彼得認耶穌為基督 馬可福音 8:27-30
- 馬克牧師
- Mar 6, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 7, 2024
馬可福音8:27-30
彼得認耶穌為基督
（太16‧13－20；路9‧18－21）
27耶穌和門徒出去，往凱撒利亞‧腓立比村莊去；在路上問門徒說：「人說我是誰？」 28他們說：「有人說是施洗的約翰；有人說是以利亞；又有人說是先知裏的一位。」 29又問他們說：「你們說我是誰？」彼得回答說：「你是基督。」 30耶穌就禁戒他們，不要告訴人。
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?”he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
各位弟兄姊妹們，平安。今天我們將閱讀彼得認耶穌為基督的故事。這個故事不僅揭示了人生最核心的真理，同時也凸顯了一個重要的人性弱點。讓我們一起來探索這個故事。
首先，讓我們了解一下地理背景。這個故事發生在凱撒利亞腓立比的村莊。這個地方位於加利利之外，不再受希律統治，而是在腓力的統治下。雖然只是個小鎮，但卻有著悠久的歷史。在更早的時候，這裡被稱為潘利亞斯，是巴力神的崇拜地。此外，這裡還有另一個神廟，供奉希臘自然界的神 - 潘 Pan。還有一個位於山上的大理石廟，是由腓力為皇帝凱撒所建，象徵他在世界上的統治地位，被人們尊奉為神。因此，這個地方充滿了各種宗教信仰，是一個充滿人造神的地方。你可以想像一下，這是一個充滿了宗教氣息各種宗教活動的地方，甚至你可以想像這個發生過很多的神話傳說或者是崇拜凱撒或者是崇拜巴力的景象，但就在這個地方，彼得赫然發現，他所追隨的這個木匠竟然就是唯一真神上帝的兒子。
耶穌在這裡問了門徒一個重要的問題：“人們說我是誰？你們聽到關於我的消息是什麼呢？你們認為我是什麼樣的人？或者，別人是如何評論我的呢？”
在馬太福音的記載中，彼得回答說：“你是基督，是永生神的兒子，” 耶穌對他說：“西門巴約拿，你是有福的，這不是屬血肉的啟示給了你，而是我在天上的父啟示你的。” 耶穌清楚地指出這個真理是由上帝直接啟示的，而不是人所能發現或理解的。因此，當彼得得出這個啟示時，這並不是出自他自己的智慧，而是來自上帝對他的啟示，即耶穌就是基督，是那位要洗淨世界罪惡的救主，是我們的彌賽亞。
在馬太福音中，耶穌還對彼得說：“你是彼得，我要把我的教會建造在這磐石上。” 這裡的磐石並不是指彼得本人，即使他的名字意為“磐石”（Cephas）。耶穌所指的磐石是指他自己，作為基督和永生神的兒子的真實性，整個教會的根基都建立在這一事實上。這是整個基督教信仰的核心。
在此之前，我們應該提及有關真正彌賽亞觀念的議題。當時的猶太人認為彌賽亞將是一位英雄般的君王，將帶領猶太人擺脫外來統治，恢復以色列的榮耀，重建王國。因此，猶太人對彌賽亞的期待與耶穌所呈現的形象截然不同。耶穌必須導正他們對彌賽亞的認知。
在猶太人心目中，彌賽亞是一位光榮、威猛、非常了不起的英雄人物，而耶穌的形象卻完全不同。因此，他們無法接受耶穌自稱為彌賽亞，也無法接受耶穌所呈現的彌賽亞形象。最終，他們把他定罪釘在十字架上。因為在猶太人的理解中，彌賽亞絕對不會被釘在十字架上。
接著，我們看到了一個極大的人性弱點。在這個時候，彼得拉著耶穌，勸他改變計劃。但是，耶穌在馬可福音8:33嚴厲責備彼得，說：“撒旦，退我後邊去吧！因為你不體貼神的意思，只體貼人的意思。”
這句話給了我們一個重要的教訓：有時候，最關心我們的人卻可能成為我們最大的阻礙。這句話的含義深遠，我們需要深入思考。有時，最愛我們的人，最關心我們的人，可能成為我們最大的試探，最大的阻礙，這是非常嚴肅的。
在這個故事中，我們看到彼得和耶穌之間的關係十分親密。彼得可以說是耶穌的最親密的門徒之一，每天都與耶穌在一起，不斷地聆聽他的教導和指導。在這一個最重要的時刻，當彼得明白耶穌就是基督的時候，卻因為他心中的錯誤觀念，成為了阻礙耶穌去十字架的人。這點給了我們一個重要的反思：有時候，我們以為自己在為別人好，但實際上卻可能阻礙了他們走上神所命定的路。我們常常從我們自己認為的好，想要主導別人的生活，以為自己知道什麼是對他們最好的。父母常常對孩子說：“我這是為你好啊”，但我們需要意識到每個人都有自己的道路和責任。有時候，我們雖然心疼他人所經歷的苦難，卻可能阻礙了他們走向神所安排的道路。如果耶穌受到門徒、母親或人間情感的束縛，而無法完成上帝的旨意，那會是怎樣的情景呢？
因此，願我們明白體貼神的意思，明白每個人都有自己的生命價值，每個人都有自己跟隨上帝的道路要走。這是一個讓我們都要好好思索的問題。
感謝大家的聆聽，我們明天繼續聽耶穌提出的這個重要問題：你的生命價值在哪裡？
Dear brothers and sisters, Peace be with you all. Today, we will be reading the story of Peter's recognition of Jesus as the Christ. This story not only reveals the core truth of life but also highlights an important human frailty. Let us delve into this narrative together.
