LIFE IN THE SPIRIT PART 4: I AM THE CHILD OF GOD (ROMANS 8.14-17)

Believers not only belong to Christ, but are the child of God. The Spirit of God is not only a seal through which our attachment to Christ is secured, but also a seal through which our attachment to God the father is officiated. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of adoption. God the father through Jesus Christ not only saves us from the deadly destiny, but also adopts us as his children legally through and legalized by the Holy Spirit (8.14).

The Spirit of God confirms our legal status as children of God. Paul even went furthermore to claim that the adoption is not only legal at the beginning, but also realized through the journey of life until the consummation time. The adoption is therefore secured by the Spirit of God. In verse 17, Paul said that we are heirs of God. 

On approaching death many people write a testament, through which they mention their wishes after their departure. Normally, a testament will name the heirs of the deceases (children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, etc.). A testament will prove whether someone is truly a heir of the decease or not. Thus, the Spirit of God serves as both a birth certificate and a testament confirming one legal status as a child of God. Our adoption is one legalized by the Spirit of God, two it is realized in our status as heirs of God, and three it is irreversible: once and forever (my understanding of Paul). We are children of God and therefore we are heirs of God, now and forever.

Even more amazingly, our status as heirs of God is not different from Christ: we are Christ co-heirs of God the father. What had happened to Christ will happen to us (8.17). If we share in Christ's suffering then we also will share in his glory. The promise of adoption is therefore not a painless and easy life. Paul indicated potential hardships and inflictions experienced by children of God as Christ had been suffering from all those tortures. The promise of adoption is thus one the awaiting eternal glory through the drama of suffering as we are longing to be united with Christ, and two the leading, guiding, comfort and protection through difficult circumstances by the (parakletos) Spirit of God.

The adoption is real, sincere and full of love. We are not saved to be slaves, but to be children of  God. There is no negative motif behind the salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ. We even are empowered to call God the Father, Abba (an Aramaic word for English equivalent 'daddy). This use of Abba illustrates the potential closeness and intimate relationship between believers and God (8.15). While sin always slaves and condemns us, the Spirit of God assures us of our new status and privilege as children of God (8.16).

Finally, our status as children of God is again recognized by a Spirit-led life (8.14). At this point, we may have in mind the idea of a business franchise. As Starbucks in all over the globe have certain standard of quality and service, children of God in this world also are expected to bear certain intrinsic godly characteristics. I think it is not unfair to say that the characteristics meant by Paul are moral characteristics. We are called to live a life led by the Spirit. We are called to live according to what the Spirit desires. We are called to leave our fleshly desires. We are called to be righteous as God is righteous. Those are pillars of godly life according to Paul in Romans 8. Our righteous deeds however are again not an obligation to the law, but a cheerful response to our loving Abba. 

Romans 8.1-17 begins with 'no more condemnation' and ends with our new adopted status as children of God. The adoption pays ahead all future possible condemnation and punishment: that is the ground of a Christian life. The adoption secures our journey of faith through different difficult circumstances: that is the encouraging promise of a Christian life. The adoption carries out certain godly living standard according to what the Spirit desires: that is the very call of a Christian life.

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT PART 3: I BELONG TO CHRIST (ROMANS 8.9-13)

An official document is often officiated by a seal and authorized by a signature. A business deal is often guaranteed by certain amount of cash known as down payment. In a similar imagery, God's promise of salvation to those who believe in Christ Jesus is sealed by the Spirit of God.  

The dwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers is the most undisputed sign of the new status and identity in Christ. The cross is once, final and complete. The blood of Christ guarantees that there is no more condemnation not only for days, weeks or months, but forever. This sealing by the Spirit of God brings up three significant points.

First, believers now belong to Christ (8.9) and are secured in Christ. Though life is fragile and most of the time is not painless, God's promise of salvation in Christ is sealed and secured by the Holy Spirit (Gk. Parakletos), who always leads us, guides us, comforts us, encourages us, protects us and be with us. We are not alone as we journeying from the initiation of our faith to the consummation of our salvation. Unlike the passive worldly down payment or seal, the Holy Spirit is active in accompanying us to stepping our path aiming to the eternal glory. 

