Saturday, April 14, 2018

"Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee" - Judaism and Christianity Belong to One System


Tokyo


Judaism and Christianity Belong to One System

Christ Jesus used various teachings of Judaism in His preaching to Jewish people.  He quoted many words from the Old Testament.

But it did not mean that Christ Jesus was just one of Jewish priests.  Or Jewish people knew there were many teachings in Judaism.  But, it was Christ Jesus that showed what teachings among many in Judaism had important meanings not only for Jewish people but also for all the people in this world.

It was just like everybody knew that there are many works of literature in this world.  But, those who could identify Shakespeare as the most important writer can discuss literature most effectively.

Jewish priests might know all the teachings of Judaism, but they could not see what teachings among them were important and had special meaning.

In this context, Christ Jesus found importance in some specific teachings of Judaism, which Jewish priests missed.  If Jewish priest thought that most of the teachings by Christ Jesus could be found in the Jewish Bible or the Old Testament, it doesn't mean Christ Jesus was just one of Jewish Priests, since He found new important meaning in them.  In other words, Christ Jesus shed new light on the Jewish Bible.  Although other Jewish priests could not find true meaning in some teachings of the Jewish Bible or the Old Testament, Christ Jesus could find true meaning and importance in those teachings.

So, if Jewish people could fined true meaning and significance of those teachings of Judaism, they could reach the level of Christ Jesus.  But Christians or followers of Christ Jesus could easily find important teachings in the Old Testament and understand true meaning of them.  It could be said that by emphasizing specific teachings of Judaism, Christ Jesus launched Christianity.

From the beginning, teachings in Judaism were not worked out by Jewish people.  They were give by God.  If Jewish people did not satisfy God in their interpreting the words of God written in the Old Testament, it is natural that God would send a new teacher to Jewish people.

In this context, Judaism and Christianity belong to one system of teaching of God.  Looking back from the goal of correctly understanding the teachings of God, Judaism and Christianity are the same as the path to Heaven.  Judaism can be defined as a religious way to reach Heaven without guidance of Christ Jesus, but Christianity can be defined a more effective way for reaching Heaven through guidance of Christ Jesus.




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Luk 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Luk 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

"Whosoever drinketh of this water" - Revolutionary Christianity for Roman Citizens




Mt. Fuji and Cherry Blossoms, the Two Major Japan's Symbols


Revolutionary Christianity for Roman Citizens

When Christianity was preached among Roman citizens between the first century and the fourth century, the creed that Christ Jesus was God was not established and fixed.

But the major trend of diffusion of Christianity in the Roman Empire and further in future Europe was decided in this period.  If Roman citizens had not accepted and believed this religion, Christianity would not have prevailed in the world in the following 2000 years.  So, it is very important to understand why and how Roman citizens accepted and believed Christianity.

One notable fact is that the Gospels were written in Greek and then in Latin, so that most of Roman citizens with literacy could read the Gospels unlike Europeans living in the Middle Ages or till the 16th century.  Another notable fact is that Jewish people accounted for 10% of all the population in the Empire and there were many Jewish people in every major city in the Empire, so that Judaism was not new and strange to Roman citizens.

So, Roman citizens must have been interested in the report of early Christians that a messiah or the Son of God appeared in Palestine.  And, they must have respected the words of Christ Jesus.  Further, they respected early Christian preachers, since they were honest and kind, behaving  in a moral way.  And, they must have been enchanted by Christians' prediction that the end of the world was near.

But, most importantly, Roman citizens must have learnt the true relationship between God and human beings.  The idea that God is the father of human beings must have been new to Romans.  And, the creed that God loved human beings must have been also new.  But they thought these new concepts were wonderful, since Romans had been always engaged in war and conflicts.  The value of the human life was so little in the Empire.  Especially, slaves and lower-class people without hope in life must have been enlightened by these Christian concepts.  That must be why Christianity was accepted by Roman citizens.

It must be as if poor Romans had found bright light in the darkness of their lives.  There is Heaven, and God in Heaven loves poor people, they must have realized.  Before Christianity, there were no such teachings in the Empire.  It was revolutionary and groundbreaking.  Roman citizens must have first realized existence of God through early Christianity and words of Christ Jesus.

It is hard for us now to see how revolutionary the early Christianity was to Roman citizens in early centuries.  But it must tell the essence of this religion.



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Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

"she committeth adultery" - 500 Years, 1000 Years, 500 Years, and Now


Tokyo


500 Years, 1000 Years, 500 Years, and Now


It was in 476 that the Western Roman Empire went to ruin.  And, it was in 1492 that Columbus reached America.

Roughly speaking in the early 500 years since the emergence of Christ Jesus, Christianity spread in the Roman Empire till the the Western Roman Empire vanished.   And it has been these 500 years that Christianity prevailed in America to date.  And for 1000 years roughly between 500 and 1500, Christianity got a foothold in Europe around the Vatican, which is also called the Middle Ages.

