Jesus said, “It is not that which goes into the mouth that defiles a man but that which comes out of his mouth.” Then, having heard this, his disciples said to Him, “Don’t you know that the Pharisees were offended by your words for what you’ve said?” (Matt 15:10 – 12)
耶 穌 就 叫 了 眾 人 來 ， 對 他 們 說 「 你 們 要 聽 ， 也 要 明 白 。 入 口 的 不 能污 穢 人 ， 出 口 的 乃 能 污 穢 人 。」當 時 ， 門 徒 進 前 來 對 他 說 ：「 法 利 賽 人聽 見 這 話 不 服 ， 你 知 道 麼 ？」（馬太15:10-12）
For the Jews, the rules tied to dietary intake were many and to eat anything unclean was sinful and to be judged. Yet, Jesus dared to say that this emphasis on food prohibitions was not as important as what was coming out of the heart of the person. He defined the religious establishment’s laws as petty. It was not clothes, rituals, nor customs that were to be valued but the heart and words of the person.
對猶太人來說，和進食有關的規條是非常多； 吃了不潔的食物是犯罪，也要受審判。 但耶穌敢於指出這些飲食的禁忌遠遠比不上從人心裏出來的重要。祂確認那些宗教法例是瑣碎沒意義的。衣著、儀式或習慣都無須太重視，更重要的是人的心和言行。
As we reflect on ourselves and our church, by what standard do we live? Are we more preoccupied with how we appear to others or is our appearance a reflection of who Christ is in our lives? May the Father give us the “courage of Christ” to BE Christian more than just LOOK Christian in the eyes of any who might see themselves as the standard for Christian behavior. Serve Him Boldly!
當我們檢視自己和我們教會的時候，我們是依據什麼標準呢？我們是全心尊注於自己在别人眼中的形像，還是真的能在生命中反映出基督的
樣式？深願天父賜給我們 「基督的勇氣」，做一個真正的基督徒，而不只是看起來似有標準行為的基督徒。 我們要 大膽地事奉祂！