Evil and Good in the Context of God’s Will – Pastor Jade Yi

Psalm 130

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

Mark 3:20-35

What is the worst separation you’ve experienced in your life? For me, it was my parents’ divorce. And what is the best separation you’ve experienced in your life? To be honest, I have a harder time answering this one off the top of my head. But at the very least, I would say that the separation of evil and good is the best thing ever. But the challenge to us is: are we always, I mean all the time, really capable of distinguishing what is evil and what is good in the context of God’s will?

您一生中經歷過, 最糟糕的分離是什麼？對我來說，是我父母的離婚。那麼，在您一生中經歷過最好的分離，又是什麼呢？說實話，我很難一下子回答這個問題。但至少，我覺得，能將善惡分離，應該是有史以來最好的一件事，對吧！但我們面臨的難題是：我們真的能夠根據上帝的旨意，總是很準確無誤的，區分什麼是惡和什麼是善嗎？

We all know about the legal institution of slavery in the US from the early 17th century. It lasted for 250 years. It lasted that long because many believed that black and white people should not co-exist. Black was the symbol of evil and white was the symbol of good. They were so certain that these two should be separated for good. Disturbingly, the Bible was used to justify slavery which was believed to be God’s will. Therefore, they passed Segregation Laws in the 1870s. What was evil and what was good to them in the context of God’s will?

我們都知道美國從17世紀初開始就有奴隸的法律制度。奴隸的法律制度在美國持續了250年之久。它之所以能持續這麼久，是因為許多人認為黑人和白人不應該在日常生活中共存。黑色是邪惡的象徵，白色是良善的象徵。他們非常確定這兩種人類應該永遠的分開。最令人無法理解的是，當時，聖經被用來辯護，認為奴隸的法律制度是神的旨意。因此，他們在 1870 年通過了種族隔離法。如果用神的旨意為背景來解說，對他們而言, 什麼是惡，什麼是善呢？

It’s not new to us that the Bible has been used to justify beliefs and claim them to be God’s will while only benefiting the majority or anyone in power. It wasn’t new to the Jews in the first century either. The Pharisees and the scribes used the scripture to justify their own beliefs and claim their beliefs were God’s will, such as their own interpretation of the laws.

至今，聖經被大多數人或任何掌權者，用來證明有利於自己的證詞，且宣稱是上帝的旨意的事情，對我們來說是常見的。對第一世紀的猶太人來說，這也不是什麼新鮮事。法利賽人和文士也使用聖經，來證明他們自己的信仰解說，也宣稱那是神的意旨，例如他們對律法的解釋。

Last Sunday, we saw how the Pharisees accused Jesus who healed a man with a withered hand on Sabbath. They totally missed the true meaning and purpose of the Holy Sabbath. Did they learn from Jesus at the time that the Holy Sabbath was made for humans and not the other way around? What was good and what was evil to the Pharisees in the context of God’s will?

上週日，我們看到法利賽人是如何指責耶穌在安息日醫治了一位手乾枯萎縮的人。他們完全誤解了神聖安息日的真正意義和目的。當時他們是否從耶穌那裡學到了，神聖安息日是為人類而設立的，而不是反過來的解說？如果用神的旨意為背景來解說，對法利賽人而言，什麼是善，什麼是惡呢？

In the same chapter, we saw that Jesus healed many who went to him from the surrounding regions. And whenever the unclean spirits saw Jesus, they recognized Jesus’ true identity and fell down before him because they knew Jesus was the Son of God. But, the scribes from Jerusalem couldn’t see who Jesus was.

在同一章，我們看到耶穌治癒了許多從周圍各個地區到祂那裡去的人。每當不潔之靈看見耶穌時，他們就認出了耶穌是神的兒子，並俯伏在祂面前，因為他們知道耶穌是誰，但來自耶路撒冷的文士，卻認不出耶穌的身分。

The scribes from Jerusalem, a place representing religious power, accused Jesus as the Prince of demons, a supernatural being, known as Beelzebub. They judged Jesus harshly as the evil one, or Satan, but what Jesus was doing was good – healing people from the possession of unclean spirits. What was evil and what was good to the scribes in the context of God’s will?

