【双语灵修】华夫饼的问题THE WAFFLE PROBLEM

以弗所书 2:11-18

所以你们应当记念：你们从前按肉体是外邦人，是称为没受割礼的，这名原是那些凭人手在肉身上称为受割礼之人所起的；那时你们与基督无关，在以色列国民以外，在所应许的诸约上是局外人，并且活在世上没有指望，没有神。你们从前远离神的人，如今却在基督耶稣里，靠着他的血，已经得亲近了。因他使我们和睦，将两下合而为一，拆毁了中间隔断的墙，而且以自己的身体废掉冤仇，就是那记在律法上的规条，为要将两下借着自己造成一个新人，如此便成就了和睦。既在十字架上灭了冤仇，便藉这十字架，使两下归为一体，与神和好了。并且来传和平的福音给你们远处的人，也给那近处的人；因为我们两下借着他被一个圣灵所感，得以进到父面前。

「因他使我们和睦（原文是「因他是我们的和睦」），将两下合而为一，拆毁了中间隔断的墙」 -弗 2:14

当你把糖浆倒在早餐的华夫饼上时，华夫饼上的凸出的小脊和凹陷的小方块会锁住糖浆，使其无法均匀地散开。因此，你最终会在华夫饼上倒下大量糖浆，这可能对你的健康不利。而在班戟上，糖浆更容易散开。

世界更像一块华夫饼，而不是班戟。例如，一张显示各民族居住地的尼日利亚地图，看起来就像一块华夫饼——除了线条不是直的。现在，我们可能会认为，当耶稣的福音传到一个国家时，很容易就会传遍整个国家。然而，不同群体之间的障碍，譬如语言、文化和历史上的差异，有时甚至是极大的冲突，会让福音难以遍传至每个人。

在早期教会中，犹太人和外邦人（非犹太人）之间存在着巨大的隔阂。神的灵必须在耶稣的跟随者身上强力地工作，才能让他们跨越这个障碍。正如《以弗所书》第二章所指出的，耶稣借着祂的死拆毁了这一道障碍，使所有族群的人都能与神和好，并彼此和好。但实践这个教导并非易事。

在你的生活中，有哪些障碍会阻碍你与他人建立友谊，和分享神的爱呢？

祷告

主啊，求祢帮助我胜过内心的某些态度和恐惧，免得它们成为拦阻我与不同于我的人建立关系的障碍。奉耶稣的名求，阿们。

THE WAFFLE PROBLEM

[Jesus] himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.                                 —Ephesians 2:14

When you pour syrup on a breakfast waffle, the little ridges and squares in the waffle catch the syrup and keep it from spreading out evenly. So you end up putting lots of syrup on your waffle, and that may not be so good for your health. On a pancake the syrup spreads more easily.

The world is more like a waffle than a pancake. A map of Nigeria, for example, showing where the various ethnic groups live, would look like a waffle—except that the lines wouldn’t be straight. Now, we might think that when the good news of Jesus enters a country, it can easily spread all over. But barriers between the groups, like differences in language, culture, and history—and sometimes hostility—can make it difficult for the gospel to be shared with everyone.

In the early church there was a huge barrier between Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). The Spirit of God had to work hard in Jesus’ followers to get them to cross that barrier. As Ephesians 2 points out, Jesus destroyed that barrier through his death so that people of all groups can be reconciled to God and to one another. But putting that teaching into practice is not easy.

What are the barriers in your life that can tend to block friendships and the sharing of God’s love with other people?

Lord, overcome any attitudes and fears in me that can set up barriers and prevent me from connecting with people who are different from me. In Jesus, Amen.