How should we give a mission report? What is the kingdom of God that we are to proclaim?

How should we give a mission report?

What is the kingdom of God that

we are to proclaim?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus all that they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida. But the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing” (Luke 9:10–11).

 

 

 

 

       As I meditate on this passage, I would like to receive the lessons it gives:

 

(1)    First, I would like to meditate on the words, “When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus all that they had done” (Lk. 9:10).

 

(a)    Here, the word translated “reported” in the Korean Modern Bible is rendered as “asked (여쭈니)” in the Revised New Korean Version.  I believe the translation “reported” is better than “asked(여쭈니).”  The reason I think so is that the Greek word translated “asked (여쭈니),” διηγήσαντο (diēgēsanto), means “to recount the course of events to the very end,” indicating that the disciples gave Jesus a detailed report of everything they had done (Hochma).

 

(i)                 That is, Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them “power and authority” to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Lk. 9:1–2).  So, they went out, traveled from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere (v. 6).  Afterward, they returned to Jesus and gave him a detailed report of everything they had done (v. 10).

 

·            The word διηγήσαντο (diēgēsanto) consistently describes the careful, detailed, and orderly recounting of events.  This term is used when Scripture emphasizes detailed and trustworthy accounts—such as Christ’s ministry, apostolic missions, the fulfillment of prophecy, or the flow of redemptive history.  All of its New Testament usages consistently support (reinforce) the importance (value) of accurate testimony in building faith and preserving the gospel tradition (Internet).

 

-             This word already appears in Luke 8:39, which we have previously meditated on, in what Jesus said to the man who had been demon-possessed and healed: “Return home and tell how much God has done for you” (διηγοῦ).  So, the man went away and told all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

 

n   The delivered demon-possessed man became the first missionary in the Decapolis region, setting an example of spreading Christ’s fame beyond Jewish territory by recounting his personal experience in detail (internet).

 

-             This word appears three times in the book of Acts (Acts 8:33; 9:27; 12:17).  Among them is Acts 12:17: “Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described (διηγήσατο) how the Lord had brought him out of prison.  He told them, ‘Tell James and the brothers about this,’ and then he left for another place.”

 

n   Peter gave a detailed account of how the Lord had rescued him from prison to the many people who were gathered and praying at the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark (v. 12).  The church’s prayer meeting had been answered, and Peter’s detailed report gave glory to God, strengthened the persecuted believers, and provided practical guidance (Internet).

 

(b)    As I meditated on this Greek word διηγήσαντο (diēgēsanto) translated as “asked (여쭈니)” (Lk. 9:10), I was reminded of the “Mission Sharing Time” that our church holds every year at 1:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the second Sunday in January (it is usually called “Mission Report Time,” but I announce it during Sunday worship as “Mission Sharing Time”).  How, then, should missionaries give mission reports to the congregation?

 

(i)                 I receive the lesson that mission reports should be careful, detailed, orderly, and trustworthy.  I believe that missionaries’ reports should consistently support (reinforce) the importance (value) of accurate testimony.

 

·            I receive the lesson that their detailed mission reports should give glory to God, strengthen the members of the congregation who listen to the reports, and provide practical guidance.

 

(2)    Secondly, I would like to meditate on the passage that says that when Jesus took the disciples with him and withdrew privately to a town (village) called Bethsaida, the crowd learned that Jesus and his group had left and followed them (Lk. 9:10–11).

 

(a)    Here, “Bethsaida” is an ancient fishing village located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  Its name means “house of fishermen” in Hebrew.  It is the hometown of the disciples Peter, Andrew, and Philip (Jh. 1:44), and it is a biblically and historically significant place where Jesus performed many miracles, such as the feeding of the five thousand (Internet).

 

(i)                 Bethsaida is known as the place where the apostles, after returning from their evangelistic journey, moved with Jesus in order to rest, and where a great crowd followed them, resulting in the miracle of the five loaves and two fish (v. 10).  Along with Capernaum and Chorazin, it is also known as one of the cities that were rebuked for not repenting despite having witnessed many of Jesus’ mighty works (Internet).

 

(b)    Why did Jesus take the disciples, who had returned from their missionary journey, and withdraw “privately” to the town (village) of Bethsaida?  According to Hochma, the reason was Jesus’ compassionate consideration in wanting to give rest to his tired and hungry disciples (Hochma).

 

(i)                 Jesus took the disciples “privately” to this place because they had returned from a long missionary journey, and moreover, as was always the case around Jesus, so many people were gathering that they did not even have time to eat.  As it says in Mark 6:31: “He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ For many were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat” (Hochma).

