【双语灵修】良善又忠心的仆人GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT

约翰福音 21:18-19 8月31日

我实实在在地告诉你：你年少的时候，自己束上带子，随意往来；但年老的时候，你要伸出手来，别人要把你束上，带你到不愿意的地方。” 耶稣说这话，是指着彼得要怎样死荣耀神。说了这话，就对他说：“你跟从我吧！”

良善又忠心的仆人

“‘年老的时候，你要伸出手来，别人要把你束上，带你到不愿意的地方。’” -约 21:18

当彼得质疑耶稣预言自己死在十字架上时，主曾严厉责备他（马太福音16:21-23）。后来在湖边，耶稣重建彼得并嘱咐他去喂养他的羊时（约翰福音21:15-17），预言了彼得的结局。

尽管细节已无从考证，但基督教传统一直认为，使徒彼得于公元64年在罗马担任教会领袖期间殉道。那一年，一场灾难性的大火，焚毁了这座帝国都城，尼禄皇帝为推卸责任，竟将纵火罪名嫁祸于基督徒。作为教会领袖，彼得自然成为首当其冲的替罪羊。

据传，当罗马士兵押解彼得去钉十字架时，这位使徒恳求倒悬受刑，因为自觉不配与救赎他的主，以同样方式赴死。于是，士兵们将彼得倒钉于十字架上。

虽然我们无法确知彼得离世的细节，但可以确信，当他在天国与耶稣重逢时，主必对他说：“你这又良善又忠心的仆人，做得好！”（参见《马太福音》25:23）纵使彼得曾有过诸多明显的软弱，他一生的事奉却彰显了信心、勇气、忍耐与坚毅的美德。愿我们在服事基督时，也能期盼救主这般赞许之言。

祷告

主耶稣，请帮助我们每天都作祢忠心的仆人。阿们。

John 21:18-19

SUNDAY, AUGUST 31

GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT

“When you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” —John 21:18

When Peter questioned Jesus’ prediction about his death on the cross, the Lord strongly rebuked him (Matthew 16:21-23). Later, on the lakeshore where Jesus restored Peter, directing him to feed his sheep (John 21:15-17), Jesus predicted Peter’s death.

Though the details are unclear, Christian tradition has taught that the apostle Peter, while serving as a church leader in Rome, died in A.D. 64. That year a catastrophic fire had destroyed the imperial city. Scheming to shirk his own responsibility for the disaster, the emperor Nero blamed the fire on Christians. As the church’s leader, Peter would have been an obvious target for revenge.

When the Roman soldiers led him away to be hanged on a cross, the tradition goes, Peter pleaded to be crucified upside down, since he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same way as his Lord, who had saved him. So the soldiers crucified him upside down.

Though we can’t be sure about the details of Peter’s death, we can be certain that when Peter was reunited with Jesus in heaven, the Lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (see Matthew 25:23). Despite any of his glaring failures, Peter’s service revealed the virtues of faith, courage, patience, and perseverance. In our own service to Jesus, may we also look forward to the Savior’s words of praise.

Help us, Lord Jesus, to live each day as your faithful servants. Amen.