在你們以先往加利利去，在那裡你們要見祂 (Gwen Shaw的以色列來鴻 2011.3.11)
(譯: 金幼竹Bambi Wright, Diana Lu)
親愛的代禱夥伴:
天使對婦女說：「不要害怕！我知道你們是尋找那釘十字架的耶穌他不在這裡，照他所說的，已經復活了。你們來看安放主的地方。快去告訴他的門徒，說他從死裡復活了，並且在你們以先往加利利去，在那裡你們要見他。看哪，我已經告訴你們了。」
婦女們就急忙離開墳墓，又害怕，又大大的歡喜，跑去要報給他的門徒。忽然，耶穌遇見他們，說：「願你們平安！」他們就上前抱住他的腳拜他。耶穌對他們說：「不要害怕！你們去告訴我的弟兄，叫他們往加利利去，在那裡必見我。」
(馬太福音28章5~10節)
我從加利利向你們問安﹗朵琳和我在三月九日淩晨三點離開亞利桑那的鳳凰城﹐在亞特蘭大飛機耽擱了五小時才起飛﹐耽擱的原因是﹐他們得裝一個新的飛機引擎﹐才能把我們載到特拉維夫。哇﹗我不能說我一點恐懼都沒有﹐因為那架越洋飛機等於沒有經過試飛﹐就載乘客了。
我們終於在禮拜二晚上十點到達﹐晉恩﹐瑪麗蘿絲和凱倫到機場來接我們﹐他們開車把我們送到加利利﹐那是我們明天將和我們的旅遊團會面的地點﹐在他們到達以前﹐我們準備好好休息一下。
自從曉得我們會比我們的旅遊團先抵達﹐我就一直思想著上面的那段經文﹐『祂要在你們以先往加利利去﹐在那裡你們要見祂。』大部份的旅遊團行程都是從耶路撒冷開始﹐但是﹐如果你真的要見復活了的主﹐事實上是從加利利出發比較正確﹐因為﹐祂希望在那裡和信祂的人會晤。
祂在那裡事奉了五百個人﹐那是祂在地上的時候最愛的地方﹐祂在那裡行了絕大部份的神蹟。甚至當我坐在這裡﹐讓朵琳記錄這封給你們的信的時候﹐我都可以從窗戶望出去﹐看到祂曾經走過的水面。
祂在復活後，就是在這裡和祂的門徒會面﹐並為他們準備了好吃的鮮魚早餐（約翰福音２１﹕１－１４）。雖然我們只睡了四個小時﹐我還是盡力從床上爬起來﹐因為我要趕在旅館早餐的供餐時間內﹐坐在餐桌前﹐享受那好吃的鮮魚早餐。真的是好吃﹐世界上沒有什麼早餐是比以色列的早餐更好吃了﹐有鮮魚、有沙拉、乳酪和麵包，今天早晨，我們甚至還多了炒蛋。
我注視著窗外的雨，自我們抵達，這雨下了好一陣子了，但我寫完這信時，太陽將會露臉的。
上面這段經文奇妙的地方是﹐主的天使委派那些婦女去告訴門徒們『耶穌已復活』的消息。還記得抹大拉的馬利亞﹐她是如何奔跑著去找門徒們，告訴他們：「祂復活了！祂復活了！」當然﹐像大多數男人們一樣(抱歉了弟兄們)，他們並不相信婦女的話。
第二件事是，主耶穌也交代那些婦女﹐告訴門徒到加利利去。我很懷疑﹐門徒們是因著相信了那些婦女所說的話順服而去﹐還是因為彼得在耶路撒冷所發生的事件之後灰心害怕﹐就說﹕「我要去捕魚了！」才去那裡的。(約翰福音21章2~3節)
就是在我從窗子看出去的加利利湖﹐門徒們神奇地打撈了大批的漁獲﹐不只一次﹐而是兩次！多麼奇特的湖啊！我們的旅行團屆時將在位於加利利湖西南邊的『泉水井公社Ein Gev Kibbutz』（註１）的客棧停留，你必須越過約旦河才能抵達。通常我們的旅行團如果不是入住這裡，就是住鄰近的提比里亞湖的西邊，住在那邊的話，我們遠眺湖水時，可以看見日出和哥蘭高地(Golan Heights)。現在，我們從湖上看過去﹐則可以看見提比里亞。自從吉姆爸爸(Papa Jim)回天家以來，這是我們首次組團來以色列旅行﹐我真是想念他。也許當耶穌來此與我們相見時，祂會帶著吉姆一起來，那該有多好哇！
這並不是我第一次來『泉水井公社』﹐1961年我來的時候，我的孩子還很小，大衛七歲、丹尼五歲，湯米才一歲﹐光是弄他一個人就夠我忙的了﹐照顧他比帶我另外兩個大的加在一起還要費力。當時我們住在提比里亞的一個古老的修道院，我記得﹐有一次我跟孩子們坐在屋頂上看著湖景，看到湖的右邊，一艘小船上有兩個男人在捕魚。我的兒子們就問我： 「媽咪，那是彼得跟約翰嗎？」 我還記得，當我們在湖裡游泳的時候，我感到自己如同在聖水中沐浴一樣！我們還搭了船到湖對面的Ein Gev 退修中心，航程中船尾不斷濺起水花，在陽光的反射下顯出了美麗的彩虹﹐一路跟隨著我們航行。當時﹐神讓我想起了這一段副歌：
