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Part Three - The Path of Life
Chapter 15 Faith
11) Testing
Everyone On The Path Of Faith will Be Tested. Scripture records that the great people of faith were tested many times. Abraham endured ten trials of faith. Satan tested Job with loss of family and property. Muhammad had to overcome many obstacles as he struggled to proclaim the message to the idolators of Mecca. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and tested again on the way to the cross. Hindu and Buddhist saints as well faced life-and-death trials, and with absolute faith overcame them.
Overcoming tests gives us strength and toughness of character. Testing also accompanies grace, either before or afterwards, to qualify us to receive the grace and retain it.
Father Moon explains the reason why people of faith encounter testing by referring to the Book of Job’s account of the bargaining between Satan and God. Since human beings fell away from oneness with God, God accedes to Satan, “the Accuser,” the right to test human beings in order to prove whether they are indeed worthy of returning to God’s realm. Satan ruthlessly looks for any hint of selfishness that would disqualify them and give him a claim over them. Only the most faithful and selfless people can pass his tests.
Sometimes a test requires us to deal with an inconceivable situation. The famous Qur’anic passage of Moses and al-Khidr, the “Green Man,” presents a trial where Moses must believe in things entirely contrary to common sense; but he cannot. In the Hindu Ramayana, Sita the wife of Rama proves her fidelity by jumping into a blazing pyre, and in a Buddhist sutra a seeker throws himself off a cliff to certain death; both pass the test and are unharmed. And how inconceivable was it to Abraham that God would ask him to sacrifice his son? We include accounts of several of the tests in Father Moon’s life.
1. Satan Tests People of Faith
World Scripture
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “Whence have you come?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nought? Hast thou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house; and there came a messenger to Job, and said… “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house; and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, “Whence have you come?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Then Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power; only spare his life.”
Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God, and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” Job 1.6-2.10
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4.1-4
Once there was a person who sought the True Path in the Himalayas. He cared nothing for all the treasures of the earth or even for all the delights of heaven, but he sought the teaching that would remove all mental delusions. The gods were impressed by the man’s earnestness and sincerity and decided to test his mind. So one of the gods disguised himself as a demon and appeared in the Himalayas, singing,
Everything changes,
Everything appears and disappears.
The seeker heard this song which pleased him so, as if he had found a spring of cool water for his thirst or as if he were a slave unexpectedly set free. He thought, “At last I have found the true teaching that I have sought for so long.” He followed the voice and at last came upon the frightful demon. With an uneasy mind he approached the demon and said, “Was it you who sang the holy song that I have just heard? If it was you, please sing more of it.” The demon replied, “Yes, it was my song, but I can not sing more of it until I have had something to eat; I am starving.” The man begged him in earnest, saying, “It has a sacred meaning to me and I have sought its teaching for a long time. I have only heard a part of it; please let me hear more.” The demon said again, “I am starving, but if I can taste the warm flesh and blood of a man, I will finish the song.” The man, in his eagerness to hear the teaching, promised the demon that he could have his body after he had heard the teaching. Then the demon sang the complete song,
Everything changes,
Everything appears and disappears,
There is perfect tranquility
When one transcends both life and extinction.