The salvation is offered by God's amazing grace; It is made possible through the death of Christ who is also God himself; And God the Holy Spirit secures the promise until the consummation of the eternal glory before the Triune God. This amazing cycle shows God's powerful, wonderful and complete plan of salvation. The very truth is: We contribute nothing from the beginning to the end.

Second, this complete plan of God is pictured by the link of Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the believers. The three parties are related not only in the issue of salvation, but also in the issue of bodily resurrection (8.10-11). Our salvation ends not in eternal death and futility, but in eternal life marked by our bodily resurrection. Paul himself boldly argued that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the death is exactly the same as the One who dwells in the life of believers. This same Spirit will gives life to our mortal body. The Spirit of God who dwells in us therefore gives us confidence to live our life enthusiastically longing for a time and place full of glory before the Triune God. Once again: Be enthusiastic for your very life in Christ!

Third, the new identity in Christ brings moral consequences. By belong to Christ we are invited to live in righteousness (8.10, 12-13): that is a life according to the will of the Spirit of God over against a life according to our sinful nature. This requirement is not asked for attaining our salvation. We indeed contribute nothing for our salvation. This requirement is intrinsically related to the very character of the Holy Spirit, and to the work of the cross. The scandal of the cross is indeed a turning point in the history of human kind, when sin found its most destructive attack, and subsequently death found its ultimate death. And as the Spirit of God is holy, he will lead and guide us from one righteousness to another righteousness. Our obedience and righteous living is now no longer a response to the requirement of the law, but a response to the love of Jesus shown on the cross, and to the gentle touch of the Holy Spirit. Our most precious response to the cross and obligation the leading of the Spirit of God is nothing but to obey!

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT PART 2: THE BATTLE OF MINDS (ROMANS 8.5-8)

To live according to the sinful nature is to live with minds set on what the flesh desires, but to live according to the Spirit is to live with minds set on what the Spirit desires (8.5). Setting on is to fix the direction or to aim. The first real question is therefore: 'What is the goal of our minds?' And in its simplest expression: 'What is the purpose of our life?' Is God at the center of our life, or I? Life in the Spirit of God is a perspective that always places God at the center of everything: Gott ist über alles. To tell you the truth: 'Anything that places God as the priority is always great and will never go wrong' (Prasadja, May 2011).

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace (8.6). The second question on mind is therefore: 'How do we operate our mind? A mind controlled by the Spirit of God brings peace and life. It unifies, builds, edifies, strengthens, develops, bears fruits, regenerates, and brings life. The sinful mind breaks, destroys, devastates, weakens, provokes conflicts, kills, and ends in futility. The Spirit of God leads our minds to healthy relationship (with God, with others, with self and with the environment) ends in fruitful life. Our fleshly-self-ego sinful nature leads our minds to broken relationship ends in destruction and death. The idea brought up by Paul is not so much on direct actions producing peace or conflicts, but a state of mind and identity. According to Matthew 5.9, the peacemakers are the children of God. My simple logic might be wrong, but it should be not too far from the truth to say that the conflict-makers are therefore the children of the enemies of God. John 17 recognizes that through our unity, the world may believe in God who sent Christ Jesus (v. 21). Unity and peace seem to be two most important characteristics of Spirit-led-community of believers.

The sinful mind disobeys God and therefore is hostile to God. This evil mind is not compatible with the mind of God (i.e. failures of pleasing God; 8.7-8). The third question on mind is thus: 'To which party does our mind belong? Our mind's belonging determines our compatibility with God. Our service to God whatever perfect it is is futile when sinful mind operates. We may spend tons of energy in our ministry, without obedience however, we will not be able to please God. And I think it is fair enough to say that 'the worst tragedy in one's life regardless what his/her religious identity is is the incompatibility with God' (Prasadja, May 2011).  

