黑馬牧人書 第 22 章

While I was fasting and sitting on a certain mountain and giving thanks to the Lord for all that he had done with me, I saw the shepherd sitting beside me and saying: "Why have you come here so early in the morning?" "Because, Lord," I say, "I am keeping a station."

"What," he says, "is a station?" "I am fasting, Lord," I say. "And what," he says, "is this fast which you fast?" "As I have been accustomed, Lord," I say, "so I fast."

"You do not know," he says, "how to fast to the Lord, nor is this an acceptable fast, this unprofitable one which you fast to him." "Why, Lord," I say, "do you say this?" "I tell you," he says, "that this is not the fast which you suppose you are fasting; but I will teach you what is a fast acceptable and complete to the Lord. Listen," he says.

"God does not desire such a vain fast; for fasting to God in this way you accomplish nothing for righteousness. But fast to God with such a fast as this:

do no evil in your life, but serve the Lord with a pure heart; keep his commandments, walking in his ordinances, and let no evil desire arise in your heart; and believe in God, that, if you do these things and fear him and exercise self-control against every evil deed, you will live to God. And if you do these things, you will perform a great fast, acceptable to God."

"Hear the parable which I am about to tell you, which pertains to fasting.

A certain man had a field and many servants, and on a part of the field he planted a vineyard; and choosing out a certain servant who was faithful and well-pleasing and held in honor, he called him and said to him: 'Take this vineyard which I have planted, and stake it up until I come, but do nothing else to the vineyard; and keep this my command, and you shall be free in my house.' Then the master of the servant went away on a journey.

When the master had gone away, the servant took stakes and put a fence around the vineyard. And when he had finished fencing the vineyard, he saw that the vineyard was full of weeds.

So he reasoned within himself, saying: 'I have completed this command of my master; now I will dig over this vineyard, and once it is dug it will be more presentable, and having no weeds it will yield more fruit, no longer being choked by the weeds.' So he set to work, dug over the vineyard, and pulled out all the weeds that were in it. And that vineyard became most beautiful and flourishing, no longer having weeds to choke it.

After some time the master of the servant and of the estate came and went into the vineyard. And when he saw the vineyard beautifully fenced, and moreover dug over, with all the weeds pulled out and the vines flourishing, he rejoiced greatly over the works of his servant.

So he called his beloved son, whom he had as heir, and the friends whom he had as counsellors, and told them all that he had charged his servant and all that he had found done. And they too rejoiced with the servant over the testimony which the master had borne to him.

And he said to them: 'I promised this servant his freedom if he should keep the command which I gave him; but he has not only kept my command—he has also added good work to the vineyard, and that pleased me greatly. In return, therefore, for this work that he has done, I want to make him joint-heir with my son, because, having set his mind on the good, he did not neglect it but carried it out.'

The son of the master agreed with him in this decision, that the servant should become joint-heir with the son.

After a few days the master gave a banquet and sent the servant much food from the banquet. And the servant, receiving the food that had been sent to him from the master, took what was enough for himself and distributed the rest to his fellow-servants.

And his fellow-servants, when they received the food, rejoiced and began to pray for him, that he might find greater favour with the master, because he had treated them in this way.

The master heard all these things that had taken place, and again rejoiced greatly over his deed. Calling his friends together again, and his son, the master reported to them his servant's deed, which he had done concerning the food he had received; and they consented even more readily that the servant should become joint-heir with his son.

I said: 'Lord, I do not understand these parables, nor am I able to grasp them, unless you explain them to me.'

'I will explain everything to you,' he said, 'and whatever I shall speak with you.

I will show you his commandments. But if you do any good thing beyond the commandment of God, you will gain for yourself greater glory and will be more honoured before God than you were destined to be. If, then, while keeping the commandments of God, you add also these services, you will rejoice, if you observe them according to my command.'

I said to him: 'Lord, whatever you command me, I will keep it; for I know that you are with me.' 'I will be with you,' he said, 'because you have such eagerness for doing good; and I will be with all those also,' he said, 'who have this eagerness.

This fasting,' he said, 'when the commandments of the Lord are kept, is very good. This, then, is how you shall observe this fasting which you are about to keep:

First of all, guard yourself against every evil word and every evil desire, and cleanse your heart from all the vanities of this present age. If you keep these things, this fasting will be perfect for you.

And this is what you shall do: when you have completed what is written above, on that day when you fast you shall taste nothing but bread and water; and reckoning up the cost of the food you would have eaten on that day on which you intended to fast, you shall give that amount to a widow, an orphan, or someone in need, and so you shall humble yourself, in order that, out of your humbling, the one who has received may fill his own soul and may pray for you to the Lord.

If, then, you complete the fasting in this way, as I have commanded you, your sacrifice will be acceptable before God, and this fasting will be recorded, and the service performed in this manner is good and joyful and well-pleasing to the Lord.

