7. Manna issue 62 - From Seeing to Believing 眼見而信主
Learning from the Sign Jesus Did Before Thomas
學習多馬面前，耶穌所行的神蹟
Stephen Ku—Pacifica, California, USA 美國加州太平洋教會 谷慕霖執事
And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst,
and said, “Peace to you!”
Then He said to Thomas,
“Reach your finger here, and look at My hands;
and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.
Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
And Thomas answered and said to Him,
“My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him,
“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
(Jn 20:26-29)
26過了八日，門徒又在屋裡，多馬也和他們同在，
門都關了。耶穌來，站在當中說：
“願你們平安！”
27就對多馬說：
“伸過你的指頭來，摸（原文是看）我的手；
伸出你的手來，探入我的肋旁。
不要疑惑，總要信。”
28多馬說：
“我的主！我的神！”
29耶穌對他說：
“你因看見了我才信；
那沒有看見就信的有福了。”
（約 20：26-29）
“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails,
and put my finger into the print of the nails, I will not believe”
(Jn 20:25).
“25我非看見他手上的釘痕，
用指頭探入那釘痕，我總不信。”
（約 20：25）。
Thomas was certainly not afraid to speak his mind,
even when he was the lone minority.
多馬很明顯不會害怕說出自己的想法，
即使他是唯一的少數。
The other ten disciples had just seen their teacher and risen Lord,
who had died a gruesome death and came into their midst through closed doors.
He showed them His pierced hands and side and breathed on them,
giving them the promise of the Holy Spirit
(Jn 20:19-23).
其他十個使徒才剛剛看到了他們自已的老師，以及復活的主，
他死得很慘，然後關起門時，卻來到他們中間。
他向他們展示自已被刺穿的手和肋旁，並且向他們吹氣，
賜給他們聖靈的應許
（約 20:：19-23）。
The greatest miracle had happened before their eyes, turning their fear to joy.
And seeing their resurrected Lord revived their lost hope in Him.
最大的神蹟就發生在他們眼前，讓他們的恐懼轉變成喜悅。
看到他們復活的主，重振他們對祂失去的希望。
Thomas had missed this historic moment.
They told him in excitement,
“We have seen the Lord!”
But the unanimous witness of his peers did not persuade him one bit.
In his heart, Jesus was dead.
As far as he was concerned,
all that he had once hoped for in Jesus was now over.
Nothing could arouse his faith anymore.
多馬錯過了這個歷史性的時刻。
他們很興奮的告訴他，
「我們已經看到主了！”
但是同為使徒一致的見證人，並沒有給他有絲毫的說服力。
在他自已的心裡，耶穌已經死了。
就他而言，
他曾經對耶穌所想望的一切，現在都破碎了。
沒有任何事物能夠再喚起他的信心了。
Perhaps this was what went through his mind:
也許他的心裡是這麼想的：
You saw the Lord?
你看見主了嗎？
No.
You were seeing things
because you were so desperate to find something to calm your fears.
沒有。
你看到了一些事物，
因為你非常的渴望，想找到一些東西來平息自已的恐懼。
You saw Jesus’ hands and side?
你看到耶穌的雙手和肋旁了嗎？
Did you actually touch them to see if they were real?
你有沒有真的觸摸它們，看看它們是不是真的呢？
No. You have all been tricked by your own imagination.
不。
你們都被自己的想像所欺騙了。
For Thomas, the only way to prove himself wrong
was for him not only to see the nail prints on Jesus’ hands
but also to put his finger into the print and his hand into His side.
Thomas was sure that his demand was an impossible one.
Whatever the other disciples saw simply was not true.
End of discussion.
對多馬來說，證明自己錯誤的唯一方法，
就是他不只能看到耶穌手上的釘痕，
而且要將自已的手指放入釘痕中，和祂的肋旁裡。
多瑪很確信他的要求都是不可能的。
其他門徒所看到的一切，其實都不是真的。
討論結束。
SEEING INSPIRES FAITH 看見啟發信心
“My Lord and my God!”
“我的主，我的神啊！”
Now imagine the Thomas who professed these words of utter surrender.
What wrought the total change of attitude in him was a sign
—a sign that Jesus did specifically for him.
Jesus came through closed doors, appeared before Thomas’ eyes, spoke with him,
and offered to let him verify that He was real.
現在想像一下，多馬坦誠這些完全投降的話。
使他態度完全改變的原因，就是有一個異象，
—這是耶穌專為祂所行的神蹟。
耶穌穿過緊閉的大門，出現在多馬眼前，與他說話，
並且提出要讓他驗證祂是真實的。
In the Gospel according to John, signs play a crucial role in Jesus’ works.