 

·            When we think about the word “privately,” it seems that Jesus may have wanted to have a personal meeting with the twelve disciples. That is, Jesus wanted to give appropriate rest to the disciples who had returned from their missionary journey, and at the same time to explain to them the meaning of what they had done, using this as an opportunity to train them into mature apostles (Hochma).

 

(c)    As I meditated on the word “privately” here, I was reminded of ttaro gukbap (따로국밥) (literally, “separate soup and rice”), which is known to have originated in Daegu, Korea, in 1946. Haha.  Ttaro gukbap is a Korean food culture and a local specialty of Daegu in which rice is not mixed into the soup, but the soup and the rice are served in separate bowls.  Unlike the traditional way of mixing rice into soup, it originated from the noble class’s preference for neatness and from Daegu’s distinctive spicy beef soup culture, and it is characterized by flavors from congealed blood and chili oil. In other words, ttaro gukbap has the distinctive feature that the rice and the soup are not mixed, allowing one to fully enjoy the texture of the rice and the taste of the broth separately (Internet).

 

(i)                 As I meditated on the word “privately” in today’s passage, Luke 9:10, and thought of ttaro gukbap in connection with it, I was reminded once again that after returning from a missionary journey, missionaries—like Jesus’ disciples—need an appropriate time of rest set apart from people, a time just for themselves.

 

·         As I once again meditate on Jesus’ words to the disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mk. 6:31), I think that missionaries need their own time of rest in a quiet place where there are no people after returning from a missionary journey.

 

-             And during that time of rest, of course, they need physical rest, but at the same time, I believe it is beneficial for them to look back on the missionary journey and reflect on the things the Lord has done—not the things they themselves have done.

 

(d)    Luke records very briefly that when Jesus took the disciples with him and went privately to the village of Bethsaida, the crowd learned that Jesus and his group had left and followed them (Lk. 9:10–11).  However, according to Mark, Jesus and the disciples traveled by boat, and many people who saw Jesus and his group getting into the boat arrived ahead of them at the place where the boat was going to land and waited there (Mk. 6:32–33) (Hochma).

 

(i)                 The passionate crowds followed Jesus’ group on foot as they were leaving to rest, walking tirelessly over a long distance of tens of kilometers—about 30 km from Capernaum to Bethsaida—and arrived there before Jesus and his disciples did (Hochma).

 

·            “The characteristics and background of the crowds who followed Jesus are as follows:

 

Witnesses of miracles: They recognized Jesus as a special figure (a prophet or the Messiah) as they experienced supernatural events such as healings and the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand.

 

Hunger for the word: They were captivated by his authoritative teaching, which was different from that of the religious leaders of the time, and followed him without hesitation even over long distances.

 

Worldly expectations: They enthusiastically expected him to be a political Messiah who would free them from Roman oppression, or someone who would solve their physical hunger and diseases.

Changeable attitudes: While they enthusiastically praised him at times, when Jesus went to the cross they turned away or remained silent” (Internet).

 

-          When I think about the passion of these crowds, I am led to reread something I wrote on April 11, 2011, under the title “Dangerous Passion”:

 

“Passion (zeal) is precious.  However, distorted passion based on misguided conviction is truly dangerous.  Even today, those who serve the church, the body of the Lord, with such distorted passion think they are zealously serving for the glory of God.  But does God truly delight in this?  They are exerting zeal not to accomplish God’s will, but to fulfill their own will disguised as God’s will …”

 

(3)    Lastly, thirdly, I would like to meditate on the words that say that Jesus welcomed the crowd (the multitudes), spoke to them about the matters of the kingdom of God, and healed those who were sick (Lk. 9:11).

 

(a)    Here, the Greek word translated as “welcomed” is ἀποδεξάμενος (apodexamenos), which is the aorist participle (masculine, singular, nominative) of the verb ἀποδέχομαι (apodechomai), meaning “to receive,” “to welcome,” or “to accept” (Internet).

 

(i)                 This Greek word appears in Luke 8:40, which we have already meditated on: “Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.”

 

·            In each New Testament context, this word depicts a welcoming marked by enthusiasm and gratitude that affirms both the value of what is received and the goodwill of the one who receives it. Included in this meaning are active inclusion, support, and a devoted attitude that flows from such acceptance (Internet).

 

(b)    As I meditated on this word, I began to wonder why Jesus, who had taken the disciples to Bethsaida so that they might get some rest after returning from their missionary journey, welcomed the crowd even though they followed him and effectively deprived him of that time of rest, instead of showing displeasure.