Readers, to what direction do you set on your minds, and how do you operate them in day to day life? And at the end of the day, we all need to ensure the compatibility of our minds in God's global economy! 

Paul seemed to obviously steer the discussion of 'life in the Spirit' to the battle of minds. Deeds are without doubt important, as 'Good thought alone does not make us righteous, if it is not accompanied by good deeds. Evil thought alone however is enough to make us unrighteous' (Prasadja, May 2011). As Jesus once also indicated in Matthew 5.27-30, the sins of adultery are most of the time executed not by our sexual organs, but by our minds (literally: eyes). In a totally different context and setting, Franklin D. Roosevelt once said 'Men are (not prisoners of fate), but only prisoners of their own minds' (brackets and italic are mine). The 'no condemnation' motif in Romans 8 by no means give us room to sin, but a strong encouragement to overcome our sinful nature and to win the battle of our minds.

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT PART 1: H5W (ROMANS 8.1-4)

• Who: Those who are in Christ Jesus; If we believe in Christ Jesus we live in the Spirit of God. In Romans chapter 8, Paul used both Spirit and Christ Jesus interchangeably. Life in Spirit is a sign of Christ dwelling in us.  
•  
• Where: Those who are in Christ Jesus; There is no other way to live in the Spirit of God but Christ. Jesus claimed in John 14.6, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' The language of salvation is effective only in Christ's sphere of influence.
•  
• When: It is now; Life in the Spirit of God is not an abstract future entity, but a present real reality. The 'no more condemnation' is active in our present day to day reality of life.
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• What: No more condemnation; Life in the Spirit of God is free from condemnation. Christ Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalties of our past, present and future sins. The fulfilling requirements of the law in verse 4 should not be understood as our improving ability to obey the law. The fulfilling requirements of the law does mean that even in our continuously upcoming sins and failures, God has paid the penalties in related to those sins and failures: once and complete! What a great and wonderful divine assurance!
• 
  
• Why: To live according to the Spirit; Life in the Spirit of God is an obedience to (the Spirit of) God over against our natural (literally: fleshly) desires. 
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• How: God did through the sending of his own Son, Jesus Christ; Human efforts are futile, and the law (Torah) has been powerless. But thank to God for graciously giving us his only Son to die on the cross, delivering freedom from the slavery of sin and condemnation to those who believe in Christ Jesus.
•  
• Conclusion: If we are in Christ Jesus, sealed by the Spirit of God, we are commanded:
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• First to rejoice in the lord and be joyful always, since there is no more condemnation. 
•  
• Second, to live a life according to the desires of the Spirit of God (i.e. Live in obedience), not because of fearing of the failures of attaining the requirements of the law, but because of a sincere gratefulness upon the grace of God who sets us completely free from the condemnation of sin and death.

A BOOK REVIEW: THE WORD LEAPS THE GAP: ESSAYS ON SCRIPTURE AND THEOLOGY IN HONOR OF RICHARD B. HAYS

The Word Leaps the Gap: Essays on Scripture and Theology in Honor of Richard B. Hays (Eds: J. R. Wagner, C. K. Rowe, A. K. Grieb). Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2008 (710pp).

It is unusual to have a festschrift extending beyond 700 pages such as the one for Richard B. Hays. The length of the festschrift with a total of thirty-three contributors is a testimony of the greatness of the honoree. It does not take too long to recognize that Hays is not only a brilliant scholar, but one who is influential in New Testament scholarship. His publications and speeches are often like a breath of fresh air. Hays' discussion on the Bible, especially the New Testament, has made significant contributions in the areas of hermeneutics, ethics, and Christian faith (Bockmuehl, p. 498). Hays' interest extends to the relationship between the Old and the New Testament which is adeptly captured by John Barclay (p. 409). Apart from being an active member of the academy, Hays is a person who possesses an interesting personality, a wide network of friends and contacts, and good interpersonal skill. Most importantly, apart from the Bible, the New Testament, literature and art in general, Hays loves his family very much and this is something that is not normally mentioned in a festschrift.

