Thursday, June 1, 2023

What Does It Mean That "Man Does Not Live on Bread Alone?"

 “人不单靠面包活着”是什么意思?“Rén bù dān kào miànbāo huózhe” shì shénme yìsi?

When Jesus was tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread Jesus responded “Man cannot live by bread alone.” But was he speaking literally?

It’s well known that bread is the most widely consumed food in the world. It’s an important source of essential carbohydrates for daily energy. But if it is so important, why would Jesus say man cannot live on it alone?

Because Jesus is speaking beyond the needs of the human body. He is referring to the needs of a human being as a whole. Consisting of a body, soul, and spirit.

当耶稣被魔鬼引诱要把石头变成面包时,耶稣回答说:“人不能单靠面包活着。” 但他说的是字面意思吗?Dāng yēsū bèi móguǐ yǐnyòu yào bǎ shítou biàn chéng miànbāo shí, yēsū huídá shuō:“Rén bùnéng dān kào miànbāo huózhe.” Dàn tā shuō de shì zìmiàn yìsi ma?


 众所周知,面包是世界上消费最广泛的食物。 它是日常能量必需碳水化合物的重要来源。 但如果它如此重要,为什么耶稣会说人不能单靠它生活呢?Zhòngsuǒzhōuzhī, miànbāo shì shìjiè shàng xiāofèi zuì guǎngfàn de shíwù. Tā shì rìcháng néngliàng bìxū tànshuǐ huàhéwù de zhòngyào láiyuán. Dàn rúguǒ tā rúcǐ zhòngyào, wèishéme yēsū huì shuō rén bùnéng dān kào tā shēnghuó ne?

 因为耶稣说话超出了人体的需要。 他指的是人类作为一个整体的需要。 由身体、灵魂和精神组成。Yīnwèi yēsū shuōhuà chāochūle réntǐ de xūyào. Tā zhǐ de shì rénlèi zuòwéi yīgè zhěngtǐ de xūyào. Yóu shēntǐ, línghún hé jīngshén zǔchéng.

“Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7). “耶和华神用地上的尘土造人。 将生气吹在人鼻孔里,人就成了活人”(创世记2:7)。“Yēhéhuá shén yòngdì shàng de chéntǔ zào rén. Jiāng shēngqì chuī zài rén bíkǒng lǐ, rén jiù chéngle huó rén”(chuàng shì jì 2:7). 

You see, from the above verse, we are more than just material beings. What made us come alive was the life God breathed into us. Since our source of life is from God, bread (or physical food) alone isn’t enough to sustain us.

We need more than food. We need the very word of God as our life-giving source.

你看,从上面的诗句,我们不仅仅是物质存在。 让我们活过来的是上帝吹入我们的生命。 由于我们的生命之源来自上帝,单靠面包(或物质食物)不足以维持我们的生命。Nǐ kàn, cóng shàngmiàn de shījù, wǒmen bùjǐn jǐn shì wùzhí cúnzài. Ràng wǒmen huó guòlái de shì shàngdì chuī rù wǒmen de shēngmìng. Yóuyú wǒmen de shēngmìng zhī yuán láizì shàngdì, dān kào miànbāo (huò wùzhí shíwù) bùzú yǐ wéichí wǒmen de shēngmìng.

 我们需要的不仅仅是食物。 我们需要神的话作为我们生命的泉源。Wǒmen xūyào de bùjǐn jǐn shì shíwù. Wǒmen xūyào shén dehuà zuòwéi wǒmen shēngmìng de quányuán.


“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63).


What we should understand is that the devil wanted Jesus to satisfy his flesh. If the devil could strengthen the flesh, he knows it will weaken the spirit.

Jesus understood that the flesh does not profit. His response shows us that it is the spirit that matters. His words are spirit and life. As we live by physical food to sustain our bodies, we are called to also sustain our spirits with the word of God.

“赐人生命的乃是圣灵; 肉体根本无济于事。 我对你们所说的话,就是灵,就是生命”(约翰福音 6:63)。“Cì rén shēngmìng de nǎi shì shènglíng; ròutǐ gēnběn wújìyúshì. Wǒ duì nǐmen suǒ shuō dehuà, jiùshì líng, jiùshì shēngmìng”(yuēhàn fúyīn 6:63).


