2025-02-18

February 18 ¶

Reading for Today:
今日读经：

Leviticus 7:1–8:36
利未记 7:1–8:36
Psalm 24:7-10
诗篇 24:7-10
Proverbs 9:10-12
箴言 9:10-12
Mark 1:1-22
马可福音 1:1-22

Notes:
注解：

Leviticus 8:23, 24 right ear…right hand…right foot.
利未记 8:23, 24 右耳…右手…右脚。
Using a part to represent the whole, Aaron and his sons were consecrated to listen to God’s holy Word, to carry out His holy assignments, and to live holy lives.
亚伦和他的儿子们以身体的部分代表整体，分别为圣来聆听神的圣言、执行祂的圣工，并过圣洁的生活。

Mark 1:15 The time is fulfilled.
马可福音 1:15 日期满了。
Not time in a chronological sense, but the time for decisive action on God’s part. With the arrival of the King, a new era in God’s dealings with men had come.
这不是指时间上的终结，而是神采取决定性行动的时刻。随着君王的到来，神与人互动的新纪元已开启。
the kingdom of God.
神的国。
God’s sovereign rule over the sphere of salvation; at present in the hearts of His people (Luke 17:21), and in the future, in a literal, earthly kingdom (Rev. 20:4–6).
神对救恩领域的绝对统治：现今在祂子民的心中（路 17:21），将来则显为地上的实际国度（启 20:4-6）。
at hand.
近了。
Because the King was present.
因君王已亲临。
Repent, and believe.
当悔改，信福音。
Repentance and faith are man’s required response to God’s gracious offer of salvation (see Acts 20:21).
悔改与信心是人回应神救恩之约的必要行动（参徒 20:21）。

Mark 1:17 Follow Me.
马可福音 1:17 来跟从我。
Used frequently in the Gospels in reference to discipleship (2:14; 8:34; 10:21; Matt. 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21; Luke 9:23, 59, 61; 18:22; John 1:43; 10:27; 12:26).
福音书中常用于呼召门徒（参可 2:14; 8:34; 10:21 及多处经文）。
fishers of men.
得人的渔夫。
Evangelism was the primary purpose for which Jesus called the apostles, and it remains the central mission for His people (see Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8).
传福音是耶稣呼召使徒的核心目的，也是祂子民至今的使命（参太 28:19-20；徒 1:8）。

Mark 1:22 authority.
马可福音 1:22 权柄。
Jesus’ authoritative teaching, as the spoken Word of God, was in sharp contrast to that of the scribes (experts in the Old Testament Scriptures), who based their authority largely on that of other rabbis. Jesus’ direct, personal, and forceful teaching was so foreign to their experience that those who heard Him were “astonished” (see Titus 2:15).
耶稣带着神话语的权柄教导，与文士（旧约律法专家）形成鲜明对比——后者多引用其他拉比的权威。耶稣直接、个人化且有力的教导方式令听众“惊奇”，因这完全颠覆了他们的认知（参多 2:15）。

DAY 18: What was the purpose of John’s baptism?
第十八天：约翰洗礼的目的是什么？

The Gospels all introduce John the Baptist’s ministry by quoting Isaiah 40:3 (see Matt. 3:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23). John was called “My messenger” (Mark 1:2), the divinely promised messenger, sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. In ancient times, a king’s envoys would travel ahead of him, making sure the roads were safe and fit for him to travel on, as well as announcing his arrival.
四卷福音书均引用以赛亚书 40:3 介绍施洗约翰的事工（参太 3:3；路 3:4；约 1:23）。约翰被称为“我的使者”（可 1:2），是神应许的先锋，为弥赛亚预备道路。古时君王的使者会先行修路、宣告王将至。

As the last Old Testament prophet and the divinely ordained forerunner of the Messiah, John was the culmination of Old Testament history and prophecy (Luke 16:16) as well as the beginning of the historical record of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not surprisingly, Jesus designated John as the greatest man who had lived until his time (Matt. 11:11).
作为旧约最后一位先知和神所命定的弥赛亚先锋，约翰既是旧约历史与预言的巅峰（路 16:16），也是基督福音历史记录的开端。因此，耶稣称约翰为“凡妇人所生的中最伟大的”（太 11:11）。

John’s baptism, being the distinctive mark of his ministry (Mark 1:4), differed from the ritual Jewish washings in that it was a one-time act. The Jews performed a similar one-time washing of Gentile proselytes, symbolizing their embracing of the true faith. That Jews would participate in such a rite was a startling admission that they needed to come to God through repentance and faith just like Gentiles.
约翰的洗礼是其事工的标志（可 1:4），与犹太教多次洁净礼不同，它是一次性的仪式。犹太人曾为外邦皈依者行类似的一次性洗礼，象征归信真道。而犹太人自己接受此礼，惊人地承认他们与外邦人一样需藉悔改和信心归向神。

John’s baptism was for true repentance. His ministry was to call Israel to repentance in preparation for the coming of Messiah. Baptism did not produce repentance, but was its result (Matt. 3:7, 8). Far more than a mere change of mind or remorse, repentance involves a turning from sin to God (1 Thess. 1:9), which results in righteous living. Genuine repentance is a work of God in the human heart (Acts 11:18). John’s rite of baptism did not produce forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38; 22:16); it was only the outward confession and illustration of the true repentance that results in forgiveness (Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 2 Cor. 7:10).
约翰的洗礼是为真悔改。他的使命是呼召以色列人悔改，预备迎接弥赛亚。洗礼不产生悔改，而是悔改的结果（太 3:7-8）。悔改不仅是心思转变或懊悔，更是离罪归神（帖前 1:9），带出公义生活。真悔改是神在人心的动工（徒 11:18）。约翰的洗礼本身不能赦罪（徒 2:38; 22:16），它只是内在悔改的外在宣告——这种悔改才能带来赦免（路 24:47；徒 3:19; 5:31；林后 7:10）。

Additional Resources

2025-02-18

February 18¶

February 18 ¶