The Reason for Writing 记这些事

[Dexu Xia]

But these are written that you may believe. John 20:31

 “The Lord is my high tower . . . . We left the camp singing.” On September 7, 1943, Etty Hillesum wrote those words on a postcard and threw it from a train. Those were the final recorded words we would hear from her. On November 30, 1943, she was murdered at Auschwitz. Later, Hillesum’s diaries of her experiences in a concentration camp were translated and published. They chronicled her perspectives on the horrors of Nazi occupation along with the beauty of God’s world. Her diaries have been translated into sixty-seven languages—a gift to all who would read and believe the good as well as the bad.

The apostle John didn’t sidestep the harsh realities of Jesus’ life on earth; he wrote of both the good Jesus did and the challenges He faced. The final words from his gospel give insight into the purpose behind the book that bears his name. Jesus performed “many other signs . . . which are not recorded” (20:30) by John. But these, he says, were “written that you may believe” (v. 31). John’s “diary” ends on the note of triumph: “Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.” The gift of those gospel words allows us the opportunity to believe and “have life in his name.”

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are diary accounts of God’s love for us. They’re words to read and believe and share, for they lead us to life. They lead us to Christ.

How might it change the way you read the Gospels if you thought of them as diaries? How are you being led to the heart of Christ through them?

Gracious God, thank You for the gift of the Scriptures, written down by faithful hands so that I might believe and have life

但记这些事，要叫你们信耶稣是基督。—约翰福音20章31节

在1943年9月7日，荷兰犹太裔女作家贺乐孙（Etty Hillesum）在明信片上写道：“主是我的高台⋯⋯我们唱着歌离开集中营。”她从火车上丢出这张明信片，而这也是她留下的最后一份文件。同年11月30日，她在奥斯威辛集中营遭杀害。贺乐孙在日记中描述在集中营的经历，这些日记后来被翻译与出版。她从自己的角度记述了纳粹占领下的恐怖事件，以及上帝所造世界的美好。这些日记被翻译成67种语言，让许多读了这些日记的人，可以相信在邪恶之外仍有美善。

使徒约翰并不避谈耶稣在世上所面对的严酷事实，他写下耶稣的善行，也记载耶稣面对的挑战。约翰福音的结尾透露他写这卷书背后的目的。他说：“耶稣⋯⋯另外行了许多神迹，没有记在这书上”（20章30节），并说：“但记这些事，要叫你们信”（31节）。约翰的“日记”是以胜利的曲调为结尾：“耶稣是基督，是上帝的儿子！”这福音真理是上帝的恩赐，让我们有机会相信耶稣，并且“可以因祂的名得生命”。

福音书就像日记一样，其中记载了上帝对我们的爱。目的是让我们阅读、相信并与人分享，因为这些真理能引导我们得生命，带领我们来到基督面前认识祂。

若将福音书当成日记，将如何改变你阅读的态度？
福音书如何带领你明白基督的心意？

恩慈的上帝，谢谢祢赐下圣经这份礼物。
因这些执笔者忠实的记载，使我能信靠祢并得着生命