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马可福音生命读经 · 第35篇

奴仆救主为著祂救赎服事豫备（二）

The Preparation of the Slave-Savior for His Redemptive Service (2
1读经：马可福音十一章一至二十六节。本篇信息我们要继续交通，奴仆救主为著祂救赎服事的豫备。我们在前篇信息看见，祂所作的豫备，第一步是荣耀的进耶路撒冷，并得到百姓的承认和称许。
1Scripture Reading: Mark 11:1-26 In this message we shall continue to consider the preparation of the Slave-Savior for His redemptive service. In the foregoing message we saw that the first step of His preparation was entering into Jerusalem in a glorious way and receiving the acknowledgment, the approval, of the people
咒诅无花果树，洁净圣殿
THE CURSING OF THE FIG TREE AND THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE
2马可十一章十二至二十六节，记述咒诅无花果树与洁净圣殿。主看见14一棵无花果树，树上除了叶子以外，甚么也找不著，在十四节，祂就对树说，『不再有人吃你的果子，直到永远。』祂咒诅无花果树以后，就进入圣殿，『赶出殿里作买卖的人，推倒兑换银钱之人的桌子，和卖鸽子之人的凳子。』（15。）接著祂说，『经上不是记著，『我的殿必称为万国祷告的殿』么？你们倒使牠成为贼窝了。』（17。）咒诅无花果树与洁净圣殿这两个行动，指明神为著祂的定旨所拣选的整个以色列国不能结果子，并且败坏了。主所咒诅的无花果树有叶子，但没有果子；有外表的荣华，却没有果子，没有实际，不能满足神的愿望。
2In 11:12-26 we have the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple. The Lord saw the fig tree with nothing on it except leaves, and in verse He said to it, “May no one eat fruit of you forever!” After cursing the fig tree, He entered into the temple and “began to cast out those who were selling and buying in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling the doves” (v. 15). Then He said, “Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it a den of robbers” (v. 17). These two actions — the cursing of the fig tree and cleansing of the temple—indicate that the entire nation of Israel, which had been chosen by God for His purpose, had become fruitless and corrupt. The fig tree cursed by the Lord had leaves, but no fruit. It had outward glorification, but it did not have any fruit. It did not have any reality. It had nothing that could satisfy God’s desire.
3圣殿应该是万国（就是外邦人和犹太人）祷告的殿，却成了贼窝。在神眼中，在圣殿里敬拜的那些人都是贼。神在地上的居所，实际上已成了贼窝。因此，主咒诅无花果树，结束其生命之后，又洁净圣殿，为要清除败坏。当主这样作的时候，表面上没有人胆敢反对祂，因为祂已经得到百姓的称许。关于这一点，十八节说，『祭司长和经学家听见，就设法怎样除灭耶稣，却又怕祂，因为群众都惊讶祂的教训。』
3The temple, which should have been a house of prayer for all nations, the Gentiles as well as the Jews, had become a den of robbers. In the sight of God, those worshipping in the temple were robbers. God’sho use on earth actually had become a den of robbers. Therefore, after cursing the fig tree to end its life, the Lord cleansed the temple in order to eliminate the corruption. As the Lord was doing these things, no one dared to oppose Him outwardly, for He had already received the people’sap prov al. Concerning this, verse 18 says, “And the chief priests and the scribes heard it, and they sought how they might destroy Him, for they feared Him, for all the crowd was astounded at His teaching.”
4咒诅无花果树表征以色列国的生命了结了。从那时起，以色列国在神新约的经纶中已经完了。主除了咒诅无花果树以外，又洁净神殿中的败坏。在马可福音前十章中，主满有慈爱、怜悯与同情；但在十一章十二至二十六节，祂显得全然不同，祂先是咒诅无花果树，再洁净圣殿，甚至推倒兑换银钱之人的桌子。照十六节来看，祂『也不许任何人拿著器皿从殿里经过』。主是那么大胆、刚强、甚至严厉；祂似乎毫无怜悯。我们需要看见，咒诅无花果树和洁净圣殿，是奴仆救主为著祂救赎的死所作之豫备的一部分。祂为著法利赛人和经学家要处死祂而铺路。
4The cursing of the fig tree signifies the terminating of the life of Israel as a nation. From that time onward, the nation of Israel was finished with God’s New Testament economy. In addition to cursing the fig tree, the Lord also cleansed the corruption from the house of God. In the first ten chapters of the Gospel of Mark the Lord was kind, merciful, and compassionate. But here in 11:12-26 it seems that He is very different, first cursing the fig tree and then cleansing the temple, even overturning the tables of the moneychangers. According to verse 16, “He did not permit anyone to carry a vessel through the temple.” The Lord was very bold, strong, and even severe. He seemed to show no mercy at all. We need to see that the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple were part of the Slave-Savior’s preparation for His redemptive death. He prepared the way for the Pharisees and scribes to put Him to death.
