PRAISE TO GOD

2009 Year B Sixth Sunday in Lent
PRAISE TO GOD
Philippians 2:6-11

Comparing with other religions, the most deceive different fact of Christianity is to believe Jesus as the son of God. The son of God means Jesus and God is one and the same in their nature. If Jesus nature is same with God then it also means Jesus is God. This is the reason that Judaism and Christianity don’t accept each other though they believe the same God of the Old Testament. Judaism doesn’t accept Jesus as God nor recognize him as Messiah. They are still waiting for the Messiah the savior.

Why Judaism doesn’t recognize Jesus as Messiah, God? On the contrary, why does Christianity believe Jesus as God? We cannot simply avert this question saying that we have faith but Judaism not. The Jews say that you have to show a relevant proof if Jesus is really Messiah. The stories written in the gospels cannot be a proof for them. The proof they are asking is the practical change of the world. The world seems not much change even after Jesus’ coming. The cheaters are living well and kidnappers also never disappear. The country with a strong military power rules over a week country. These things happened 2000 years ago and the same thing happens even today. There is some reason in their argument that the world should be changed if Jesus is true Messiah.

Even today Christians are asked from the world to prove the fact Jesus is the son of God. Facing this question, some Christian tries to give them a proper answer. They stand on their inner peace as a proof after believing Jesus. Or say prosperous of their business. Of course, it is very precious experience to live happy life after believing Jesus. However, such things are not much decisive thing for the reason to say Jesus is the Saviour. There are many happy people without having faith in Jesus. The followers of other religions also have a similar experience.

If these things cannot be the answer then what on earth what answer can we give them? How can we prove Jesus is Messiah, that is, God? In fact this is not the matter of proof. Suppose there is a poet. He lives by believing that for him poem is everything and his entire life is depended on it. However, for others poet doesn’t have an absolute meaning. How can the poet proof it? It cannot be solved by proof. Entering into the world of poem is the unique way to prove it. Likewise, the only way to prove Jesus is God is to enter into the faith of Christianity.

Today’s content, Philippians 2:6-11 correctly teach us the faith of Christianity. According to the Bible scholars this text was a doxology that was singing together by early Christians. The doxology of those days didn’t consist of a complicate melody of today but of simpler melody than Gregorian chant. It is similar of the apostle’s creed recitation of us. Paul quoted this well-known doxology when he wrote a letter to the Christian in Philippians church. We call this doxology as ‘kenosis’ which means ‘'self-emptying' of one's own will and to become entirely receptive to God and his perfect will’, especially applicable to Jesus.

Self-effacing God
Verse 6 express Jesus as follows. “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.” Jesus was God in very nature but had taken the nature of servant. The word ‘nature’ used in verse 6 and 7 are ‘Morphe’ in Greek. Plato and Aristotle also used this term frequently. For Plato this meant an external form, shape and character while Aristotle Hylomorphism- the system of substance. In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament ‘Morphe’ rarely appears and it indicates ‘shape, image and expression’. Some theologian explains that the ‘Morphe’ here is exactly same as glory (doxa) seeing the visible shape of a divine existential form. The another theologian defines differently pointing out that ‘Morphe’ is not merely indicating the divine shape of Jesus Christ or his status or position as follows. “Morphe is the way of existence to prescribe existence from its nature. It is closer to nature but is not identified with nature.” (G. Gnilka, International Bible commentary, Philippians, p. 193) The more important point in this chant is not a speculative definition about ‘Morphe’ but the starting point of thought that Christ’s existing as the way of pre-existence. This thought indicates the salvation incident of Jesus Christ.

You feel difficulty to follow the above explanation due to its theological complication. It is because of my poor explanation but in fact it has very clear content. Here the meaning of ‘Morphe Deus’ which is the nature of God has not much weight. We cannot understand God’s Morphe demonstratively for it is another dimension of the world. The early Christianity tried to explain a certain substance which indicated God with a Greek word, “Morphe”. Instead of ‘Morphe Deus’ we knows ‘Morphe Dulus’, that is the nature of servant. Jesus’ shape, nature and existence that have lived in this world historically were ‘Morphe Dulus’. The chant of Christ sings like this. “…but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”(7)

Yes. Jesus lived as the same human like us. The very Jesus is God. Morphe Deus had taken the form of Morphe Dulus. He is the very Jesus. Jesus is human and at the same time he is God. So, early Christianity confessed Jesus as “vere homo, vere Deus”, a true man, a true God. We also are confessing the same.

The people in other religion and worldly people do not accept such confession. It is not because of they are strange people. Their response is so natural. Let’s see. God is heavenly God. He has an absolute power that man cannot even understand. He doesn’t exist the way of visible but transcend such visible world. Then who Jesus is? He lived in this world like us. He mingled with sinners and tax collectors and lived joyfully drinking wine. He lived completely depending on time and space as we do. He performed many miracles but didn’t do anything for himself. There was no divine power in his life that we usually expecting for. There was every reason for the Pharisees and the priests to accuse Jesus as a blasphemy. How Jesus who lived as the same human like us could be the son of God, Messiah and even God himself?

Based on the view of world we don’t have any way to prove Jesus as God. It is a similar case that Jesus wasn’t able to provide a proper answer to Jews who questioned the foundation of Jesus’ Messiahship. As I told you earlier, we have to enter into the world of poem in order to understand a poet’s world. Likewise we have to enter into the world of faith if we want to accept and believe Jesus as a true man and a true God. It also is similar case that we have to understand the conception of existence in order to understand Heidegger’s language ontology, “Language speaks.” We should experience the music world in order to understand the word of musician, “There is music world.” I repeated it again for it is very important in Christianity faith.

The early Christians who participated in singing a hymn of praise to God were experienced God’s humility on the Jesus’ crucifixion. Yes. Jesus who executed on the cross on the hill of Calvary is the very God who lowed down himself as the shape of servant. We see God on the cross. He is not the God who always is sitting on the noble and transcendental seat of heaven but the one who executed on the cross due to men’s pride and foolishness. He is not the existence being proud of supernatural ability but the one who was killed on the cross helplessly. This Jesus is the very God’s Morphe. If you think God as the Almighty one and omnipotent and omnipresence only, then you may never understand God who hung on the cross. Our God is Jesus who obeyed to God till the death on the cross. Yes. Jesus being the very nature of God humbled himself till the death on the cross, the lowest place in the world.

Ascended Christ
If Jesus ended with his death on the cross he couldn’t be called as the perfect God. Philippians’ hymn for Christ sings that God exalted him to the highest place. Look at verse 9. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” (9) Do not think the word ‘exalted’ as a term of space. You already know what exact it signifies. It signifies Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension. Resurrection and ascension originally has the same meaning. It means Jesus changed into true life. The change into true life is really ‘exalted’.

Think a little deeper about the meaning of ‘exalted’. It is not only applicable to Jesus but decisively important for us who believe Jesus as Messiah, Son of God and the Lord of judgment. For we also will be exalted through the last judgment. People used to think resurrection life as the extension of present life, exalted to the highest place. As we are living here well we may live well in the kingdom of God, the resurrection life. It is not. If it goes in that way we don’t need to be exalted. We just try to establish a paradise on the earth only. Such paradise on the earth may come to us gradually. When natural science develops up to the climax the span of life also can be extended by 1,000 years. The science may solve all hungriness and energy problem too by using solar energy. We may reproduce numerous descendants selectively by using our own clone. Everybody can be handsome guy and beautiful girl. The Bible doesn’t say such world. Read today’s content precisely. God exalted Jesus to the highest place. Not we to come up through a rope and enter into heaven but can enter only under God’s permission. The hymn for Christ in Philippians sings that Jesus already has exalted to the place through resurrection. We today also are having worship service with the heart of singing such hymn.

