晨興聖言-信徒(一)-(W08-5)

第八週 週五

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晨興餧養

太九38   所以要祈求莊稼的主,催趕工人收割祂的莊稼。

十一29~30 我心裏柔和謙卑,因此你們要負我的軛,且要跟我學,你們魂裏就必得安息;因為我的軛是容易的,我的擔子是輕省的。


屬天的王認為以色列人是羊,祂自己是他們的牧人〔太九36〕。基督第一次臨到以色列人時,他們如同患麻風的、癱瘓的、鬼附的和各樣可憐的人,因為他們沒有牧人照顧。現今基督為着建立祂屬天的國度,在祂君尊的職事裏不僅作醫生,也作牧人服事他們,正如以賽亞五十三章六節和四十章十一節所豫言的。…屬天的王認為百姓不僅是羊,也是莊稼〔太九37〕。羊需要牧養,莊稼需要收割。…屬天國度的王認為自己不僅是羊的牧人,也是莊稼的主〔38〕。祂的國是用能長大並繁衍的生命之物建立的。祂是擁有這莊稼的主。我們是羊群,也是莊稼。羊群是由活的動物組成,莊稼是由活的植物組成。在主耶穌手下,沒有一樣是無生命的。…在這屬天之王照顧之下的一切,都是活的(馬太福音生命讀經,四○一至四○三頁)。

信息選讀

我們都需要看見主耶穌是莊稼之主的異象。在馬太九章三十八節主告訴我們,要祈求莊稼的主,催趕工人收割祂的莊稼。……許多時候我們覺得需要工人,就發出求助的呼聲。但從現在起,每當你覺得需要工人,你必須先向莊稼的主禱告說,主阿,這裏有你的莊稼。你是莊稼的主,我們呼求你催趕一些收割的人。主阿,差遣更多的人收割你的莊稼。…這樣禱告的意思是我們看見了異象,我們的基督,君王,牧人,乃是莊稼的主。每當你禱告主差遣人收割祂的莊稼,你就極其尊榮祂。這與請人幫助你的工作有何等的不同!你這樣作,並沒有尊榮基督為莊稼的主。…你成了那工作的主人,你不認為祂是莊稼的主。

在十一章二十八節,主發出一個呼召:凡勞苦擔重擔的,可以到我這裏來,我必使你們得安息。…這真是恩典的話!二十八節所題的勞苦,不僅是指為了遵守律法誡命和宗教規條而努力的勞苦,也是指為了工作成功而奮鬥的勞苦。…安息不僅是指從律法與宗教,或工作與責任的勞苦並重擔中得着釋放,也是指完全的平安和完滿的滿足。

負主的軛〔29~30〕就是接受父的旨意。這不是受律法或宗教義務的規律或支配,也不是受任何工作的奴役,乃是受父旨意的約束。主過這樣的生活,並不在意別的,只在意祂父的旨意(約四34,五30,六38)。祂將自己完全降服於父的旨意(太二六3942)。因此,祂要我們跟祂學。神的旨意就是我們的軛。因此,我們不能為所欲為;我們乃是負軛的。…主的軛是父的旨意,祂的擔子是將父旨意實行出來的工作。這樣的軛是容易的,不是痛苦的;這樣的擔子是輕省的,不是沉重的。容易,原文表明合用;因此是美好、親切、柔和、溫良、容易、愉快,與艱難、嚴酷、尖銳、痛苦相對。

主說,我們若負祂的軛,且跟祂學,我們魂裏就必得安息〔十一29〕。負主的軛,跟主學,就叫我們的魂得安息。這是裏面的安息,不是任何僅僅在本質上是外面的事物(馬太福音生命讀經,四○三、四三九至四四一頁)。

參讀:馬太福音生命讀經,第二十九至三十一篇。

WEEK 8 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

Matt. 9:38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest.

 11:29-30 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

The heavenly King considered the Israelites as sheep and Himself as the Shepherd [Matt. 9:36]. When Christ came to the Jews the first time, they were like lepers, paralytics, the demon-possessed, and all manner of pitiful persons because they had no shepherd to care for them. Now in His kingly ministry for the establishing of His heavenly kingdom, He ministered to them not only as a Physician but also as a Shepherd, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:6 and 40:11. The heavenly King considered the people not only sheep but also the harvest [Matt. 9:37]. The sheep needed shepherding, and the harvest needed reaping. The King of the heavenly kingdom considered Himself not only the Shepherd of the sheep but also the Lord of the harvest [v. 38]. His kingdom is established with things of life that can grow and multiply. He is the Lord who owns this crop. We are both the flock and the crop. The flock is made up of living animals, and the crop, of living vegetation. Under the hand of the Lord Jesus, nothing is lifeless…Everything under the care of this heavenly King is living. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 340-341)

Todays Reading

We all need to see a vision of the Lord Jesus as the Lord of the harvest. In Matthew 9:38 the Lord told us to beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest…Many times when we sense the need for workers, we sound out the call for help. But from now on, whenever you sense the need for workers, you must first pray to the Lord of the harvest,  saying, “Lord, here is Your harvest. You are the Lord of the harvest. We call on You to thrust out some reapers. Lord, send more reapers into Your harvest.”… To pray like this means that we have seen a vision that our Christ, the kingly One, the Shepherd, is the Lord of the harvest. Whenever you pray that the Lord would send reapers into His harvest, you honor Him very much. How different this is from inviting people to help you in your work! When you do that, you do not honor Christ as the Lord of the harvest…You become the master of that work, and He is not considered as the Lord of the harvest.

In 11:28 the Lord sounded out a call: “Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”…What a gracious word! The toil mentioned in verse 28 refers not only to the toil of striving to keep the commandments of the law and religious regulations but also to the toil of struggling to be successful in any work…Rest refers not only to being set free from the toil and burden under the law or religion or under any work or responsibility but also to perfect peace and full satisfaction.

To take the Lord’s yoke [vv. 29-30] is to take the will of the Father. It is not to be regulated or controlled by any obligations of the law or religion or to be enslaved by any work but to be constrained by the will of the Father. The Lord lived such a life, caring for nothing but the will of His Father (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38). He submitted Himself fully to the Father’s will (Matt. 26:39, 42). Hence, He asks us to learn from Him. God’s will is our yoke. Thus, we are not free to do as we please; rather, we are yoked… The Lord’s yoke is the Father’s will, and His burden is the work to carry out the Father’s will. Such a yoke is easy, not bitter, and such a burden is light, not heavy. The Greek word rendered “easy” means “fit for use”; hence, good, kind, mild, gentle, easy, pleasant, in contrast to hard, harsh, sharp, and bitter.

The Lord said that if we take His yoke upon us and learn from Him, we will find rest for our souls [11:29]. The rest we find by taking the Lord’s yoke and learning from Him is for our souls. It is an inward rest; it is not anything merely outward in nature. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 341, 371-373)

Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msgs. 29—31

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