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马可福音生命读经 · 第11篇

奴仆救主福音服事的辅助动作（一）

The Slave-Savior’s Auxiliary Acts for the Gospel Service (1
1读经：马可福音三章七至三十五节。我们在马可一章看见奴仆救主福音服事内容的五件事：传扬福音，（14～20，）教训真理，（21～22，）赶逐污鬼，（23～28，）医治病人，（29～39，）与洁净痳疯。（40～45。）我们也在二章一节至三章六节看见奴仆救主完成这福音服事的五条路：赦免病者罪；（二1～12；）同罪人坐席；（二13～17；）从者快乐，无需禁食；（二18～22；）宁顾从者饥饿，不顾宗教规条；（二23～28；）宁顾苦者得释，不顾宗教仪式。（三1～6。）在三章七至三十五节另有五项为一组。这一组包括了福音服事的辅助动作：避开群众；（7～12；）选立使徒；（13～19；）因需废食；（20～21；）捆绑撒但，洗劫其家；（22～30；）不认亲属，只认行神旨者。（31～。）我们在这三组的每一项目中，都看见主耶稣的超越。在本篇信息和下一篇信息中，我们要来看奴仆救主福音服事的辅助动作。
1Scripture Reading: Mark 3:7-35 We have seen that in chapter one of the Gospel of Mark there are five matters that are the contents of the Slave- Savior’s gospel service: preaching the gospel (1:14-20), teaching the truth (vv. 21-22), casting out demons (vv. 23-28), healing the sick (vv. 29-39), and cleansing the leper (vv. 40-45). We have also seen in 2:1 — 3:6 five ways in which the Slave - Savior carried out this gospel service: forgiving the sins of the sick (2:1-12), feasting with sinners (2:13-17), causing His followers to be merry without fasting (2:18-22), caring for His followers’ hunger rather than for religion’s regulation (2:23-28), and caring for the relief of the suffering one rather than for the ritual of religion (3:1-6). In 3:7-35 we have another group of five items. This group includes the auxiliary acts for the gospel service: averting the crowd’spr essing (vv. 7-12), appointing the apostles to preach (vv. 13-19), not eating because of the urgent need (vv. 20-21), binding Satan and plundering his house by the Holy Spirit (vv. 22-30), and not remaining in the relationship of the natural life but in that of the spiritual life (vv. 31-35). In all the items in each of these three 35 groups we see the excellency of the Lord Jesus. In this message and in the message following we shall consider these auxiliary acts for the Slave-Savior’s gospel service.
避开群众
averting the crowd’spr essing
2我们在执行神所托付我们的职事时，必定会遇到一些难处、反对与打岔。有些难处是由于有些人想要用天然的作法帮助我们而造成的。主尽职事时就曾遇到这种阻挠。当祂执行福音服事的职事时，就曾遇到一些难处。
2In carrying out a ministry which God has commissioned to us, we shall face problems, opposition, and frustration. Certain problems are caused by something that is done in a natural way with the intention of helping us. The Lord faced this kind of frustration in His ministry. As He was carrying out the ministry of His gospel service, He met problems
3三章七至十二节给我们看见一个难处，就是群众拥挤主。七节说，有许多人跟著祂和祂的门徒；在八节我们看见：『有许多人听见祂所作的事，就…来到祂那里。』群众因为听见祂所作的，就到祂那里聚集。群众在这里阻挠了主的职事。
3In 3:7-12 we have the problem of the crowd pressing upon the Lord. Verse 7 says that a great multitude followed Him and His disciples, and in verse 8 we see that “a great multitude, hearing what great things He was doing, came to Him.” The multitude gathered around Him because they heard what He was doing. This crowd was a frustration to the Lord’s ministry
4今天许多传道人与传福音者喜欢庞大的群众，然而群众对真正的生命职事并不是帮助。相反的，群众、大群的人也许顶多能帮助我们展开一个运动，却不能帮助生命的职事。
4Many of today’s preachers and evangelists like to have a large crowd. However, the crowd is not a help to the real ministry of life. On the contrary, a crowd, a multitude, for the most part may help us to have a movement, but it does not help the ministry in life.
