晨興聖言-信徒(一)-(W08-4)
第八週 • 週四
晨興餧養
太九16~17 再者,沒有人用未漂過的布作補丁,補在舊衣服上,因為所補上的,會扯破那衣服,裂縫就更大了。也沒有人把新酒裝在舊皮袋裏;不然,皮袋脹裂,酒瀉出來,皮袋也就壞了。人乃是把新酒裝在新皮袋裏,兩樣就都得保全。
基督先是未漂過的布,為要作成一件新衣服;然後,祂藉着死而復活,就作成了一件新衣服,在神面前作我們的義,遮蓋我們,使我們能得神稱義,蒙祂悅納。…把未漂過的布補在舊衣服上,是〔僅僅〕效法基督在地上為人生活時所作的。
馬太九章十六節的舊衣服,表徵人靠着天然的舊生命而有的好舉止、好行為和宗教的作法。…主耶穌…向約翰的門徒指明,…他們的衣服有破洞,他們想要藉着禁食來補這些破洞(馬太福音生命讀經,三七七至三七八頁)。
信息選讀
主耶穌把自己比喻為一塊未漂過的布。這指出祂在成為肉體和釘十字架之間的所是。在這段期間,祂是未漂過的布,是從未蒸洗或處理的新布。藉着祂的死而復活,這新布經過了處理,並且作成了一件新衣服。主的心意不是要把祂自己當作一塊未漂過的布賜給我們,乃是要把祂自己當作一件完整、作成的衣服賜給我們,使我們穿上,作我們的義,好叫我們在神面前得稱義。祂死而復活之後,成了作好的衣服,給我們穿上,使我們可以參加祂的婚禮。因此,祂不僅是新郎,也是我們的禮服,使我們有資格參加祂的婚筵。…我們浸入祂,就穿上祂。是靈的基督就立刻成為我們的衣服,我們的遮蓋,使我們合格。因此,我們必須穿上的新衣服,就是基督自己這包羅萬有的靈。
〔馬太九章十七節〕裏的新酒,象徵基督是新生命,滿有活力,激人振奮。新酒就是基督激勵人的生命。……這新酒加強我們,加力給我們,使我們十分快活。君尊的救主不僅是國度子民的新郎,作他們的享受,也是他們的新衣,在外面裝備他們,使他們有資格參加婚禮。此外,祂也是他們的新生命,在裏面激動他們,好享受祂作他們的新郎。祂這屬天的王乃是新郎,作國度子民的享受;祂屬天的國度也是祂的婚筵(二二2),使他們能享受祂。他們要在國度的筵席上,享受祂作新郎,就需要祂在外面作他們的新衣服,並在裏面作他們的新酒。
在九章十七節主說,我們不該把新酒裝在舊皮袋裏。舊皮袋象徵宗教的作法,就如舊宗教的法利賽人,以及新宗教的約翰門徒,所持守的禁食。一切的宗教都是舊皮袋。…把新酒裝在舊皮袋裏,就是把基督這使人振奮的生命,放在任何一種宗教裏。
〔十七節的〕新皮袋象徵地方召會的召會生活,是新酒的容器,這新酒乃是基督自己那使人振奮的生命。國度的子民是建造在召會中(十六18),召會又是藉着他們所活在其中的地方召會得着彰顯(十八15~20)。他們是蒙了重生的人,構成基督的身體,成為召會(羅十二5,弗一22~23)。這基督的身體乃是祂的豐滿,也稱為『那基督』(林前十二12,直譯),就是團體的基督。個人的基督是新酒,乃是裏面使人振奮的生命;團體的基督是新皮袋,乃是外面盛裝新酒的容器(馬太福音生命讀經,三七九、三八一至三八三、三八五頁)。
參讀:馬太福音生命讀經,第二十八篇。
WEEK 8 — DAY 4
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 9:16-17 No one puts a patch of unfulled cloth on an old garment, for that which fills it up pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.
Christ first was the unfulled cloth for making a new garment, and then through His death and resurrection He was made a new garment to cover us as our righteousness before God that we might be justified by God and acceptable to Him…To sew a patch of unfulled cloth on an old garment means to [only] imitate what Christ did in His human life on earth.
The old garment in Matthew 9:16 signifies man’s good behavior, good deeds, and religious practices produced by man’s old, natural life…The Lord Jesus indicated to the disciples of John that…their garments had holes and that by fasting they were trying to patch the holes. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 319-320)
Todays Reading
The Lord Jesus likened Himself to a piece of unfulled cloth. This points to what He was between His incarnation and His crucifixion. During this period of time He was unfulled cloth, new cloth that had never been fulled or dealt with. Through His death and resurrection this “new cloth” was dealt with and was made a “new garment.” The Lord’s intention was to give Himself to us not as a piece of unfulled cloth but as a complete, finished garment that we might put on as our righteousness to be justified before God. After His death and resurrection He was made the finished garment for us to put on so that we may attend His wedding. Thus, He is not only the Bridegroom but also our wedding garment that qualifies us to attend His wedding feast. When we are baptized into Him, we put Him on. Immediately, He as the Spirit becomes our clothing, our covering, and we are qualified. Therefore, the new garment that we must put on is Christ Himself as the allinclusive Spirit.
The new wine [Matt. 9:17] signifies Christ as the new life, full of vigor, stirring people to excitement. The new wine is Christ’s cheering life…This new wine strengthens us, energizes us, and makes us very happy. The kingly Savior is not only the Bridegroom to the kingdom people for their enjoyment but also their new garment for them to be equipped outwardly that they may be qualified to attend the wedding. Furthermore, He is their new life to stir them up inwardly to enjoy Him as their Bridegroom. He, as their heavenly King, is the Bridegroom for the kingdom people’s enjoyment, and His heavenly kingdom is His wedding feast (22:2), at which they will enjoy Him. To enjoy Him as the Bridegroom in the kingdom feast, they need Him as their new garment outwardly and their new wine inwardly.
In Matthew 9:17 the Lord said that we should not put new wine into old wineskins. The old wineskins signify religious practices, such as the fasting maintained by the Pharisees, who were of the old religion, and by the disciples of John, who were of the new religion. All religions are old wineskins…To put new wine into old wineskins is to put Christ as the exciting life into any kind of religion.
The fresh wineskins [in verse 17] signify the church life in the local churches as the container of the new wine, which is Christ Himself as the exciting life. The kingdom people are built into the church (16:18), and the church is expressed through the local churches in which the kingdom people live (18:15-20). They are regenerated persons who constitute the Body of Christ and become the church (Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:22-23). The Body of Christ as His fullness is also called “the Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12), referring to the corporate Christ. The individual Christ is the new wine, the inward exciting life, and the corporate Christ is the fresh wineskin, the outward container that holds the new wine. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 320-326)
Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 28
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