Lion, Lamb, and Light

Imagine you are going on national television in prime time as an America’s Top Talent contestant. You are asked by the judges to compose a song on the spot and sing it, on the theme of hope. What will be the lyric? How about the music score? Let me give it a try.

Hope is Peter Pan’s pixie dust; it gives you wings of faith to fly to Neverland.

Hope is the Hummer with 239 horsepower; it drives you across the uneven terrain of life.

Hope is the catchy word that enchants us; it gets Obama to the White House.

Hope is the sweet dream of a girl; it promises her a white knight prince in waiting.

Hope is the undying fire in a heap of ember; it rekindles the passion of your heart.

Hope is the assurance of tomorrow; it knows the setting sun shall rise again above the horizon.

Hope is the energizer bunny; it just keeps you going and going and going ….

Two thousand years ago, a man named Zachariah also sang his song of hope. He and his wife Elizabeth were advanced in age, without a child. One day, an angel of the Lord visited him while he was on priestly duty in the Temple of Jerusalem. To his disbelief, his wife would bear a child who shall be named John, aka John the Baptist. He would be the forerunner, the equivalent of an usher or an emcee of a Broadway show, for Jesus Christ who was to be born six months after John. On the eighth day after John’s birth, the day of circumcision according to Mosaic Law, Father Zachariah composed this song, a song of hope (Luke 1:67-79):

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven t shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

This song uses two explicit metaphors to describe our Lord Jesus Chrsit: a horn of salvation, the rising sun from heaven. The song also has three implicit metaphors: Lion of Judah, Lamb of God, and Light of the World. Lion, Lamb, and Light are three reasons for our true hope in life.

First, this horn of salvation came from the household of King David in the tribe of Judah. Nearly 1900 years before the birth of Christ, Jacob, a patriarch of Israelites, prophesied by his deathbed the coming of the Shiloh, the Peace Giver, from the tribe of Judah (Gen.49:10). Judah was likened to lion’s cub. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was referred to in the Bible as the Lion of Judah (Rev.5:5). Nine centuries later, Prophet Nathan relayed God’s promise to King David that a descendant from David will be King forever. This eternal King for the kingdom of God is none other than Jesus Christ, the true Lion King, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. Perhaps unbeknown to Zachariah then, this horn of salvation, the Lion of Judah is not only King of the Jews, but he is the King of all God’s people as well.

This Lion King was to suffer mortal wound, as animatedly depicted in the C. S. Lewis book and a recent movie by the same name of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, and in another movie “The Passion of the Christ”. The Lion of Judah is also the Lamb of God. This is one greatest paradoxical truth of the bible: the King of the kingdom of God was sacrificed as the Lamb of God, in so doing, calling and winning the hearts of many lost sinners to become the citizens of the heavenly kingdom. John the Baptist, according to his father Zachariah’s song, was to present this Lord, the Lion King, to God’s people so that they will have the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins. This Lion King was to become the Lamb of God, by dying on the Cross to make the forgiveness of sin possible. As a priest, Zachariah probably knew better that the forgiveness of sin did not come easy; it involved the shedding of blood. In this case, it was the shedding of the precious blood of the Son of God. Have you accepted this Lion King of Judah, the Lamb of God, into your heart and received the forgiveness of sins? I encourage you to take the step of faith and accept him.

Zachariah continued in his song of hope: the rising sun will come to us from heaven. The Light of the World from another world was to come to us and make dwelling among us. That is the central message of Christmas: God the Son became God the Incarnate, the Immanuel, that is, God with us. This Light will dispel all darkness. Seven centuries before Christ’ birth, Prophet Isaiah prophesied in manifold clarity this Immanuel would be born of a virgin (Isa.7:14), as a shoot (Isa.11:1) “from the stump of Jesse” (King David’s father), and as “the great light” seen by “the people walking in darkness” and a light dawning “on those living in the land of the shadow of death” (Isa.9:2).The origin of this light is otherworldly, for his name is divinely revealing, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa.9:6). Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). We live in a post-modern world that marginalize, if not outright reject, truth of any kind and brand, especially the metanarrative of biblical truth. The evolutionism you learn at schools tries to upset your faith by trumping God’s truth that God is the Creator of the Universe and Life. The Light of the World has come, full of truth and grace. Jesus says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Have you seen the light of truth? In this light, have you seen you have lived in darkness for too long? Now it is high time to come out of the darkness of sin and become a child of light. Jesus also says to his followers, “You are the light of the world” (Mat.5:14). As children of light, we are to bear witness to the light and live a life that is full of light.

