|Bishop Barron
翻译|Carrie

2018-1-13

朋友们，今天的福音叙述耶稣召玛窦为徒，然后和他及其朋友一起吃饭。耶稣首先做的是邀请玛窦亲密互动，与他及其朋友坐席吃喝。

 

在故事中，法利赛人看见耶稣与玛窦的亲密，于是说：“怎么他与罪人和税吏一起吃喝？”注意，他们从来没有想到罪人和税吏因为耶稣而近朱者赤，而不是耶稣因此而近墨者黑。

 

然后，耶稣妙语惊人：“不是健康的人需要医生，而是有病的人；我不是来召义人，而是召罪人。”祂承认玛窦及其朋友是罪人。祂对罪恶并不“心慈手软”。但祂正是来召唤这些人与祂进入亲密关系。

 

Friends, today’s Gospel recounts Jesus’ banqueting with Matthew and his friends after he calls him to be a disciple. The very first thing that Jesus does is to invite Matthew into intimacy with him, reclining around a table for a meal with friends.

 

In this account, the Pharisees see Matthew’s intimacy with Jesus and they comment, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Notice that it never occurs to them that the influence might move from Jesus to the sinners rather than from the sinners to Jesus.

 

And then Jesus’ wonderful comment: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” He is admitting that Matthew and his fellows are sinners. He is not in the least “soft” on sin. But he has come to bring precisely such people into intimacy with him.