The subject of my message is “The life and ministry of Jesus’ mission.” I think the subject is very proper. It is because you are all involved in mission. God was from the beginning a ‘missionary’ God. I am going to quote three passages which speak about the mission of God. “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you."(Gen.12:3). “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."(Is.49:6). "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it.”(Jon.1:2). Jesus came to this world to carry out the mission of God. Jesus went to Sychar, Samaria to meet a woman. It was because Jesus wanted to carry out the mission of God. Jesus pointed out that the reason of his coming to this world and to Sychar, Samaria was to do the will of God that is to carry out the mission of God. "My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”(John4:34). Jesus commanded his disciples to go to the ends of the world to carry out the mission of God. Jesus later told Peter to go to Caesarea and even to Rome to carry out the mission of God. Now I am going to speak about “the life and ministry of Jesus’ mission” in six points. What is “the life and ministry of Jesus’ mission?”
Firstly, Jesus’ mission was ‘leaving’ ‘coming’ and ‘becoming.’ Jesus left the heavenly home, came to the world and became a man. “The Word became flesh.”(John1:14). Mission is ‘becoming.’ We call this incarnation. It is really remarkable and unthinkable that God the almighty becomes a man with flesh and blood. To the Jews as well as to the Greek it was unthinkable, foolish and despising thing. Mission is however ‘leaving’ ‘coming’ and ‘becoming.’ Mission is white peoples’ becoming colored peoples as well as colored peoples’ becoming white peoples. Mission is western peoples’ becoming eastern peoples as well as eastern peoples’ becoming western peoples. St. Francis was born as a son of a wealthy man in Assisi and became a beggar and a sick person. The Rev. Son Yang Won had a sincere desire of becoming a leper. Mission is denying one’s own being and becoming other kinds of being. Jesus took a human figure of flesh and blood in order to carry out the mission of God to save the human beings. Jesus took a similar figure to the figure of a Samaritan woman to carry out the mission of the heavenly father to save the woman. He became tired and thirsty. It was because the woman was tired and thirsty. A good missionary is a missionary who can eat whatever kinds of food which the native people eat and who can live whatever kinds of life which the native people live. Mission is ‘leaving’ ‘coming’ and ‘becoming.’
Secondly, Jesus’ mission was ‘dwelling together.’ Jesus was living together with God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and angels. Jesus came to this world and dwelt with all kinds of human beings and all kinds of sinners. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”(John1:14). Mission is not just ‘becoming’ but ‘dwelling together’ among us. Mission is white peoples’ living together with African peoples just like Livingstone and Schweitzer. St. Francis and the Rev. Son Yang Won left home and lived together with the lepers. Jesus was born as a human baby and lived with human mother and human father. Jesus later lived together with his disciples and even with all kinds of sinners. Jesus went to the sinners and ate with them. “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples”(Matt.9:10). Jesus did not despise sinners but extended hands of mercy and love. Mission is living together with others. Dr. Sundermeier a German missiologist defined mission as ‘konvivenz’ meaning ‘living together’. Mission is ‘dwelling together’ with other kinds of people who are different from us.
Thirdly, Jesus’ mission was ‘serving’ with compassion, forgiveness and love. Jesus said as the following. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."(Mark10:45). “I am among you as one who serves.”(Lk.22:27). There were always compassion, forgiveness and love in the heart of Jesus when he served sinners and sick peoples. Jesus touched the body of a leper and served him. Jesus touched the hand of a woman with fever and served her. Jesus touched the eyes of blind men and served them. Jesus extended his hands of compassion, forgiveness and love even to the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus on the cross and even to the robbers beside him. Jesus told his disciples to love enemies and even those who persecute them. Mission is ‘serving’ with compassion, forgiveness and love. St. Francis and the Rev. Son Yang Wone extended the hands of compassion, forgiveness and love to all kinds of peoples and lived the lives of mission. Mission is ‘serving’ with compassion, forgiveness and love.
Fourthly, Jesus’ mission was bringing ‘reconciliation’ and ‘peace’. The ultimate purpose of Jesus’ coming was bringing and fulfilling ‘reconciliation’ and ‘peace’ together with saving sinners on earth. He came as the king of peace. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests"(Lk2:14). “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility”(Eph.2:14-16). Jesus brought ‘reconciliation’ and ‘peace’ among the three thousand people gathered together in Jerusalem. St. Francis followed the footsteps of Jesus bringing ‘reconciliation’ and ‘peace’. St. Francis prayed as the folloing. “Lord, make me an instrument of peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where thers is injury, pardon; where thers is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where ther is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. Lord, make me an instrument of peace.” Mission is bringing ‘reconciliation’ and ‘peace’.