Glory to God!
Now Jesus position might be changed completely if he exalted to the new world of life from the cross, the most humiliated, the lowest and cursed place to the highest and the most glorious place. If we say the cross as a symbol of shame, curse and helplessness then exaltation is a symbol of pride, glory and power. So the content sings, “…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” The ancient people thought this world is divided into heaven, earth and under the earth. They thought the spiritual being reside in heaven, human on earth and evil powers under the earth. Every knee bow down before Jesus means Jesus becomes the center of universe.

You may yet really feel to sing such praising hymn for Christ. We don’t know the things happening in heaven and under the earth but the people living on the earth do not bow down before the name of Jesus. Rather the world seems against the name of Jesus. The power on the earth seems to be given to a power country like America or to the ultra-nation enterprises. Not only the power revealed but its inside also filled with full of violence and unrighteous rather than actualization of peace of God and righteousness. At this juncture, every knee bow down and sing a praise hymn to Jesus seems really unrealistic.

Dear friends, at this point we need Christian spirituality. We should see the world with new spiritual eyes. We should see it at two view points that every knee bow down before the name of Jesus. First, it is an eschatological view point. The evilness is rampant in the world yet. However, when the last come everything in this world shall be judged. Jesus will come as the Lord of judgment. At that time the universe will be completely rearranged by Jesus. Grain and chaff, sheep and goat will be separated and truth and false will become crystal clear. At this last moment of the world every knee should bow at the name of Jesus.

Second, it will be completed but already has begun. Those who has eyes to see enable to see. I don’t say unreliable thing to you like an itinerant trader. This world already began to fill with the love of God through Jesus’ cross and resurrection. Evilness already lost its power. Disappointment and meaningless of life have lost all its strength like the ray of sunset. It seems so powerful only for unbelievers. Now only one thing we can do. It is singing a hymn in verse 11. “…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
We who believe Jesus as Lord have a responsibility and right to praise God. Nothing is important than this in our life. With early Christians who sang a hymn to praise Christ, let us praise to God with all our soul.

THE SOURCE OF ETERNAL SALVATION

2009 Year B Lent 5th Week
THE SOURCE OF ETERNAL SALVATION
Hebrew 5:1-10

The high priest
Hebrews is a very special book among the New Testaments. It is neither like the gospels which deal with Jesus’ official life. Nor like the Acts which contains the apostles’ activities. Nor like the epistles to encourage the early Christian community’s faith. According to the scholar’s widespread understanding, the Hebrews is the first theological thesis that specifically focuses on Christology. It is common that a theological thesis is a little boring for the lay Christians to read because it deals with theories that seem unrelated to real life. However, this assumption is wrong. Theology is not the intention to raise any trouble in the Christian’s life but to establish a solid foundation. And if we open our mind a little bit and pay attention to the theological world then we can find out abundant spirituality from the theological articles. It is a similar to an experience in a karaoke room and classical concert. It is very funny to sing a popular song in a karaoke room. However, we can enjoy much more abundance of music world by listening to the classical music in a classical concert.

The author of Hebrews explains how great Jesus is theologically. Especially he explains Jesus comparing with the people in the Old Testament according to its type such as Moses and Joshua. Jesus is more excellent than an angel (1:4-2:18), greater than Moses (3:1-19) and more outstanding than Joshua (4:1-13). Jesus is the perfect and eternal high priest above all people, all the religious activities and all the priests in the Old Testament. (4:14-7:28) Today’s content also asserts emphatically that Jesus is the eternal high priest.

Here two people of the Old Testament suggest the role of the high priest. One was Aaron, an elder brother of Moses, who worked as a high priest during Israel’s wilderness life. Look at verse 4. “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.” The author emphasized the point that Jesus’ priesthood also was given by God as the high priesthood of Aaron had given by God.

The other person in the Old Testament related to the high priesthood is Melchisedec. The author mentioned Melchisedec’s name two times in today’s content in order emphasize Jesus’ succeed of the high priesthood of him. Verse 6 which is quoted from Psalm 110:4 is one and is verse 10, applicable to the conclusion of today’s content is the other. Look at verse 10. “…and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” Who was Melchisedec? This name would be sounded quite strange to you. According to today’s content, it was clear that he was a high priest but with no additional explanation. He is an important person in today’s contents. So it is better to examine him a little further.

Melchisedec
Genesis chapter 14 explains about Melchisedec in great detail. He appeared in a tale of Abraham, known to the first patriarch of Israel. Abraham departed from Chaldean Ur, the cradle of Mesopotamian civilization and went against the stream of the Euphrates River. He for a while settled in Haran, at the head of the river. After his father Terah’s death, he went down to the southern part of Palestine with Lot his nephew. Lot had lived in Sodom, notorious for its’ immoral and unethical people, while Abraham had remained in Canaan. Meanwhile there was a tribal battle and Lot and his family were captured. Hearing this news Abraham chased those kings who captured Lot with his 318 (embers and fought against them. Abraham won the battle and returned Lot’s family and property. Many kings came for Abraham who had won in the battle. One of the kings was Melchisedec. He was a king of Salem, Jerusalem today. Genesis 14:18 says like this. “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.” In the ancient times, a king used to take the role of priest too. The story that Melchisedec came for Abraham was nothing special. However, the story of Melchisedec and Abraham newly progressed.

According to Genesis 14:19, 20, Melchisedec blessed Abraham. “ and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.’” After this blessing, Abraham gave him tithes of all. Some make this verse as a basis of tithe but this story says much more fundamental thing in Christian than tithe matter.
Melchisedec was the priest of the most high God. Of course the priest of those days was different from the high priests in Jerusalem temple who had strong religious power. There was no a temple and law in Abraham’s times. At the time Abraham left Chaldean Ur, the cradle of Mesopotamian civilization and settled in Palestine, the religious tradition of Judaism was yet to be established. However, the author of Genesis describes this Melchisedec as the priest of the Lord God whom Israel worshipped. It was because the God of Melchisedec was the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth. The God of Melchisedec and the God of Abraham was the same God at the point of the creator of the world. The important point here was that this Melchisedec was the priest of a universal religion before formation of Judaism, a certain form of religion. He was a priest at the universal level, exceeding a certain religion.

The fact that Melchisedec blessed Abraham meant Abraham’s submitted to Melchisedec. Melchisedec was the only king to whom Abraham bowed down among many kings who came to Abraham. Abraham couldn’t but bow down to Melchisedec for he was a high priest to serve the most high God. Now the author of Hebrews is explaining the fact that Jesus is the successor of the priesthood of Melchisedec to whom Abraham bowed down and be blessed. It says that Jesus Christ is the high priest to whom even the Jews the descendents of Abraham should bow down their head.

The subject of redemption
However, we have to consider a huge gap between a high priest and Jesus. The comparing point is the role of a high priest and Jesus’ official life. Jesus was born into a laborer’s family not from a high priest family. John the Baptist was from a priest family. Jesus didn’t have the authority to perform a sacrifice. Jesus lived in the middle of secular world rather than a temple which was related to sacrifice. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God by walking along with his disciples, in a market, by the riverside and in the desert. He healed the sick and sometimes argued with the teachers of the law. He lived his official life in this way for 3 years and eventually died on the cross. The most responsible people in Jesus’ crucifixion were the high priests. At this point of view, Jesus was not a high priest but rather a person attacked by them. Why does the author describe Jesus as a high priest, even as the omnipresent and universal high priest?