主應許與我同行 無論我何往
邪惡權勢我不怕 因主愛寬廣
當我注視彩虹時 靈裡有盼望
因耶穌與我同行 無論我何往
我們期待在環繞加利利海附近的山上旅遊時﹐和主有美好的聚集時光，這是耶穌講道中的『創始篇』，「登山寶訓」(譯注２)﹐他的『承終篇』是在『樓房』最後的晚餐時對門徒們殷殷的囑咐。這兩篇重要的講道﹐前後有三年之隔﹐希望大家花些時間﹐好好的閱讀聆聽﹐這些話與和我們今天的日子仍然息息相關。
我們在鳳凰城時，神給我們美好的信息和大家分享﹐祂給我的是「你預備好見你的新郎嗎？」你可以跟我們訂購這些DVD和CD。派翠霞．金恩( Patricia King) 是一位滿有能力的屬神女子，她對那些遭受性奴隸制度(sexual slavery﹐譯注３)下的受害者有極大的負擔，她最近新出了一本書，書名是 《因他們的眼淚主受死》("For Their Tears He Diedō)，我希望你們會好好讀一讀，我們需要對這些受害的孩子有負擔。
看吧﹗我告訴過你們﹐等我寫完信時雨就會停下來﹐現在太陽果真露出臉來了! 不過﹐地平線上還有些雲層﹐所以﹐等到朵琳把這封信發出去的時候，大概又要下雨了。事實上﹐昨晚黑門山上還下了雪呢﹗ 我多麼希望你們也在這裡！
Sister Gwen
(譯注１):以色列的Kibbutz 就是『公社』的意思﹔ 經過兩千年的流離﹐以色列人在１９４８年新在故土獨立建國﹐但是﹐以色列並不是大批的回到故土﹐他們常常是一小批﹐一小批的回來。許多回來的人是從蘇聯統治過的地方出來的﹐他們身無分文﹐所以﹐以色列有人成立『公社』﹐讓那些回歸的人不但有落腳的地方﹐而且﹐可以慢慢適用當地的生活。他們的『公社』以農業為主﹐好自給自足﹐同時﹐由於以色列仰賴旅遊﹐公社中都有『客棧』和禮物店﹐禮物店中的手工製品﹐就都是那些回歸的人自己作的﹐客棧中的餐廳所供應的食物﹐許多也就是他們自己耕種所產的。
(譯注２) 在當時耶穌所處加利利地區並沒有大山，不過在臨近的加利利西岸有一些山崗，因此有人認為耶穌是在那裡講登山寶訓的。
(譯注３)﹕近年來﹐全球各地的『人口販賣』極其猖獗﹐許多年幼孩子失蹤都和人口販子有關。講員派翠霞金恩 Patricia King 事工的所在地﹐亞利桑那鳳凰城﹐目前是美洲第二大的人口販賣中心﹐這和亞利桑那與墨西哥有很長的邊界有關係﹐許多毒梟現在都兼營人口販賣。不過﹐人口販賣不止限於明顯的地方﹐如許多大城市﹑鳳凰城﹑或泰國﹐蘇聯解體後﹐大批的婦女小孩都成了犯罪集團的受害者。
原文閱讀：
Loving greetings from Galilee. Doreen and I arrived here Wednesday morning, March 9, around 3:00 am from Phoenix, Arizona, after a long delay of 5 hours in Atlanta. The delay was due to the fact that they had to put a new engine in the plane that was flying us to Tel Aviv. Wow! I can't say it was without a little trepidation that we embarked on that overseas flight in a plane that had not had a test flight before we got on.
