少数派报告：地方召会的芥菜种诠释
因为原po一直没回应，所以我直接贴出来。
以下是相关的经文：
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
Mat 13:31他又设个比喻对他们说：“天国好像一粒芥菜种，有人拿去种在田里。Mat 13:32这原是百种里最小的，等到长起来，却比各样的菜都大，且成了树，天上的
飞鸟来宿在他的枝上。”Mat 13:33他又对他们讲个比喻说：“天国好像面酵，有妇人拿来，藏在三斗面里，直
等全团都发起来。”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Mar 4:30又说：“神的国，我们可用什么比较呢？可用什么比喻表明呢？Mar 4:31好像一粒芥菜种，种在地里的时候，虽比地上的百种都小，Mar 4:32但种上以后，就长起来，比各样的菜都大，又长出大枝来，甚至天上的飞鸟
可以宿在他的荫下。”Mar 4:33耶稣用许多这样的比喻，照他们所能听的，对他们讲道。Mar 4:34若不用比喻，就不对他们讲；没有人的时候，就把一切的道讲给门徒听。
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
Luk 13:18耶稣说：“神的国好像什么？我拿什么来比较呢？Luk 13:19好像一粒芥菜种，有人拿去种在园子里，长大成树，天上的飞鸟宿在他的枝
上。”Luk 13:20又说：“我拿什么来比神的国呢？Luk 13:21好比面酵，有妇人拿来藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来。”
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‘芥菜种’的比喻出现在马可、马太和路加中。而这个比喻是用来比喻‘神的国’是基督
教释经学的共识。但是，‘神的国’如何解释？在基督教内部都是有争议的。主要分两派
。
& 老派——以教领政
老派的解释——天主教，路德会和改革宗基本上都认为这个‘神的国’=‘教会’+‘世界
’。因为，这派认为教会是神在地上的代表/代言人，手中握有神赐予的权柄，可以管辖
万国。也就是，这派认为‘神的国’中的‘世界’的部分是‘现在式’。所以，神的国不
仅仅是在教会内部，也当扩大到教会外部的世界。这个观点基本上发展出来的就是‘以教
领政’。天主教称教皇为基督在地上的Vicar；改革宗在日内瓦的历史，都是这国观点的
代表。当然，这个观念也影响到今日台湾的政治，包括挺同和反同的双方。挺同就不提了
，我还看过反同方面把‘政教分离’解释为政府不能干涉教会事务，但是教会可以干涉政
府事物。就可以知道这个观念在基督教里的根深蒂固。
& 新派的解释——政教分离
比较后期的教派因为看见‘政教不分’对于教会产生的影响，所以多采取‘政教分离’的
立场，因此，会根据耶稣所说的：‘把神的归给神，把该撒的归给该撒’的原则，把‘神
的国’的范围限制在‘教会’内部。这派并不是认为‘神的国’不包括世界，但是认为首
先，神托给教会的大使命是‘将福音传遍外邦’，而不会‘辖管外邦’（《启示录》中提
及推雅推拉教会是所说的‘铁杖’）。‘辖管外邦’是耶稣的权柄。第二，这派进一步认
为‘神的国’中的‘世界’的部分是‘未来式’。要等到耶稣第二次再临的时候，耶稣重
新管理‘世界’，教会才与耶稣一同坐在宝座上，‘共管’世界。值得一提的是，旧派的
末世论往往是‘无千禧年主义’，而新派则是‘千禧年主义’。像灵恩派和弟兄会（地方
召会的神学源头）就是代表。所以这派往往采取‘圣俗二分’的立场被前者批判为‘圣俗
二元论’。
& 为什么‘先’提‘神的国’的问题？
因为‘芥菜种’是耶稣在三本福音书里面用来比喻‘神的国’的众多比喻之一。如果不了
解‘神的国’的寓意——不好意思，寓意解经出来了，没办法——就无法解释‘芥菜种’
的比喻。而对于‘神的国’的定义，自然就会影响对‘芥菜种’的解释。而，如果‘神的
国’都有2种不同的看法，那么‘芥菜种’的解释当然也会出现不同的观点。这是理所当
然的。
& ‘神的国’的多数派报告
把‘神的国’包含‘世界’推到最极致的是天主教，以至于欧洲从中世纪开始，所有的皇
帝都需要经过‘教皇——基督的Vicar’所代表的教会的认证才能够得到合法的权利，甚
至连欧洲历史最能打的皇帝之一——拿破仑，都得‘很不爽’的走完这个流程。当然，建
议读者多了解欧洲中世纪以降的天主教、路德会、和改革宗与属世政权的互动，会得到更
清楚的图画。
我参考的释经学（新教）参考书中，John Calvin, John Gill, 天道，丁道尔
等，也就是说大约90%以上的相关释经学参考书都持旧派/多数派的立场。以下是4份原始
文献供大家参考。
天道圣经注释
============
再下来，耶稣把天国比喻为芥菜种（道），是一个人（也许是基督）种在天里的（或许是
世界，比较38节）。芥菜种并不是‘百种中最小的’，但却比其他生长在草本植物园里的
种子较小；但还有比它更小的。巴勒斯坦的芥菜种是又小又黑的，活像一粒矮牵牛种，但
它长出来的植物像一棵树那样大，高度最少有十二至十四尺。虽然耶稣没有把这比喻加以
解释，但其意思及其明显：天国开始时是微不足道，但却会长至惊人的巨大，园中其他植
物都给比下去（或许指其他重要的宗教）；飞鸟——并不是天国中的一员——却来宿在其
上，享受天国带来世上的福乐。
Mathew Henry (Mat 13:31-32)
============
2. That yet it is growing and coming on. Christ's kingdom strangely got
ground; great accessions were made to it; nations were born at once, in spite
of all the oppositions it met with from hell and earth. In the soul where
grace is true it will grow really, though perhaps insensibly. A grain of
mustard-seed is small, but however it is seed, and has in it a disposition to
