Read: John 1:35–42

阅读: 约翰福音章-节

No one can steal your identity in Christ.

无人能夺走你在基督里的身分。

Jesus looked at him, and said, . . . “You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). John 1:42

耶稣看着他说：“你要称为矶法（『矶法』翻出来就是『彼得』）。”-约翰福音1章42节

In the article “Leading by Naming,” Mark Labberton wrote about the power of a name. He said: “I can still feel the impact of a musical friend who one day called me ‘musical.’ No one had ever called me that. I didn’t really play an instrument. I was no soloist. Yet . . . I instantly felt known and loved. . . . [He] noticed, validated, and appreciated something deeply true about me.”

马可．拉柏顿（Mark Labberton）牧师在一篇标题为《命名领导》的文章中，提及名字的力量。他说：“曾有一位制作音乐的朋友称我为‘音乐人’，至今我仍感震撼，因为从没有人这样称呼我。我既不会弹奏乐器，也不擅于独唱，但我觉得有人了解我、爱我……因为他注意到我、认可我，并欣赏我的潜能。”

Perhaps this is what Simon felt when Jesus renamed him. After Andrew was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, he immediately found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus (John 1:41–42). Jesus peered into his soul and validated and appreciated something deeply true about Simon. Yes, Jesus saw the failure and impetuous nature that would get him into trouble. But more than that He saw the potential of Simon to become a leader in the church. Jesus named him Cephas—Aramaic for Peter—a rock (John 1:42; see Matt. 16:18).

或许，这也是西门在耶稣为他重新命名时的感受。安得烈相信耶稣就是弥赛亚之后，立刻去找他的哥哥西门，并带他到耶稣面前（约翰福音1章41-42节）。耶稣鉴察西门的内心，认可并欣赏他的潜能。没错，耶稣知道西门的软弱，以及他冲动的个性会让他惹上麻烦。但耶稣看见西门的潜能，知道他将成为教会的领袖。耶稣称他为矶法（亚兰文为彼得），就是磐石之意（约翰福音1章42节，另见马太福音16章18节）。

And so it is with us. God sees our pride, anger, and lack of love for others, but He also knows who we are in Christ. He calls us justified and reconciled (Rom. 5:9–10); forgiven, holy, and beloved (Col. 2:13; 3:12); chosen and faithful (Rev. 17:14). Remember how God sees you and seek to let that define who you are.

上帝看我们也是如此。祂看见我们的骄傲、愤怒，以及缺乏爱心，但祂也知道我们在基督里的身分。祂称我们为义，恢复我们与祂的关系（罗马书5章9-10节） ，使我们得赦、成圣、蒙爱（歌罗西书2章13节，3章12节） ，并称我们为蒙召、被选、有忠心的人（启示录17章14节） 。谨记上帝如何看待我们，让我们无论行事或为人都与我们的新身分相称。

Lord, thank You for knowing me fully, yet loving me like no other. Help me to see others through Your eyes.

主啊，感谢祢完全了解我，且爱我至深。
求祢帮助我，能以祢的眼光看待人。

??John? ?1:35-42? ?NIV??

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter ).”

INSIGHT

Renaming people was common in the Scriptures, for a name described something about the person. In Genesis 17:5–15 Abram is renamed Abraham. Abram, which means “exalted father,” became Abraham, “father of multitudes.” Abraham’s grandson Jacob, whose name means “heel-grabber” and “schemer,” was renamedIsrael, “prince of God.” The despondent Naomi asked her neighbors to no longer call her Naomi (delightful), but Mara (bitterness) because of the hard life she had experienced (Ruth 1:20). In the New Testament, a Christ-follower named Joseph was called Barnabas by the apostles (Acts 4:36). Barnabas means “son of encouragement,” which perfectly captured this man’s interactions with other believers and with the church.  

What name would describe you as a follower of Christ?

灵粮透视

在圣经中，改名是司空见惯的事，因为名字往往能形容一个人。在创世记17章5-15节，亚伯兰被改名为亚伯拉罕。亚伯兰意为“崇高之父”，改为亚伯拉罕，意为“多国之父”。亚伯拉罕的孙子雅各，其名意为“抓紧脚跟之人”和“诡诈之人”，而后他被改名为以色列，意为“上帝的王子”。绝望的拿俄米要她的邻居，别再称她为拿俄米（意为“甜”），而是要叫她玛拉（意为“苦”），因为她经历了许多苦难（路得记1章20节）。在新约圣经中，有个跟随基督的人名叫约瑟，他被使徒称为巴拿巴（使徒行传4章36节）。巴拿巴意为“劝慰子”，贴切地描绘出他与教会并其他信徒彼此间的互动。

有什么名字可以形容你是基督的跟随者呢？

整理：于姊妹