 我们应该明白的是,魔鬼要耶稣满足他的肉体。 如果魔鬼能加强肉体,他知道它会削弱精神。Wǒmen yīnggāi míngbái de shì, móguǐ yào yēsū mǎnzú tā de ròutǐ. Rúguǒ móguǐ néng jiāqiáng ròutǐ, tā zhīdào tā huì xuēruò jīngshén.


 耶稣明白肉体是无益的。 他的回应向我们表明,重要的是精神。 他的话就是精神和生命。 当我们靠物质食物来维持我们的身体时,我们也被呼召用上帝的话语来维持我们的精神。Yēsū míngbái ròutǐ shì wúyì de. Tā de huíyīng xiàng wǒmen biǎomíng, zhòngyào de shì jīngshén. Tā dehuà jiùshì jīngshén hé shēngmìng. Dāng wǒmen kào wùzhí shíwù lái wéichí wǒmen de shēntǐ shí, wǒmen yě bèi hū zhào yòng shàngdì de huàyǔ lái wéichí wǒmen de jīngshén. 

What Is the Context of Matthew 4?

马太福音 4 章的上下文是什么?


Imagine being in a desert fasting for 40 days without food. How hungry and thirsty would you be? Imagine the fatigue you would experience. For many of us, under these circumstances, we wouldn’t make the best decisions.

Jesus on the other hand was fulfilling a purpose greater than himself. Let’s take a closer look:

想象一下在沙漠中禁食 40 天没有食物。 你会多饿多渴? 想象一下你会经历的疲劳。 对于我们中的许多人来说,在这种情况下,我们不会做出最好的决定。Xiǎngxiàng yīxià zài shāmò zhōng jìn shí 40 tiān méiyǒu shíwù. Nǐ huì duō è duō kě? Xiǎngxiàng yīxià nǐ huì jīnglì de píláo. Duìyú wǒmen zhōng de xǔduō rén lái shuō, zài zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng xià, wǒmen bù huì zuò chū zuì hǎo de juédìng.

另一方面,耶稣正在实现一个比他自己更伟大的目标。 让我们仔细看看:Lìng yī fāngmiàn, yēsū zhèngzài shíxiàn yīgè bǐ tā zìjǐ gèng wěidà de mùbiāo. Ràng wǒmen zǐxì kàn kàn:

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:1-4).

“然后耶稣被圣灵带到旷野,受魔鬼的试探。 禁食四十天四十夜之后,他饿了。 试探者来对他说:“如果你是上帝的儿子,就命令这些石头变成面包吧。”他回答说:“经上记着:‘人活着,不是单靠食物,乃是靠一切言语。 从神口里出来的”(马太福音 4:1-4)。“Ránhòu yēsū bèi shènglíng dài dào kuàngyě, shòu móguǐ de shìtàn. Jìn shí sìshí tiān sìshí yè zhīhòu, tā èle. Shìtàn zhě lái duì tā shuō:“Rúguǒ nǐ shì shàngdì de érzi, jiù mìnglìng zhèxiē shítou biàn chéng miànbāo ba.” Tā huídá shuō:“Jīng shàng jìzhe:‘Rén huózhe, bùshì dān kào shíwù, nǎi shì kào yīqiè yányǔ. Cóng shén kǒu lǐ chūlái de”(mǎ tài fúyīn 4:1-4).

The first thing we need to know is that he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The Holy Spirit had a purpose behind this.

Let’s compare Matthew 4 with Deuteronomy 8:

我们需要知道的第一件事是,他被圣灵引导到旷野。 圣灵在这背后有一个目的。Wǒmen xūyào zhīdào de dì yī jiàn shì shì, tā bèi shènglíng yǐndǎo dào kuàngyě. Shènglíng zài zhè bèihòu yǒu yīgè mùdì.


 让我们比较一下马太福音 4 章和申命记 8 章:Ràng wǒmen bǐjiào yīxià mǎ tài fúyīn 4 zhāng hé shēn mìng jì 8 zhāng: 

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3).

