【双语灵修】真理基石THE BEDROCK TRUTH

马太福音 16:13-20 8月8日

月日 马太福音 :- 耶稣到了恺撒利亚-腓立比的境内，就问门徒说：“人说我人子是谁？” 他们说：“有人说是施洗的约翰，有人说是以利亚，又有人说是耶利米或是先知里的一位。” 耶稣说：“你们说

我是谁？” 西门彼得回答说：“你是基督，是永生神的儿子。” 耶稣对他说：“西门．巴约拿，你是有福的，因为这不是属血肉的指示你的，乃是我在天上的父指示的。 我还告诉你：你是彼得，我要把我的教会建造在这磐石上，阴间的权柄不能胜过他。 我要把天国的钥匙给你，凡你在地上所捆绑的，在天上也要捆绑；凡你在地上所释放的，在天上也要释放。” 当下，耶稣嘱咐门徒，不可对人说他是基督。

真理基石

“耶稣对他说：‘西门‧巴约拿，你是有福的，因为这不是属血肉的指示你的，乃是我在天上的父指示的。’” -太 16:17

彼得是一个常常将心中所想脱口而出的人。有时他是对的，有时却错得离谱。但在这段经文中，他对于耶稣的宣告，是绝对的真理。

在该撒利亚腓立比的境内，耶稣问门徒：“人说人子是谁？”听到有人说他像一位伟大的先知后，耶稣问：“你们说我是谁？”彼得脱口而出，发出了一个永恒的宣告：“你是基督，是永生神的儿子。”

彼得是如何知道这一点的呢？这又意味着甚么？考虑到彼得在其他场合脱口而出的话，我们可以确信，这不是出于他自己的智慧，而是神启示他的。正如耶稣自己所说：“西门‧巴约拿，你是有福的！因为这不是属血肉的指示你的，乃是我在天上的父指示的。”只有神借着圣灵，才能够启示耶稣的神性身份。

尽管彼得说出了真理，但他并未完全理解。耶稣为救我们脱离罪而舍命，并从死里复活，赐我们永生，才显明了完整的意义。只有永生神的儿子才能成就这一切，正如神自己所计划的（使徒行传2:22-36）。

那么，我们呢？唯有在信心增长并与耶稣同行时，我们才开始明白神的爱，以及这一切对我们的意义。

祷告

主耶稣，感谢祢向彼得和我们启示了祢自己。请帮助我们在对祢的信心和信靠中不断成长。阿们。

Matthew 16:13-20

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8

THE BEDROCK TRUTH

“Blessed are you, Simon . . . for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” —Matthew 16:17

Peter was a person who would often just blurt out what he was thinking. Sometimes he was right, and other times he was embarrassingly wrong. But in this passage he spoke the absolute truth about Jesus.

In the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Hearing that people were saying he was like one of the great prophets, Jesus asked, “But what about you? . . . Who do you say I am?” And Peter blurted out a confession for the ages: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

How did Peter know this, and what did it mean? Considering some of the things Peter blurted out in other settings, we can be confident that this was not from his own wisdom. Instead, it was revealed to him by God. As Jesus himself said, “Blessed are you, Simon . . . This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” Only God, through the Holy Spirit, could reveal Jesus’ divine identity.

Though Peter spoke the truth, he didn’t fully understand it. The full meaning was revealed later, after Jesus gave up his life to save us from sin, and when he rose from death to give us eternal life. Only the Son of the living God could do all that, as God himself had planned (Acts 2:22-36).

And what about us? Only as we grow in faith and walk with Jesus do we begin to see God’s love and what it means for us.

Jesus, thank you for revealing yourself to Peter and to us. Help us to keep growing in our faith and trust in you. Amen.