First of all think about the duty of a high priest. Verse 1 correctly explains the role of a high priest. “Every high priest is selected from men and is appointed to represent them in the matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” There are two key points here.
First, it is redemption. The role of a high priest is the redemption of worshipers. The reason for necessity of redemption between God and man is that man’s sin becomes the greatest stumbling block that separates man from God. Modern people feel bad when they hear that they are sinners. On the contrary, they think they are not innocent or rationalize themselves thinking that everybody lives the same life. Here sin shouldn’t be considered shameful, harmful or immoral. All these are the result of sin not sin itself. Sin is much fundamental and ontological power. The Bible points out the origin of man’s sin through the story of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Such teaching explains the reason why man’s life is fundamentally divided. Despite our every effort to live righteously we go the way of separation internally. Our body and heart cannot keep a complete peace. This is the result of sin. Man’s life that doesn’t identify with God of perfect peace cannot but eventually go to the way of self-dissociation. When we are forgiven by God we can unite with God, the perfect peace. This is the meaning of ‘redemption’.

However, Israel’s high priest expected God’s forgiveness through the sacrifice but Jesus directly declared forgiveness to the people. Because of the crowd, the friends of a paralytic brought him right in front of Jesus by breaking the roof. Jesus saw their faith and said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." (Luke 5:20) Jesus was able to proclaim the forgiveness of sin for he had been identified with the rule of God. Likewise Jesus is the true high priest at the point of redemption.

Perfect sacrifice
Second, the role of high priest was offering a sacrifice. Animals like cow, sheep and dove were offered as a sacrifice in Israel’s worship service. They tried to get redemption from God through the blood of animals which substituted for man’s sin.

However, Jesus offered himself differing from the high priests who offered animals. Jesus crucifixion is rightly the ultimate sacrifice. Such explanation may not give you a sense of reality and you may even think it is a little old-fashioned idea. The fact Jesus crucified on the cross itself is not important. The cross is a result. The word that Jesus became a sacrifice means he thoroughly obeyed to God. Look at verse 8. “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” The word that Jesus obeyed God’s word means he identified with the kingdom of God. Even though man is endowed with personality and ability to learn, he is not able to completely identify himself with God. For his own will is always at work. Different from the other people, Jesus had a complete obedient heart. He completely obeyed God’s love, his salvation plan and his rule. As a result, he was crucified on the cross.
Jesus’ obedience and his crucifixion, the result of his complete obedience was the perfect sacrifice. So we don’t need to give a sacrifice through the animal’s blood. Jesus Christ is totally different level of high priest, became a sacrifice by himself. He is rightly our savior. He is the savior who unites us who once were separated from God with the God of perfect peace.

The source of eternal salvation
The author says in verse 9. “…and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. “ Now Jesus Christ became not only staying at the point of redemption but also became a main character of salvation. What does this mean? How is Jesus able to be the subject of salvation and a source of salvation? Isn’t salvation possible from God only? The answer to this question is that Jesus was made ‘perfect’. To be perfect signifies his resurrection. Perfect and ultimate life is resurrection. Resurrection, a perfect life, happened through Jesus who was with imperfect body like us through perfect obedience to God in order to identify with God’s rule. Now Jesus became the source of eternal salvation to those who obeyed Jesus.

I say again that Christian faith is focusing on the incident that happened to Jesus Christ, crucifixion and resurrection. It is to entrust our entire destiny on him from the present life and to the life after. For those who live like this, Jesus is the source of eternal salvation.

STANDING AT THE GREAT DIVIDE

The 4th week of Lent

STANDING AT THE GREAT DIVIDE

Numbers 21:4-9

The complain of Israel people
Today’s content is divided into two paragraphs in a large scale. First paragraph is verses 4, 5. Though it is consisting of two verses only it contains all the existence that Israel history and mankind cope with. Today’s content is the end part of Israel people’s 40 years of desert life after Exodus. They might be assumed to reach Canaan within maximum two months but it already took 40 years. In our point of view, forty years seems insignificant but it was hard time for Israel people. The reader we know their desert life would be ended soon if they would endure the last moment little more but they knew nothing about it. As people who undergone severe trails think their life as an abandoned one, Israel people were tired of their desert life.

Their situation was much more opaque in a few points. Moses’ elder sister Miriam was dead (Num. 20:1) and his elder brother Aaron too. (Num. 20:28). Though Miriam and Aaron sometimes raised troubles but they were Moses’ brother and sisters and their spiritual charisma also were considerable. Because of the fact that they were dead before entering Canaan Israel people who expected to be with them till the end might be disappointed a lot.
Even their leader Moses was rebuked by God. When a drinking water dispute arose among them the Lord commended Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."(Num. 20:8). Moses angered with Israel people who used to complain and struck the rock twice with his staff. God said Moses rebuking his behavior, “But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."(12) Such news might spread to Israel people. Before such circumstance that even Moses wouldn’t enter into Canaan needless to say Israel people’s disappointment.

Today’s content explains another difficult situation. Look at verse 4. “They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;” The route to get through Edom was a short cut to enter into the Canaan. So Moses sent an envoy and requested the king of Edom the permission to pass through his land. However, the king of Edom resolutely refused his request. (Num. 20:14-21) Israel people again had to turn their route to the south. It was annoying things that several millions of people including women, elders and children had to take long way around instead of a short cut. As I told you earlier, they were tired of 40 years of the desert life.

Israel people frankly complained to Moses in verse 5. “They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’” Their complaining was not a pretend of hardship. They had a sense of impending crisis that they surely would annihilate in the desert. It was natural that they would be felt better to remain in Egypt as a slave rather than dying in the desert. They closely reached to Canaan but again had to go away from the land and it had repeated again and again for last 40 years. Even now they had to take a long way around. When we consider their practical situation their complaining attitude was not strange. They were always suffering from a shortage of drinking water and eating material. The miserable food that they detested might be manna. I wander shepherd Paul’s mother will not detest her home’s food after experiencing the delicious food in metropolitan city.

Brazen snake incident
The content moves into the second paragraph. When they complain about their life in the desert and the food, the Lord sent venomous snakes. Look at verse 6. “Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.” King James Version says the Lord sent fiery serpents. Fiery serpents named because once they were bitten by it the patient felt just as they were being burned by fire. When many people died of being bitten by the snakes, the people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." (7) Like this, people are always cunning in this way. Grumbling can come out at least at a certain level of bearing. When people are standing at the great divide, the boundary between death and life, they pray not to grumble. As people died of being bitten by fiery serpents they began to beg forgiveness and give them the opportunity of life. So Moses prayed for the people. Verse 8 narrates the Lord’s answer. "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." “And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (9)

You might feel strange when you were reading this story. Such story looks like a little childish. It is nonsense that the Lord killed people by sending fiery serpents due to their little grumbling. If God always responds in this way there no life can exist in this world. The fact was also somewhat funny that those who were bitten by the fiery serpents wouldn’t die when they beheld the serpent of brass. In Hebrew, the word ‘fiery’ can be translated not an adverb to modify ‘serpents’ but a noun ‘seraphim’ a sort of angel. (Isa. 6:2) The content is using seraphim, real serpent and brazen serpent in conflict way. And another problem is that the serpent was the ringleader of corrupting Adam and Eve, the ancestor of mankind, according to Genesis chapter 3. However, today’s content explains when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (9) And at the point that the Bible originally regards worshiping a certain image as an idol worshipping, the myth of the brazen snake has some problem in it.

