LORD, I WANT TO SEE!
(One thing I desire)

Luke 18:31-43
Key Verse: 18:41-42

“‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied.
Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’”

A man once stood on a platform at a local park in Chicago, openly scorning Christians. “People tell me that God exists; but I can’t see Him. People tell me that there is a life after death; but I can’t see it. People tell me that there is a judgment to come; but I can’t see it. People tell me that there is a heaven and a hell; but I can’t see them.” As this man continued spoke, some people cheered him on. Then another man struggled onto the platform and said, “People tell me that there is green grass all around, but I can’t see it. People tell me that there is blue sky above, but I can’t see it. People tell me that there are trees nearby, but I can’t see them. You see, I’m blind.” This story is about spiritual blindness.

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, the main theme of his dialogue and preaching was the kingdom of God. It is most obvious in Luke’s Gospel, in which the phrase “the kingdom of God” is repeated 43 times. The Jews in Jesus’ time had different understandings about God’s kingdom. Some, like the Sadducees, thought of God’s kingdom in political and socio-economic terms. Others, like the Pharisees, thought of it in terms of moral, ethical and spiritual aspects. When Jesus came to Israel and talked about the kingdom of God, the majority of the Jews couldn’t accept his teaching. Even Jesus’ own disciples, at least for a certain period of time, didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about. Most people were spiritually blind. However, it’s interesting to see that the man in today’s passage seemed to have had a better understanding about Jesus than any of the religious leaders or Bible scholars in Jesus’ time even though he was poor, physically blind and possibly uneducated. When Jesus asked him “What do you want me to do for you?” he said, “Lord, I want to see.” Jesus was pleased by this man’s faith and blessed him, saying, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”

In today’s passage, we learn that the best way to understand God’s kingdom is faith in Jesus. Faith in Jesus heals and restores us from spiritual blindness. Last week, we heard a message about faith based on Hebrews 11:1-6. Hebrews 11:1 and 3 read, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see… By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made of what was visible.” Faith is being certain about invisible things, including God’s existence, His creation, His promise of salvation and the kingdom of God. We trust in God’s power, love and sovereignty and obey Him. However, faith is not meant to be a blind submission. It’s also about deep understanding. Therefore, good faith often requires us to question or prove things for a better understanding. As Christians and disciples of Jesus, we need to have good faith so that we may have a better understanding of God’s kingdom. Let us think about how we can be healed from spiritual blindness.

Look at verses 31-33. “Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” It was the third time that Jesus officially announced to his disciples about his upcoming suffering and death in Jerusalem. (9:22; 9:43-45) But Jesus emphasized here that it was not just the Jewish elders who rejected him but that the Gentiles also insulted, tortured and finally put him to death. We cannot just blame the Jews for the death of Jesus. We all participated in killing the Messiah because of our sins. But according to the Scripture, the Messiah would not remain in death but be raised to life on the third day of his death. What Jesus seemed to emphasize here is that all that would happen to him in Jerusalem – his suffering, death and resurrection – were the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Why would Jesus take the Twelve aside and tell them these things at this point? First of all, it was because he wanted them to know what kind of Messiah he really meant to be. According to the gospel narratives, his disciples expected that when they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus would use his divine power and authority to defeat all of the enemies and establish God’s kingdom in Jerusalem and they would rule the world. It may sound unrealistic to us but that’s what a lot of people in Israel, including his disciples, had expected. Those things would not happen until the second coming of the Messiah. So when Jesus talked about his suffering, death and resurrection, they didn’t understand him.

Look at verse 34. “The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.” Luke mentioned three times in his gospel narratives that the disciples failed to understand the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection. (24:16, 25-26) This is quite surprising. How could these disciples, who had followed Jesus for almost three years, be so ignorant of such important teachings of the Scripture? The author said that it was because its meaning was hidden from them. Why was it hidden from them?

First of all, it’s because of the character of the gospel truth. The gospel truth is not a man-made story. It has deep roots in the prophecies and promises of the Hebrew Scriptures and the history of the people of Israel. In fact, the gospel truth had been hidden from the eyes of men, including the Jews, for many centuries. According to the book of Romans, written by Saint Paul, the gospel is God’s way of bringing the ultimate salvation and His kingdom to all creation through the work of the Messiah. This is a profound mystery. (Ro 11:25, 16:25) The deep meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be understood in one day. Why not? It’s because the gospel is not shallow. It’s a deep truth of God, which requires from us constant seeking and searching for a deeper understanding of it. Also it is possible only by the supernatural inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we as Christians shouldn’t dare to assume that we already have the full understanding of the kingdom of God.

We must admit that we are blind. It’s ironic to hear people say that they know something or see something that they do not actually know or see. Jesus said to the people in his hometown at the outset of his ministry, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.” (Lk 4:18) After reading the Scripture, Jesus sat among them and said, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (4:21) Most hometown people refused to believe in Jesus. We might think that we are better than Jesus’ hometown people.

But if we don’t realize that we are blind, imprisoned, poor and oppressed, what did Jesus come to this world for? Are we any better? Why do I need Jesus? In John chapter 9, after healing the man blind from birth, Jesus said to the people who were critical of Jesus because he healed the man on the Sabbath, “For judgment have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who heard Jesus’ words asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (Jn 9:39-41) According to Jesus, God’s judgment is closely related to our spiritual blindness.

What did they fail to see? They saw the faults of others and were very critical of them while they were blind to their own faults. Spiritual blindness is a serious spiritual problem, perhaps the most serious. Therefore, we can say that the real blind people are not physically blind people, but they are those who think they see, who think they know about life, who think they know the Bible, who think they are right, who think they have figured God out, who think God will act sometime in the future while ignoring what he has already done and is currently doing. They don’t believe in God’s judgment. They are those who try to correct others before correcting themselves. Most of all, the real blind people are those who fail to see the beauty of Jesus the Son of God and the coming kingdom of God.

Jesus came to this world and did what the Scripture had predicted about the Messiah. The miracles he performed confirmed that he was the Son of God, particularly in keeping with the prophecy of Isaiah. Jesus came to preach good news, heal the broken hearted, proclaim freedom, released the oppressed, recover the sight for the blind and proclaimed the Lord’s favor. (Lk 4:18-19; Isa 61:1-2, 42:7, 49:8,9, 58:6) Yet, who saw Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah? Did the religious leaders and Bible scholars see Jesus as the Messiah? No. It was not because of the darkness of their eyes but because of the darkness of their hearts that they were spiritually blind. Something that resided in their hearts was really dark and blocked them from seeing Jesus as the Messiah. They failed to see the coming of God’s kingdom and what is truly important to them.

But there was one person who saw Jesus as the Messiah. He was a blind beggar in Jericho. Look at verse 35-39. As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going, he asked them what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” As soon as the blind man heard that Jesus was passing by, he called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet. I guess his voice was very loud. Those who rebuked the man could have been the disciples. They obviously rebuked the blind beggar because they thought that he was not important enough to disturb their master Jesus. How often have we been discouraged by people’s thoughtless remarks? It’s easy to live with a victim’s mentality, always blaming others. This man could have succumbed to the pressure of powerful people. Yet, he didn’t. Look at verse 39b. The man shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

It’s important to note that this man didn’t call out “Jesus of Nazareth” but “Jesus, Son of David!” The ten lepers who had been healed while Jesus was traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee called him, “Jesus, Master!” (17:13) But this blind man called Jesus “Son of David!” Not just once but twice. In those days, it was very unusual to call anyone “Son of David.” Why? It’s because the title “Son of David” is a messianic title. When you call someone “Son of David”, it was equivalent to calling someone “Messiah!” During Jesus’ ministry, Jesus didn’t allow his disciples and others to call him any title that refers to him as the Messiah because of the political implications. But Jesus didn’t correct this man because his time had now come.

Look at verse 40. “Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied.” We wonder why Jesus asked the man “What do you want me to do for you?” Wasn’t it obvious? This is similar to the question Jesus asked the man who had been invalid for 38 years in John’s gospel, “Do you want to get well?” (Jn 5:6) When Jesus saw John and Andrew following him, he turned around and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Jesus replied, “come and you will see!” (Jn 1:37-39)

If you could ask only one thing from God, what would you ask from him? It will be very hard to choose only one. But we need to answer to this question for ourselves. In other words, we need to know what we really want to do with our own lives. The Chinese wise man, Confucius, said, “If a man knows what to do with his life at the age of 40, he is a successful man.” The thing is, most people don’t even know what they really want even when they are really old. In college, many majors are offered. But many students don’t know what they really want to study. So when they are asked, “What is your major?”, many of them say, “Undecided.” Some switch from one major to another as they decide what they really want to do with their lives. Even as Christians, we need to think and rethink about why we are following Jesus.

When Jesus was in Martha’s house, she was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made while Mary, her sister, was sitting at his feet listening to what he said. Martha became upset and asked Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Jesus said to Martha, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” (10:41-42) One thing Mary desired was Jesus himself. Our life in the world is getting more complicated and demanding. We are often forced to become too busy in doing minor things in life and neglecting what is most important, like Martha. Unless we struggle intentionally, it’s easy for us to be carried away and our soul becomes deeply troubled. We need to answer Jesus’ question, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man didn’t hesitate, but said, “Lord, I want to see.” As a blind man, he might have wanted to see many things, his own face, his parents, his siblings, the Jerusalem Temple, the beautiful sky, and green grass. Because this blind man believed that Jesus is the Messiah, I assume that this man really wanted to see Jesus with his own eyes. “Lord, I want to see your beauty.”

The blind man’s answer reminds us of what King David confessed in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I ask the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” David actually asked the Lord many things, not just one thing. But all of them can be summed up in one phrase, that is, “Lord, I want to know you.” Saint Paul had the same desire as David did. He said in Philippians 3:8-11, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” It is the beauty of the Lord our Lord Jesus that made John the Apostle to confess in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” According to Paul, Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He said in Colossians 2:2-3 that there is a wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Jesus is joy of all men’s desire.

Look at verse 42. “Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.” Although this blind man was not one of the twelve disciples, he became a true follower of Christ. His testimony of faith must have been very convincing. “You know, I was blind but now I see.” According to Mark’s Gospel, this blind man’s name was Bartimaeus. Luke intentionally didn’t mention his name maybe because he had in mind many unknown but genuine disciples of Jesus whose motto of life is “Lord, I want to see.” They are God’s remnants, true worshipers, lovers and friends of God in the world.

Before we chose God, God chose us first in his mercy and providence. We are sinners who are highly favored. And Jesus invited us to come to him and experience the beauty of heaven. Jesus asked the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” we must also ask ourselves “What is the one thing I desire?” Am I convinced to seek and search for the beauty of the Lord day by day? If we are not convinced to follow Jesus with the desire to know him, it can be a warning sign that we are losing our spiritual sight. There are many good things the world seems to offer. But they don’t truly satisfy us and are only temporary things. But there is everlasting joy in Jesus. He is the joy of living. He is the source of all blessings of God. Jesus is truly noble, pure, lovely, admirable, righteous, excellent and worthy of our praise and investment. He is desire of all men’s heart. We are to see Jesus more and mover, discover and rediscover the beauty of the Lord. When we do so, our journey as Christians in this world would be a walk of great wonder and excitement. Do you have the joy of knowing and discovering Jesus in your life? “What do you want me to do for you?” I hope we may be able to answer, “Lord, I want to see your beauty.”

Hebrews 11:1 – 6
Key Verse: 11:6

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

There can be many life-principles on which we may rely and lay a foundation for our lives. George Washington said, “Honesty is the best policy.” This is a good principle we might rely on. Those who believe in the phrase “money talks”, gaining material wealth might be a life principle. Some say that life is purely for fun. There is an old Korean traditional song. The words of the song are: “Have fun, have fun, when you are young. You cannot have fun anymore if you get old. Have fun, have fun before you get old.” But the author of Hebrews encourages us to live by faith. In today’s passage the author tells us that living by Faith is the most trustworthy life principle. When we live by faith, we can please God and live a successful and victorious life regardless of our situations. Let’s find out why and how this is so.

I. Living by faith
Let me read V1 again. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In short, faith is invisible; it is a spiritual reality that we cannot see. This verse tells us that Christian faith includes hope as an essential factor. It tells us that without hope, faith doesn’t exist. However, our hope cannot be a reality unless we act with faith. Without faith, our hopes will be day-dreams. Faith and hope are inseparable.
For example, before conversion, Paul had faith in Judaism. After conversion, he had faith in God. When he had faith in God, God’s hope became his very own. In the hope of God, he had a plan to evangelize the whole world through the Roman roads. Finally he went to Rome in chains when he was old and tired. But he did not despair. He was sure of what he hoped for. If he had not done anything by faith in Rome, his hope would have been nothing but idealism. However, Paul rented an apartment and had many one-to-one Bible studies day and night, with mostly Jewish immigrants at first. Some believed, but most rejected his teachings. Paul’s ministry in Rome was not as prosperous as he had hoped. He never saw the evangelization of Rome with his own eyes. But history proves that Paul’s faith continues to speak to us. These days many people name their children Paul or Pauline, while they name their dogs and cats Nero.
What do we hope for? Of course, college students want to finish their degree with good grades and live a test-free life. In this harsh reality, most people hope for a better life. They hope for better paying jobs, wonderful marriages, people’s acknowledgements, and no misfortunate events. Are these all we could hope for? Although, we achieve everything we hope for, death could take away our achievements and all that we have in one quick moment. Because of death, our earthly hopes cannot be our ultimate hopes. Do only old men die? No! Young men also die. Do only sick people die? No! Healthy people also die. Do only our neighbors die? No! Our family members also die. Death is our greatest failure. Death turns all our effort into dust. Death is the source of our fear, insecurity, and misery.
However, God changed our fate through Jesus Christ. Through the death of Jesus Christ , our greatest misery has changed into the entrance of our greatest hope. 1Peter 1:3,4 declares. “Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you.”
God wants us to have this living hope, hope of glorious resurrection and immortal life with God. God is like a mother who is eagerly waiting for her baby’s birth. In a mother’s womb, babies feel safe and secure. However, putting our hope to the temporary things in this world is like a baby who wants to stay in its mother’s womb forever. The baby in its mother’s womb cannot imagine how wonderful life outside and how beautiful the world is. Likewise, we cannot even imagine how wonderful life would be in God’s kingdom. However, since God says it is good, by faith we accept it. Someone said, “faith is acceptance.” Faith is to accept what God promised to us and accept what God tries to do through us. Faith is to choose to live daily with this living hope, dropping the temporary hopes of this world.

