Title People remember grains of wheat.
Contents
John 12:24-25 People remember grains of wheat.
In 1347, two nations were encamped on either side of the Strait of Dover. The war between Britain and France was fierce. The famous Hundred Years' War story. For nearly a year the British attacked the northern French city of Calais. Now the village has plunged into a desperate situation where no more troops can be expected. I finally got a white flag. The envoy of surrender went to Edward III, King of England. And begged for mercy. However, the King of England remembered that many British soldiers had been killed in the meantime, so he tried to annihilate the entire village of Calais.
But the surrender ambassadors hung desperately. The king gradually softened and said: "Okay. I will guarantee the lives of the citizens of Calais. But someone must be held accountable for their foolish rebellion. The six representatives of the citizens of Calais have to walk in front of me barefoot with ropes used for hanging around their necks. "
Citizens could neither rejoice nor mourn. Because someone had to die for them. At that time, there were six brave men. All were wealthy nobles who were the key figures in the city and enjoyed their blessings. Wistache Saint-Pierre, the richest man in Calais, was the first to volunteer. And Jean der, Jacques de Phase, Jean de Piene, Pierre de Phase, Andr Dandrier came forward with ropes tied around their necks. It was barefoot, ready to die. But at the last minute of his execution, Edward III listened to the pleadings of the pregnant queen and saved the six brave citizens.
And 550 years later, in 1895, Calesi asked the sculptor Rodin to erect a statue of the six brave men. So, we made a commemorative statue for the citizens of Calais. This is a statue of the famous Rodin that remains to this day. This statue, stained with bitter sorrow, strongly teaches the lesson that if a grain of wheat falls and rots, it bears much fruit. And people wanted to remember these grains of wheat. Today, we want to share grace by learning about the decaying grains of wheat.
1. It is a grain of wheat to sacrifice.
As a grain of wheat rots, new life emerges from it and bears 30, 60, and 100 fold fruit. To decay is to die. It is sacrificing yourself. Among snails, some snails lay their eggs in their shells. And a baby snail comes out of it and eats the mother and grows up. When the chicks are fully grown, they have eaten all the mother snails. A mother sacrifices herself for her children. As a result, children survive safely. In other words, rotting grains of wheat mean sacrificial grains of wheat.
The reason the truth of Jesus shines is in the sacrifice. Jesus himself sacrificed himself to accomplish salvation for me and for you. Because of that sacrifice, humankind can be saved from death, curses, and disease. Therefore, we remember Jesus every day. In gratitude for that sacrifice, we give praise to him and dedicate ourselves to him. I try to live by imitating the spirit of sacrifice.
There are too many references to sacrifice in the Old Testament. In God's temple, daily sacrifices were offered to God. Sheep, cattle, and doves had to shed blood and sacrifice for humans. And as a result, we can be forgiven and have life. The Christian spirit is not at all selfish. Rather, it is altruistic and even more sacrificial. The rotting grain of wheat is the grain of sacrifice. The Lord remembers these grains of sacrifice.
2. It is a grain of wheat to increase.
When one grain rots, it becomes many grains of wheat. People often think that I have to live to bear much fruit. But the rotting grain of wheat does not say that. Rather, I am proving through my own life that I must die to bear much fruit. In the Bible, the miracle of five fish is mentioned. Literally, it is the miracle of feeding 5,000 men with five loaves and two fish, leaving twelve baskets left. But for this miracle to work, one child's lunch was needed. Although Jesus could make milk from radish, he was more delighted to use the children's lunch box, Obyeongeo. In other words, he taught us the simple truth that one grain of wheat must be planted to produce much fruit.
Often the dedication of one person benefits many. The Nobel Prize began in 1901. The first Nobel Peace Prize winner was Swiss 'Henry Dunant'. He was once the head of a Swiss bank. He dreamed of meeting Emperor Napoleon and greatly expanding his business. But, coincidentally, war broke out at the time he had promised to meet Napoleon.