Hearing this, the man, after he wrote the poem on rocks and trees around, quietly climbed a tree and hurled himself to the feet of the demon, but the demon had disappeared and, instead, a radiant god received the body of the man unharmed. Mahaparinirvana Sutra 424-33 (Buddhism)
When the future Buddha sat down at the foot of the Bodhi tree with his soul fully resolved to obtain the highest knowledge, the whole world rejoiced; but Mara, the enemy of good law, was afraid. He whom they call the God of Pleasure, the owner of various weapons, the flower-arrowed, the lord of the course of desire—it is he whom they also style Mara, the enemy of liberation. His three sons, Confusion, Gaiety, and Pride, and his three daughters, Lust, Delight, and Craving, asked him the reason for his despondency, and thus he answered them,
“This sage, wearing the armor of resolution, and having drawn the arrow of wisdom with the barb of truth, sits yonder intending to conquer my realms—hence my mind is despondent. If he succeeds in overcoming me and proclaims to the world the path of final bliss, all this my realm will today become empty…”
Then, seizing his flower-made bow and his five arrows of infatuation, the Great Disturber of the minds of living beings, together with his children, approached the root of the Bodhi tree. Placing his left hand on the end of the barb and playing with the arrow, Mara addressed the calm seer as he sat on his seat preparing to cross to the further side of the ocean of existence,
“Up, up, O Kshatriya, afraid of death! Follow your own duty [as member of the warrior caste] and abandon this path of liberation. Conquer the lower worlds by force of arms, and gain the higher worlds as well! That is a glorious path to travel, which has been followed by leaders of men for generations. This mendicant life is illsuited for one born of royalty to follow…
But even when thus addressed, the Shakya saint, unheeding, did not change his posture. Mara then discharged his arrow of love at him and set in front of him his daughters Lust, Delight, and Craving, and his sons Confusion, Gaiety, and Pride. Still he gave no heed and swerved not from his firmness. Mara, beholding him thus, sank down, and slowly pondered, “He does not even notice the arrow… Can he be devoid of all feeling? He is not worthy of my flower-shaft, nor my arrow Gladdener, nor even my sending my daughter Rati to tempt him. He deserves the terrors, attacks, and blows from all the gathered hosts of the demons.”
Then Mara called to mind his own army, mustering them for the overthrow the Shakya saint. His followers swarmed around, wearing different forms and carrying arrows, trees, darts, clubs, and swords in their hands; with faces of boars, fishes, horses, asses, and camels, of tigers, bears, lions, and elephants—one-eyed, many-faced, three-headed… One of them, his eyes rolling wildly, lifted a club against him; but his arm was instantly paralyzed… Another hurled upon him a mass of blazing straw as big as a mountain peak…. Despite all these various scorching assaults on his body and his mind, and all these missiles showered down upon him, the Shakya saint did not in the least degree move from his posture nor deviate from his firm resolution…
Then some being of invisible shape, but of preeminent glory, standing in the heavens and beholding Mara thus malevolent against the seer, addressed him in a loud voice unruffled by enmity, “Take not on yourself, O Mara, this vain labor; throw aside your malevolence and retire to your home; this sage cannot be shaken.” Ashvaghosha, Buddhacarita 1319(Buddhism)
Teachings of Sun Mung Moon
Due to the Human Fall, Satan tramples upon human beings and dominates the whole earth. To turn this situation around, we need to employ the principle of indemnity. Since Satan treated human beings with contempt, human beings should win Satan’s respect and deference. They should do this by themselves, without the help of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or God. Whatever sinful condition Satan presents them with, they should be able to overcome it. Only then can human beings become God’s victorious sons and daughters.
On your path you will encounter many trials from Satan. Especially if you become open to communicate with the spirit world, you will face many trials. If you fail Satan’s tests, Satan will accuse you, saying, “You are not qualified,” and block your way. (3:210, November 1, 1957)
Consider the suffering of Job. First, his happy life vanished when he lost his possessions and children. Then he was cast into a situation where his friends scorned him and his wife accused him, and where his whole body was covered with wounds and itched so that he had to scratch it with tiles. Yet through it all, he never held a grudge against God. Instead, in silence and contemplation he overcame the pain, and through his illness he experienced something of God’s love. Because Job was that kind of man, Heaven could bless him with possessions and children even more than before. (2:114-15, March 10, 1957)
Satan originally belonged to God. Therefore, he knows the original way he should go, and through which the universe becomes one. Yet why did he become Satan? It was because he was self-centered. Instead of centering upon God with true love, he set himself up apart from God and lived with selfish love. Satan knows that God is entitled to claim every person who has true love. Therefore, when a person of true love appears, Satan will give him back to God, saying, “He does not belong to me; he belongs to You.”
But for love to be true love, it has to transcend every barrier, whether in the individual, family, tribe, nation or world. If you want to become a true person who possesses true love, you must go beyond all these levels and connect with the cosmos. That is the principle. Therefore Satan says to God, “You may choose Your man, but he still lives in my world. Before You can count him as belonging to Your nation, he has to overcome all kinds of persecution, even beyond the national level, in order to prove himself worthy of Heaven.”