II. The foundation of faith(2,3)
Let’s read verse 3. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Creation is the first event recorded in the Bible. Verse 3 tells us many important things. First it says that the universe was created. Second, it says that things we see come from things we cannot see. Third, it says we must understand God’s creation by faith, not by knowledge.
Before the 20th century, the intelligentsia including philosophers and scientists believed that the universe had no beginning and has no end. It stays forever. In the beginning of the 20th century, Albert Einstein found that the Universe must have had a beginning according to his General Relative Theory. However, he modified his equation because he could not believe in the fact that our Universe ever had a beginning. Twelve years later, American Astronomer Edwin Hubble found that the Universe was expanding. According to his measurement and other findings, scientists were able to construct the whole process of the beginning of the Universe and they called it the “Big Bang Theory.” According to the Big Bang Theory, there was Singularity in the beginning which is the concentration of immense energy, but has no size and mass which means nothing to us. From this invisible immense amount of energy, subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules came into being. Time and space started and became this day’s Universe.

Doesn’t this theory sound familiar? Genesis ch1:3a says, “And God said, Let there be light,” And today’s passage verse 3, “the universe was formed at God’s command, so the what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” What the Scientists explained is already in the Bible. Scientists are not the only one who proved God’s creation. C.S Lewis, the most renowned intelligence of the 20th Century, proved God’s existence by using human reasoning and logic in his novel “Mere Christianity.” Then, what about the ordinary people who have no deep knowledge about anything? Romans ch1:20 tells us clearly, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Just by looking at nature, we can understand the existence of our creator God. Look at the flowers in the fields. Can human technology create a flower with the same fragrance, texture, color, and function? Look at the grass of the fields! They are a delicate starch making factory that feed all the living creatures on Earth. Can we make starch with only CO2, water and sunlight by using our 21st technology? NO! I was in the air force during my military duty in Korea. During my service period (which was 3 years), around 10 fighter planes crashed due to mechanical failure which meant the plane was imperfect. One crashed just in front of my eyes during the air show. But I’ve never seen or heard any bird crashing because of their mechanical failure. At that time, I came to realize that birds were a much more advanced flying object than man-made planes. I can talk about these kinds stories endlessly. (Fly, robot story, cells) Nature demonstrates God’s divine power and knowledge.
However, still, a majority of people do not accept God’s creation. Because accepting God’s creation is not the matter of knowledge, but of our heart. That’s why the author of Hebrews testifies that “By Faith” we understand God’s creation, and not by knowledge.

Then what is the importance of accepting God’s creation? There are so many, but one thing to know is that God created each and every one of us with his divine power and will. Human beings are the focal point of God’s creation because He created us in his own Image. In a human, the physical body is mysteriously combined with the spirit that comes from God. Eph 2:10 explains it in this way, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are God’s workmanship, or in other words, we are God’s masterpiece. A masterpiece is different from a product that comes from factory assembly lines. It has a one and only unique value. No one compares the masterpieces. It has its own value. Likewise, God created us all differently by giving us different personalities and abilities. No one can replace our role in this world because we are masterpieces. (Ex: Mona Lisa) God sent us to this world to do good works. There is something good only I can do every day. There is something only _________can do and no one else. There is something only __________ can do. Good works we should do are: Living as masterpieces everyday when we accept Creator God. This is the foundation of our faith.

III. The Faith of Abel and Enoch (4-6)
Now the author of Hebrews begins to talk about the examples of ancients who were commended by God for their faith. First of those ancients is Abel. His story recorded at verse 4. “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, When God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.”
After Adam’s fall, Adam was kicked out from the Garden of Eden. God put a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the Garden of Eden. Cain and Abel did not have any good memories of the Garden of Eden or of God. Life was harsh and burdensome to them while they struggled to survive in the cursed world. They may have thought that God hated them although Adam might have taught them “God is good.” We don’t know about the exact background story but somehow they were able to come to God through offering. It was a good chance and privilege for them to restore their relationship with God. Abel prepared the best from what he had. Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil. God accepted Abel and his offering but rejected Cain and his offering. Genesis ch4:6,7 explains the reason why God did not accept Cain and his offerings. Abel prepared his offering with a humble and thankful heart. Cain revealed his self-righteousness through his anger towards God.
From Abel’s time to Jesus Christ, offering is the way to come to God. God opened the way for the sinners to come to God through many different types of offerings, such as burnt offerings, sin offerings, fellowship offerings, and guilt offerings. God always sees our motives and attitudes when we come to God through offering. God wants our contrite hearts, not the sacrifice. Is it possible that we can sacrifice to God without faith? Unfortunately it happens all the time. People are always doing acts of charity or going to church with no faith in God. One of the Israelite’s most violent and godless kings in the New Testament funded the rebuilding of God’s temple.
Abel offered God better sacrifice than Cain did, but it could not take away his sins because it was not perfect. After Abel, numerous of people sacrificed to God, but there was no offering that could reconcile us to God completely. Therefore God himself prepared the best offering for us. Hebrews 10:9,10 read, “Here I am, I have come to do your will. He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Christ once for all.” Jesus offered the best sacrifice through his blood. Therefore, God will not accept “the better” anymore because he gave us the best. Jesus is the best sacrifice we can offer to God. As Abel offered God a better sacrifice By faith. Now by faith we should offer the best sacrifice through Jesus Christ. God will commend us as righteous only when we come to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus is our righteousness. By faith, we should throw away our self righteousness.
Abel’s story ends with another action of faith. “And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Abel’s end did not look good in a human’s point of view because he was killed by his brother. However, God’s point of view is different. Because Abel had lived by faith, he gives us a message even through his death. God used Abel’s death to encourage numerous people to live by faith. God uses our death as a kernel of wheat for the numerous lives to come when we live by faith.

A hundred years ago, there was a missionary to Korea whose name was Thomas. At that time, any missionary or believer was beheaded when caught in Korea. M. Thomas landed nearby Pyongyang which is now the capital of North Korea. Unfortunately he was caught on the spot and was beheaded. Before he died, he spread the Bibles he brought by shouting the name “Jesus.” One of them who received the Bible became an evangelist and translated 2/3rds of the Bible into the Korean language. One of them was Youngsik Park. He used the Bible as a wall paper for his room. By the Spirit of God, he accepted Jesus and his house became the first house church in Pyongyang and later it became a JangDaehyung Church which was the starting point of Pyongyang Revival Movement. To our surprise, the place where M. Thomas was killed is the same place where the PUST(Poyngyang University of Science and Technology) is built. We can say that “By faith M. Thomas still speaks, even though he is dead.” Those who are made righteous by faith can never be silenced by death. When we live by faith, we can speak even through our death.
The next ancient is Enoch. Not much is written about Enoch in Genesis. Nevertheless, Enoch’s life of faith inspires us as one of the most practical examples that show the necessity of faith to please God. Let’s read verses 5, 6. “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Verse 6 is often taken as a verse by itself when in fact it was actually written to help explain why God rewarded Enoch’s life of faith by allowing him not to experience death. In Genesis 5:21-24, we find the single outstanding point written about Enoch. “And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.” (V22) How could he walk with God? Because he believed that God exists.

Let’s think about the time he lived in. Enoch was the seventh descendant from Adam. (Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared and Enoch) Was Adam alive when Enoch began to walk with God? Yes, all of his straight 6 ancestors were alive. That means, people might not have been serious about their death even though God said “to dust you will return” because they did not experience death frequently enough. If God is invisible and people didn’t die, then I would not be serious about God. Most of the people must have doubted God’s existence. How about Cain’s descendants? They built a city, developed technology, and held music concerts every day. Without God, they were prosperous and enjoyed their life to a maximum degree while Seth’s descendant remains as a minority in the countryside. Does God really exist? Most people began to choose the answer “NO.” No there is no God. If there is God, then what is his reward as we live by faith?
However, Enoch decided to choose the answer “Yes.” He believed that God exists. God is alive. Not only he believed that God exists, but also he did some extraordinary things. The second last book in New Testament gives us more information about Enoch. Jude 14-16 says. “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”” Enoch was a prophet to them. People at his time were very ungodly. They hated him because his holy pilgrimage seemed to offend them. And it hurt their sinful pride. They hated Enoch as much as they hated God. They searched for him in order to destroy him. So, God took him away to heaven without death. People tried to find him but the Bible says, “he is no more, he could not be found.” Remember his message! Isn’t it like Jesus’ second coming? He was the first one who was raptured and that was God’s reward to him. God’s reward is glorious, his kingdom and eternal life. We will be the next when Jesus comes again. Enoch’s faith gives us a message on how to live in this ungodly generation. We should proclaim that God and God’s Judgment exists.

Through today’s passage, we learned that faith is to accept the living hope. We learned that we should live as a masterpiece by doing good work in Jesus Christ. We learned that we should come to God through Jesus Christ, our best sacrifice. May God bless us to have faith that pleases God.

TREASURE IN HEAVEN

Luke 18:18-30
Key Verse: 18:22

“‘When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

As Jesus was heading toward Jerusalem where he would face suffering and death on the cross, the main theme of his dialogue and teaching was about the kingdom of God. It means that the ultimate goal of Christ’s death is to bring God’s kingdom. In fact, the word “kingdom” is repeated 43 times in Luke’s Gospel. The kingdom of God is something that God prepared for His loving children. Bible begins with the paradise lost and ends with the paradise restored. The troubled world we live in is not meant to be our eternal dwelling place. The kingdom of God is our eternal dwelling place. The kingdom of God is our inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-4 reads, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you.”

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are given the right to become children of God and citizens of God’s kingdom. During the last few weeks, we have learned a lot about the kingdom of God, including that the kingdom of God is both internal and external (17:21). Since its physical coming would be unpredictable, we should always be ready for it (17:20-37). His disciples should not be discouraged but always pray and never give up (18:1-8) as we wait. We also learned through the prayers of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and the story of the little children that humility is the essential quality of God’s children. In today’s passage, we are reminded of the value of God’s kingdom which is worthy of our total investment. Jesus said to the outstanding young man in today’s passage with a gentle voice, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Christian disciples are called to invest their lives in the treasure in heaven. Let’s think about whether or not our investment in this treasure in heaven is wise or not.

Look at verse 18. A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” In Luke 10:25, this same question was asked to Jesus by the expert in the law. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Obviously, it was a very common question among the people in Israel. According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, this ruler was young and wealthy. His wealth might have been an inheritance from his rich parents. According to Luke’s account, he was a ruler in Israel. Therefore, he must have been a young synagogue ruler. At that time the synagogue rulers in Israel were not clergy but lay people. He could have been a young and promising entrepreneur who could represent Israel. Many people looked up to him as a role model for young Israelites. Yet his question “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” reveals this young man was admitting honestly to himself that something was missing in his life. It’s not easy to admit that you have a problem especially when you are concerned about your prestige. Many people remain in the closet because they are afraid of what people might say and lose their popularity. Recently, a young and famous pro-golfer apologized for his bad behavior. For many years, he had been hiding his secrets. At some point he had no other choice but to reveal all his secrets. His life will never be the same. It’s always good to admit one’s mistakes and inner problem and even better to seek help before it’s too late. Our Lord Jesus is compassionate. He is never judgmental. He is a wonderful counselor who listens and has tremendous compassion for us. Hebrews 2:17-18 describes Jesus, “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” When this young man came to Jesus, he expected to find an answer to his question from Jesus whom he called “Good teacher.”

Look at verse 19. “‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered, “No one is good – except God alone.’” In all of Jewish literature, no rabbi was ever called good because only God and His law were considered to be good. So the fact that this young man to call Jesus “Good teacher” was unusual and amazing, as long as it was not mere flattery. We are not sure if this young man considered Jesus as God or the Son of God. He at least had the highest respect for Jesus. According to Mark’s account, unlike other proud Pharisees, when this young man came to Jesus, he ran up to him and fell on his knees before him and asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus instructed this sincere young man on how to inherit eternal life. First of all, Jesus taught him that God alone is good. By saying this, Jesus wasn’t pretending to be humble or denying his deity. Jesus is the Son of God, being the very nature of God. However, Jesus said that only God is good in order to draw this young man’s attention to God who is good.

We often say, “God is good all the time. All the time God is good.” And we know that God’s intention in creation is good. When we read Genesis chapter 1, we see that God was pleased with His creation and said, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Gen 1:31) the word “good” is repeated seven times in Genesis Chapter 1 (4,10,12,18,21,24,31). God is not only good but also great and beautiful. But in the back of our minds, we say, “Is it really true? Is God really good all the time?” “How can a good God allow evil to exit in the world?” “How can he allow disease, pain, suffering, poverty, hunger, natural disasters, all kinds of violence and oppression to happen in the world?” The questions are endless. Yet, we cannot deny the fact that God is a good and sovereign God , and His ways are better and higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9) We don’t fully understand everything. Maybe we are not supposed to understand until we go to heaven as Saint Paul described in 1 Cor 13: 12, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Even though we don’t understand everything, one thing that comforts us is that we are fully known by God. It means that God knows everything. God is good. He knows what he is doing. God is all knowing-omniscient. Therefore, we need to wait on Him with patience and trust. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

While Abraham was anxiously waiting to have a son who would be his heir, he became impatient after 10 years had passed. God didn’t give him the son he was waiting for. Instead, God appeared to him in a vision and said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” What God promised to Abraham was not just a son or even many sons and daughters which would form a nation Israel. What God promised to Abraham was God Himself – the source of all blessings, the eternal life and kingdom of God. We want to receive many things from God, such as success, prestige, wisdom, wealth and beautiful family, children and friends. But what good are these if we have no God in our hearts? What makes paradise a real paradise and what makes our life truly happy is God’s presence.