The list of contributors includes his friend George Hobson who wrote a poem entitled 'For Richard Hays,' his daughter Sarah Hays Coomer who wrote a touching testimony on her amazing experience with her father and her unpredictable journey of faith, and his wife of more than 40 years, Judith Hays, who co-authored with Hays on 'The Christian Practice of Growing Old' at the end of the book. The rest of the contributors are former students, colleagues, and New Testament scholars.  Six contributors are from the United Kingdom: five of them reside in Durham, the other being Markus Bockmuehl of Oxford . Four of these five scholars are associated with the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of Durham. The Durham group is made up of James D. G. Dunn, John M. G. Barclay, Walter Moberly, Francis Watson, and Nicholas T. Wright. Two other contributors are from the Catholic University, Notre Dame, while another three come from Fuller at Pasadena. More than one third of the contributors are Hays' colleagues at Duke. 

The contributions span a range of issues like hermeneutics, the relationship between the Old and the New Testament, ethics, and Pauline theology. The resources used in the essays cover the canonical literature, the apocrypha, as well as ancient and classic literature. Some of the issues raised have been a long standing debate in the area of New Testament studies, for example, the issue and interpretation of 'the faith of Christ' is discussed by James D. G. Dunn. This issue has been an on-going point of debate between Dunn and Hays since 1991. Ed Sanders' essay on the development of Paul's theology moves into another area exemplifying the classic tension between the conservative wing and the liberal wing. N. T. Wright's proposal on virtue as the direct implication or definition of faith is another example of reaching a conclusion after years of discussion and debate. The length of the book does not permit a comprehensive review of all the essays and only a few can be highlighted here. Some of the contributions in this festschrift are important to help us understand the issues involved as well as the honoree himself.

The following selected reviews are taken from Stanley Hauerwas’, Ed Sanders’, James Dunn’s, N. T. Wright’s and Sara Hays Coomer’s contributions.

The festschrift begins with a reflection from Hays' colleague, Stanley Hauerwas, on the issue concerning hermeneutics and scripture reading (pp. 1-19). Without a doubt, Hays' art of scripture reading is extraordinary (p. 543). Hauerwas views Hays' approach in reading and interpreting scripture as very strict and less contextual. Such a comment is expected since Hays is a Biblicist while Hauerwas is not (though he now claims that he is a biblical scholar upon the completion of his 2006 commentary on Matthew in the BTCB Series). Hauerwas expresses his worry that hermeneutics can become too theoretical and less contextual (p.2). In appreciating of John Howard Yoder's work, Hauerwas seems to view the Bible as a 'means' to confront the contemporary context of our world. Hauerwas is not against Hays' approaches and interpretation methodologies of the Bible. He only warns that such approaches may place the Bible far from the real needs of the world. Hauerwas notices the importance of building a bridge between hermeneutics and theology to avoid an isolated reading and interpretation of scripture.

Ed. P. Sanders also contributes to the classic issue of the development of Paul's thought and theology. In his essay, 'Did Paul's theology develop?' (pp. 325-350), Sanders lucidly explains the development of Paul's theology by using three significant terms: consistency, coherence, and systematic. Sanders carefully analyzes the meaning of the three words and argues that (1) Paul was not ‘systematic’ in that he did not write a systematic theology book (p. 326); (2) Paul was consistent in his theological view, but he was not too consistent in practical level. According to Sanders, there is at least one instance where Paul was inconsistent and Sanders shows this by comparing 1 Cor 11.5 and 14.33-34. For Sanders, inconsistency at the practical level is something that is not unnatural. In page 326, Sanders strongly says that perfect consistency is inhuman mainly because the context is always changing. In Sanders’ viewpoint, Paul thought from solution to problem rather than the reverse (p. 327). In other words, Sanders seems to place context as something that heavily drives Paul's theology; (3) Paul's thought is coherent. Paul's thought operates on two principles: (a) The God of Israel is the God of the whole world. He called out the Jewish people, brought them out of bondage, and gave them the law. Nevertheless, all creation is His. (b) In later days, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to save the whole world from the wrath to come regardless of whether the person is Jewish or not (p. 328). Sanders believes that Paul's statements are heavily dependent on these two principles.

