8月1日靈修禱文

Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Grammatically, the present tense is used. (v.7) Merciful means having mercy on others, sympathizing with the needy. For example, when seeing other people's pain, sorrow and trouble, the merciful come to their aid, healing them, extricating them from danger, extending their helping hands out of their merciful hearts. It is not only mercy and sympathy coming out from the heart, but also attitude and action. To have mercy on others is to sympathize with others who have bad luck. Moreover, it is to cross the boundary to express love with action. How does a merciful heart develop? One has to have God's mercy first. That means he gets God's love and forgiveness. Why did Jesus use the Good Samaritan parable? He highlighted the fact that the Samaritan's mercy went beyond racial barrier, and even hatred. The Samaritan's action of mercy surpassed that of the priest and the Levite --- who stood for the prestigious image of Jewish religion and piety. Jesus asked the lawyer: who is a neighbor of the injured person? (Luke 10:25-37)

Let's guess what the priest and the Levite would speak to the injured countryman if they stopped. What was spoken would probably be: according to the law of Moses, you should not.... We would also think that the priest, like the Levite, would not want to touch the man on grounds of religion, hygiene or race, lest he would get involved. Turning to the Samaritan, wasn't it more difficult for him to save a Jew? Jesus described that he helped and saved the man thoroughly. Let's think, his family or companions might object to what he did. There's certainly no advantage for him to help. Jesus told the lawyer this parable in order to bring out a theme: who was a neighbor of the man? What is to love the Lord and to love others as oneself? It is to extend a helping hand willingly to those who have great needs.

May Lord Jesus help us to pursue love, understand God's love, and learn to sympathize with and care about others. May the Lord give us strength to break the barriers between people to extend sympathy and help.

Rev. Eddie Chu

馬太福音 5:7

憐恤人的人有福了，因為他們必蒙憐恤，文法上用現在時態 (v. 7) 憐恤是指憐憫，同情他人的需要，譬如在碰到人的痛苦、悲傷與煩惱，憐恤人的人帶救助、治愈，扶危，出自憐恤的心伸出援手。不僅是心裏發自憐惜與同情，而是態度/表態及行動。 憐恤人就是同情別人的遭遇，而且超越界限，表達愛心行動 怎樣生發憐恤人的心？是因那人先蒙了神的憐恤，這是指他得了神的愛和赦免。為何耶穌用好撒瑪利亞人的比喩？ 他刻意突出撒瑪利亞人的憐恤超越了民族的隔閡，甚至仇恨，那個好撒瑪利亞人施行憐恤，超越猶太宗教敬虔的崇高的形像—祭司，利末人，耶穌向律法師道出誰是這個人的鄰舍？ (路十25至37) 試想祭司，利末人若停下來對受傷的同胞講甚麼？ 他可能會對傷者說，按照摩西的律法，你不應怎樣…，又試想祭司一樣與利末人不想碰他，可能因宗教、衞生或民族等理由，以免牽連自己；但看另一面，撒瑪利亞人救一個猶太人豈不是更難？ 耶穌講述他徹底救助傷者，試想他的家人或同伴可能反對此舉，對自己必定毫無益處。耶穌向律法師引用這比喻就是為帶出一個主題：誰是這個人的鄰舍？甚麼叫愛主和愛人如己？ 就是願意伸出援手，幫助有極度需要的人

求主耶穌助我們追求愛，明白神的愛，學會體恤和關懷他人。求主賜下力量，使我們破除人與人之間的隔閡，施與同情和支援。

朱裕文 牧師