The One Who Saves 救赎主
Dexu Xia
The One Who Saves
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!”John 12:13
He was called “one of the bravest persons alive,” but he wasn’t what others expected. Desmond was a soldier who declined to carry a gun. As a medic, he single-handedly rescued seventy-five injured soldiers in one battle, including some who once called him a coward and ridiculed him for his faith. Running into heavy gunfire, Desmond prayed continually, “Lord, please help me get one more.” He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism.
Scripture tells us that Jesus was greatly misunderstood. On a day foretold by the prophet Zechariah (9:9), Jesus entered Jerusalem and the crowd waved branches, shouting, “Hosanna!” (John 12:13). Quoting Psalm 118:26, they cried: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (John 12:13). But the very next verse in that psalm refers to bringing a sacrifice “with boughs in hand” (Psalm 118:27). While the crowd in John 12 anticipated an earthly king to save them from Rome, Jesus was much more. He was King of Kings and our sacrifice—God in the flesh, willingly embracing the cross to save us from our sins—a purpose prophesied centuries earlier.
“At first his disciples did not understand all this,” John writes. Only later “did they realize that these things had been written about him” (John 12:16). Illumined by His Word, God’s eternal purposes became clear. See the link below to view Grant Stevenson’s “In Pursuit of Jesus” video to learn more about the One who saves.
救赎主
就拿着棕树枝，出去迎接祂，喊着说：“和散那！”—约翰福音12章13节
美国士兵德斯蒙德 · 多斯被称为“钢铁英雄”，但他并不是大众所想像的那种英雄。德斯蒙德因信仰的缘故而拒绝携带枪支。身为医护兵，他在一场战役中孤身徒手救出了75名受伤士兵，其中有些人曾经叫他懦夫，也有一些人曾嘲笑他的信仰。德斯蒙德在枪林弹雨中穿梭，不断地祈祷说：“主啊，求祢让我再多救一个人吧！”因着他英勇的行为，使他获颁军人的最高荣誉勋章。
圣经告诉我们，耶稣也被人误解。在先知预言的那一天（撒迦利亚书9章9节），耶稣骑着驴进入耶路撒冷，群众挥舞着棕树枝，高呼：“和散那！”（这是表达赞美的呼喊，意思是“拯救”）他们还引用诗篇118篇26节，呼喊：“奉主名来的以色列王是应当称颂的！”（约翰福音12章13节）但他们忽略了接着27节提到“用绳索把祭牲拴住”。当时群众期待的是一位世上的君王，拯救他们脱离罗马政权，但耶稣要成就的远不止如此。祂是万王之王，也是我们的赎罪祭，祂是上帝成了人的样式，心甘情愿地忍受十字架的苦难，以拯救我们脱离罪恶。这些在圣经中早有预言。约翰说“这些事门徒起先不明白”，后来“才想起这话是指着祂写的”（12章16节）。藉着上帝所启示的话语，祂永恒的计划变得越来越清晰。祂爱我们至深，为我们差派一位伟大的救赎主！
复活的君王，求祢帮助我，一生赞美祢、服事祢！
耶稣如何拯救你？今天你要如何向祂表达感恩的赞美呢？