Before the multitudes and the disciples, Jesus did many signs
(Jn 7:31, 12:37, 20:30).
跟據約翰福音在耶穌的工作，神蹟扮演著很重要的角色。
耶穌在眾人和門徒面前行了許多神蹟
（約 7：31，12：37，20：30）。
Right after the account of Jesus’ appearance to Thomas,
the Scripture tells us,
“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples,
which are not written in this book”
(Jn 20:30).
This indicates that what Jesus did in the foregoing account was a sign.
就在耶穌向多馬顯現的記事之後，
聖經告訴我們，
“耶穌確實在門徒面前行了許多其他的神蹟，
而書中沒有寫到的”
（約 20：30）。
這裡指出，耶穌於上述事蹟所做的事，就是一個神蹟。
A sign, by definition, is a distinguishing mark that points to something beyond itself.
By means of some extraordinary occurrence,
signs visibly reveal Jesus’ identity as the Christ, the Son of God.
根據定義，神蹟是一種區別的標記，指向自身以外的事物。
藉著一些不尋常的事件，
可以看見神蹟，揭露了耶穌就是基督、神兒子的身份。
The ultimate purpose of Jesus’ signs, according to John,
is so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and “that believing [we] may have eternal life in His name”
(Jn 20:31).
The signs that Jesus performed were not only a show of divine power,
but served to lead the people to believe that He is the Savior of the world,
the true answer to our problems.
根據約翰福音，耶穌神蹟的最終目的：
就是為了讓我們相信耶穌是基督，神的兒子，
並且“相信[我們]就可以因著祂的名而獲得永生”
（約 20：31）。
耶穌所行的神蹟，不只顯示了上天的能力，
而且用來引導大家可以相信，祂就是世界的救主，
是我們問題的真正答案。
By feeding the multitude with only five loaves and two fish,
Jesus revealed that He is the bread of life from heaven.
By healing the man blind from birth,
Jesus showed that He is the light of the world.
By raising Lazarus from the dead,
Jesus demonstrated that He is the resurrection and the life.
只用五餅二魚餵飽了眾人，
耶穌透露了，祂就是從天上來的生命之糧。
透過醫治那位生來就失明的人，
耶穌表明了，祂就是世界之光。
藉著使拉撒路從死裡復活，
耶穌證明了，祂可以使人復活，祂就是生命。
Therefore, miraculous signs play a necessary part in the proclamation of the gospel.
Even today, God continues to bear witness to us with signs, wonders, and miracles
(Heb 2:4).
Through these acts of God,
we may come to have saving faith in the Lord Jesus.
因此，神蹟奇事在傳福音時，扮演著很重要的角色。
即使在今天，神仍然繼續用異象、奇事和神蹟為我們作見證
（來 2：4）。
透過神的這些作為，
我們可能會對主耶穌有得救的信心。
MY LORD AND MY GOD 我的主，我的神啊
When we experience a miracle,
especially when God does it for us personally,
we find ourselves in the presence of the almighty yet loving God.
We stand in awe, humbled and moved, at a loss for words.
當我們體驗了奇蹟時，
尤其是神親自為我們做這件事的時候，
我們發現自己站在這全能又慈愛的神面前。
我們肅然起敬，謙卑感動，無言以對。
This was what happened to Thomas.
No more verbose claims.
Only a cry of faith:
“My Lord and my God!”
這就是多馬所遇到的事情。
不再有冗長的聲明。
只有信仰的呼喊：
“我的主，我的神啊！”
Jesus knew what Thomas needed, and so He acted to meet that need.
In fact, He also has a lesson to teach us, the readers.
He could have waited until all eleven of the disciples were together,
but He chose to appear to them when Thomas was absent.
耶穌知道多馬的需要，所以祂採取行動來完成這個需求。
事實上，祂也準備一項課程，要教導我們這些讀者。
他本來可以等待，直到十一個門徒都聚集在一起，
但祂卻選擇多馬不在的時候，向他們顯現。
He heard Thomas’ words to the other disciples.
Eight days later, while Thomas was with the rest,
Jesus appeared again, especially for him.
What Jesus asked Thomas to do was exactly according to the impossible terms Thomas had laid down
—to put his finger into His hands and to put his hand into His side.
祂聽到了多馬對其他門徒所說的話。
八天後，當多馬和其他人在一起的時候，
耶穌再次顯現，特別是為了祂顯現。
耶穌要求多馬做的事，正是按照多馬所設下很不可能的條件，
—把他的手指放入祂的手中，並將他的手放入祂的肋旁。
Thomas did not even have to touch Jesus’ hands and side
before He professed His faith in the risen Christ.