Of course, in response to the young man’s question, Jesus didn’t elaborate why God is good. But Jesus was drawing this young man to acknowledge that God is truly good, and no one else. Perhaps the young man secretly thought that he was good and wanted to find true satisfaction in his goodness.

Secondly, Jesus taught the young man that he lacked one thing (20-22). Jesus continued to speak to him in verse 20. “You k now the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.” Jesus shared only these commandments which deal with loving others. Jesus didn’t mention the first commandment that deals with loving God and also left out the tenth commandment, “Do not covet.” We wonder why. Perhaps it was to more help the man to find his inner problem more easily. As soon as this young man heard Jesus, he responded with confidence. “Is that all, sir? All these I have kept since I was a boy.” (21) Can we say he was telling Jesus the truth? Was he really sincere? I believe that his sincerity shouldn’t be questioned. Jesus didn’t say that he was a liar either. This young man was a good man according to human standards. I can understand this young man very well. When I was young, I thought I was very good. I was honest and sincere. I obeyed my parents and my teachers from my heart. I was my parents’ favorite child among 7 siblings. Most of my teachers loved and praised me for my good conduct and high academic performance. I was ambitious to get ahead of everyone in everything. I even volunteered to organize many activities to help poor students in school. I was also a faithful member of the Sunday school in the church. I never made any trouble. Can I say that I was good? Not really.

Look at verse 22. “When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” According to Mark’s account, when Jesus heard this young man’s respond, he looked at him and loved him. Even though this young man was imperfect and somewhat arrogant, Jesus still loved him. Jesus deeply loved this young man just as he was. He had no critical mind toward this young man. He embraced him just as he was. Jesus told him what he really needed to do to inherit eternal life. He said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The focal point of Jesus’ teaching is to “follow him.” But in order to follow Jesus, this young man also needed to give up his wealth.

How many of us can actually obey what Jesus said to this rich young ruler, especially the portion of selling everything and giving to the poor? Honestly, most of us cannot literally obey this command. I know that many of the early Christians sold their properties and shared with others. But they did it because they believed that Jesus was coming very soon, in less than one or two years. But Jesus didn’t come right away as they expected. In fact, there have been only a handful of people who could actually obey this command literally, like St. Francis of Assisi. Even Zacchaeus the tax collector (Lk 19:1-8-9) gave only half of his possessions to the poor, and Jesus was pleased with him and praised him for what he did. So why did Jesus ask this young man to sell everything he had and follow him when he didn’t ask others to do the same?

It’s because Jesus wanted this young man to value the treasure of heaven more than the treasures of this world. He wanted this young man to have a clear spiritual value system for his life. The treasures of this world are really attractive and desirable so many are drawn to them. But those treasures are only temporary ones which will disappear some day. Of course, it’s very hard to overcome our desire for earthly treasures. The heavenly treasure does not look attractive and even desirable, so people are not drawn to it. Last weekend, I stayed in a very attractive hotel near the O’Hare International Airport during our USA/Canada UBF staff conference. But we held our conference there not because it was attractive but it was most affordable and convenient. Yet, when I looked at the charming decoration on ceiling carefully, I found that it was mainly made of plastic and plaster. The beauty and glory of this world are skin deep and can be deceptive. But the treasure of heaven is different. The treasure in heaven is the kingdom of God, which will be our eternal dwelling place and also includes all spiritual treasures of heaven, such as love, joy, peace, all the divine qualities and characters as well as our friends and family members in Christ.

Hebrews 11:24—26 describe Moses’ life of faith, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” In light of this passage, Moses was a wise investor in the treasures in heaven. What Jesus asked of the young ruler in the passage is to live like Moses who gave up everything in order to gain the treasure of heaven.

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, said that he would rather fail in a cause he knew someday would triumph than win in a cause he knew someday would fail. That’s the principle of investment. Christians are called to invest their lives for the treasure in heaven. Success in this world is important but it’s not our goal. Our goal is to gain the heavenly treasure. And that is what Moses did and what Jesus wanted this man young do. Look at verse 23. This young man became sad because he was wealthy.

Look at verses 24-25. “Jesus looked and said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” It does not mean that all rich people will go to hell and all poor people will go to heaven. What Jesus said is that material wealth can be a great obstacle to anyone who values it above heavenly treasure. What Jesus said to the young man is a very hard teaching for anyone to obey. I wonder what happened to this young man. Even though he might have been indecisive, Jesus made him think seriously about his life through his word. Sometimes, people do not respond to God’s words immediately, but it does not mean that they are hopeless. We need to wait for them with patience and prayer.

Look at verses 26-27. “Those who heard this asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’” The Jews viewed wealth as a sign of God’s blessing since God had blessed many of these godly people with riches, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, etc. In fact, they were believed to be in the kingdom of heaven. But the truth is that money or wealth were not their idols. They were true worshipers of God and holy pilgrims who lived their lives as faithful stewards of God. Look at verse 28. Peter said to Jesus, “We have left all we had to follow you!” Why would Peter say this at this point? He probably wanted to make sure that he made a right decision to follow Jesus.

Look at verses 29-30. “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said to them, ‘No one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.’” In saying this, Jesus was assuring his disciples that they made the right decision to follow Jesus. For the believers who followed Jesus as disciples, giving up many good things in the world, there will be a reward, not small but huge, both in this world and the age to come. Of course, Jesus didn’t promise that all Christians would become rich and famous. But he made it very clear that the life of faith as Jesus’ disciples is not just a pointless sacrifice but a wise investment. Our God is ultimately good. In fact, he is the highest and greatest good. He is the source of all other good. He is kind, generous and redemptive. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross, so that all men and women who are stuck with sin and evil may be saved and have eternal life. God is good. And he is our eternal inheritance. We are also called to invest our life for this most beautiful, valuable and everlasting possession in heaven. We disciples of Jesus are called to spend time and energy in serving others with prayer, Bible study and counseling, which seem like unwise investments. But Jesus made sure that the disciples are investing their lives for heavenly treasures. Let us devote ourselves to the word of the Lord, fellowship and prayer. Let us share the gospel with young teenagers and college campus students through one-to-one Bible study and in many other ways. Most of all, we should not be discouraged in doing good things, sharing the gospel, serving the needy with prayer and Bible study. May we all live as Jesus’ disciples and disciple-makers, knowing that those who dedicate themselves for the sake of the gospel are wise investors and ultimate winners, not losers. Most of all, let us continue to believe that God who is good and all knowing is our eternal inheritance.

LEARNING TO BE HUMBLE

Luke 18:9-17
Key Verse: 18:14

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In our competitive, success and money driven society, people are compelled to use all their resources and opportunities to get ahead of others. If we want to survive and be ahead of others, it’s necessary to proud of ourselves, no matter who we are. People say “I am proud to be an American”, “I am proud to be a Chinese”, “I am proud to be a Jew”, “I am proud to be a Canadian American” or I am proud to be a Korean-American.” Having pride in oneself isn’t bad. It’s actually good and necessary to have a positive image of oneself in order to be happy and have a positive relationship with others. However, humility isn’t often regarded as something important to be pursued. The world is full of proud people who think that they are better than others and therefore look down on them.

We have been learning a lot about the coming of God’s kingdom in Luke’s gospel. Jesus said that the coming of God’s kingdom will be sudden and unexpected (17:20-37). In last week’s passage, we learned that the followers of Christ should always pray and not give up. We should never remain discouraged but continue to pray because our God is willing to see His children to get justice, which he means “the kingdom of God.” (18:1-8) Today’s passage is the continuation of Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God. Although there are two sessions in today’s passage; the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (9-14), and the story of little children (15-17), it seems that the author Luke seems to focus on humility as a necessary characteristic of discipleship or the citizenship of God’s kingdom. In fact, Jesus put humility as the number one blessing in the Beatitudes. (Mt 5: 3; Lk 5:20) “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3)

Look at verse 9. “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable.” In Jesus’ time, it was not hard to meet someone in Israel who was confident of his own righteousness. I am not sure whether it was true or not, but they say that in Jesus’ time the Jewish men gave thanks to God everyday for three things. According to Jewish prayer book, they prayed, “Blessed are you, Hashem, the King of the Universe, for not having made me a Gentile, a slave and a woman.” It’s very surprising to hear this kind of discriminative and unwholesome prayer topic. What is also surprising is that even Plato, a great Greek philosopher, would give thanks to god for similar things. He said, “I thank god that I was born Greek & not Barbarian, free man & not slave, man & not woman, … ” According to the teachings of Genesis, we learn that all men and women are created equal in the image of God. (Gen chapters 1-2) But throughout the history of humankind, people of the world, including the Jews, have had a twisted view of others. Their twisted views led them to oppress and discriminate against weak people. We know the painful history of slavery in this country, as well as the attempts of Hitler to annihilate the entire Jewish people because he believed in the superiority of the German people. The imperial Japanese did similar things to a lot of Asian people during World War II. Are we any better now?

Recently, I read an article, titled “Why are there so many unhappy people in the world?” The article is basically saying that people are unhappy with their life because they are either poor, physically impaired or under-privileged. Yet the article points out that it isn’t just socially inept people who are unhappy but the intelligent and rich people who are also discontent with their life. Why? It’s because of their ego. In other words, they are discontent because they are preoccupied with themselves. When we live our lives based on an exalted view of ourselves and our own importance, we are doomed to be unhappy. Unless we overcome our self-centeredness and vain conceit, there is no way that we can be truly happy. That’s why Saint Paul said in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Success is important. But personal success isn’t enough for our happiness. Our true happiness largely depends on our attitude toward ourselves, others and God. Jesus saw so many unhappy people in the world, including religious and successful people in the world. Having said this, we can say that Jesus came to this world to bring true happiness into their lives, which is the beginning of the coming of God’s kingdom. According to Jesus’ teaching in today’s passage, we have to have a right attitude, which is humility before God, in order to be truly happy.

Look at verses 10-13. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself, ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” There were sharp contrasts between the two men. First of all, reputation: because we heard so often that the Pharisees were hypocritical, we always think that the Pharisees were worse than anyone in society. But that’s not really true. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees were models of righteous behavior. They were probably honor students who worked hard and earned success in society. On the other hand, the tax collectors were the bad apples in society with their sinful behavior.

Interestingly, these two different people went up to the temple to pray. At that time, the Jews prayed in standing position. Probably, the Pharisee didn’t want the tax collector to be close to him. He stood on the front side of the temple courts, right behind the door of the Sanctuary, lifting his both hands high while the tax collector stood at a distance in the back. The Pharisee’s prayer was about how good he was. “God, I thank you that I am not like other men- robbers, evil doers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” It’s hard to believe that this man actually uttered such words in public. Even if he might not have said it out loud, it was for sure that he was proud in his inmost thought. (Lk 1:51)

What made him think that he was righteous and feel confident of himself? It’s because his standard was low. According to what he said in prayer, his standard was the tax collectors and other law breakers. He became self-righteous because he kept some basic religious rules, such as fasting and tithe. He actually kept a lot more rituals and religious rules than that were required for ordinary Jewish people. Especially, when he compared himself with all bad people, he thought that he deserved praise, recognition and honor from God. He had self-confidence because he also a good reputation among the people. So he didn’t need God’s mercy. On the other hand, the tax collector thought that he had nothing to be righteous about himself before God. Of course, he knew that he was a sinner. Contrary to the Pharisee, the tax collector didn’t have self-confidence or a good reputation among the people. The only thing that he could depend on was God’s mercy. So he prayed, beating his breast, “God, have mercy.”

Look at verse 14a. “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.” I am notorious for getting parking tickets. Even though I am tempted to complain, I am also guilty for parking illegally even though it was not intentional. I have to pay the fines. Jesus declared that the tax collector was justified, meaning that he was declared justified, meaning “not guilty” even though he was guilty of many sins. Then why wasn’t the Pharisee declared to be justified? It was because he claimed his own righteousness, which was not good enough in God’s sight. In fact, the Pharisee rejected the gift of God’s righteousness, which was offered to him through Jesus Christ who died on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

It is interesting to see that the Pharisee in the parable stood before the blood-sprinkled mercy seat failed to think about why God had to design the mercy seat in the Temple. (Ex 25:17, 18; Heb 9:5) It was God’s will to save all men and women, including the Jews, by the way of God’s mercy, not by their merit. The gift of forgiveness of sin is already prepared through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. We don’t go to heaven by our religious activity or behaving better but only by God’s great mercy. All people need to do is to accept it.

Why does the New Testament constantly warn about the hypocrisy of the Pharisee in Jesus’ time? It’s not necessarily because the Pharisees in the early century would read the Bible and repent of their hypocrisy although it was very possible and necessary. But isn’t it true that the Scripture warns us Christians of all ages? We are called to be the salt and light of the world. In Luke’s gospel, however, Jesus does not teach too much of the sinfulness of the world. Jesus actually teaches much about the wrong attitude of religious people in his time, thus he was encouraging his followers to avoid the sin of hypocrisy, here the sin of pride in particular, which desensitizes our minds and hearts. It’s easy for Christians to be desensitized by their superficial religious life. When they do so, they are far away from God’s kingdom and cannot truly have joy and happiness.