The most serious theological problem is as following. After long years of the brazen serpent incident Israel people settled in Canaan and opened the era of United Kingdom of Israel through the judge’s era. At the rule of Solomon’s son the country had divided into two, Southern Judah and Northern Israel. Hezekiah enthroned in Southern Judah. He was a great king like David. One of his great achievements was to break in peaces the brazen serpent that Moses made in the desert. Unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it by calling it Nehushtan. (2 King 18:4)

Likewise the Bible interprets about the brazen snake differently. The content of Numbers of today interprets it as the symbol of salvation but the Second King interprets it as an idol. What’s the matter of it? Of course their interpretation contradict each other if we see it eternally but it is not so when we enter into the content. Moses was clearly the person who made a brazen serpent and it worked as the symbol of salvation in the desert. There is no problem up to this level. However, it was wrong that Israel people worshiped the brazen serpent even after they settled in Canaan. The brazen serpent that should be stayed at as a religious symbol only but it changed into the object of worship. So Hezekiah broke it in pieces. Hezekiah dealt with his duty and Moses as well. Though the brazen serpent had historically changed its meaning, it had an important role in Moses’ time.

A symbol of salvation
Earlier I told you today’s content is consist of two paragraphs. It is natural to see two incidents occurred independently. It is because two incidents were not a very specific one. Such incident had frequently happened to them during 40 years of desert life. The complaining of Israel was not this time only but it had continued for 40 years as we live with complaining attitude for the entire 70 or 80 years of life. The complaining behavior cannot be changed by improving life condition but it is close to man’s nature. And also the appearance of a fiery snake was a normal incident. There are various dangerous animals in the desert that threatened Israel’s life. Not only snake but also there would be a poisonous spider and scorpion. The author interpreted by binding two different incidents into one, the appearance of a fiery snake was the results of Israel’s complaining.

The interpretation to kill Israel people by immediately sending fiery serpent seems too excessive. I don’t mean the explanation of the author of the Bible was wrong but I would like to say that we should not mechanically identify Israel’s grumbling with God’s punishment. We used to take a mistake when we interpret our history at the level of karma and promotion of virtue and reproval of vice. Of course it may have sense to children like if you lie then your nose grows long.

The way of life
Then was the author of Numbers writing not a fact but a folk tale? From this point of view, there are many folktale-like stories in the Bible. There are myth and magic too. However, it is not a groundless story. Though it seems a reckless in its form but a spiritual depth of these stories are profound. Look the message the author of Numbers tried to deliver by binding two stories. Verse 9b says, “So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.” Now the author of Numbers tells us the story of snake in order to deliver one fact, the people should die in the desert but ‘didn’t die’. Why should be a snake? It might be the animal to catch the heart of the readers in the ancient Israel.

The author demands of Israel people to face with the matter of life and death through the brazen snake. The author demands them of taking a choice whether the way of death or life. The desert demanded them of the practical choice of death and life in general. At any moment, Israel people would be annihilated in the desert. It could be happened in the war or due to epidemic and even from drinking water. The fact God had protected their life in such dangers was their fundamental religious confession. Such confession was being symbolized as a brazen snake.

We finally may ask in this way. Why the author explained such confession connecting with the complaining of Israel? Shall we hear their complaining once again? "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" The same complaining ceaselessly comes out from our mouth even today. We cry out the hardness of our life and shudder at the boring daily life. We are exactly the same people as Israel people of 3,400 years ago.

The author not only diagnosed man’s life correctly but also prescribed it rightfully. If people don’t feel the fullness of life in daily life then they may need the fiery snake. It is because people respond positively to their life when they face with strong stimulation. In this point, the fiery snake and brazen snake are not God’s punishment but expression of his grace.

The author of John’s gospel reinterpreted this brazen snake incident as Jesus’ cross incident. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14,15) He says Jesus is the way to reach to the fullness of life. He says the cross of Jesus is the way to give life at the Grate Divide. We today meet a real life through Jesus’ cross.

JERUSALEM TEMPLE AND JESUS’ RESURRECTION

2009 Year B Lent 3rd week

JERUSALEM TEMPLE AND JESUS’ RESURRECTION

John 2:13-22

Temple cleaning incident
Jerusalem temple has a specific meaning to Israel people. We shouldn’t think the meaning of the temple as our church today. The building and organization like today’s’ church is similar to the synagogue of Israel. The synagogue is in many places in Israel and other places where the scattered diasporas are living. Though a synagogue is a religious place but it is different from Jerusalem for it doesn’t perform a sacrificing activity which is the most important part of a religious activity. They thought they could meet God and be forgiven in Jerusalem temple only.

Many sincere Jews use to visit Jerusalem two or three times in a year. The most important festival to visit Jerusalem was Passover. This festival followed the tradition of Exodus which celebrated the event when the angle of death struck Egypt the angel passed over the house of Israel which door frame was sprinkled by a sheep’s blood. Jesus also visited Jerusalem on Passover. The synoptic gospels positioned the story of Jesus’ visiting Jerusalem on Passover at the end of his official life but John did it at the beginning part of his gospel. The point all the four gospels deal with this matter signifies the affirmation and importance of this incident. What did Jesus do in this temple?

As we know well Jesus drove out the trading people in Jerusalem temple. According to today’s content, Jesus found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. You may think strange how the merchants openly traded in the temple. However, it isn’t big issue. When the pilgrim gave a sacrifice they offered either cow, sheep or dove according to their own economical ability. Then think of it. They couldn’t bring such animal from faraway place. Furthermore the sacrifice that offered to the Lord God should be blameless. The merchants who were trading in the temple prepared a proper sacrificial animal for the pilgrim. The role of money changers also was the same. The pilgrims came to Jerusalem from the entire of Europe lived around the Mediterranean Sea. They had to change their money in order to pay a temple tax for the temple accepted only 1/2 shekel as the annual tax per male. The 1/2 shekel was not always used in everyday commerce, but was the only coins accepted by the temple.

At this point, selling the sacrificing animals and exchanging money in order to pay the temple tax were compulsory functions to maintain the temple properly. Despite this, Jesus drove them out not by word but by force and said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" Mark delivers Jesus’ word by quoting Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" (Mark 11:17).

The reason of temple clearance
In what reason did Jesus invoke such affair at the temple? Jesus’ attitude to solve the matter by force seems a little different from the Jesus who we normally imagine. Furthermore, according to the synoptic gospels which took this incident as the latter part of his official ministry, the leader group of Jews had their will confirmed to remove Jesus from their society. Was the temple clearance matter that much serious even at the risk of his life? As I explained earlier this was not the matter of risking of his life for animal trade and exchanging money was for the pilgrims’ convenience.

We can just explain the reasons of Jesus doing such thing. First, though it was for the convenience of the pilgrims it had a possibility to damage the essence of religion that we have eventually to meet God through sacrifice and prayer. Through Jesus’ rebuke, “Do not turn my Father's house into a market!" we can read the essence of religion and Jesus’ anger for the activity to destroy it. We also should be careful and remind how much we pure in the essence of faith. Despite pureness of motivation, man’s brain always used to turn to ‘trading’ there will be possibility of forgetting prayer.

