Read: Isaiah 53:1–6

阅读: 以赛亚书章-节

Our sin is great—God’s grace is greater.

我们的罪虽多，但上帝的恩典更多。

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5

祂为我们的过犯受害，为我们的罪孽压伤。-以赛亚书53章5节

After centuries of war and destruction, the modern city of Jerusalem is literally built on its own rubble. During a family visit, we walked the Via Dolorosa (the Way of Sorrow), the route tradition says Jesus followed on His way to the cross. The day was hot, so we paused for a rest and descended to the cool basement of the Convent of the Sisters of Zion. There I was intrigued by the sight of ancient pavement stones unearthed during recent construction—stones etched with games played by Roman soldiers during their idle moments.

在历经千百年的战争和破坏之后，如今的耶路撒冷城可说是在原有的石砾废墟上重建的。我们全家人在那地旅游时，走了一趟维亚多勒罗沙（也称为苦路），就是相传耶稣背着十字架前往受死时走过的路。因为天气炎热，我们决定暂时歇一下，便走到锡安女修道院阴凉的地下室休息。在那里，我很意外地发现一些最近出土的古老铺路石板，上面雕刻着罗马士兵在闲暇时玩的游戏。

Those particular stones, even though likely from a period later than Jesus, caused me to ponder my spiritual life at the time. Like a bored soldier passing time in idle moments, I had become complacent and uncaring toward God and others. I was deeply moved by remembering that near the place I was standing, the Lord was beaten, mocked, insulted, and abused as He took all of my failure and rebellion on Himself.

这些或许是在耶稣受难之后才出现的石板，让我省思自己的属灵生命。我就像无聊的士兵在闲暇时消磨时间一样，我已经变得自满，对上帝、对人都漠不关心。当时我的心情激动，因为想到就在咫尺之遥，我们的主被鞭打，受人嘲讽、羞辱和厌弃，为要亲身背负我所有的罪愆和悖逆。

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).

“祂为我们的过犯受害，为我们的罪孽压伤。因祂受的刑罚，我们得平安；因祂受的鞭伤，我们得医治”（以赛亚书53章5节）。

My encounter with the stones still speaks to me of Jesus’s loving grace that is greater than all my sin.

如今，这些石板带给我的省思，仍然时时提醒我耶稣的慈爱宏恩，远超过我一切的过犯罪孽。

Lord Jesus, through Your great sacrifice for us, 

we find forgiveness, healing, and hope. 

Thank You that we live today and forever in Your love.

主耶稣，因祢极大的牺牲，
我们得着赦免、医治和盼望。感谢祢，
让我们能活在祢的慈爱中，从今直到永远。

INSIGHT

In their context, few Old Testament prophecies of Jesus look like clear predictions. For the most part, it is only by reading backward that we can see how Jesus brought fullness of meaning to words that were mysterious in their own time. Yet when read in light of Jesus, these words can now be life-changing.

Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant is an example of this. Many in Israel believed it was their own persecuted nation that was bearing the sins of the world. Only by looking back can people like us realize that “we” were the ones who unwittingly demanded the death of our own God and Savior (Zech. 12:10–14).

As hard as it is to admit, this is the kind of grief that is for our good and comfort. This is how we can read words that were once so mysterious and see how much our God loves us. 

灵粮透视

旧约圣经关于耶稣的预言，从当时的处境来看，多是隐晦不明的。其实，大多数的预言，只有从新约的角度回溯时，我们才会看到耶稣如何体现预言的真意。这些在当时看来扑朔迷离的预言，不过我们现在因着耶稣的降生和救赎，便知道这些预言是要使人的生命得到改变。

以赛亚关于受苦仆人的预言就是其中一个例子。许多以色列人相信，他们这个屡受压迫的民族，承担了世人的罪孽和苦楚。但只有回头看，我们这些新约时代的人才能了解，“我们”便是在无意中要求我们的上帝和救主流血舍命的人（撒迦利亚书12章10-14节）。

尽管我们很难承认，但若我们能明白而忧伤的时候，便能带来益处和安慰。正是这样，我们可以阅读那些曾经看似不可思议的话语，并能体会上帝是多么爱我们。

??Isaiah? ?53:1-6? ?NIV??

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

整理：于姊妹