拥挤与摸
Pressing and Touching
5三章七至十二节论到群众时，用了9两个重要的辞：拥挤（9～10）与摸。（10。）九节说，『祂因为人多，就吩咐门徒叫一只小船伺候著，免得群众拥挤祂。』主要进入一只船，免得群众拥挤祂。群众这样拥挤，拦阻真诚的人来到主面前，直接摸祂。如果我们只在那些拥挤主的人中间，就不会从祂得著甚么。我们要从祂有所得，就必须摸祂。因此，在马可福音这段话里，『拥挤』的意义是消极的，『摸』的意义是积极的。照福音书的记载，众人有好几次拥挤主，但是只有摸祂的人得到益处。乃是藉著直接摸主，生命才能从祂分授给我们。这种生命的分授，我们称之为传输或灌注。另一个辞是分赐。当我们直接接触主，我们就接受神圣的分赐；但就著神圣的分赐来说，拥挤主是不能成就甚么事的。我们惟有直接摸主，才能经历神圣的分赐。因为主知道这一点，祂就想要避开群众。这就是为甚么祂和门徒退到海上。
5In 3:7-12 two significant words are used with respect to the crowd: press (vv. 9-10) and touch (v. 10). Verse says, “And He told His disciples that a little boat should stand ready near Him because of the crowd, that they might not press upon Him.” The Lord wanted to get into a boat in order to avert the pressing of the crowd. The crowd’spr essing hindered the way for the sincere ones to come to the Lord and touch Him directly. If we are among those who merely press upon the Lord, we shall not receive anything from Him. In order to receive from Him, we need to touch Him. Therefore, in this portion of the Gospel of Mark the word “press” is used in a negative sense, whereas the word “touch” has a positive meaning. According to the record of the Gospels, a number of times people pressed upon the Lord. But only those who touched Him received any benefit. It is through a direct touch with the Lord that life is imparted from Him to us. This impartation of life we call transmission or infusion. Another term is dispensing. When we contact the Lord directly, we receive the divine dispensing. But pressing upon the Lord does not accomplish anything as far as the divine dispensing is concerned. We experience the divine dispensing only by directly touching the Lord. Because the Lord realized this, He wanted to separate Himself from the crowd. For this reason He withdrew with His disciples to the sea.
一只小船
A Little Boat
6主虽然避开了群众，群众却继续跟著祂。即使祂退到海岸，群众还是要拥挤祂。祂就吩咐门徒叫一只小船伺候著，祂不愿意群众拥挤祂。船是一个凭藉，使主耶稣与群众分开。在豫表上，伺候主的小船表征召13会。马太十三章的船有这种意义。召会与以色列国不同，以色列国是由陆地所表征。召会也与外邦世界不同，外邦世界是由水所表征。召会与陆地隔开，并且是在水上；因此召会不在陆地上，也不在水里。召会这艘『船』虽然在水上，却不在水里，水也不在船里。因此，陆地表征以色列国，海表征外邦世界；而表征召会的船与陆地是分开的，也与海是分开的。我们藉此看见，召会与以色列国是分开的，与外邦世界也是分开的。这样的领会是根据保罗在林前十章三十二节的话，那里说到犹太人、希利尼人（外邦人）和神的召会。
6Although the Lord left the crowd, the crowd continued to follow Him. Because of this, even when He was at the seashore the crowd was seeking to press upon Him. Hence, He told His disciples that a little boat should stand ready near Him. He did not want the crowd to press upon Him. The boat was a means for the Lord Jesus to be separated from the crowd. In figure, the little boat that the Lord wanted to stand ready near Him signifies the church. In Matthew the boat has this significance. The church is different from the nation of Israel, which is signified by the land. The church is also different from the Gentile world, which is signified by water. The church is something that is separated from the land and is on the water. Therefore, the church is neither on the land nor in the water. Although the church “boat” is on the water, it is not in the water, and the water is not in the boat. Therefore, the land signifies the nation of Israel, the sea signifies the Gentile world, and the boat, which is separated from both the land and the sea, signifies the church. By this we see that the church is separated both from the nation of Israel and from the Gentile world. This understanding is according to Paul’sword in 1 Corinthians 10:32 concerning the Jews, the Greeks (the Gentiles), and the church of God.
