弟兄姐妹们，预祝大家圣诞快乐！
如果你今天收到了圣诞贺卡，你会期盼贺卡上写什么啊？“在至高之处荣耀归于神，在地上平安归于他所喜悦的人”，或者什么“大喜的信息”，“平安喜乐”对不对？
但如果你收到一张贺卡上边写着：“这孩子被立，是要叫许多人跌倒，又要做毁谤的话柄，你自己的心也要被刀刺透”你会怎么想？这是路加福音2章34-35节的话。
你会不会觉得对方疯了？但这其实就是圣诞节发生的事，西面，一位等候了弥赛亚一辈子的老圣徒，对刚出生的耶稣和马利亚说的祝词。我们通常认为圣诞节应该是温馨甜蜜的，但西面告诉我们，圣诞节是一次巨大的冒犯。如果你没有被冒犯，可能你还不认识圣诞节。
其实这种冒犯并不新鲜，当我们回到耶稣降生的那刻，我们就能看到世界对他的敌意。比如客店里没有地方、希律王对婴儿耶稣展开的灭绝性屠杀等等。其实耶稣不管到哪，人们对他总是有一种若即若离的张力，一方面被他的教训吸引，另一方面被他冒犯。我们上星期看到的格拉森人的故事里就是如此，那个地方的人看到耶稣行了赶鬼的神迹后，竟然央求耶稣离开。圣经里用一句话“众人就央求耶稣离开他们的境界”。
今天我们来看看圣诞是如何冒犯我们的：他冒犯了我们的尊严，冒犯了我们的理智，冒犯了我们的盼望。由此我们可以更深地认识到针对我们那种长阔高深，不被我们理解的爱。
耶稣冒犯了人的尊严
当圣灵感孕马利亚时，他有没有和马利亚商量？哎，蒙大恩的女儿，我借你的肚子用一用好吗？没有啊！甚至圣灵可以选一个已经结婚但是没有孩子的女人啊，为什么专门选了这个在订婚还没结婚的女子呢？好像神是在专门挑战人的尊严，刻意把人置于一种尴尬、甚至被羞辱的境地。为什么呢？
回答这个问题前，我先问几个问题：在座的，下个月要开的世界经济论坛达沃斯峰会，谁要去？那我说个小的，下周要召开的全国财政工作会议谁要去？
你们明白我的意思了吗？如果他是体面地来到人间，就意味着福音会有门槛。如果他降生在深宅大院，卑微的牧羊人是看不了他的，他会只是精英阶级的救主。我们根本没有机会接触他！
所以因为耶稣要以卑微的方式降临人间，他就要马利亚打破人类对“体面”这个偶像的敬拜。神要告诉我们，真正的尊严不在是你在人前多风光，而是你是否被主使用。
这对我们有什么意义呢？耶稣敢以私生子、未婚先孕这种羞辱的形象来到人间，我们敢不敢在弟兄姐妹面前暴露自己的软弱？我们是不是明明家里有冷战爆发，来到教会也要挤出笑容，互道平安？我们是不是明明孩子教育出了大问题，还是只报喜不报忧？我们是不是明明心里对神对弟兄姐妹充满苦毒，还是说：“感谢主？”
如果我们非要维持自己完美的人设，就相当于端着架子来到马槽前，在耶稣面前装样子。那些东方来的博士来到婴儿耶稣前都要屈膝跪拜，我们就不要再端架子了。
2、耶稣冒犯人们的理智
童贞女怎么可能怀孕？这是我们大脑想不通的。这是因为救恩完全来自神，没有人的一点点主权。如果是选择一个已经结婚但没有孩子的女人，人可能会觉得婴儿的诞生有人的功劳，比如所罗门是大卫和拔示巴生的，人们会不自觉的这里有大卫的功劳。比如在圣殿的落成庆祝后人们是这么讨论所罗门的：……他们都为王祝福。因见耶和华向他仆人大卫和他民以色列所施的一切恩惠，就都心中喜乐，各归各家去了。所罗门的成功，在百姓眼里，很大程度上是神对大卫应许的兑现。在所罗门晚年犯罪时，甚至神自己都说：（列王纪上 11:13）只是我不将全国夺回，要因我仆人大卫和我所选择的耶路撒冷，还留一支派给你的儿子。这更加坐实了“人的功劳”这一逻辑：如果父亲够好，儿子就能沾光；如果父亲是英雄，儿子就有合法性。
这就好比神摆设了一桌昂贵的宴席，我们被邀请过去享用，但是又不想两手空空，于是拿两个白馒头过去放桌上。童女怀孕就是神把我们的白馒头扔了，然后说，这是我独自预备的与你有什么关系？你的馒头只会拉低这个宴席的档次！这是不是对我们自尊心的冒犯！你会想，我可不想当乞丐啊白吃白喝啊！但福音说：“你就是乞丐”。
道理这么说很明白了，但其实我们平时还是会想在救恩上贡献点力量。比如教会里常有这种声音：哎哟那个弟兄还是同工呢，他还抽烟，还喝酒，我看他生命不行啊！这种就是靠“我不做什么”来在神面前建立自义、自信。我们觉得神接纳我，那肯定是因为我比别人规矩！如果不吃喝嫖赌就能讨神喜悦，那死人最圣洁了。
我们还有弟兄姐妹很喜欢做事情。做了后会有两种表现方式：1、喜欢让人知道自己做了什么服侍，奉献了什么，所以说话间可能就会拐弯抹角地透露一些信息。2、更属灵，不给任何人说但是自己美。哎呀，神啊，我做了这些，真棒啊。