Second, Jesus might criticize the power structure of Jerusalem temple through the action of cleaning temple. There should be profit when the traders sold an animal and changed money. The ample portion of profit might be given to the priests. Jesus’ anger might not be for the trading of publics but for the priest class who skillfully disguised themselves as a good and structuring and normalizing their vested rights. The record of the synoptic gospels that the priests decided to kill Jesus after this incident was the proof that they penetrated into such Jesus’ mind.

Two reasons mentioned above have its own reasoning power. Based on such interpretation, many preachers cry out for the reformation of church today. They proclaim that church should not fall into seeking a profit, promoting mutual friendship, self-satisfaction but concentrate on a spiritual understanding with God. And also it is right to proclaim the reformation of the church’s power structure that shouldn’t be reproductive like as the priests in Jerusalem temple. I also use to preach while I was young.

However, when we think about the content a little deeper, it may not be limited in this level. If we see the temple clearing incident itself it matches to the image of John the Baptist rather than Jesus. It was the mission of John the Baptist, the last prophet of Israel who preached in the desert with burning passion to restore consensuses, to make righteous society and to clear the temple. Jesus is not a forerunner for a religious and social reformation. However, you may not misunderstand. It doesn’t mean the uselessness of church reformation and social reformation. Rather I would like to say that Jesus’ temple clearing incident is connected to a spiritual incident that fundamentally transcends the reformation of temple, or to be returned ceaselessly. What is this?

The authority of the temple clearance
Though the synoptic gospels keep silence but John’s gospel added the story after the temple clearance. Jews demanded Jesus, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" (18) Jews thought that the prophets and the man of God should have the power to perform miraculous sign. They understood God in that way. The story of splitting Red Sea, stopping of the sun and the moon, revival of a dead were the proof of God’s togetherness. The demand of Jews to Jesus to show them the miraculous sign was to prove whether Jesus’ activity was rooted in God or not. Such question was the very problem that the early Christians faced. They had to answer to Jews whether Jesus was the son of God or Messiah. This question also is the matter we face today. We are demanded of proving whether Jesus is Messiah and the judge of the end. Though many Christians may answer it is not the matter of proof but belief. However, the world is not satisfied with such answer.
“What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Nowadays such challenge against the church is so widely raised. Why should we fulfill the command to preach the gospel till the end of the world? Why do we reform social structure in order to give human-like treatment to the isolated people? Why do we reform the economical structure from the poor get poorer and the rich get richer to equivalence? We cannot ignore the demand to prove such voice. The demand of the Jews to prove the authority to reform the temple is exactly of ours today.

As we’ve seen before, the demand of Jews was to show them miraculous sign. Even today our society demands of us to show them the miracles that everybody eats and lives well. They urge us to show the miracles like splitting of the Rea Sea, showering of Manna and quails in the desert. They shout that such miraculous sign is only the proof from God.
Look at verse 19. “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’” Then the Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" This conversation sounds anyhow strange. The original Jerusalem temple that Solomon built was destroyed by Babylon. After that there were several times reconstruction and even Jesus’ time the rebuilding process was going for 46 years. Jesus’ word to rebuild Jerusalem temple, the superlative building in those days, within three days sounded nonsense for anybody and the Jews who accepted it as it was also seemed too naïve. What was the matter between these conversations?

Miracle or resurrection?
The reason of conversation problem in between two was that Jews didn’t understand Jesus’ spiritual word. Jesus now was telling about his body not the building, Jerusalem temple. It signifies the resurrection that he would be raised three days after his crucifixion. Jews were not able to think such meaning. They thought if man died they would go to Sheol or Gehenna. They had no idea about resurrection. Such Jews might not understand Jesus’ word to destroy the temple.

If we examine today’s content a little bit more with theological insight, such statement was not Jesus’ direct word but of the interpretation and religious confession of the early Christian community. For it was hard to believe Jesus himself had conviction of his resurrection. Like the fundamentalist, if we believe the entire words of Jesus in the gospels as the direct word of Jesus then there will be fundamental problem will be happened. Think of it. If Jesus knew his resurrection beforehand then his suffering and crucifixion doesn’t have much meaning. Jesus’ incident on the cross doesn’t have much difference to a major surgical operation which is dangerous but eventually can be healed completely.

Early Christian community experienced the fact that something new incident had happened to Jesus who executed on the cross. It was just resurrection, the completion of life. Jesus’ official life was newly understood at the light of resurrection. Jews were proud of building Jerusalem temple but the early Christian community absolutely depended on Jesus’ resurrection. The Jews thought they could understand God’s will through supernatural miracle but the early Christians thought Jesus’ resurrection was God’s will. The Jews demanded the miracles that destroyed the natural law but the early Christians concentrated on resurrection, the completion of the natural law. Resurrection is the completion of the law of nature means that the nature is the order toward the ultimate life.

The temple clearance in today’s content still is necessary thing for us. A fervent struggle to actualize a righteous society also is necessary. However, we cannot avoid the question, what meaning all these things have? The question, what is the source of justice and peace? Without such source, the entire human activities are fertile. John explains the resource as follows, “the ultimate life incident that happened to Jesus is the answer.” The resource of authority is not Jerusalem temple, a compilation of human technique and inspiration but Jesus’ resurrection, the activity of God, the creator of life.

THE WAY TO GET LIFE

Year B Lent Second Week (March 8, 2009)

THE WAY TO GET LIFE

Mark 8:31-38

Peter’s confession of faith
Today’s passage is connected to Peter’s confession of faith. The incident is written in verse 27 after.

When Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked them on the way, "Who do people say I am?" The disciples replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." Then Jesus asked again, "But what about you? "Who do you say I am?" Now Peter stepped out and answered, "You are the Christ." Hearing their answer, Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. (27-30)

Continued to this, Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. When Jesus spoke plainly about this, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this, Jesus rebuked back to Peter. "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Here we have a question? Why did Peter tell Jesus that he shouldn’t be suffered and his resurrection shouldn’t be happened? Of course we can understand his heart to try to stop Jesus’ suffering and death. However, Peter’s activity didn’t seem to be a natural for Jesus told him about his resurrection three days after his death too. So we can think that Peter tried to stop Jesus’ suffering and death only. Or though Jesus told him about his suffering and resurrection together but Peter accepted resurrection only. For people used to have a tendency to hear what they want to hear only or what they could understand.

There might be a possibility for Peter who was greatly shocked after hearing Jesus’ word that Jesus would be killed by the hand of highest authority. He thought Jesus would be the king of Judea after demoting the power holders of those days. It was the idea of all the Jews about Christ, Son of man, including Peter. So Peter, in his simple idea, tried to stop Jesus that Jesus’ suffering and death shouldn’t happen. At this point Peter didn’t do anything wrong. As a human no disciple would let his teacher suffer. And also at the religious level of confessing Jesus as Christ he was right.