Today, the nation where Christian activities are most  prominent is the US.  And, sometimes the US is compared to the Roman Empire for its super-power in military, economy, technology, etc.  So, in terms of Christianity history, the Roman Empire and the United States are the key players.

However, there was no outwardly outstanding change in the Roman Empire before and after it adopted Christianity as its state religion in 392 or it officially endorsed Christianity in 313.  Lives of Romans did not look changed much after Christianity was widely accepted in the Roman society.  However, 100 year after the Empire adopted Christianity as its state religion, it went to ruin, although other European tribes who came to occupy the old Roman territories also adopted Christianity.

It is apparent that some components of Christianity contributed to the fall of the Empire.

On the other hand, the US has been mostly developed and cultivated by Christian Europeans who fled Europe under the strong influence of the Vatican.  Europe has the Vatican, but the US has also freedom of Christianity.  This must be a design by God in the human history.  By viewing these 2000 years in this way, we might be able to understood meaning of the history in these 2000 years. 

Before the start of the Christian Era, Judaism had been the only player in terms of religion given by true God.  And, Christ Jesus, the Son of God, appeared among Jewish people.  But, now 2000 years after the Christian Era, Islam has come to appear as another important factor.  It is unlikely that Islam will supersede the Vatican or American Christianity.  But Islam must influence the future of the Vatican and the Christian US.

We are now at the changing moment of the history or on the cusp of the religious trend.





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Mar 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

"Whosoever shall put away his wife" - Laughable Failure of Satan


Tokyo



Laughable Failure of Satan

Without Judas Iscariot, Christ Jesus must have been killed by wrong priests of the Jerusalem Temple or the Roman authority.  In that case, the Gospels or the story of Christ Jesus must have been a little different.

The true leading players of the Gospels were God and Satan.  God sent his Son to the tribe of Jewish people He most loved to have the kingdom of God come into the human world.  But, Satan who hated God tried to prevent it, so that Satan tried to kill Christ Jesus.

Sooner or later, or in whatever way, Christ Jesus was destined to be killed by those controlled by Satan, since God did not prevent Satan from causing Christ Jesus harm.  Or, God must have thought that whatever harmful acts Satan committed on Christ Jesus, Christ Jesus would accomplish His mission.  So, God let Satan act as it wished.  And, Satan thought using Judas Iscariot would give the gravest damage on Christ Jesus and God.  Satan must have thought that Christ Jesus should made a fool on Himself if He was betrayed by one of His disciples.  What a fool Christ Jesus was to be betrayed by one of his close followers, Satan must have thought that everybody would think.  Satan tried to make Christ Jesus look stupid.

And, as the Gospels depicted, Christ Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot to be crucified.  But, despite this tragic incident, Christianity prevailed eventually.  None today thinks that Satan won by crucifying Christ Jesus through the betrayal by Judas Iscariot.  Rather, people would laugh at Satan because Christ Jesus has been all the more glorified due to His mercy on Judas Iscariot.    
Matthew 24
23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
However, Christ Jesus meant that it is better for anyone not to have been born if he is to be used by Satan.  This must be the expression of contempt for Satan and those used by Satan.



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Mar 10:11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

"his angels charge over thee" - Truth Revealed to Poor People


Tokyo

Truth Revealed to Poor People

Poor men can see the world from a very different angle from rich men.

Sometimes a very rich scholar is surprised to find that a poor man  without academic background realizes the essence of a very profound logic or ideology regarding humanity or society.  But, it is the other way about.  There is truth only poor men can see.  Or poor men can see or feel truth of what scholars could only understand through hard study and great efforts.  Even Christ Jesus said the God revealed truth to children.

Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Very rich and successful people could only see the world through a thick haze wealth and material produce.  They could see how others are making efforts to get money and wealth.  But they could not see the value of humanity and the effects of spiritual virtue.  There is truth of this society and world only the poorest man in the world could realize and understand.  And, children are a kind of materially poor people.  They could also feel such truth.

Accordingly, for a man to understand the world and to be enlightened, he has to be poor, at least materially.  That is why the Buddha was poor and his followers had to be poor to understand truth of this world and the universe.  Moses and other saints were also poor to hear words of God.  Christ Jesus was so poor without money while engaging in His holy mission.  Even Mohammad was poor in a cave to hear words of God and His angels.

Rich scholars and professors living and studying in enriched environment could learn many things, facts, and theories.  They could even make up complicated theories and concepts.  But what they could attain was, generally speaking, poor in truth and effect.

So, words of poor Christ Jesus are still so deep and high in terms of the degree of truth that many scholars and professors of today are studying and analyzing them.  However, the essence of Christ Jesus' words could be only realized by poor people without academic backgrounds.


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Luk 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: