Title: Passion Jesus
Looking back now, I think the enthusiasm of the people who went to every village and screened movies was also great. I don't know for what motive they did that. Some people would do it because it would make a lot of money, and there might be others who were so zealous in the professional spirit of distributing movies. Also, there may have been some people who did this with a spirit of service for the rural people who could not enjoy the benefits of modern civilization. After all, regardless of their motives, they were very much appreciated by those who lived in the countryside. Because of those people, I was still able to watch movies once or twice a year.
The deeds of Jesus described in today's text are reminiscent of the people in the tent theaters who visit every village and show movies. Here it is said that Jesus went through all the towns and villages. In today's language, castles are cities and villages are rural. So Jesus went to every village in Galilee, whether in town or country. Jesus was already famous. People came from far away to meet Jesus. Therefore, Jesus was able to meet as many people as possible without having to visit every village. Yet, Jesus went through all the towns and villages to meet at least one more person. If Jesus had not visited there, there would have been many rural people who would not have met Jesus in their lifetime.
The Lord, who visited even the very small village of Dumesangol, is visiting even the hearts of each of us today. No matter how unimportant I may seem, the Lord will never pass that soul away. It is not the will of the Father who is in heaven that even one little child should be lost (Matthew 18:14). This is because, above all else, you are a precious and precious soul to the Lord. So the Lord comes to you and touches your heart. So, are you not the main character of the blessing of these words, “to those who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)?
Even then, I can't help but surrender with my hands up in front of these words, the passion of Jesus, who went all over towns and villages to save even one more soul. Jesus didn't even drive a car like we do. Unfortunately, if there was a bicycle, it might have been less difficult. How hard must it have been for the Lord, who walked in the scorching sun of the Palestinian region and visited every village on a dusty country road. One time, while passing through Samaria, John wrote that he was weary and sat by a well (John 4:6).
Last time we looked at the healed blind men who had gone wrong with too much enthusiasm, but our problem today is that there is too little enthusiasm. Our problem is that our passion for the Lord, our passion for the gospel, our passion for the church, these things are too low. I hope that those who have lost their passion will be able to recover it, and I hope that those who have not yet developed passion will experience God's grace deeply and spurt out of passion. In any case, all of us, including myself, will have to learn the passion our Lord has shown us. If we say that we are disciples of the Lord and do not try to be like Him, we will become liars before God.
The first thing the Lord did as he went through all the towns and villages with passion was to teach. We don't know well if we don't learn. There is a saying that you need to know what to do in order to be able to believe properly. If we say we believe in God, but do not know him well, that faith will be blind. How many things do we need to learn, such as what the doctrine we believe in, what the Bible says, what is right when heretics make various claims, how to lead a religious life, etc.? That is why we have to study the Bible, do discipleship training, attend seminars, and learn that way. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy, “Stay in the things you have learned and are convinced of” (2 Timothy 3:14). The church is to nurture believers with perfect faith through teaching.
Also, what Jesus did was to preach the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus came into the world to bring people to heaven. That is why the very first words he proclaimed were “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, and in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” He proclaimed the kingdom of heaven. Jesus Himself was also the core of the gospel of the kingdom. Because it is through Jesus that we can possess that kingdom of heaven. We have many things to declare today. We must cry for social justice. If necessary, we must also fight for the universal values of society to be realized. But ultimately, what we must proclaim is the gospel of the kingdom. We must preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, that we become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, until the last moment and to the ends of the earth. This is our mission, and for this the Church exists.
Also, what Jesus did as he went from village to village was to heal all diseases and all infirmities. As we have seen, Matthew 9 is full of stories of Jesus healing the sick. Think about it. What greater comfort and grace could there be than this when you healed the woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years and had gone to all the doctors but could not fix it and had only lost her property? What could be greater joy than that when your only 12-year-old daughter died, and she raised her from the pain and sorrow? In this way, the things Jesus did were to bring comfort and joy to people. However, Jesus, who is doing these things, is not only in the big cities, but he personally visits all the villages from the countryside to the hills of Dumes. You can see the image of Jesus who truly loves the world and heals it. Likewise, today's churches must also undertake the ministry of healing and serving the world.
If the church is a being that is not helpful to the world, a church that is being pointed at or hurt, it cannot be said to be a proper church. Jesus also said that you are the salt of the world and the light, but sometimes the church does not heal and serve the world, but rather becomes the object of healing. Of course, the church on earth cannot be perfect and perfect, but considering the mission and role given to us, it cannot be.
As Jesus went about and called his people together, what he desperately felt was the lack of workers. There are many people who are called to repent and be saved, but it is unfortunate that there are not enough workers. In our reality today, the lack of workers sounds like a strange nuance. On the one hand, there are a lot of side effects because there are too many workers, but on the other hand, there are no workers in the church, so we have to move around. I hope that there will be many workers in our church who can work faithfully and faithfully. I hope that God will send many harvest workers to our church. May God raise you all to be faithful workers.
The prophet Isaiah heard the voice of God. “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” The prophet who understood God's heart immediately answered: “Here I am. Send me.” We also go to the Lord, who laments the lack of workers, and say, “Here I am. Please use me as a worker. I want to be used for your country. I will work for the church. I will do my best to preach the gospel and bring people to the Lord.” I wish I could answer like this. So, I pray that the blessing of being in the hands of the Lord and being used preciously will come to you all. *