 

(i)                 I found the answer in the first part of Mark 6:34: “When Jesus went ashore and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd ….”  Jesus welcomed the crowd because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he had compassion on them.

 

·            Here, I began to meditate on the phrase “like sheep without a shepherd.”  This expression originates from Numbers 27:17 (“who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep that have no shepherd”), and it is a metaphor describing a people who have lost their leader, cannot find direction, wander about, and fall into distress and exhaustion.  That is, it emphasizes the absence of spiritual leadership and the suffering that results from it (Internet).

 

-             This phrase can first be understood as a criticism of false shepherds who have forgotten their duty (2 Kgs. 22:17; Ezek. 34:5).  For even though there were religious leaders at that time—experts in the law, Pharisees, and scribes—the fact that the crowds followed Jesus so passionately shows that, although Jesus’ teaching and miraculous works went against the established religious traditions of the time, they were nevertheless received by the people as truth.  Therefore, since the religious leaders did not provide the crowds with truth, we can reasonably infer that the crowds were deeply hungry for the truth (Hochma).

 

n     I believe that even today there are many believers who are like sheep without a shepherd. That is, I think that even now, believers who are not being supplied with the truth (the gospel) because of false pastors are deeply hungry for the truth (the gospel).

 

·            This is a short devotional reflection that I wrote on September 17, 2021, under the title “Church Members Scattered and Suffering Like Sheep Without a Shepherd …”: “Seeing the crowds scattered and suffering like sheep without a shepherd, the Lord who has compassion on them tells us to pray, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few … ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers’” (Mt. 9:36–38).

-             This is something I wrote on December 26, 2021, under the title “‘Thinking of Beloved Brothers and Sisters Who Are Scattered and Suffering Like Sheep Without a Shepherd’ …”: “As I think of beloved brothers and sisters who are ‘scattered and suffering like sheep without a shepherd,’ this morning the words ‘he had compassion’ come to mind” (Mt. 9:36).

 

(c)    When Jesus saw the large crowd like sheep without a shepherd and had compassion on them (Mk. 6:34), he welcomed them and did two things that were most important for their sake: one was to “speak about” the matters of the kingdom of God (that is, to teach, to proclaim the gospel), and the other was to heal those who were sick (Lk. 9:11; Hochma).

 

(i)                 In particular, both “he spoke” [ἐλάλει (elalei)] and “he healed” [ἰᾶτο (iato)] are in the imperfect tense, showing that Jesus’ teaching and healing continued for a considerable period of time (Hochma).

 

·            As I meditated on this passage, I began to look into the question, “What is the kingdom of God that we must proclaim?”  The kingdom of God that we must proclaim goes beyond a spatial heaven that one enters after death; it refers to the reign and rule of God (the Reign of God) that has already come to this earth through Jesus Christ (Already), and that will be fully consummated in the future (Not Yet).  It is the realization of God’s justice, love, and peace in every area of life (Internet).

 

The core of the reign: God rules as King, and wherever we accept that rule, there is the kingdom of God.

 

A present kingdom: A kingdom that began with the coming of Jesus and is now present in our hearts and communities through the Holy Spirit.

 

Restoration and transformation: Manifested through a new community (the church) in which a world broken by sin is restored, and selfishness is transformed into love and hospitality.

 

Future consummation: An eschatological hope that will be fully accomplished at the return of Jesus Christ.

 

The way it is proclaimed: Not only by words, but by bearing witness to God’s reign by practicing God’s will (justice and love) in the realities of daily life.

 

In the end: The kingdom of God is living under God’s rule here and now, and showing that love to the world (Internet).

 

-             This is a short devotional reflection that I wrote on January 11, 2024, under the title “The Kingdom of God Is a Kingdom of Love”:

 

The kingdom of God is a kingdom of love.  The commandments of the kingdom of God are: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:30–31).  Those who, by God’s grace, believe in Jesus Christ and possess “eternal life” (Rom. 6:23) as a gift of grace (1 Jn. 3:14) obey Jesus’ twofold commandment by loving the Lord God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and by loving their neighbor as themselves.  Therefore, they purify their souls and love their brothers and sisters sincerely, without hypocrisy (1 Pet. 1:22).  This is precisely doing righteousness as Jesus did righteousness (1 Jn. 2:6).  Thus, a life of “seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt. 6:33) means that, as citizens of God’s kingdom of love, we imitate Jesus and live in obedience to His twofold commandment, just as Jesus loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loved his neighbor as himself.