When Satan gave this condition to God, God had to answer, “You are correct.” Satan continued, “Anyone who is dedicated to the greatest, universal purpose, and who consistently lives for the sake of others with God’s love, belongs to Your nation. Nevertheless, I will be there to claim him as my own if I find any evidence of self-centeredness or attachments to the things of my realm.” (124:65-65, January 23, 1983)
Satan sometimes tests you based on the original content of creation. The question is whether or not you have become a person of the original standard. If you resist, Satan will say, “God, this person has the wrong concept and does not meet the original standard. To prove it, give him to me and let me thrust him into hell. I am sure he will fall.” Job was tested ten times, yet still he was grateful and said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.” Job always went to zero. Thus he fulfilled the formula.
Because of this, Job received new blessings a hundred-fold and a thousand-fold. He was a model of a victorious person during the age of restoration. Although he was struck ten times, he always kept a grateful heart, remained at the zero point, and held on to absolute faith in God. Therefore Satan drew back from Job, and Job could be revived and granted all his desires. (246:20-21, March 23, 1993)
Satan tempted Jesus three times. First, while he was fasting for forty days, Satan tempted him with food. He appeared before Jesus and asked him to change a stone into bread. This would be good news to a starving person, but Jesus refused. He clearly stated, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This means that Jesus refused to yield any conditions to Satan pertaining to the necessities of life. (3:121, October 13, 1957)
Throughout my life I experienced tribulation. Satan came against me with all his power, using the cruelest methods. Just as in the story of Job in the Bible, Satan told God, “He is only able to achieve something because You blessed him. I demand to test him by taking everything away from him; then I will see if he is so strong.” Satan made that demand concerning me several times, and God had to push me into life-threatening situations.
Likewise, you must face the fact that God will not help you directly. Instead, you will encounter terrible difficulties and feel completely helpless. You will think that although you deserve God’s help, God is nowhere near you and does not help you at all. However, if you overcome that trial, God’s help will surely arrive—although indirectly. (117:160-61, February 28, 1982)
Although Reverend Moon may be a person of some importance, and although God loves him, he is not exempt from the course that human beings must go through during which they are to take responsibility to indemnify sin without God’s help. In other words, I had to overcome Satan on my own. In the beginning, Adam was given his appointed task to subjugate Satan and Satan’s world in order to establish the realm of God’s ideal. Therefore, I should likewise overcome my environment to reach the realm of God’s ideal. Do you understand?
To pay my portion of indemnity, I had to be driven out, stripped of my clothes and chased out into the cold. Therefore, I discarded my coat and gave away my meager portion of food. I willingly paid that price, to the point that even Satan took pity on me and had someone offer me a coat. That was a wonderful moment, when Satan gave me that coat. It meant that no one in the satanic world would ever take away my clothes ever again…
We all have to go through such a battle. We go through hardship and persecution, are stripped of our clothes and beaten, but then people on Satan’s side appear who will dress us and bind up our wounds. By going through such a course, people will come to our side. (124:303-04, March 1, 1983)
Satan said, “I will see how strong Reverend Moon’s love really is,” and tested me by taking my son Heung Jin. Satan tested me in this: in this moment of grief, who would I love more, God and humankind, or my own son? I could not seek revenge against Satan. I would not give him an opening. I only devoted my efforts to liberate the nations… I determined to make Heung Jin’s passing an offering to mobilize the spirit world and lay a victorious foundation for Heaven to advance the work on earth…
I understood one principle: the priest who offers a sacrifice to God does not shed tears. Through the offering he should glorify Heaven, support humankind and strive to establish the conditions to restore everything in the satanic world. Therefore, there were no tears on my face as I offered up my beloved son and laid him to rest. I stood proudly in my public position. When Satan saw this, he could not help but respect me. He had to acknowledge, “Reverend Moon, you are indeed a man of Heaven.” Hence, even though the realm of death struck the life of Heaven, I made up for the loss and went beyond it with the power of love. (130:162-63, January 8, 1984)
No matter how Satan tries to test you and jump on you, if you sacrifice yourself there will not be any problem. If you make excuses for yourself, however, Satan will overpower you. (Way of God’s Will 3.4)
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