作者：Phil
Johnson 譯者：駱鴻銘
「你們是世上的鹽……你們是世上的光……你們的光也當這樣照在人前，叫他們看見你們的好行為，便將榮耀歸給你們在天上的父。」 （太五13-16）“You are the salt of the earth… . You
are the light of the world… . Let your light shine before others, so that they
may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt.
5:13–16).
這段經文經常被人引用來證明，教會要積極參與政治活動——遊說、動員選民、組織抗議活動，並利用福音派運動來爭取政治影響力——是一個命令。最近我聽說一位著名的福音派領袖這樣說道：「我們必須讓人在投票所裡聽見我們的聲音，否則我們就不是如耶穌所吩咐的，是世上的鹽和光。」這種觀點非常普遍。當你說到「鹽和光」的時候，典型的福音派人生就會像巴卜洛夫的條件反射一樣，開始大談政治。That text is often cited as if it
were a mandate for the church to engage in political activism — lobbying,
rallying voters, organizing protests, and harnessing the evangelical movement
for political clout. I recently heard a well-known evangelical leader say, “We
need to make our voices heard in the voting booth, or we’re not being salt and
light the way Jesus commanded.” That view is pervasive. Say the phrase “salt
and light,” and the typical evangelical starts talking politics as if by
Pavlovian reflex.
但是請仔細按照這段經文的前後文來看耶穌的陳述。祂不是在鼓吹聯合抵制、抗議或政治宣傳，而是呼召門徒要過聖潔的生活。But look at Jesus’ statement
carefully in its context. He was not drumming up boycotts, protests, or a
political campaign. He was calling His
disciples to holy living.
鹽與光的論述是在耶穌登山寶訓的前言中，最高峰的一段經文。它緊跟在八福之後出現。耶穌是在對真正的敬虔宣告正式的祝福。The salt-and-light discourse is the
culminating paragraph of the introduction to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It
comes immediately after the Beatitudes. Jesus was pronouncing a formal blessing
on the key traits of authentic godliness.
八福最引人注意的部分是耶穌所讚美的特質，和世人所以為值得讚美的特質是不同的。世人所誇耀的是權力和統治權，武力和體力，身份和階級。對比之下，耶穌所讚揚的是謙卑、溫柔、憐憫、哀慟、清心，甚至為義受逼迫。總的來說，這些特質和政治影響力和黨派力量是兩極對立的。What’s most notable about the
Beatitudes is that the qualities Jesus blesses are not the same attributes the
world typically thinks are worthy of praise. The world glorifies power and
dominion, force and physical strength, status and class. By contrast, Jesus
blesses humility, meekness, mercy, mourning, purity of heart, and even
persecution for righteousness’ sake. Collectively, these qualities are the
polar opposite of political clout and partisan power.
換句話說，耶穌稱讚那些願意受逼迫，願意為義的緣故被剝奪公民權的人——和平使者，不是抗議人士；虛心的人，不是驕傲的人；被逼迫的人，不是誇大不實的權力販子。In other words, Jesus blessed people
who were willing to be oppressed and disenfranchised for righteousness’ sake — peacemakers,
not protesters; poor in spirit, not proud; people who are persecuted, not the
pompous and power-mongers.
這和耶穌在整本新約裡的教導是一致的。祂說：This is consistent with Jesus’
teaching throughout the New Testament. He
said,
耶穌叫了他們來，說：「你們知道外邦人有君王為主治理他們，有大臣操權管束他們。 只是在你們中間，不可這樣；你們中間誰願為大，就必作你們的用人； 誰願為首，就必作你們的僕人。 正如人子來，不是要受人的服事，乃是要服事人，並且要捨命，作多人的贖價。」 （太廿25-28）。You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your
servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many. (Matt. 20:25–28)
此外，請注意，「你們是世上的鹽」和「你們是世上的光」這兩個句子是事實陳述句，而不是命令句。祂沒有命令我們要成為鹽，而是說我們是鹽，也提醒我們不要失去我們的味道；祂沒有吩咐我們要成為光，而是說我們是光，並禁止我們把光隱藏起來。Notice, furthermore, that the clauses
“You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world” are
statements of fact, not imperatives. He doesn’t command us to be salt; He says
that we are salt and cautions us against losing our savor. He doesn’t command
us to be light; He says that we are light and forbids us to hide under a
bushel.