In pp. 330ff, Sanders tries to build his argument based on Douglas Campbell's monograph, The Quest for Paul's Gospel: A Suggested Strategy (London: T&T Clark, 2005). According to Campbell's argument, Sanders seems to be anti-theological, anti-rational, and anti-systematic, to which Sanders disagrees. For Sanders, Paul was a splendid creative theologian (p. 331). According to Sanders, Campbell uses the terms ‘systematic, coherence, and consistency’ without paying enough attention to the fact that each word has its own distinctive meaning. Despite the differences, it is interesting to read what Sanders says: 'Campbell's own view of Paul's theology is not all that different from mine' (p. 332).

Another notable contributor is James D. G. Dunn who is unquestionably one of the most productive New Testament scholars. Dunn has a long history of debate and friendship with Hays. This is seen in Dunn's essay which is both personal and academic (pp. 351-366). In it, Dunn disagrees with Hays on the interpretation of phrase 'the faith of Christ Jesus' (pistis Christou). The disagreement stretches back seventeen years and involves numerous articles and monographs. Dunn recognizes that Hays' position is persuasive as many younger scholars are in Hays’ side. Some senior scholars, such as Leander Keck, J. L. Martyn, and Morna Hooker, have also been persuaded by Hays' interpretation. This goes to show how influential Hays' interpretation is in the world of New Testament scholarship (p. 352)

According to Hays, the phrase pistis Christou should be translated as 'the faithfulness of Christ.' Christ is the subject; thus Christ is faithful (to die on the cross). The faithfulness of Christ is the prime cause of salvation. Dunn and the majority of German scholars offer a different interpretation which is along the traditional line. Dunn believes that pistis Christou should be understood as 'we have faith in Christ.' This is the ground of human salvation: we have faith in Christ.

The formerly Bishop of Durham, N. T. Wright, writes on the issue of virtue in relation to faith (pp. 472-497). By bringing virtue closer to faith, Wright is building a bridge between the two extreme poles of faith and work. This is a classical issue which has been discussed for many years by both Wright and Hays.

The final essay to note is the public personal testimony written by Hays' daughter, Sara (pp. 646-648). Sara tells us that Hays has always been a caring father who loves her very much. Though Hays brought Sara up in Christian tradition from her childhood, Sara decides to hold a different religious view as she wants to be honest to herself. Hays does not force Sara to follow his religious view but actually encourages her to continue to search for the truth. It is not a normal trend to include a personal testimony like this in a festschrift, but from my perspective, this significantly adds value to the festschrift. Readers are thus invited not only to know about Hays' academic achievements, but also his life as a Christian and as a loving father to his daughter.

The focus of the festschrift is rather lacking, but it is understandable, especially because Hays is influential in so many areas in Biblical studies. The various topics included in this festschrift in fact shows how wide Hays' contributions have been. The names of the contributors to this festschrift show how influential Hays has been among other biblical scholars. The high quality of the essays will appeal to those who love biblical hermeneutics and ethics; those who search for the meaning of faith; those who seriously study the relationship between the Old and the New Testament; those who love literature; and those who want to know Hays and his work better.

I ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE

I always have a choice: to do good or to do a better one. I always have a choice: to give or to give more. I always have a choice: to love others halfheartedly or to love others wholeheartedly

The above choices are all positive. The cost I am willing to pay for a choice correlates positively with how deep and wide the impacts of such a choice are. A choice is therefore an investment driven by certain motivation. The most significant issues behind making right choices are thus to possess right motivation and willingness to pay the cost for such eternal and greater impacts.

For some reasons, I intentionally avoid the use of superlative, and prefer for the comparative ones. No one knows what the best is. I 'do not believe' literally in a statement, 'I have done my best.' The best is indeed a subject for continuous improvement.

