“The Foolishness of God 上帝的愚拙”
From February 2nd, 2020
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  • 講道題目 / Ser­mon Title: The Foolishness of God 上帝的愚拙
  • 經文 / Scripture: 彌迦書 Micah 6:1-8, 馬太福音 Matthew 5:1-12, 哥林多前書 I Corinthians 1：18-31
  • 語言 / Language: English
  • 講道人 / Preaching: Rev. Aline Russel
  • 翻譯 / Interpreter: 陳之翰 Chih-Han Chen、楊麗姃 Linda Brian
English 中文翻譯
[The 10 Commandments] [十誡]
The 10 Commandments given to Moses for the Israelite wanderers in the wilderness provided a rulebook for the people to follow. 給予摩西的十誡，是為流浪在曠野的以色列人，提供一本準則來遵循。
They describe what is the appropriate behavior for the special people of a holy God. 裡面為上帝特別的選民，描述了何謂適當的行為。
They had a lot to gain by remaining God’s special people. 保持著神的選民這個身分，對他們而言收穫很大。
They had been helped to escape brutal servitude in Egypt. 他們受幫助逃脫了埃及的殘酷奴役。
They had been promised a land of their own, and traveled for 40 years to reach it. 他們受承諾要擁有自己的土地，且為了抵達而旅行了40年。
According to our best guess, the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt took place in about 1200 BC, which makes it over 3,200 years ago. 根據最好的估計，以色列人出埃及大約發生在公元前1200年，距今已有3200多年的歷史。
Our 10 Commandments, given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai during that 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, have had a profound influence in the world. 在荒野中徘徊的40年中，在西奈山上，神賜給摩西的這個十誡對這個世界有著深遠的影響。
Its original purpose was not only to do honor to a holy God, but also to regulate life and help them survive as a community. 它原本的用途不僅是為了榮耀聖潔的神，而且是為了規範他們的生活，並幫助他們的族群存活。
It was a blessing. 那是個祝福。
From the original 10 Commandments, the Law of Moses was developed into an extensive system of religious practices, judicial principles, and guidance for everyday relationships. 摩西律法從最初的十誡發展為兼具宗教傳統，司法原則和指引日常關係的廣泛系統。
It is a model of Rule By Law that made for much greater fairness and much less violence than leaving people to solve their conflicts by themselves. 這是一種法治的模式。與讓人們自己解決衝突相比，它帶來更大的公平，與更少的暴力。
The Hebrew Law has had a profound and positive influence over all of western civilization. 希伯來法律對整個西方文明有著深遠而正面的影響。
The Constitutional Rights Foundation says that the 10 Commandments and many other elements of Hebrew law were a major source for the development of western legal systems and democracy. 憲法權利基金會說，十誡與希伯來律法中的許多元素，是發展出西方法律，與民主制度的一個主要來源。
It influenced Roman law, English law, and our own Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 它影響了羅馬法典，英國法典以及我們自己的《獨立宣言》和《憲法》。
The first 5 books of our Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, make up the Torah, the Jewish Written Law. 《聖經》的前五本書，創世紀，出埃及記，利未記，民數記，申命記，組成《律法書》，也就是《猶太成文法》。
On top of that is the Talmud, a collection of learned commentaries and discussions of that Law, developed over the centuries since. 除此之外還有塔木德經（Talmud），是自幾百年來發展起來的對於這個律法的評論和討論的彙總。
These books contain over 600 commandments! 這些書裡包含600多條誡命！
We like to keep it simple, though, and focus on just the 10. 不過，我們喜歡簡單一點，只關注十誡。
The 10 Commandments are popular, even today, because they give a clear set of rules for us. 十誡在現代都還很普遍，因為它們為我們提供了一套明確的規則。
We like rules, even if we want to ignore them or rebel against them sometimes. 即使我們會想忽略或反抗一些規則，我們還是喜歡它。
We like them because they are not ambiguous, because they are nice and clear. 我們喜歡規則，是因為它們沒有歧義，是因為它們是好的、明確的。
In all the confusing ambiguity and chaos of life, it is nice to have some clear rules. 在所有令人困惑、分歧和混亂的生活中，有一些明確的規則是好的。
Sometimes we forget that they are intended as a blessing, and begin to look at them as a means of earning our own salvation. 我們有時會忘記了它們原本是一種祝福，而開始將它們視為我們自己獲得救贖的一種手段。
