The Son Also Rises 复活之子

0 views

Skip to first unread message

Dexu Xia

unread,

Jan 3, 2024, 1:02:19 AM1/3/24

to dmcf_dailybread

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down. Ecclesiastes 1:5 nkjv

Ernest Hemingway’s first full-length novel features hard-drinking friends who’ve recently endured World War I. They bear the literal and figurative scars of the war’s devastation and try to cope with it via parties, grand adventures, and sleeping around. Always, there is alcohol to numb the pain. No one is happy.

Hemingway’s title for his book The Sun Also Rises comes straight from the pages of Ecclesiastes (1:5). In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon refers to himself as “the Teacher” (v. 1). He observes, “Everything is meaningless” (v. 2) and asks, “What do people gain from all their labors?” (v. 3). Solomon saw how the sun rises and sets, the wind blows to and fro, the rivers flow endlessly into a never satisfied sea (vv. 5–7). Ultimately, all is forgotten (v. 11).

Both Hemingway and Ecclesiastes confront us with the stark futility of living for this life only. Solomon, however, weaves bright hints of the divine into his book. There is permanence—and real hope. Ecclesiastes shows us as we truly are, but it also shows God as He is. “Everything God does will endure forever,” said Solomon (3:14), and therein lies our great hope. For God has given us the gift of us His Son, Jesus.

Apart from God, we’re adrift in an endless, never satisfied sea. Through His risen Son, Jesus, we’re reconciled to Him, and we discover our meaning, value, and purpose.

By: Tim Gustafson

What occupies your time and what meaning does it hold? How might you change your priorities to follow Jesus?

Loving Father, help me find my fulfillment in You

太阳升起，太阳落下。—传道书1章5节，新译本

在美国文学家海明威的第一部长篇小说里，描述了嗜酒如命的一群朋友的故事。他们刚经历了第一次世界大战，在身体和心灵上都因战争而遭受伤害，便试图藉着派对、冒险活动，以及乱搞男女关系来应对创伤。他们也经常藉着酒精来麻痺痛苦，然而，没有人是快乐的。

海明威的小说《太阳依旧升起》，书名来自传道书1章5节。在传道书中，所罗门王自称“传道者”（1节）。他观察到“凡事都是虚空”（2节），问道：“人一切的劳碌，……有什么益处呢？”（3节）所罗门看到太阳升起落下，风吹向南，又转向北，江河源源不断地流入永不满溢的大海中（5-7节）。最终，一切都会被人遗忘、无人记念（11节）。

海明威和传道书都让我们看到，只为今生而活确实徒劳无益。然而，所罗门在传道书中加入上帝的启示，指出了真实的盼望，永恒是存在的。传道书让我们看到人类生活的真实写照，也让我们明白上帝的本质。正如所罗门说：“上帝一切所做的都必永存”（3章14节），而这正是我们最大的盼望，因上帝已将祂的儿子耶稣赐给我们。

离开了上帝，我们就像是漂流在永无止境、永不满溢的茫茫大海中。但藉着上帝复活的儿子耶稣，我们能与上帝和好，并且明白自己生命的意义、价值和目标。

作者： 葛庭墨

哪些事情会占据你的时间？这些事有何意义？
为了跟随耶稣，
你要如何安排生活的优先次序？