忍耐

 

Leader's Notes: Purpose: To understand why we should be patient and forgiving toward others.

NOTE: Questions in ‘*’ are for Christians only.

 

【打開話閘子】

 

1.為什麼饒恕人這麼困難？

 

2. 試著分享你覺得最難饒恕的情況．（或是什麼情況下最難忍耐）

 

3. 如果有人錯事一犯再犯，為什麼很難讓人原諒？

 

4. 當他人無法忍耐你的某些行為時，你希望對方如何處理？當你無法忍耐他人的時候是否也能夠用同樣的方式處理？

 

*5. 有什麼事物讓基督徒無法彼此原諒？

 

Leader's Notes: Seek out answers that get to the root of human nature "selfishness, pride, self-righteousness and so on. Also be sensitive to responses about protecting ourselves from further hurt, being vulnerable when we forgive someone and therefore let them back into our lives. Forgiveness means experiencing the pain of the crime against you and choosing not to hold that against the offender. It does not mean denying that the crime ever took place. It does not mean not hurting. It does not even necessarily mean not remembering. Forgiving has to do with choices about your actions and responses.

 

 

【上帝有話說】

 

請閱讀馬太福音第18章21-35節

『 21 那時，彼得進前來，對耶穌說：「主啊，我弟兄得罪我，我當饒恕他幾次呢？到七次可以嗎？」22 耶穌說：「我對你說，不是到七次，乃是到七十個七次。23 天國好像一個王要和他僕人算帳。24 才算的時候，有人帶了一個欠一千萬銀子的來。25 因為他沒有甚麼償還之物，主人吩咐把他和他妻子兒女，並一切所有的都賣了償還。26 那僕人就俯伏拜他，說：『主啊，寬容我，將來我都要還清。』27 那僕人的主人就動了慈心，把他釋放了，並且免了他的債。28 「那僕人出來，遇見他的一個同伴欠他十兩銀子，便揪著他，掐住他的喉嚨，說：『你把所欠的還我！』29 他的同伴就俯伏央求他，說：『寬容我吧，將來我必還清。』30 他不肯，竟去把他下在監裏，等他還了所欠的債。31 眾同伴看見他所做的事就甚憂愁，去把這事都告訴了主人。32 於是主人叫了他來，對他說：『你這惡奴才！你央求我，我就把你所欠的都免了，33 你不應當憐恤你的同伴，像我憐恤你嗎？』34 主人就大怒，把他交給掌刑的，等他還清了所欠的債。35 你們各人若不從心裏饒恕你的弟兄，我天父也要這樣待你們了。」』 (馬太福音 18:21-35)

 

【觀察討論】

 

6. 你覺得彼得為什麼要問這個問題？(v21)你個人覺得饒恕人應該到幾次呢？

 

7. 耶穌說原諒人要幾次？(v22)為什麼他的回答讓人驚訝？

 

Leader's Notes The rabbis taught that a repeated sin should be forgiven three times. Some Bibles translate Matthew 18:22 as "seventy times seven." Although this is possible, the NIV's "seventy-seven times" is more probable. Either way, Jesus' point is that we should never stop forgiving. Behind Peter's question in Matthew 18:21 was the Jewish teaching that to forgive someone three times was reasonable. The seven times in Peter's question is symbolic, not literal, in meaning. Peter is asking, in effect, whether there should be any limit to his forgiveness. Note that Peter assumes that we are to forgive. He just wants to know how much. He probably felt his offer of seven times sounded very generous.

 

8. 你認為耶穌為何在回答了彼得的問題之後，還說了一個諭言？

 

9. 一千銀子代表當時２０年的薪資，一千萬是一個還不起的數字．第一個僕人的回答有什麼問題？主人免了僕人的債的動機為何？如果你是當時的僕人，你對主人的寬容會如何感激？

 

10. 試將主任如何對待僕人和僕人如何對待他的同伴做一個比較，有那些相同，不同的地方？(18:28-30)?

 

11. 在這個故事裡面，每一個角色代表誰？他們的所欠的債代表什麼？

 

12. 你覺得主人後來的做法合理嗎？ (v34)主人是否應當繼續饒恕僕人？為什麼？

 

Leader's Notes: It may not be easy for people to see the connection between God's patience and his forgiveness, but the connection is there. In both the Old and New Testaments God's patience or long-suffering represents both the restraint of his anger and the display of his mercy in the face of provocation. In other words, God's patience stands between his wrath and his grace and eventually results in one or the other. In this parable God's patience is illustrated by the fact that he forgives us no matter how many times or how greatly we sin against him. His treatment of us then becomes the standard of our treatment of others. If we fail to forgive others, however, God's patience gives way to his wrath.

 

13. 如果我們不容忍寬恕，神會如何待我們(v35)，為什麼神的審判如此強硬？

 

【生活應用】

 

14. 耶穌用故事中僕人和主人的關係代表我們與神（天父）的關係，你覺得你有沒有虧欠神什麼？為什麼？你覺得神會如何對待虧欠他的人？

 

Leader's Notes: Christians can share how God fogive their sins and how they are so unworthy of His forgiveness. You may explain how God died for you while you were still sinners.

 

15. 如果你虧欠神很多．你應當如何對待虧欠你的人？為什麼神的饒恕可以幫助你饒恕人？

 

Leader's Notes: Compare Matthew 18:32-35 with Matthew 6:15. An unforgiving person cannot be forgiven by God. When we refuse to forgive the wrong done to us, we effectively cut ourselves off from God, who is the Forgiver, until we forgive. Those who have been forgiven by God, because of what Christ has done, should make their treatment of others unmistakable evidence of their gratitude to and dependence on God.

 

16. 我們怎麼知道神已經饒恕我們了？如果你覺得你有虧欠神的地方，你願不願意接受神的饒恕？

 

Leader's Notes: Refer to Romans 5:6-11, the death of Jesus while we were still sinners.

 

17. 有什麼人或事是你不能饒恕的，你願不願意求神幫助你饒恕忍耐？有沒有人不能饒恕你，你願不願意求神幫助你與他／她和好？

 

*18. 對神禱告，求神幫助你能夠有耐心的對人，像神對你一樣．感謝神耶穌為你而死，赦免了你的最，求神給你一顆能饒恕人的心．也求神幫助你去向人認錯，讓也願意饒恕你．

 

Optional passages on patience: Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 86:15; 2 Peter 3:9.