7今天主把祂的生命供应给召会里的人，也从召会里将生命供应给人；这就是船的意义。我们若看见船这表号的意义，就会晓得，我们若在召会之外想要服事人，就会受到群众的拥挤。今天有许多人向群众尽职，却没有船。然而，正确的职事是在船里的职事，不是向一班拥挤主的人分赐生命的供应，乃是向一班真诚要摸祂的人分赐生命的供应。主对待群众的作法，该是我们的模范；我们应该跟随祂的脚踪行。但是今天许多传道人和传福音者却欣赏群众。群众越多，他们越高兴。然而历史事实指明，大群的人给真正生命的职事带来的是损失，而非益处。我们在这里看见，主的路与人的路迥然不同。祂不重看群众，反倒避开他们。当众人跟著祂，祂就吩咐门徒豫备一只小船，使祂能避开拥挤祂的群众。
7Today the Lord is ministering His life to those in the church; He is also ministering from within the church to others. This is the significance of the boat. If we see the significance of the figure of the boat, we shall realize that if we are out of the church and try to minister to people, we may suffer the pressing of the crowd. Today many ministries are being rendered to a crowd without a boat. However, the proper ministry is a ministry in the boat, a ministry that imparts the life supply not to those who press the Lord, but to those who sincerely desire to touch Him. What the Lord did concerning the crowd should be an example to us, and we should follow in His steps. However, most preachers and evangelists today appreciate a crowd. The greater the crowd, the happier they are. But the facts of history indicate that a great crowd causes a loss, not a benefit, to the genuine ministry of life. Here we see that the Lord’sway is different from man’sway. Instead of treasuring the crowd, He sought to avoid the crowd. When the crowd followed Him, He asked that a little boat be made ready in order that He might go away from the crowd that pressed upon Him
接受生命的职事
Receiving the Ministry of Life
8主虽然尽力避开群众的拥挤，却愿意真诚的人摸祂。我们若只是群众的一部分，就不会从主得著甚么。我们需要从群众中间分别出来，直接又诚实的摸祂。我们若这样作，就会接受生命的职事。
8Although the Lord sought to avoid the crowd, He wanted the sincere ones to be able to touch Him. If we are simply part of the crowd, we shall not receive anything from the Lord. We need to single ourselves out from among the crowd and touch Him directly and honestly. If we do this, we shall receive the ministry of life
9奴仆救主福音服事的头一个辅助动作，就是避开群众的拥挤。关于这一项，我们需要跟主学。传道人通常受群众的欺蒙。当群众环绕我们时，这也许是欺蒙，也许是阻挠；所以，我们要避开群众。但这意思不是说，我们要放弃人。不，我们避开群众时，需要让别人有机会直接接触我们，摸著我们，好接受真正的生命职事。
9The first of the auxiliary acts for the Slave - Savior’s gospel service was averting the pressing of the crowd. Concerning this, we need to learn of the Lord. Often preachers are deceived by a crowd. When a crowd surrounds us, this may be deceiving; it also may be frustrating. Hence, we need to avoid the crowd. But this does not mean that we should give up the people. No, as we avoid the crowd, we need to allow others to contact us, to touch us, directly in order to receive the genuine ministry of life.
