バイブルクラスが行われました

 

Bible class on Saturday January 23, 2016

今日は2016年最初のバイブルクラス、ルカによる福音書の9章から新年をスタートしました。

出席は定例の3名のメンバーでしたが、いつものように皆さん長年にわたって何度も目に触れ、読んできた福音書の中に、新たな気づきと示唆を与えられて大変盛り上がりました。

今日読み進んだ個所は9章の1-23節までで、小見出しにはKeep It Simple「質素でいなさい」、Bread and Fish for Five Thousand「五千人にパンと魚を与える」、Don't Run from Suffering「苦難から逃げるな」と記されています。

それぞれに慣れ親しんだイエスの有名なみ言葉が記されていますが、今回は特にDon't load yourselves up with equipment.Keep it simple; you
are the equipment.「持ち物は満載にしてはいけない、質素にしなさい。あなた方自身が装備である。」に話題が集中しました。

9章冒頭個所の3節のこの聖句と場面は、イエスによって１２弟子が福音の伝道と病気に苦しむ人々を癒すために派遣されようとする時、イエスから言い渡された出発前の厳命、あるいは訓示の言葉です。

直前の1節には、Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority
and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases.「イエスはその時１２弟子を呼んで、彼らにすべての悪魔に打ち勝ち、病気を治す権限と力を与えた。」と記されています。

おそらくイエスはご自身がそうだったように、道具や見てくれが神の国を伝えたり病気の人を癒すのではなく、身一つの素の人間の情熱とその行動が、神から、あるいはキリストから託された権限と能力を発揮させることを身をもってその後初代教会の礎となる弟子らに悟らせたかったのだろうと思います。

この"Keep it simple; you are the equipment."というみ言葉は、そのまま今日私たちの教会、あるいは日本にあるキリスト教会、そして日本のキリスト者にあてはまると思います。

Keep it simple、この時代、この国にあって、イエス　キリストの派遣の要請に応えることを使命とする教会再構築のための重要な示唆のように受けとめました。

次回バイブルクラスはルカ９章の続きを、２月６日午後３時から教会・会議室で行われます。どなたでも"Don't load your equipment"でご参加ください！

Luke 9The Message (MSG)

Keep It Simple

9 ^1-5 Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them
authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. He
commissioned them to preach the news of God's kingdom and heal the sick. He
said, "Don't load yourselves up with
equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And
no luxury inns--get a modest place and be content there until you leave. If
you're not welcomed, leave town. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and
move on."

⁶ Commissioned,
they left. They traveled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the
Message, and curing people everywhere they went.

^7-9 Herod, the ruler, heard of these goings on and didn't know what to
think. There were people saying John had come back from the dead, others that
Elijah had appeared, still others that some prophet of long ago had shown up.
Herod said, "But I killed John--took off his head. So who is this that I keep
hearing about?" Curious, he looked for a chance to see him in action.

^10-11 The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took
them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida. But the crowds
got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them
about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, he healed.

Bread and Fish for Five Thousand

¹² As
the day declined, the Twelve said, "Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the
farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat.
We're out in the middle of nowhere."

^13-14 "You feed them," Jesus said.

They said, "We couldn't scrape up more than
five loaves of bread and a couple of fish--unless, of course, you want us to go
to town ourselves and buy food for everybody." (There were more than five
thousand people in the crowd.)

^14-17 But he went ahead and directed his disciples, "Sit them down in
groups of about fifty." They did what he said, and soon had everyone seated. He
took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer,
blessed, broke, and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the
crowd. After the people had all eaten their fill, twelve baskets of leftovers
were gathered up.

Don't Run from Suffering

¹⁸ One
time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked
them, "What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?"

¹⁹ They
said, "John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the
prophets from long ago has come back."

^20-21 He then asked, "And you--what are you saying about me? Who am I?"

Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." Jesus
then warned them to keep it quiet. They were to tell no one what Peter had
said.