These things you shall observe in this way, together with your children and your whole household; and observing them you will be blessed. And as many as hear them and observe them will be blessed, and whatever they ask of the Lord they will receive.

I entreated him much, that he would explain to me the parable of the estate and the master and the vineyard and the servant who fenced the vineyard, and the stakes and the weeds that were pulled out of the vineyard, and the son and the friends who were counsellors; for I understood that all these things were some sort of parable.

But he answered me, saying: 'You are very forward in asking questions. You ought not,' he said, 'to ask anything at all; for if it is necessary for it to be explained to you, it will be explained.' I said to him: 'Lord, whatever you show me and do not explain, I shall have seen it in vain, not understanding what it is; likewise, if you speak parables to me and do not interpret them for me, I shall have heard something from you in vain.'

But he again answered me, saying: 'Whoever,' he said, 'is a servant of God and has his Lord in his heart, asks understanding from him and receives it, and interprets every parable, and the words of the Lord spoken through parables become known to him. But those who are sluggish and slothful in prayer, those hesitate to ask of the Lord;

yet the Lord is very compassionate and gives unceasingly to all who ask of him. But you, who have been strengthened by the holy angel and have received from him such power of prayer, and are not slothful—why do you not ask understanding of the Lord and receive it from him?'

I said to him: 'Lord, since I have you with me, I must ask you and question you; for you show me everything and speak with me. But if I saw or heard these things apart from you, I would ask the Lord that it might be explained to me.'

'I told you,' he said, 'just now too, that you are crafty and forward, asking for the interpretations of the parables. But since you are so persistent, I will interpret for you the parable of the estate and of all the rest that go with it, so that you may make them known to all. Listen now,' he said, 'and understand them.

The estate is this world; and the master of the estate is the one who created all things and set them in order and gave them power; the servant is the Son of God; and the vines are this people, which he himself planted;

and the stakes are the holy angels of the Lord who hold his people together. And the weeds that were pulled out of the vineyard are the lawless deeds of the servants of God; and the food which he sent him from the banquet are the commandments which he gave to his people through his Son; and the friends and counsellors are the holy angels who were created first; and the absence of the master is the time that remains until his coming.

I said to him: 'Lord, all these things are great and wonderful, and all hold glorious meaning. Could I, then,' I said, 'have understood these things? No, nor could any other of men, even if someone were very intelligent, be able to understand them. Yet,' I said, 'Lord, explain to me what I am about to ask you.'

'Speak,' he said, 'if you wish anything.' 'Why,' I said, 'Lord, is the Son of God set forth in the parable in the manner of a servant?'

'Listen,' he said: 'the Son of God is not set forth in the manner of a servant, but is set in great authority and lordship.' 'How so, Lord?' I said. 'I do not understand.'

'Because,' he said, 'God planted the vineyard—that is, he created the people—and handed them over to his Son; and the Son set the angels over them to keep them safe; and he himself cleansed their sins, labouring much and enduring many toils; for no vineyard can be dug over without labour or toil.

So he himself, having cleansed the sins of the people, showed them the paths of life, giving them the law which he had received from his Father.

But as for the fact that the Lord took his Son as counsellor, and the glorious angels, concerning the inheritance of the servant—listen:

The Holy Spirit, which pre-existed, which created the whole creation, God caused to dwell in flesh that he willed. This flesh, then, in which the Holy Spirit dwelt, served the Spirit well, walking in reverence and purity, in no way defiling the Spirit.

Since, then, it had conducted itself well and purely, and had toiled together with the Spirit and cooperated in every matter, behaving itself strongly and bravely, he chose it as partner together with the Holy Spirit; for the conduct of this flesh pleased him, because it was not defiled upon the earth while it possessed the Holy Spirit.

He took, then, the Son and the glorious angels as counsellors, in order that this flesh also, having served the Spirit blamelessly, might have some place of habitation and might not seem to have lost the reward of its service; for all flesh that is found undefiled and unstained, in which the Holy Spirit has dwelt, will receive a reward.

You now have the interpretation of this parable also.'

'I was glad,' I said, 'Lord, to hear this interpretation.' 'Listen now,' he said: 'keep this flesh of yours pure and undefiled, so that the Spirit which dwells in it may bear witness to it, and your flesh may be justified.

See that it never enters your heart that this flesh of yours is perishable, and that you misuse it in any defilement. If you defile your flesh, you will also defile the Holy Spirit; and if you defile the flesh, you will not live.

'But if,' I said, 'Lord, some former ignorance occurred, before these words were heard, how can the person who has defiled his flesh be saved?' 'Concerning the former,' he said, 'acts of ignorance, it is possible for God alone to grant healing, for all authority is his.

Only do not defile your flesh nor the Spirit henceforth; for both are common partners and cannot be defiled apart from each other. Keep both, therefore, pure, and you will live to God.'