污灵
The Unclean Spirits
10马可三章十一至十二节说，『污灵一看见祂，就俯伏在祂面前，喊叫说，你是神的儿子。耶稣再三的嘱咐牠们，不要显扬祂。』污灵对奴仆救主喊叫，也是祂福音服事的阻挠。因此，祂警告并制止牠们。
10Mark 3:11 and 12 say, “And the unclean spirits, when they beheld Him, fell before Him and cried out, saying, You are the Son of God! And He warned them many times that they should not make Him manifest.” The crying out of the demons concerning the Slave-Savior was also a frustration to His gospel service. Therefore, He warned them and forbade them
选立使徒
appointing the apostles to preach
11我们看见奴仆救主首先需要海，然后需要一条小船，免得群众拥挤祂；这指明群众拥挤祂，乃是祂福音服事的阻挠。为了避开群众，主就到海上。以后，祂离开海，上了山。
11We have seen that the Slave-Savior first needed the sea and then a little boat to avert the pressing of the crowd. This indicates that the crowd pressing upon Him was a frustration to His gospel service. In order to get away from the crowd, the Lord went to the sea. Later, He went from the sea to a mountain
12主在这里的行动非常有意思。祂为著要避开群众的拥挤，就到海上，去服事一班真诚、直接摸祂的人。最后，这班人接受了祂生命的职事，祂就上了山。马可三章十三至十五节说明主为甚么上山：『耶稣上了山，把祂所愿意要的人召来，他们便到祂那里去。祂就选立十二个人，称他们为使徒，要他们和祂同在，好差遣他们去传道，又有权柄赶鬼。』我们在这里看见主上山的目的，是要召一些人来，使他们作祂的使徒。祂选立他们为使徒，是为著祂福音服事的开展。照十四和十五节来看，祂所选立的十二个人，是要去传道、赶鬼。传扬福音是把神供应人，赶鬼是使撒但离开人；这些构成奴仆救主福音服事的主要目的。
12The Lord’s actions here are very interesting. In order to avoid the pressing of the crowd, He went to the sea, where He ministered to the sincere ones who touched Him directly. Eventually, after these received His ministry of life, He went up to the mountain. Mark 3:13-15 tells why the Lord went up to the mountain: “And He goes up into the mountain, and calls to Himself whom He wanted, and they went to Him. And He appointed twelve, whom He also named apostles, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.” Here we see that the Lord’s purpose in going up into the mountain was to call certain ones and to make them His apostles. His appointing them to be apostles was for the spreading of His gospel service. According to verses 14 and 15, the twelve appointed by Him were to preach and cast out demons. To preach the gospel is to minister God to people; to cast out demons is to keep Satan away from people. These comprise the main purpose of the Slave-Savior’s gospel service
照父的旨意
According to the Father’s Will
13路加福音指出，主耶稣选立十二使徒以前有祷告：『那些日子，耶稣出去上山祷告，整夜祷告神。到了天亮，祂就叫门徒来，从他们中间挑选十二个人，称他们为使徒。』（六12～13。）许多人从主接受生命的职事。这意思是说，祂将生命多多的分赐给真诚、直接摸祂的人。他们从祂得到生命的供应，然后祂有负担从他们中间挑选一些人，指派他们在祂福音的职事上帮助祂。因这缘故，祂上山祷告。路加福音指出，祂整夜祷告。主必定是为著拣选十二个使徒的事祷告。祂为著从接受祂生命职事的许多人中间挑选十二个人有祷告。
13The Gospel of Luke indicates that the Lord Jesus prayed before He appointed the twelve to be apostles: “And it came about in these days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when it became day, He called His disciples to Him; and He chose from them twelve, whom He also named apostles” (Luke 6:12-13). Many had received the ministry of life from the Lord. This means that He had rendered much life to the sincere ones who touched Him directly. They received the life supply from Him. Then He was burdened to select certain ones of them and appoint them to help Him in His ministry of the gospel. For this reason, He went to the mountain and prayed. The Gospel of Luke indicates that He prayed the whole night. The Lord must have prayed concerning the choosing of the twelve apostles. He prayed concerning the choosing of the twelve from among the many who had received His ministry of life.