Fifthly, Jesus’ mission was ‘playing togethe’r with others. Jesus was eating and chatting and ‘playing together’ with children and with all kinds of sinners. Mission is not merely preaching, lecturing or teaching. I believe that mission is ‘becoming’ ‘living together’ ‘serving with love’ ‘making peace’ and ‘playing together.’ I have many happy experiences of playing together with missionaries and local people. Sometimes I played bowling. Sometimes I played ping-pong. Sometimes I played soccer. ‘Playing together’ has brought many happy fruits. Once I played bowling with three young missionaries in Brazil two evenings. Later I found out that a younger missionary was expeiencing much stress and despair in the field of mission and he was thinking of going home. After playing bowling with a professor two evenings he came to change his thinking of leaving mission field and going home. I was very happy to hear the good news. ‘Playng together’ brings many good fruits in mission fileds. Once I played games with about 20 children in Vladivostok about four hours. They were the children of the Korean missionaries in Russia. The children became very happy and much encouraged after playng games with a granfather. Once I took local Russian pastors to lunch and played pingpong with them. They were very happy and we became closer and friendly. I still believe that mission is not only preaching. lecturing or teaching. Mission is ‘playing together’ with other people.
Sixthly, Jesus’ mission was living a ‘life of sacrifice’ and dying a ‘death of sacrifice.’ Jesus the model of mission lived a life of sacrifice and died a death of sacrifice. Christianity is the religion of sacrificial life and sacrificial death. Mission was never accomplished without a life of sacrifice and a death of sacrifice. The mission in Korea started with a life of sacrifice and a death of sacrifice of the Rev. Robert Jermaine Thomas, the young missionary from Wales. He died a death of sacrifice at the Dae-dong River in Pyung-Yang North Korea in Sept. 5, 1866. If there were no sacrifie of the Rev. Thomas there could have never been the coming of such missionaries as the Rev. Underwood and Appenzeller in 1885. Mission is living a life of sacrifice and dying a death of sacrifice. The life of sacrifice and death of sacrifice create the history of salvation and the history of misssion. Mission is living a ‘life of sacrifice’ and dying a ‘death of sacrifice.’
Now I summarize what I have spoken about the mission of Jesus Christ. Firstly, Jesus’ mission was ‘leaving’ ‘coming’ and ‘becoming.’ Secondly, Jesus’ mission was ‘dwelling together’. Thirdly, Jesus’ mission was ‘serving’ with compassion, forgiveness and love. Fourthly, Jesus’ mission was bringing ‘reconciliation’ and ‘peace.’ Fifthly, Jesus’ mission was ‘playing together’ with others. Sixthly, Jesus’ mission was living a ‘life of sacrifice’ and dying a ‘death of sacrifice.’ I really wish and pray that I could follow the footsteps of Jesus and live a life of mission. I really wish and pray that I could imitate the missionary life of Jesus and missionary lives of the forefathers of faith. Finally I am going to quote “My wish and prayer” which I wrote two years ago. “O God, my father, I confess I am the chief of sinners. Have mercy upon me and wash me throughly from all my iniquities through the blood of Jesus. Please let me follow the footsteps of the Lord and let me go to the suffering people and extend hands of comfort and encouragement. Please let me follow the footsteps of ths apostle Paul and the footsteps of the Rev. Choo Ki Cul and the Rev. Son Yang Won and let me live a life of sacrifice and let me die a death of sacrife for such suffering people as the North Korean brothers and Muslem brothers. Please let me become a small fertilzer and seed to bring mercy, forgiveness and love where there are enmity, anger and hatred. Please let me bring reconciliation, unity and peace where there are division, conflict and confrontation. Please do not let me just deliver fluent sermon or profound lecture. Please let me carry the tears of mercy which the Lord carried. Please let me carry the heart of love which the Lord carried. Please let me carry the marks of death which the Lord carried. I pray these things in the name of Jesus relying upon the blood of Jesus and relying upon the mercy and love of God the Father. O God, my father, have mercy upon
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