Brothers and sisters, our hope of deliverance does not rest on the power of any nation in this world. It comes from the power of the world to come. The horn of salvation is mighty and able to deliver us from the oppression of any dark force, be it injustice, sin and death. Those who take pride in the ever more powerful human armaments will be put to shame. The world’s powers, more often than not, have come out of the gun barrels, but they come and go, without exception. The power of the everlasting Kingdom of God comes not by human strength, but by the mighty arm of the Lion King of Judah. The King has come, in humility and love, and he shall return, in glory and power. Are you ready for this King’s return? Prepare a way in the hearts of our own and our contemporaries, just as John the Baptist did in his time. Preach the Word all the time, in words and deeds. Be creative. Be courageous. Never lose heart.

Brothers and sisters, our hope of salvation does not come from the self righteous acts of human efforts, a common hallmark of all the world’s unbiblical religions. Our hope of salvation comes from the righteous sacrifice of the Lamb of God. He alone is able to deliver us from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and, ultimately, the presence of sin. Any human efforts will fall short of achieving eternal salvation. Who in our right mind would think that the gift of eternal life can be sufficiently earned by our limited and imperfect acts of charity trenched in highly questionable motives of ultimate self-serving? Come to Jesus the Lamb of God for the forgiveness of sins, would you?

Brothers and sisters, our hope of understanding does not come from ever shifting scientific conjectures and speculations. It comes from the Light of the World, who bears witness to God’s truth to this world of darkness. The truth is: we are all created in God’s glorious images and likeness. We are God’s image bearers. But we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Now the Light has come, we ought not to continue living in darkness. Come out of the dungeon and the closet, and embrace the fresh and warm sunlight from the high heaven. Walk on the sunny side of life. What darkness are you in? What secret life are you living? What immoral web of relations are you entangled into? Come out of it. Live in the light. As Apostle Peter said, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1Pet.2:9).

Today, on the first Sunday of the Advent season, I implore all of us, behold our Lord Jesus Christ and become his. Believe the Lion King of Judah, and become his redeemed citizen of heaven. Believe the Lamb of God, and become a new member of his flock. And Believe the Light of World, and become his witness of light and life. Jesus the Lion, Lamb, and Light is the true hope of our life. God bless you.

写给小孔

小孔，请允许我越过大洋彼岸，向你问好。

你妈妈一位中学好友向我介绍了你的现状，希望我能写点什么给你，帮助你从郁抑症中走出来。我必须老实承认，这是一个难题，因为我毕竟还没有与你建立朋友与信任关系。一个十八岁的少年，愿意听一个四十五岁陌生中年人的话吗？但我必须假定你愿意听，不然我实在找不到更好的理由去码下面的方块文字。

我从那位基督徒朋友的简单描绘中，感觉你是一位有独立见解与思考的青年人。你从人生百态的细心观察里，深深觉得人生的荒诞与无聊。这绝对不是头脑简单的观察。这是真实的写照！如果我不是跟随基督的人，我很可能与广大世人一样，继续在灵魂的麻木中过追求功名利禄、醉生梦死、得过且过的世俗生活，或者选择出家，离群索居，寻找一片属于自己心灵的净土。我猜你会同意，人们这样的生活是既不多现实价值也缺少终极意义的。

人活着的目的到底是什么？

这是许多人问过的大问题。回答这个问题的关键不在人自己怎么说。关键取决于人到底从哪里来，又到哪里去。找对了人生命的来龙去脉，来去之间的短暂人生，自然就有了比较明朗的答案。我想我的这一推理是合理的。

极其幸运的是，我们不是漫无目的的进化产物。这是出自圣经启示的答案。至于我们求真为什么要押宝在圣经上，这就需要一番深入思考与研究了。包括我在内的许多人都如此思考过研究过。长话短说，圣经所预告所见证的历史上那位耶稣基督，划时代地改变了人类的历史，改变了人类的前途与命运。历史上值得我们花精力研究的人并不多，耶稣无疑是最闪光的一位。

