双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：5月15日 主爱罪人

5月15日

主爱罪人

“人子来了，也吃也喝，人又说他是贪食好酒的人，是税吏和罪人的朋友。但智慧之子总以智慧为是。」”

马太福音11:19

已故的艾朗塞博士（Harry Ironside）说：“要谨防错把成见当成我们的信仰”。

我们诚然要谴责邪恶和不法行径。但是我们对罪的不容忍经常演变成对罪人的不容忍。耶稣恨恶罪却爱罪人。

前一阵子，我听说一个资深宗教人士在电视上宣称：“你没见过耶稣接近那些有问题的人或者跟他的思想、价值观不同的人。”这让我觉得又可笑又惊讶。

他应该知道，耶稣不怕与任何人交往。文士和法利赛人严厉批评耶稣的一件事就是：他愿意帮助任何人，与他们交谈和交流，无论是税吏、小偷、博学的文士，还是妓女，无论是富人还是穷人！就连耶稣自己的门徒都不理解主怎么会公开和这些人交往。但是，耶稣丝毫没有减少祂对一切贫穷、瞎眼和困苦的人深切的怜悯。

耶稣是世界上最有胸怀的人。他自己内心强大、坚定、绝不动摇，他可以与任何人群交往。因为他知道自己不会被污染。我们因为惧怕，不愿意听取别人的观点，担心自己的想法受到攻击。耶稣没有这样的惧怕，没有这种狭隘的观点。他不需要防卫和保护自己。耶稣明白什么是仁慈，什么是妥协。我们应该效仿祂。他为我们树立了最伟大、最光辉的榜样，这是真理与恩慈的结合。祂在路加福音10:37说：“你去照样行吧。”（路10:37)

今日祷告：

天父，求祢赐予我们谦卑的心，让我们能够去接近那些失丧的人，倾听他们的诉说，倾听他们的挣扎，将使人得自由的福音带给他们。帮助我们成为祢的儿女，而不是像那些论断祢的法利赛人那样行事为人；奉耶稣的名，阿门。

May 15

JESUS LOVES ALL

The Son of Man came eating and drinking,and they say,“Here is a glutton and a drunkard,a friend of tax collectors and‘sinners’But wisdom is proved right by her actions.Matthew 11:19 NIV

The late Dr.Harry Ironside once said,“Beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions.”

To be sure,we must deplore wickedness,evil,and wrongdoing,but our commendable intolerance of sin too often develops into a deplorable intolerance of sinners.Jesus hates sin but loves the sinner.

I was amused and shocked to hear a man of considerable religious background declare on television not long ago that“you didn’t catch Jesus associating with questionable people or those whose basic ideas and attitudes were at variance with what Jesus knew to be honorable and right!”

Such a man should have known that Jesus wasn’t afraid to associate with anyone!One of the thing which the scribes and Pharisees criticized bitterly was His willingness to help and talk to and exchange ideas with anyone,be they publicans,thieves,learned professors,or prostitutes,rich or poor!Even His own followers decried some of the people with whom He was seen in public,but this did not lessen the compassion that Jesus felt for all the members of poor,blinded,struggling humanity.

Jesus had the most open and all-encompassing mind that this world has ever seen.His own inner conviction was so strong,so firm,so unswerving that He could afford to mingle with any group,secure in the knowledge that He would not be contaminated.It is fear that makes us unwilling to listen to another’s point of view,fear that our own ideas may be attacked.Jesus had no such fear,no such pettiness of viewpoint,no need to fence Himself off for His own protection.He knew the difference between graciousness and compromise,and we would do well to learn from Him.He set for us the most magnificent and glowing example of truth combined with mercy of all time,and in departing said,“Go ye and do likewise”(Luke 10:37).

Pray for the Day:

Father,give us hearts that are humble enough to engage with the lost,to listen to what people say,to hear their struggles,and to bring to them the Good News that sets all of us free.Help us to be Your children and not behave like the Pharisees who criticized You;in Jesus’Name,Amen.