Jesus had shown him beyond a doubt that He was alive.
Even more importantly, Jesus cared enough to manifest Himself again solely for him.
多馬甚至不用碰到耶穌的手和肋旁
在他承認相信復活的基督的之前。
耶穌毫無疑問的向他表明自已還活著。
更重要的是，耶穌非常的關心他，專為了他而再次顯現自己。
Jesus never performed a sign just to satisfy an unbeliever’s demand
(Mt 12:38, 39; Jn 2:18-22),
and He was in no way obligated to convince Thomas of His resurrection.
But Jesus did not give up on Thomas.
He was aware of Thomas’ character
—that he would not buy into anything easily,
especially something of such magnitude.
耶穌行神蹟，從來不是為了滿足非信徒的要求
（太 12：38, 39；約 2：18-22），
他從沒有義務，需要讓多馬相信祂已經復活了。
但是耶穌並沒有放棄多馬。
祂了解多馬的性格，
—祂不會輕易想信任何事物，
尤其是這種情況的事情。
He also knows about the Thomas within each of us.
The Thomas who had once left everything to follow the Lord and had now forsaken his faith.
Jesus, out of His love for Thomas,
made a point to restore his lost faith.
祂也了解我們每個人內心的多馬。
曾經拋下一切跟隨主的多馬，如今卻背棄了信仰。
耶穌出於愛多馬的心，
特意這麼作，來恢復了他失去的信心。
Whether we are able to believe and trust in our Lord matters a great deal to Him.
How many times has God gone out of His way to seek us when we were lost?
Even when we have given up on Him,
He never gives up on us.
In some miraculous way,
He touches our lives and shows us that He still cares.
At that moment, we are caught in wonder and a sense of worthlessness.
我們是否能夠相信並依靠我們的主，對祂來說很重要。
當我們迷失時，有多少次神費盡心思來尋找我們？
即使我們已經放棄祂了，
祂從未放棄我們。
用了某種奇妙的方式，
祂觸動了我們的生命，並向我們表明祂仍然很關心。
在那一刻，我們感到很奇妙，並且覺得自已很不配。
All we can say in our stupor is
“My Lord and my God!”
God is no longer the God of other Christians or of our family members.
He becomes our very own.
This personal encounter with the Lord is what is most precious about miracles.
It is not the vision, the healing,
or the deliverance from danger.
But it is coming face to face with our Lord and our God
through the power and kindness He has shown us.
在我們昏迷中，只能說，
“我的主，我的神啊！”
神不再是其他基督徒，或我們家人的神。
祂變成像我們自己一樣。
與主的個人相遇，就是神蹟最寶貴的部分。
這不是異象，不是醫治，
或是拯救脫離危險。
但是事情很快變成，是與我們的主和我們的神面對面相見，
透過祂向我們展現的力量和仁慈。
Such personal encounters with God tend to stay with us for the rest of our lives.
Even in moments of doubt, we can recall them and renew our faith again.
這種與神的個人體會，往往會伴隨我們終其一生。
即使有懷疑的時刻，我們也可以回憶起這些事蹟，並且再次更新自已的信心。
SEEING AND BELIEVING 眼見為憑
Seeing is believing, as the saying goes.
This world has taught us to only believe something when we have proof in our hands.
Who would put money down for a house without any signed legal documents?
Which top university would grant you admissions simply because you claim to qualify?
俗話說，眼見為憑。
這個世界告訴我們，只有我們手上有證據的時候，才可以相信某件事。
誰會沒有簽下任何法律文件的情況下，付錢購買房子呢？
哪一所頂尖的大學，會因為您宣稱符合資格，就給你入學資格呢？
We have all learned to be skeptical until we see proof.
After all, how can we know what is true or false without some clear evidence?
我們都學會保持懷疑，直到看到證據。
畢竟，若沒有明確的證據，我們怎麼能夠知道，什麼是真或假呢？
God knows that in a world of mistrust,
we are no longer able to believe in the truth without any convincing proof
(Jn 4:48).
For this reason, Jesus not only taught the people the truth about God and His salvation,
He also worked miracles, wonders, and signs among the people
(Acts 2:22).
神知道，在一個充滿不信任的世界裡，
若沒有任何令人信服的證據，我們不再會相信真理
（約 4：48）。
因此，耶穌不只教導人們有關神和祂救恩的真理，
祂還在百姓之間，施行神蹟、奇事和異象
（徒 2：22）。
In doing so, He manifested His glory,
demonstrating that the Father was at work in Him
and that He was indeed one with the Father
(Jn 2:11, 10:37, 38).
