The Crowd 群众
Dexu Xia
I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for [my people’s] sake. Romans 9:3
“Men have been found to resist the most powerful monarchs and to refuse to bow down before them,” observed philosopher and author Hannah Arendt (1906–75). She added, “[B]ut few indeed have been found to resist the crowd, to stand up alone before misguided masses, to face their implacable frenzy without weapons.” As a Jew, Arendt witnessed this firsthand in her native Germany. There’s something terrifying about being rejected by the group.
The apostle Paul experienced such rejection. Trained as a Pharisee and rabbi, his life was turned upside down when he encountered the resurrected Jesus. Paul had been traveling to Damascus to persecute those who believed in Christ (Acts 9). After his conversion, the apostle found himself rejected by his own people. In his letter we know as 2 Corinthians, Paul reviewed some of the troubles he faced at their hands, among them “beatings” and “imprisonments” (6:5).
Rather than responding to such rejection with anger or bitterness, Paul longed for them to come to know Jesus too. He wrote, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people” (Romans 9:2–3).
As God has welcomed us into His family, may He also enable us to invite even our adversaries into relationship with Him.
By: Bill Crowder
How have you responded when you experienced exclusion? What makes rejection so hard?
Loving God, help me to point others to You and a place in Your kingdom despite personal hurt or disappointment.
为我弟兄、我骨肉之亲，就是自己被咒诅，与基督分离，我也愿意。—罗马书9章3节
哲学家兼作家的汉娜 · 阿伦特（Hannah Arendt，1906-1975 年）认为：“人们一直在抗拒强大的君王，拒绝向他们屈服。”她补充说：“可是很少有人能对抗群众，独自与被误导的人群对立，手无寸铁地面对他们的无情与狂暴。”作为一名犹太人，阿伦特在她的祖国德国亲眼目睹了这一点，被群众排斥的确是一件很可怕的事。
使徒保罗就经历过这样的排斥。保罗是个受过训练的法利赛人和拉比，他原本要前往大马士革去迫害那些相信基督的人（使徒行传9章），但在途中遇到了复活的耶稣，生命被彻底地改变了。保罗悔改之后，却被自己的同胞排斥。在他所写的哥林多后书中，保罗描述自己受到众人的逼迫，其中包括被“鞭打”和“监禁”（6章5节）。
保罗没有以愤怒或苦毒来回应这种排斥，而是渴望他们也能认识耶稣。他写道：“我是大有忧愁，心里时常伤痛；为我弟兄、我骨肉之亲，就是自己被咒诅，与基督分离，我也愿意。”（罗马书9章2-3节）
上帝已接纳我们加入祂的家庭，愿祂也帮助我们能邀请他人，包括我们的敌人，与祂建立关系。
作者： 柯贝尔
当你遭到排斥时，你会如何回应？被排斥为何令人如此难受？
慈爱的上帝，请帮助我关怀他人，尽管他们可能会排斥我，使我伤心失望，我仍要带领他们归向祢，进入祢的国度。