Ministry in Word

Love Is a Beautiful Thing – Part 3

爱是一件美事 – 第三篇

Mark 14:6-9
马可 14:6-9

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached through-out the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
耶稣说：由他罢！为甚麽难为他呢？他在我身上作的是一件美事。因为常有穷人和你们同在，要向他们行善随时都可以；只是你们不常有我。他所作的，是尽他所能的；他是为我安葬的事把香膏预先浇在我身上。我实在告诉你们，普天之下，无论在甚麽地方传这福音，也要述说这女人所作的，以为记念。

Continued from Part 2
上接第二篇

Let’s look at another Old Testament hero, King David’s son King Solomon. He loved God. He also loved God’s people that he asked for God’s wisdom for him so that he could govern his people properly. Out of this love for God he led his people to build the beautiful temple and dedicated it to the Lord. Out of this love Solomon acted extravagantly at the dedication ceremony of the temple, offering to God a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred-twenty thousand sheep and goats. Talk about a grand gesture of one’s love! Just imagine how many days it must have taken to just process these many animal sacrifices!

让我们看一下另外一位旧约英雄，大卫王的儿子所罗门王。他爱神。他也爱神的子民，因此他求神赐给他神的智慧让他可以好好地统治他的子民。因为他对神的爱他领导他的子民去建造华丽的圣殿来献给神。因为所罗门对神的爱他奢侈地举行献殿礼，献上二万二千条牛和十二万绵羊与山羊的祭。这是表达一个人的爱多伟大的恣态啊！单是屠宰这麽多的祭物就要好几天了！

Our willingness to sacrifice shows our love for God. The extent of our sacrifice tells much about our love for God. Today we don’t offer animal sacrifice because Jesus Christ was the perfect and complete sacrifice for our sin. Instead today the sacrifices expected of us are FIRSTLY our total commitment for Christ as we are called to deny ourselves and take up our crosses and follow Christ (Mt 16:24-25), SECONDLY our lives of service to God because we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Ro 12:1), THIRDLY our sacrifice of praise which is the fruit of lips that confess His name (Heb 13:15), FOURTHLY good deeds and sharing with others of God’s blessings (Heb 13:16), and FIFTHLY the offering of money for use in God’s work (Php 4:18). Today we can offer sacrifices of these kinds to God extravagantly!

我们愿意牺牲就显出我们对神的爱，我们牺牲的程度很就很清楚显露我们对神的爱。今日我们不再献牲畜的祭因为耶稣基督是我们罪的完美的祭。今天神要求我们的祭首先是我们对基督的完全委身，因为我们受召来舍己背起我们的十字架来跟随基督〔太16:245〕，其次是我们对神服事的生命，因为我们要献上我们的身体作为活祭，是圣洁和讨神喜悦的〔罗12:1〕，第三是我们颂赞的祭，就是那承认主名之人嘴唇的果子〔来13:15〕，第四是行善和与人分享神的祝福〔来13:16〕，和第五是奉献金钱用在神的事工上〔腓4:18〕。今天我们可以奢侈地献这些祭给神！

SHE ACTED APPROPRIATELY
她恰当地行了

This woman acted IMPULSIVELY and EXTRAVAGANTLY in her surprise pouring of an expensive jar of perfume on Jesus’ head. She did it naturally out of her love for Jesus. Although others viewed her act as irrational, Jesus considered that she acted APPROPRIATELY in this incident.

这个妇人冲动、奢侈地出其不意浇了一瓶昂贵的香膏在耶稣头上。出于她对耶稣的爱她自然地这样做。虽然别人认为她的行动缺乏理性，耶稣却认为她在这事上做得很恰当。

She did not know it at the time, but Jesus was to be betrayed, handed over to the Romans, and crucified in a matter of days. Had she known that He was about to give Himself for mankind for their redemption,  wouldn’t she give Him her best gift? Of course she did it unknowingly, yet Jesus said she did it appropriately.

当时她并不知道耶稣就要被出卖，交到罗马人手上，几天内就被钉死在十字架上。如果她知道他快要为人类的救赎舍己的话，难道她不会给他她的最好的礼物吗？当然她不自觉做了，但耶稣仍说她做得很恰当。

We know she acted appropriately because Jesus said so. In light of some people rebuking her for her deed Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached through-out the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

我们知道她做得很恰当因为耶稣说是如此。因为有些人为她所行的责备她，耶稣就说：「由她罢！为甚麽难为她呢？她在我身上作的是一件美事。因为常有穷人和你们同在，要向他们行善随时都可以；只是你们不常有我。她所作的，是尽她所能的；她是为我安葬的事把香膏预先浇在我身上。我实在告诉你们，普天之下，无论在甚麽地方传这福音，也要述说这女人所作的，以为记念。」

She acted appropriately because Jesus was far more precious than the most expensive perfume. Out of God’s love for her, He gave His only Son, His most precious. So it is appropriate that out of her love for Christ, she gave Him her most valuable gift. He gave himself also for you and me, won’t we give our utmost for Him? This woman’s most valuable gift, and our utmost, cannot compare with God’s gift of His Son to us. But they are acceptable to God. Jesus said the woman “did what she could.” That’s all God is
asking us to do. Just what we can!

她做得很恰当因为耶稣比最名贵的香膏还要宝贵。因为神爱她，神赐下他的独生子，他最宝贝的。所以出于妇人对基督的爱她献给他她的最宝贵的礼物是恰当的。基督赐他自己给你与我，难道我们能不竭力为他吗？这位妇人最宝贵的礼物和我们所有的力量都不能与他赐我们他的儿子相比，但神接纳我们这些所献的。耶稣说这妇人「所作的，是尽她所能的」，这就是神要求我们去做的，只是尽我们所能的！

To be continued next week.
下周待续。
May we express our love for God impulsively, extravagantly, and appropriately. May we love God offering our sacrifice with what we can do.
愿我们冲动地、奢侈地和恰当地表达我们对神的爱。愿我们献上尽我们所能的祭去爱神。

Tom and Tehwan Tso
仲谋与德菀

“The outcome of your faith is the salvation of your souls.” 1Peter 1:9

“信心的果效， 就是灵魂的救恩” 彼得前书1：9