來自耶路撒冷，代表宗教權力的的文士，指責耶穌是惡魔之王，是一位持有超自然力的撒旦。在他們嚴厲的審判之下，耶穌是惡者，然而耶穌卻在行善－醫治人們脫離不潔之靈的附身。如果用神的旨意為背景來解說，對文士們而言，什麼是惡，什麼是善呢？

I want to highlight the phrase, “unclean spirits.” The biblical word ‘unclean’ here also can be translated as impure, foul, unhealthy. From the Bible, we learn that the unclean spirits are dependent creatures and can’t operate on their own; that’s why they rely on hosts like animals and humans by possessing them. Though they can talk through humans and harm them, they have very limited power.

我要強調「不潔之靈」這個詞彙。聖經中的「不潔」一詞也可以翻譯為不純潔、污穢、不健康。從聖經中我們得知，不潔之靈是要依賴生物的軀體，不能自行運作；這就是為什麼它們必須透過附身來依賴動物和人類，做為他們的宿主。雖然它們可以透過人類說話並傷害他們，但它們的力量是非常有限制的。

Maybe that is the main reason the unclean spirits listen to Jesus and obey Him. In response to their ridicule and accusation, Jesus warned them about their blasphemies against the Holy Spirit who is God. For we know that Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit and not possessed by the unclean spirit. Jesus also assured them that any sins against humans can be forgiven, but not the sin of offending the Holy Spirit. Such offense will never be forgiven and is an eternal sin.

也許這就是為什麼不潔之靈，會聽從耶穌並服從祂的主要原因。對於他們的嘲諷指控，耶穌警告這些文士，他們是在褻瀆聖靈，也即是冒犯了上帝。因為我們知道，是聖靈充滿了耶穌，而不是不潔之靈附在耶穌的身上。耶穌並向他們確認，任何得罪人類的罪都可以得到赦免，但是得罪聖靈的罪，是不可能被赦免的。冒犯神是永遠不會被原諒的，是一個永恆的罪。

To their benefit, Jesus patiently taught them who his family was. Jesus said that whoever did the will of God was his brother, sister, and mother. So, what is the will of God? In John 6:40, Jesus said God’s will is that all seeing and believing in the Son will be raised up on the last day and have eternal life.

為了他們好，耶穌耐心地教導他們，祂的家人是誰。耶穌說，誰遵行上帝的旨意，誰就是祂的兄弟、姊妹和母親。那麼，神的旨意是什麼呢？在約翰福音 6 章 40 節中，耶穌說道，神的旨意是叫一切看見子而信的人，在末日要復活，且得永生。

What challenges do you see from today’s scripture? How might we have acted like the scribes and the Pharisees to use the Bible to justify our own beliefs or our own interpretations and claim them as God’s will? We all want to follow and obey the will of God. What are the criteria that we use to judge what is good and what is evil, the Ten Commandments or something else? I wonder if the Ten Commandments are significant enough to guide our ethical standards as we live before God?

從今天的經文，你看到我們所面臨到難題，是哪些呢？ 我們曾經是否有如文士和法利賽人一樣，用聖經來證明我們自己的聖經解說是對的，且宣稱那是神的旨意呢？我們都想遵循並服從神的旨意。但我們是用什麼標準 ，來判斷善惡呢，是以十誡的標準還是以其他的律法呢？我很好奇，十誡是否有足夠的份量，作為我們的倫理標準，足以引導我們在神面前，活出正確的生活呢？

In 2 Corinthians 4, St. Paul encourages us to focus on our inner nature that can be renewed daily. Everyday could be a new me and a new you that I mentioned last Sunday. The newness of our inner nature is filled with God’s grace but can’t be seen easily, and St. Paul reminds us that the inner nature of ours does exist eternally and will remain in the house of God when our temporary outer nature wastes away.

在《哥林多後書》第 4 章中，聖保羅鼓勵我們，要專注於每天可以被更新的內在本性。正如我上週日提到的，每一天都可能是一個新的我和一個新的你。 我們內在本性的更新，是充滿了神的恩典，但卻不容易被看見。聖保羅提醒我們，我們的內在本性，將會永遠存在，並且當我們暫時的外在本性消逝時，我們的內在本性，仍然存留在神的住所。

Our inner and outer nature do affect our decision making and our behaviors to God and to others. This reminds me of an article I read about the difference between the word ‘ethics’ and the word ‘morals.’