He went to visit Napoleon, who had gone to war. There he came into contact with the reality of war. It was a place of death and killing. I saw the hellish phenomenon of bloody death. He saw numerous corpses. I saw a lot of bloody patients. He felt the futility of life. He started helping the wounded at the scene. He gave up his dream of meeting the emperor and starting a big business. A new dream has arisen. "There must be no violence and war in this land. And help the wounded no matter what."
He and his friends started a campaign to help the wounded. This was the beginning of the Red Cross. His selfish plans to earn money for himself were turned into devotion to others. Finally, he founded the Red Cross and became a grain of wheat in the Red Cross. People want to remember these grains of wheat forever.
3. It is a grain of reconciliation.
As one grain sacrifices, it becomes more numerous and more abundant. So where there are rotting grains of wheat, the atmosphere is good. It becomes reconciled. Everyone feels better. Because of the rotting grain of wheat. When Koreans immigrate to a foreign land, they naturally become part of the Korean community. The Chinese and Japanese get along well with the Canadians here, but the Koreans do not mix well. It's probably because they're single ethnicity.
However, after living in the Korean community for a while, I realize that the Korean community is quite narrow. Especially in Calgary, where we live, it's really small. Therefore, one person's wrong influence can make a narrow Korean society discord or reconcile. Fortunately, it is peaceful here. This is because there is a grain of wheat that rots behind you without knowing it.
It is a story of love that happened during the time of President Park Chung-hee of Korea. At that time, many Koreans went to Germany as miners and nurses. The government could borrow a lot of money using their wages as collateral. They went and worked hard by example and were recognized by the German people. For this reason, the German government invited President Park Chung-hee as a state guest. There was no special machine to ride at the time, so the German government gave it to me.
President Park visited Gwangsan Village. Upon hearing the news that the president of their country had arrived, the miners came out to meet President Park, wearing bullet powder. When President Park saw this, he wept with tears in his eyes, saying, "The country is poor and lifeless...". I couldn't speak anymore and I cried. In fact, President Park Chung-hee was born in poverty. He suffered the sorrows of poverty. Because he knew poverty, he cried endlessly.
Even in the car on the way back from the mining village, President Park couldn't stop crying. At the time, 70-year-old German President Luebke took out a handkerchief and comforted him, saying, "Don't cry. Build a prosperous country." At this time, President Park Chung-hee bit her lip. And the German president next to me vowed not to hear it. From here came the Saemaul Undong and the livelihood movement. A great economic revival has come to our people after crossing the barley hill.
After the Korean War, Korea was truly one of the poorest countries. They were far worse off than African countries. President Obama recently said this. ?쏱reviously, Korea was worse off than Kenya.??what do you mean? Korea was a very poor country before. But it's different. In other words, it is a message that Kenyans can live as well as in Korea. However, in Korea's economic revival, there was a heart to sacrifice for the country, a grain of wheat. The president became a grain of wheat, and the people became a grain of wheat. In the Vietnam War, many young Koreans died as grains of wheat. Therefore, Korea was able to rise above the ravages of war.
The same goes for family happiness. Reconciliation and happiness in the family can only be achieved when someone in the family becomes a sacrificed grain of wheat. But people are reluctant to become such grains of wheat. But Jesus Himself, who became a grain of wheat, says: ?쏷ruly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world preserves it for everlasting life. I will."
The Bible says that one of the most prominent signs of the last days is that people become selfish. That's why I think it's like a foolish fool to become a grain of wheat. But the Bible says it is the truth. We praise you for living a life that resembles Jesus. For the kingdom of heaven to be established on this earth, grains of wheat are always needed. The grain of wheat that sacrifices itself bears abundant fruit. make it relatable. Even if no one recognizes this spirit in this foreign land, we want to follow it because it is the Lord's truth. And I want to shout like this. "Lord, make us a rotting grain of wheat!"