How can we remain humble in heart and spirit? We should stop comparing ourselves with others. We should stop piling up religious achievements as signs of our merit. Instead, we should keep our lives in perspective. In other words, we are to live in the eyes of God, examining ourselves in light of the scriptures and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pride and humility are very subtle things. We can be humble at some points and then become proud. It’s easy to become conceited while pretending to be humble. In fact, the devil is the champion in disguising humility.

The devil also tries to plant proud and evil thoughts in the minds of God’s children. How can we overcome the devil’s temptation? We should learn to be humble all the time. We see so many able, famous and successful people fall miserably because of their excessive pride. They wallow in it for long period of time. When David was a young man, he depended on God wholeheartedly. He was humble, considering himself unworthy to be the king over the people of Israel. But after he became successful, he slowly became proud and didn’t even know that he became proud. He started depending on his own experience, leadership and the number of soldiers and people he thought he controlled. God was displeased with David because of his pride. David’ pride caused so much tragedy to the people of Israel. No one is immune to the infection of the sin of pride. The hardest thing about pride is that it’s difficult to detect it. Therefore, we have to always watch that we don’t become proud or conceited. Jesus said in 14b that God exalts the humble and scatters those whose inner most thoughts are proud. Proverbs 18:12 reads, “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 29:23 also reads, “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.” True success and happiness come through humility. Some said, “Humility is not a grace that can be acquired in a few months: it is the works of a lifetime.”

That is true. Therefore, we should learn to be humble in all circumstances. In fact, Jesus is the prime example of humility. Saint Paul said how we should imitate the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2:5-8, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on the cross!”

In verses 15-17, we see another illustration of humility through little children. One of the best ways to learn humility is through the example of little children. A fan once pressed a famous actor for an autograph while his eight-year-old son was at home. The fan felt so honored by getting the autograph of this famous actor. After the fan left the house, his son looked at his famous dad and said, “Can you believe that they want your autograph?” Some of the best teachers on humility are little children.

Look at verse 15. “People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.” Obviously, it was a customary for the Jews to bring their small children to rabbis for blessing. But why would the disciples rebuke the people? We don’t know. Perhaps, they didn’t think the babies were important. They rebuked them because they thought that these parents were bothering Jesus who had more important things to do. Jesus, however, corrected the disciples and encouraged the parents to continue bringing their children to him. Look at verse 16. “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” In those days, children, along with women, were not considered equally important as adult men, so their numbers were not counted in gathering, even in the Bible. Why would Jesus call the children and spend time with them? Was it a political display? No. He genuinely cared for each of them because they are also humans who bear the image of God. What makes little children so special? Of course, children are not humble in the same way that some of the adults show humility. But they are humble in the sense of being totally dependent and unable to provide for themselves. They simply receive rather than provide. They have absolute trust and dependence. In those qualities they are a good example of humility. That’s why Jesus said in verse 16b, “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

When we were young babies, all of us were cute, naïve, pure and humble. Children easily trust others without doubt. So children often become an easy target of evil people. However, the childlike humbleness should be preserved and not be abandoned. Christians should be pure and wise. In verse 17, Jesus challenges all grown ups, including his disciples and the Pharisees, to have childlike acceptation of God’s kingdom, without pretence or doubt. “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” How can we have a childlike attitude? Humanly speaking, it’s almost impossible. But what is impossible with men is possible with God.

Once a prominent Pharisee named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” What he was asking is “Are you the Messiah who would bring God’s kingdom to Israel?” Or he might be asking, “How can I have eternal life?”

In reply, Jesus declared the necessity of a new birth and being born of the Spiritual. First of all, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (Jn 3:3) “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Then Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” (Jn 3:5) Nicodemus could not understand what Jesus said to him.

Even though Nicodemus was a prominent Pharisee and a great leader of the Jewish community, he had deep doubts about his religion. He was not sure about himself either. He perhaps even doubted God’s love for him and for all humankind. How can God who is holy save men from their sins? If religion fails, what can offer such salvation? Can Greek philosophy, modern psychology, medicine, science or money save men from their sin and God’s judgment? Do we need a new religion? No.

We need God’s grace of forgiveness of sins, which is given to us through Jesus Christ can! The gospel of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, is not religion. The content of the gospel, the death and resurrection of Christ, may not sound sophisticated enough, compared to the worldly wisdom and philosophy. The gospel of Jesus Christ may not sound as religious or convincing as the traditions and religions of the world. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. The gospel can transform anybody into God’s children and bring them to the kingdom of God. The grace of forgiveness of sin can bring peace to troubled souls, healing to wounded hearts and freedom to the oppressed. All we need to do is simply trust and accept God’s blessing of salvation. As God’s children and disciples of Jesus, we need to continue to depend on God’s mercy and learn to be humble. It’s easy for us to be like the Pharisee in the parable. Pride and pretence are something we should always watch out for. May we not take pride in our inner most thoughts by comparing ourselves with others and depending on our own religious merit. May we not exalt ourselves but grow in humility and never look down on others. May we grow in the leadership with humility.

PRAY ALWAYS AND NOT GIVE UP

Luke 18:1-8
Key Verse: 18:7-8

“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

A father was weary of telling bedtime stories to his five-year-old son over and over again every night. So one night the father told his son that after they had said their prayers together, had the last glass of water, told each other “good night,” and turned off the light, that there would be no more talk. The father was sure that his son would not ask him anymore and go to bed. But in five minutes, his son called out for another glass of water. The father went in with a glass of water, reviewed the rules, and told his son he’d better go to sleep. “Okay, daddy” the son agreed. When the father was about to fall asleep, his son requested more water. The father was annoyed and raised the tone of his voice. He told his son that he would get a spanking if he asked for water once more. This time the father was sure that his son would not call him anymore. Well, he was mistaken. His son called him again and said, “Daddy, when you come in here to spank me would you bring me a glass of water, please?” Of course, his father didn’t spank him. The boy got the water. His persistence paid off. According to Jesus, our God is like the father in the story who loves and cares deeply for his son. Today’s passage, the parable of the persistent widow, is the continuation of Jesus’ instructions about his return or the coming of the kingdom of God. Let’s think about why we should always pray and not give up.

Look at verse 1. “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” In the previous passage, Jesus taught his disciples about the sudden coming of the kingdom of God. (Lk 17:20-37) He basically told them that the second coming of Christ will be sudden and unexpected, so that no one is able to predict in advance the exact time of his coming. Jesus continues to teach his disciples that when his coming was slow in taking place, they should not become discouraged or overwhelmed while struggling to live by faith in the world. Instead, they should always pray and not give up.

Our life in the world is not easy by any means. Jesus’ disciples have to work hard in a very competitive world. Many of us are surrounded by ungodly, selfish, unfair and harsh environments. As disciples of Jesus we also struggle to be a good example and embrace all kinds of people with the love of Christ. It can be very exhausting especially when we are falsely accused or persecuted because of our faith in Jesus. Often our future seems uncertain, and we often feel that we still have too many things to be concerned about. After all, our struggle as disciples of Jesus is not against people made of flesh and blood but against the devil and the authorities of the unseen world and the powers of darkness. (Eph 6:12-NLT) So how can we survive in this world financially, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually? I don’t think there is an easy answer to this question. But Jesus said that his disciples should always pray and not give up.

Three things are essential for our spiritual survival in this world; the word of God, prayer and service, including worship. Without Bible study, prayer and service one cannot survive or grow healthy spiritually. Prayer, particularly, is our lifeline through which the breath of God is provided. The religious Jews in Jesus’ time prayed regularly three times a day. But the disciples of Jesus must pray always, which means we should pray continually, never stop praying, like we never stop breathing. When we hear the word “prayer”, what comes to your mind? Many of us feel burdened or guilty, acknowledging that we don’t pray enough. But prayer shouldn’t be a burden to us because it is the privilege of God’s children. When my son, Daniel, who is in Texas, doesn’t call me, I don’t criticize him. But I would be wiling to call him or receive a phone call from him anytime. Likewise, when we don’t pray enough, God would not condemn us for our lack of prayer. Instead, He would be so eager to hear from us and talk with us anytime. Prayer is our intimate communion with God our Father. It’s a blessing and privilege for God’s children.

The problem is that not all of God’s children truly enjoy this privilege. We often neglect or fail to pray. We don’t feel like praying because we think that we are in control. So some of us don’t come to God in prayer unless something terrible happens. In fact, many of us feel that we are too busy to pray. It’s like we are too busy to breathe. Isn’t it supposed to be the opposite? The more exercise we do, the more oxygen we need. So the busier we are, the more we ought to pray. But in reality, it’s hard to pray when we have so many things to do. Prayer is not like our natural and unconscious breathing. It requires us a conscious effort to pray.

How can we pray always when we have so many things to do? Did Jesus mean that we should only pray all day long and do nothing else? Of course not! We may pray regularly and as often as we can, early in the morning, during our lunch break or even at night. It’s also good to pray two by two or three by three as Jesus said in Matthew 18:19, “If two of you agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by God the Father in heaven.” We should prayer regularly and as often as possible. But when Jesus said that we should always pray and not give up, he meant that we should live in a prayer mode. In other words, we should bring everything, both big things and small things, to God in prayer.

One devoted lady I admire prays for everything and everyone she knows. Even before she goes to a grocery store, she prays for what she buys. When I first heard about her prayer life, I thought it was too much. But it actually shows the depth of her total dependence in God. I am sure she prays for everything in detail because she believes that God is interested in both big and every detail of her life. Paul said the similar thing in his letter, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7) According to Paul, prayer is not just asking something of God. He includes thanksgiving and praises in prayer. In fact, thanksgiving and praising God are very essential to our prayer life because by doing so we can acknowledge God’s absolute presence and sovereignty over all things. When we acknowledge God’s presence in our lives, we can always pray. We can have a deep and intimate fellowship with God in the Spirit. We can sometimes cry out to God or remain in silence before His presence. We can pray for everything. We can pray even while walking, working, babysitting, teaching, cooking, talking, studying or even driving.

Isaiah 40:30-31 reads, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” These verses show that through prayer we can survive spiritually and be fully energized in our day-to-day lives. Jesus encourages us to pray always because he was convinced that we can overcome any temptation of the devil and all the forces of evil when we are in a close connection with God through our prayers.

In order to encourage his disciples to pray always and not give up, Jesus told them a story about the unjust judge and the persistent widow. However, it’s interesting to note that the judge and the widow in the parable do not represent God our Father and his children. Instead, they are portrayed in sharp contrast, not in comparison, with God our Father and His disciples.

Look at verses 2-5. In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” We don’t know what her case was. She might have been mistreated by her boss or unfairly laid off from her job simply because she was a woman. For sometime the judge refused to even look at her case. It’s because he completely despised her status as a helpless widow. He thought that ignoring her case wouldn’t hurt his reputation at all. He really looked down on her and didn’t care about her sufferings. But his opponent was a tough woman, whose name was “Mrs. Persistence.” When she found out that the judge was avoiding her, she started chasing him everywhere. When the judge was at the barbershop, she came there and shouted, “Grant me justice against my adversary!” He was with his girl friend in the restaurant, there she appeared there and whispered, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” When he was in a shopping mall, she paged him, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” Her persistence haunted him so much that he might begin to have nightmares about her.

Now, this unjust judge who was extremely ungodly and selfish began to think that it’s going to hurt him more than anyone else if this situation continued. He said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!” (4-5) Here, the phrase “wear me out” (Gr. hypopiaze me) is from an idiom that literally means “strike under the eye” or “otherwise she would give me a black eye.” Figuratively speaking, “a black eye” may mean “a damaged reputation.” The unjust judge granted her request for selfish reasons.

Now, does this story mean to tell us that we should give God a black eye, like the persistent widow did to the unjust judge? Of course not. In verses 6-8, Jesus continues to explain the parable to his disciples. Jesus said to his disciple, “Listen to what the unjust judge says…” Why did Jesus want his disciples to listen to the unjust judge’s words? It’s because he wanted them to know that he was teaching by contrast. In fact, God would never respond to a cry for help from his children as the unjust judge did. He then said in verses 6b-8a, “and will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” (6b-8a) God is not like the unjust judge who did not care about the lady. And also we are not like the widow in the parable who was forgotten, abandoned and disconnected from the unjust judge. We, instead, are God’s favored children, precious sons and daughters of God whom God deeply cares for. And God is not like the unjust judge who was not interested in bringing justice. God is the God of justice. He is willing to bring justice especially for his chosen ones. And He cares us. Each of His children means a lot to Him. We are very important to Him.

“Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?” (6b-7) So what is that we are supposed to cry out to him day and night? What is the “justice for His children”? It is the coming of the kingdom of God. Justice on earth might be the beginning of the coming of the kingdom of God and the justice for His children, which includes also the glorious transformation of our body, the coming of the New Jerusalem, which is our eternal dwelling place, and the elimination of the power of sin and death. In fact, “justice for his children” is the fulfillment of God’s promise for His loving children. (1 Peter 1:3-4) And God is willing to bring justice for his chosen ones more than anybody. (7b)

Why should we cry out for it day and night, repeating the same thing over and over again? Some of us might ask, “Didn’t Jesus say that God already knows what we need even before we ask him?” (Mt 5:8) and “Didn’t he also say that if we ask some thing, we ought to believe that we already have received it?” (Mk 11:24) Does God hear us because of many words? Of course not! But Jesus clearly teaches here that we are to continue to pray until we receive the answer. Therefore, this persistent and continued prayer is not a sign of lack of faith but of persistent faith. In fact, Jesus taught his disciples by saying, “When you pray say, ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” We as God’s children pray for God’s kingdom to come over and over again because it is our persistent and unchanging faith in God’s promise. Therefore, we should always pray for God’s kingdom to come and never give up, believing that God’s kingdom will come soon and very soon.

Jesus concludes the parable by saying, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (8b) Here, Jesus sounded a little pessimistic about his disciples’ faith. Was he saying that no one would have faith in the coming kingdom of God in the last days? Probably not! He might be emphasizing the importance of spiritual struggle of faith in the coming of God’s kingdom for those who live in the last days. The opposite of faith here is disappointment.