[The Beatitudes] [八福]
There have been many monuments and plaques of the 10 Commandments in public buildings in this country and there has been a lot of controversy about it. 在這個國家的公共建築中，十誡的紀念碑和牌匾很多，也因此引起了很多爭議。
It is interesting that no one has demanded that the Beatitudes, from the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus, be placed in similar public places. 有趣的是，沒有人要求將耶穌登山寶訓中的八福放在類似的公共場所。
I wonder what impact it would have if we put “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” in courthouses and “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” in the Capital and in all the state capitals? 我很好奇，如果我們將“以仁慈待人的人多麼有福啊；上帝也要以仁慈待他們！”放在法院；把“促進和平的人多麼有福啊；上帝要稱他們為兒女！”放在首都與各州首府會給有什麼影響？ ？
Sometimes people today think of Jesus as being more “liberal” in terms of moral behavior because of his emphasis on mercy, love, and forgiveness. 有時，現代人認為因為耶穌強調仁慈，愛心和寬恕，所以祂在道德行為上更“自由派”一點。
But he was quite clear about the fact that he did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. 但是他很清楚的表明了自己不是來廢除法律和先知這件事。
In fact, some of the things he said are clearly more demanding than the 10 Commandments. 實際上，他所說的某些事情顯然比《十誡》的要求更高。
Later in this very same chapter of the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,[] you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult[] a brother or sister,[] you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell[] of fire.” (Matthew 5: 21 – 22) 耶穌在馬太福音的同一章後面說：
21「你們聽過，古人曾被禁戒：『不可殺人；殺人的應受裁判。』
22 但是我告訴你們，向弟兄動怒的，也應受裁判；罵弟兄為『廢物』的，得上法庭；罵弟兄為『蠢東西』的，逃不了地獄的火刑。
（馬太福音5：21-22）
But let’s look at the first 12 verses of the Sermon on the Mount that we call the Beatitudes. 但是，讓我們看一下我們稱為八福經的登山寶訓前十二節經文。
Blessed are the poor in Spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, the grieving, the persecuted, the reviled, the pure, those who hunger for righteousness….What does it mean that these people are “blessed?” The Greek word is makarioi. 承認自己靈性貧乏的人多麼有福啊，為罪惡悲傷的人多麼有福啊，謙和的人多麼有福啊，以仁慈待人的，促進和平的，為了實行上帝的旨意而受迫害的，受侮辱的，純潔的，渴望實行上帝旨意的人多麼有福啊。 說這些人”有福”是什麼意思？ 在希臘語中是makarioi。
Some translations use “Happy” instead of “blessed.” But the groups of people being described sound like anything but happy or blessed as we usually think of those words. 有些翻譯使用“快樂”而不是“有福的”。 但是，這些人聽起來一點都不像我們平常想到”快樂”或”有福的”，這些詞語時所想像的。
The word makarioi also includes a sense of being lucky. makarioi這個詞還包含一種幸運的感覺。
So here at the beginning of the new year we look at the words of Jesus and see that he defines being “lucky” in a far different way than we do. 因此，在新年的一開始，我們看耶穌以與我們截然不同的方式來定義“幸運”。
We certainly wouldn’t want to go to someone grieving or being persecuted or insulted and tell them they were “lucky!” 我們當然不希望去找一個傷心，被迫害或被侮辱的人，告訴他們，他們是“幸運”的！
The “Beatitudes” consists of nine “blessed are” statements. “八福”由九個“多麼有福”的陳述組成。
Six of the nine (poor in spirit, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers) relate to the qualities that citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven will possess. 九個中的六個 （承認自己靈性貧乏，謙和的，可望實行上帝旨意的，仁慈待人的，純潔的，與促進和平的） 與天國的公民該具備的品格有關。
The other three (mourn, persecuted, and reviled plus) relate to what happens to kingdom people in this world, beginning with Jesus and continuing even into the present. 其他三個 （為罪惡悲傷的，為實行上帝旨意而受迫害，和受侮辱的）與天國子民，在這個世界上發生的事情有關，從耶穌開始一直持續到現在。
[The Purpose of the Beatitudes] [八福的目的]
One way to look at these verses is to see them as referring to life in the world to come. 有一種理解這些經節的方法是把它們視為對新天地的生活的對照。