这些好像都没错啊，世人捐钱了还会把自己捐了多少发到朋友圈，弄个大支票招摇一下，但在神看来这就是犯罪，因为你在建立自己的义。建立自己的义就是拒绝神给你的义。
所以耶稣说，这样，你们作完了一切所吩咐的，只当说：‘我们是无用的仆人，所作的本是我们应分作的。’”(路加福音 17:10 和合本)这句话听起来很不讲情面啊！耶稣就是在冒犯我们的理智，让我们清楚我们一切行善的能力都来自他，一切义都来自他，一切奖赏都来自他。
3、耶稣冒犯人的盼望
当耶稣以小婴儿的样子降临时，人们怎么会想到这是以色列的君王呢？人们期盼一个比大卫更勇猛，比所罗门更智慧的君王去战胜罗马帝国啊，但这个婴儿能干什么，他连脖子都竖不起来啊，连剑都拿不动，连自己都喂不饱？甚至最后还死在了十字架上！这门的盼望全都破产了啊。
弟兄姐妹们，我们坐在这里是不是觉得罗马帝国离我们很遥远？但我还想问你：谁是你的罗马人？
是你恨不得跟他离婚的丈夫、妻子吗？是每个月压的你喘不过气来的房贷车贷吗？是你体检报告上那个可怕的指标吗？还是那个不说好话的老板？
但耶稣来不是为了帮你对付你的老公、妻子、财务状况、老板、疾病，那么耶稣不需要上十字架！
魔鬼就可以做到这些。你想想对不对？魔鬼可以给你咒诅的力量，让你对付任何人，可以给你不义之财满足你的虚荣，甚至可以暂时挪去你的疾病！多么有迷惑性啊！也许，神在他的怜悯中，会按着你的身量给你挪去一些。但是，更多的时候，这些正是他量给你的十字架。
弟兄姐妹，耶稣在尊严上冒犯了我们要面子的心，在理智上冒犯我们要自立功劳的脑，在盼望上冒犯我们想要舒服的肉体。但其实耶稣不仅仅是在这三处冒犯了你，耶稣在一切事情都会冒犯你！圣诞的意义首先就是神要冒犯你！
我们想把神当成帮我们做事的工具人，这冒犯了他的尊严；我们以为自己能治理好自己，管理好世界，这是冒犯了他的智慧；我们以为最好人生是一切顺遂，却冒犯了神造我们里边尊贵的形象和样式。
这还不是我们对神冒犯的高峰，高峰是耶稣在十字架上。当耶稣在十字架上，他的心被长矛刺透后，所有对他有期待的人的心也被刺透了。人们发现，耶稣不是那个他们所盼望的弥赛亚，不是他们所理解的领袖，不是带给他们尊严的拉比。他担当了我们对他的一切冒犯，死了。然后所有的人心也都死了。
接下来呢？随着耶稣的复活，人心也复活了！人们发现，耶稣竟然真的是那位期盼已久的救主！我们对他的所有冒犯都被他赦免了，现在他对我们的冒犯我们该怎么做呢？
弟兄姐妹们，耶稣说：“凡不因我跌倒的，就有福了。”如果你觉得被耶稣冒犯了，这是他闯进你的黑暗的记号，是有光进入你黑暗的记号。就像我们上周分享的格拉森人的故事一样。耶稣没有征求格拉森人的同意就进入了他的生活，冒犯了整个低加坡利地区，但最后却给整个地区带来了光明。如果我们能接受他的冒犯，我们不仅自己会被改变，我们也能改变整个地区。
如果你觉得耶稣没有冒犯你，抱歉，我要说你可能还没有对耶稣敞开心扉。你想让他走进你的内心，就必须容许他刺透你的心，拆毁你的尊严的房顶（我们马可福音前边的内容），拆毁你理智的房顶，拆毁你盼望的房顶，直达你的内室，在那里，他会对你说：小子，你的罪赦了。
在今天的圣餐中，当你拿起饼时，你要知道这张饼原来是完整的，因为你对耶稣的冒犯，他被撕成了一块一块的。当你觉得你被基督撕裂时，其实是新生命在你里边发芽，真正被撕裂的是基督。他没有报复你，而是使用你对他的撕裂，让你吃下去这小块饼时让你与基督合一。而这杯，也是因为你对他的冒犯而流出的血，但奇妙的恩典是，这血却在让你与他和好。
The Offensive Christmas
Dear brothers and sisters, wish you a merry Christmas in advance!
If you received a Christmas card today, what would you expect to see written on it? “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will”, or some message like “Good tidings of great joy”, “Peace and joy”, right?
But what if you received a card that said: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too”? What would you think?
Would you think the sender had gone mad? Yet this is exactly what happened at Christmas. Simeon, an elderly saint who had waited a lifetime for the Messiah, spoke this blessing to the infant Jesus and his mother Mary. We usually think of Christmas as a time of warmth and sweetness, but Simeon tells us that Christmas is a great offense. If you have not been offended, perhaps you do not yet know the true meaning of Christmas.
In fact, this offense is nothing new. When we look back to the moment of Jesus’ birth, we can see the world’s hostility toward him. For example, there was no room for him in the inn; King Herod launched a genocidal massacre of infant boys in search of Jesus, and so on. In truth, wherever Jesus went, people always felt a tense ambivalence toward him—drawn to his teachings on one hand, yet offended by him on the other. We saw this in the story of the Gerasenes last week: after witnessing Jesus perform the miracle of casting out demons, the people there actually begged him to leave their region. The Bible records it this way: “And the people begged Jesus to leave their district.”
Today, let us explore how Christmas offends us: it offends our dignity, our reason, and our expectations. Through this, we can gain a deeper understanding of that immeasurable, unfathomable love of God—a love that often transcends our comprehension.
## 1. Jesus Offends Human Dignity
When the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in Mary’s womb, did he consult with her first? Did he say, “O favored one, may I borrow your womb for a while?” Absolutely not! What is more, the Holy Spirit could have chosen a married woman who was childless. Why did he specifically select a young woman who was only betrothed, not yet married? It seems as if God deliberately set out to challenge human dignity, intentionally placing Mary in an awkward, even humiliating situation. Why would he do this?
Before answering that question, let me ask you a few others: Among those present here today, who will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos next month? Let me make it more down-to-earth—who will be going to the National Financial Work Conference next week?
Do you see what I mean? If Jesus had come into the world in a respectable, dignified manner, it would have meant that the gospel had a threshold for entry. If he had been born in a grand mansion, the humble shepherds would never have been able to visit him; he would have been a savior only for the elite class. We ordinary people would have had no opportunity to approach him at all!
Therefore, because Jesus chose to come into the world in humility, he called Mary to break humanity’s idolatry of “respectability”. God wants to teach us that true dignity does not lie in how impressive we appear to others, but in whether we are used by the Lord.
What does this mean for us? Jesus dared to come into the world in the humiliated form of a child born out of wedlock. Do we dare to expose our weaknesses before our brothers and sisters? Do we put on a smile and exchange greetings of “peace” when we come to church, even though our family is going through a cold war? Do we only share our joys but hide our sorrows, even when our children are facing serious educational problems? Do we say “Thank you, Lord” with our lips, while our hearts are filled with bitterness toward God and our fellow believers?
If we insist on maintaining a perfect image of ourselves, it is like approaching the manger with our heads held high, putting on a show before Jesus. The wise men from the East knelt down in worship before the infant Jesus—so let us stop pretending to be something we are not.
## 2. Jesus Offends Human Reason
How can a virgin conceive a child? This is something our human minds cannot comprehend. The reason is that salvation comes entirely from God, with no room for human merit or control. If God had chosen a married, childless woman, people might have thought that the child’s birth involved some human contribution. For example, Solomon was born to David and Bathsheba, and people would unconsciously attribute part of Solomon’s success to David’s influence. After the dedication of the temple, this is how people spoke of Solomon: “…they blessed the king. Then they all returned home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.” In the eyes of the people, Solomon’s success was largely the fulfillment of God’s promise to David. Even when Solomon sinned in his old age, God himself said: (1 Kings 11:13) “Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; I have given him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” This only reinforced the human logic of “deserved merit”: if a father is good, his son benefits; if a father is a hero, his son inherits legitimacy.
It is like God preparing a lavish banquet and inviting us to dine. But we do not want to come empty-handed, so we bring two plain steamed buns and place them on the table. The virgin birth is like God taking our steamed buns and throwing them away, then saying, “This feast is entirely my provision—what do your buns have to do with it? Your meager offerings only cheapen the banquet!” Is this not an offense to our pride? You might think, “I do not want to be a beggar, living off handouts!” But the gospel declares: “You are exactly a beggar.”
This logic is clear enough when stated plainly, yet in our daily lives, we still try to contribute something to our own salvation. For instance, we often hear comments like this in the church: “Oh, that brother is a church worker, yet he still smokes and drinks—his spiritual life must be lacking!” This kind of thinking relies on “what I do not do” to build up self-righteousness and confidence before God. We assume that God accepts us because we are more upright than others! If refraining from immorality were enough to please God, then the dead would be the most holy of all.
There are also brothers and sisters among us who are eager to do good works. After serving, they tend to exhibit one of two behaviors: 1. They like others to know what they have done and how much they have given, so they may subtly drop hints in conversation. 2. They appear more “spiritual”—they do not tell anyone, but they congratulate themselves inwardly: “Oh God, look at all I have done. I am so good.”
On the surface, these actions may not seem wrong. After all, people in the world often post their donation amounts on social media or show off big donation checks. But in God’s eyes, this is sin—because we are trying to establish our own righteousness. To establish our own righteousness is to reject the righteousness that God freely gives us.
That is why Jesus said: “So when you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'” (Luke 17:10 NIV) This sounds quite uncompromising! Jesus is offending our human reason, making it clear that all our ability to do good comes from him, all righteousness comes from him, and all rewards come from him.