圣经明言，人乃是按照上帝的形像与样式而受造的。这里的形像与样式不是指物质层面的，乃是属灵的，就如智慧理性与创造力，慈爱怜悯与公义心，等等。人受造，一方面是为了成为上帝的知心朋友，享受上帝赏赐给我们的各样美善的恩典，就如亲情友情爱情，阳光雨露美食，等等。人受造，二方面是为了让人彼此相爱，亲如兄弟姐妹。人受造，三方面是为了替上帝管理宇宙万有。这三方面，构成了人生的三重立体使命，即信仰使命(敬神)，道德使命(爱人) ，管理使命(理物) 。人在宇宙中的正确位置，乃是一神之下(故要敬神，即把神当神，以神为乐) ，人群当中(故要爱人如己) ，万有之上(故要管理宇宙万物) 。

很明显，我们人类古往今来，离开上帝创造我们的心意相去甚远。圣经告诉我们，这乃是归因于人类离弃上帝，走自我中心的道路，在罪恶的深渊里越陷越深，不能自拔。上帝出于爱人类的大爱，在人类历史中兴起拯救的伟大工程。而救赎的中心人物，正是上帝的儿子耶稣基督。他降世为人，为的是成为上帝的赎罪羔羊，替人类流血舍身，赎尽罪孽，除尽罪恶，引进永生。耶稣来，为要寻找拯救所有失丧的人，要赐给我们一个崭新的生命，赋予我们人生合神心意的使命。耶稣基督，能够驱散我们心中的阴霾，把喜乐平安的阳光生命带给凡愿意接受他跟随他的人。

回到我们起初的问题：人活着的目的到底是什么？

人在地上暂时活着，最大的目的乃是通过认识耶稣基督来了解神对我们人类的精彩永恒计划，活出神造人的初衷：敬神，爱人，理物。

我愿意为你祷告，求神把你从暗淡无光的绝境带进永远生命的光明国度。如果你同意，我愿意与你交朋友。欢迎你与我直接联系。

一位关心你的基督徒

另类礼物，另类包装

（一）
买来的礼物
我舍不得拆封
直到皮面发黄如胴
一下两下三下
我撕破包装
礼物果然秀色可餐
值得细品慢咽

（二）
女皇慷她国民之慨
酿造一份精美礼品
我每天量出少许
沉入巴掌大的湖心
请柠檬陪老两口
一小口一小口地打捞恩情

（三）
皮嫰肉软
白里透红
心坚如骨
提亲的时候
嘴巴一直撇得斜斜的
不知是害臊还是不肯

（四）
除非推倒绿色围墙
你无法看见一包红色的水
拥挤在密不透风的屋子里
老王的施舍
让小狗都铭记

（五）
被烈日烧烤出来的饼干
竟然是鲜嫩的
另类吗哪
从天降下
成串
成束

（温馨提示：在这感恩的时节，我们生活的每一个细节都是感恩的理由。你能猜出上述短诗所描绘的上天惠赐我们享用的普通得极不平凡的种种礼物吗？）

Lord’s love lifts life’s lows

Have you ever felt downcast and downtrodden? The kind of defeat you get when you badly wanted to succeed? The kind of detours you did not plan or foresee? The kind of disappointment you have for both you and others when you really strove to do your best and be your best? The kind of despair you are entering into? Perhaps it is straight A grades to earn or a test not to flunk, a dream college to apply for or graduate from, a good paying job to seek or leave (voluntarily or not), a wife or husband to love or reconcile with, a friendship to forge or mend, a child to raise and discipline, a career ladder to climb up or scale down. Yes, we have defeats, detours, disappointments and even despairs, plentiful of them. I have a few big ones. I was prepared and expected to go to the very best college in China, but had to settle for less, months after my father untimely passed away, double setbacks for me then. I was hoping to become a university professor doing world class research, but ended up working in drug industry due to an event beyond my control. I was expecting a marriage that began with the typical fairytale happy union, but found myself bankrupt in love. Those are some of my life’s many lows. None of us, not even the Bible characters, are immune to life’s defeats, detours, disappointments and despairs. Peter is one such character. Let’s take a good look at him and his ordeals.

