The Undeserved Gift of God

The Undeserved Gift of God

John 4:7-19

Many of us are familiar with the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. We know of the Samaritan women and her many husbands. While some readers have assumed that woman is a prostitute and others an adulterer, it is clear that she is a person who has defied set morals. Yet, Jesus comes to her to give a gift.

In the beginning of John 4, we read that Jesus is traveling to Galilee and goes through the Samarian region. In Samaria, Jesus takes a rest by the well of Jericho. Wells were a common place for people of all types to rest at and not just draw water. To draw water you would need some equipment. We do not know how deep the well was back in Jesus’ time, but evidence suggests it would not be easy to draw water and impossible to draw water with just your hands.

The Lord Jesus came to earth as a human being to reveal the truth to us. He comes to us at odd times and places to offer us a gift. Just like Jesus with the Samaritan woman, He came at a time she was not expecting a savior.

There two characteristics that stand out about the Samaritan woman, her pride and shame.

1. She was a Samaritan but also a descendant of Jacob. She is proud of the fact that she is a descendant of Jacob and has some claim to the well (John 4:12). In this sense she knows her place and how it is well with her. Samaritans and Jews would not even walk on the same path. After the Babylonian captivity, it was revealed that the Samaritans had married outside the fraternity of the chosen people. This was the beginning of the rift and the Jews considered the Samaritans as uncircumcised.

2. The woman had some pride and she had secrets she did want to discuss or share with others (John4:17-18). She comes to the well at the 6th hour of the day which is not a very convenient time. Many at that time would have gone to get water either early in the morning or later in the day to avoid the intense heat. Women would have also gone in groups and not as an individual. She was an outcast. Her marriages had not gone well, and she would have been shunned for having had so many husbands. No self-respectful woman would be seen with her. Yet Jesus offers her the gift of God.

In this passage, we see that Jesus shocks the woman in two ways. Jesus knows her crooked past and things that she did know anyone knew, but more shockingly that Jesus still loved her despite past. Jesus came all the way to Samaria to tell a woman who she is and give her the gift of God. Jesus understood who she was, but Jesus does not condemn her. Instead Jesus brings her to the understanding of who she is and how much she needs God (John 4:15, 19). We need to put ourselves in the women's place. Jesus has found us and does not judge us despite our broken hearts and crooked history. Jesus still loved us and traveled to meet us to give the gift of life.

The aspect of God's gift is that instead of turning away from us, He seeks us out to give us a gift. He then gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. The final gift of God is the true freedom we get from God's acceptance of us.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV

The spirit also makes us heirs. The Holy Spirit seals us that we are guaranteed salvation. We have the privilege to share the inheritance of God.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8:16-17 ESV

Yet even with the presence of Holy Spirit in us, we still have struggles. The heir does not own what is intended for him until the appointed time. The pride of ancestors is fragile and the Samaritan woman realizes this. The pride she gets as an heir of God is more fulfilling and meaningful because the gift of the heir is true and will be given at the appointed time. May accept the gift and our place as heirs while we patiently wait for the appointed time to collect our inheritance. 

2019 Daejeon Onnuri Christmas Blessing

 

Victory in Letting Go of Life-control

Victory in Letting Go of Life-control

Matthew 1:18-2:23

The events that happened during Jesus' birth is rich in symbols and profound spiritual meaning. In this narrative from Matthew there are two outstanding characters, Joseph and King Herod, who deal with control of their lives in very different ways. To understand these two characters, we need to think about their situation

Most people see and would have seen Herod the King as a ruthless tyrant. He was appointed by Mark Anthony to the throne and then later Caesar Augustus increased Herod’s power and privileges. Herod was not a descendent of King David and most people considered the family Herod to be half Jews. When Herod heard that a Jewish king who was from the line of David would be born soon, he worried that he would lose his power. Everything he had done to establish his kingdom would have been for nothing.

Although Joseph did not have a kingdom to lose, he did have his future at stake. This was his wife who would later have his children to continue his name and take care of him in his old age. Joseph had waited a long time to marry Mary and then to find out that she was pregnant would have been shamefully devastating. It is little wonder that Joseph wanted to divorce Mary.

Both Joseph and Herod had their lives and plans challenged. Joseph decided to stick to the laws and cultural norms of those days and divorce Mary. Herod decided to fight back to keep his kingdom using violence. In the world, we can either fight or flee to survive or be victorious. Yet, there is another way to victory which is to fight or flee, and that is to surrender to God.

