[Shepherding the sheep with One heart] The best place to end hunger and thirst
After Malachi the prophet, there were 400 years when people did not hear the voice of God. The period when God was silent is called the “Dark Ages”.
How desperate and distressed they were, because they were not led by God while they suffered slavery in a foreign land! In those days, the Israelites longed to hear the voice of God. Then a voice was heard from the desert.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”(Matthew 3:2)
The Israelites thought John the Baptist who was saying “Repent” was the Messiah whom God had sent to save His people. So they asked John the Baptist, “Are you the one who will come?”. John replied that the one who would come after him was the Messiah. It was Jesus of Nazareth, the son of a carpenter, for whom they had been waiting. However, they thought Jesus was too humble to be the Messiah who would save the Israelites from the oppression of the Roman Empire, because he was a carpenter from the rural town of Nazareth.
Their ignorance and lack of understanding prevented them from recognizing Jesus. They couldn’t see holiness and life because of their ignorance. How frustrating!
We may not feel thankful about the life of faith in the church, which is full of the words of God and the Holy Spirit, and grace and gifts from God. Consider how Ishmael who lived in Abraham’s house didn’t thank him for the richness and blessing and fell into despair by being self-indulgent. Therefore we have to thank God every moment, knowing that this place where anyone is with the Lord is the best one to end hunger and thirst.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #618