14我们知道，主所挑选的十二个人中，有一个是出卖祂的加略人犹大。（可三19。）毫无疑问，主耶稣知道犹大会出卖祂。我相信主挑选以前，曾在祷告里向父征询过。实际上，祂选立这十二个人并不是要完成祂自己的旨意，乃是要完成父神的旨意。我相信父嘱咐祂要挑选某些人，包括犹大在内。主是照父的旨意挑选的。
14We know that one of the twelve selected by the Lord was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him (Mark 3:19). To be sure, the Lord Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. I believe that before making His selection, the Lord consulted with the Father in prayer. His appointing of the twelve was actually not the carrying out of His own will. Rather, it was the carrying out of the will of God the Father. I believe that the Father charged Him to select certain ones, including Judas. The Lord made His selection according to the Father’s will
学习兴起人
Learning to Raise Up Others
15我们需要向主学习，不要独自尽职事，即使连主耶稣也不是一直独自尽职事，祂首先挑选十二人；以后又挑选七十人。我们从这点看见，我们在职事里，在召会生活中，都需要学习自己殷勤、忠心，并学习如何兴起一些人来帮助我们。我们独自尽职事并不很难。事实上，教师与传道人有一种倾向，就是独自包办一切。今天在基督徒中间，并没有与别人分担职事的普遍实行，也就是教导人、选立人、成全人去完成同一个职事的实行。然而照著保罗在以弗所四章的话来看，使徒、申言者、传福音者、牧人和教师的职事，乃是成全圣徒，使他们能完成职事的工作。主的职事是成全使徒，而使徒的职事是成全圣徒。藉此我们看见，神在地上的行动不是在个人身上，乃是在一组一组的人身上。在福音书里，我们先有十二人的一组，继而有七十人的一组。主选立使徒传道，的确是辅助祂福音服事意义重大的行动。我们都需要在这事上跟从主。地方召会的长老需要学习如何兴起人。过了一段时间以后，长老就不该独自照顾召会。他们该兴起别人，与他们共同担负责任。
15We need to learn of the Lord not to carry out our ministry by ourselves. Not even the Lord Jesus always carried out His ministry by Himself. First He selected the twelve and later, the seventy. From this we see that both in the ministry and in the church life we need to learn to be diligent and faithful ourselves and also learn how to raise up certain ones to help us. It is not very difficult to carry out our ministry by ourselves. In fact, there is the tendency for teachers and preachers to do everything by themselves. Among Christians today there is not the common practice of sharing the ministry with others, the practice of teaching, appointing, and perfecting others to fulfill the same ministry. But according to Paul’s word in Ephesians 4, the ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers is to perfect the saints so that the saints may carry on the work of the ministry. The Lord’s ministry was to perfect the apostles, and the apostles’ ministry was to perfect the saints. By this we see that God’s move on earth is not with an individual; His move is with groups of people. In the Gospels we first have a group of twelve and later a group of seventy. The Lord’s appointing the apostles to preach certainly is a significant auxiliary act for His gospel service. We all need to follow the Lord in this matter. The elders in a local church need to learn how to raise up others. After a period of time, the elders should no longer be alone caring for the church; they should raise up others to join them in this responsibility.