5主洁净圣殿时已经是傍晚了。十九节说，『每到晚上，他们就出城去。』祂晚间可能住宿在伯大尼。论信心与祷告的话
5It was late in the day when the Lord cleansed the temple. Verse 19 says, “And when it became late, they went outside the city.” It is likely that during the night He lodged in Bethany. A WORD CONCERNING FAITH AND PRAYER
6十一章二十节说，『早晨，他们从那里经过，看见那无花果树连根都枯干了。』彼得想起主耶稣昨天的话来，就对祂说，『拉比，请看，你所咒诅的无花果树，已经枯干了。』（21。）主回答说，『你们要信神。我实在告诉你们，无论谁对这座山说，你得挪开，投在海里，他若心里不疑惑，只信他所说的成了，就必给他成了。』（22～23。）主接著就论到祷告。祂特别指出我们要赦免别人：『你们站著祷告的时候，若向甚么人怀怨，要赦免他，好叫你们在诸天之上的父，也赦免你们的过犯。』（25。）我们在这里看见，赦免人的过犯乃是天父赦免我们的根据，在我们祷告时更是如此。严格说来，我们心中若向甚么人怀怨，感觉被人冒犯，或不忘记别人的冒犯，我们就无法祷告。
6Mark 11:20 says, “And passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.” Remembering what the Lord Jesus had said the previous day, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which You cursed has withered” (v. 21). The Lord answered by saying, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, that whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says happens, it shall be to him” (vv. 22-23). Then the Lord went on to speak about prayer. In particular He pointed out our need to forgive others: “And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you your offenses (v. 25). Here we see that to forgive the offenses of others is the ground for our heavenly Father to forgive us. This is especially true in our prayer time. Strictly speaking, we cannot pray with a heart that holds anything against anyone, that is, with a heart that feels offended by anyone or remembers another’s offense
主对付以色列人
THE LORD’S DEALING WITH ISRAEL
7论到咒诅无花果树，我们所强调的，是神已经决定放弃以色列国，转向另一班子民，就是召会。召会是由一班被带进基督之死与复活，以致能完满享受基督的人组成的。这班人包括犹太人和外邦人。马可十一章十二节说，主饿了。这表征祂渴望从以色列子民得著果子，使神满足。但这棵无花果树竟没有果子。我们已经看见，这棵无花果树，是以色列国的象征。（耶二四，5，8。）这棵树满了叶子，却没有果子，表征当时以色列国满有外面的表现，却没有甚么能满足神。马可十一章十二至二十六节这一段，把奴仆救主咒诅无花果树和祂洁净殿的事放在一起，指明祂同时在不同方面，对付败坏并背叛的以色列国。无花果树是以色列国的象征，殿是以色列国与神关系的中心。以色列国是神所栽种的无花果树，却不为神结果子；殿作以色列国与神关系的中心，却满了败坏。因此奴仆救主咒诅不结果子的无花果树，并洁净受玷污的殿。这样的对付，可视为十二章九节和十三章二节所豫言之毁灭的先声。
7The matter we are emphasizing with respect to the cursing of the fig tree is that this indicates that God had determined to give up the nation of Israel and to go to another people, the church. The church is composed of those who have been brought into the death and resurrection of Christ in order to participate in the full enjoyment of Christ. This people includes both Jews and Gentiles. Mark 1 1:1 2 says that the Lord was hungry. This signifies that He was hungry for fruit from the children of Israel that God might be satisfied. The fig tree, however, did not have any fruit. We have seen that this fig tree is a symbol of the nation of Israel (Jer. 24:2, 5, 8). The fact that it was full of leaves but fruitless2 signifies that at that time the nation of Israel was full of outward show, but had nothing that could satisfy God. In 11:12-26 the Slave - Savior’s cursing of the fig tree and His cleansing of the temple are merged. This indicates His dealing with the corrupted and rebellious nation of Israel in different aspects at the same time. The fig tree was a symbol of the nation of Israel, and the temple was its center in its relationship with God. As a fig tree planted by God, it did not bear fruit for Him, and as the center of its relationship with God, the temple was filled with corruption. Hence, the Slave - Savior cursed the fruitless fig tree and cleansed the contaminated temple. Such a dealing may be considered a harbinger of the destruction foretold in 12:9 and 13:2.