What is your choice today?

PURPOSES OF SUFFERING (VALUABLE OLDER POST)

Older valuable post (September 18, 2006):

I was struck with a note taken about eight months ago when I was in India. It was a lecture on suffering given by a Christian Indian leader.

Ten Purposes (Benefits?) of Suffering: 

• Suffering helps us to shape our characters 
• Suffering helps us to recognize our true friends 
• Suffering reveals the truth inside us 
• Suffering helps us to hope on the more glorious eternity 
• Suffering helps us to be free from the bound with earthly things 
• Suffering gives us opportunity to think about God 
• Suffering helps us to understand that God suffers with us 
• Suffering helps us to be more sensitive with others who are suffering 
• Suffering helps us to be more open and sensitive in relationship with others 
• Through suffering, God is working for our good

MAMA MARY AND HER WONDER BOY JESUS AT THE WEDDING FEAST IN CANA (JOHN 2.1-11) - A TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS

It has been long recognized that one way to identify the existing of a problem is through a thorough investigation if any lack of resources does exist. In a wedding party some two thousand years ago, the head chef, Mama Mary noticed that they ran out of wine. Mama Mary said to his son, ‘Sus, there was no more wine available for the guests’: what a horrific shameful incident to the chef and the host of the party (Jn 2.1-2). Wine was certainly essential for a party in Jesus’ time, but the more serious issue had to be dealt with was shame.

When Mama Mary approached her told to be a wonder boy Jesus, she was hoping that Jesus will do miraculous deed such as sending rain of wine from heaven or alike. Mary’s hope was realistic: Gabriel, an angel came to her some thirty years prior to the incident telling her that the fetus in her womb is the Son of God. Mama Mary had been waiting patiently for thirty years to see if Jesus really is the Son of God. Well, both the wine problem and the shame issue were huge to the chef and the host of the party, but they were tiny before (the Son of) God, Mary rightly thought.

Jesus’ answer was however discouraging: ‘Mom, why do you involve me? My show time has not yet come!’ In other words, Jesus wanted to say that this was not the right time to perform miracles. And it seems from the text that Jesus was not too happy with his mom’s request (Jn 2.4). If I were the mother of Jesus I would have been angry both at Jesus and at Gabriel, and if necessary at God. ‘Oh my God, I have been waiting patiently for these thirty years for nothing?’ wrote Mama Mary on her Facebook status. Mary had all the right to complain: She had been carrying Jesus in her womb for more than 9 months; she had been carrying the shame and the social pressure of being pregnant before her marriage was officiated; she had been carrying another shame of delivering her baby told to be the king and Messiah in a rough manger – not even in a non-air-con motel or bed and breakfast; she had been waiting for thirty years – not a short time though – to see a little evidence that a boy she used to call ‘Sus’ and now a man really is the Son of God. 

Luckily, she was not angry at the young man Jesus, at Gabriel or at God.  Mary’s patience and persistence are majestic – her heart was clean in all of these unwanted situations. She was a resemble of the Old Testament Job (Job 1.22).

Was Mama Mary discouraged? Well, probably yes, but she did not lose hope. Mary kept her hope alive. Her faith was firm regardless how difficult the situation was. ‘If now is not the right time for my boy ‘Sus’ to perform his wonder, then tomorrow may be the right time to enjoy his miracles,’ Mama Mary said to herself. ’Today will kill me not regardless how bad it is, since I desire to see a brighter tomorrow’ (Prasadja, May 2011).  ‘To me, the most difficult period in life has not been failures, but times when to hope is no longer possible’ (Prasadja, May 2011).

