12月4日
标 题：嫩芽
经 节：他在耶和华面前生长如嫩芽，像根出于干地。（以赛亚书五十三章2节）
耶稣的降临就像干地中的嫩芽。植物在干地只有极微渺的生存希望，因为土质又干又硬，大部分的植物很难穿破地壳坚硬的表面。然而，耶稣被预言像一株嫩芽，穿过坚硬的土壤，并且克服干旱和无生命迹象的环境，带来了新的生命。
当耶稣诞生的时候，祂的百姓对神的话语无动于衷。有四百年之久，没有任何记录记载神对祂的百姓说话。耶稣时代的宗教领袖研读并记忆经文，但是神的话语对他们毫无生命力。当神的儿子来到他们中间，他们变得对真理满怀敌意，他们杀了祂。纵然百姓憎恶祂，耶稣仍把生命带给所有相信祂的人。
耶稣有足够能力把生命带给任何人、社会及文化，不管他们的心是如何坚硬或怀有很深的敌意。即使那些对罪无动于衷的罪人，也会发现耶稣能穿越苦毒的心灵，带来生命的气息。耶稣在某人身上的工作，乍看之下也许并不牢靠，但它会像芥菜种一样，最终会变为强壮。
当你为自己所关心的人祷告时，如果此人对耶稣没有兴趣，不要灰心。就像一株嫩芽在干旱之地会找到一条成长之道，耶稣的爱有能力穿透似乎完全没有反应的生命。
A
Tender Plant
For He
shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground.
(Isaiah 53:2)
The
coming of Jesus was like a tender plant in the midst of a parched ground.
Parched ground offers little hope for survival; it is dry and too hardened to
allow most plants to penetrate its crust. Yet Jesus was prophesied as a tender
plant that would break through the hostile soil and overcome the dry and
lifeless environment in order to bring life.
When
Jesus was born, His people were hardened to God’s Word. There is no written
record of God’s having spoken to His people for four hundred years. The
religious leaders of Jesus’ day had studied and memorized the Scriptures, but
the words were lifeless to them. So hostile had they become to the truth that
when God’s Son came to them, they killed Him. Nevertheless, despite the enmity
of the people, Jesus brought life to all who believed in Him.
Jesus
is capable of bringing life to any person, society, or culture no matter how
hardened or hostile they have become to the gospel. Even the most calloused
sinner will discover that Jesus knows how to penetrate the heart and bring life
where there was only bitterness. The work of Jesus in a person’s life may seem
fragile at first, but like the mustard seed, it will eventually grow into
something strong.
As
you pray for someone you care about, don’t be discouraged if this person has
not responded to Jesus. Just as a tender plant finds a way to grow in a hard
and unreceptive environment, so the love of Jesus has the ability to emerge in
a life that seems completely unresponsive.