8主人性的尊严和真挚，以及祂神圣的智慧和权柄
8THE LORD’S HUMAN DIGNITY AND GENUINENESS
AND HIS DIVINE WISDOM AND AUTHORITY
9一章十四节至十章五十二节，奴仆救主在加利利尽职开展福音时，祂的工作是传扬福音、教训真理、赶鬼、医病。在那工作中，祂人性的美德同祂神圣的属性，在祂为著神而给罪人的神圣服事上，显出祂的资格和美丽。祂在耶路撒冷为著救赎工作而有的豫备，（十一15～十四42，）主要的就是面对抵挡祂的犹太首领；他们本该是神建筑的匠人，（十二9～10，）却被神的仇敌撒但霸占，并受他鼓动，图谋杀害祂。在这样的遭遇中，在他们诡诈和邪恶的质问、试验并察验下，祂人性之真，显出祂人性的尊严，（十一15～18，）并且祂属人的行为和完美，也显出祂神圣的智慧和权柄；（十一27～十二37；）所以至终，那些找祂毛病的人，反成了证明祂资格的人。这为祂铺了路，向那些盲目的反对者指出，祂这位基督，大卫的子孙，乃是大卫的主，也就是神，（十二35～37，）使他们能在祂的人性里认识祂的神性，知道祂就是神活在人里面。
9In His ministry for the spread of the gospel in Galilee in 1:14—10:52, the Slave-Savior’s work was to preach the gospel, teach the truth, cast out demons, and heal the sick. In that work, His human virtues with His divine attributes were expressed as His qualification for, and beauty in, His divine service rendered to sinners for God. In His preparation in Jerusalem (11:15 — 14:42) for His redemptive work, His major work was to confront the opposing Jewish leaders, who were supposed to be the builders of God’s building (12:9-10), but actually had been usurped by God’se ne my Satan and instigated by him to plot to kill the Slave-Savior. In this confrontation, under their subtle and evil questioning, testing, and examining, His human dignity was expressed in His human genuineness (11:15-18), and His divine wisdom and authority were expressed in His human conduct and perfection (11:27—12:37), so that eventually His fault- finders became His quality - provers. This paved the way for Him to point out to these blind opposers that He, the Christ, as the Son of David was the Lord of David, the very God (12:35-37), so that they might know His deity in His humanity, that they might know that He was God living in man.
10主对付反对者时，祂人性的尊严的确显于祂人性之真。祂被他们察验时，祂的真挚显出祂的尊严；不仅如此，同时，祂神圣的智慧和权柄，也显在祂属人的行为和完美中。结果，那些要在祂身上找毛病的人，反成了证明祂资格的人。
10In dealing with the opposers, the Lord’s human dignity certainly was expressed in His human genuineness. While He was being examined by them, He expressed His dignity in His genuineness. Furthermore, at the same time, His divine wisdom and authority were expressed in His human conduct and perfection. As a result, those who came with the intention of finding fault with Him had to become those who could prove His qualities
门徒大为惊奇
A GREAT SURPRISE TO THE DISCIPLES
11十一章一至二十六节有三个重点：进耶路撒冷，宿伯大尼；咒诅果树；与洁净圣殿。这三件事必定使奴仆救主的跟从者大为惊奇，甚至震惊不已。彼得、约翰、雅各、和其他门徒，跟从主耶稣已经三年半了；他们在那段年日，观察主如何行事为人并待人接物。他们跟著祂从受藐视的区域加利利来到犹太地，甚至来到全国最重要的地方－耶路撒冷城。耶路撒冷是圣殿所在地，是犹太人大议会聚集之处，并且有许多重要的人物居住在耶路撒冷。现在一群受藐视的加利利人在一位木匠的率领之下，进入了那个大城。当主和门徒『将近耶路撒冷，到了伯法其和伯大尼，在橄榄山那里，耶稣就打发两个门徒，对他们说，你们往对面村子去，一进去，就必看见一匹驴驹拴在那里，是从来没有人骑过的，把牠解开牵来』。（十一1～2。）门徒听从主的话，甚么也没有说。他们已受了训练不发表自己的意见。如果主较早就题出此请，他们也许会问祂为甚么要他们这么作。但现在他们经过了许多事，特别是在耶利哥医病的事；因此当主指示他们往村子去，解开驴驹，牵到主那里去的时候，他们就简简单单的听从。这指明门徒在前几章所受的训练是有果效的。主对二位门徒发出一个不寻常的命令，是人多半不会相信、不会接受的。然而，门徒既然受了主的训练，对主命令他们去作的事，也就没有发表任何意见。
11In 11:1-26 there are three main points: entering into Jerusalem and lodging in Bethany, cursing the fig tree, and cleansing the temple. These three things all must have come as a great surprise, even as a shock, to the followers of the Slave-Savior. Peter, John, James, and the other disciples had been following the Lord Jesus for three and a half years. During those years, they had observed how the Lord conducted Himself, how He did things, and how He treated people. They had come with Him from Galilee, a despised region, to Judea, even to the city of Jerusalem, the most important place in the country. Jerusalem was the place where the temple was located and where the Sanhedrin, the great council of the Jews, met. There were many important people living in Jerusalem. Now into that great city came a group of despised Galileans led by a