Peter’s life has a few low points. Remember Peter’s two fruitless night fishing expeditions, first recorded in Luke 5, which is in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and then again in John 21, which is in the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry after resurrection. On both occasions, Peter the fisherman and his friends labored a whole night on the lake of Gennesaret or Tiberas, that is, the Sea of Galilee, catching not even one fish! That is as low as any fisherman can get. It is in his life’s low point when Jesus first called him to follow as a disciple and become a fisher of man, and then reconfirmed the apostolic calling for Peter. In addition, we read about Peter’s walking on the water, only to sink deep in poor faith. We read about Peter’s great confession, which gets him the praise from Jesus, only to speak moments later on the devil’s behalf. Of course, Peter the braggart boasted his superior love to Jesus than his friends during the last supper, and Peter the brave heart chopped off a poor servant’s ear during Jesus’ nighttime arrest, only to turn into Peter the coward who denies out of fear, not once, not twice, but thrice, before the rooster crows, his association with and knowledge of Jesus after the Master’s arrest. Peter has to be disappointed with himself. So much so that he and six other disciples took a night off and went on a fishing expedition, again in the Sea of Galilee. Apparently all fish there that night got the advance notice from the Maker of heavens and earth to stay away from Peter and his cohorts and dodge their snarling net. The immediate context of our sermon text today is found in John 21.

A few days after resurrection, Jesus decided to appear to his disciples for a third time. This time, to seven of the twelve disciples. The Gang of Seven was fruitless in their nightlong fishing expedition. Something fishy must be going on. To their credit, they were quite persistent in disrupting the restful sleep of fish that night. Before dawn, Jesus appeared on the shore, asking them, not without some light sarcasm, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No” was their terse and truthful reply. “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” Jesus instructed. And catch they did. A netful of 153 fish in just one cast! John was the first to recognize it was Jesus on the shore. Guess what Peter did. He jumped off the boat and swam toward the shore. Imagine Peter’s bittersweet emotions. Sweet, because the Lord is the lord of even fishery. Bitter, because Peter could not quite let go of his guilt in denying Jesus three times before the dawn of Good Friday. Make no mistake, Peter loves the Lord, despite all his failings.

Jesus did three remarkable things that morning to mend and lift up Peter’s broken spirit. First, he cooked breakfast for Peter and six other disciples. Notice before they hauled the net ashore, fish and bread were already being baked on burning coal. Nowhere in the text says that Jesus went to the early morning market for food. It has to be a miracle in the midst of another. I suggest fish and bread simply came out of thin air in that pre-dawn hour. Jesus demonstrated his care and love for Peter and others by providing what they were laboring for. We can imagine the atmosphere. It has to be a sobering mood. Silence, more than the sporadic sound of munching on fish and bread by the hungry seven, dominated the breakfast time. Peter probably could not get away with the thought: Hmm, after a whole night of fruitless labor, just one cast as instructed by the Lord netted 153 fish. What a miraculous change in fortune! To continue in one’s own effort and be fruitless, or to follow the Lord that provides all of our needs, that is the clear choice set before Peter and his friends. I am sure Peter recalled the first fruitless fishing in the same lake over three years ago. The two nights of fruitless labor serve as two bookends to Peter’s life. It has to invoke a sense of coincidence and awe. Once a disciple, forever a disciple. There is no turning back. The world behind me, the Cross before me, no turning back, no turning back. People in the world are overtly preoccupied with meeting the physical needs, forgetting that it is God who supplies all of our needs. If only we turn back to God and seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things shall be added unto us. Just look at the animal planets documentary, water everywhere is teeming with lively creatures. Look at God’s gardens everywhere, they are filled with the produces of every kind, in very creative packages. Our lows in life arising from our excessive concern and worry can be effectively dealt with by knowing the love of God who is the Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will Provide.

The second thing Jesus did to Peter was no less remarkable. He asked Peter three questions and reaffirmed Peter’s apostleship. If the breakfast met Peter’s physical needs, then the post-breakfast questions address his deep emotions and broken spirit. Jesus asks Peter by addressing his original name: Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these? Some theologians wish to attach this use of the original name to mean Jesus’ intention to awaken Peter’s bruised soul. The word love here is agapas, the kind of holy and godly love. Jesus was asking if Peter really loves Jesus more than these, meaning here his fisherman friends and fishing business. Listen to what Peter has to answer, sort of indirectly: Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Here Peter used the Greek word phileo, the kind of brotherly love that is less than agape in both intensity and scope. Essentially, the humiliated Peter who thrice denied the Lord a few days ago dared not to speak about his superiority in loving the Lord. But he acknowledged that the Lord knew his heart and he indeed loved Jesus, just not on the same scale that Jesus loved him. Jesus clearly was pleased with Peter’s reply and issued the first order of his commission to Peter now reappointed and reaffirmed as the leader of the apostolic pack: Feed my lambs. Lambs (harnia) means little and immature baby sheep. Instead of being concerned with one’s own well being, Peter was to provide pastoral care by feeding the young and immature children of God with the word of God.