Joseph was planning to divorce Mary, but an angel gave Joseph assurance to go ahead and keep to the marriage because the baby was from the Holy Spirit. Joseph relented and accepted God's plan over his own plans

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:19-20 ESV

Herod chose to fight. He did not change his plans even though he recognized this child as from God. In Matt 2:3, we read that Herod calls the child “the Christ”.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."

Matthew 2:3-4, 8 ESV

When we place more value on our plans and less on God's plans, we suffer. We need to plan. Indeed, we have been given the power to plan; however, we must understand that God is sovereign. A person who understands and accepts God is sovereign will be able to respond like Joseph.

There is a temptation to use resources in a way that God did not want us to use them. We can use our resources for our plans and purposes and not to God's plans. These resources include our talents, abilities, skills, wealth, positions and time. Herod had many resources at his disposal and used them to benefit Herod the King and his family. Joseph's great treasure was his wife to keep his bloodline, yet Joseph risked being married to a pregnant woman who was not carrying his child. Joseph respected God's sovereignty whereas Herod did not. This is why Joseph could react the way he did.

In our lives, we tend to make decisions to maintain our plans, but if we listen to the Holy Spirit, we do not feel comfortable. These are signs to us to make us aware we are aligned to God’s plans.

When we surrender to God, God will intervene in our lives to the challenges ahead and fulfill His sovereign will. Also, our experiential knowledge of God allows us to follow God more. We see this in Matt 2:13-14.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
Matthew 2:13-14 ESV

Joseph is quick to obey. Now Joseph knows that God is in control and has peace because of this. God wants control of our lives for our wellbeing and to allow his sovereign will to happen. Great things happen when we permit God to take control of our lives.

Life can easily demand control of our lives, so it is easy to become caught up in this world and ignore God’s will. Yet, there is victory in letting go of control and letting God reign our lives. Let us be like Joseph and surrender all to God.

The God Who was in the Beginning is Our God

The God Who was in the Beginning is Our God

John 1:1-14

One of the most celebrated holidays in the world is Christmas. Yet it would seem that most people who do celebrate Christmas do not know what the holiday is really about. These days, everywhere around you see Christmas trees and decorations, but it I s doubtful that people see or understand the meaning attached to these ornaments. As Christians, we need to reflect on what Christmas means to us and what we are practicing. We can always look to the Gospels for answers,

The four gospels all narrate the same story of Jesus’ life, purpose and victory but in different ways and different emphasis such as the Gospel of John. Where The Gospel of Luke shows the historical narrative of Jesus’ birth, the Gospel of John traces Jesus’ origin back to the very beginning of time. John does not do this in a worldly way, but in a heavenly way. Moreover, the Gospel of John emphasizes that Jesus is God who loves us. If there is one thing that John wants to tell us, it is that Jesus is love.

John presents God who was in the beginning as one who comes to us, and therefore for that reason alone, we should have joy. From the Jewish background, John tells us that the Word was before the beginning, and this Word which was God brought forth everything. John invites the readers of John to go back to Genesis to look at the nature of the God who was the beginning. John is telling us that God is not limited by time and space, nor is God limited in power or knowledge.

But John did not just stop there. John wanted to also show the loving Jesus who understood His followers and their sufferings. Keep in mind that the first audience who read the Gospel of John were Christians who were going through difficulties and having their faith challenged. These brothers and sisters needed hope, encouragement and understanding. John shows us Jesus who knew their difficulties and who had experienced life as a man on Earth and not just as God in Heaven.

God is not just all knowing and all powerful. God is in control and has a perfect plan. The Gospel of Matthew talks about how Joseph was told by an Angel from God to go to Nazareth so that the scriptures would be fulfilled. John knew that only a God who was from the beginning and knew everything would be able to do this, and so it is very fitting the John starts his gospel with stating

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

This is the same God who is in control of our world and lives. This God protected Mary and Joseph during dangerous and turbulent times. God puts events in our lives to help us get to places where God wants us to be. Just as we see in Jesus' life or others in the Bible.

If it were not enough, God gives us grace and mercy although we are undeserving. We are created in the image of God and yet we are terrible, corrupt creatures. Man falls and continues to fall. All the heroes of the Bible fail at some time except for Jesus. Yet Jesus still loved us and sacrificed Himself for us. The same people who fail God are given great mercy and grace. For example, Adam and Eve are clothed by God. Cain is marked so he would not be published by others for murdering Able. Abraham is given a son even though Abraham had lied, cheated and taken on a second wife of which God never approved.

