受难节：在血中的生命GoodFriday: Life in the Blood
作者：Eric Costa 译者：骆鸿铭
因为活物的生命是在血中。我把这血赐给你们，可以在坛上为你们的生命赎罪；因血里有生命，所以能赎罪。（利未记17：11）
The
life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to
make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the
life. [Leviticus 17:11]
每年的复活节是为了纪念耶稣基督的死而复活。虽然有很多人论证耶稣基督复活的历史性，但是却很少人论证祂的死的历史性。西方社会基本上接受耶稣基督这个人的确存在的过，所以对于祂的死并没有太大的争议（人不是都要死的吗？这是常态嘛！复活才是“神迹”，是需要怀疑的！）。然而，关于耶稣基督的死，争议的焦点并不在祂是否曾经死亡，而是其死亡真正的意义到底是什么。复活节（被定为每年春分后的第一个星期日）前两天的周五，被西方人称为“Good Friday”（受难节）。这个受难节到底为什么“好”？它只是纪念人类的一个榜样，为了一个崇高的理想而死，还是有其它更不平凡的意义呢？
Today
is the Day of the Cross. I've never heard anyone contest the historicity of the
death of Jesus on a cross—the historicity of his resurrection, yes, but not
his death. The crucial question is not whether it happened. Rather, it is
whether his death had any unique significance. Is Good Friday simply a memorial
day for the loss of another good man? Or does it mean something more?
让我们从圣经《利未记》上面的一句话谈起（如上所引）。
《利未记》的主要内容是记载以色列人进迦南地（神与他们的祖先亚伯拉罕立约时所赐给以色列民族的“应许之地”）之前，神所颁布给祂的子民的一些律法，要求他们为了能反映拯救他们的神的圣洁，也让圣洁的神住在他们当中，所必须遵行的一些律法，尤其是有关宗教礼仪、民事生活的律法。《利未记》17：11是关于如何以动物献祭的律法。人犯了罪，为了能得到圣洁的神的接纳，他们必须为自己赎罪。因此他们就宰杀无辜的动物（今天的保护动物人士一定会为这些动物喊冤，呵呵），例如牛、羊、鸽子，等等，代替他们死，以便能再度得到神的接纳，再度与神同在。（与神同在是他们最大的愿望，因为与神同在代表得到神的赐福，这不也是传统中国的民俗吗？）
The
original application of Leviticus 17:11 was in ancient Israel, with regard to
animal sacrifices. People sinned, and, in order to be received by a Holy God,
they had to make atonement for their sins. So they slaughtered dumb animals
like bulls and goats as substitutes for themselves so they could survive God's
presence.
然而，问题就出在这里。问题不是出在他们残杀无辜的动物，会得罪保护动物协会，而是这个仪式的本身，并未能真正地解决问题。人犯罪得罪的对象，是无限荣耀、无限圣洁的神，他们的创造者。我们在所有的事上都对祂有所亏欠──在祂面前谦卑地感谢祂，完全地顺服祂，并且要喜乐地赞美祂。然而我们却没有把本该属于祂的一切献给祂。我们不但没有献上我们的生命，反而藐视祂，远离祂，拼命地抵抗祂，甚至嘲笑祂、污蔑祂。
Now,
there's a problem with this. And it's not the kind of problem where you feel
like you should call the Audobon Society because they practiced cruelty to
animals. People cause infinite offense against their All-Glorious Creator. We
owe him everything—humble thanksgiving, complete obedience, and joyous
praise. Yet we withhold everything that is due him. Instead of offering our
lives to him, we wrestle our lives away from him.
请你告诉我，这些无辜的动物到底何德何能，凭什么能代替人，替人赎罪？
You
tell me: How are dumb animals any kind of substitute for people like us?
古代的以色列人必须要回答这个问题。圣经希伯来书10：4说：“因为公牛和山羊的血，断不能除罪。”为什么？因为一命抵一命，人的命才能抵人的命，动物与人不是同一个等级的，如何能替人抵命？献上的祭物的价值总要比被代替物更有价值，才代表你的真心和诚意吧！动物有这个价值吗？骗人都骗不过，还想骗神啊！人，作为神最伟大的被造物，是神以祂的形象所造的，却自私而吝啬地将我们生命的每一部分只保留给自己，没有献给祂。光用无辜的动物来代替人，可能吗？
Ancient
Hebrews had to be aware of this obvious problem. Hebrews 10:4 says that
"it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away
sins." Why? The atonement must at least equal the offense. The offering
given must at least match the offering withheld. And we, the greatest of God's
creation, made in God's very image, have withheld every part of our lives from
God. Giving the life of an animal in our place just doesn't cut it.