Jesus’ rebuke
However, breaking our expectation, Jesus rebuked Peter seriously even he might be considered Jesus’ treatment unfair. "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (33) According to Matthew’s gospel Jesus praised Peter after hearing Peter’s confession to give him even ‘the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Despite this in what reason Jesus rebuked him seriously? Despite his right attitude to confess Jesus as Christ, Jesus rebuked Peter. That meant even Peter’s confession of faith might have problem. Then why did Jesus praise Peter’s confession of faith earlier? We can think of it by separating Peter’s confession of faith with Jesus’ rebuke. Or the authors of the Bible might bind two different incidents together that happened in different place and different time in their editing process. However, one thing was very clear here that Jesus’ rebuked Peter’s idea about ‘Son of God’ and ‘Christ’. As Jesus said, he wasn’t able to distinguish between the things of God and the things of men. It meant he thought the incidents of Christ which was related to God at the level of man. What does ‘the things of God and the things of man’ mean and what is difference in between?
Whoever wants to save his life

Jesus explained this matter in verse 34 and following verses in detail. It was the question of thinking life as what. "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."(34, 35) Here a cross appeared even before Jesus took a cross. The cross of those days was an execution method for antinational offence. Isn’t it strange? According to this word, to follow Jesus meant to be a traitor. Of course the nation in those days meant Roman Empire. Jesus probably mentioned it as a symbolic level. Or the term of cross was added in Jesus’ word by the latter period of Christian community. We now cannot catch the entire situation precisely. However, we are able to understand the ground of what Jesus was talking about: “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” The one who want to save his life was the people like Peter who tried to stop Jesus’ suffering and death. Most of us belong to this group. We give our best effort for such things. Without any difference between a narrow-minded person and a deep-thought person we all struggle to keep our own life. A little radical people try to keep their life through succeeding in life and earning money while others to prevent their life by living as a good man.

However, Jesus said such people eventually may lose their life. Why did Jesus say an opposite word that against the way of our life? The answer is very clear that people cannot keep their life by themselves. If we look into our life even a little honestly, we can confirm that life is not the thing we can get by our own effort. For the simplest example, our food material would be a case. Our parent cultivates rice and vegetable but it never is done by their own effort. Such food materials are produced by physical and chemical action of sun, carbonate and water in our unknown level. It means that keeping our life which is belonged to our flesh also not ours but belongs to the universal level. Though man operates or stimulates such universal life incidentally but it only operates it in a tiny part. Moreover, if man loses his heart to keep his own life only then eventually nature and universe will demolish the minimum condition of being level of mankind. If the science is only to focus on man’s consumption then someday it takes away the entire human life.

Jesus’ word, "whoever wants to save his life will lose it" is right at our psychological level too. Our selfishness is our attitude to keep ourselves with our own effort but it doesn’t give us life but kill. Despite man cannot live alone, if one remains in selfish status then he eventually dies. Though he looks smart outwardly but slowly falls into the way of ruining inwardly. The proud heart putting on airs endlessly and seeks the object to reveal self. When he has such object to be proud of then he boasts of it otherwise suffers from uneasiness. If a man is not able to escape from such psychological status then he lives outwardly but dead practically. Even in psychological level, man doesn’t have an ability to keep his life by himself at all. Likewise if a man, helpless being for life, tries to confirm in his own achievement and accomplishment he cannot but die eventually.

Concentration for self
In most case, we who are living in religious life also indulge in expanding ourselves and build up Christian culture outwardly. We accept Jesus’ word in very abstract and emotional way, “but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” but in real life we thoroughly indulge in the way of extending ourselves. Our desire to extend ourselves reveals our real life very clearly. Recently a shepherdess has to suffer a lot to give up her desire to extend herself in her business. It was especially hard thing to her for she had tasted the joy of confirming her value through business ability. It could be the same case to some brothers who had worked for the call-centers. At the beginning stages they earned just pocket money. However, it grows till Rs. 20000 or 40000 per month. Then all of sudden the employer feels burden for paying high payment then kick his employee off. I heard many brothers and sisters are spoiled for their consumption standard that already have become so high and feel hard to accept degraded level of consumption.
The certain Christians try to live an exemplary life being sincere to this word as possible as humble without coveting others. They try to reveal Christian’s ethic. They think that church should lead ahead to make morally clean world. They organize a morality recovery movement. Furthermore, they consider a homosexual and an unmarried mother a sin and try to clean this world by suggesting a certain moral standard. In fact, it is not easy to control self and live with such social ethic responsibility. However, such humbleness and ethical character also can be operated as a sort of self-salvation.

Whoever loses his life
The way to get life for man is in another place. There is no other way to reach to life except the way to connect to the resource of life. All our effort without any relationship with the resource of life it is meaningless like to catch cloud with hand. So Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (36, 37) The thing man can do is to get the world. It can be possible according to his ability and effort. However, he cannot get life itself for the resource of life is in another place which means life is not a possession but existence.

The way to connect to the resource of life, not the way to get possession but toward existence is in following Jesus’ word, “whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (35) This word is the answer for the life attitude which connects to the resource of life. The word 'me and the gospel’ signifies one fact, Jesus Christ. If we understand this word as the word of forcing martyrdom immediately then it is wrong. Of course we think the word ‘loses his life’ in literal level then it might signify martyrdom. However, Christian faith doesn’t always concentrate on struggling between two things. Of course it has such sharp aspect in it but we have to clarify first the meaning of losing one’s life in order to understand such confrontation. If you remember my earlier explanation about the meaning of ‘whoever saves his life’ then you may understand the meaning of this word.

Worldly people struggle to keep their life with their own effort but we Christian gives up such method. Instead we concentrate on Jesus and his gospel, source of life. We pursue not to extend ourselves but Jesus Christ and his gospels, source of ourselves. While we are doing this we pay no attention to accomplish ourselves with worldly method. This is the meaning of what to lose our life. As we can see Jesus’ parable, we sit at lower place when we are invited to a banquet. We always humble ourselves as a child. At worldly order point of view such people seems to lose their life but they are people to live in Jesus’ word.
Concentration on the absolute world

The word to lose life for Jesus and the gospel should be understood much further in fundamental meaning. To lose one’s life means to change one’s concern from self to the absolute world. Jesus taught in his teaching on the mountain, “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:30-33) This is the teaching about where man put their mind. I feel I need to explain it a little in detail for those who receive it in abstract manner. Here are two persons who invest in the stocks. One person always concentrate on the stock invest. Eventually he may earn much money through stock or perish. The other person is concentrating on how much he gains joy and freedom in his life. This person may get joy and freedom regardless of whether he earns money through stock or lose. Which one is life? According to Jesus’ teaching today, what is use of money if the person who became a rich suddenly by investing stock but loses his joy and peace in his heart. At this point Christian believes we don’t secure our life with our own effort but participate in life by certain other absolute power.

Visible and invisible one
However, problem is that people never pay attention to the meaning of saving life. It is because the world of salvation which is accomplished by self is visible and the salvation that comes from the absolute life is invisible. So people holds on to the visible life that they are able to achieve. Like Peter who jumped up with surprise objecting impossibility of Jesus’ suffering and death, people only judge and think base on self confirmation, but neglect invisible one, precisely speaking, yet revealed one. So Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.” (38) Those who ashamed of invisible but really certain one and hold his life on to the product of man shall be ashamed of his life when everything becomes visible.

What is shame of today? Needlessly to say, people are mostly ashamed of lack of money. They say outwardly money is not everything but feel shame internally because of lack of money. On the contrary, people are proud of much money. The occupation to earn much money gets top most popularity. Evaluation for people also is done according to his annual salary. Likewise people living in today’s society regard a visible foundation achieved by their own effort as life itself. Reverse to this people pay not much attention to peace, joy and love. When we live in this way, we are eventually put into shame.

The glory of Father
The title of today’s message is ‘the way to get life’. This is related to a question, what is life? There is not more foolish thing than to live by misunderstanding about life. The word Jesus gave Peter by rebuking his desire that Jesus wouldn’t be suffered was the answer for the question, what is life? Life is not our possession. We are merely a receiver not a giver. Despite this fact people struggle to possess it by confirming self with their own effort from the beginning of history, till today and even on the future. According to Jesus, they eventually lose their life. The reason they have to lose their life is that they limit life in human category, which is unknown and connected to the world of absolute life. We still don’t know about the essence of life. As we don’t know about God clearly we don’t know life either. As we don’t know about living and death now we don’t know about life as well. It is because it happens from God who lives in another level. So Jesus expresses here, “when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.” At that moment, the secret of life will be revealed. At that time we come to know what glory is, what is life and who is God? Before that time, the time of transient what we can do is not to achieve the life with our effort but humbly accept it so that the spirit of life may work in our life actively.