## 3. Jesus Offends Human Expectations
When Jesus was born as a tiny infant, who could have imagined that he was the promised King of Israel? People were expecting a king who would be mightier than David and wiser than Solomon—a ruler who would defeat the Roman Empire. But what could this baby do? He could not even hold up his own head, let alone wield a sword or feed himself. And in the end, he died a shameful death on a cross! All their earthly hopes were shattered.
Dear brothers and sisters, as we sit here today, do we think that the Roman Empire is something distant and irrelevant? But let me ask you this: Who is your “Roman Empire”?
Is it your husband or wife, with whom you are barely getting along? Is it the crushing burden of your monthly mortgage and car loan payments? Is it that terrifying indicator on your medical check-up report? Or is it your harsh, unkind boss?
But Jesus did not come to help you fight against your spouse, your financial troubles, your boss, or your illnesses. If that were his purpose, he would never have needed to go to the cross!
The devil can already do all those things for you. Think about it—does that not ring true? The devil can give you the power to curse and get back at anyone; he can provide you with ill-gotten wealth to satisfy your vanity; he can even temporarily remove your sickness! How deceptive this is! It is true that in his mercy, God may, according to your capacity, lift some of these burdens from you. But more often than not, these very struggles are the cross he has measured out for you.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus offends our prideful desire to save face in matters of dignity; he offends our human tendency to claim merit for ourselves in matters of reason; and he offends our fleshly longing for comfort and ease in matters of expectation. But in truth, Jesus does not only offend us in these three areas—he offends us in every aspect of our lives! The first meaning of Christmas is that God comes to offend us!
Yet we must understand this: the reason we feel offended is that we have offended him first. Our fallen human nature has completely reversed the order of right and wrong.
We tend to treat God as a mere tool to do our bidding, which is an affront to His divine dignity. We think we can govern ourselves and manage the world on our own, which is an insult to His infinite wisdom. We regard a life of unbroken ease as the greatest good, yet this offends the noble image and likeness in which God created us.
But this is not the height of our affront to Him. The ultimate offense was inflicted upon Jesus on the cross. When Jesus was pierced in the heart with a spear on that cross, the hearts of all who had placed their hopes in Him were pierced as well. People realized that Jesus was not the Messiah they had longed for, not the leader they had imagined, not the rabbi who would bestow dignity upon them. He bore all our affronts against Him and died—and in that moment, the hopes of all those hearts died too.
What happened next? With Jesus’ resurrection, those dead hearts were brought back to life! People came to see that Jesus truly was the long-awaited Savior. All our offenses against Him were forgiven. But now, what should we do with the ways we have been “offended” by Him?
Brothers and sisters, Jesus said: “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” If you feel offended by Jesus, that is a sign that He has broken into your darkness—a sign that light has entered your shadowed place. Just as in the story of the Gerasene man we shared last week: Jesus entered his life without asking permission, offending the entire region of the Decapolis. Yet in the end, He brought light to that whole area. If we can accept his offense, we will not only transform ourselves, but also change the entire region.
If you never feel offended by Jesus, I am sorry to say that you may not have truly opened your heart to Him. If you want Him to come into your innermost being, you must allow Him to pierce your heart, to tear down the roof of your self-proclaimed dignity (as we read earlier in the Gospel of Mark), to dismantle the roof of your human reasoning, to break down the roof of your worldly expectations—until He reaches the very chamber of your soul. There, He will speak to you and say: Son, your sins are forgiven.
As we partake in the Lord’s Supper today, when you take the bread, remember that it was once whole. It was torn into pieces because of our affronts against Jesus. When you feel as though you have been torn apart by Christ, know this: it is new life sprouting within you. The One who was truly torn apart is Christ Himself. Instead of retaliating against us, He uses the very act of our tearing Him apart—so that when we eat this broken bread, we are united with Him. And this cup, filled with the blood shed because of our offenses against Him—by God’s amazing grace, this blood is what reconciles us to Him.