We arrived in TelAviv Tuesday night around 10:00 pm and were met by Gene, Marylois, and Karen. They drove us up to Galilee where we are awaiting the arrival of our tour group tomorrow. In the meantime, we are getting some much needed rest.
Ever since I realized that we would be coming ahead of our tour group, I kept thinking about the above Scripture, "Behold He goes before you into Galilee and there you shall see him." Most tour groups begin with Jerusalem, but it really is more Scriptural, if you really want to see the risen Lord, to go up to Galilee because that is where He wants to meet with His people.
That is where He ministered to 500. That was His most beloved place when He lived on earth. That is where He did most of His miracles. Even as I sit and dictate this letter to Doreen, I am looking out at the lake where He walked on the water.
It is here that He met with His disciples after the resurrection and prepared for them that delicious fish breakfast (John 21:1-14). Even though, we only had 4 hours sleep, I dragged myself out of bed to get to the breakfast table before they closed because I didn't want to miss the fish breakfast. And it was delicious. There is nothing in the world more wonderful than an Israeli breakfast, of fish, and salads, cheeses, and breads. This morning we even had a fried egg.
I'm watching the rain coming down. It's been raining off and on ever since we got here. But by the time I finish this letter, the sun will be shining.
What's wonderful about the above Scripture is that the angel of the Lord commissioned the women to tell the Disciples that Jesus had risen. Remember how Mary Magdalene ran to them and said, "He is risen! He is risen!" Of course, like most men (sorry) they didn't believe them.
The second thing is He also told the women to tell the Disciples where to go, Galilee. I doubt the fact that the Disciples went to Galilee out of obedience or because they believed the women, but because Peter was discouraged and afraid after what happened in Jerusalem and so he said, "I'm going fishing" (John 21:2-3).
It was on this lake that I am sitting and looking at now, by my window, that the miraculous haul of fish was caught, not once but twice. What a lake! Our tour group will be staying here with us at the Ein Gev Kibbutz on the southwest side of the lake. You have to cross the Jordan River to get here. Usually our tour group stays in or near Tibrerias, which is on the western side of the lake. When we looked across the lake we saw the sunrise and the Golan Heights. Now, we look across the lake and we see Tiberias; This is our first tour since Papa Jim went Home, and I'm missing him. Maybe when Jesus comes to meet here with us, He'll let Jim come with him. Wouldn't that be wonderful.
This is not my first visit to Ein Gev. I came here in 1961 when my boys were little. David was 7 , Danny 5 and Tommy was 1 years old at that time. He kept me busier than the other two older ones put together. We were staying in an old monastery in Tiberias. I remember sitting on the rooftop with my boys looking out at the lake. It was right at the edge of the water, and we saw two men fishing in a little boat. My boys asked me, "Mommy, is that Peter and John?" I remember swimming in the lake and feeling like I was bathing in Holy water. We took a boat trip across to Ein Gev and all the way across in the spray of the stern that followed there was a beautiful rainbow and I remember this little chorus God gave me.
"His promise goes with me wherever I go
I need fear no evil, for He loves me so
I look at the rainbow, and hope fills my soul
For Jesus goes with me, wherever I go."
We are looking forward to having a wonderful time of fellowship in these hills around Galilee where Jesus preached His first greatest sermon in the Bible, "The Sermon on the Mount." His second and last greatest sermon was His sermon in the Upper Room. They were three years apart. Take time to study them out. They still apply to us today.
We had a wonderful time in Phoenix and the message God gave me was, "Are You Prepared to Meet Your Bridegroom?" You can order the DVD or CD from us. Patricia King is a mighty woman of God who has a tremendous burden for the victims of sexual slavery. She just published a book entitled, "For Their Tears He Died." I beg you please read it. We need to get a burden for these children.
Well, I told you so! The sun is shining and the rain all gone! But there are clouds on the horizon. So by the time Doreen gets this sent off it will be raining again.
Last night we had snow on Mt. Hermon. I wish you were here.
SisterGwen
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