Thus, Jesus’ signs were an integral part of His ministry.
這麼做，祂彰顯了神的榮耀，
證明天父在祂裡面動工，
祂確實與天父合而為一
（約 2：11，10：37，38）。
因此，耶穌的神蹟包含於祂事工的一部分。
If signs were so important, was it wrong for Thomas to ask for a sign
to show that Jesus had indeed resurrected?
And for that matter, is it really wrong for us to ask to see before we believe?
如果神蹟是如此重要，多馬要求看看神蹟是不是錯了？
來證明耶穌是直的復活了呢？
就這一點而言，在相信之前，我們要求可以看見神蹟，是真的錯了嗎？
Jesus said to Thomas,
“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”
(Jn 20:29).
It appears as if Jesus expects us to believe in Him without any visible proof.
It also seems that Jesus was dismissing the importance of signs and miracles.
But this is not so.
耶穌告訴多馬：
「多馬，因為你已經看到我了，你就相信了。
那些沒有看見就相信的人有福了”
（約 20：29）。
這看起來，耶穌想要我們在沒有任何眼見證的證據時，就相信祂。
這也就好像，耶穌忽略了異象和神蹟的重要性。
但事實並非如此。
Bear in mind that Jesus had already appeared to the other ten disciples.
He showed them His hands and His side.
Even when Jesus appeared especially to Thomas eight days later,
the other disciples were also present to witness this sign.
Thomas was not the only disciple who believed only upon seeing.
So the problem does not lie in seeing miracles.
請記住，耶穌已經向其他十位門徒顯現了。
祂展示了自已的雙手和肋旁給他們看。
即使是八天後，耶穌特別向多馬顯現，
其他門徒也在場見證了這一次的神蹟。
多馬並不是唯一只因看見才相信的門徒。
所以問題並不在於看到了神蹟。
In fact, the Bible tells us that after Jesus had risen from the dead,
He presented Himself alive to the apostles
“by many infallible proofs, being seen by them
during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God”
(Acts 1:2, 3).
If the Lord expects faith without any proof or sight,
He would not have performed so many signs
and produced all the infallible proofs before His disciples.
事實上，聖經告訴我們，耶穌從死裡復活之後，
他活生生展現自已給門徒看
“3用許多的憑據顯給使徒看，
四十天之久，講說神國的事。”
（徒 1：2，3）。
如果主認為，在沒有任何證據或看見的情況下，就會有信心，
祂就不會行那麼多的神蹟，
並在祂門徒面前展現所有的憑據了。
What, then, was wrong with Thomas’ attitude?
Let us think about his ultimatum again:
“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails,
and put my finger into the print of the nails,
and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
He was not seeking a sign as much as to assert his staunch unbelief.
那麼，多馬的態度有什麼問題呢？
讓我們再想想他說出了最後結論：
“除非我看見，他手上的釘痕，
然後用我的手指穿進釘痕中，
用手放伸入他的肋旁，我也不會相信。”
他不是在尋求看見一次神蹟，而是為了表明他的堅定不信。
Using the strongest form of negation,
1 Thomas insisted that He would not believe except under the conditions he set forth.
Elsewhere in the NKJV, the double negative is usually translated as
“by no means” or “never.”
In other words, Thomas was saying,
“Unless I can authenticate things my way, I will never believe!”
Perhaps the expression “doubting Thomas” is not nearly as accurate as “unbelieving Thomas.”
使用最強烈的否定形式，
1 多馬堅持說，除非在他提出的條件下，否則他不會相信。
在聖經新欽定本 NKJV 的其他地方，雙重否定通常被翻譯為
“決不”或“從不”。
換句話說，多馬就是說，
“除非我可用自己的方式去驗證，否則我永不相信！”
也許“懷疑的多馬」這個表達方式，並不像“不信的多馬”那麼準確。
Jesus’ final command to Thomas was this:
“Do not be unbelieving, but believing”
(Jn 20:29).
Jesus was not only instructing him to believe
for the moment that Jesus was indeed alive.
Thomas had fallen into a state of unbelief,
and he chose to remain so unless he was proven wrong.
耶穌給多馬的最後命令是：
“不要不信，而要相信”
（約 20：29）。
耶穌不只教導他要相信，
從耶穌確實還活著的那一刻起。
多馬已經陷入了難以相信的狀態，
他選擇保持那種狀態，除非他被證明是錯的。
The adjective “unbelieving” is also translated as “faithless”
(cf. Mt 17:17).
