跟隨萬王之王5
要認得主的聲音，我們必須認識祂，其中一個主所擁有的重要特性就是祂「心裡柔和謙卑」（馬太福音11:29）。有誰比主耶穌更有驕傲的權利，但祂卻心裡柔和謙卑。
耶穌不單是萬王之王，祂是萬有的造物主，正如約翰福音第一章和歌羅西書一章15-20節所證實的。在主面前我們連作為一粒塵埃的資格都沒有，祂卻允許我們向祂懇求。正如我們在聖經許多地方的描述，主允許人來改變祂的心意和行動。祂擁有超乎一切的權柄，卻允許軟弱墮落的人與祂一同掌權。我們有聽到像這樣的聲音嗎？
我們也必須思想的是，這位神的羔羊同時也是獅子！有時祂聽起來像羔羊，有時像獅子。有些人認識的祂像羔羊，當祂以猶大支派的獅子來到，反而無法看見祂。同樣地，有些人只能將祂視為獅子，但祂兩者都是，而且一直以來兩者都是。
因此，要認識祂的完全面貌，我們必須同時將祂視為羔羊和獅子，正如羅馬書十一章22節所言：「可見神的恩慈和嚴厲」。那些只能看見祂的恩慈，對祂的看法會有所扭曲。不去看兩者極端部分的能力是伴隨成熟而來，這是與祂一起的經驗所帶來的結果。
我們必須來認識耶穌，其中一個具有挑戰性的例子，即是對於前往以馬忤斯路上的兩個人的描述。儘管這些門徒跟隨耶穌好多年了，當耶穌加入他們，開始給予有可能是最偉大的教導，他們卻沒有認出祂─基督傳講著自己從聖經的開頭到末了，但是他們卻沒有認出祂。為什麼呢？
他們不能認出祂，就和今日的信徒在主親近他們時錯過祂的原因一樣，馬可福音道出了原因:「耶穌變了形像，向他們顯現」（馬可福音16:12）。我們若來自浸信會的形式，如果主以長老會或天主教的形式走向我們，我們很可能會錯過祂！我們若習慣靈恩派的形式，如果主以浸信會的形式走向我們，我們可能會錯過祂。在我的經驗裡，因著我個人的偏見，主常以最容易冒犯我之人的形式走向我。藉此方式，祂想要拆毀祂子民因自己屬靈偏執所築的牆。
因此，正如前往以馬忤斯路上的門徒，只認識肉身的耶穌─祂的外貌，這不是許多人認識祂的方式─更多根據外在而不是跟隨祂的靈？如果他們是以祂的靈認識祂，他們就會認出祂，我們也是如此。許多時候祂可能嘗試親近我們，我們卻無法在那些祂所臨到的人身上看見祂。祂不是在馬太福音廿三章39節說：「我告訴你們，從今以後，你們不得再見我，直等到你們說：奉主名來的是應當稱頌的。」這意味著從那之後，我們不得再見祂，直到我們可以從祂所差派到我們這裡來的人身上看見祂。
在此描述中，我們也看見當主擘餅時，這些門徒的眼睛打開了，才認出祂來。那也是我們必須認出祂的一個主要方式，不單是透過我們喜愛的老師或作者來聆聽主的話，我們必須聽見主自己對我們說話。那是當祂成為我們的老師，供應我們每天的靈糧，才能使我們的眼睛打開看見祂。
我知道某人是神所差派真教師的方式，不光是他們多善於表達，或是他們的信息多有深度，而是當我聽見我們教師耶穌透過他們說話。於是，我不單是聽見關於祂的話，我乃是直接聽見祂說話，祂想要成為擘開我們靈糧的那位主。
(摘自喬納word for the week, Week 35, 2021)
Follow the King, Part 5
To know the Lord’s voice, we must know Him. One of the crucial characteristics that He has is that He is “gentle and humble of heart” (see Matthew 11:29). If anyone ever had a right to be proud, it would be Him, but He is not.
Jesus is more than the King of all; He is the Creator of all as verified in John 1 and Colossians 1:15-20. We hardly qualify as specks of dust before Him, but He allows us to entreat Him. As we see in several biblical accounts, He has allowed people to change His mind and actions. He has authority over all, yet He allows even frail and fallen people to have authority with Him. Are we hearing the voice of one like this?
We must also consider that the one Who is the Lamb of God is also a Lion! At times, He may sound like a lamb, and at times like a lion. There are some who get to know Him as the Lamb, but cannot see Him when He comes as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Likewise, there are some who can only see Him as the Lion. He is both, and He is both all of the time.
So, to know Him as He is, we must see Him as both as we are told in Romans 11:22: “Behold then the kindness and severity of God.” Those who can only see His kindness have a distorted view of Him. Likewise, those who only see His severity have a distorted view of Him. The ability to not see just in extremes comes with the maturity that is the result of experience with Him.
One of the challenging examples of how we must come to know Jesus is the account of the two men on the Road to Emmaus. Even though these disciples had been with Jesus for years, they could not recognize Him when He joined their company and began to give what may be the greatest teaching ever—Christ preaching Christ from the beginning of the Scriptures to the end. Yet, they could not recognize Him. Why?
They could not recognize Him for the same reason even many of His close disciples today often miss Him when He draws near to them. As it says of this account in Mark, “He appeared to them in a different form” (see Mark 16:12). If we are from a Baptist form, we will likely miss Him if He comes to us in a Presbyterian, or, God forbid, a Catholic! If we are used to the Charismatic form, we can miss Him if He comes to us in a Baptist form, etc. In my experience, the Lord has often come to me in those who I would naturally be the most offended by because of my prejudice. In this way, He is seeking to tear down the walls between His people built by our own spiritual bigotry.
So, just as the two men on the Road to Emmaus only knew Him after the flesh, His appearance, is that not how many of us know Him—more after externals than after His Spirit? If they had known Him after the Spirit, they would have recognized Him, and so would we. Many times He likely tried to draw near to us, but we could not see Him in those He came in. Did He not say in Matthew 23:39, “From now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” This implies that after this we would not see Him unless we could see Him in those He sends to us.
In this account, we also see that these disciples had their eyes opened to recognize Him when He broke the bread. That is also a primary way that we too must come to recognize Him. Instead of just hearing words from the Lord through our favorite teachers or authors, we must learn to hear the Word Himself speaking to us. It is when He becomes our Teacher, the One who provides our daily bread, that our eyes will be opened to see Him.
The way that I know someone is a true teacher sent by God is not by how articulate they are, or even how deep their messages are, but it is when I hear my Teacher speaking through them. Then I’m not just hearing words about Him, I’m hearing Him. He wants to be the One who breaks our bread.