At this time of the year, we need to remember that Christmas is the good message that God makes himself known to us. That Christmas is the time to cheer up because God is with us. God is our personal God. Jesus has come and will come again.

The God Who Was in the Beginning

 The God Who Was in the Beginning

John 1:1-5 
John 20:30-31 

The Gospel of St. John is the fourth book in the New Testament and the fourth gospel. It was written by John presumably from John's perspective. As we understand, the gospels are all about the good news and have different perspectives of the same message from their different authors.  

There are several Johns in the New Testament. Whether it is, John the brother of Jesus, or one of the Zebedee’s we do not know.  We do have some clues who this John might be. In John 21:20-22, the author says it was the disciple of Jesus who Jesus loved much. We also know that this John is the same author of the three epistles of John. Some scholars will dispute that this John is not the same author of Revelation.  It must also be noted that many NT scholars ascribe the authorship of the gospels to different authors. Some of these same scholars believe the authors were redactors who made edits to the gospels for different reasons. For us believers, we accept that this is John's gospel, and John the disciple was the author.

The book was written for the Jewish communities who were Christians in Ephesus. They were Jewish Christians who had converted in the first century. These Jews were subject to ostracism and persecution from the Jews, so they were careful with proclaiming their beliefs and affiliation with Jesus Christ. 

Some scholars argue that the Gospel of St. John was written before 70 AD. We know that 70 AD was the time the Roman Empire destroyed the last temple and this is a year that many Christians use as a reference point when dating early Christian writings. Since the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, it seems strange John did not mention anything about the temple. Others say the book was written later at around 80 or 90 AD. We do know that Paul had already been to Ephesus in 52 AD. We read this in Acts. Paul had established a Christian community in Ephesus. This included Christians of the diaspora and new converts. 

 John wrote the gospel so that Christians may hold onto their faith.  He wanted to persuade his audience to believe that Jesus is God. That the Word had a preexistence. In Greek, Logos would be the word that John meant. They believed Logos, reason, was involved in creation and everything was made from Logos. The Greeks had the concept of Logos but was abstract and influenced by Platonic thinking whereas Jesus was Logos made flesh. The word Logos was the power to create everything out of nothing. Jesus was the channel of creation and was God. 

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 

Psalms 33:6 ESV 

The same Logos is resurrected and does come back as spirit, but as living, physical flesh to be with us.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 

John 20:19 ESV 

From John 1:1-5 and John 20:30-31. We understand three crucial points.

1.       Jesus is the creator and is God. 

2.       Jesus is real and rose from the dead and is with us. He is dwelling amongst us all the time.  

3.       Jesus will be an abstract reality unless we put our faith in him. We have to believe and act in faith.  

2019 Christmas

 

A Yeshua for Our Wellbeing

A Yeshua for Our Wellbeing

Matthew 1:18-25
and
Luke 1:26-33

Yeshua is Joshua written in the Aramaic way just as Jesus is the English way of writing Joshua. Jesus is the name that means God will save us both spiritually and physically. In Hebrew tradition, a Joshua was a hero that saved people from being destroyed. In fact, this idea has been around for a long time as we see the idea of Yeshua in the Old Testament. As early of Genesis 3 we have the promise that God will save man.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
Genesis 3:15 ESV

Just like the Advent message, this message of good news from Genesis is to give hope as we wait for our saviour. Our savior would right the wrongs of this world and save us from destruction. Indeed, there would be a total sense of wellbeing. At the beginning of Christianity, the early Christians could relate to the message of Genesis. Yet, the totality of wellbeing from the good news does not seem to have come. Adam and Eve experienced the law, and we read about the loss of their two sons.

Although Mary and Joseph did not experience wellbeing in some ways, they did experience wellbeing in other ways. Mary and Joseph were betrothed which meant that their marriage had been planned for a long time, probably years. For Mary to become pregnant so late in her engagement to Joseph, was a real shock. Mary was a virgin and engaged to someone. This was shocking and shameful. It was also dangerous because it would mean death.

According to Jewish law from Deuteronomy:

But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father's house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Deuteronomy 22:20-21 ESV

Later the Jewish Rabbis changed the law to include divorce. Joseph would have just needed two witnesses to quietly divorce Mary. The bride's money would have been returned, tears would have been shed and the couple would have gone their separate ways and probably would have moved to new locations. Still everyone who knew Mary or Joseph would have known something was wrong and that only some shameful act had been done to break the arrangement. To break a betrothal in that time was unusual bringing disgrace to both parties, but still Mary and Joseph experienced wellbeing.