According to other sayings of Jesus, those who are on top of the world now are going to switch places with those who are suffering now. 根據耶穌的其他教導，如今處在世界之巔的人們將與遭受苦難的人們交換位置。
The rich and lucky and powerful will be on the bottom, and the poor and the oppressed and the suffering will be on top. 富人，幸運的人和權貴將排在最後，窮人，被壓迫者和受苦難的將排在首位。
That, of course, is aperfectly legitimate interpretation. 這當然是個完全合理的解釋。
On the other hand, Jesus constantly proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven is “at hand,” and the Beatitudes are written in the present tense. 而另一方面，耶穌不斷宣稱天國是“近在眼前”，而八福是用現在式來寫的。
So we are obliged to also think about how someone can be blessed or happy or lucky right now if they are persecuted, reviled, pure, mourning, meek, poor in spirit, hungering for what is right, or making peace. 因此，我們也必須考慮當中
如果有人受迫害，受侮辱，純潔，悲傷，謙和，承認自己靈性貧乏，希望實行上帝旨意或促進和平，
這些人為何現在是受祝福、高興或幸運的。
I think Jesus was doing two things with the Beatitudes. 我認為耶穌以八福做兩件事。
I think he was painting a picture of what people following his way here and now are probably experiencing. 我認為他在描繪跟隨他的人們此時此地可能在經歷的事。
The disciples of Jesus were at just much risk as he was. 耶穌的門徒和他一樣處於極大的危險之中。
The Romans were made uneasy by the crowds that followed Jesus and so were the leaders of the synagogue. 跟隨耶穌的群眾使羅馬人感到不安，也使猶太會堂的領袖們感到不安。
Those who colluded with the Romans were the most uneasy of all. 那些與羅馬人合謀的人是最不安的。
After Jesus was gone, the new communities of believers were at risk as well, and likely to be criticized, persecuted, and worse. 耶穌走後，由信徒所構成的新族群也面臨危險，並可能遭到批評，迫害甚至更糟。
Anyone who was full of the joy and hope of Christ’s vision of the future would mourn the current conditions and hunger and thirst for justice, kindness, and peace to prevail and yearn for the time when Christ would come again. 任何對基督所諭示的未來，充滿喜悅和希望的人，都會哀悼當前的狀況、 渴求正義、友善與和平，以支撐到基督再來之時。
For a follower of Jesus, the Beatitudes provide comfort. 對於耶穌的跟隨者來說，八福提供了安慰。
They are not telling us that we should somehow seek persecution or insults or mourning or even meekness, but if we are working to live out of the good news that we have been given, that we will quite possibly experience them in the life of faith. 八福不是在告訴我們去尋求迫害，侮辱，悲傷，甚至是謙和，但如果我們努力活出已獲得的新生命，那麼我們很可能會在信仰生命中經歷這些。
And if we do, because of our faith, then we can be comforted by the fact that we are probably on the right track in our attempts to follow His way. 如果我們因著信仰而經歷這些，那麼我們會因為”我們大概走在跟隨祂的正確道路上”而感到安慰。
[The Relationship Between the Beatitudes and the Old Testament] [八福與舊約之間的關係]
There is an interesting parallelism between Moses and Jesus. 摩西和耶穌之間有一個有趣的平行關係。
Moses received the 10 Commandments from Mt. Sinai to be a blessing for the people. 摩西從西奈山上收到成為人們的祝福的十誡。
Jesus went up a mountain to give this key sermon about the Kingdom of Heaven. 耶穌上山講關於天國的關鍵講道。
That parallelism would be very meaningful for the Jews who were Matthew’s target audience for his gospel. 這種平行關係對於對於作者馬太所設定的讀者: 猶太人來說非常有意義。
The Sermon on the Mount also echoes several themes from the work of the prophet Isaiah, especially in Isaiah 61. 登山寶訓也呼應了先知以賽亞紀錄中的幾個主題，特別是在以賽亞書61章中。
Jesus claims for himself the role prophesied by Isaiah as the one to bring good news, and is also the one who is meek, who is persecuted, and who is merciful. 耶穌主張自己是以賽亞預言中傳揚好消息的人，也是謙和，受逼迫，仁慈待人的人。
Jesus, the meek and persecuted one, is also the one who inherits the earth and is seated at the right hand of God. 耶穌這一位謙和而受逼迫的人，也是繼承世界並坐在神右邊的那一位。
He is the one who will bring about the healing of the nations. 他是將使萬國得醫治的人。