“我今天所吩咐你们的全部诫命,你们要谨守遵行,这样你们就可以生养众多,可以进去,得着耶和华起誓要赐给你们列祖的土地。 你要记念耶和华你的神在旷野引导你这四十年,为要使你谦卑,试验你,要知道你心里怎样,肯遵守他的诫命不肯。 他使你卑微,让你挨饿,用吗哪喂养你,这是你不知道的,你的父亲也不知道,他可能会让你知道人活着不是单靠面包,而是靠来自上帝的每一句话 耶和华的口”(申命记 8:1-3)。“Wǒ jīntiān suǒ fēnfù nǐmen de quánbù jiè mìng, nǐmen yào jǐn shǒu zūnxíng, zhèyàng nǐmen jiù kěyǐ shēngyǎng zhòngduō, kěyǐ jìnqù, dézháo yēhéhuá qǐshì yào cì gěi nǐmen liè zǔ de tǔdì. Nǐ yào jìniàn yēhéhuá nǐ de shén zài kuàngyě yǐndǎo nǐ zhè sìshí nián, wèi yào shǐ nǐ qiānbēi, shìyàn nǐ, yào zhīdào nǐ xīnlǐ zěnyàng, kěn zūnshǒu tā de jiè mìng bù kěn. Tā shǐ nǐ bēiwéi, ràng nǐ āi è, yòng ma nǎ wèiyǎng nǐ, zhè shì nǐ bù zhīdào de, nǐ de fùqīn yě bù zhīdào, tā kěnéng huì ràng nǐ zhīdào ren huózhe bùshì dān kào miànbāo, ér shì kào láizì shàngdì de měi yījù huà yēhéhuá de kǒu”(shēn mìng jì 8:1-3).

Notice the similarities? The Israelites were led by God into the wilderness and they endured for 40 years. During those 40 years, God provided for them but he allowed them to endure for a few reasons:

•That they would be humbled.

•To test what was in their heart to know if they would obey God.

•They were going to enter their promised land.

Jesus in Matthew 4 is an image and fulfillment of this very event!

Jesus endures 40 days of fasting in the wilderness and the devil comes to tempt him to keep him from obeying God but fails. The Spirit led him there to be tested and endure to fulfill what the Israelites could not fulfill – making him our perfect redeemer.

Since Jesus endured, he exercised authority when he rebuked the devil.

注意到相似之处了吗? 以色列人被神领到旷野,他们忍受了 40 年。 在那 40 年里,上帝供应他们,但他允许他们忍受,原因如下:Zhùyì dào xiāngsì zhī chùle ma? Yǐsèliè rén bèi shén lǐng dào kuàngyě, tāmen rěnshòule 40 nián. Zài nà 40 nián lǐ, shàngdì gōngyìng tāmen, dàn tā yǔnxǔ tāmen rěnshòu, yuányīn rúxià:


 •他们会感到谦卑。•Tāmen huì gǎndào qiānbēi.


 •测试他们的心意,知道他们是否会顺服神。•Cèshì tāmen de xīnyì, zhīdào tāmen shìfǒu huì shùnfú shén.


 •他们将要进入​​他们的应许之地。•Tāmen jiāngyào jìnrù​​tāmen de yīngxǔ zhī dì.


 马太福音 4 章中的耶稣就是这件事的形象和应验!Mǎ tài fúyīn 4 zhāng zhōng de yēsū jiùshì zhè jiàn shì de xíngxiàng hé yìngyàn!


 耶稣在旷野禁食 40 天,魔鬼来引诱他不顺服神,但没有成功。 圣灵带领耶稣在那里接受考验并忍受,以实现以色列人无法实现的目标——使他成为我们完美的救赎主。Yēsū zài kuàngyě jìn shí 40 tiān, móguǐ lái yǐnyòu tā bù shùnfú shén, dàn méiyǒu chénggōng. Shènglíng dàilǐng yēsū zài nàlǐ jiēshòu kǎoyàn bìng rěnshòu, yǐ shíxiàn yǐsèliè rén wúfǎ shíxiàn de mùbiāo——shǐ tā chéngwéi wǒmen wánměi de jiùshú zhǔ.