因此，这个仪式并不能真正解决问题，无法真正替人赎罪。充其量，它只是真正的赎罪祭的一个象征。因此，我们需要问下一个问题：是否存在一个真正的祭物，能替神的子民赎罪？
So
this practice was insufficient to atone for people. At best, it was symbolic of
real atonement. Which begs the question, then: Is there a real atonement for
the sins of the people of God?
整本圣经都指向一个响亮的回答：“是的！”（你听到那个长长的回声了吗？）这就是我们在前面所提出的问题──耶稣基督的死到底有没有其它的意义？──的答案。果真如此！而且，不只是因为祂的死，而是因为祂真真实实地曾经活过。为什么这样说呢？
All
the Scriptures point to the answer being a resounding, Yes!! This is where we
find the answer to the crucial question, Did the death of Jesus Christ have any
unique significance? Absolutely… And not just because he died, but because he
really and truly lived. What do I mean by this?
“因血里有生命，所以能赎罪”。血里面的生命能赎罪──不只是因为生命的终结。赎罪是为了补偿那曾经浪费掉的生命，那保留着没有献给神的生命。这不是靠牺牲就能办到的，以为死亡能代替生命。你必须以一个完美的生命，流出这个生命的每一滴血，作为献给神的祭物，才有办法。
"The
blood makes atonement by the life." The life in the blood makes
atonement—not just the ending of the life. Atonement is making up for life
wasted, life withheld from God. You don't do that simply by killing, as if
death were a substitute for life. You do it by pouring out life perfectly lived
as an offering to God, by pouring out that life to the very last drop.
耶稣基督在十字架上，就是如此地倾倒出祂的生命。祂代替我们，以祂谦卑感谢，完全顺服，与喜乐赞美的一生，将自己完全献给神。祂把祂信实、良善、丰盛、永恒的生命，倾倒出来，直到最后一滴。
Jesus
Christ poured out such life at the cross. He offered to God in our place a life
of humble thanksgiving, complete obedience, and joyous praise. He poured out
his faithful, good, abundant, eternal life to the very last drop.
“在献祭最高的概念中，死亡是没有地位的。如果人没有犯罪堕落，他仍然有义务献上他自己，以及他所拥有的一切给神，给这位他的生存、动作、存留都需要依靠的神。生命，而非死亡，才是赎罪最根本的意义，才能真正地遮掩罪。”（William Milligan）
In
the highest conception of offering, death has no place. Had man never fallen it
would still have been his duty to offer himself together with all he possessed
to the God in whom he lived, and moved, and had his being.... Life, not death,
is the essence of atonement, is that by which sin is covered. [William Milligan]
因此，是的，耶稣基督的死具有重大的意义。它代表着终极的生命，代替了神的子民毁坏的生命，浪费掉的生命，献给了神。而如果你相信这点，你就成为神的子民，你不仅能为你过去没有能感谢、顺服、赞美而得到赦免，也因此从今天开始，你能成为一个真正存着感恩的心，过着顺服与敬拜生活的人。赎罪不只是補赎了你的罪，它也使你胜过罪，使你能感谢神的荣耀与恩典──祂为了你的生命，将祂所爱的独生子的生命献在十字架的祭坛上。
So,
yes, the death of Jesus Christ had (and still has) tremendous significance. It
was the offering of ultimate life in the place of the ruined lives of the
people of God. And if you believe that, you are not only forgiven for your lack
of thanksgiving, obedience and praise, but now you can become truly thankful,
obedient and worshipful. The atonement not only makes up for your sins, it wins
you away from sin as you appreciate the glory and grace of the God who gave the
life of his beloved Son for your life.
「好星期五」好在哪裏？
What’s So Good about GoodFriday?
作者：Justin Holcomb
譯者：駱鴻銘