不是天然的眼光，乃是照著属灵洞察力而有的眼光
Not the Natural View but the View according to Spiritual Insight
16主是在祂早期尽职事时选立了十二个人。祂所挑选的人当然并不十分成熟。其中二人，就是西庇太的儿子雅各和雅各的兄弟约翰，又叫半尼其，意思就是雷子。半尼其是出自亚兰文的希腊文。因著雅各和约翰的性情急躁，主给他们起了这名。（参路九54～55，可九38。）我们在马可九章看见约翰『发雷霆』的实例。但是等到他写福音书、书信和启示录的时候，就不再有雷霆，已经寂然无声了。主耶稣选立十二人，其中的另一位是热烈派的西门。（可三18。）热列派，Cananaean，这辞来自希伯来文kanna，克南，意即热烈的；不是指迦南地，乃是指加利利人的一派，人称他们为热烈派。（路六15，徒一13。）热烈派的人极端爱国，并且爱犹太人的传统和作法，主选立
16The Lord made the selection of the twelve in the early part of His ministry. The ones He chose certainly were not very mature. Two of them, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, were given the name Boanerges, which means sons of thunder. The Greek word “Boanerges” comes from Aramaic. This name was added to James and John by the Lord because of their impetuosity (see Luke 9:54-55; Mark 9:38). In chapter nine of Mark we have an example of John’s “thundering.” But by the time he wrote his Gospel, Epistles, and Revelation this thunder had lost its roar. Another one of the twelve selected by the Lord Jesus was Simon the Cananaean (Mark 3:18). The word “Cananaean” comes from the Hebrew kanná, zealous. This refers to a Galilean sect known as the Zealots; it does not refer to the land of Canaan (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). The Zealots were extremely patriotic and loved the Jewish traditions and practices. The Lord chose one of these Zealots to be an apostle.
17了一位热烈派的人作使徒。
17
18这十二人中的马太，原是税吏。马太列出十二使徒的名字时，特别标明自己是税吏。（太十3。）这也许表明他怀著感激，记念他的得救。连一个受人藐视、有罪的税吏，也能成为奴仆救主的使徒。马可所题的十二人，最后一位是加略人犹大。『加略人』是希腊字，可能源于希伯来文，意思是加略的居民。加略在犹大境内。（书十五25。）因此，犹大是惟一来自犹太地的使徒，其余的使徒都是加利利人。
18One of the twelve, Matthew, was formerly a tax collector. In his list of the twelve apostles Matthew specifically designates himself as the tax collector Matt. 10:3). This may indicate that he remembered his salvation with gratitude. Even a despised and sinful tax collector could become an apostle of the Slave-Savior. The last of the twelve mentioned by Mark is Judas Iscariot. The word “Iscariot,” a Greek word, probably comes from Hebrew and means a man of Kerioth. Kerioth was in Judah (Josh. 15:25). Thus, Judas was the only apostle from Judea; all the rest were Galileans
19当我们考量怎样的弟兄才能在地方召会中担负长老职任时，似乎没有一个人有资格。譬如，我们也许会说，『这位弟兄很爱主，似乎不错，但是他的背景如何？』如果主耶稣这样考量十二个使徒，谁能被选上？马太必定会被淘汰，主怎能挑选一个税吏作使徒？我们也许认为主应该挑选一个经学家。然而，祂所选的人，竟然有一个是税吏。
19As we consider what brothers may bear the eldership in a local church, it may seem to us that no one is qualified. For example, we may say, “This brother seems quite good, and he loves the Lord very much. But what about his background?” If the Lord Jesus had considered the twelve in this way, who could have been chosen? Matthew would certainly have been excluded. How could the Lord have chosen a tax collector to be one of the twelve apostles? We may think that the Lord should have chosen a scribe. But one of those He selected was in fact a tax collector.
