马太福音第五章
【太五3】「灵里贫穷的人有福了」(原文)。
我们常觉得太不行，太没有价值，神怎能拣选我呢？要知道祂所以拣选你，就是因为你一无价值。我们常以为一个人具有天然的才干，就能作一个好的基督徒，这是顶愚昧的。最富有天才的人，可能是一个最坏的门徒，因为他要自己作主。所以基督徒不是有无天才的问题，乃是看他的灵是否贫穷的问题；不是我有甚么可以给神，乃是神给我甚么；不是我的道德、知识、经验、手段有甚么功效，乃是神在我里面作了甚么。神是拣选一个知道自己贫穷的人，神不能用一个自己以为是合神用的人。事奉神的人是以神为中心，不是以己为中心；是我要站在神的一边，不是神要来站在我的一边。我虽不知道神所要的是甚么，但无论遇见甚么，我与神之间总要维持一个正当的关系。关系若不对时，立刻就要纠正。─
光译
Matthew 5:3~11
The version of the Beatitudes:
Happy are the pushers, for they get on in the
world.
Happy are the hard-boiled, for they never let life
hurt them.
Happy are they who complain, for they get their own
way in the end.
Happy are the blase, for they never worry over
their sins.
Happy are the slave drivers, for they get results.
Happy are the knowledgeable men of the world, for
they know their way around.
Happy are the troublemakers, for they make people
take notice of them.
――J.B. Phillips
【太五4】「哀恸的人有福了，因为他们必得安慰。」
星光显得最亮的时候，是在黑暗的冬夜；龙胆花开得最美丽的地方，是在冰雪的山顶。恐怕你多时没有看见日光了，好象关在黑暗中。好几次你想设法重见天日，可是总被神的手所阻挡，似乎祂故意把你放在黑暗中。不错，正是如此，这是出乎祂绝顶的智慧。祂放你在黑暗中，是有祂的美意的。在日光下，你会灸成不结果子的焦土。神是你的神，祂知道甚么对你有益，甚么对你有害；祂也知道甚么时候你需要云雨，甚么时候你需要日光。祂是永不会错的。我们不知道有甚么试炼等着我们，但是我们相信一件事：约伯受苦的日子，是他蒙更大祝福的原因；也是他受对付而被破碎的转机，若非如此，他就不能亲眼看见神，而在尘土和炉灰中厌恶自己。同时「耶和华赐给他的，比他从前所有的加倍」(伯四十二10)。─ 选
【太五13】「你们是世上的盐；盐若失了味，怎能叫它再咸呢？以后无用，不过丢在外面，被人践踏了。」
﹝背景注解﹞古时犹太地方和中东各地吃的盐，多是『矿盐』或『井盐』，那些盐块从矿场或井里挖出来时，就像拳头大的石头一般。在这石块的外层包着一层盐。犹太人在吃饭时，右手拿着菜，左手握着盐块，用舌头舐盐以取味。家中每个人都有一块盐放在厨房中，吃饭时就各用自己的盐块。等到盐块的咸味逐渐减少，至完全失味时，原先的盐块就成为石头了，于是随手弃置，这些盐份用尽的石头就任人践踏了。
在古老的传统中，如果犹太人背叛了信仰，然后再回头时，在蒙接纳回到会堂之前，必须躺在会堂门口，请走进会堂的人用脚踩在他身上。有些基督教团体也继承了这一个传统，凡被教会法规驱逐的基督徒，在他蒙接纳归回以前，也要被迫躺在教堂门口，对走进来的人说：『践踏在我身上，因我是那失了味的盐。』
Matthew
5:16
Jesus stressed the positive effect we can have on
others when he said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” But if sin
dims our testimony so that our “light” is no longer visible, some of those w
might have influenced for Christ may drift on in spiritual darkness.
On a dark and stormy night, with waves piling up
like mountains on Lake Erie, a boat rocked and plunged near the
But, in the darkness, he missed the channel and the
vessel was dashed to pieces on the rocks. Many lives were lost in a watery
grave. This incident moved Philip P. Bliss to write the familiar hymn, “Let the
Lower Lights Be Burning.”
Matthew
5:23~24
Young Dnny was praying at Mother’s knee. “If I
should die before I wake…If I should die…”
“Go on, go on, Danny,” said his mother. “You know
the rest of the prayer.”
“Wait a minute,” interrupted the small boy.
Scrambling to his feet, he hurried downstairs. In a short time, he was back.
Dropping to his knees once again, he took up the petition where he had left
off.
Finally his mother questioned him about the episode
and issued a loving rebuke. Danny explained: “Mom, I did think about what I was
saying, but I had to stop and put all of Ted’s wooden soldiers on their feet. I
had turned them on their heads just to see how mad he’d be in the morning. If I
should die before I wake, I wouldn’t want him to find them like that. Lots of
things seem fun if you are gonna keep on living, but you don’t want them that
way if you should die before you wake.”
“You’re right, dear,” said his mother with a quiver
in her voice. She thought of herself and many other grown-ups who should have
stopped in the middle of their prayers to undo some wrong against another
before proceeding.