Title Boundary - John 4:19-24
Contents
October 5, 2003 (Sun) 11:00 am Cheonan Salim Church
Title: Borderline
Text: John 4:19-24
How was your week? I had a good time. It was a busy week, but it was also a fun week.
At this time, I think I'd like to first share a few snippets of stories about myself and some of our experiences over the past week.
It is not an old temple, but a newly built temple, known for its festival of Gujeolcho and traditional jang-making. We stopped by the temple in the midst of preparations for the Gujeolcho Flower Festival, recreated according to the tradition of cherry blossom viewing on the Jungyang Festival, and were immersed in the scent of Gujeolcho, which has just begun to bloom. We also drank lotus tea served by the master monk.
There was no reason why we couldn't cross the threshold just because we were of a different religion. It wasn't a long time, but since we were drinking lotus tea, we came back from talking about religious practices for a while listening to the story of how the lotus flower became a symbol of Buddhism from the governor. It wasn't a huge event, but it was an opportunity to rethink how great it would be if people of all religions could overcome their prejudices like that, and it was a very pleasant meeting.
These were the events of the past week that I could easily experience. It was a meeting where there were no barriers because of different affiliations or different standing positions, and that meeting was a joy.
But the unacceptable situation of such a delightful meeting, we had to watch over the past week. Professor Song Doo-yul, the protagonist of the situation, opened his mouth like this. "The overwhelming joy of stepping on the homeland I had dreamed of for the first time in 37 years with my family was only a moment in time. As I watched myself fall from a 'conscientious scholar' to a 'big spy', I embraced the South and the North together and reconciled between the two Koreas. I think the effort to be a stepping stone toward the future is really difficult in today's situation."
There is no need for us to recall the whole picture of the situation over and over again at this time. Why on earth should such a situation occur, and the reality that has created it is regrettable. It is not just the case of Professor Song Doo-yul. The years of division in which we have lived have forced us to live by condemning people with certain beliefs, taking things that are not sins for granted. How many people are forced to suffer because of it?
For what the hell did I have to ask for an 'apology' for what I believed and lived according to my conscience? It is not Professor Doo-Yul Song who should beg the apology, but all those who have tolerated division and have considered what is not a sin under the division system. Since we have violated the strict positive law, people who think they are sinners should apologize for the sin of allowing the law to bind people upside down.
It can be a pun on whether you belong to either side or both. The important fact is that neither side's thoughts and claims alone can lead to the truth. The fact is that reconciliation cannot be achieved by staying within the boundaries set by each. The term 'boundary person' is possible because the boundary is clearly and realistically erased, but it is important to note that the 'boundary person' refers to a person who takes on the role of breaking down the boundary.
In that sense, every Christian should be a 'borderman'. A true Christian is a borderliner. Jesus himself was the borderline.
Today's talk is a snippet of the famous story that Jesus and the Samaritan woman shared at the well of the city of Suga, Samaria. Although the composition itself is conscious of the existing boundaries, this story is breaking down those boundaries. The structure of the dialogue between the Samaritan woman and the Jewish man, Jesus, speaks to the nature of this story.
There are two boundaries, or barriers, interspersed here. One is that there is a boundary between a woman and a man. Women and men, it remains an unresolved boundary to this day. Moreover, the scenes in the story are strangers that do not already know each other. Then there is the border between Samaritans and Jews. The border between Samaritans and Jews is just reminiscent of today's inter-Korean relations. Jews and Samaritans did not deal with each other. Today, when a southerner meets a northerner, it is a crime of 'communication'. Even on the way, the Jews thought that they should not go through Samaria, even if they would go back a long way. Today, if you go to the northern area at will, it is a crime of 'infiltration and escape'. Even in the words of Jesus to love your enemies, it is said that 'enemies' were meant to refer to the Samaritans in the conventional wisdom of the time. The current inter-Korean relations also define each other as 'enemies' under the positive law. In terms of the ROK military's strategy, the 'main enemy' is called 'North Korea'. Under such circumstances, the conversation between the Samaritan woman and the Jewish man Jesus could only be understood as a very dangerous and precarious situation.
However, the content of their conversation is also disturbing. the woman asks. "Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but your people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem." Here is Jesus' answer. ?쏷he hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ... The hour is coming when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Now is the time. The Father is looking for people who worship like this. God is a Spirit. Therefore, those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth." You say:
Just as the meeting itself was made in a contrasting composition with clear boundaries, so the dialogue also has a clear contrasting composition. It is a contrast between 'this mountain' and 'Jerusalem'. 'This mountain' is a place where Samaritans have been worshiping since the time of the ancient Shechem sanctuary, and it represents the tradition of northern Israel (or Samaria). As we all know, 'Jerusalem' is the city of David and represents the tradition of southern Judea. If we change to our situation today, it is a story of whether 'Pyongyang' has legitimacy or 'Seoul' with legitimacy. Jesus' answer negates the legitimacy of each. The story 'Neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem' means that it is not according to the Samaritan tradition, nor according to the Jewish tradition.
From the Samaritan side, Judea is wrong, and from the Judean side, Samaria seems to be wrong. For the Samaritans, the sanctuary of Shechem is orthodoxy; for the Jews, the temple in Jerusalem is orthodoxy. But Jesus says neither. "Now God doesn't want people so obsessed with their own orthodoxy. God is looking for people who will truly serve God without being obsessed with their own orthodoxy. Not those who regard what they have just built up as an inviolable realm. We seek those who believe in God, who is only the Spirit, and follow the truth. Now is the time for all of us to seek the Spirit and the truth." You say: Here Jesus is very radical. Both take a radical stance of denying them.
On the other hand, Professor Song Doo-yul today is very mild compared to the deeds of Jesus. It is a moderate attitude compared to Jesus' attitude, as both are in a position to be respected. Jesus took an attitude that neither belonged here nor there. It would correspond to the boundary person of the Korean meaning. Professor Doo-Yul Song takes the attitude of belonging to here and there. This is the attitude of a boundary person in English. However, the results of both attitudes are the same. It goes toward the truth that transcends the position of either side, and that is how reconciliation is achieved.
A society that does not allow its borderline, whether it belongs to either side or to either side, is a closed society and an unfortunate society. It is a hopeless society. It is a society where only good and evil dichotomy, black and white logic prevails, hostility, hatred, and conflict are rampant. In that society, only the last winner survives. All but the last victor must live in constant pain and anxiety.
Jesus, who lived as a real boundary person, came to this earth to end the hostility, conflict, and suffering caused by it. Our mission, called as those disciples, is not elsewhere. It is on a mission to overcome the hostility and conflict and achieve reconciliation. It is easy to be misunderstood by those who hold on to that mission. Jesus said he was not on either side, but people didn't think so. Jesus, the Samaritans, were self-evidently considered a Jew. The Jews, on the other hand, were called Samaritans (John 8:48). But in spite of the misunderstanding of that prejudice, Jesus became a true reconciler.
At this time today, may we all become true disciples of that Jesus Christ.*