 耶稣既然忍耐,就在斥责魔鬼时行使权柄。Yēsū jìrán rěnnài, jiù zài chìzé móguǐ shí xíngshǐ quánbǐng.


Where Else Does Jesus Talk about Bread? 耶稣还在什么地方谈论面包?Yēsū hái zài shénme dìfāng tánlùn miànbāo?

Throughout the gospel of John, we see other instances of Jesus using bread as an example of life. He uses this to speak of himself and his words as the life-giving source that we are to live by. Let’s look at a few favorites:

在约翰福音中,我们看到耶稣用面包作为生命榜样的其他例子。 他用这个来谈论他自己和他的话作为我们赖以生存的赋予生命的源泉。 让我们来看看一些最喜欢的:Zài yuēhàn fúyīn zhōng, wǒmen kàn dào yēsū yòng miànbāo zuòwéi shēngmìng bǎngyàng de qítā lìzi. Tā yòng zhège lái tánlùn tā zìjǐ hé tā dehuà zuòwéi wǒmen lài yǐ shēngcún de fùyǔ shēngmìng de yuánquán. Ràng wǒmen lái kàn kàn yīxiē zuì xǐhuān de:

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51).

“我是从天而降的活面包。 人若吃了这饼,就必永远活着。 我要赐给世人生命的粮,就是我的肉”(约翰福音 6:51)。“Wǒ shì cóngtiān'érjiàng de huó miànbāo. Rén ruò chīle zhè bǐng, jiù bì yǒngyuǎn huózhe. Wǒ yào cì gěi shìrén shēngmìng de liáng, jiùshì wǒ de ròu”(yuēhàn fúyīn 6:51).

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’” (John 6:35) 

“耶稣对他们说:‘我就是生命的粮; 到我这里来的,必不饿;信我的,永远不渴。”(约6:35)“Yēsū duì tāmen shuō:‘Wǒ jiùshì shēngmìng de liáng; dào wǒ zhèlǐ lái de, bì bù è; xìn wǒ de, yǒngyuǎn bù kě.”(Yuē 6:35)

“Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (John 6:27).

“不要为那必坏的食物劳力,要为存到永生的食物劳力,就是人子要赐给你们的。 因为父神在他身上印了印”(约翰福音 6:27)。“Bùyào wèi nà bì huài de shíwù láolì, yào wèi cún dào yǒngshēng de shíwù láolì, jiùshì rén zǐ yào cì gěi nǐmen de. Yīnwèi fù shén zài tā shēnshang yìnle yìn”(yuēhàn fúyīn 6:27).

“Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’” (John 6:32-35).

“耶稣就对他们说:‘我实实在在地告诉你们,不是摩西从天上赐给你们粮,而是我父从天上赐给你们真正的粮。因为上帝的粮就是从天上降下来赐生命给世界的。他们对他说:“先生,请常把这粮赐给我们。” 耶稣对他们说:‘我就是生命的粮; 到我这里来的,必不饿;信我的,永远不渴”(约翰福音 6:32-35)。“Yēsū jiù duì tāmen shuō:‘Wǒ shí shízài zài dì gàosù nǐmen, bùshì móxī cóng tiānshàng cì gěi nǐmen liáng, ér shì wǒ fù cóng tiānshàng cì gěi nǐmen zhēnzhèng de liáng. Yīn wéi shàngdì de liáng jiùshì cóng tiānshàng jiàng xiàlái cì shēngmìng gěi shìjiè de. Tāmen duì tā shuō:“Xiānshēng, qǐng cháng bǎ zhè liáng cì gěi wǒmen.” Yēsū duì tāmen shuō:‘Wǒ jiùshì shēngmìng de liáng; dào wǒ zhèlǐ lái de, bì bù è; xìn wǒ de, yǒngyuǎn bù kě”(yuēhàn fúyīn 6:32-35).

Jesus' teachings, given to us through the Word of God, is food for our souls. 耶稣的教导是通过上帝的话语赐给我们的,是我们灵魂的食粮。Yēsū de jiàodǎo shì tōngguò shàngdì de huàyǔ cì gěi wǒmen de, shì wǒmen línghún de shíliáng.


