0714 忍受磨難與走第二里路
只是我告訴你們，不要與惡人作對。有人打你的右臉，連左臉也轉過來由他打。 《馬太福音 5:39》
這節經文揭示了身為基督徒的羞辱，在自然界中，如果一個人不還手，那是因為他是一個懦夫；但在屬靈的領域中，如果他不反擊，那正是神的兒子在他裡面的明證。當你受侮辱時，你不僅不能怨恨它，而且必須把它當作在你生命中展示神的兒子的機會。你無法模仿耶穌的本性——它要麼在你裡面，要麼不在你裡面。個人的侮辱成為聖徒去展現主耶穌難以置信的甜美的機會。
登山寶訓的教導不是「盡你的責任」，實際上乃是「盡超出你的責任」。走第二里路或轉另一邊的臉不是你的責任，但耶穌說，如果我們是祂的門徒，我們總是會做這些事；我們不會說：「唉，算了，我就是無法再做什麼了，我一直如此被曲解和誤會。」每當我堅持要求自己的權利時，我傷害了神的兒子，然而事實上，如果我願意自己承受打擊，我就可以防止耶穌受傷。這就是「…要在我肉身上補滿基督患難的缺欠」的真正含義（歌羅西書1:24）。門徒意識到，在他的生命中，那是關係到他的主的榮耀，而不是他自己的榮耀。
永遠不要在別人身上尋找公義，但你自己永遠不要停止是公義的。我們總是在尋求公正，但登山寶訓教導的本質是——永遠不要尋求公正，但也永遠不要停止給出公正。
來自章伯斯的智慧
「人子來的時候，遇得見世上有信德么？」我們對良好的原則、良好的管理、良好的常識都有信心，但我們當中誰對耶穌基督有信心呢？身體上的勇氣是偉大的，道德上的勇氣更偉大，但是在面對生活中巨大問題時信靠耶穌基督的人，抵得上一群英雄。《至善》
0714 Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile
I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. —Matthew 5:39
This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.
The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not, “Do your duty,” but is, in effect, “Do what is not your duty.” It is not your duty to go the second mile, or to turn the other cheek, but Jesus said that if we are His disciples, we will always do these things. We will not say, “Oh well, I just can’t do any more, and I’ve been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist on having my own rights, I hurt the Son of God, while in fact I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I will take the blow myself. That is the real meaning of filling “up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24). A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.
Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
“When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” We all have faith in good principles, in good management, in good common sense, but who amongst us has faith in Jesus Christ? Physical courage is grand, moral courage is grander, but the man who trusts Jesus Christ in the face of the terrific problems of life is worth a whole crowd of heroes. —from “The Highest Good”, 544 R