carpenter. When the Lord and His disciples “came near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sends two of His disciples, and says to them, Go to the village opposite you, and immediately, entering into it, you will find a colt tied, on which no man has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it.” These disciples obeyed the Lord’s word without saying anything. They had been trained not to express their opinion. If the Lord had made such a request earlier, they might have asked Him why He wanted them to do such a thing. But now that they had passed through so many things, especially the healing at Jericho, they simply obeyed the Lord when He told them to go into the village and untie the colt and bring it. This indicates that the training rendered to the disciples in the foregoing chapters was effective. The Lord gave the two disciples an unusual command, a command that most people would not believe or accept. However, having been trained by the Lord, the disciples did not express any opinion about what the Lord commanded them to do.
12十一章七节说，『他们把驴驹牵到耶稣那里，把自己的衣服搭在上面，耶稣就骑上。』我们在前面有一篇信息中指出，当瞎子巴底买听见主叫他过去，他就丢下衣服。我们在这里又看见门徒把自己的衣服搭在驴驹上。这表征他们已经不在乎地位，他们愿意主得著一切的地位。门徒是绝对为著要这一位得著高举。八节说，『有许多人把衣服铺在路上。』我们可以说，群众跟随门徒，把他们的衣服撇在一边。接著百姓就盛大的欢迎主，喊著说，『和散那！在主名里来的，是当受颂赞的！那将要来的我们祖宗大卫的国，是当受颂赞的！至高之处的和散那！』（9～10。）门徒对于奴仆救主所得到的欢迎，必定非常惊讶。他们的确从未想到主耶稣，一个来自加利利的木匠，竟会受到耶路撒冷群众这样热烈的欢迎。
12Mark 11:7 says, “And they bring the colt to Jesus and throw their garments on it, and He sat on it.” In a foregoing message we pointed out that when blind Bartimaeus heard that the Lord was calling him, he threw away his garment. Here we see that the disciples threw their garments on the colt. This signifies that they no longer cared for position. They were willing for the Lord to have all the position. The disciples were absolutely for the exaltation of this One. Verse 8 says that “many spread their garments in the road.” We may say that the crowd followed the disciples in casting aside their garments. The people then proceeded to give the Lord a great welcome, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (vv. 9-10). The disciples must have been surprised by the welcome given to the Slave-Savior. To be sure, they never imagined that the Lord Jesus, a carpenter from Galilee, would be so warmly welcomed by the crowd in Jerusalem
13门徒看见主咒诅无花果树，也一定很惊奇。跟从主的加利利人也许自己心里说，『我们跟从主三年半了，从来没有看见祂这样作过。祂为甚么咒诅无花果树？无花果树是我国的象征，我们非常尊崇这个象征。然而，主却咒诅牠。主的行为真是改变了，和已往大不相同。』主咒诅无花果树以后，就进入圣殿，开始赶出殿里作买卖的人，甚至推倒兑换银钱之人的桌子，和卖鸽子之人的凳子。（15。）想想看，门徒看见祂这样作，该作何感想。他们也许心里会说，『这是我们的夫子么？祂向来仁慈、温柔、怜悯，现在祂在作甚么？』当然，门徒不敢对主说甚么。主豫备环境、
13The disciples must also have been surprised by the Lord’s cursing of the fig tree. The Lord’s Galilean followers may have said to themselves, “We have been following the Lord for three and a half years, and we have never seen Him do such a thing. Why did He curse the fig tree? The fig tree is a symbol of our nation, and we have a high regard for this symbol. Yet, the Lord cursed it. His behavior certainly has changed. It is much different now from what it was in the past.” After cursing the fig tree, the Lord entered the temple and began to cast out those who were selling and buying there. He even overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves (v. 15). Imagine what the disciples must have thought when they saw this. They may have said to themselves, “Is this our Teacher? He has always been kind, gentle, and compassionate. What is He doing?” Of course, the disciples did not dare to say anything to the Lord. THE LORD’S PREPARATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT
反对者、与祂的跟从者
THE OPPOSERS, AND HIS FOLLOWERS