As Isaiah says in chapter 61, verse 11: 11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.” 正如以賽亞書在第61章第11節中說的：11正像種子發芽生長，至高的上主要拯救他的子民；萬國都要頌讚他。
[Target Audience for the Beatitudes] [八福所設定的讀者]
The Beatitudes were spoken specifically to the close disciples of Jesus. 八福專為耶穌的親密門徒講。
They were the ones who would be participating in that special role as a servant of God heirs with Christ of the kingdom. 他們將參與這個特別的職分，就是與耶穌一起繼承的神國的僕人。
So no matter what they were going through, they could consider themselves lucky because of the special place they had in the coming of the Kingdom. 因此，無論經歷什麼，他們都可以認為自己是幸運的，因為他們在降臨的天國中佔有特殊的地位。
The Beatitudes are not a new set of rules to place more burdens on the disciples. 八福並不是給門徒增加更多負擔的新規則。
They are promises, meant for encouragement. 它們是承諾，旨在鼓勵。
They can help us to recognize signs that we are walking according to the way of Jesus, and in company with God’s prophets. 它們可以幫助我們確認我們正在走在耶穌的道上並與上帝的先知同行。
[How Do We Live As Disciples Now?] [我們現在如何過門徒的生命？]
We live in a time when people succeed often at the expense of others. 我們生活在人們常常以犧牲他人為代價而取得成功的時代。
To be poor in spirit, peaceful, merciful, and meek will get you nowhere in a culture grounded in competitiveness and fear. 承認自己靈性貧乏，促進和平，仁慈待人與謙和會使你在以競爭和恐懼為基礎的文化中毫無作為。
Therefore we look toward the occasional giants of faith like Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, Nelson Mandela, and Desmond Tutu to show us the way in more recent times. 因此，我們望向那些少數的信仰上的巨人，例如馬丁·路德·金，多蘿西·戴伊，納爾遜·曼德拉和戴斯蒙·屠圖，來為我們示範近代的方法。
But really, the Beatitudes are based on a life lived by 3 basic principles: simplicity, hopefulness, and compassion. 但實際上，八福是生活在以下三個基本原則的生命中：簡樸，盼望和憐憫。
It’s not THAT difficult to discern what the loving choice is when we are faced with a decision. 當我們面對一個決定時，分辨哪一個是有愛的選擇並不困難。
Maintaining hopefulness and not allowing ourselves to fall into cynicism is the second principle. 第二個原則是保持盼望，不要讓自己陷入犬儒主義。
Cynicism means we have decided to accept whatever is, rather than doing what we can. 犬儒主義意味著我們決定接受一切，而不是盡我們所能。
Compassion means not just feeling sympathy for those who suffer, but recognizing them as our own brother or sister or child, and walking in their shoes so that we truly share their suffering and their joy. 憐憫不僅意味著對遭受苦難的人表示同情，而且還認他們是自己的兄弟姐妹或孩子，以他們的角度出發來真正地體會他們的苦難和歡樂。
[God’s Foolishness Is Wisdom for Us] [上帝的愚拙對我們是智慧]
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that God does things that don’t make sense from a worldly point of view. 保羅在給哥林多信徒的信中提醒我們，神所做的事情從世俗的角度來看都是不合理的。
There is a song called For the Sake of the Call by Stephen Curtis Chapman that expresses this Godly foolishness. 斯蒂芬·柯蒂斯·查普曼（Stephen Curtis Chapman）有一首歌，叫做《為了呼召之故》，描述了這種神的愚拙。
He sings “What kind of joy is this / That counts it a blessing to suffer / What kind of joy is this / That gives the prisoner his song / What kind of joy could stare death in the face / And see it as sweet victory / This is the joy of a soul that’s forgiven and free.” 他唱說“這是一種什麼樣的喜悅/算受苦是一種祝福/這是一種什麼樣的喜悅/給囚犯他的歌/什麼樣的喜悅可以使人直視死亡/並將其視為甜蜜的勝利/這是被寬恕和自由的靈魂裡的喜悅。”
There is a promised reward, an abiding joy, and the peace that passes understanding for kingdom people. 對天國子民來說，有一個應許的獎賞、恆久的喜樂，與平安是超乎理解的。
Some of the characteristics listed in the Beatitudes may not be the keys to getting ahead in this world, but they have a sure reward in the kingdom. “八福”中列出的某些特徵可能不是在這個世界上取得成功的關鍵，但在天國中，他們肯定會獲得回報。
God chooses weak, imperfect people to do his work. 上帝選擇軟弱，不完美的人來做他的工作。
The cross is something we cherish as a symbol of our salvation, but we too easily forget that it was a mark of shame as well as torture and death in its time. 我們珍惜十字架，它象徵了我們的救贖，但我們很容易忘記它在那個時代是恥辱、酷刑和死亡的標誌。