In 1853, a baby boy was born to a Lutheran pastor in Holland. At the age of 16 the boy went to work for a firm of art dealers in The Hague. A few years later he took the opportunity to travel to England. There he fell in love with his landlady’s daughter, but she rejected him. In his grief he turned to Christ. He began helping a Methodist minister in small towns. The conviction grew that he should become a full-time evangelist, and in his mid-twenties he returned to Holland. He soon found great success in preaching to the poor, dressing like a peasant and living in their company. He washed their clothes, cared for their sick, consoled their dying and he led them to Christ. However, the church leaders of the day would have nothing to do with him and forced him to give up his ministry. He was so discouraged and disappointed that he eventually gave up even following Christ. He went back to the world of art and tried his hand at painting. His name was Vincent van Gogh. If he had overcome discouragement, van Gogh might have been able to express his commitment to Christ through his art and even beyond.

We are often discouraged, just like many servants of God have been, including Saint Paul who confessed in 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raised the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”

Are we discouraged? Are we discouraged by others or by our unfavorable human situation? Have some of us lost our vision and zeal for our ministry because of repeated failures? Have you lost your dream? Discouragement is one of our worst spiritual obstacles we should overcome. We must not remain in discouragement. We should always pray and not give up praying for God’s kingdom. May the Lord restore our faith and vision for each of our lives and for expanding God’s kingdom in the NY-campuses and communities through our prayers and ministering. We should stand firm, let nothing move us and always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, affirming that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:58)

THE SUDDEN COMING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
(Living Between Times)

Luke 17:20-37
Key Verse: 17:32-33

“Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

Today’s passage is Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees’ question concerning the time of the Advent, or the coming of God’s kingdom. The second coming of Jesus, we believe, is the culmination of God’s redemptive history and the end of the world. Throughout history, numerous scholars, historians, scientists, and preachers have been trying to figure out and predict the exact time of the end of the world, and many have been proved to be wrong. Stephen Hawking, the British physicist whose book “A Brief History of Time” sold over three million copies, recently confessed that the end of the world will be a lot later than he first thought. He now calculates that the end won’t happen for “at least ten billion years.” What? We don’t have to agree with him. However, according to Jesus, none of us will be able to figure it out (17:20-21), and it’s not for us to know the exact time of his second coming (Acts 1:7). Yet, we do know one thing for sure that our own end will come a lot sooner than the end of the world. Therefore, what we should be concerned about is not so much the eschatological signs but our lifestyle as long as we live in this world. That’s why Jesus said to his disciples in verses 32 and 33, “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” Let’s try to hear what Jesus is saying to us through today’s passage.

Look at verse 20a. “Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom would come, Jesus replied…” The Pharisees’ question about the coming kingdom of God was reasonable because Jesus had been preaching mainly about the kingdom of God. In fact, John the Baptist also had a question while he was in prison. He sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Lk 7:20) Most of the Jews in Jesus’ time, including John the Baptist, expected that the Messiah would appear soon and set them free from the rule of the Roman Empire. The Pharisees especially believed that the main reason for their exile to Babylon was due to their failure to obey the Law of God and to observe its regulations. So the Pharisees tried to observe the Law of God and regulations. And their observation of the law and regulations was often obsessive and made them spiritually blind. They probably thought that their observance would enhance the coming of God’s kingdom. Many of the Jews in Jesus’ time believed that Messiah would come at a Passover celebration. So as Jesus traveled toward Jerusalem to observe the Passover, they questioned Jesus when the kingdom of God would come.

Look at verse 20b. “Jesus replied, ‘the kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God within (among) you.’” There are several ways to understand the phrase “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation.” It could mean that the coming of the kingdom of God has nothing to do with the Pharisees’ observation of the law. It could also mean that the kingdom of God cannot be detected by visible signs. In fact, the coming of the kingdom of God will not be detected by anybody, so that no one will say, “Here it is!” or “There it is.” Even though there will be general signs of the end of the age, there will be no specific and drastic signs to show the coming of God’s kingdom. Yet, Jesus said in verse 20b, “because the kingdom of God is within you.” The NIV translation “within you” (Gr. Entos hymon) may not be the best translation of the Greek “Entos hymon”, which also mean “among you”, as the footnote indicates.

What Jesus meant here is that the kingdom of God has already come through his presence among them. Jesus once spoke to the people in the synagogue of his hometown Nazareth, quoting from messianic prophesies in Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Lk 4:18-19) Then Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (4:21) Here, the good news and the year of the Lord’s favor basically mean the grace of forgiveness of sins for all humankind. In other words, God’s kingdom had come through Jesus who came to offer God’s grace of forgiveness of sins.
But the Pharisees didn’t believe what Jesus had claimed about the coming of the kingdom of God. One of the main reasons that they didn’t accept Jesus’ teaching is that their external view of the kingdom of God was different from that of Jesus’ view of God’s kingdom, which is both internal and external.

The grace of forgiveness of sins brings the kingdom of God into our lives. According to Jesus, the kingdom of God starts from the inner world of our lives and goes beyond, as Romans 14:17 reads, “For the kingdom of God not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” One day, a young paralyzed man was brought to Jesus on the mat by his friends. We don’t know what caused his paralysis. The Jews in Jesus’ time considered sin as one of the main causes of paralysis. When Jesus saw the man lying on the mat, he said to him, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (Lk 5:20) Hearing what Jesus said to the paralytic, the Pharisees were offended. They said, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus then said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately, he stood up in front of them, took his mat and went home praising God. This paralyzed man had become a new person. Everyone was filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (5:26) What they actually saw through Jesus was the kingdom of God through the grace of forgiveness of sins. God’s glory here is this young man fully alive through the grace of forgiveness of sins. Likewise, if we accept Jesus as our Savior in our hearts, our sins are forgiven and the Spirit of Jesus enters and dwells in us, which means the kingdom of God is within us. (Ro 8:9-11) That’s what Jesus meant when he said, “The kingdom of God is within (among) you.”

After Jesus talked about the present kingdom of God among them in verses 20-21, Jesus turned to his disciples to talk about the futuristic kingdom of God in the following verses 22-37. In verses 22-24, Jesus mainly warns his disciples not to be misled or be deceived by false teachers who try to predict the exact time of Jesus’ second coming. Read verses 22-24. “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, “There he is!” or “Here he is!” Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.” People who are curious about eschatological events are easily tempted to run off after them. Jesus’ disciples were also very curious about the time of the coming of God’s kingdom. When Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, they immediately asked Jesus, “When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” (Lk 21:7) And after Jesus’ resurrection, they again asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) They were very curious about the times and dates. But Jesus said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8) There are many wonderful preachers and servants of God who, utilizing all their Biblical knowledge and spiritual insight, try to predict the time of Jesus’ second coming. But all of them were found to be incorrect. Jesus told us not to pay attention to the times or dates. We should focus on the power and work of the Holy Spirit.

Look at verse 25. “But first he (the Son of Man) must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” Here, Jesus indicates that there will be the first coming and the second coming of the Son of Man. We are living between the time of the first coming and the time of the second coming of Christ. The rest of the section is Jesus’ instructions to his disciples concerning how they should live between the times as his disciples. In verses 26-29, Jesus told two Old Testament illustrations, the times of Noah and the times of Lot, with which the second coming of Christ is compared to. The common factor of the times of Noah and the times of Lot in Sodom is the suddenness and unexpectedness of God’s judgment. According to the Bible narratives in Genesis chapters 6-9 and 19, we understand that the people in Noah’s time and the Sodomites in Lot’s time were wicked. But Jesus didn’t necessarily point out their moral wickedness. Instead, he simply said that people in Noah’s time and people in Sodom were doing what was considered normal in life, such as eating and drinking, buying and selling, marrying and being given in marriage. But they could not escape God’s judgment because they didn’t pay attention to the warnings through Noah and the angels who visited them.

For example, when Lot warned his future sons-in-law about God’s impending judgment, they thought he was joking. They might have been brilliant young guys. Yet, they regarded God’s warning as a joke. These young men didn’t have the fear of God in their hearts. When they didn’t have the fear of God, they became fools. (Prov. 1:7; Psalm 53:1) They could have escaped God’s judgment if they heeded God’s warning. The fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Look at verse 30. “It will be just like this on the day of the Son of Man is revealed.” God’s final judgment will be sudden and unexpected. It does not matter how famous, successful, or wealthy we are. Those who refuse or fail to heed God’s warnings will not be able to escape from it. Their loss will be irreversible.

Look at verses 31-32. “On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife!” Here, Jesus warns that unless one is free from the attachment to the things of the world, he or she cannot escape from God’s judgment. Lot’s wife is an illustrative example of someone who didn’t follow the warnings seriously enough. Actually, Lot himself wasn’t willing to leave the city. My parents escaped from North to South Korea when the communist regime came to power in the Northern part of the Korean peninsula. When my father left, he took his wife, his five children and his younger brother. Unfortunately, his parents didn’t want to leave because they underestimated the cruelty of the communists and didn’t want to give up their house and property there. You can imagine what happened to them after that. Their house and their property were confiscated by the communist regime, and they died after that. Lot also had a hard time to leave Sodom because he was so attached to his life in Sodom. He had his investments and a lot of possessions in Sodom. When he hesitated, the angels grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters, and led them safely out of the city for the Lord was very merciful to them. It was only by God’s mercy that they could escape from God’s judgment. The angel warned everyone not to look back on their way to the mountains, but Lot’s wife could not escape completely and looked back on the way. When she looked back, she became a pillar of salt. Why did she look back? It’s because she was so attached to something in Sodom.

Why did Jesus say to his disciples to “remember Lot’s wife”? It’s because it’s very easy for us to be like Lot’s wife. All of us are somehow attached to people or things of the world. In some sense, it’s very hard not to be attached to something in the world. For example, “America runs on Dunkin.” Many of us are attached to “Dunkin Donuts coffee” or “Starbucks coffee.” We are all attached to something. Some are attached to I-phone, Internet, music, sports, shopping, boy friend or girl friend. Some attachments do not seem as harmful as the others. And it’s not easy to overcome our attachment to the things of this world. We have an urge to look back. Even if we may have successfully overcome an addiction, there is always a danger of falling back into it.

Then when should we consider our attachment to be dangerous? It is most dangerous when we are in denial of our attachment. Some people say, “I don’t have an addiction problem. I can quit any time I want.” Probably, Lot’s wife didn’t think her attachment was a big deal. She thought that she could handle her problem. Yet, she couldn’t. In fact, she might have been in denial of her attachment. Maybe, she used to rationalize herself saying “Well, I am better than others.” But the cost she had to pay was beyond her imagination. She just looked back once and turned to a pillar of salt. It sounds too harsh. But that’s what happened to her.

We must take heed of Jesus’ warning through the example of Lot’s wife and struggle hard not to look back but look forward to what God has called us. Romans 13:12 and 14 reads, “The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Hebrews 11:15-16 also describes our forefathers of faith who struggled in the same way in their journey to heaven in this world, “If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Since our life in the world is already full of stress and problems, we don’t want to have to struggle more or be challenged by anything more than necessary. If possible, we want to live a comfortable life rather than to struggle emotionally, mentally and spiritually. But we must remember that living by faith means to struggle hard in order to follow the will of God in each step of our lives. We might need to relax from time to time. Yet, spiritually speaking, the moment we stop struggling before God, we become like a dead fish. It’s so difficult not to become like Lot’s wife. That’s why Jesus warned his disciples, “Remember Lot’s wife.”

So how should we live until Jesus comes again or as long as we live in this world? We should live a Christ-centered life, which involves imitating Christ’s person and service. Look at verse 33. “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” Jesus said the same thing to his disciples in Luke 9:23-24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Everyone in the world wants to save his or her life. But his disciples should live differently. Instead of trying to save themselves, they should let their lives go. How can they do that? We can lose our lives when we cling to Jesus, who is everything and the greatest reward from God.

Losing one’s life does not mean that we should not work for a living or pursue our worldly career. We should not neglect one of our tasks for the sake of the others. We need to prioritize and work very diligently. Most of all, we should never let Jesus go. Jesus should be our main goal in life. We should abide in Jesus, so that Jesus may abide in us through the Holy Spirit. (Jn 15:5) We should imitate his life as a servant of God and a shepherd of God’s flock. 1 Peter 5:2-4 reads, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

In conclusion, Jesus said to his disciples in verses 34-35, “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” What Jesus tried to tell his disciples in these verses is that there is a clear distinction between judgment and salvation on the day of his second coming. As Jesus mentioned in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, there is a chasm between heaven and hell so that no one can be transferred from one place to the other. Even loved ones can be permanently separated. Therefore, when there is still time left, we should share the gospel with those who have not heard or have not yet accepted it.

The disciples didn’t understand where people would be taken to. So they asked, “Where, Lord?” Jesus replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” This verse is hard to understand. What would Jesus be saying here? We are not sure. However, he might be saying that when he comes again, he will judge the living and the dead. In today’s passage, Jesus talks a lot about God’s final judgment. Although it makes us uncomfortable to hear it, we should heed his warnings. We know that God’s judgment will be sudden and unexpected. Like the people in the times of Noah and Lot, we should eat and drink, buy and sell. Yet, we should not be like the people in Noah’s time or the Sodomites who were destroyed because they failed to pay attention to God’s warning in their time. Let’s not take God’s warning lightly. Let us fear the Lord who will judge all men and women according to what they have done. Without the mercy of our God through Jesus, none of us can avoid God’s judgment. We don’t know when Jesus will come again. Yet, we don’t need to look back and despair about our past. We don’t need to be anxious about tomorrow either. We need to abide in Jesus so that Jesus may abide in us. We need to trust fully in God who is in control over everything. Heeding the warning from Jesus, may we not to lose our hearts to the things of the world but live a Christ-centered life day by day. Most of all may each of us grow in his grace and live as a shepherd of God’s flock and a hardworking and unworthy servant until the final day. Let’s read our key verses. “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

FAITH AS SMALL AS A MUSTARD SEED
(FORGIVE AND BE FORGIVEN)

Luke 17:1-10
Key Verse: 17:6

“He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it will obey you.’”

