Luke investigated many of the earliest eyewitnesses

路加訪問了很多最早期的耶穌生平見證人

of the life of Jesus

然後寫下了這份記述

and then composed this account.

故事由耶路撒冷的眾山上開始

And the story begins up in the hills of Jerusalem.

就是古時以色列先知所說

The place where Israel's ancient prophets said

神會有一天親自臨到的地方

that God himself would come one day

以建立祂在全地的國度

to establish His Kingdom over all the earth.

在這個城中，有被祭司們所管理的聖殿

In this city is the temple run by the priests

其中一名祭司叫作撒迦利亞

and one of them, named Zacharias,

他那時正在聖殿中工作

was working in the temple

他看見一個把他嚇壞的異象：

when he had a vision that freaks him out.

一個天使顯現，說他和他的妻子

An angel appears and says that he and his wife

將會有一個兒子

will have a son.

這究竟是怎麼回事？

What's this all about?

撒迦利亞和他的妻子

Well Zacharias and his wife were told

都年紀很大了

are very old.

他們一直沒有小孩

They've never been able to have children.

路加在這裏作了一個對比

And Luke's setting up a parallel here,

就是亞伯拉罕和撒拉——以色列偉大的祖先

with Abraham and Sarah, the great ancestors of Israel

因為他們同樣也是老邁且一直沒有孩子

because they too were very old and could never have kids.

但神給了他們一個兒子——以撒

Yet God gave them a son - Isaac

這就是整個以色列故事如何開始

which is how the whole story of Israel began.

所以路加是在暗示

And so Luke's implying here

神即將行一件奇事

that God's about to do something that significant

為了這些子民再行一件奇事

for this people, once again.

天使告訴撒迦利亞

The angel tells Zacharias

把兒子的名子改作約翰

to name the son John

然後說，這個兒子將要應驗

and then he says that this son's going to fulfill

古時以色列先知們的一個預言：

a promise of Israel's ancient prophets

有人將會在某一天來到

that somebody would come one day

預備以色列去迎見他們的神

to prepare Israel to meet their God

祂將在耶路撒冷作王

when He arrived to rule in Jerusalem

因為在這一刻，耶路撒冷

because right now, Jerusalem is

是被羅馬人所統治

ruled by the Romans.

是的，說得明確一點

Yes, specifically, it's governed by

它是被一個叫希律的人所管理

a man named Herod who's a puppet king

他是一個受羅馬帝國支配的傀儡王

under the Roman Empire.

所以猶太人

And so the Jewish people

最想要的就是

wanted nothing more than to

得到自由，並在自己的土地上能夠自理

be free and govern themselves in their own land.

所以這是一個令人驚訝的消息

So this is shocking news.

所有事將要改變

Everything's going to change.

神就要來了，但祂會怎樣來到呢？

God's on His way. But how is he going to arrive?

為了找到答案，路加把我們帶離耶路撒冷

Well to find out, Luke takes us out

然後來到一個小鎮

of Jerusalem and then up into a

一個叫作加利利的偏僻地方

a small town in the hills of an

那裡有一位年輕女子

out of the way region called Galilee.

名叫米利暗，我們一般叫她馬利亞

There we find a young woman

她已經訂了婚

named Mariam or we call her, Mary.

有一個天使向馬利亞顯現

She was engaged to be married

說她將要有一個兒子

and then an angel appears to Mary

她要把他起名叫耶穌

saying that she's going to have a son.

在希伯來語就是"神拯救"的意思

She's supposed to name Him, Jesus,

他將會成為一個如大衛般的王

which in Hebrew means, the Lord saves.

將會永遠統治神的子民

And He will be a King like David

然後馬利亞問

who will rule over God's people forever.

"好的，但這怎麼可能？

And then Mary asks,

因為我是一個處女。＂

"Okay, well, how is this possible

她被告知，聖靈會工作

because I'm a virgin?"

就是在創世記第一章中， 從黑暗中帶來生命和光的聖靈

And she's told that the same

也將會在她的腹中造出生命

Holy Spirit that brought life and light

神將要把自己限制成人

out of darkness in Genesis, Chapter 1,

透過彌賽亞的受孕和出生

is going to generate life inside her womb.

所以馬利亞，一位在偏遠地區的無名女孩

God is about to bind Himself

成為了君王的未來母親

to humanity through the conception

就是這樣奇妙。她甚至唱了一首歌，

and the birth of the Messiah.

關於她自己的社會地位的顛覆

And so Mary, goes from some back woods

也指向一個將要來的更大動盪

no name girl to the future mother of the King.

透過祂的兒子，神要把統治者從他們的寶座拉下來

Exactly. In fact, sings a song about

並把貧窮和謙卑的人升高

how this reversal of her own social status

他將要顛覆整個世界的秩序

points to a greater upheaval to come.

然後，當馬利亞真的懷孕時，她和她的未婚夫約瑟

Through her Son, God's going to bring down

必須下到去伯利恆

rulers from their thrones and exalt the poor and the humble.

因為那時羅馬王國頒怖一個新的稅法

He's going to turn the whole world order upside down.

所有人必須回到他們家鄉報名上冊

So, when Mary was really pregnant, she and her fiancé, Jospeh,

那時在伯利恆有很多訪客

had to go down to Bethlehem.

他們找不到任何一間客房

There was a decree across the Roman Empire about new taxes.

而他們所能找到的唯一地方，是一個動物睡覺的地方

And so everybody had to go get registered in the town of their family line.

現在，在他們附近，有一些牧羊人在牧羊

There was so many visitors in Bethlehem.

一個天使向他們顯現，這當然把他們嚇壞了

They can't find a guest room.

但他們即將要慶祝，因為今晚在伯利恆， 救主將要誕生

And so the only place they can find, is a spot where animals sleep.

他們被告知要去尋找這嬰孩

Now, nearby, were some shepherds with their flocks.

而他們將會知道他就是彌賽亞， 因為他將會被包裹，躺在一個骯髒的餵飼槽中

And an angel appears, which, of course, freaks them out.

然後這些自己也不是很乾淨的牧羊人， 他們動身去尋找到新生兒耶穌

But, they're to celebrate because tonight in Bethlehem, a Savior has been born.

耶穌就在這昏暗的地方，令他們感到十分驚訝

They're told to go and find this baby.

他們回家時思索：這個世界將要發生什麼事？

And they'll know that it's the Messiah because He's going to be wrapped up and laying in a grimy feeding trough.

這一切都太怪了。我的意思是， 如果神真的要來拯救世界，這不是你所預期的方式

Then these shepherds, who aren't very clean themselves, they go and find the newborn Jesus, in this really dingy place and their minds are blown.

救主出生在牲畜之間，母親是一個青少女，祝賀的是一群無名的牧羊人

They go home wondering, 'What on Earth is about to happen?'

沒錯，很怪吧！我的意思是，在路加的故事中，所有事情是倒過來的，而這就是重點所在。

And this is all really strange. I mean, if God's really coming to save the world, this isn't how you would expect Him to arrive.

路加要表達的是，神的國度首先揭示於這些骯髒的地方，在窮人的中間。

Born in an animal shelter to a teenage girl, celebrated by no-name shepherds.

因為耶穌所帶來的救恩，即將顛覆我們這個世界的秩序。

Exactly! I mean, everything is backwards in Luke's story and that's the point.

He is showing how God's Kingdom was first revealed in these dirty places, among the poor because

Jesus is here to bring salvation by turning our world order upside down.