Instead of being discouraged, Mama Mary did encourage the servants to do whatever her wonder boy asked them to do (Jn 2.5). By asking this, Mary performed a radical and an extraordinary obedience to the Son of God, who by the time of the incident was not a celebrity yet. The wedding feast in Cana was in fact Jesus' first miraculous deed (Jn 2.11). To this unknown infamous Jesus, Mama Mary showed complete obedience. In addition to that, it is unusual for a mother to obey her own child, even if her child is a prime minister or a governor general of Canada. What Mama Mary did was even more than obeying her own son. She asked others to obey this unbekannten Jesus for whatever he requested. And amazingly, the servants did exactly what Jesus asked them to do, though the command was something that is not rational at all and by no means clever. What!!!!: Did Jesus really ask them to fill six purification water pots? If I were Mama Mary, my response to Jesus would have been like this: ‘Sus, we need wine – not water for purification! Your order is wrong Sus! Change it!'

But I am wrong. Mary was in complete obedience to her own wonder boy. And her obedience to Jesus was contagious to all the servants. This passage teaches me that genuine and complete obedience is contagious. It is easy to obey to things that fit our mind, but it is hard to obey to things that are not rational: am I right? Mary’s obedience is complete and radical. 

The first thing created by a problem is a panic situation. And the first thing created by a panic situation is chaos and conflicts. And when chaos and conflicts are uncontrollable, we are severely sunk to the ground. Popular myth says women tend to be panic more than men. Psychological approach to the Bible will agree that for Mama Mary who was around fifty at the incident, panic was acceptable and not unusual. I do not know for sure if Mary were panic. The text however tells us that the situation was handled peacefully. The wedding ended happily and successfully. The threat of shame was transformed into honor and glory (Jn 2.10). Mama Mary was not only a great chef; she was not only an extraordinary mother; Mama Mary was also an agent of peace and positive transformation. Mary’s attitude had transformed a panic and potential chaotic situation into a happy ending wedding feast.

As I read a ‘newspaper’ this morning, my eyes were kept in one unusual advertisement. It was not ‘Seeking man’ or ‘Seeking woman’ kind of advertisement, but a ’SEEKING MAMA’ ADVERTISEMENT’: ‘Children look for a mother who is faithful to God; who always places her hope in God patiently and persistently; who is in complete obedience to God; and who is an agent of peace and positive transformation in the family; an expert in wine is a plus.’ Mothers: are you there?

JESUS AND BEELZEBUB IN LUKE 11.14-23 (Part 3)

What is the meaning and the leitmotif behind exorcism (casting out the demons) performed by Jesus? First, it shows the active and powerful presence of the Kingdom of God (Luke 11.20) inaugurated in the person of Jesus Christ. This young man Jesus is not an ordinary man: he is divine. Jesus is the Son of God, and he himself is God! The exorcism tells the audiences that the power of God dwells fully in the person of Jesus. And this power is mightier than the kingdom of B.....b as proclaimed and promised years ago in Genesis 3.15. 

Second, exorcism shows that the Kingdom of God is absolutely more powerful than the kingdom of B.....b (Luke 11.21-22). The kingdom of B.....b is pictured as the owner of a palace, fully armed to guard his property. The Kingdom of God however is pictured as someone stronger who conquers the owner of the palace. The only way to victorious life has been established in the person of Jesus and his works. The first coming of Jesus sends a message that a new more powerful Kingdom of God has defeated and conquered the kingdom of B.....b.

Third, victorious Christian life is accomplished and guaranteed through our unity with Christ (Luke 11.23). Believers are to live in a battlefield; we are not neutral, and have to choose the right ally in order to win the fight. This decision of walking with a right party should not be  understood as simply a decision to follow Christ once in a life time. This is a decision believers have to take in their day to day life. Once one decides to follow Christ, the spiritual battlefield indeed becomes more real, and the neutrality becomes absolutely impossible.

JESUS AND BEELZEBUB IN LUKE 11.14-23 (Part 2)

Jim Collins writes three amazing books: Built to Last, Good to Great, How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some companies never give in. In those three books, he presents the results of his research on so many different companies.  Collins did a spectacular analysis to differentiate between ordinary and extra-ordinary companies. The extra-ordinary ones have been able to survive for many years including in the period of world financial crisis. Collins finds noble values behind surviving great companies. Collins’ analysis has been widely used not only by secular companies and organizations, but also by religious institutions, and also by so many Christian churches.

As I read Luke 11.17-18, my wild imagination arrived in a recommendation that the kingdom of B.....b (Satan) should be one of the strongest candidates to be nominated as one of the most solid organizations or companies in this world. The kingdom of B.....b has been existing before Adam. For thousands of years, this kingdom of B.....b has been faithful to its products (sins and temptations) with consistent quality. Do we realize how successful this kingdom of B.....b has been along the way in the history of the world and the history church in particular. The key, Jesus said in verse 18 is UNITY. The golden rule ‘United We Stand’ finds its foundation in Jesus’ comment on the kingdom of B.....b in Luke 11.18. 

The wild imagination of mine went further saying, ‘If we want to learn how to practice unity, do not learn it from the church, but learn it from the kingdom of B....b. Am I right? Has not the church been known and recognized by the world as an organization characterized by conflicts and disunity? This post is not written with a purpose of glorifying the kingdom of B.....b, nor do I intend to denigrate the church. This post however is a reflection on how deep we as believers in Christ have fallen into the spirit (sin) of jealousy, rivalry and hatred.

Now, our homework is to creating, maintaining, nurturing and growing a unity in our family, our local church and the church worldwide through both small and big things we do and we do not do; and through both small and big ideas we do say and we do not say. Unity is probably one of the most powerful elements in a strong family and local church. Only by unity, the lord said, WE WILL STAND. Readers: I invite all of us to say, to commit and to do one little thing to strengthened the unity in our family, our local church and in worldwide church.

JESUS AND BEELZEBUB IN LUKE 11.14-23 (Part 1)

Once upon a time in a far away land, the news was spread that a young inexperience prince from unknown kingdom had defeated one of the most powerful czars from a very strong kingdom of the time. The crowd, especially young ladies and hundreds of princesses were amazed and marveled upon hearing the news.  

The majority of the crowd however was asking for signs to validate the news. Was that inexperience prince really the one who defeated that great and powerful Czar? They cried aloud, ‘Show us the evidences! Do DNA tests for us!’

Still there were some critical individuals who said, ‘It is impossible! The news must be fake!’ ‘The Czar is too strong for that young and inexperienced prince.  A stronger warrior from a neighboring kingdom must be the one who conquered the battle and killed the Czar.’

In Luke 11.14-23, Jesus is figured out like the young prince in my story above. Jesus was casting out a demon from someone who was mute. Once the demon had gone out, the mute spoke. The crowd saw what had happened with their own eyes. Some of them were amazed and marveled (v.14) for what Jesus had done. Some others asked for heavenly signs (v.16). And still some critical people did not believe that Jesus was the one who casted away the demon from the mute, instead they pointed to Beelzebub (the leader of the demons), as the one who was responsible for the exorcism (v.15).

If readers of this blog were alive in the time of Jesus and given the opportunity to witness the miracles of Jesus (including the exorcism), how would they have responded? Which response is the most appropriate and Christian?

To those who disbelieved in the power Jesus, and preferred to see Beelzebub as the exorcist, Jesus responded the criticism in Luke 11.17-26. To those who were amazed and marveled at what had been done by the lord, Jesus addressed the issue in Luke 11.27-28. And to those who requested heavenly signs, Jesus straight forwardly answered in Luke 11.29-32.

Luke 11.14-32 shows that none of the responses is correct. Even to the crowd who were amazed and marveled at him, Jesus simply said, ‘WRONG ADDRESS!’ (My reading of Luke 11.27-28). It is like someone who upon enjoying a cup of Starbucks Frappucino says, ‘Wow…. This is the best ice lemon tea I have ever drunk!’

This post judges nothing, but invites readers (1) to read the text carefully, (2) to think what the appropriate responses upon witnessing the miracles of Jesus are, and (3) to answer the question of ‘Why do we often pray for God’s miracles in our life?’