A pastor was asked to pray for a woman who was in her late forties. She was suffering from chronic stomach pains and arthritis. When the pastor prayed over her, he asked her if she was feeling hostility, anger or bitterness toward someone, and he felt led to ask specifically if she felt anger towards her sister. At first she said, “No. I haven’t seen my sister for 16 years.” The pastor asked further, “Are you sure?” Then she told him how years ago her sister had married a guy she loved and then later divorced him. “I cannot forgive my sister for that,” she admitted. “If you don’t forgive her,” the pastor told her, “your bones will waste away, just as David complained his did when he kept silent about his sin of adultery with Bathsheba.” When she heard his words she gave in. “What should I do?” she asked. The pastor told her to write her sister a letter, forgiving her and asking to renew their relationship. She wrote the letter immediately, but she did not mail it for several weeks. During that time she became more ill, until she thought she was going to die. Then she remembered the letter. Somehow she gathered her strength and drove to the post office and mailed it. The very moment she dropped the letter in the box, she experienced relief, and by the time she reached home she was completely healed.

It’s an amazing story that teaches us the necessity of forgiveness. When we don’t forgive others, it hurts us even more. Therefore, forgiving others is not necessarily for the sake of our offenders but for our sakes. In fact, our capacity to forgive the same person seven times every day is the key to our spiritual survival and happiness. In today’s passage, Jesus talked exclusively to his disciples about the necessity of forgiveness. According to Jesus, his disciples should watch themselves so that they would not cause others to sin and to forgive those who constantly offended them. Hearing what Jesus said, the disciples said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (5) Jesus replied that all they needed is faith as small as a mustard seed. Let’s think about what it means to have faith as small as a mustard seed.

Look at verse 1-3a. “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves” It seems that the main topic of these verses is causing or tempting someone to sin within a Christian community. Jesus had been warning about the seriousness of the sin of the Pharisees, particularly the sin of their hypocrisy which led many people astray. (12:1-3) Causing or tempting others to sin can also occur even among the believers in Christ because Christians are not perfect. All Christians carry their emotional baggage with them, their human flaws and old habits which can be offensive and prone to cause trouble.

It’s not hard to remember someone who hurt us. We can remember very clearly what others have done badly to us. We don’t forget those memories, but we have an easier time forgetting what we have done to others. We are cleansed through the blood of Jesus, forgiven and saved by God’s grace. That does not mean that we don’t need to be forgiven by our brothers and sisters whom we have caused emotional damages and spiritual harms in the past. In fact, seeking reconciliation is an essential process of sanctification for each Christian. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Even though offenses made by us may not be intentional, they are still such a serious matter that it would be better for us to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around our neck than to cause others to sin. Here, Jesus didn’t mean that we should take his warning literally by throwing ourselves into the sea with a millstone tied around our neck. Look at verse 3a. “So watch yourself.” What does it mean to watch oneself here? It is translated in ESV (English Standard Version) as “Pay attention to yourself.” (ESV) Jesus often rebuked the Pharisees because they loved to point out other’s faults while they paid no attention to their own faults. Lack of self-examination often leads us to feel self-righteous and be spiritually blind. As Christians, we need regular self-examination. Probably, some of the best ways to examine oneself are meditation on God’s words, prayer, and writing a spiritual journal based on God’s words. Psalm 139:23-24 reads, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” It’s also good for us to have a peer group so that we can support and watch one another.
Just as it is necessary for his disciples not to cause others to sin, so it is necessary for them to forgive those who offended them or sinned against them. Look at verses 3b-4. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents forgive him.” The disciple’s responsibility in helping those who fall into sin is twofold: admonition and generous forgiveness. For example, when King David sinned against God by committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah, God was displeased with him. And David was in deep agony in his soul. God could have struck him down with one blow. But God still loved David and was very patient with him. God sent the Prophet Nathan to help David. I wonder how Prophet Nathan responded when he first found out about what King David had done. I would not be surprised if he became very upset. Yet, he didn’t hurriedly rebuke David out of his anger, self-righteousness or even a mere sense of justice. He waited on God through his prayer. When he was told to go to David, he dealt with King David, a sinner, with sensitivity and wisdom, and courageously confronted him with his evil deeds. As a result, David could repent of his sins before God and be restored.

Rebuking someone who has sinned is not easy at all. Rebuking is different from being critical or just saying the right things. It’s also easy to say the right things at the wrong time and place. In fact, rebuking a fellow believer seems to be too risky. We might lose our friend. But rebuking a fellow sinning Christian is our responsibility as a Christian. When Jesus said “rebuke”, he meant all Christians should be accountable to one another so that there may be true unity and fellowship among the brothers and sisters in Christ. Every disciple needs accountability. It is essential for all Christians and Christian fellowships.

Look at verse 4. “If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.’” Here, we find a problem. Can we say that the repentance of the person, who repeats the same sin and comes back seven times every day and says, “I repent”, is sincere? May be or maybe not. For example, a Christian man has anger problem. When he is angry, he says and does things that are totally shocking and hurtful. He becomes emotionally violent and verbally abusive. But after his anger subsides, he deeply regrets what he has said and done. His verbal abuse has already caused much emotional and mental damage in the lives of his loved ones. Then he says, “I am sorry. I repent. Please, forgive me.” And he repeats the same thing over and over. What should we do with this kind of person? Jesus said that we should forgive him.

Was Jesus implying that we should endure such abusive words and actions unconditionally until we are victimized? Maybe not! Obviously, this kind of person needs special treatment, a long process of emotional, mental and spiritual healing, being supported by the love, counseling and prayers from his immediate family members, friends and the community of believers. The main point of Jesus’ teaching in this section seems to be “forgiveness.” Forgiveness is the most fundamental component of the gospel.

But forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do. Jesus said that if we refuse to forgive those who sinned against us, our Father in heaven won’t forgive us either. (Mt 6:15) It does not mean that God’s forgiveness of our sins is conditional. It rather teaches us the necessity of forgiving others. When we don’t forgive others, we become unhappy and gradually lose our spiritual power. In some cases, we may even develop emotional and mental stress and physical illness. We may even die prematurely. There is concrete evidence that grudges and resentment contribute to many of our illnesses: cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, migraine headaches. Our health is directly related to our ability to forgive. In fact, Jesus commanded us to forgive not necessarily for the sake of offenders but for our own sake.

Hearing what Jesus said, the disciples were shocked and said, “Increase our faith!”(5) They didn’t think that they had enough faith to forgive the same person seven times a day. Look at verse 6. “He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree. ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” According to Jesus, the disciples didn’t need huge faith that they didn’t have. Jesus was reminding them that even a little trust in God’s power and ability can result in unbelievable change in people’s lives. A mustard seed is very small, smaller than the size of a sesame seed. Mulberry trees are as tall as 30-35 feet when they are fully grown. They are very difficult to uproot. In order to uproot this kind of big tree, we definitely need power-tools and heavy duty equipment. Even if we might be able to uproot such a huge tree, how can we plant it in the sea? It may be not possible even with today’s advanced technology. Jesus said that when we have faith even as small as a mustard seed, we can even say to the mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea. And it will be done.

The power of God is beyond human reason, limitation and imagination. What is impossible with men is possible with God. (Lk 18:26; Mt 19:26) And we can experience God’s power when we have faith even as small as a mustard seed. If we believe that God can change us through the grace of forgiveness of sins and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can continue to exercise our faith, meaning that we can continue to ask the forgiveness and offer forgiveness those who offend us.
It’s easy to hurt one another in many ways. One contributing factor is that cultural differences are hard to overcome. Cultural difference is not necessarily just between different races or ethnicity. In fact, all human relationships are cross-cultural. Therefore, a lot of reconciliations have to be done every day more and more among the believers, so that they can continue to grow and be transformed into the vessel through which the Holy Spirit can work. We have a great vision to serve the whole world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But how can God use us if we pretend to be united and are not forgiving one another? Someone may say, “I have nothing to forgive and be forgiven.” But that’s not possible.

I heard the beautiful story of the spiritual revival in Korea around 100 years ago. There are many different views about the real cause that could have started the spiritual revival in Pyung Yang. One of them, which I believe is true, is that the revival started when the Canadian missionaries and the Korean elders began to forgive one another for the offenses they made between them and accepted the cultural differences between them. They publically confessed their sins and asked forgiveness with repentance. When they forgave each other, they became truly united and a great spiritual revival swept the entire nation.

Having spoken about the power of faith, Jesus told his disciples the parable of the unworthy servant in verses 7-10. Read verses 7-10. “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the sevant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servant; we have only done our duty.’” Why would Jesus suddenly tell the parable of the unworthy servant to his disciples who were asking him to increase their faith? (5) What is the parable of the unworthy servant related to Jesus’ previous teachings on the subject of forgiveness in verses 1-4?

Jesus wasn’t spouting random ideas here and there. His major theme is forgiveness. What really hinders us from experiencing God’s power in life and ministry is an unforgiving attitude. It’s only by God’s grace that we are forgiven and called to be the disciples of Jesus, the ministers of the gospel, missionaries, Bible teachers, and shepherds of God’s flock. However, if we begin to think that we are entitled to the honorary positions, reward and privilege because of our hard work and achievement, we lose genuine servant-ship. We become self-righteous and lose our genuine servant’s attitude. Although we started our Christian life with the grace of Jesus, it’s easy for us to stop living by God’s grace and live by legalism. And as a result, we lose our gospel faith. We don’t even recognize the difference between living by the gospel and living by legalism.

Saint Paul was a hard working and fruitful servant of God. There were so many people who were jealous of his success and slandered him behind his back. But Paul was so forgiving of them. However, he had never lost his genuine servantship all his lifetime. What was the secret? It’s because he not only preached the gospel but also practice the gospel in his daily life. He said in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God what was with me.”

Many people live with a victim mentality and are reluctant to forgive others. They blame others for their misery. But Jesus said that we should forgive them, not necessarily for their sake but for our sake. When we don’t forgive others, we become unhappy and spiritually powerless. Some people even begin to develop emotional, mental disorders and physical illness. Jesus said in his sermon on the mountain, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken to your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Lk 6:36-38) God’s mercy is unlimited. God’s grace of forgiveness of sins is overflowing. Because we have been abundantly forgiven by God, we are able to forgive others in turn. Forgiveness is a very big part of good Christian living. There is a direct connection between forgiving others and being forgiven. How capable are we of forgiving the same person? Our capacity to forgive is the key to our spiritual survival, success and happiness as Jesus’ disciples. Is there any wisdom of God for us to make us wise, powerful and truly fruitful? Yes, there is -the gospel of Jesus Christ, the grace of forgiveness of sins. Christ died for our sins on the cross, shedding his blood so that our sins may be forgiven. The gospel of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus can change people. It can change the world and bring God’s kingdom on earth.

May the Lord help us to restore our gospel faith, so that we may ask forgiveness and forgive others who offend us. In the midst of all offenses that were made against him, Jesus on the cross prayed, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.” Forgiveness! This is the gospel. This is the hope for everyone. This can be the beginning of our spiritual revival that is to come. If you are a Christian who believes in the gospel of forgiveness of sins, gospel faith is planted in you. Please continue to hold on to the gospel and exercise your faith in it. You will experience God’s power and miracles in and through your life.

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

Luke 16:14-31
Key Verse: 16:25

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.’”

In the wake of the catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti last week, our hearts are broken. Seeing the news reports on TV about the horrifying devastation there is heart wrenching. It’s hard to even describe how much pain and sorrows people there are experiencing now. I feel guilty even to eat hamburgers while so many people there have no water, no food and no shelter. On the other hand, I am glad that we can study today’s passage, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, so that we may learn how to help the people in Haiti and others, both for the short and the long run, utilizing our worldly wealth and any resources we have. We also must pay attention to the spiritual teachings of Jesus in this passage.

In last week’s passage, 16:1-13, we learned through the parable of the Shrewd Manager that we should use our money and worldly wealth for the advancement of God’s kingdom in the lives of others. Today’s passage is the continuation of Jesus’ teaching that what we have is not ours but given by God. Jesus taught this parable in response to the Pharisees who thought that Jesus’ teaching was too extreme and unrealistic.

Look at verses 14-15. When the Pharisees, who loved money, heard him say “Man cannot serve both God and Money”, they sneered at him. They rolled their eyes, dismissing him as hopelessly out of touch. Jesus’ teaching on the subject of worldly wealth wasn’t well accepted by his audience. I think even his own disciples didn’t like it. Yet, Jesus was not affected by their rejection and reluctance. He didn’t change the subject. He kept speaking the same subject. In fact, he challenged the fundamental value system of the people, particularly the Pharisees, in the following verses. Look at verse 15. “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” Even though the Pharisees appeared to be holy and righteous in the eyes of people, they were not as holy and righteous as they appeared to be. They might have given tithe regularly and even contributed donations from time to time, but in reality they treasured and worshiped money more than God and people who were in need. Jesus knew that the religious leaders of his time didn’t believe in God. They believed in the power of money. For example, for the sake of making money, they even made the Jerusalem Temple as a market place – a den of robbers. Making money is not sinful. We need money. But for the sake of money, they made the Temple like money-making business, walked over people, even used them and engaged in a host of unethical and other destructive actions. (Mk 11:16-17)

The nation Israel was in a bad shape economically, socially and politically. It seemed that God had abandoned them. But that was no excuse for anyone to trust money more than God. When Jesus said that what is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight, it was a serious warning to all of us. This reminds us of what Jesus said in Mark 13:14, which reads, “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”

Read verses 16-18. “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” These verses didn’t seem to be connected to the previous or the following passages. Why did Jesus suddenly talk about the Law, the Prophets and the good news of the kingdom of God? When we consider these verses in the context of Luke’s Gospel, we can understand better. Jesus had been mainly talking about the kingdom of God, which is the message of the gospel of forgiveness. Jesus often welcomed the tax collectors and sinners who had bad reputations for their moral and ethical behaviors. Then the Pharisees criticized Jesus, saying “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (15:1-2) In the eyes of the Pharisees, Jesus’ association with law-breakers was unacceptable. However, they didn’t know that they were also law-breakers by loving money more than God, which they would never admit.

