牧者心聲

今年我隨同民族弟兄小江回鄉過年，走訪他的親友。第一位是遠房叔叔，他每逢凌晨定點，便會在如錐刺腦的劇痛中醒來；隨後幾乎每位遇到的親友，都因著親人離世或生活工作的挫折，引發不安、失眠、夢魘、對死亡的恐懼，並受身體的病痛困擾。然而，我們見證了耶穌的名在祝福與禱告中，快速地進入這些人的生命。

在就醫不方便的高原上，人們面對病痛或遭厄運時，仍習慣向巫醫等靈界的力量尋求幫助，也以此來咒詛其他人。小江的團隊帶領人 W 分享，她第一次進行醫治釋放禱告的對象是一位少女，家人為了醫治久病不癒的她，讓她喝下焚燒符咒的水。W 對邪靈的工作感到憤慨，便開始醫治、釋放禱告的服事。

有一天，我們來到小江的表姊家中（她已接受救恩），從下午四時直到晚上十時多，表姊夫的六位親友一個接一個地帶著問題前來，在接受釋放和祝福的禱告後平安離去。第七位是表姊夫，亦是這家的男主人，雖然他沒有特別的問題，但仍接受耶穌平安喜樂的賜福。

小江表示，在其族人中，有壞人因嫉妒或私利，而欺騙、陷害、咒詛他人（甚至是自己的親友），導致被傷害者陷入抑鬱、憂慮，甚至企圖傷害自己的生命。這時，正需要有好人來幫助他，而接受了救恩的表姊就是這個好人。「你們無論進哪一城，哪一村，要打聽那裡誰是好人，就住在他家，直住到走的時候。」（太十 11）。和修本、環譯本分別譯為「合適的人」、「適合」；呂振中譯本譯作「配得起的人」；NET 聖經中譯本譯作「虔誠的人家」。「好人」、「適合」、「配得」指有能力且願意接待門徒的人，他們的接待，能為整個親族、社群打開救恩的大門。

過往傳福音的時候，我較常使用「和平之子」或「平安之子」，這詞源於太十11的平行經文，「無論進哪一家，先要說：『願這一家平安。』那裏若有當得平安的人，你們所求的平安就必臨到那家，不然，將歸還你們。」（路十 5-6）我們常為宣教士禱告，求主帶領他們在工場遇到「和平之子」接待他們，以致平安和祝福可以常駐在其家中，盼望「和平之子」願意接受主耶穌發出的邀請（太十一 28-30），到祂面前，負祂的軛，向祂學習，使生命得著真正的安息。

願所求的平安也臨到這次到訪的「好人」家中！

  This year, I joined Brother Xiao Jiang back to his hometown for the Lunar New Year and visited his relatives and friends. The first relative we visited was an uncle, who would wake up at a certain time every early morning with a piercing pain, as if an awl were stabbing into his brain. Afterwards, almost every relative or friend we met was suffering from anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, fear of death, and physical pain brought on by the death of loved ones or setbacks in life and work. Yet we witnessed the name of Jesus entering quickly into these people’s lives through blessing and prayer.

  On the plateau, where access to medical treatment is inconvenient, people still tend to seek help from spiritual powers such as witch doctors when they face sickness or misfortune, and they may also use such means to curse others. W, the leader of Xiao Jiang’s team, shared that the first person for whom she conducted healing and deliverance prayer was a young girl. In order to heal her long-standing illness, her family had made her drink water mixed with the ashes of burned talismans. W was indignant at the work of evil spirits, and from then on began the ministry of healing and deliverance prayer.

  One day, we went to the home of Xiao Jiang’s cousin (who had already received salvation). From four o’clock in the afternoon until after ten at night, six relatives and friends of her husband came one after another, each bringing their own difficulties. After receiving prayers of deliverance and blessing, they left in peace. The seventh person was the cousin’s husband, the male head of the household. Although he had no particular problem, he too received the blessing of peace and joy from Jesus.

  Xiao Jiang explained that among his people group, there are wicked individuals who, out of jealousy or self-interest, deceive, entrap, and curse others (including their own relatives and friends), causing those who are harmed to fall into depression, anxiety, and even attempts to take their own lives. At such times, what is needed is a good person to help, and the cousin who had received salvation was precisely such a person. “Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave” (Matthew 10:11, NIV). The Revised Chinese Union Version (和修本) and the Worldwide Chinese Bible (環譯本) respectively render the phrase as “a suitable person” and “suitable”; Lu Zhen-zhong translation (呂振中譯本) renders it as “a person who is worthy”; and the NET Bible Chinese version renders it as “who is devout.” “Good,” “suitable,” and “worthy” refer to those who have the capacity and willingness to receive the disciples. Their hospitality can open the door of salvation to an entire clan and community.

  When sharing the gospel in the past, I often used the term “man of peace” or “person of peace.” This term comes from the parallel passage to Matthew 10:11: “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you” (Luke 10:5–6). We often pray for missionaries, asking the Lord to lead them to encounter a “person of peace” in the mission field who will receive them, so that peace and blessing may remain in that household. It is our hope that this “person of peace” will be willing to accept the invitation of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30), come to Him, take His yoke upon themselves, and learn from Him, so that their lives may receive true rest.

  May the peace we ask for also come upon the home of the “worthy person” we visited this time!