THE RAINBOW COVENANT

The first week of Lent
THE RAINBOW COVENANT
Genesis 9:8-17

As I beginning I just remind of a poem of William Wordsworth, “The Rainbow”. I read.

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

The poet here tells us to return to the pure heart whenever we see a rainbow in the sky. If he didn’t have any inspiration before a rainbow then he better to die. We hardly can see a rainbow in this urban life. However, we used to see a rainbow in our hometown after rainy. I hope you may have some inspiration when you see a rainbow. Long years ago, the ancient Israel people also had a deep inspiration when they saw a rainbow after a great flood.
From this week Lent begins. As we know Lent is the period of 40 days before Easter. During this period many Christians observe fast, reading the Bible, a special prayer etc. by remembering Jesus’ suffering for the sin of the world, especially me and you. The forty days reminds of us forty days and forty night of judgment period in Noah’s flood. The content we read today contains the Noahic covenant. It is the covenant that God made with Noah after he left the ark, sealed with a rainbow, that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood. We also call it as Rainbow Covenant.

A covenant is a solemn, mutually binding pact or contract, confirmed and symbolized by pledges. There are two kinds of covenant in the Bible. The covenant based on deed is the one and the covenant based on God’s divine grace is the other. For example, in Adam’s case, God gave Adam a duty to take care of the creatures. God gave it to him not by force but respecting his personality. If Adam would keep this contract then he would have been lived at the Garden of Eden with eternal freedom. It was a covenant based on Adam’s deed. But he broke it and lost the entire blessing. Then God proclaimed his salvation one-sidedly by clothing him with animal skin made garment. We call it the covenant based on God’s divine grace.
The author of Bible the similar covenant based on Noah’s deed in Genesis 6:18, “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.” When Noah did everything just as God commanded him, (6:22) God protected his family’s life from the great flood. After the great Flood depicted in the Bible, God took the rainbow, a pre-existing phenomenon, and made it His pledge. As the today’s content says, He turned it into the symbol of His universal covenant - His covenant with all humankind, and with all the earth. Because of this great covenant we know that Earth shall abide. God Himself declares that day and night and springtime and harvest-time will never be cut off by any further such disaster as the Flood. The future lies before us! We can count on the future coming! We have God's promise!

Then how about others? They all were wiped away from the earth. The people in Noah’s times didn’t anticipate the flood at all till the day Noah entered into the ark and washed away by the flood as getting intoxicated by daily life. Though they heard about the Flood would come they could accept it. Why did they listen to Noah’s word in an absent sort of way? There are many smart people among them. A little different from today there might be a weather expert. There might be many philosophers and physicists. In their professional knowledge’ point of view the Flood wasn’t’ able to happen. Though they had a flood they were able to protect by repairing the banks and the roofs. However, the Flood completely upset their anticipation. They were completely destroyed by meeting flood that they never have experienced before.

The reason that the people in Noah’s times didn’t anticipate the Flood at all was they were bound by their daily life only. Till the end they were drinking, eating and marry. If we change it in modern terms, they invested stock, prepared an election and working. All these things are our precious daily life. I don’t mean these daily life is meaningless. Foolishness indulging in daily life is problem. The problem is that such daily life only accepted as the most realistic one. For example, when children play in the village with their peers the playing activities itself only becomes a real. They should go back to their home when their mother calls them but completely forget it when they were playing.

We often experience the same things as Mother’s calling at home in our real life. Any incident can happened without pre-notice. We don’t know when the death visits us. I don’t intention to say to make you get fear for your daily life. I also don’t have any intention to say to give up your daily life because of its meaningless. If we are bound to our daily life despite its preciousness we are nothing different from the people in Noah’s times. It means we have to consider the day and the hour of completing our life. Saying in a little in detail, we have to remember the fact our daily life will not be continued. Youth and all he plans based on the youth don’t last forever. Our happy family relationship also doesn’t endure forever. Someday we all have to enter into a tomb alone apart from all these things. The day and the hour is approaching when you cut yourself off from the things in the world that you have hold as thinking happy.
The thing that happens at the hour and on the day is drastic. It is really merciless. When you die we are completely separated from everything not half. The judgment by the Flood was too drastic and Noah’s family was terrified by the result. They didn’t have any power to even stand. Then God visited Noah and promised their life with rainbow. Ancient Hebrew people who were terrified by a great flood and nature’s disaster identified themselves with Noah’s family here. In a great fear they saw a rainbow. When they saw it they were greatly inspired. They regarded it as God’s covenant. They were helpless before the power of nature. Nowhere could they find out their source of living. Anytime they would be destroyed. It was a real world they had to face in day to day life. At that time the rainbow gave them a great inspiration. It was God’s covenant. As the meaning of covenant is a solemn, mutually binding pact or contract, confirmed and symbolized by pledges they believed it was the certain sign of God. It was God’s confirmed promise. The rainbow brought them life.

We who are living in this world can fully understand their inspiration before rainbow. All of us have our own agony though we don’t speak out. Though we really work hard we don’t have any certainty for our future. We are almost tired of our routine daily life. We don’t like to waste all my precious time n the office, in our studying and in taking care of children. We just want to be freed from all these bondage and anxiety for our future. However, again and again we have to face the reality of our world. Pain and suffering illness, anxiety for future, sorrow from death of closed people and bitterness from sense of betray crushes us into dung of fear. In order to escape from these things we indulge in playing sport, internet suffering, chat with friend, watching movie, date with girl or boy friend and reading books etc. as the means of solution for this. However, soon after we feel tiredness for this cannot be a source of life. We become an old man who doesn’t have any inspiration even he sees a rainbow in the sky. At this point we are nothing different from the people who faced a great natural disaster in ancient days.

Fortunately, God has given us a new covenant through his one and only son Jesus Christ. Through his death on the cross and resurrection Jesus became our rainbow. We are the people whose heart is reaping with a great hope and expectation by seeing this. We can find out the source of our life in it. Whenever we remember Jesus our heart is reaping again despite we are surrounded by our enemy of life as Paul confessed, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor. 4:8, 9) If you don’t have any inspiration before Jesus’ incident, sorry for saying this, you are better to die as a poet said.

From today we are to observe Lent. In this period we can meditate all the sufferings of Jesus, his death and resurrection, which can be the covenant of our rainbow. The rainbow Jesus will protect our soul and guide us into the kingdom of heaven. Praise Jesus who is our rainbow.

THE LIGHT IN THE FACE OF CHRIST

Last Sunday after Epiphany Transfiguration Sunday

THE LIGHT IN THE FACE OF CHRIST
2 Cor. 4:1-6

Apostleship debate
According to New Testament scholars’ opinion, the First letter to Corinth church deals with the problems in Corinth church and the Second deals Paul’s apostleship as its theme. Of course such simple division may not work but it would be right if we see it in the whole outline. To us today Apostle Paul is doubtless great apostle but he was not in such position at the situation of Early Christianity. There might be various reasons. The fact his returning from Judaism by stopping in the middle of anti-Christian movement, his extreme theology, in a transition period of early Christianity theology and etc might work in combine.

