Thinking Jesus Means . . .
노는(遊)신부 Pastor Huck의 길 잃은 양을 찾아 길 떠난 예수
Following Jesus, Being Jesus, and Living Jesus – Part II
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)
photo by noneunshinboo1. Where are They? Where are You?
“There were ten who were healed; Where are the other nine? Where are they?”
Why is Jesus asking like that? Because, except the one, the nine are still there, stuck in between Samaria and Galilee, not going toward Jerusalem, not old one, but new Jerusalem with Jesus, the Lord of the Temple, the Temple Himself.
The nine are somewhere out there, and nowhere, still standing at a distance, and just shouting to someone, “Maser! Have pity on us.” Even while they know they are already healed, they are not coming back to Jesus to give thanks. Because, they do not know, who they really are, and who they really should be. They do not know, where and whom they really have to go and return to. They do not know, whom they really have to show themselves to, and where they really should be. They do not know, what family, and what community they really have to belong to.
Above all, they do not know, who Jesus really is, and why Jesus has come to them. They do not know, what Jesus is not going to do for them. They do not know, what they truly have to ask of him. Their skin disease is not all for them to ask of him to heal. Yes, they have suffered from the disease for a long time. They were broken, outcast, marginalized for too long. But that’s not all that they have to ask of him to heal and fix.
2. Back to normal!
Yes, they hope, they desire. They have been eager to go back to normal. But, No! Not to the same normal as they lived in before. A New Normal. A New Life. A New World. A New Heaven and Earth. That is what and where they are supposed to return to. That is what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord has come to do for them, for us. As they saw their skin healed, they had to take their eyes off from their skin, and had to remember where Jesus was, and they had to return to him, running toward him, toward his arms, giving thanks and praising his Father, yes, their God, yes our God. Not standing at a distance anymore. Not anymore.
“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:9-12)
Yes, the other nine are still there in darkness. They do not move. No, they move on to see the priest. They will be somewhere again, nowhere again, out there again. But, not here where Jesus is.
But the one is different. Upon noticing he is healed, he ‘just stops there’, stop going to see the priests, not going further, not entering into the village. He turns back from there, praising God in a loud voice, and walking, running to Jesus to give thanks to Him and his Father. Not stopping on the road, and not standing at a distance. Not this time. He comes close to him, and throws himself at his feet. He comes close to see God through Him. He sees Jesus whom God made all things through. He comes and sees God and Jesus not separately, but at the same time, seeing not two, but one.
“Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
The wondrous, unmerited gift given to him, is not a finish line of his journey. Instead, now it becomes a starting point to make his long journey home, the true home where my mom and dad, my brothers and sisters, and my God, my Lord are waiting for me, for all of us. The gift of God’s grace becomes a starting line for him, for us all to run toward the new Jerusalem, the new village, the new family, the new community, and the new Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus becomes not only his starting point, his beginning for new life, for new running, but also his destination, his journey’s end.
3. But to our High Priest
He is not going to the priest, but to ‘the High Priest’, Jesus Christ (Heb 4:14-16), not just for showing himself, not just for saying what has happened to him on the road, not just for confirmation of his restoration or forgiveness of sins, not just for giving thanks to him. He is coming back to be a disciple of Jesus, to live with Him, to join in his new family, to make a journey with him and with his people. He will eat, drink, walk, rest, and sleep with him as his disciple.
But, the other nine now disappear from the scene, from our sight. For them, the unknown and unlocated village that they knew and lived before is their destination to return to. For them, seeing the priests is their goal. For them, coming back to the normal, the former life, their communities and their families is their journey’s end. That’s all for them.
However, before long, they will come to Jesus to ask him to perform another miracle for them. When they need something or they face some troubles, they will come again to Jesus for help, shouting, “My Master! Have pity on me!” And some of them will come to ask Jesus for a sign to show that God approved of him, the Son of God, the Messiah. (Mark 8:11) They always fix their eyes on his fingers, not seeing the moon that his fingers are pointing to. For them, Jesus is just a starting point, a starting line that they are wandering around. He is a place of call for fixing something or asking something.
But for the one who returns to Jesus, the Jesus is not just his starting point but also his destination, his goal, and his journey’s end. Jesus will be his new normal, new life.
“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50)
Jesus will be his mother, father, brother and sister, and also friend. And he joins Jesus’ new family and new community.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)
The Kingdom of God will be his. His Kingdom becomes his journey’s end.
4. Rise and go; your faith has made you well.
“Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Yes, Our faith has made us well. Then,
“Rise! God!”
Not just saying and singing, ‘how great you are’, ‘how merciful you are. Not just giving thanks to God in thoughts, words, minds. Not just thinking, ‘how grateful his gifts and grace are’.
“Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
The grace and love and mercy and peace and joy of God, that is what are given to us all.
“Rise! Go!”
But, rise for what, go where?
photo by noneunshinboo ‘Thinking Green’ means ‘Being Green’. ‘Being Green’ means ‘Living Green’.
Yes, it is. ‘Thinking Jesus’ means ‘Being Jesus’. ‘Being Jesus’ means ‘Living Jesus’. We, the people of faith in Christ Jesus, are not just thinking Jesus, but being Jesus, not just being Jesus, but Living Jesus. We, Christians, are Jesus to our neighbors, and live Jesus among our neighbors.
But, how?
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matt 25:34-36)
We, the people of faith in Christ Jesus, are not just thinking of our gratefulness for God’s gifts, are not just speaking of our thanksgiving for God’s grace. We, the people of the Kingdom of God, are the people of thanksgiving to one another, live thanksgiving among our neighbors, share thanksgiving with others.*
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us be a miracle to our neighbors, let us be a sign to our neighbors, let us live our thanksgiving among our neighbors, let us live the Kingdom of God together on earth as in heaven. Let us give thanks to our God, and praise Him.
Alleluia!
* 캐나다는 지난 주일이 추수감사주일이었습니다.
