經文: 「凡不背著自己十字架跟從我的，也不能作我的門徒。這樣，你們無論什麼人，若不撇下一切所有的，就不能作我的門徒。」— [聖經·路加福音 14章27,33節]
耶穌第三次提到背十字架，並為它加上新的詮釋，祂慎重地再三闡釋，人若不恨惡自己的性命，捨棄他一切所有的，就不配作祂的門徒。
為何耶穌要訂下「人若不恨惡自己的性命」這樣苛刻的標準？因為我們從亞當所遺傳老我的天性，是充滿罪惡與敗壞，若我們能透視到老我「無可救藥」的敗壞，就會訝異的轉身而逃。「體貼肉體的，就是與上帝為仇。」(羅馬書 8章7節)，若我們想要愛上帝，就不得不恨惡這個「從裡……到外」都壞透的「敗壞老我」；而且，恨惡自己生命的，就肯捨己犧牲，願意背起自己的十字架，把老我的邪情私慾一併釘死在十字架上。當我們真正「恨惡」老我到一個地步，知道在它裡面毫無良善可言，我們才願意放下自我和倒空自己，將老我釘死在十字架上，並讓它徹底死透。
耶穌最後又加一句：「若不撇下一切（包括財產、個性）所有的，就不能作我的門徒。」(路加福音 14章33節)。耶穌要我們獻上一切，但也負責供應我們一切的需要，並應許要百倍報償我們。憑藉信心我們明白何謂認識耶穌、愛耶穌，並知道惟有祂能滿足人內心真正的需要，且為我們預備永生的歸宿。藉此我們才明白所謂的奉獻與捨己，實在不是一種犧牲而是一種恩召，一種蒙福的管道。當我們明白、體悟到耶穌真是我們的生命，那時我們就能視萬事為糞土，以認識主耶穌為至寶。在跟隨主耶穌的過程中，我們就越來越認識祂，越來越愛祂，並願意犧牲捨己及尊主為大，將自己生命的主權交給祂，讓主越興盛彰顯而自我越衰微渺小。
—《 神 的 心 意 》
[每日靈修 6月11日]
作者：慕安德烈
編輯：榮華興
[圖片版權屬「耶穌超乎萬名之名」所有，在此僅供分享福音用途。]
『 He Cannot Be My Disciple 』
Scripture: “If any man cometh unto Me, and hateth not his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.” — [Luke 14:26-33]
For the third time Christ speaks about bearing the cross. He gives new meaning to it when He says that a man must hate his own life and renounce all that he hath. Thrice over He solemnly repeats the words that without this a man cannot be His disciple.
“If a man hate not his own life.” And why does Christ make such an exacting demand the condition of discipleship? Because the sinful nature we have inherited from Adam is indeed so vile and full of sin, that if our eyes were only opened to see it in its true nature, we would flee from it as loathsome and incurably evil. “The flesh is enmity against God”; the soul that seeks to love God cannot but hate the old man which is corrupt through its whole being. Nothing less than this, the hating of our own life, will make us willing to bear the cross, and carry within us the sentence of death on our evil nature. It is not till we hate this life with a deadly hatred that we will be ready to give up the old nature to die the death that is its due.
Christ has one word more: “He that renounceth not all that he hath,” whether in property or character, “cannot be My disciple.” Christ claims all. Christ undertakes to satisfy every need and to give a hundredfold more than we give up. It is when by faith we become conscious what it means to know Christ, and to love Him and to receive from Him what can in very deed enrich and satisfy our immortal spirits, that we shall count the surrender of what at first appeared so difficult, our highest privilege. As we learn what it means that Christ is our life, we shall count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. In the path of following Him, and ever learning to know and to love Him better, we shall willingly sacrifice all, self with its life, to make room for Him Who is more than all.
— God’s Best Secrets by Andrew Murray
「 11 June 」