Mary had a lot on her mind and brought up her concerns and worry. Sometimes God will put us into situations which are bigger than us. Be honest with God and say what is on your mind just like Mary. To have concerns or worry is not weak or sinful. In Mary’s candidness, she was a comforted by the message she received from the Angel.

And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
Luke 1:35 ESV

Joseph was the same in that he had much to lose and did not know how he could handle the situation he was put in. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and reassured Joseph that God would intervene.

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).
Matthew 1:20-23 ESV

We, too, will experience challenges that are sometimes bigger than us and cannot be done on our own.

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord , when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'
Jeremiah 23:5-6 ESV

Jeremiah tell us that Jesus is going to execute justice to those who are righteous. The prophet also tells us that Jesus is going to forgive us of our sins and we will be made righteous. Jesus has forgiven our sins and we need to remember this. We can respond to God and others with love because our relationship with God has been made right with the forgiveness of sins.

We have been called for purposes which the Lord has given us. These purposes are both spiritual and physical. For instance, Joseph had the physical responsibility to name Jesus. Also, Joseph had the purpose to be a father and husband. God had carefully selected and brought Joseph into plan to fulfill God’s plan. Much the same, our lives are not by mistake or without purpose.

Sometimes we might be in situations that we do not understand what to do. Be like Mary and express yourself honestly. Also, be like Joseph and do what is expected of you and what you can. Whether it is just a prayer, just by being there, or being obedient to God, we can complete our purpose. Most importantly, our wellbeing is grounded on the facts that Jesus will forgive us, we have been chosen and Jesus is with us always. 

The Comforting Hope We Have in the Coming Lord

The Comforting Hope We Have in the Coming Lord

Isaiah 40:1-5

Holding on to the faith that God is in complete control at all times is a hard challenge. It is challenging to act like or believe that we have nothing to be anxious about. This is especially true when a difficulty in our life has continued for a long time.

The children of Israel were under the Babylonians. The Israelites were oppressed and had lost their wall of security. The Jews had lost their holy vessels and temple. Even their people were scattered as slaves around the Babylonian provinces. The Israelites were slaves physically and spiritually. They were forced to serve foreign rulers and foreign gods. The Jews were a conquered people who seemed to have no hope of fighting back.

However, sixty years after being defeated, in Isaiah 40:2, the prophet Isaiah declares that warfare is over and the Israelites have been pardoned. Later God raised King Cyrus, who, with his Persian army, conquered the Babylonians.

The Jews had been subjected to the might of Babylon, and Isaiah uses words suitable for war in his prophecy. Isaiah tells the Israelites that their King, God, is going to take control, so the people can take comfort. When the Babylonians conquered the Israelites, the Jews understood this to mean that their king had not fought for them because of the sins of the Israelites.

God takes away their sins even though the Israelites had done nothing to deserve this. Not only has God forgiven their sins, God would also deliver them from their enemies. The Jews had to do nothing but prepare the highway of The Lord. In the book of Ezra we read how some Jews accepted this message and returned to Jerusalem. Others did not because of their disbelief.

It would be easy to see why some Jews did not believe the prophecy considering the history of that time and what follows. The Persians conquered the Babylonians. Then the Greeks conquered the Persians in 331 BC and everything went back to being reigned by foreigners. Later the Romans defeated the Greeks in 146 BC and things became even worse. Warfare had not gone away.

Sin had not gone away, and its impact was felt. Still today sin affects many parts of our lives. Yet Isaiah spoke truthfully that we should take comfort.

By comfort, this is what Isaiah means.

1. Our comfort is found on the coming of Jesus. Jesus Christ has become our king. He has become our comfort since he has fulfilled the promises of God. He has also come out of love to us. We do not have the standards to return to good standings with God. Only Jesus can help us out of our situation since we are helpless to do this ourselves.

2. Jesus will bring our warfare with sin to the end. He does not just erase our failings, but gives us His Holy Spirit to us to help us live the way Jesus wants us to live. It is not just a final battle that has been fought, but also an effort of recuperation of strength and of total healing.

3. Jesus will lead His people and do this with tenderness. Not all of the Israelites were guilty of sin. Many people have not sinned and suffer because of the sins of others, and they need to be comforted. We find it hard to understand why God would allow for innocent people to suffer because of the sins of others. Yet we have security in knowing that Jesus will not let any wrongs go unsettled.

4. It is the Good News. Jesus will come and accomplish all that was said and promised by God in the Bible.

5. God will have all His glory when Jesus returns. All the confusion and injustice will be

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18 ESV