Commentary on John 13 (1)

Commentary on John 13 (1) From John 13 onwards, we are talking about the Attic Parasha.The words of John 13 are words that Jesus speaks only to his disciples.Until now, he had been shouting to the large crowds, saying,The Lord, who had been testifying to large crowds, speaks only to the disciples starting in John 13.In John 18 he says that Jesus came to testify of the truth to Pilate (John 18:37)This means ‘so that we may believe in the testimony of Christ that Jesus testifies to.’In other words, the testimony of Jesus is to enable us to believe in the Spirit of Christ who will come to us with his attributes after the Son of Man is lifted up, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who will come in that very name. To put it simply, John 13 is about receiving and buying and selling.Does he accept Jesus Christ or does he buy or sell Jesus Christ?Proverbs 23:23 says, “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”If we are not careful, there may be buying and selling based on capitalist logic within Christianity, which tries to teach knowledge about Jesus Christ and earn a salary in return, like seminary professors.The problem of falling Babylon in the Book of Revelation is these merchants of buying and selling.Even now, there are buying and selling cases in which pastors sell savory stories, sweet stories, eloquent stories, and touching stories that can lift their spirits to buy something from their congregation.As long as you become popular and get used, money is natural, right?However, you should never buy the truth and then sell it, and the same goes for wisdom, instruction, and understanding.The characteristic of those who are good at ministry today may be that they are good at buying and selling. If a beggar shouts loudly in front of a rich person like me, he won't get the money.Selling one's misery and buying happiness for those who have it is buying and selling.The characteristic of capitalism is buying and selling anything, anywhere.The pastor gives grace and the believer repays the pastor with something, and doing these things as best as possible may be the way to do well in today's ministry. But the bible is not like that.Do parents buy and sell with their children?Parents do not exist to please their children.If something goes wrong with their child, it is the parent who stands up to them and says, “You will die, and I will die.”It is never about buying or selling.It is not the parents' job to please their children and tell them to make money by working part-time.Parents don't do that.why? Because it's love...There is no buying or selling in love.However, it is said that one must be good at buying and selling to do well in ministry.It is said that a good ministry is when you are good at lifting the spirits of those with money and encouraging them to donate.Am I wrong?Even though I pursued church growth studies and seminars and tried all sorts of things to try to do well in ministry, buying and selling really didn't suit my constitution and I couldn't do it anymore.Many Koreans have a passive personality, so many people suffer from depression.Such people may find some psychological help if they pray hard while shouting the slogan ‘I can do it.’However, they force such people to make donations and work hard.There are many great pastors who can inspire people's hearts through the true work of the Holy Spirit.However, I would like to say that there are many people who do this in the name of the Lord.Aren't some people embarrassingly saying that they even learned hypnotism? Therefore, we should not try to preach well, but should learn deeply about Jesus Christ.Our families honestly want us to preach well.They want that to happen for the success of their ministry.So the enemy is in the house.The pastor's primary target of ministry is his wife.Why is that so?Because his wife is actually in charge of household chores, she can't help but be his enemy.Because she see the difficulties of reality right away.However, although this is a very natural request and obvious statement, it is not God's true will, so a problem arises.That's why pastors often fail to push through to the end.Like John Start, who is alone, he cannot push on to the end like Paul.So, when he try to make sure that his sister is good, his brother-in-law is good, the church is good, he is good, and the family life is good, he end up sitting there.Look around.The real economy naturally comes into our lives, and it blocks the pastor's research, forcing him to follow and hold on to the flags raised by those in front.There are many elements in the world that prevent us from pursuing the truth wholeheartedly. So, whenever I meet a pastor, I look closely at his wife.In the past, when I was invited to give a sermon, the pastor would look calm, but his wife's complexion would change.If his wife's values are spiritual, I will think that she will pray and support him until the end, even if it is difficult and difficult behind the scenes.They will definitely succeed in co-working.There is a story like this.Even though Hwang Hee had been a prime minister for so long, he was always criticized by his wife.On a rainy day, the rain leaks, so he put on his hat and crouch down. How are they going to live in a house without a hat? He said he was worried, so his wife said bluntly, “Oh, those people live in a well-built house, so why do they need a hat?” If we do it wrong, we can become hired hands who buy and sell ministry.The person who buys and sells in John 13 is Judas Iscariot.He followed Jesus diligently for three years and used his merits to buy Jesus, but ended up selling him for thirty pieces of silver.Even now, there are many people who buy Jesus and sell him.There are many people who make a living by selling the name of the Lord.Therefore, please do not walk on man-made paths.Do not walk except on the path laid down by Jesus Christ.Nowadays, there are too many ways that people have created, such as pragmatic church growth studies or seminars.The same goes for the New Apostolic Movement.There are many places that are determined to sell for a good cause in the name of God or something that claims the name of the Lord.I hope there is no such church among us. Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.Translated by  Nancy Chung COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION To God be the glory