grow. Grace will be getting ground, shining more and more, Pro_4:18. Gracious
habits confirmed, actings quickened, and knowledge more clear, faith more
confirmed, love more inflamed; here is the seed growing.
3. That it will at last come to a great degree of strength and usefulness;
when it is grown to some maturity, it becomes a tree, much larger in those
countries than in ours. The church, like the vine brought out of Egypt, has
taken root, and filled the earth, Psa_80:9-11. The church is like a great
tree, in which the fowls of the air do lodge; God's people have recourse to
it for food and rest, shade and shelter. In particular persons, the principle
of grace, if true, will persevere and be perfected at last: growing grace
will be strong grace, and will bring much to pass. Grown Christians must
covet to be useful to others, as the mustard-seed when grown is to the birds;
that those who dwell near or under their shadow may be the better for them,
Hos_14:7.
John Gill
========
Luke 13:19
It is like a grain of mustard seed,.... Both for its smallness at first, and
its after increase; wherefore both the Evangelists Matthew and Mark observe,
that it "is the least of all seed": which is true of the ministry of the
Gospel, of the Gospel church state, and of the grace of God in the hearts of
his people:
which a man took and cast into his garden; the Ethiopic version renders it,
"and sowed in his field", as in Mat_13:31 though mustard used to be sowed in
gardens as well as in fields. (x) Says R. Simeon ben Chelphetha, I have one
stalk of mustard seed, "in my garden": so (y) Buxtorf
translates it. And by the place in the text, where this seed is cast, may be
meant, either the "field" of the world, where the Gospel is preached, and
churches are raised; or the "garden" of the church, where the word and
ordinances are administered, and in the hearts of the members of it, the
grace of God is implanted and increased; see Son_4:12
and it grew and waxed a great tree, which may design the spread of the Gospel
in the world, the flourishing state of the church of Christ, and the growth
of grace in the hearts of believers.
And the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it; the Syriac version
reads in the singular number, "the fowl of the air"; not Satan, and his
principalities and powers, which devour the seed sown by the wayside; nor the
angels of heaven; but rather gracious men on earth, who sit under the shadow
of a Gospel ministry with great delight; and "make their nests", as the
Persic version here renders the words, and take up their residence in Gospel
churches; See Gill on Mat_13:31, Mat_13:32, Mar_4:31, Mar_4:32.