The gospel (03)

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)

In the previous mediation I told the interpretation of the Old Testament that understood Exodus and captivity’s return as ‘good news’ has no more effectiveness in the New Testament. I would like to excuse for may be a certain misunderstanding for this saying. It doesn’t mean to change our oppressed structure of life, mostly it is related to economy and politic, into the structure of liberty is meaningless. Today in Korea, the thing to change our social structure in order to help foreign laborers’ life without any indifference is directly related to the gospel that church should proclaim. Not only this, there are endless problem inside and outside of our country that should be overcome with our cooperative solidarity. I mean church should bring forward a problem with awakened spirituality in order to actualize justice and peace in the life of this world. At this level I have been participating for a long while with KNCC Daegu and Kyungbuk Human Rights Commission and Pastors’ meeting and I will continue this activities. It includes an ecological movement too. We have to develop the necessary actions in detail in order to keep the earth as the lasting possible planet. These also can be the universal evangelical movement on the whole level.

However, if these activities are the only and unique choice is Christian faith necessary? Such things are possible with consciousness, ethics and humanism. Christian faith neither thinks these things are meaningless nor these things can be postponed but totally depends on something beyond such things. That is no other than God. Early Christian experienced that God through Jesus Christ. So Jesus Christ was a gospel for them. Such faith tradition is continuing to us.

However, it is sorry to say we still face difficult to find out the verified answer for the relationship between the reality of gospel and Jesus Christ. It is because it can be solved with a few words but belongs to the ultimate secrets of all existence. We would ultimately wait for the hour when the secret completely reveals doing our best to understand and explain it.

Think of it why it is a secret. The first paragraph of so called ‘the eight blessings’ that show a reality of gospel a little bit is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:3) Though Luke’s gospel omits ‘spirit’ whether poor in material or spirit the teaching that such people will possess the kingdom of heaven gives us feeling of a little alienation with our real life. Our experience is just opposite to this. This world just isolates such poor people. Even then after reading such teaching if you think simply that it is just teaching of ‘empty my heart’ also not much correct. It is because Christian faith is not a religion to cultivate our heart. It will take much more complicated discussion to know why a poor can possess the kingdom of heaven. If I give a simple answer, only the poor people desire the kingdom of God where all material discrimination will be ended. Though we interpret this word with this way the reality is still in secret. At the situation of not knowing what the kingdom of God is we cannot say we know two relationships.

Now if you understand ‘the gospel about Jesus Christ’ first thing should be arranged is what ‘good news’ is. Mark began to write his gospel in order to explain it. At this point, to heed to his speaking is the top prior and necessary attitude for us who is living with Christian faith.