流露出的恐懼，就像一面鏡子，從這鏡子哩，你可以看到自己的恐懼，你和他們一樣，無法對抗眼前的困境。

The same event was recorded in Matthew 8 where Jesus’ disciples pleaded for help by saying, “Save us, Lord. We are perishing.” However, in Mark 4, the disciples used a tone almost accusing Jesus of being indifferent to their plight by saying, “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” What is Mark trying to teach the faith community he was serving at that time by telling this story differently?

在《馬太福音》第 8 章裡，也記載了同一個事件，在《馬太福音》中，耶穌的門徒向耶穌祈求幫助，說：「主啊，拯救我們。我們快要滅亡了。」然而，在《馬可福音》第四章，門徒們是用接近指責的口氣，問耶穌：「你不在乎我們滅亡嗎？」，他們感覺耶穌並不關心他們的困境。《馬可福音》作者，試圖透過不同的方式講述這同一件事情，他想向當時所服侍的教會，傳達什麼重要的教導呢？

The gospel according to Mark, the shortest gospel of all, was written with special insight into who Jesus was in the first half of the Gospel and what he came to accomplish in the second half of the gospel. The disciples might have thought they knew the water better than Jesus since they were professional fishermen. But, they forgot who Jesus was. 

《馬可福音》是所有福音書中最短的一本，他在寫這本福音書時，有著特殊的見解，福音書前半部分是著重於耶穌是誰；在福音書後半部分，是著重於耶穌來到世間要完成的事情。當時門徒可能認為他們自己比耶穌更了解水性，因為他們是職業的漁夫。但是，他們忘記了，耶穌是誰。

We can tell Mark’s ultimate intention from the way he starts the gospel in Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Son of God.” The Son of God was sent by God our creator in the book of Genesis who did not eliminate chaos but brought perfect order by pushing back the waters of chaos. The Son of God was sent by God our redeemer in the book of Exodus who did not eliminate the chaos but delivered the Israelites by parting the red seas of chaos. In Mark, Jesus, the Son of God, did not eliminate chaos, but taught them to have faith in Him by calming the sea storm of chaos.

我們可以從作者是如何寫開場白，看出他的最終的意圖。在馬可福音第 1 章 第 1 節中闡明：「神的兒子，耶穌基督福音的起頭。」神的兒子是我們的上帝創造者派來的，在《創世紀》中，上帝並沒有消除混沌，而是透過推開混沌之水，帶來了完美的秩序。神的兒子是我們的上帝救贖主派來的，在《出埃及記》中，祂並沒有消除混沌，而是透過分開混沌的紅海，將以色列人拯救出來。在《馬可福音》中，神的兒子耶穌並沒有消除混沌，而是透過平息海上的風暴的混沌，來教導信徒們對祂要有信心。

Jesus could have saved them instantly but he waited. What was Jesus waiting for? What did Jesus want his disciples to learn? Could it be beneficial for other boats to see what’s happening to Jesus’ followers even if He was with them? 

耶穌本可以立即拯救他們，但祂等待對的時機。耶穌在等什麼呢？耶穌希望祂的門徒學習到什麼呢？即使耶穌是和他們在一起，對其他船隻看到耶穌的追隨者是如何處理這事情而言，是否有幫助呢？

Depending on God shouldn’t be an emergency measure but a way of life for the people of God. Jesus wants them to fall into God’s grace each day and any given moment by trusting him remembering who he is, the Son of God. 

依靠神不應該是一種應急的措施，而應該是神的子民的一種生活方式。耶穌希望他們能掉落在神的恩典中，每一天的任何時刻，相信耶穌並記得祂是誰，祂是神的兒子。

We can learn something more from Psalm 107.  After forgetting God’s grace, which saved them from slavery, the Israelites slowly trusted the teachings of other religions, believing in self-sufficiency and self-salvation, or achieving salvation by their own efforts or merits.  

我們可以從詩篇107篇中學到更多東西。在忘記了上帝將他們從奴役中拯救出來的恩典之後，以色列人慢慢地信靠了其他宗教的教導，相信了自給自足和自我救贖，或透過自己的努力或功績獲得救贖。

Psalm 107 beautifully illustrates how God’s steadfast love and forgiveness brought them back to God. God didn’t eliminate the weakness, neediness, and sinfulness of humanity, but God delivered them from hostile cosmic forces, the sea and the desert. They gave thanks to God for God’s grace whenever they recalled the story of their exodus, their returning from exile, and even their post-exilic life.