How Can We Apply This Verse to Our Everyday Lives? 我们可以如何将这节经文应用到我们的日常生活中?Wǒmen kěyǐ rúhé jiāng zhè jié jīng wén yìngyòng dào wǒmen de rìcháng shēnghuó zhōng?


As you would hunger for food and wouldn’t ignore your cravings, the same is to be done for our spirit. Immersing ourselves in God’s word daily is the key to spiritual growth. 正如你会渴望食物并且不会忽视你的渴望一样,同样要为我们的精神做。 每天沉浸在神的话语中是属灵成长的关键。Zhèngrú nǐ huì kěwàng shíwù bìngqiě bù huì hūshì nǐ de kěwàng yīyàng, tóngyàng yào wèi wǒmen de jīngshén zuò. Měitiān chénjìn zài shén de huàyǔ zhòng shì shǔ líng chéngzhǎng de guānjiàn.


Here’s what living on the word of God looks like: 靠上帝的话语生活是这样的:Kào shàngdì de huàyǔ shēnghuó shì zhèyàng de:


“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). “但要行道,不要单单听道,自欺欺人”(雅各书 1:22)。“Dàn yào xíngdào, bùyào dāndān tīng dào, zìqīqīrén”(yǎ gè shū 1:22).


“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). “尽你最大的努力将自己献给上帝,成为一个被认可的人,一个不需要羞愧的工人,正确地处理真理的道”(2 Timothy 2:15)。“Jǐn nǐ zuìdà de nǔlì jiāng zìjǐ xiàn gěi shàngdì, chéngwéi yīgè bèi rènkě de rén, yīgè bù xūyào xiūkuì de gōngrén, zhèngquè de chǔlǐ zhēnlǐ de dào”(2 Timothy 2:15).


“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). “从神生的,没有一个习惯犯罪,因为神的道存在他心里,他就不能再犯罪,因为他是由神生的”(约翰一书 3:9)。“Cóng shén shēng de, méiyǒu yīgè xíguàn fànzuì, yīnwèi shén de dào cúnzài tā xīnlǐ, tā jiù bùnéng zài fànzuì, yīnwèi tā shì yóu shén shēng de”(yuēhàn yī shū 3:9).


“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22). “但圣灵在我们的生命中结出这样的果子:仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实”(加拉太书 5:22)。“Dàn shènglíng zài wǒmen de shēngmìng zhòng jié chū zhèyàng de guǒzi: Rén'ài, xǐlè, hépíng, rěnnài, ēncí, liáng shàn, xìnshí”(jiā lā tài shū 5:22).


Living on God’s word produces the character that Jesus intends for us to have.

In this short story, Jesus goes beyond human thinking. He shows us that life is more than the physical body. What we should take away from this is to always pursue the things that will benefit the spirit. 

Having our physical needs met is important and should not be ignored, but the same is true for the spirit. I encourage you today to seek God with all of your heart. When you do, you will find him.

靠神的话生活会产生耶稣希望我们拥有的品格。Kào shén dehuà shēnghuó huì chǎnshēng yēsū xīwàng wǒmen yǒngyǒu de pǐngé.


 在这个短篇小说中,耶稣超越了人类的思维。 他向我们展示了生命不仅仅是肉体。 我们应该从中吸取的是始终追求有益于精神的事物。Zài zhège duǎnpiān xiǎoshuō zhōng, yēsū chāoyuèle rénlèi de sīwéi. Tā xiàng wǒmen zhǎnshìle shēngmìng bùjǐn jǐn shì ròutǐ. Wǒmen yīnggāi cóngzhōng xīqǔ de shì shǐzhōng zhuīqiú yǒuyì yú jīngshén de shìwù.


 满足我们的身体需求很重要,不应被忽视,但精神需求也是如此。 今天我鼓励你全心全意地寻求上帝。 当你这样做时,你会找到他。Mǎnzú wǒmen de shēntǐ xūqiú hěn zhòngyào, bù yìng bèi hūshì, dàn jīngshén xūqiú yěshì rúcǐ. Jīntiān wǒ gǔlì nǐ quánxīnquányì dì xúnqiú shàngdì. Dāng nǐ zhèyàng zuò shí, nǐ huì zhǎodào tā.



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