20我们要跟主学，天然的眼光与照著属灵洞察力而有的眼光全然不同。主是照著祂属灵的洞察力，而不是照著天然的眼光来拣选。雅各、约翰的脾气急躁，是大发雷霆的脾气。我们绝不会选他们作使徒，但是主竟然这样作了。从天然的观点来看，没有人彀资格作主耶稣的使徒。雅各、约翰、热烈派的西门、税吏马太，都不合格。赞美主！祂不是照著天然的观点来拣选的。如果我们在召会生活中以天然的眼光来看众圣徒，就会觉得只有我们才有资格作某些事。譬如，某一个地方可能只有一位长老。这位长老也许会说，这里至少还需要二位长老。然而这位弟兄会接著说，『那一位在某一面固然好，但不是那么好。』最终，照著天然的眼光来衡量，只有这位弟兄自己才彀格。虽然好几年过去了，似乎只有他才合式担负长老的职任。因此，没有『十二』人，更没有『七十』人来帮助他，他是他所在地方召会惟一彀资格作长老的人。相反的，主耶稣挑选不合格的人作祂的使徒。十二个使徒没有资格，我们也没有。然而，主的行动需要帮手，因此，主执行祂的职事时，其中一项辅助动作就是挑选一些不合格的人作祂的使徒。至终，彼得藉著五旬节那天所发生的事得了印证。我不信彼得受过高等教育。然而主耶稣钉十字架、复活以后不久，彼得能在五旬节那天以领头使徒的身分站起来。罗马天主教把彼得当作第一任教皇，但这位『教皇』却是主所挑选的渔夫，然后在五旬节那天得了印证。我们要学习不照著天然的观念来看主的职事或召会，这是很重要的。主不挑选尼哥底母作十二使徒之一，也没有挑选有学问的人作使徒。祂所挑选的人，似乎都很古怪。我们看见祂甚至为雅各和约翰起名叫『雷子』，他们二人说话通常像雷轰。如果我们在场，我们也许会抱著这种态度：『把这两个人摆在一边罢，除非他们不再大发雷霆。等到他们改变了，雷霆失去威力了，我们就可以使用他们来尽职事。』这是我们的观念，就是天然的观念。但这不是主耶稣的观点。在你所在地的召会中，你能使用雷子来服事么？我们必须跟主学，即使这样的人也可以用在福音的服事中。
20We need to learn from the Lord that the natural view is different from the view that is according to spiritual insight. The Lord made His choice according to His spiritual insight, not according to man’s natural view. James and John had a terrible temper, a temper that could thunder. We would never have chosen them to be apostles, but the Lord did. From the natural point of view, no one would be qualified to be an apostle of the Lord Jesus. James and John, Simon the Zealot, Matthew the tax collector—none would be qualified. Praise the Lord that He did not make His choice according to the natural point of view! If we have a natural view of the saints in the church life, we may feel that we are the only ones qualified to do certain things. For example, there may be just one elder in a particular locality. This elder may say that there is a need for at least two more elders. However, this brother may go on to say, “Yes, this one is good in certain ways. Yet he is not that good.” Eventually, according to the natural view, only this one brother himself is qualified. Years may go by, and he remains the only one who seems suitable to bear the responsibility of the eldership. There are not the “twelve,” much less the “seventy,” to help him. He is the only one in his local church qualified to be an elder. The Lord Jesus, on the contrary, chose the unqualified ones to be His apostles. The twelve were not qualified, and we are not qualified either. Nevertheless, in the Lord’s move there is the need for helpers. Hence, one of the Lord’s auxiliary acts in carrying out His ministry was to select certain unqualified ones to be His apostles. Eventually, Peter was confirmed by what happened on the day of Pentecost. I do not believe that Peter had a high degree of education. Nevertheless, not long after the Lord Jesus was crucified and resurrected, Peter could stand up on the day of Pentecost as a leading apostle. The Roman Church regards Peter as the first pope. But this “pope” was a fisherman who was selected by the Lord and then confirmed on the day of Pentecost. It is very important for us to learn not to view the Lord’s ministry or the church according to the natural concept. The Lord did not choose Nicodemus to be one of the twelve. The Lord did not choose any learned ones. Instead, the ones He chose seem rather peculiar. We have seen that to James and John He even gave the name “sons of thunder.” Often when they spoke they were thundering. If we had been there, our attitude might have been, “Put these two aside until they stop thundering. Once they have changed and their thunder has lost its roar, then we can use them in the ministry.” This is our concept, the natural concept. But it is not the view of the Lord Jesus. In your locality are you able to use the sons of thunder in the service of the church? We must learn of the Lord to use even such ones in the gospel service.