The dialogue did not stop there. Jesus asked Peter a second time, just like the first time, except omitting the words “more than these”: Simon son of John, do you truly love me? Peter did not waste any time in affirming as before: Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Again Peter used the Greek word phileo to humbly reply to Jesus’ inquiry of agape love. Basically, he was saying: Yes, Lord, you know my heart, I do have some love for you, just not as much as you and I wanted to have. Jesus then issued the second order of his commission: take care of my sheep. Here Jesus used a different verb (poimaine) and a different noun (probatia). Poimaine means shepherd, tend, or take care of. Probatia is still little sheep, but a bit more mature and grown up than harnia the little baby lamb. Peter’s mission was not only to feed the needy lambs of God, but also to provide holistic shepherding care to the whole flock of God.

I know and you know well. The most dreadful has happened. Jesus asked Peter a third time, as if to remind him his denial of knowing Jesus three times. “Simon son of John, do you love me?” This time, Jesus asked Peter using the word phileo instead of agapas, as if to challenge him: Look, you have said twice that you have phileo kind of love for me. But do you mean it for sure? Do you even have that kind of love? The newfound joy of being reaffirmed and reappointed as the leader of the apostolic pack is now giving way to grieving in Peter’s heart. Peter replied, probably in breaking voice: Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. If the Lord knows all things, why bother asking Peter to answer? We ask questions in the same vein: If the Lord knows all my failings and needs, why does he still want me to pray to him in confession and petition? Why the roundabout way? Brothers and sisters, talking to God about our failings and needs is God’s way of initiating the healing and blessing. There is power in letting out our concern, care, worry, oppression, depression, and suppression. The Lord wants us to bear his yoke, for his is lighter and easier than our own. Jesus issued a third order of his commission to Peter: Feed my sheep. Basically, Peter was to feed the lambs and sheep, and take good care of their physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.

Jesus continued, with his prophetic words about how Peter would finish his earthly journey and die a martyr’s death. This is the third thing after feeding Peter and his friends with breakfast, after quizzing Peter for his love and reaffirming/reappointing Peter to apostolic leadership position. Following provision and three-fold pronouncement is prophecy or prediction. Peter will enjoy some time of freedom in shepherding God’s church, before he is bound up and taken to the execution ground for a final suffering, the kind of suffering that Peter was fearful to witness during Jesus’ last few hours. Uninformed people may think this is Jesus’ way of getting even with Peter’s denial. Far from it, this is Jesus’ way of assuring Peter that Peter as the reinstalled leader of the apostolic pack will offer tender care to the flock of God’s people and eventually walk the same walk of the cross that he once was afraid of and now he is emboldened to trod upon, by imitating the Lord who so loves him and whom he has readily confessed to love. As surely as Jesus predicted Peter’s denials after last supper, Jesus is now predicting Peter’s martyrdom after the lakeside breakfast. I must admit that knowing the detail of one’s final leg of journey on earth can be a depressing thought. I would be hesitant to know the manner that I will die someday, be it plane crash or car wreck, cancer or heart attack, botched robbery with murder, you name it. But in perfect love there is no fear. When one knows the eventuality, one takes time to digest it, get over with it and have peace about it. Peter’s immediate reaction to Jesus’ prediction is asking about John’s fate out of curiosity: Lord, what about him? In the closing lines of John 21, we hear Jesus saying to Peter: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

