The Mediator

 The Mediator

The final scene of Titanic is both tragic and romantic, urgent yet serene.
A man and a woman share a few touching lines while clinging to a wooden board—the woman on top, the man in the freezing water.
But the scene that lingers in people’s hearts is this: after finishing their last performance on the sinking ship, everyone scatters to find a way to survive. Amid the chaos, one man remains—violin in hand—playing, “Nearer, my God, to Thee… though like the wanderer, the sun gone down… this is my heart’s desire.”
The musicians who had run off pause in hesitation, only to return and join him in their final ensemble.

This man was Wallace Hartley, the bandleader of the ship’s orchestra—and a Christian.
Though it is a movie, it is based on a true story.
Even though the film does not show it, historical accounts tell us that, in those desperate moments, Hartley shouted:

“Believe in Jesus! Only Jesus is our hope and salvation!
Please put your trust in Him!”

He played for the more than 1,600 people facing death, comforting their souls until his very last breath.
They remained musicians to the end—only then sinking beneath the waves.
A solemn, noble beauty arises from this scene, one almost too sacred to behold.

May God have walked with them until their final moment.
How I long to draw nearer to my Lord.
The sight of a mediator’s hand drawing its final notes across violin strings has entered our hearts—deeply sacred and unforgettable.

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There is another story.

This one took place on the streets of Sarajevo.
It happened in 1992, during the fierce Yugoslav civil war.
A long line had formed—people waiting to buy bread, their weary steps driven by a day’s hunger and exhaustion.
Then—boom!
A shell exploded among them, on faces that were perhaps unaware, or maybe quietly fearful.
Among those who wished only to buy bread, 22 people died instantly, and dozens were wounded.

Witnessing this tragedy that day was a cellist named Vedran Smailović.
The horror carved itself deeply into the heart of the principal cellist of the Sarajevo Symphony.
The next day, dressed in his black concert attire, he rushed out with his cello.
For 22 consecutive days—matching the number of lives lost—he played his cello at 4 p.m. every day.
He played Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor in memory of the dead—not for himself.
Because he lived as a comforter who comforted others, his story remains in the hearts of many and is still told today.

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In Luke 13, we read the story of the gardener.
The owner came seeking figs and found none.
He ordered the gardener to cut the tree down, so it would not waste the soil.
But the gardener hurriedly pleaded for it:
“Leave it for one more year. I will dig around it and fertilize it. If it still bears no fruit next year, then you may cut it down.”

The image of a gardener interceding for a fruitless fig tree before judgment is unforgettable.
What a beautiful, blessed life of a mediator!
Those who live only for themselves seldom think of living for others.
Thanks to such mediators, we are able to continue living.

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The prophet Jeremiah prophesied to Israel and Jerusalem—people who had ignored God, followed foreign idols, and were under God’s discipline.
He witnessed the city walls torn down and the temple reduced to ruins.
His life became one of tears and heartbreak.
Yet he pleaded with God to lighten their punishment:

“My eyes fail with tears,
my heart is troubled,
my bile is poured on the ground
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
because the children and infants faint in the streets of the city.”
—Lamentations 2:11

Children under eighteen in mainland China are not allowed to enter churches; they have lost the chance to hear the Word.
Even children raised in the gospel from a young age still need much guidance—how then will these children survive in such a dangerous world without God’s Word?

Whenever I think of this, my heart aches.
Who will preach the gospel to them?
How will they be saved?

It is said Jeremiah shed so many tears for his people that his eyesight was damaged.
His “troubled heart” describes a pain as deep as a ruptured soul.
Jeremiah’s prayer challenges us today.

Dear readers, let us pray together—
that children may freely hear the gospel,
and grow up within it…

中保

泰坦尼克号的最后场景既悲壮又浪漫，既急切又悠然。

男女共处一块木板，男人在水中，女人在木板上分享的几句台词甚是不错。然而，让人久久难以忘怀的一个场景是：在沉没的船上进行完最后一场演出后，众人各自寻觅生路。在分散之际，唯有一人手持小提琴，演奏着：“想要靠近主，犹如十字架般的困苦，但我此生的愿望……”走散的演奏家们踌躇片刻后，又返回原地，继续合力演奏。

此人名为威利斯·哈特利，是该船乐团的团长，亦是基督教徒。虽然这只是一部电影，但却是依据真实故事改编而成。尽管在影片中未曾出现此画面，但哈特利在危急时刻仍呐喊着：“请相信耶稣。唯有耶稣才是盼望与希望。请依靠耶稣。”他为面临死亡的 1600 多人演奏，直至最后，抚慰了众人的灵魂。他们直至最后坚守着音乐人的生活，而后沉入水底。崇高之感油然而生，令人不忍直视。

愿神与他们同行，直至他们的最后一刻。希望能与我的主更加亲近。中保的手悲壮地拨弄小提琴弦的场面，走进了我们的内心，甚为神圣。

还有一则故事。

这发生在萨拉热窝的街头。此乃南斯拉夫内战激烈进行的 1992 年所发生之事。这是为购买面包而排起的长队，这都是为了缓解一日的饥饿与疲惫而匆匆而来的脚步。砰！然而，炮弹却落在了他们毫无知觉，不，或许是略带恐惧的面庞上。在想要买面包的人群中，有 22 人于当日当场身亡，数十人受伤。

当日目睹这一悲剧的人群中，有一位名叫贝德兰·斯迈洛维奇的大提琴演奏家。当日的死亡事件在萨拉热窝管弦乐团首席大提琴演奏家的心中留下了深刻的印记。次日，他身着黑色的演奏服，携着大提琴夺门而出。在与死亡人数相同的 22 天的时间里，他每天下午 4 点都演奏着大提琴。他用阿尔比诺尼的《Adagio G 小调》纪念逝去的人们，而并非为自己演奏。正因是抚慰他人的抚慰者生活，故而留在了许多人的心中，至今仍被人传颂。

《路加福音》 13 章中记载了管园之人的故事。主人前来察看无花果，却发现没有果子。主人便让管园的砍掉那棵树，不让无花果树白白地占土地。此时，管园的匆忙地向主人求情。他说，只要今年容它活着，他会翻地、施肥、用心管理，倘若今年仍不开花结果，届时再砍掉。

在主人的审判面前，为无花果申辩的情形令人铭记于心，久久难以翻过这页书。这是多么幸福、美好的中保的生活啊？为了自己而活的人，连为他人而活的念头都不曾有。多亏这位中保，我们方能生活下去。

耶利米先知乃是向着“无视神、追随外邦人、受神惩戒”的以色列和耶路撒冷进行预言的先知。他目睹城墙被毁坏、圣殿坍塌的景象，过着以泪洗面、心碎欲绝的生活。而后，他向神吁请减轻刑罚。
“我眼中流泪，以致失明；我的心肠扰乱，肝胆涂地！都因我众民遭毁灭，又因孩童和吃奶的在城内街上发昏。”（哀2:11）

十八岁以下的大陆孩子不能去礼拜堂，他们失去了聆听话语的机会。孩子们从小开始听着福音长大尚且不够，若没有话语，他们将如何在这凶险的世界中生存呢？念及于此，我便心痛不已。谁会为他们传福音，他们又将如何得到救赎呢？

据说，耶利米为百姓流下了太多的泪水，甚至伤到了眼睛。他的心肠扰乱，那指的是断肠般的痛苦。耶利米的祈祷让我们面临着挑战。读者们，我们一同祈祷吧，让孩子们自由地聆听福音，在福音里成长……