21我们已经看见主耶稣避开群众，吩咐门徒叫一只小船伺候著。祂的动作并不天然。祂无论作甚么都是在灵里。照样，祂选立十二个人不是出于天然，完全是在灵里作的。祂虽然晓得犹大会出卖祂，祂仍然选立他作十二使徒之一。就天然一面说，没有人会选立犹大这样的人。但是主耶稣照著灵行动，甚至选立了他。
21We have seen that the Lord Jesus turned from the crowd and then asked for a little boat to be made ready for Him. His action was not natural. Everything He did was in the spirit. Likewise, His appointing of the twelve was not natural, but was altogether in the spirit. Although He knew that Judas would betray Him, He still appointed him to be one of the twelve. Naturally speaking, no one would appoint such a one as Judas. But, acting according to the spirit, the Lord Jesus chose even him
因需废食
not eating because of the urgent need
22马可三章二十至二十一节说：『耶稣进了一个屋子，群众又聚在一起，以致他们连吃饭都不能。耶稣的亲属听见，就出来要拉住祂，因为他们说祂癫狂了。』这指明奴仆救主作神的奴仆，在福音服事上的忙碌、殷勤和忠心。我们要分析主的行动，将其归纳成为系统，实在不容易。主在三章七至十二节避开群众的拥挤，与祂在三章二十至二十一节的行为似乎有点矛盾。首先祂避开群众，然而当祂在一个屋子里，众人又聚集时，祂却不想避开群众了。我们按照祂在三章七至十二节所作的，豫料祂会离开众人，好去吃饭。我们以为祂会说：『我正在吃饭，没有时间和你们在一起。』然而，这次祂完全不同了。祂把饭搁在一边，而照应群众中有急需的人。当主的亲属听见这种情形，他们出来拉住祂，说祂癫狂了。这样说乃是感叹的话，说出奴仆救主的亲属对祂天然的关切。我们在下一篇信息将看见，这为经学家开了亵渎祂的路。（三22。）
22Mark 3:20 and 21 say, “And He comes into a house; and a crowd comes together again, so that they could not even eat bread. And hearing it, His relatives went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, He is beside Himself.” This indicates the busyness, diligence, and faithfulness of the Slave-Savior as the Slave of God in His evangelical service. It is not easy to analyze or systematize the Lord’s actions. There seems to be a contradiction between the Lord’s behavior in averting the crowd in 3:7-12 and His behavior in 3:20-21. First He avoided the crowd. But when He was in the house and the crowd came together, He did not try to get away from the crowd. According to what He did in 3:7-12, we would expect Him to stay away from the crowd in order to finish eating. We would expect Him to say, “I am eating now, and I don’th ave time to be with you.” However, He acted in a different way. He stopped eating and took care of the urgent need of those in the crowd. When the Lord’s relatives heard of the situation, they went out to lay hold of Him, saying that He was beside Himself. This exclamation expressed natural concern on the part of the Slave-Savior’s relatives regarding Him. As we shall see in the next message, this opened the way for the scribes to blaspheme Him (v. 22).
23主的亲属，也许是祂肉身的兄弟，以为祂癫狂了。他们关心祂，因为祂只顾到群众，没有顾到自己的吃饭。我们不该想要以天然的方式，分析主那些似乎自相矛盾的行为。当群众拥挤主的时候，主设法避开他们。但是当群众使祂有机会把生命服事给人的时候，祂就连饭也顾不得吃。我们必须分辨这两件事：群众的拥挤以及将生命服事给人的机会。
23The Lord’s relatives, perhaps His brothers in the flesh, thought that He was beside Himself. They were concerned because He cared only for the crowd and not for His eating. We should not try to analyze in a natural way what seemed to be the contradictory behavior of the Lord. When the crowd pressed upon Him, the Lord sought to avoid the crowd. But when the crowd afforded Him opportunities to minister life to people, He would not care for His eating. We need to differentiate these two matters—the pressing of the crowd and the opportunity to minister life.