Jesus knew that nobody can keep the Law of God perfectly enough to enter God’s kingdom. The only hope for any of us to enter God’s kingdom is through the grace of forgiveness of our sins. That’s why he said, “The Law and the Prophets were proclaiming until John (John the Baptist). Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.”

What is the good news of the kingdom of God that is being preached through Jesus and his disciples? It is the grace of forgiveness of sins through Jesus, the Messiah. This reminds of Romans 8:3-4, “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did they sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” One of the focal points Jesus had been teaching to his disciples and the Pharisees in Luke’s Gospel is “the law vs. God’s grace”, “legalism vs. gospel” or “the good will vs. the blood of Jesus Christ.”

They say that the amount of the contribution for the earthquake victims in Haiti through text messaging has already tripled that of the support for the tsunami victims in Indonesia a few years ago. People seem to have become more generous than before even in this difficult time of economic downturns. I am so amazed and encouraged by the outpouring support and a sense of solidarity with the suffering people in Haiti. That’s good and beautiful. We should do it more and more. However, we have to be a little careful. We know that being generous is not enough to enter God’s kingdom. Why not? Because our good will, good intention, small or big contributions or even religious practices do not necessarily assure that we will enter heaven. Only the blood of Jesus Christ does. This is not easy to accept for most people. Although we live in a multi religious world, it seems that the majority of people today believe in life after death. When those who say they believe in life after death are asked where they will go when they die, 76% say heaven, 2% hell, 4% purgatory, 12 % somewhere else, and 6% either say they don’t know or refuse to answer the question. Where do you think you are going to after you die? It’s an important question. It’s surprising to see that only 2% of people say that they are going to hell. If only 2% of people are going to hell, most of us here will go to heaven anyway, so Jesus’ teachings about hell seem irrelevant. In fact, we don’t talk about hell much even in the church. After all, it’s a very uncomfortable subject. However, didn’t Jesus talk a lot about hell and heaven? Didn’t he tell us that wide is the road that leads to destruction and narrow is the gate that leads to eternal life? (Mt 7:13-14) It means that most people do not know that they are on the road to hell. From Jesus’ point of view, the Pharisees were on the road to hell and didn’t know it.

What did Jesus do for them? In verses 19-31, Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus to awaken the spiritually blind people. The story has three parts: the situation before death (19-21), the situation in the afterlife (22-23) and the comments about that situation (24-31). The story goes like this: There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in a luxurious life. No doubt, this extremely rich man owned a huge mansion on the eastern hillside of a mountain, with all the amenities. He lived a pretty comfortable life. At his door, however, lay a diseased beggar named Lazarus. His body was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there he was longing to eat from the rich man’s table. I guess from time to time, the rich man’s servant threw big or small pieces of steak into a garbage can. Although Lazarus’s body was covered with sores, he wasn’t taken care of. No medicine or treatment was given to him. The rich man didn’t pay attention to this poor guy. He was ignored and abandoned by this rich man. Only street dogs would come around him and licked his sores. By looking at this picture, it seems that life is so unfair. But the situation is completely reversed when both of them died.

Look at verses 22-23. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him, not his body but his soul, to Abraham’s side. When Lazarus walked into heaven, escorted by a host of angels, so many citizens of God’s kingdom cheered and threw a huge welcoming party. Even though he was poor in this world, he still loved God and lived by faith, longing for God’s kingdom. The rich man also died and was buried. I am sure his coffin was a well decorated and expensive one. His funeral was very impressive. But the angels did not come to carry him to heaven. He went to hell directly instead, where his soul was in torment. It’s scary. In hell, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. What a contrast it is! Many people may think that if we die, we die completely. But that’s not true. There is life after death, which is a real and eternal one. Some people might think that life is unfair. But we learn that God is not unfair. Jesus’ main focus in his teaching is the kingdom of God and life after death.

Look at verse 24. The rich man called to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.” Obviously, the rich man supposed to be used to hot sauna. But the fire of hell wasn’t anything close like that. He was in deep agony in the fire of hell. When he saw the poor beggar Lazarus by the side of Abraham, he immediately asked him to let Lazarus to assist him to ease his agony. It almost sounded as if Lazarus was his servant. He never had any respect for Lazarus’ life both before and after death. All his life, the rich man despised the poor beggar. He never thought of Lazarus as such a precious and important person, who bears the beautiful image of God and would sit with honor and glory right beside Father Abraham. Here, we learn something very important. It’s easy for us to judge people based on their financial status, skin color, and racial or ethnic backgrounds. Those human conditions are given by God. All men and women are created equal before God and have inalienable rights to pursue their life, liberty and happiness. Therefore, we as God’s children ought to respect the life of any human beings on earth. But the rich man who ignored the poor beggar actually ignored God himself.

Look at verse 25. “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.’” Here, we should not think that Lazarus was comforted in heaven simply because he was poor in this life and the rich man was in agony in hell because he was rich in this life. Being rich is not sinful and being poor is not something we can brag about either, and vice versa. However, poverty is often considered as God’s curse and wealth considered as God’s blessing in the world. Some people think that the US and European countries are rich because these countries are Christian countries and Korea is becoming rich because there are many Christians and many missionaries are sent from Korea. It may be true. But that’s always the case. What about Japan? Japan is the second richest nation and the second and third largest economy in the world. In terms of religion, Japanese are idol-worshipers. What about China? Of course, it is God who can make us rich or poor. But when we begin to measure God’s blessing in terms of material blessing, we become like the Pharisees in the Bible. Yet, we must not make mistake in this: God’s intention and purpose in making a person rich is to make him a steward of his wealth so that he can share it with others and everyone’s need is met.

I want to give two examples in the Scripture. First, the Lord said to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 15:1-4 reads, “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelites. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. However there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you.” This is God’s promise of blessing for the covenant people Israel. In the land of God’s promise, God wanted his people to work hard and live in prosperity and peace. God wants His people to share their wealth through their love, mutual respect and accountability. So integrity, accountability and compassion are required from each citizen, so that there may be no abuse or mistreatment of others. Most of all, the cancelation of debt is like the grace of forgiveness of our sins. We also notice that foreigners were excluded from the blessing of cancelation. I thought it was unfair. But that’s the point. If foreigners want cancelation of their debt, they need to accept God’s covenant.

This common wealth idea is found also in the early church, described in Acts 4:32-34. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” When I read and studied these passages, I said to myself, “Wow! How idealistic but unrealistic it is! How is it possible to do that in this day and age?” In fact, most Christian communities, except the early Christian community in Jerusalem and a handful of Christian communities in history, do not seem to practice the principle of common wealth. Jesus wasn’t preaching the idea of capitalism, communism or socialism on earth or any particular Christian denomination or religion on earth. He preached the kingdom of God, in which all people worship and love the Lord Almighty, our Father and love one another. And it is possible only in heaven through the grace of forgiveness of sins. That’s why he said that he was going to the Father to prepare the place for us … and no one can come to the Father, except through him. (Jn 14:1-6)

Look at verse 26. “And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” There are many bridges and tunnels between Queens and Manhattan. But this verse clearly reveals that there are no bridges, tunnels or channels between heaven and hell, so that travel between hell and heaven is not possible. Once you are in hell, you cannot be transferred to heaven and you will have to spend eternity in hell. So before you die, you have to make sure that you are going to heaven. The main point of this parable isn’t about who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. But it’s very important to think about it. Jesus said to Nicodemus that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he or she is born again. (Jn 3:3, 5) We need to be born again spiritually by repenting of our sin and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. However, the problem is that we cannot intentionally save ourselves because salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Salvation is God’s gift. If God does not save you, you cannot be saved. But we need to repent and believe the good news. In fact, God can put us into hell or in heaven. We all deserve to go to hell because of our sins. But we don’t have to go to hell if we accept the grace of forgiveness of our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Look at verses 27-31. The rich man pleaded with Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house to warn his brothers because he knew that they were coming to where he was. Then Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them. “No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Here, we learn that the main reason people reject God’s truth is that they love darkness instead of light. (Jn 3:19) The rich man represents the Pharisees and his five brothers. They were going to hell, not because they were rich but because they as God’s chosen people disobeyed the Law of God. They had a chance to repent and accept the grace of forgiveness of sins, but they didn’t. Time was running out. No one can enter the kingdom of God except by the grace of forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ who became the ransom for our sins. The cancelation of our sin is given to us as a gift. In fact, all we have is given by God, money, material wealth and the gift of God’s salvation through the grace of forgiveness of sins. We are to share these gifts with others.

Now, what should we do in the wake of such a terrible tragedy of our brothers and sisters in Haiti? We should pray for them, send material and financial support as much as we can and share their pains together. James 2:14-16 reads, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” 1 Timothy 6:17-18 reads, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” Of course, we don’t go to heaven simply by donating a lot of money to the poor. We should not also think that by giving money we have done our duty. Giving money is not the real point. The point is God’s compassion.

What Jesus was trying to say through the parable is that God’s children should be compassionate and merciful toward one another. God cares for each individual, the poor, the rich and the middle class. We are to be merciful toward one another. Poor people should not think that they are entitled to be helped by rich people simply because they are poor. We all need God’s mercy so much regardless of our physical and material condition. We might happen to fail to show mercy to our immediate neighbor. There are plenty of people around you who need your merciful care and love from you. There are plenty of people who are crying out for your attention, love and care. Let’s pay attention to them and show our love and care. If you do, you are living a truly beautiful and wonderful life.

USE YOUR WORLDLY WEALTH TO GAIN FRIENDS

Luke 16:1-13
Key Verse: 16:9

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Worldly success is mainly measured by the amount of money we make. When you have lots of money, you can buy almost anything you want and live a pretty decent and comfortable life. Most people in the world want to make lots of money and become rich. Even though deep down in our hearts most of us know that money cannot make us truly happy, we can’t deny the notion that more money means more freedom, power and leisure. We feel more secure when we have enough money in our bank account. However, the pursuit of material wealth can cause serious consequences in our lives. Someone wrote in an article of the Wall Street Journal, “Money is a universal passport to everywhere except heaven.”

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager in today’s passage clearly teaches us that money and the other material resources we possess are not ours. Rather they have been placed under our care in order to meet the needs of those around us. Some of us might think that living a spiritual life has little to do with money or other material wealth. But that’s not true at all. According to today’s passage, the way we use our money and other material resources is a litmus test of spiritual stewardship which will determine our eternal future. Jesus said, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Most peoples’ lives in our country, except a few rich people, are consumed mainly by their strenuous struggle to pay off their debts, like college tuition loans, house mortgages, car payments, health insurance, life insurance, credit card debts, and retirement plans. Most of us are paying off our house mortgages our whole adult life. In today’s passage, Jesus teaches his disciples the best way to invest their money and material wealth for their eternal future. It’s not like a 401K or any other retirement plan we know of. Let’s think about the best investment strategy Jesus taught us.

Look at verses 1 and 2. “Jesus told his disciples: ‘There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.’ So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.” The manager in the parable was in deep trouble because his master was determined to fire him after finding out about his mismanagement. Some managers of the household in the ancient world often took care of their master’s entire estate. The owner would entrust everything to the care of the manager who would work wisely and faithfully to make his master rich and prosperous.

Joseph in the book of Genesis was the prime example of what the household manager should be like. When he was young, he was sold as a slave in Egypt by his step brothers. His master Potiphar discovered that he was a capable and trustworthy person and put him in charge of everything in his household. In the course of time, Joseph was misunderstood and wrongly accused of a crime. He was put in prison unjustly. However, he didn’t lose his sense of a stewardship. The warden recognized Joseph’s quality and made him responsible for everything that was done there. He trusted Joseph and paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care. When Joseph became a prime minister of Egypt, he made the king very rich and saved many lives, including his family members, during the sever famine that lasted for more than seven years. The manager in the parable, however, was not a trustworthy manager. He was irresponsible and unfaithful. His master demanded him to give an account of his management, and gave him the final notice that he was fired from his job. (2)

What did this dishonest and unfaithful manager do? Look at verses 3-7. The manager said to himself, “What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. He realized that since he was not strong enough for manual labor and was too proud to beg on the street, he had to use his brain. After all, if he was fired because of his dishonesty, who would give him a job? He needed to think quickly. Then a light bulb came on! Snapping his fingers, he said, “I know what I will do so that, when I lost my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.” (4) His future plan required immediate action.

What did he do? Look at verses 5-7. He visited those who owed debts to his master one by one, and reduced their debts drastically without his master’s permission. He went to the first one and asked, “How much do you owe my master?” “Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,” he replied. Then the manager told him, “No problem. Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.” The manager went to the second and asked, “How much do you owe?” “A thousand bushels of wheat,” he replied. He told him, “Take your bill and make it eight hundred.” In those days, the Jews were forbidden to lend money for interest. However, they somehow got around this by lending out commodities instead of cash, like olive oil, corn, or wheat, and charging interest. Since you could dilute the oil, the interest on olive oil was 100 percent. On wheat, interest was about 20 percent. So the discounted amount of their debt might have been just interest. We still have some difficulty understanding how big the debts are, since they are not stated in dollar value. Eight hundred gallons of olive oil were worth three years’ wages. Somebody calculated that eight hundred gallons of olive oil was worth 75,000 dollars. So this guy saved nearly 30 or 40 thousand dollars. You can imagine how happy he was, as were the other people whose debts were drastically reduced. They became good friends. Later, when the manager lost his job, they would welcome him into their house. His plan really worked out well. On the other hand, the master lost the chance to collect the full amount. He must have been even more furious about this shrewd guy. Yet, he could not press charges against him apparently because he knew that charging interest in Israel was an illegal practice.