On that post-resurrection, perhaps foggy, morning, by the lake of Galilee, a silent transformation is taking place. The Peter who once led the pack of 12 apostles badly failed after Jesus’ arrest by denying the very Lord that he had followed for three plus years. After a couple of post-resurrection appearances to the disciples, restoration of Peter’s apostleship is in order. Jesus chose a time after Peter’s second fruitless fishing expedition with six other buddies. Jesus did three things to start the process of healing and restoration. First, he prepared a miraculous breakfast by the shore, even though the fish in the lake were ducking from Peter’s net cast one after another throughout the quiet, spring night. But fish and bread, like any other good things in life, are all gifts of God. To acknowledge God’s sovereign lordship is the starting point to come out of life’s endless worries and lows. Second, Jesus had a remarkably short counseling session with Peter in the presence of six others. He basically went straight to the heart of the matter: do you love me more than anything, your social network, your professional career, even your own life? The little love we or Peter have for the Lord is valued by the Lord. We do not have to pretend that we have greater love than anyone else. We come to the Lord just the way we are, a sinner short of agape love and in need of God’s mercy and love, no pretense, no veneer of trumped up godliness, no comparison with others. God is willing to restore our relationship with him if we confess how little love we have. Our love, as little as it is, is by no means belittled by God. I did not know what true love is, until I came to know the Lord in the midst of my marriage struggles. You too can come before God’s throne of mercy and gain or regain his forgiveness and favor. Lastly, Jesus predicted Peter the martyr who would pass life’s ultimate test of faith: to die a martyr’s death in the imitation of Christ and for the glory of God. Church history tells us, Peter was crucified upside down on a cross in Rome, for Peter felt it was unworthy for him to die in the same way as the Lord. In life and in death, we belong to Christ. If death cannot deter the faithful, nothing in this world, not the lows of our life, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Just as apostle Paul eloquently expresses at the end of Romans 8.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution, or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

To that we all say: Amen and amen!!

改朝换代，还看今朝

今天美东下午四点，曾经在纽约证券交易市上以SGP股标翻云覆雨二十六年半的先灵宝雅制药公司（更早前身先灵制药则源于德国），终于被默克公司给默默地吞并而被革了命。成交价不高不低，四百一十一亿美元。如果有人在二十六年前花一千元买SGP，如今值两万一千元，用中学对数与指数换算，年递增率达13%，算是不错的投资。同时期默克股票的年递增率约10%，二十六年前一千元的投资如今值一万一千元，也不算差。别小看这3%的差别，二十六年的累积结果，导致两样投资收益差了整整一倍。当然，如果你不小心在十年前买了两个公司的峰顶高价股票，你的投资到如今会分别缩水50-62%。

处在改朝换代之交的我们，难免会感慨良多的。这倒不是因为担心旧朝天子与诸侯们流落他乡而生活无着。逾亿美元的元老遣散费，毕竟不是叫花子破碗里的一块铜板，即使买不起轻型波音787但过点滋润日子打打私人俱乐部的高尔夫球应当是绰绰有余的了。相反，值得关注的倒是咱们黎民百姓的生计问题。那十万张口，喝一口水都至少会让一条小河断流的。何况多半还有家人嗷嗷待哺呢。

咱们暂时能做的就是抚今追昔，继往开来。想当年，研究生毕业，准备找博士后，希望以后回国当教授。出于对蛋白质折叠机制的浓厚兴趣，我专门找到两个其姓翻成中文都带金字的名教授，一位在中西部盐湖城，一位在东部波士顿。在波士顿的金教授得知我在两难之间（是到他那里做研究，还是去先灵保雅上班），他坐在办公桌后，挥动他年轻而有力的右手，一字一句地提醒我：去工业界几乎是单行道，去了很难再回到学术界。我说我明白他的话。最后左思右想，因为对八九六四之后身份转换不确定而带来的过分关切，我还是执迷不悟地来到了工业界。这一来就是快二十年。

九年前，金教授也来到了工业界。他被默克公司研究所聘请，做起研发高管，仅次于后来被他如期接班的研究所总裁。如今阴差阳错，如果没有更多的柳暗花明，算是上天给我第二次机会，让他当大老板，让我替他做事。固然蛋白质折叠是个老大难的生物学问题，但制药何尝不是困难重重呢？一味药，从实验室到病床边，需要折腾十年有余，花费接近十亿美元。想取得及时成功喜悦的人，实在不适合在药业谋职。

我想起了老祖宗孟子的古训：天将降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，增益其所不能。我想，任何二十年的训练，应该离上天的训练计划是八九不离十了，因为人生有效期实在太短。至于大任为何，旁落谁肩，就翘首以待了。