Elsewhere in the Bible, this word applies only to unbelievers.
This was the condition Thomas had put himself in
—he had become an unbeliever.
Jesus, out of His compassion,
lifted Thomas out of his unbelief.
形容詞“不信的”也被翻譯為“沒有信心的”
（參考，太 17：17）。
在聖經的其他地方，這個字只用於那些未信的人。
這就是多馬給自己設定的情況，
—他已經成為一個不信的人。
耶穌出於祂的憐憫，
讓多馬脫離了不信。
By placing terms and conditions on faith, Thomas had placed a limit on God.
He would only believe that Jesus had resurrected
if those terms and conditions were met.
This was an indication of his state of unbelief.
經由給信仰設定了條款和條件，多馬給神施加了限制。
他只相信耶穌已經復活了，
假如這些條款和條件得到了滿足。
這顯示了他的不信的狀態。
FAITH BEYOND SEEING 超越眼見的信心
According to the Lord Jesus, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
These are people who trust in the Lord without placing any conditions on God.
That includes us, the readers,
who put our faith in the risen Christ without having seen Him with our eyes.
As Jesus’ disciples, we should no longer resort to the mentality of “seeing is believing.”
按照主耶穌的說法，那些沒有看見就相信的人，有福了。
有一些人信靠主，而不會向神提出任何條件。
這包括我們這些讀者，
可以在沒有親眼見過神的情況下，就相信了復活的基督。
身為耶穌的門徒，我們不該再訴求“眼見為憑”的心態。
While Jesus has allowed us to see His glory through signs, miracles, and wonders,
He does not want us to make them a condition for faith.
Seeing may lead to faith, but faith should not depend on seeing.
雖然耶穌讓我們透過異象、神蹟和奇事看見祂的榮耀，
祂不希望我們把它們當作是信仰的條件。
眼見雖可能會產生信心，但信心卻不應該依賴眼見。
Our Lord wants us to go on from seeing to believing
—to continue believing even in the absence of miracles.
Can you picture a relationship
in which one has to keep producing proofs to earn the other’s trust?
This is surely not the kind of relationship we want to have with our Lord.
我們的主要我們從看見相信再繼續下去，
—即使是沒有奇蹟，也要繼續相信。
你是否能想像有一段關係，
其中有一方必須不斷找出證據，才能贏得對方的信任呢？
這肯定不是我們想要與主建立的關係。
God may do wonders in our lives and before our eyes,
but only according to His sovereign will and according to His timetable, not ours.
Unlike scientific experiments,
miracles are not for us to use at our disposal to verify God’s words.
Instead, they are out of God’s mercy toward us,
and we are humbled at the sight of God’s glory.
神可能會於我們的生命中，或在我們的眼前，創造奇蹟，
但只會根據祂主的旨意和祂的時間表，而不是我們的期待。
與科學實驗不同的是，
神蹟不是可以給我們來任意使用，以驗證神的話語。
相反的，它們是出於神對我們的憐憫，
我們一看見神的榮耀就感到謙卑。
Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 5:7,
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Our journey to our eternal home does not depend on sight.
Signs and miracles would benefit us only
if we come to Christ as a result and believe in Him as our Lord and our God.
Once we have established this personal and trusting relationship with God,
it is faith that will take us to the end.
哥林多後書 5 章 7 節，保羅教導，
“7因我們行事為人是憑著信心，不是憑著眼見。”
我們通往自已永生家園的旅程，並不是跟據眼見。
異象和神蹟只會讓我們受益
若是我們最終有歸向基督，並相信祂是我們的救主和真神。
一旦我們與神建立了這種個人的、信任的關係，
就是信心會將帶我們到達終點。
Through His miraculous appearance,
Jesus became to Thomas his Lord and his God.
Thomas had now grown beyond sight and was no longer dependent on sight.
We likewise have claimed Jesus as “my Lord and my God.”
Let us not become hardened in our hearts but walk daily by faith
until the day we see Him as He is.
透過祂奇妙的顯現，
耶穌成為多馬的主和祂的神。
多馬現在已經超越眼見而成長，不再是依賴眼見了。
我們同樣宣稱耶穌是“我的主，我的神”。
讓我們內心不要變得剛硬，而是每日憑著信心而行，
直到有一天我們看到祂的本來面目。
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1 The double negative ο.u μ.n is the most decisive way of negating something in the future.
1 雙重否定 ο.u μ.n 是否定未來某事最果斷的方式。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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