Jesus’ Frustration “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint (or distress) I am under until it is completed!” (Luke 12:49–50). (1) When I read today’s passage, Luke 12:49–50, my attention was drawn to Jesus’ words: “what constraint (or distress) I am under” (v. 50). So, I chose the title of today’s meditation as “Jesus’ Frustration.” (a) First, I became curious about the definition of the word “ frustration, ” so I looked it up online. It was broadly defined in three contexts, and among them I was particularly interested in the psychological/situational frustration: “a painful state in which one feels anxious or stifled because things do not go as one wishes, or because one’s feelings are not resolved” (Internet). (i) ...
We must break away from a “cosmetic” faith that merely decorates outward appearances, and instead examine our inner motives and restore the spirit of oikos (a family community) that shares in the suffering of marginalized neighbors.
We must break away from a “cosmetic” faith that merely decorates outward appearances, and instead examine our inner motives and restore the spirit of oikos (a family community) that shares in the suffering of marginalized neighbors. “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs” (Luke 11:47–48). (1) As I meditated today on Luke 11:47–48, I first read these verses in Greek. In doing so, three Greek words drew my attention, and I would like to reflect on God’s message through them: (a) The first word is “οἰκοδομεῖτε” (oikodomeite). (i) In the Korean Revised Version, this word is translated as “build” (v.47) and “build” (v.48). It carries meanings such as “to set up...