Chapter 3 verses 1, 2 show us the situation of those days in real. “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.” According to this explanation, there might be some people came to the church with letters of recommendation to dispute against Paul’s teaching in Corinth church. We are not able to verify the content of recommendation letters exactly but it might give some burden to Paul. They might be sent by the apostles from Jerusalem or some influential people who could handle Corinth church members. However, it might be very clear that there was a great conflict between Paul and the visitors who came with such authoritative recommendation letters. It is a similar case in the church’s conflict between conservatism and progressivism. The view point for other religions and sexual minority is far different from each other. Nowadays such conflict takes the least important position but it was serious in Paul’s time as much as shaking the identification of Christianity itself.

Chapter 4 verses 1, 2 indirectly explain the huge possibility of deteriorating Christianity in those days. “Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” Here the statement, “We do not distort the word of God’ signifies there were certain people to teach in distorting way. This is the core point Paul explains in today’s content. Those who delivered the word of God in distorting way were the people who visited the Corinth church with a recommendation letter and ran down Paul’s authority and his gospel. The content today doesn’t explain directly what their insistence was. Instead Paul indirectly points out their problem by justifying his faith.

The creator of light
The position of Paul in the primitive Christianity was very peculiar. He delivered the salvation through Jesus only and it was almost close to gospel monism. It meant the salvation through Jesus wasn’t accepted as such clear truth in those days. You may feel strange for this fact and ask, “How they can deliver other things rather than the salvation through Jesus as being the members of Christian community already?” You have to read this word by returning to the New Testament times. As I pointed out earlier, Christianity hadn’t systemized yet properly in those days. Especially most Christians were from Hebrew Jews or at least Greek Jews, the Diasporas. If we consider strong power of Mosaic Law in their truth criteria then we can easily understand the conflict between Paul and his opponents.

However, the problem between gospel and law is not only Jews’ legalistic way of thinking but much further fundamental philosophical matter. Paul explains it through Gnostic term. He says the reason they are not able to accept gospel is basically due to the darkness of their heart. Look at verse 4. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Paul expressed darkness and light symmetrically. Gnosticism interpreted this world in dualism of good and evil, light and darkness. Though this Gnosticism doesn’t accord with Christian faith, it is clear that this is partially pursuable assertion. Because Christians does not think they can realize the truth or achieve their salvation by themselves but only through being shined by the light of God’s grace. Paul’s mention that we cannot recognize gospel if our heart gets darken rightly signifies this fact.

However, Paul doesn’t stop in Gnosticism, the main stream philosophy of those days. The matter of light and darkness that Paul says returns to the doctrine of creation in the Old Testament beyond Gnosticism. Look at verse 6a. “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us.” For Gnosticism light and darkness is two ontological powers that rule this world but it is nothing but the creatures to Paul. Paul emphasizes the fact God created light. God who created light shined his light in our heart. This is the unique way to recognize gospel and truth. Because of this light of creation Paul was able to preach the word of God without distorting or people could accept the gospel.

Likewise Christianity’s epistemology is rooted in the doctrine of creation. The power to recognize the truth is not indwell in our inner world but is given by God who created light. At this point, we Christian accept justification, sanctification and the entire process as God’s grace. We pray such grace may dwell in us. We never are able to recognize gospel and truth without the light that God creates and shines.

The detailed explanation about the meaning of shining of the light of God is as follows. We don’t think smartness is compulsory to attain spiritual enlightenment. “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:6) The expert in physics and psychology cannot be spiritually awakened unconditionally. On the contrary an ignorance of an ignoramus doesn’t hinder him to attain spiritual enlightenment. Here decisive important point is the light of God.

When people hear this explanation they may think strange but it is not. Such things often happen in our normal life. There are many people who are expert in one side and stupid the other. Some people are expert in mathematics but dull in music. Some are excellent in biotech engineering but very infantile in respecting for human right. Some are smart in theology but immature in human relationship. Likewise it is possible that some are an old hand at worldly things but know nothing about the spiritual world. At this point spiritual thing can be distinguished only by spirit and we call it as a spiritual epistemology which is occurred by the light of God. Now as such light shine on his heart, Paul defend his preaching is right. What is the gospel that only possible to understand by the light of God?

The face of Christ and the glory of God
Now we meet a complicated part of Christian faith. Some of you may ask is it not enough to proclaim, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Act. 16:31) Then why is it necessary to deal with Gnosticism, epistemology and the doctrine of creation? I don’t want to make you hard. We are now following the authors of the New Testament who had gone though such process. Look at verse 6b. Paul stated the fact that the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. This may be the most difficult sentence in the New Testament. Is it the most heart of the Bible? The most mysterious one? So does Paul say it can be acknowledged only by the light of God? What on earth does Paul say now?

The story of Christ’s face is connected to the story of Moses’ face narrated in chapter 3:12 after. When Moses came down from the Mount Sinai with Ten Commandments and other Laws his face was shined in glory. When Israel people were afraid of seeing his shining face, he put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it. It is written in Exodus chapter 34. Why does Paul disclose this incident? He intended to point out that the glory shined on Moses’ face was temporary one. It means the Law represented by Moses is not eternal truth but tentative one.

Yes. Moses’ glory has gone. Instead the glory is shining on Jesus’ face. Here Jesus’ face doesn’t point out his actual body but his life. It signifies his Passion, crucifixion, resurrection and his entire destiny. His life is shining. Shining means to be revealed brightly. ‘The glory of God was revealed to the ancient Israel people in Mosaic Law but now it is brightly revealed in Jesus Christ. The glory of God is shining in the life of Jesus Christ. Now Paul saw it, the glory of God that is shining in the entire life of Jesus Christ.

Apostle Paul saw the glory of God which was shining in the entire life of Jesus. What is the glory? What is the glory Paul had clearly seen in the entire life of Jesus? God’s glory is the event that God becomes the Lord both in name and reality. The word God becomes the Lord means God is certainly revealed as the creator, and furthermore his salvation is certainly revealed. The glory of God is the completion of his salvation, the creator of the world. Probably you may accept this word at the religious level unconditionally but it may not come to you in real. Think in this way. God’s creation activities hasn’t completed yet in our life. We feel thirsty though we drink water. Our friend, family cannot solve my loneliness. Though we’ve achieved something in our social life we still suffer from uneasiness. The creative activity hasn’t completed to us yet. It means we are not saved completely. The completion of the creation and salvation is rightly the glory of God. We don’t know what is the glory in detail because we haven’t crossed the river of death.

The unique way for us who hasn’t crossed over the river of death to recognize and experience the glory of God is Jesus Christ. Explaining it with following today’s content, it is not the law but the gospel of Jesus’ Christ. Paul says the fact the glory of God is shined in the life of Jesus’ Christ.

Is Paul’s such statement really true? With this question, we furthermore have entered into the valley of Christian faith. Let’s ask once again. What proof does it have that the life and destiny of Jesus a young Jew who had executed on the cross at 33 years old and raised after three days shines the glory of God, his creation and salvation? If this fact is an actual proof like the Copernican theory or Newton’s the law of universal gravitation then there is no dispute at all. Similar to the creed that God created the world and he will complete it at the end, this incident is the matter of spiritual recognition and faith that can be proved at the end of present world. We are following the faith of apostles and early Christian community who understood and believed. Following such apostles’ tradition and God’s grace that shines on our heart we understand and believe the glory of God is shined in the face of Jesus Christ. Those who have such faith already have participated in the glory of God though they are living in this world.