Jesus loved us by serving.

耶稣藉着服事，表达祂对我们的爱。

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 1 John 3:16

主为我们舍命，我们从此就知道何为爱。-约翰一书3章16节

Horrified by his students’ poor writing habits, renowned author and college professor David Foster Wallace considered how he might improve their skills. That’s when a startling question confronted him. The professor had to ask himself why a student would listen to someone “as smug, narrow, self-righteous, [and] condescending” as he was. He knew he had a problem with pride.

一位知名作家兼大学教授，发现学生们的写作习惯极其拙劣，为此他骇然不已。当他正思考要如何改进他们的技巧时，却发现一个问题：在学生的心目中，他总是洋洋自得、心胸狭隘、自以为是，又高高在上。为什么学生要听从这么一位教授呢？这位教授看见了自己的骄傲。

That professor could and did change, but he could never become one of his students. Yet when Jesus came to Earth, He showed us what humility looks like bybecoming one of us. Stepping across all kinds of boundaries, Jesus made Himself at home everywhere by serving, teaching, and doing the will of His Father.

这位教授虽然能够谦卑，也确实放下了骄傲，但他毕竟还是教授，不可能成为学生。但耶稣所展示的谦卑，却是来到世上，成为像我们一样的人。耶稣越过种种藩篱，进入不同的人群当中，以服事和教导完成天父的旨意。

Even as He was being crucified, Jesus prayed for forgiveness for His executioners (Luke 23:34). Straining for every anguished breath, He still granted eternal life to a criminal dying with Him (vv. 42–43).

耶稣被钉在十字架上时，仍不忘为执刑的兵丁祷告，祈求天父赦免他们（路加福音23章34节） 。耶稣在连呼吸都痛彻心扉的时刻，还将永生赐给与祂同钉的犯人（42-43节） 。

Why would Jesus do that? Why would He serve people like us to the very end? The apostle John gets to the point. Out of love! He writes, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” Then he drives that point home. “And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16).

为什么耶稣要这么做？为何祂要服事像我们这样的人，直到最后一刻？使徒约翰的答案切中要点，这是出于爱！约翰写道：“主为我们舍命，我们从此就知道何为爱。”接着他指出重点：“我们也当为弟兄舍命。”（约翰一书3章16节）

Jesus showed us that His love eradicates our pride, our smugness, our condescension. And He did it in the most powerful way possible. He gave His life.

耶稣向我们显示，祂的爱能根除我们的骄傲自满、自高自大。祂已牺牲生命，彰显祂对我们的爱。

Father, we are so prone to look down on each other. Please forgive us. Give us the heart of love Your Son showed to us.

天父，我们易于轻看别人，求祢饶恕我们，

并让我们能像耶稣一样去关怀别人。

1 John 3:11-18New International Version (NIV)

More on Love and Hatred

¹¹ For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.¹⁵ Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

整理：于姊妹