耶穌是說一個敗壞和被罪遮蔽的社會，會因為教會的存在而得到祝福，並永遠受到影響，條件是基督的門徒必須作他們主人忠心的僕人。要明白耶穌的意思，關鍵在十六節：「你們的光也當這樣照在人前，叫他們看見你們的好行為，便將榮耀歸給你們在天上的父。」能使人榮耀我們在天上的父的，是個人的聖潔，而不是政治統治權（political
dominion）。Jesus was saying that a corrupt and
sin-darkened society is blessed and influenced for good by the presence of the
church when believers are faithful servants of their Master. The key to
understanding what Jesus meant is verse 16: “Let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who
is in heaven.” Personal holiness, not political dominion, is what causes men to
glorify our Father who is in heaven.
鹽有幾項性質。最重要的也許是作為防腐劑。生肉用鹽醃過後，可以得到保存，不會腐敗。基督徒在一個邪惡和不斷敗壞的社會當中，具有一種類似防腐和潔淨的效果。上帝告訴亞伯拉罕，若所多瑪城當中有十個義人——少許的鹽，祂就不會毀滅這城。Salt has several properties. Perhaps
the most important is that it acts as a preservative. Raw meat can be cured and
preserved with salt. Christians in the midst of an evil and decaying society
have a similar preserving and purifying effect. God told Abraham that He would
have preserved Sodom from judgment if there had been just ten righteous people
— a little salt — in their midst.
鹽也可以殺菌，可以用來治療傷口。鹽水對破掉的水泡是良藥——雖然很痛。在耶穌的比喻裡，也許也有這樣的涵義。世上若有信徒存在，會刺痛不敬虔者的良心，因為這是個痛苦的提醒，提醒人，上帝要求的是聖潔，而罪的工價是死。Salt is also an antiseptic, and it
can be used in the treatment of wounds. Salt water is good medicine — albeit
painful — for broken blisters. There may be an element of that idea as well in
Jesus’ metaphor as well. The presence of believers in the world stings the
consciences of the ungodly because it is a painful reminder that God requires
holiness and that the wages of sin is death.
但是鹽也可以給食物提味，會讓人口渴——我相信當耶穌用這個比喻時，這是祂主要的意思，因為祂提到了鹽的「味道」。請記得，耶穌才剛剛讚美那些「飢渴慕義的人」（五6），這幅圖畫暗示在一個社會中，若是有良心敬虔的人存在，就自然會引發人們對上帝的興趣，並且飢渴慕義。But salt also gives flavor to food
and causes thirst — and I believe that’s the main idea Jesus had in mind when
He used this metaphor because He speaks of “its savor.” Remember, Jesus had
just blessed those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (5:6), and this
imagery suggests that the presence of conscientiously godly people in society
will have the natural effect of arousing an appetite for God and a thirst for
righteousness.
當然，光同時也會驅逐黑暗，並且照亮所到之處。當我們正確地把讓我們的光照在人前，人們會看到我們的善行，因而榮耀上帝。Light, of course, simultaneously
dispels darkness and illuminates whatever it reaches. When we properly let our
light shine before others, they see our good works and glorify God.
因此，這和揮舞政治影響力無關；和組織抗議活動對抗不敬虔無關；和藉著立法，要讓社會變得公義無關；而是和我們如何生活有關，和我們如何示範耶穌在八福裡所稱讚的特質有關。這是我們如何讓我們的光照在人前的方式，也是我們把鹽注入到一個逐漸敗壞和沒有味道的社會的方式。So this is not about wielding
political clout. It’s not about organizing protests against ungodliness. It’s
not about trying to make society righteous through legislation. It’s about how
we live. It’s about exemplifying the same traits Jesus blessed in the
Beatitudes. That’s how we let our light shine, and that’s the saltiness we
inject into an otherwise decaying and tasteless society.
