“‘他用膏膏我，叫我传福音给贫穷的人。’” - 路 4:18
身为老师，我时常会问我的学生：“耶稣为什么降生？”他们回答时，总是还没有提到祂的生平、便立即跳到祂的受死：“耶稣降生是为我们死，好让我们得拯救和有一天进天堂。”当我指出，这个答案无疑是正确的、但它却是不完全的，有疏漏的福音版本时，这些学生通常都会感到惊讶。我向他们解释，耶稣降生，其实不单是来为我们死，祂来乃是要在世上生活呢！祂降生是要负起把神的国度带给这个世界的使命。这个国度是以对神和对邻舍的爱、公平、和平、喜乐、和全然恢复的平安（shalom）为标记的。
在路加福音4章中，耶稣解释了作为弥赛亚（“受膏者”）是意味着什么。祂被主的灵膏立，来宣告神的国降临、传福音给贫穷的人、报告被掳的得释放，受压制的得自由、报告神悦纳人的禧年。这就是祂的使命。
耶稣付出祂的性命来拯救我们，接受祂这份礼物是非常重要的。同样重要的，就是我们感戴祂的生平、并且祈求圣灵也用膏膏我们-好叫我们可以跟随祂的生平榜样，完成祂在今世施行公义和怜悯的使命。
祷告
满有恩典的神，感谢你赐耶稣给我们，又藉着祂的一生让我们看见神国度的样式，我们感谢你。奉祂的名祈求，阿们。
路加福音 4:14-21
14耶稣满有圣灵的能力，回到加利利，他的名声就传遍了四方。
15他在各会堂里教训人，众人都称赞他。
16耶稣来到拿撒勒，就是他长大的地方，在安息日，照他平常的规矩进了会堂，站起来要念圣经。
17有人把先知以赛亚的书交给他，他就打开，找到一处写着说：
18“主的灵在我身上，因为他用膏膏我，叫我传福音给贫穷的人，差遣我报告被掳的得释放、瞎眼的得看见，叫那受压制的得自由，
19报告神悦纳人的禧年。”
20于是把书卷起来，交还执事，就坐下。会堂里的人都定睛看他。
21耶稣对他们说：“今天这经应验在你们耳中了。”
Jesus Describes His Mission
"He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor." - Luke 4:18
As a teacher, I have often asked my students, “Why was Jesus born?” Invariably they answer by leap-frogging over his life to his death: “Jesus was born to die so that we can be saved and one day enter heaven.” And these students are often surprised when I suggest that this answer, which is correct, is also incomplete and misses a lot of good news. Jesus, I explain to them, was actually born not only to die but to live! He was born to take on the mission of bringing the kingdom of God into this world. This kingdom is marked by love for God and neighbor, justice, peace, joy, and the restoration of shalom.
In Luke 4 Jesus describes what it meant to be the Messiah (the “Anointed One”). Anointed by the Spirit, he had come to announce the presence of the kingdom of God, to speak good news to the poor, to announce freedom for the captives, release for the oppressed, and the year of the Lord’s favor, a year of Jubilee. That was his mission.
It is important to accept the gift of Jesus’ offering his life for our salvation. And it is equally important to marvel at his life and to ask the Holy Spirit to anoint us too—so that we can follow him in his mission of justice and mercy.
Prayer
God of grace, thank you for the gift of Jesus and the life he lived to show us the way of the kingdom of God. In his name, Amen.
