Who do you say Jesus is?

你说耶稣是谁呢？

“But what about you?” [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:15

耶稣说：“你们说我是谁？”-马太福音16章15节

Well before the calendar flips to December, Christmas cheer begins to bubble up in our northern town. A medical office drapes its trees and shrubs in close-fitting strings of lights, each a different color, illuminating a breathtaking nighttime landscape. Another business decorates its building to look like an enormous, extravagantly wrapped Christmas present. It’s difficult to turn anywhere without seeing evidence of Christmas spirit—or at least seasonal marketing.

在迈入十二月之前，我们北方的城镇早已弥漫圣诞的欢欣气氛。有一间诊所在树木和矮树丛上，挂上一串串五颜六色的灯饰，到了晚上就成了叹为观止的缤纷夜景。还有一间公司把办公大楼装饰成一个巨大且华丽的圣诞礼物。圣诞的氛围随处可见，而圣诞的商品促销活动，要人不注意也难。

Some people love these lavish displays. Others take a more cynical view. But the crucial question isn’t how others observe Christmas. Rather, we each need to consider what the celebration means to us.

有些人热爱这些奢华的装饰，但也有人对此存疑。然而，关键不在于其他人如何看待圣诞节，而是我们每个人都需要思考，这些庆祝活动对我们有何意义。

A little more than thirty years after His birth, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13). They gave responses others had given: John the Baptist, Elijah, maybe another prophet. Then Jesus made it personal: “Who do you say I am?” (v. 15). Peter replied, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).

耶稣在三十多岁时，问祂的门徒说：“人说我人子是谁？”（马太福音16章13节）他们说，有人说是施洗约翰、以利亚或另一位先知。然后，耶稣再次问门徒：“你们说我是谁？”（15节）彼得回答说：“祢是基督，是永生上帝的儿子。”（16节）

Many will celebrate Christmas without a thought about who the Baby really is. As we interact with them, we can help them consider these crucial questions: Is Christmas just a heartwarming story about a baby born in a stable? Or did our Creator visit His creation and become one of us?

很多人都会庆祝圣诞节，但却没有认真思想这位奇妙的婴孩究竟是谁。当我们和人们往来交谈时，可以帮助他们思考这几个关键的问题：圣诞节只是一个婴孩降生在马槽里的温馨故事吗？或者是我们的造物主来到祂所创造的世界，甚至成为我们当中的一分子呢？

Father in heaven, may our Christmas celebrations this year, whether lavish or small, honor the Messiah who came to redeem His creation.

天父，在今年的圣诞节，无论我们的庆祝是盛大或是简单，都求祢让我们能尊荣拯救世人的弥赛亚。

Matthew 16:13-21    NIV

16 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.  21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

马太福音 16:13-21

16 耶稣到了恺撒利亚-腓立比的境内，就问门徒说：“人说我人子是谁？” 14 他们说：“有人说是施洗的约翰，有人说是以利亚，又有人说是耶利米或是先知里的一位。” 15 耶稣说：“你们说我是谁？” 16 西门彼得回答说：“你是基督，是永生神的儿子。” 17 耶稣对他说：“西门·巴约拿，你是有福的，因为这不是属血肉的指示你的，乃是我在天上的父指示的。 18 我还告诉你：你是彼得，我要把我的教会建造在这磐石上，阴间的权柄不能胜过他。 19 我要把天国的钥匙给你，凡你在地上所捆绑的，在天上也要捆绑；凡你在地上所释放的，在天上也要释放。” 20 当下，耶稣嘱咐门徒，不可对人说他是基督。21 从此，耶稣才指示门徒，他必须上耶路撒冷去，受长老、祭司长、文士许多的苦，并且被杀，第三日复活。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Who was Matthew, the writer of the gospel by the same name? Matthew (also known as Levi) was one of Jesus’s twelve disciples. Prior to Jesus’s call, Matthew served as a despised tax collector (9:9). Tax collectors were particularly loathed because they exacted taxes from their own people, the Jews, to pay the Romans (the oppressive rulers of Israel). And they often collected far more than required. Matthew wrote his gospel primarily to the Jews to prove that Jesus is the Messiah (Savior), the eternal King. We see Matthew’s emphasis clearly in today’s passage. When Jesus asked His disciples about His identity, Peter declared, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:15–16). Alyson Kieda

马太福音的作者马太是怎样的人呢？马太（也称利未）是耶稣的十二个门徒之一。在马太蒙耶稣呼召以前，他是一个被人蔑视的税吏（9章9节）。税吏特别让人厌恶，因为他们向自己的犹太同胞征税，付给当时统治并压迫以色列的罗马人。而且他们所征收的税，经常远远超过当缴付的税额。马太写这本福音书主要是向犹太人证明耶稣是弥赛亚，是我们的救主，是永远的王。我们在今天阅读的经文中，可以清楚看到马太所强调的重点。当耶稣问门徒祂的身分时，彼得宣称：“祢是基督，是永生上帝的儿子。”（16章15-16节）