Now, the point Jesus made in verses 8 and 9 is not surprising. The master in the parable actually commended his dishonest manager, not for his dishonesty but for his prudence and shrewdness in spending his wealth to secure his future. Then Jesus said in verses 8b-9, “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” The people of this world are like this dishonest manager. Look how shrewd he was in dealing with his own kind! Look how much effort he put into securing his future security, when his job was at risk. Jesus’ point is not really about how we can make friends who can give us a place to stay or something to eat. The people of light, God’s children, must be shrewd in the same way, but for what is right: using their worldly wealth in every opportunity and even during adversity to prepare for the heavenly future.

Look at verse 9 again. “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” There are similarities and differences between verse 9 and the manager’s experience. The similarity is that we should use our wealth to gain friends who will give us a place to stay once it is gone. The difference is that we should make different kind of friends, who will welcome us into a different kind of dwelling. The manager made friends who could give him a place to stay for a while. But we should make the kinds of friends who will welcome us into eternal dwellings.

What are eternal dwellings? These dwellings are in heaven. Jesus said in John 14:2, which reads, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” These eternal dwellings are wonderful – they are described in Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem, a city with streets of gold, gates of pearl and foundations of precious jewels. There are no mortgage payments in heaven. God our Father will wipe all our tears and make his dwelling with us.

When Jesus said that the people of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light, he was rebuking us. If the people of this world are more concerned with planning for such short lives in this world, shouldn’t we who have an eternal hope have more concern and investment for the future? It’s extremely expensive to buy a house anyplace in New York, not to mention in Manhattan. Those who own houses have huge mortgage payments. Then what about the mortgage for an eternal dwelling? It should be sky high, outside of our price range. But Jesus tells us that it is not. We can use our worldly wealth to make friends who will welcome us into eternal dwellings.

Then who are the people whom we should make friends with by using our worldly wealth? Actually, it’s Jesus himself. Jesus said in the parable of the sheep and goats, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in… I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:35-40) We can use our worldly wealth to make Jesus our friend. Jesus does not need our money. But we can actually serve him by serving people who are in need. We are so stressed living in this city that it’s easy to ignore the ones who are suffering, not even realizing it. We also remember the similar lesson from Jesus in Luke 14, where he taught, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Lk 14:12-14)

Some of us may think, “I don’t have money” or “I don’t have enough money to use to make friends.” Worldly wealth is not limited only to money. Everyone has his or her wealth that can be shared with others, such as time, talents, position, knowledge, human experiences, kind words, smiling face, warm heart, listening ears, understanding mind, counseling skills, cooking skills, compassion, etc. There are so many resources that we are not even aware of. There are also so many people who are in need.

Read verses 10-12. “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” We will be held accountable for how we use our worldly wealth. In the last day, the Lord will ask each of us to give an account of our management. Those who have been honest and trustworthy with their money and other material resources by using them to gain friends will be greatly rewarded in heaven.

The most fundamental assumption in handling our money and other resources is that we are not the owner but the steward of them. This is very hard to accept it because we think that what we have earned is ours and that we can use it as we want. It’s hard to give away. But in Luke’s gospel, Jesus repeatedly makes the point that what we have is not ours but entrusted to us, and God watches how we use it. In Luke 12, Jesus told the Parable of the Rich Fool, “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ The he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my bars and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
How many of you think of yourself as rich? How many of you think of yourself as poor? Nearly 8 million Americans have lost their jobs due to recent economic downturns. So if you have a job, you should consider yourself very lucky. In fact, most of us who live in the US are rich compared to the majority of the world’s population. We have so much. The issue is not how much we have but how we use our resources not only for ourselves but for others. If we waste what God has entrusted to our care on earth, God will not be happy with us.
Jesus said in verse 13, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” The fundamental issue here is “Do I serve God or our resources?” For most of us, this is the most fundamental question in life. Someone may think, “Well, I can handle myself. I can serve both God and money.” But Jesus said that we can’t. We will have to make a choice between God and money. Money is meant to be a source of blessing. It is to be used to bless us, our neighbors and the world. But money can be a source of grief when we don’t practice proper stewardship. As a matter of fact, the pursuit of wealth can cause serious consequences in a person’s life. How? First of all, we will love God less and less until we ignore him, undervalue family and friends, walk over people, even use them and engage in a host of unethical and other destructive actions. That’s why Saint Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
These days, due to the unstable economy, people are reluctant to invest their money in stocks, bonds and properties. I heard that a lot of people are buying gold instead, thinking that gold is a safe store of value. But we know that nothing lasts forever, even gold. And when we die, we cannot carry anything with us. The most secure investment strategy is using our wealth for God. It does not mean to donate all your money to your church. The fact is that we have a lot of resources that can be very useful. By using and utilizing our money and other resources in serving people, we can make a difference in many peoples’ lives. This is the best investment strategy which will guarantee us a great future. The question is how we are utilizing and using them for good purpose. As long as we live in the world, we cannot completely separate ourselves from dealing with our money and material wealth. In fact, how we use our money and the other resources is the litmus test of our spiritual stewardship and will determine our future. May God help us to be wise investors and good managers of God.

JESUS, THE HOPE OF ALL CREATION

Luke 2:21-38
Key Verse: 2:30-32

“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

Happy New Year! Regardless of their culture and religion, all people wish each other the best blessing on New Year’s Day. “Happy New Year!” in Chinese is “Xin nian kuai Le!”, “Feliz ano nuevo” in Spanish, “Kul’am wa antum bikhair” in Arabic, “L’shannah Tovah” in Hebrew, and in Korean it is “Saehae bock mani ba deu sei yo!“ According to the Chinese calendar, the Year of 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs. The Tiger is a sign of courage. Some people hang paintings of a tiger on the wall facing the entrance of their house because this fearless animal is supposed to ward off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts. What kind of blessing do you want this year? What would you consider the greatest blessing in your life? What can be the blessing to all people of all nations?

In today’s passage, Joseph and Mary, Jesus’ parents, met two senior citizens, Simeon and Anna, who were led by the Holy Spirit and praised God during the dedication of the child Jesus at the temple court. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Lk 2:14) But this time the angel didn’t appear. Instead, the Holy Spirit came upon Simeon. Simeon said that he had seen God’s salvation for all people in the child. And the child was going to be a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to his people Israel. (32) It’s very clear that we, whether we are Jewish or non-Jewish, are truly blessed by the birth of this child. Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I have seen your salvation for all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” What was said about him was remarkable. Let’s think about what his words mean to all of us today.

Look at verses 21-24. According to the Law of Moses, on the eighth day, Jesus was circumcised and named Jesus, according to the angel’s instruction before he had been conceived. Then after the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (Lev 12:4-5) They brought to the Lord a pair of doves or two young pigeons, which were called “the offering of the poor.” (24; Lev 12:8)

Look at verses 25-27. Now, there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was more than just a good man. He lived a righteous life, totally devoted to God. He was eagerly expecting and longing for God’s help for the people of Israel. I believe that he was a man of prayer. And the Holy Spirit was upon him, which could mean that he was filled with and led by the Holy Spirit. (Lk 1:67) Apparently, Simeon was a very old man, whose death was very near. Yet, it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before had seen the Lord’s Christ. One day, moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. At the time of the presentation in the temple court, Joseph and Mary could have been waiting in line with many other parents. Outwardly, the child Jesus didn’t look special. He just looked like an ordinary child. Yet, the Holy Spirit led Simeon to identify the child Jesus who would be the Messiah of the world. The Holy Spirit gave spiritual insight to see the child who would be the Messiah of the world. This is an amazing revelation from God.

No one can know who Jesus really is unless he or she is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. In other words, no one can realize the grace of God, the amazing grace of forgiveness of sins except by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. For example, when Simon Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” (Mt 16:16-17) Jesus also said in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him to me and I will raise him up at the last day.” Even if we might be able to obtain the knowledge of the world, the knowledge of God’s salvation is given only by God through the Holy Spirit.

What did the Holy Spirit teach Simeon about the child Jesus? Look at verses 29-32. He took him in his arms and praised God, saying “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Simeon was a faithful servant of God who had been faithfully watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah through his life of prayer and dedication. Now, he was released from his duty. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simeon told Mary and Joseph that their child Jesus was God’s salvation, which had been prepared not just for the people of Israel but also for the people of all nations of the world. It seems that Simeon was neither a priest, like Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, nor a Jewish rabbi. He was a layman, who was fully dedicated to the Lord. But his spiritual understanding far exceeded most Jewish religious leaders in Jesus’ time. Throughout history, including Jesus’ time, many people have claimed that they are inspired by God or the Holy Spirit. Yet, Jesus warned us that we should be careful and able to test their spirits. How do we test whether they are true or fake? How do we know that we are true or fake? It depends on the fruit of one’s life. A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (Mt 7:15-23) I don’t think Simeon even claimed that he was God’s inspired man. Luke said only that he was a righteous man, fully devoted to God.

Look at verse 33. When Simeon said that their child was a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to the people of Israel, Joseph and Mary were shocked by his words. Why? It’s because the Jews had expected a Messiah to deliver only Israel, and no one expected the Messiah to be for all people. But Simeon said that the child Jesus is the light not just for the people of Israel but also for the people of all nations. (32) When Jesus was born, the angel appeared to several shepherds and said, “Do not be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” (2:12) Then the host of the great angels appeared from heaven, praising God, and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (2:14) If we summarized all these messages in one sentence, it would be “Jesus is God’s salvation for all people.”

What does it mean that Jesus is God’s salvation? Does it simply mean that we will not be punished for our sins? Does it mean that we will be rich and happy in the world? Does it mean that we will not have any more pains, problems and sufferings? Does it mean that we will not sin at all? Does it mean that Jesus will make us a better person? Does it mean that Jesus will make a better world? It’s much more complex than we can think. It seems that we, as evangelical Christians, tend to oversimplify the gospel in an effort to appeal to as many as people as possible. But the truth is that God’s salvation is deep. It is a mystery of God, God’s deepest wisdom and holds the secrets of eternal life for His children. Saint Paul explained God’s salvation plan in Romans systematically and logically. Yet, he confessed that God’s salvation is God’s mystery in Romans 11:33-36. I would like how the Message Bible narrates, “Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.” (The Message) Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation, justification, sanctification and glorification. We are forgiven through the sacrificial death of Jesus, and are being sanctified through the Holy Spirit based on Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross and will be glorified by his second coming.

Some people may ask, “If we are saved, why are we still suffering in this world?” Why is there so much pain in peoples’ lives? There is no simple answer to this question. But Romans 8:19-25 explains it well. According to these verses, our life in this world is the pains of childbirth. I like to read it in the New Living Translation. “For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of the future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently “

God’s salvation in Jesus is not a small blessing. What we, as God’s children and Christians, are anticipating is not small or petty. According to what the Scripture testifies, the glory of God’s salvation is beyond our imagination. Paul said that in Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” So what glory are we anticipating? It’s the glory of the resurrection. Our earthly body is like a seed, which is planted in the soil. So with what kind of body will we come in the resurrection? When we plant a “dead” seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. Likewise, the dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different. (1 Corinthians 15:37-39, the Message) God loves us so dearly that he gave us such a wonderful blessing of eternal life. That’s not all. The world we live in is not going to last forever. The first earth will pass away and a new heaven and a new earth will come down from heaven. It is the The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which will be our eternal dwelling place. Now, we know why Jesus is the hope of all people and the whole creation.

In verses 34-35, holding the child Jesus, Simeon prophesied further about Jesus. “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” Paradoxically, not all Israel will be blessed but many in Israel will fall because of Jesus. How could he be the cause of the falling and rising of many? It’s because as some people reject Jesus, their real selves will be exposed. It reminds of us John 3:19, which reads, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

Simeon also prophesied suffering for Mary, warning that a sword would pierce her soul. This is quite surprising. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, didn’t he say that she was the most blessed woman? (Lk 1:28) She even recognized herself as being blessed. (1:48) But in reality, she was to suffer poverty and pain. She had to see her most loved ones die, first her husband Joseph and then her son Jesus. When Jesus was crucified, Mary felt like she was being crucified. From a human point of view, Mary’s life was nothing but tragic. How can we say that she was the most blessed woman? If that’s the blessing, how many of us would really want to be blessed? Some people seem to suffer more than others. Some people seem to enjoy more than others. Some live long and some live short lives. We often compare ourselves with others. We envy those who seem to be better off than us. If there is no resurrection, life is not fair. Yet, what God has prepared for His loving children is far greater than any of us deserves and can imagine. When we realize God’s salvation plan through Jesus Christ, we know that we possess great heavenly wealth, which is real and eternal, not like things of the world which are temporal and not real. Even when you are poor, you are truly rich.

All of us are living in hope, but what is your hope this year? What is the hope of Israel? What is the hope that all people can have and rejoice and will never disappoint us? Fundamentally, there is only one true hope, and that is the hope of glorious resurrection and the new world in and through our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We are called for this glorious hope. Some of us suffered a lot last year. But your sufferings in Christ are not in vain. You have the glorious hope in Jesus. Although we may suffer for a while in this world, we don’t need to be discouraged, for we have the sure hope of glorious resurrection. Let us work hard for the Lord and His people knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. Let us share this glorious hope with those who don’t know it diligently, patiently, confidently and humbly. Most of all, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and the hope of all creation.