Humility by Andrew Murray (4 of 12)

第四章 謙卑顯於耶穌的教訓中 Chapter 4–Humility in the Teaching of Jesus

我心裏柔和謙卑，你們當負我的軛，學我的樣式。(太十一29）
“Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart. “-Matt. 11:29.

你們中間……誰願為首就必作你們的僕人，正如人子來，……乃是要服事人(太廿26-28）。
“Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant, even as the Son of Man came to server.” Matt.20:26-28.

我們已經看過謙卑顯於耶穌的生活裏，正如他自己所表明的心跡，所以讓我們來聆聽他的教訓，看看他怎樣論到謙卑，怎樣深深地期待人(尤其是他的門徙)要像他一樣的謙卑。請細讀底下的話，我所能做的就是直接引用經文，盼望你從其中得著一個很深的印象：主常常多麼熱切地要教導人謙卑這件事，這樣或許有助於瞭解他所要求於我們的。

1．在他服事的起頭，就宣告了登山寶訓裏的美福：”虛心（靈裏貧窮）的人有福了，因為天國是他們的。……溫柔的人有福了，因為他們必承受地土。”(太五3、5）他這段開場白指出了進入天國的唯一門路。虛心（貧窮）的人毫無所有，因此天國就臨到他們；溫柔的人不為自己謀求什麼，因此地上是他們的。天地一切的美福都是為謙卑人預備的。謙卑乃蒙福之秘訣，是在天在地的生活準則。

2．”我心裏柔和謙卑，你們當負我的軛，學我的樣式。”基督扮演著教師的角色，這位教師把他的心態告訴我們，並要我們向他學習、從他領受。而他所告訴我們的唯一心態就是柔和謙卑，藉此我們的靈魂得著完全的安息。謙卑成了我們的拯救。

3．門徒們彼此爭論誰在天國為大，最後同意去問夫子(參路九46；太十八1－3）。耶穌便叫一個孩子來站在他們當中，說：”凡自己謙卑像這小孩子的，他在天國裏就是最大的。”(太十八4)”天國裏誰是最大的？”這實在是個難解的問題。究竟天國裏最重要的特質是什麼呢？除了耶穌以外，沒有人可以給予答案。天堂最大的榮耀，最首要的恩典，真正屬天的心思，就是謙卑。”你們中間最小的，他便為大。”(路九48)

4．西庇太的兒子們曾經要求耶穌把天國裏他寶座左右的最高位賜給他們。耶穌說這不是他可以賜的！乃是父為誰預備的，就賜給誰。他們的眼目不當注定這高位，也不當為此祈求，所當思想的就是主所喝的羞辱之杯與主所受的屈辱之洗。所以他又補充道：”誰願為首，就必作你們的僕人，正如人子來………乃是要服事人。”(參太二十20－28）謙卑既是從天而降之基督身上的標誌，當然也是量度天上榮耀的唯一準則：最卑微的人最靠近神。教會的首位是要給那最卑微的人。

5．耶穌對眾人和門徒提到法利賽人喜愛首位時，再次說道：”你們中間誰為大，誰就要作你們的用人。”(太廿三11）謙卑是唯一登向神國度之榮耀的階梯。

6．又有一次，耶穌在一個法利賽人家裏說到請客的比喻，提及一位客人被請去坐上座，然後加上一句話：”凡自高的必降為卑，自卑的必升為高。”(參路十四1－11）這要求決無更改的餘地，此外沒有第二條路可走。惟有自卑的，才能升為高。

7．在法利賽人和稅吏的比喻裏，耶穌再次說道：”凡自高的必降為卑，自卑的必升為高。”(參路十八9－14）在聖殿和神面前的敬拜，必須深深地浸潤於對神、對人真正的謙卑裏，否則一切毫無價值。

8．當那穌洗完了門徒的腳之後，他說：”我是你們的主、你們的夫子，尚且洗你們的腳，你們也當彼此洗腳。”(約十三14）發命令的那一位，自己作榜樣，而且論到順從或效法他的每一個思想，皆以謙卑為作門徒的首要條件。

9．設立聖餐的那一夜，門徒仍在爭論他們中間哪一個可算為大。耶穌說：”你們裏頭為大的，倒要像年幼的，為首領的，倒要像服事人的。……我在你們中間如同服事人的。”在此耶穌向我們披露他走過何樣的路徑，他用什麼樣的能力與態度成全了救恩，並拯救我們進入其中。自始至終就是謙卑使他成為眾人之僕。

多麼少人傳這信息，也多麼少人操練這件事，而覺察並承認缺少謙卑的人又何其少！我並不是說很少人達到某種程度像耶穌一樣的謙卑，我乃是說很少人繼續不斷地渴望謙卑，並為此禱告，一直以此為明確的追求目標。世人很少看見謙卑，甚至在教會內部也很少看到。

“誰願為首，就必作你們的僕人。”但願神使我們滿心相信這話正是耶穌的心意。我們都知道一個忠實的奴僕意味著什麼樣的性格–獻身于對主人有利的事，體貼主人的心意，小心地討主人的歡心，因著主人的興隆、尊榮與幸福而快樂。我們可以在地上看見這種僕人，對他們而言，”僕人”這名稱乃是一項榮耀。我們中間卻還有許多人尚未明白這種基督徒生命中的新喜樂：把自己交給神，作他的奴僕服事他，結果發現服事他成了我們最高的自由–脫離罪與己。不但如此，我們還須學另一樣功課–耶穌呼召我們彼此服事，如果我們衷心地接受這項呼召，這樣的服事也會成為最大的祝福、更完全的新自由，得以脫離罪惡與老我。一開始學習時似乎很難，那不過是因為驕傲作祟、自尊、自恃。一旦我們明白在神面前持著一無所有的態度，是受造者的榮耀，是耶穌的靈(態度)，也是天上的喜樂時，我們便會全心歡迎這種訓練，甚至去服事那些磨難我們、激怒我們的人。當我們專注於這種真正使人成聖的學習時，就能用嶄新而熱切的態度去讀耶穌論自卑的話語，也會發現沒有一種地位是太低下、太過份地屈辱自己，也沒有一種服事是太卑賤、太冗長而不值得繼續做下去。因為我們是與”我在你們中間如同服事人的”那一位相交，而服事人證明我們與他有份。

弟兄們！這是通往更高生命的途徑–低下，低而又低！這是耶穌對那些想要在天國為大，坐在主左右的門徒們說過的話。不要追求或要求升高，那是神的事；你自己要守住自卑、謙卑的地位，在神和人面前一直以僕人自居，這是你的事；但願這是你的目標和禱告。神是信實的，正如水總是流向並充滿最低的地方，照樣神的榮耀和能力總是流入謙卑和倒空的受造者，使之升高並賜下祝福。凡自卑的(這必須是我們唯一關切的事)–必升為高(這是神關心的事，他要按著他的大愛，藉著他的大能成就這事)。

有時候人以為柔和謙卑會使我們失去男子漢大丈夫的尊貴氣概。喔，不！但願所有的人都相信謙卑乃天國的尊貴樣式，也是天國君王的高貴氣派；自卑、成為眾人之僕才像神，而且會帶來主同在的喜樂與榮耀，使他的能力時常停留在我們身上。

耶穌–柔和謙卑的那一位–呼召我們效法他走這條通向神的路徑。讓我們默想前面所說的話，直到我們的心被一個意念抓住：我需要謙卑。而且我們可以相信他必賜予他所指示我們的事，並讓我們有份於他所是的一切。柔和謙卑的那一位要進來，住在一顆渴慕的心中。

（取自慕安得烈所著之《謙卑》）

Chapter 4–HUMILITY IN THE TEACHING OF JESUS

“Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart. “-Matt. 11:29. “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant, even as the Son of Man came to server.” Matt.20:26-28.

We have seen humility in the life of Christ, as He laid open His heart to us: let us listen to His teaching. There we shall hear how He speaks of it, and how far He expects men, and specially His disciples, to be humble as He was. Let us carefully study the passages, which I can scarce do more than quote, to receive the full impression of how often and how earnestly He taught it: it may help us to realize what He asks of us.

I. Look at the commencement of His ministry. In the Beatitudes with which the Sermon on the Mount opens, He speaks:”Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” The very first words of His proclamation of the kingdom of heaven reveal the open gate through which alone we enter. The poor, who have nothing in themselves, to them the kingdom comes. The meek,who seek nothing in themselves, theirs the earth shall be. The blessings of heaven and earth are for the lowly. For the heavenly and the earthly life, humility is the secret of blessing.

2. “Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”Jesus offers Himself as Teacher. He tells what the spirit both is, which we shall find Him as Teacher, and which we can learn areceive from Him. Meekness and lowliness the one thing He offers us; in it we shall find perfect rest of soul. Humility is to be a salvation.

3. The disciples had been disputing who would be the greatest in the kingdom, and had agreed to ask the Master (Luke 9:46; Matt. 18:3). He set a child in their midst and said, “Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, shall be exalted. ” “Who the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” The question is indeed a far-reaching one. What will be the chief distinction in the heavenly kingdom? The answer, none but Jesus would have given. The chief glory of heaven, the true heavenly-mindedness, the chief of the graces, is humility. “He that is least among you, the same shall be great. ”

4. The sons of Zebedee had asked Jesus to sit on His right and left, the highest place in the kingdom. Jesus said it was not His to give, but the Father’s, who would give it to those for whom it was prepared. They must not look or ask for it. Their thought must be of the cup and the baptism of humiliation. And then He added, “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came to serve. ” Humility, as it is the mark of Christ the heavenly, will be the one standard of glory in heaven: the lowliest is the nearest to God. The primacy in the Church is promised to the humblest.

5. Speaking to the multitude and the disciples, of the Pharisees and their love of the chief seats, Christ said once again (Matt. 23:11), “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Humiliation is the only ladder to honor in God’s kingdom.

6. On another occasion, in the house of a Pharisee, He spoke the parable of the guest who would be invited to come up higher (Luke 14:1-11), and added, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” The demand is inexorable; there is no other way. Self-abasement alone will be exalted.

7. After the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, Christ spake again (Luke18: 14), “Everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” In the temple and presence and worship of God, everything is worthless that is not pervaded by deep, true humility towards God and men.

8. After washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus said (John 13:14), “If I then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” The authority of command, and example, every thought, either of obedience or conformity, make humility the first and most essential element of discipleship.

9. At the Holy Supper table, the disciples still disputed who should be greatest (Luke 22:26). Jesus said, “He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. I am among you as he that serveth.” The path in which Jesus walked, and which He opened up for us, the power and spirit in which He wrought out salvation, and to which He saves us, is ever the humility that makes me the servant of all.

How little this is preached. How little it is practised. How little the lack of it is felt or confessed. I do not say, how few attain to it, some recognizable measure of likeness to Jesus in His humility. But how few ever think, of making it a distinct object of continual desire or prayer. How little the world has seen it. How little has it been seen even in the inner circle of the Church.

“Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” Would God that it might be given us to believe that Jesus means this! We all know what the character of a faithful servant or slave implies. Devotion to the master’s interests, thoughtful study and care to please him, delight in his prosperity and honor and happiness. There are servants on earth in whom these dispositions have been seen, and to whom the name of servant has never been anything but a glory. To how many of us has it not been a new joy in the Christian life to know that we may yield ourselves as servants, as slaves to God, and to find that His service is our highest liberty,-the liberty from sin and self? We need now to learn another lesson,-that Jesus calls us to be servants of one another, and that, as we accept it heartily, this service too will be a most blessed one, a new and fuller liberty too from sin and self. At first it may appear hard; this is only because of the pride which still counts itself something. If once we learn that to be nothing before God is the glory of the creature, the spirit of Jesus, the joy of heaven, we shall welcome with our whole heart the discipline we may have in serving even those who try to vex us. When our own heart is set upon this, the true sanctification, we shall study each word of Jesus on self-abasement with new zest, and no place will be too low, and no stooping too deep, and no service too mean or too long continued, if we may but share and prove the fellowship with Him who spake, “I am among you as he that serveth”.

Brethren, here is the path to the higher life. Down, lower down! This was what Jesus ever said to the disciples who were thinking of being great in the kingdom, and of sitting on His right hand and His left. Seek not, ask not for exaltation; that is God’s work. Look to it that you abase and humble yourselves, and take no place before God or man but that of servant; that is your work; let that be your one purpose and prayer. God is faithful. Just as water ever seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds the creature abased and empty, His glory and power flow in to exalt and to bless. He that humbleth himself-that must be our one careshall be exalted; that is God’s care; by His mighty power and in His great love He will do it.

Men sometimes speak as if humility and meekness would rob us of what is noble and bold and manlike. Oh that all would believe that this is the nobility of the kingdom of heaven, that this is the royal spirit that the King of heaven displayed, that this is Godlike, to humble oneself, to become the servant of all! This is the path to the gladness and the glory of Christ’s presence ever in us, His power ever resting on us.

Jesus, the meek and lowly One, calls us to learn of Him the path to God. Let us study the words we have been reading, until our heart is filled with the thought: My one need is humility. And let us believe that what He shows, He gives; what He is, He imparts. As the meek and lowly One, He will come in and dwell in the longing heart.

(taken from Humility by Andrew Murray)