Title: Traces of Jesus (Galatians 06:17)
Content People want to hide the scars of injuries or accidents on their bodies. This is especially true when childhood accidents occur on visible parts of the face or body. There is also a place where I was injured in an accident during the 6.25 Uprising. After my first birthday passed, I evacuated to the city of Seongju, and my mother carried me with only mosquito nets, pillows, and milk to evacuate, and I couldn't bring any money or rice with me. There is a distant relative's house. I was living in one room with people who had fled from other places, and the owner of the house pulled things out of a basket on the shelf and pulled them out without realizing that there was a brass grommet in them. The lid in it slammed right under my face, under my eyes, splitting my face and leaving scars. Over the years, the wounds have healed and the scars have faded and now look like wrinkles.
I have a brother-in-law, and when I was in elementary school, I fell while skating at the skating rink. I didn't wear gloves, and the person behind me stepped on my finger with a skating blade, and the last joint of my little finger fell off. From then on, I got into the habit of walking around with my hands in my pockets or clenching my fists. This is to hide the wound.
1. Paul proud of his wounds (trails)
People try to hide their wounds, but the Apostle Paul who appears in the text is proud of his wounds. The apostle Paul says that he had the marks of Jesus on his body. Verse 17 says, “Let no one trouble me from now on, for I have on my body the marks of Jesus.”
Saint Francis of Assis climbed a mountain called ‘Labeltier’ to pray in September 1224 when he was 43 years old. He prayed for two prayer topics. The first was a prayer that he could taste the suffering of the Lord’s passion in his own body and soul, and the second was a prayer that he would know the burning love of the Lord for sinners. While praying, he had a vision where Jesus appeared himself and was nailed to the cross. From then on, he read in a book that it was said that he had nail marks and intestinal wounds on his body.
Verses 16-18 of today's text read, "Peace and mercy to all who practice this ordinance, and to the Israel of God. After this, let no one trouble me, for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be in your hearts.”
In ancient Hebrew society, we left a mark on three occasions. First, when soldiers swear their allegiance for the king for the country, they leave a mark on their body by stamping them with fire. Second, as a sign that religious leaders offer their bodies to their gods, they engrave letters or images that symbolize their religion as traces on their bodies. Third, when slaves or slaves are sold, the first letter of the master's name is stamped in fine print. When a slave runs away, his identity as a slave is revealed because of the fire in his body. That's why the marks are engraved on the body.
2. Paul's Traces of Jesus
Why did Paul have wounds on his body? He was beaten five times while preaching about Jesus, minus one in forty. I was hit with a taejang three more times. One time, people thought he was stoned to death, and people carried him and threw him outside the city. So Paul's body is the traces of being beaten and the traces of being tortured by being imprisoned in Rome. But Paul was ashamed of this and did not hide it, but instead boasted, "I have the marks of Jesus on my body."
Paul refers to himself as a soldier of Christ. ② It is said to be a devotee who gave himself before God. ③ Paul speaks of himself as a servant of Christ. That is why we are proud of the traces of Jesus without being ashamed. When did the marks appear on Paul's body? The first is 2 Corinthians 11 and the second is 2 Corinthians 6.
In 2 Corinthians 11:22-27, we read, “Are they Hebrews, so am I? Are they Israel? So am I? Are they Abraham’s seed? So am I? Are they servants of Christ? I was beaten many times in prison, I was beaten many times, I almost died. I was beaten five times by the Jews, which is one less than forty, three times with a rod, I was stoned three times, I was shipwrecked three times, I spent a day and a night in the depths, I traveled and lectured many times. In danger, in danger from robbers, in danger from my own people, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger at sea, in danger among false brothers, and toils and toils, sleeps many times, hunger, thirsts, hunger many times, is cold and naked ” he is saying.
Also, 2 Corinthians 6:4-5 says, “But in all things self-proclaimed as a servant of God, he suffered much endurance, afflictions, privations, afflictions, beatings, imprisonments, disturbances, toil, sleeplessness, and inability to eat.” As Paul testified about Jesus, there were marks of being beaten, marks of being stoned, marks of being whipped, marks of being struck by a sword, marks of being hungry. We are proud of the marks we have suffered for the Lord.
3. What trace should we have?
① Christians must have the marks of Christ on their faces. First of all, you should have traces of tears on your face. Jesus wept and his face was full of tears. Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, laid the cross in front of him, and shed spiritual tears to save mankind. When Jesus saw the destruction of Jerusalem, he wept. When he saw that no stone would be left on top of the stone, he wept. Also, when Jesus saw the death of Lazarus, he wept. Dear saints, Are there tears in your eyes? I hope you can brag with the trail of tears.
Jesus shed the sweat of prayer and left traces of sweat. Jesus prayed with great effort, toiling, earnestly, and sweating until his sweat became like drops of blood. Dear saints, Let us also have the sweat marks of prayer on our foreheads.
② Traces of Jesus on the hand
Jesus touched the leper with his hand. Jesus met the blind man, made mud with his hands, put it on his eyes, and told him to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash. And he opened the eyes of the blind. Jesus touched a woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years. Jesus' hands were a hand of service, a hand of comfort, and a hand of power. We must have these marks on our hands as well. The Apostle Paul built the tent with his own hands to cover the missionary expenses. Paul's working hands are rough hands. The most respected Japanese person is a man named Toyohiko Kagawa. After praying, “O God, make me like Christ,” he went into a slum and lived serving the poor. Eventually, he also contracted pulmonary tuberculosis and died while living the lowest level of human life. However, he became a respected person by all Japanese.
The hand of a teacher who teaches students, the hand of a soldier who protects the country, the hand of a civil servant who works for the people, the hand of a musician who plays beautiful music, the hand of a painter who draws a good picture, the hand of a writer who writes down works, the hand of an old woman Hands, all working hands, beautiful hands.
③ Let us have the marks of Jesus on our feet.
You must have the marks of Jesus on your face, hands, and feet. Each step that Jesus took is a great step. Every step of Jesus is a step toward Golgotha. He went up to Golgotha and received no iron in his feet. I hope that we can also boast of the footprints of Jesus' gospel, the traces of prayer he left behind, the traces of love, the traces of perseverance, and the traces of suffering.