詩篇 107 篇優美地說明了神的【堅定不移的愛】和【寬恕】是如何使他們回到神的身邊。上帝並沒有消除人類的軟弱、匱乏和罪惡，但上帝將他們從敵對的宇宙力量、海洋和沙漠中拯救出來。每當他們回憶起出埃及、流亡歸來、甚至流亡後的生活時，他們就會感謝神的恩典。

Our Challenges

There are two helpful metaphors to describe our challenges –  1.) when we are not aware that we are in the midst of drowning, it is like a frog slowly boiling to death without knowing what’s going on; 2.) when we are fighting against the chaos with our own strength that is obviously absent, it is like an ostrich burying its head in the sand to avoid danger by living in denial of what’s around it. 

有兩個有用的比喻來描述我們面臨的挑戰 – 1.）當我們沒有意識到自己正處於溺水之中時，就像一隻青蛙在不知道發生了什麼的情況下慢慢被煮死； 2.）當我們想用，那明明自己已經缺乏的力量，來對抗混沌困難時，就像鴕鳥將頭埋在沙子裡來避免危險，活在否認周圍的事物中，也既是自欺欺人的生活。

Sin can boil us slowly to death. Sin can also penetrate into all we say and do no matter where and how we hide ourselves. Instead of being boiled to death, let us fall into God’s grace; instead of avoiding reality and hiding in the darkness, let us fall into God’s grace. Let us depend on God whose steadfast love and forgiveness can swallow up our sin – our self-sufficiency and self-salvation. 

罪會把我們慢慢地煮死。無論我們在何處以及如何隱藏自己，罪也可以滲入到我們的言行舉止當中。與其被煮死，不如讓我們掉落在神的恩典之中；與其逃避現實，躲在黑暗中，不如讓我們掉落在神的恩典之中。讓我們依靠上帝，讓祂【堅定不移的愛】和【寬恕】來吞噬我們的罪——我們自給自足和自我救贖的罪。

God’s Good News

So, what will you do differently from now on when you encounter a storm in your life, a storm in the life of your loved one, or a storm at church?  The beginning of good news is Jesus, the Son of God, St. Mark wrote this. What does this good news say to any chaos that we face in our lives today?

那麼，從現在開始，當你遇到生活中的風暴、或是你所愛之人生活中的風暴，或是教會中的風暴時，你會採取哪些不同的做法？ 聖馬可寫道：「神的兒子，耶穌基督福音的起頭。」這個福音對我們今日生活中所面臨的混亂困境，有何啟示？

Jesus’ name in Hebrew is Yeh-Ho-Shoo-Ah, and its shorter form is Yeh-Shoo-Ah. It carries a profound meaning, salvation or deliverance.  Because of who Jesus Christ is and what he has accomplished, every life created by God and redeemed by God is saved by God through faith by grace. Every life is precious and treasured by God. 

耶穌的希伯來名字是 Yeh-Ho-Shoo-Ah，其名字縮短形式是 Yeh-Shoo-Ah。它帶有著深刻的意思，也既是救贖或解脫。 由於耶穌基督是誰以及祂所成就的事，每一個由神所創造並被神救贖的生命，都藉著恩典和信靠，被神拯救。每一個生命都是寶貴的，都是被神所珍惜的。

St. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And Jesus Christ died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but live for Jesus Christ who died and was raised for them.”

聖保羅在哥林多後書 5:14-15 說：「原來基督的愛激勵我們，因我們想：一人既替眾人死，眾人就都死了；並且祂替眾人死，是叫那些活著的人不再為自己活，乃為替他們死而復活的主活。」

May we fall into God’s grace as we cry out for help, the place we want to be, the way we want to live, for we know that God’s Word has the power to deliver us and save us from chaos. 

 願我們在呼求主幫助時，掉落到神的恩典中，那是我們想要待的地方，那是我們想要的生活方式，因為我們知道，神的話語有能力拯救我們，將我們從混亂困境中拯救出來。

Thank you Lord Jesus, the Son of God, for our salvation and our deliverance.

感謝主耶穌，神的兒子，是我們的救贖或解脫。

Amen.阿門。阿們。