牧者心聲
擁戴耶穌為王
周曉暉牧師
2024 年 3 月 23 日 / 24 日
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如果要拍攝受難週的故事，我會選擇以耶穌受審的一幕開始。開場音樂一起，鏡頭就從上空俯瞰，展現出一大群擠擁、喊叫的猶太人。鏡頭漸漸降低至群眾中間，這時畫面再往上提升，聚焦在彼拉多官邸露台上的耶穌，定格在耶穌的神情，而耳邊的喊叫聲一浪接一浪：「除掉他！除掉他！把他釘十字架！」然後畫面退回到幾日前耶穌進耶路撒冷的一幕，那時同樣有一大群猶太人擁擠著耶穌喊叫。
約翰福音的原文巧妙地用了相同的字詞「喊叫」，將這兩幕（約十二、十九章）連繫起來。群眾在彼拉多官邸前的「喊叫」是拒絕耶穌，他們正激動地要求彼拉多執行十字架極刑去處決耶穌。僅在數天之前，同樣的群眾在耶穌騎驢進城時亦都在「喊叫」，新譯本翻譯為「歡呼」。他們激動地歡呼，擁戴耶穌：「和散那！奉主名來的以色列王是應當稱頌的！」（約十二13）。
這些群眾，是上耶路撒冷預備過逾越節的人，他們拿著棕樹枝出去城門附近迎接耶穌，是因為耶穌早前行了叫拉撒路從死裡復活、走出墳墓的大神蹟。當時現場有人見證著，以致這神蹟奇事吸引了很多人要來看看耶穌，當中也有因為拉撒路復活的神蹟而信了耶穌的人。
神蹟促使群眾紛紛擁戴耶穌為王，但神蹟卻不能讓這些人的信心持續下去。幾日後，同一群人就聚集喊叫要除掉耶穌，要釘死耶穌。
有一位朋友多年來一直徘徊在信與不信耶穌之間，有一天他在facebook上面留言：「多謝這個佈道會。」我打電話去問問他這事，得知他出席了一個有很多藝人、名人作見證的佈道會。他說當晚的信息很好，他也覺得感動，自己會信耶穌。但當我問他：你接下來會來教會嗎？他答道：「未會呀！將來再算。」
一刻的感動、一次奇妙的經歷，甚至奇異的生還事件，有可能促使人激動地擁戴耶穌，相信耶穌。有人只是接受神蹟，卻未能接受行神蹟的耶穌基督，他們膚淺地擁戴耶穌為王，也輕易地背棄祂。
你為何擁戴耶穌為王？如果現在要你分享一個見證，你所講的見證是何時發生的呢？如果你仍是說出自己決志時的經歷，卻說不出近期如何經歷神、信靠神，這會是一個危險的訊號。在這個受難週，讓我們多思想主耶穌在我們生命的足跡，進深認識祂、信靠祂。
If I were to make a video of the Passion Week, I would choose to start with the episode when Jesus went on trial. The music starts, the camera looks down from high above in a birds-eye view on a large crowd of Jews shouting. The camera lowers to among the crowd and then draws back and turns to Jesus on the porch of Pilate’s official residence, with a close-up on His facial expression. The scene is filled with waves of shouts from the crowd: “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” The video then flashes back to a few days ago when Jesus entered Jerusalem. There was a similar crowd of Jews shouting.
The author of the Gospel of John ingenuously used the same word “shout” to connect the two episodes (in John 12 & 19). The “shouts” of the people in front of Pilate’s residence were to reject Jesus. They were passionately seeking the execution of Jesus by the death penalty of crucifixion. Just a few days ago, they were “shouting” also, saying “Hosanna” when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. They were shouting jubilantly, crowning Jesus: “‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!’” (John 12:13)
The crowds were on their way to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. Waving palm branches, they greeted Jesus outside the city gate, knowing that Jesus had earlier performed a big miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, who came out from the tomb. There were eyewitnesses at the scene. These miraculous acts drew many people to come to see Jesus. Among them were those who came to believe in Jesus because of the resurrection of Lazarus.
The miracles made many to crown Jesus King, but they could not sustain their faith. A few days later, the same crowd was gathered together again, this time shouting to get rid of, and crucify, Jesus.
For many years, a friend of mine was wavering between putting his faith in Jesus or not. One day I saw his post on Facebook saying: “Thanks for this evangelistic meeting.” I called him to find out more about that. He said he had attended an evangelistic meeting with many artists and celebrities sharing their testimonies. He said the message that evening was very good, adding that he was touched and would put his faith in Jesus. But when I asked him whether he would come to church, he replied: “Not yet! Wait and see.”
A moment of feeling touched, a miraculous experience or even a near-death experience may make people passionately crown Jesus and believe in Him. But some of them may just embrace the miracles but not the miracle worker, Jesus Christ. They crown Him king in a shallow way, and easily turn their backs on Him.
Why did you crown Jesus king? If you were to share a testimony now, when would that have taken place? If you are still recounting your experience when you first believed, if you cannot share from recent life about how you have experienced God and trusted in Him, then it can be a dangerous signal. This Passion Week, let us put our thoughts to discover more of Jesus’ footprints in our lives. Let us know Him more and trust Him more.
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