"not able to do that thing which is least" - From Him Much will be Required

 Tiny Shrine on Back Street around Tokyo

From Him Much will be Required

The word of God and teachings by priests are different essentially.

When Christianity was preached in Japan around 1600 by missionaries from Portugal and Spain, some Japanese were puzzled as some Western priests told that ancestors of those Japanese who had never heard the Gospel preached should fall into the hell.

Christ Jesus said:

Luke 12:48New King James Version (NKJV) 

48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

If you have never heard of teaching of Christ, you can gain admission to Heaven without being subject to various difficult conditions Christianity has set.  But if you learn the Gospel, you must meet some critical conditions Christianity requires.

So, those missionaries from Europe to Japan around 1600 were wrong as they failed to correctly understand the word of Christ Jesus.

Infants who have never read the Bible could easily enter Heaven if they unfortunately meet their end.  Or some tribes living deep in the tropical environment or isolated areas could be also welcomed in Heaven if they live righteously even without reading the Bible.

In this context, who are required to fulfill the most rigorous conditions among Judaists, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or people following other religions?        




*** *** *** ***




Luk 12:24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
Luk 12:25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
Luk 12:26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

"Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem" - On the 25th of December, Tokyo

 Tokyo

On the 25th of December, Tokyo 

In Tokyo, department stores, big shops, and other vendors have soon started to remove Christmas sales signs and decorations to replace them with New Year celebration display and sales announcements as the Christmas Day was over in Japan.






*** *** *** ***




Act 12:25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

"But the word of God grew and multiplied" - So, Merry Christmas!

Tokyo

So, Merry Christmas!

The summit of the year is the day of winter solstice, which was December 22, this year.

So, it is a little strange that January 1 was not set around December 22.

But culturally, the summit of the year in the Christian world is December 25, the Christmas day.  China has its own summit of the year around the Chinese New Year Day, which is February 19, 2015.

As for Japan, it seems to be December 31.  In the night of the last day of the year, people go to shrines or Buddhist temples nearby or far.  If they could stay in the crowded precincts of a shrine or temple, notable or nameless, from 23:59 of December 31 to 00:01 of January 1, which is usually called the "two-year's respect shown to the shrine (ninen mairi)," they could feel as if they had accomplished something so great and pious.

So, in Japan, Christmas is a kind of wake-up call.  People think that the summit of the year is getting closer when Christmas is over.

So, Merry Christmas!



*** *** *** ***

Act 12:24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.