14我们已经看见，主咒诅无花果树，又洁净圣殿，是为著救赎服事所作必要的豫备。祂洁净圣殿，特别激动了祭司长和经学家，他们设法怎样除灭祂。（18。）事实上，主洁净圣殿是使祂的反对者加速将祂处死。这种豫备的工作催促反对者的行动，确保主必定会在逾越节受死。所以，洁净圣殿确实是为著主救赎之死的豫备。假使主耶稣进入圣殿，只在四围看一下，行动举止都很有礼貌。这样，祂的跟从者就会说，『主阿！一切都很好，让我们在甚么地方休息一下罢。』如果是这样，我认为反对者不会那么认真要把主耶稣处死。他们甚至会再给祂一段长时间。这样，主就不会在逾越节被钉在十字架上了。因此，主藉著洁净圣殿来豫备环境；祂这样作就激动了祂的反对者，以致他们在神所指定的时间，将祂处死。
14We have seen that by cursing the fig tree and cleansing the temple the Lord was making the necessary preparations for His redemptive service. In particular, His cleansing of the temple stirred up the chief priests and the scribes, who sought how they might destroy Him (v. 18). Actually, the Lord’s cleansing of the temple caused His opposers to speed up their efforts to put Him to death. This work of preparation, hastening the activity of the opposers, insured that the Lord would die on the day of the Passover. Therefore, the cleansing of the temple certainly was a preparation for the Lord’s redemptive death. Suppose the Lord Jesus had come into the temple and simply looked around, behaving Himself in a very polite manner. Then His followers might have said, “Lord, everything is excellent. Let us go somewhere to rest.” If this had been the situation, I do not think that the opposers would have been as serious in their efforts to put the Lord Jesus to death. They might even have let Him go for a long period of time. In that case, the Lord would not have been crucified on the Passover. Hence, the Lord prepared the situation by cleansing the temple, and in so doing He stirred up the opposers so that they put Him to death at the time appointed by God
15主不但豫备祂的反对者，也豫备祂的跟从者。毫无疑问，咒诅无花果树与洁净圣殿，使主的跟从者留下深刻的印象。这些事发生的时候，他们当然不明白其中的意义。但主被钉十字架并复活以后，他们一定会回想这些事。这样，他们就开始明白，祂为甚么咒诅无花果树，并洁净圣殿。我们在马可十一章能看见，彼得、约翰、雅各、和其他门徒受传统的影响很深。对他们来说，耶路撒冷是蒙神祝福的，而无花果树是神所拣选之以色列国的象征。他们的心思充满了传统的领会。主咒诅无花果树与洁净圣殿时，他们必定大为惊讶。现在我们要看见，主这样作不仅激动祂的反对者将祂处死，也使祂的跟从者有深刻的印象，看见神完全放弃了以色列国。以色列国受咒诅、被定罪，不久即将亡国。主耶稣咒诅无花果树与洁净圣殿的当天，门徒对于所发生的事，不甚了解。但是毫无疑问的，他们以后开始回想这些事，就晓得神已经放弃了以色列。因此，咒诅无花果树和洁净圣殿，乃是豫备一班要把主处死的人，也豫备祂的跟从者，使他们接受祂的死与复活。
15The Lord prepared not only His opposers but also His followers. No doubt, the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple made a deep impression on the Lord’s followers. Of course, they did not understand the significance of these things when they took place. But later, after the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection, they must have recalled these things. Then they began to understand why He cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple. In chapter eleven of Mark, we can see that Peter, John, James, and the other disciples were very much under the influence of tradition. To them, Jerusalem was blessed by God, and the fig tree was a symbol of the nation of Israel, a nation chosen by God. Their minds were filled with the traditional understanding. They must have been shocked when the Lord cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple. Now we need to realize that in doing this the Lord not only stirred up His opposers that they might put Him to death, but also impressed His followers that God was absolutely through with the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel was cursed, condemned, and soon-to-be overthrown. On the day the Lord Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple, the disciples did not have much understanding of what had taken place. But later they no doubt began to recall these things and were able to understand that God had given up Israel. Hence, the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple were a preparation for those who were to put the Lord to death and also for His followers, that they might take His death and receive His resurrection.
