阅读经文 

Abdullah是一个来自伊斯兰教徒占绝大多数人口的中亚国家的青年。数年前他失去了父母和两个兄弟姊妹，所以他时常感到非常孤单。不过，他的家人并没有去世，但自从Abdullah跟随耶稣之后，他们和其他信奉伊斯兰教的亲人都离开了他或与他发生冲突。

可悲的是，Abdullah的故事并不是罕见的个案。世界各地很多基督徒，都因为他们的信仰而要忍受紧张冲突的家庭关系。尽管我们生活在一个对宗教信仰相对宽容的社会，我们仍然会因为跟从耶稣而经历到家人、朋友和邻居的排斥或误解。

今天的经文听起来似乎令人感到震惊，但对很多基督徒来说却是真切的现实。在这里，耶稣是完全坦白的。相信基督会带来家庭纷争，也会中断我们与不同信仰的亲友之间的关系；相信基督会带给我们很多福气，但也会令我们与所爱的人的关系面临危机。

耶稣知道我们的感受，祂自己也曾经历过家人和朋友的误解。祂差遣祂的灵来赐予我们内心的平安，祂又鼓励我们向所有不理解我们，对神的这种信仰的人彰显神的爱。圣灵天天在引导我们，祂一旦化解了人们对神的抗拒，我们便能够比较容易地修复我们与其他人的关系了。

Abdullah is a young man who lives in a predominantly Muslim country in central Asia. Several years ago he lost his parents and two of his siblings, so at times he feels very lonely. His family members did not die, however. They and other Muslim relatives turned away when Abdullah became a follower of Jesus.

Sadly, Abdullah’s story is not uncommon. Many Christians throughout the world suffer from strained family relations because of their faith. Even if we live in a religiously tolerant society, we can experience rejection or misunderstanding by family members, friends, and neighbors because we follow Jesus.

Our reading for today may sound shocking, but it rings true for many Christians. Jesus is being fully transparent here. Having faith in Christ will bring divisions and disrupt our relationships with relatives and friends who are not believers. Faith gives us many blessings, but it can also strain our relations with loved ones.

Jesus knows what we are going through. He personally experienced misunderstandings by family members and friends. He sends his Spirit to give us inner peace, and he encourages us to reflect God’s love to all who do not understand our devotion to him. The Spirit guides us daily. And once he breaks down people’s resistance to God, our relationships are easier to repair.