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Awaiting the Kingdom of God∗

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Awaiting the Kingdom of God∗ Awaiting the Kingdom of God¤ Hiroshi Suzuki,yz ICU Church Member Scripture Reading: of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never en- ter the kingdom of heaven. Now there was a man named Joseph, The ¯rst question I asked a pastor after I a member of the Council, a good and began to read the Bible was about this part. upright man, who had not consented I don't remember exactly the pastor's answer. to their decision and action. He came Probably he said something like this: \You will from the Judean town of Arimathea never enter the kingdom of heaven unless your and he was waiting for the kingdom righteousness is completely di®erent from that of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for of the scribes and Pharisees, that is, unless you Jesus' body. Then he took it down, have the righteousness of God, not the righ- wrapped it in linen cloth and placed teousness by your own action." it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in As you know, in the Bible, the scribes and which no one had yet been laid. It Pharisees are always criticized by the Lord Je- was Preparation Day, and the Sab- sus. In short, they always appear as bad guys, bath was about to begin. almost without an exception. Luke 23:50-54 (NIV) The scribes and Pharisees tried to com- Do you have any questions that you have pletely observe the law given by God. But as long been waiting for to be answered? I study we read the Gospels, we ¯nd that some of their mathematics. In mathematics, there are too conducts were wide of the mark, as the Lord many things that we cannot understand. Prob- Jesus pointed out. But can we say that our lems that many people have tried to solve but righteousness, based on the belief in Lord Je- in vain are called unsolved problems, and there sus as the Savior, is really completely di®erent are some unsolved problems that I myself have from that of the scribes and Pharisees? been working on for many years. For some of my questions, I've found the an- I started to seek the truth in the Bible when swer or a clue. One such question is, \What I was a high school student, and there are some would you do if you were told that you would problems, some questions that I have had since die in a month?" then. When I was in high school, I carried a small One such question is about the Gospel ac- copy of the New Testament in my pocket. I cording to Matthew, chapter 5, verse 20: For I wrote down many things in it. And one of them tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that is, \Even if I knew that the world would go to pieces tomorrow, I would still plant my apple ¤ A translation of the message delivered in Japanese tree, by Martin Luther." In fact, many years at International Christian University Church on Sun- day, August 17, 2008 later, when I attended a lecture by Professor yEmail: hsuzuki@icu,ac.jp Yoshikazu Tokuzen at the Lutheran Theologi- zURL http://subsite.icu.ac.jp/people/hsuzuki/ cal Seminary, he referred to this word and said, 1 \This is a very Lutheran word, but there are My wife Setsuko always prepares delicious no written records." Professor Tokuzen is a tea and cakes, so perhaps some students are brother of Mr. Yoshimasa Tokuzen, who leads looking forward to them rather than the Bible. the Joyful Ringers at ICU church. Professor Last semester we had our 100th class. This Yoshikazu Tokuzen is an expert on Luther, so number is less than a tenth of the number of the word may not be Luther's. reading classes held by the respectable profes- I think I have gotten o® the track. The an- sor Kazuaki Saito, who passed away the other swer I got when I was a high school student day. But I'd like to continue my class as a was that you should live in such a way that place for students and me to ask questions and even if you were told that you would die in a meet challenges by reading the Bible together. month, you could say, \I will continue to live Please remember and pray for us. as I do now." You should live in such a way We've been reading Gospel of Luke these that you can say, \Even if I knew that tomor- past few years. We've just begun reading the row the world would go to pieces, I would still last chapter, chapter 24. Usually we study a plant my apple tree." chapter in two to four weeks, but chapter 23 But I am still not sure what \planting my took us seven weeks. Today, I'd like to reflect apple tree" means. What kind of way of living on Joseph of Arimathea, who appears in the does this mean? last part of chapter 23. Since the spring term of 2003, I have held Let's look at today's portion of Scripture. a Bible-reading class at my house on campus, After Jesus died on the cross, a member of the from 7:30 to 9 in the evening every week. Sev- council named Joseph went to Pilate and asked eral times, there was only one student besides for the body of Jesus, and he took it down, me, but since I began to put up an announce- wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a ment on the campus homepage, there have rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been been about ten people at every class. We cover laid. one chapter in the Bible in two to four weeks. There are several other Josephs in the Bible, I prepare some questions in advance and we so in order to distinguish him, he is described think about them. When the students ask too as \Joseph from the Jewish town of Ari- many questions and discussions don't lead to mathea". The Bible tells us about Joseph of any conclusion, I don't say anything de¯nite, Arimathea only in relation to Jesus' burial, but and we read on, leaving the questions unre- he is recorded in all the four gospels. It may be solved, because I want the students to read the interesting to compare the di®erences, but let Bible slowly and carefully, asking themselves us sum up Joseph based on the four gospels. the questions. According to Luke, Joseph is described as Thanks to the students, this class has be- \a good and righteous man". And \he was come a good opportunity for me to discover waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God." new things, to be taught something, and to Also, \he had not agreed to the plan and action ask new questions. Recently a number of non- of the council." This means that he did not Japanese students have participated, and some agree to arresting and killing Jesus. visitors from abroad came, so sometimes I ¯nd But according to Mark, the council decided it di±cult to make long comments because I to kill Jesus unanimously, so if we take this lit- am busy acting as a translator. But I enjoy erally, Joseph must have been absent or could reading the Bible carefully together with sev- not do anything with this decision that de- eral people every week. served to be recorded. 2 According to Matthew, Joseph was \a rich people not waiting for the kingdom of God? man". In the forti¯ed city of Jerusalem, he Wasn't it all the Jews who were waiting for possessed \a rock-hewn tomb where no one had the Savior, the Messiah? If the scribes or Phar- ever been laid", so this is enough proof of his isees had been asked, they would have said wealth. they were certainly waiting for the Messiah. It is written, \He was also a disciple of Je- It is said that, in the Bible, the kingdom of sus." But according to John, he \was a disciple God and the rule of God are almost the same. of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear Luke used the expression \waiting for the king- of the Jews." He was a rich man, had a high dom of God" only for Joseph of Arimathea. status in Jewish society, and a member of the I think this is because, although other people council. The leaders of the people had agreed were also eager to be saved, they were not wait- to kill Jesus, so it must have been di±cult for ing for the rule of God from the bottom of their him to proclaim that he was a disciple of Jesus. heart. According to Mark, Joseph went \boldly" If \to be saved" means \to realize one's to Pilate. Jesus was cruci¯ed and died about wish", there are many people who wish to be 3 o'clock on Friday, so he had to be buried by saved, but there aren't many people who sin- the sunset on Friday, when the Sabbath began cerely wish God's will to be realized. And on the Jewish calendar. It was near the Vernal Joseph was a man who \was waiting for the Equinox Day, so probably the sun went down kingdom of God." about six o'clock. According to John, Joseph Joseph's hope was in Jesus.
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