Firstly, let's understand the geographical background. This story takes place in the village of Caesarea Philippi. Situated outside of Galilee, it was no longer under Herod's rule but under Philip's governance. Though just a small town, it boasted a rich history. Previously known as Paneas, it was a place of worship for the god Baal. Additionally, there was another temple dedicated to the Greek god of nature, Pan. A marble temple on a nearby mountain, built by Philip for Emperor Caesar, symbolized his dominion over the world and was revered as divine. Thus, this place was filled with various religious beliefs, a hub of idolatry. You can imagine the atmosphere—a place teeming with religious fervor and activities, where myths and worship of Caesar or Baal were prevalent. Yet, here, Peter astonishingly discovers that the carpenter he follows is the Son of the one true God.
Jesus poses a crucial question to his disciples: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" He's probing their understanding of him. In Matthew's Gospel, Peter boldly declares, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus commends him, affirming that this revelation wasn't humanly deduced but divinely revealed by God the Father. Jesus makes it clear that this truth is directly revealed by God, not something human wisdom could uncover. Therefore, when Peter arrives at this revelation, it's not from his own intellect but from God's revelation to him—that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior who will cleanse the world of sin, our Messiah.
In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus also tells Peter, "You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church." Here, the "rock" isn't referring to Peter himself, despite his name meaning "rock" (Cephas). Jesus refers to himself as the true foundation, being the Christ and the Son of the living God, upon which the entire church is built. This is the core of the Christian faith.
Before this, we should mention the issue of the true concept of the Messiah. At that time, the Jews believed the Messiah would be a heroic king who would lead them to freedom from foreign rule, restore Israel's glory, and establish a kingdom. Therefore, the Jews' expectations of the Messiah were vastly different from the image Jesus presented. Jesus had to correct their understanding of the Messiah.
In the Jews' eyes, the Messiah was a glorious, mighty, extraordinary hero figure, whereas Jesus' image was entirely different. Hence, they couldn't accept Jesus' self-proclamation as the Messiah or the Messiah image he presented. Ultimately, they condemned him to be crucified because, in the Jews' understanding, the Messiah would never be crucified.
Next, we see a significant human frailty. At this moment, Peter pulls Jesus aside and urges him to change his plan. However, in Matthew 16:23, Jesus sternly rebukes Peter, saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."
This statement gives us an important lesson: sometimes, the people who care most about us can become our biggest obstacles. The meaning of this statement is profound, and we need to contemplate it deeply. Sometimes, those who love us the most, who care the most about us, can become our greatest trials, our greatest obstacles. This is a very serious matter.
In this story, we see the intimate relationship between Peter and Jesus. Peter can be said to be one of Jesus' closest disciples, spending every day with Jesus, constantly listening to his teachings and guidance. Yet, at this crucial moment, when Peter understands that Jesus is the Christ, he becomes the one who hinders Jesus from going to the cross due to his mistaken beliefs. This gives us an important reflection: sometimes, we think we are doing good for others, but in reality, we may hinder them from walking the path God has ordained for them. We often, out of what we think is good, try to control others' lives, thinking we know what's best for them. Parents often say to their children, "This is for your own good," but we need to realize that everyone has their own path and responsibilities. Sometimes, although we sympathize with the suffering of others, we may hinder them from following the path arranged by God. If Jesus were bound by the disciples, his mother, or earthly emotions and couldn't fulfill God's will, what would the situation be like?
Therefore, may we understand what it means to have the concerns of God in mind, to understand that everyone has their own value of life, and everyone has their own path to follow God. This is a question for us all to ponder deeply.
Thank you all for listening, and tomorrow we will continue to explore the important question posed by Jesus: What is the value of your life?
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