16十一章的情景与一至十章的情景大大不同。主耶稣在前十章是温和柔顺、满怀怜悯、富有同情的；但祂在十一章的行为举止完全不同。主在本章的目的，是要为祂救赎之死的大事，豫备环境、形势、反对者、以及祂的跟从者。豫备的事工进行了六天之久。我们可以将这六天比作神创造宇宙的六天。主受死的前六天，豫备了与祂受死有关的环境和每一个人。祂作这豫备工作，不是藉著教训、传讲或解释，乃是藉著祂的行动。
16The scene in chapter eleven is very different from that in chapters one through ten. In the first ten chapters of Mark the Lord Jesus is meek, merciful, gentle, and compassionate. But in chapter eleven He behaved in an altogether different manner. The Lord’s purpose in this chapter was to prepare the environment, the situation, the opposers, and His followers for the great event of His redemptive death. This work of preparation lasted for six days. We may compare these six days to the six days in which God created the universe. During the six days before His death, the Lord prepared the environment and everyone involved for His death. He did this work of preparation not by teaching, preaching, or explaining. Rather, He did it by His actions
门徒的反应
THE DISCIPLES’ REACTION
17当门徒住宿在伯大尼时，他们一定谈论主咒诅无花果树与洁净圣殿的事。彼得也许对约翰和雅各说，『主为甚么咒诅无花果树又洁净圣殿？无花果树是我国的象征，祂却咒诅。然后祂立刻进入圣殿，停止那里一切的交通来往，并推倒桌子。祂甚至说，他们使圣殿成了贼窝。这是甚么意思？我们最好还是不要问主。让我们等到明天，看看还会发生甚么事。我们不晓得祂会再作甚么。』我相信门徒私下曾这样交谈。如果你和门徒在一起，你岂不会和他们谈论所发生的事么？我若在场，我怀疑我还会不会有心情吃喝、睡觉。我或者会去找别人，问问他们对于当天所发生的事，作何感想。不仅如此，我一定会迫切等候明天来到，想知道主会再作甚么。我在这里的重点是说，主使用不寻常的方法为祂的死来豫备所有的人事物，特别是祂的跟从者。
17While the disciples were lodging in Bethany, they must have talked with one another about what the Lord had done in cursing the fig tree and cleansing the temple. Peter may have said to John and James, “Why did the Lord curse the fig tree and cleanse the temple? The fig tree is a symbol of our nation, but He cursed it. Then He immediately went into the temple, stopped all the traffic, and overthrew the tables. He even said that they were making the temple a den of robbers. What is the meaning of all this? It is better that we not ask the Lord. Let’s wait until tomorrow and see what happens next. We don’t know what else He will do.” I believe that the disciples had some private conversation like this. If you had been with the disciples, would you not have talked with them about what had happened? If I had been there, I doubt if I would have had the heart to eat or sleep. I would have gone to the others and asked them their impression of what had happened that day. Furthermore, I certainly would have been eagerly awaiting the next day, wondering what the Lord would do. My point here is that the Lord in an unusual way was preparing all things and all people, especially His followers, for His death
18许多基督徒读圣经，把一切看作理所当然。他们也许读到主进入耶路撒冷，咒诅无花果树并洁净圣殿，却没有探究其中的意义。让我们学习研读圣经，不要将任何事看为理所当然。我们需要深入这些事，加以思考，并尽力去明白。当我们揣摩十一章一至二十六节所记载之事件的含意时，我们就看见，主正在豫备要执行宇宙中最伟大的举动，就是祂救赎的死。
18When many Christians read the Bible, they take things for granted. They may read about the Lord’s entering Jerusalem, His cursing of the fig tree, and His cleansing of the temple without inquiring into the meaning of these things. Let us learn to study the Bible without taking anything for granted. We need to delve into matters, consider them, and seek to understand them. As we consider the significance of the events recorded in 11:1-26, we see that the Lord was making preparations to carry out the greatest act in the universe—His redemptive death.