我們的內在和外在本性確實會影響我們的決策以及我們對上帝和他人所做出的行為。這讓我想起我讀過關於「倫理」一詞 和「道德」一詞之間的區別的一篇文章。

The word ‘ethics’ in Greek literally means ‘stall.’ It is a hiding place like our inner nature. It is a place where we can go and find security; it is also a place where we can depend on and find rest and peace. Ethics is what ought to be, is normative, permanent and unmovable as our inner nature.

「倫理」一詞在希臘文中的字面意思是「陳列臺」。它是一個隱密的地方，就像我們的內在本性一樣。這是一個我們可以去尋找安全感的地方；它也是我們可以依靠、得到休息與平安的地方。「倫理」是應當要有的，是有規範的、是永久的、是不可動搖的，就像我們的內在本性，是一樣的。

On the other hand, ‘morals’ in Greek means ‘always changing.’ Morals are what it is and what we can observe easily like our outer nature. Our lives are guided by mostly moral determinations; and we easily forget to access our inner nature filled with God’s grace and where the ethical standards remain as the people of God.

另一方面，希臘語中的「道德」意味著「總是在變化」。道德就是呈現在我們眼前所看到的，就像我們的外在本性一樣，是可以容易被觀察到的。我們主要是用道德來決定和規範的生活；但身為上帝子兒女的我們，卻常常容易忘記在那充滿上帝恩典的內在本性裡，存在著倫理標準。

We all have our own stories. Unconsciously or consciously we are enslaved by the teachings of the world that makes us who we are today. It’s very complex. Sometimes, the impact of either good or bad from our past or the world’s teaching can linger in our lives for a long period of time. Sometimes, people have to find courage and learn to move on and be transformed by the will of God.

我們都有自己的故事。在無意識或有意識地，我們成為世界教義的奴隸，正是這些教義造就了今日的我們。這是非常複雜的。有時，我們的過去或世界的教義帶給我們的善惡好壞，對我們生活上的影響，可能會持續很長的一段時間。有時，人們必須尋找到勇氣，學會繼續向前行進，並讓上帝的旨意，來改變以及蛻變我們的人生。

Psalm 130 is a psalm of repentance and redemption. This Psalm reminds me that whenever I made mistakes, my parents would punish me and wouldn’t talk to me right away even though they were with me and knew my regret. The only way I knew I was fully forgiven was when they started talking to me with a smile and said these words to me, “Don’t do it again.”

詩篇130篇是一首悔改和救贖的詩篇。這首詩篇讓我想起每當我小時候犯錯時，我的父母都會懲罰我，儘管他們和我在一起，知道我的悔恨，也不會立刻跟我說話。當他們開始微笑著對我說這些話時，「不可再這樣了喔!」那時，我便知道，他們完全原諒我了。

The Psalmist 130 and his faith community cried to God out of the depths because they made bad and unwise judgments on how to live as God’s chosen nation. Even though they knew God was with them, they yearned for the Word of God.

130詩篇的作者 和他的會眾，從深處向上帝呼求禱告。因為他們對如何作為上帝的選民，在生活上，做出了錯誤且不明智的判斷。儘管他們知道神與他們同在，但他們渴望神的話語。

When Jesus Christ, the Word of God, came to them, the nation couldn’t recognize Him. They couldn’t comprehend the way God came to them in Jesus. They were apprehensive of the teachings of Jesus. Their prides and egos were threatened by Jesus’s love for people especially those being despised and separated by them from God.

神的話語，也既是耶穌基督，降臨到他們當中時，這個民族卻無法認出祂。他們無法理解神透過耶穌來到世上的方式。他們對耶穌的教導感到憂慮。耶穌對人的愛，特別是那些被他們輕視並將他們與上帝隔絕的人的愛，威脅到了他們的驕傲和自負。

Thanks be to God for Jesus, for his birth, his life, his death, and his resurrection. Thanks be to God for us to know Jesus and for granting God’s salvation to us through faith. Thanks be to God for all who see Jesus and embrace the redemption in Christ, that’s God’s Will. May God’s will help us see what is good and what is evil. Amen.

感謝神賜我們耶穌，他的出生、祂的生命、祂的死亡和祂的復活。感謝神讓我們認識耶穌並藉著信心得到神的救恩。感謝神的旨意，讓人們看見耶穌並得到基督的救贖。願神的旨意幫助我們分辨善惡好壞。阿們。