It was the punishment for a traitor not a hero, and was despicable and humiliating in its execution. 這是對叛徒而不是對英雄的懲罰，在執行過程中是卑鄙和侮辱人的。
The person was stripped, and exposed in all their gruesome suffering in places visible from the roads, and usually the bodies of the victims were just thrown into a pit for garbage instead of given a proper burial. 這人被剝去衣物，並在路上可見的地方遭受了所有慘痛的痛苦，通常受害者的屍體只是被扔進垃圾坑裡，而非適當的埋葬。
There was no funeral for Jesus, although he was given a proper burial. 耶穌雖然有適當的埋葬，但沒有葬禮。
But the danger was great for anyone who was his disciple, so even going to his tomb a couple of days later would have been risky. 但是他的門徒處在巨大的危險中，因此，即使幾天後去他的墳墓也十分冒險。
This is just another way that God turns our expectations of what is great and good upside down. 這只是上帝將我們對偉大和美好事物的期望顛倒過來的另一種方式。
[Living Into God’s Future] [活入上帝的未來]
The Christian writer Henri Nouwen says that many of us have insidious voices inside of us. 基督教作家亨利·諾文（Henri Nouwen）說，我們很多人內心都有陰險的聲音。
One says “Prove that you are a good and worthwhile person.” Another says “You’d better be ashamed of yourself.” Still another voice torments us with “Nobody really cares about you.” And to cope with these, other voice says “You better be successful, popular, and powerful.”  But underneath all these sometimes very noisy voices is one that says, “You are my beloved child, and my favor rests on you.” 一個說：“證明你自己是個好人和有價值的人。”另一個說：“你最好對自己感到羞恥。”又有一個聲音折磨著我們：“沒人真正在乎你。”為了應付這些，其他聲音說“你最好是成功，受歡迎和有權力的人。”
但是在所有這些時常嘈雜的聲音的下面，有一個聲音說：“你是我心愛的孩子，我的恩寵臨到你。”
We need to listen for THAT voice, the one that calls us Beloved. 我們需要傾聽那稱呼我們為”心愛的”的聲音。
It is our Lord’s voice. 這是主的聲音。
It might take solitude, silence, and a determination to listen. 這可能需要孤獨、沉默和傾聽的決心。
Prayer with others is also of great benefit. 與他人禱告也會有很大的幫助。
In February and March we will be entering a season of prayer for our church. 在2月和3月，我們將進入為教會禱告的季節。
All who are available can meet for prayer before worship each Sunday at 9:30. 每個星期天，在禮拜前的9點30分，所有有空的人可以一起來禱告。
We are also resuming the Prayer Meeting at 7:00 pm on second and fourth Wednesday evenings here at the church except in bad weather. 除非天氣不好，我們也將恢復在第二和第四個星期三晚上7點，在教會舉行禱告會。
I will also begin a Bible study and prayer meeting on Wednesdays or Thursdays at 1:00 if three or more people express an interest. 如果三個以上的人有興趣，我也會在每週三或四下午1點舉行查經與禱告會。
The study will focus on the book of Acts. 經節會是使徒行傳。
Please send me an email if you want to attend. 如果您想參加，請發電子郵件給我。
Also, we will have 3 gatherings during the Sunday School hour as part of the Mission Study in preparation for the search for a permanent pastor. 此外，我們會有3次的”教會使命研究會議”，在主日學時間舉行，為尋找固定駐堂牧師做準備。
This will take the place of the regular classes. 這會取代常規課程。
All are encouraged to attend. 鼓勵所有人參加。
The purpose is to provide the opportunity to get to know one another a little better across the different fellowship groups, and also to brainstorm together about the future. 目的是提供各團契間彼此更加了解的機會，也一起為了未來腦力激盪一下。
Most church people I have had these kinds of gatherings with have enjoyed them, and everyone’s contribution is essential. 在大多數我參與過的這種聚會中，教友們都很喜歡，而且所有人的貢獻都是必要的。
I hope that adults responsible for children’s classes can alternate so that each person can participate in at least one of these meetings. 我希望負責兒童課程的成年人可以輪流擔任，以便每個人至少可以參加其中的一次聚會。
This is a fantastic church! 這是個很棒的教會！
I hope we can begin to communicate together for the purpose of helping it become even more fantastic! 我希望我們可以開始彼此溝通，以使它變得更好！