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Luke 7
7 After Jesus had finished teaching the people, he went to Capernaum. 2 In that town an army officer’s servant was sick and about to die. The officer liked this servant very much. 3 And when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish leaders to ask him to come and heal the servant.
4 The leaders went to Jesus and begged him to do something. They said, “This man deserves your help! 5 He loves our nation and even built us a meeting place.” 6 So Jesus went with them.
When Jesus wasn’t far from the house, the officer sent some friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t go to any trouble for me! I am not good enough for you to come into my house. 7 And I am certainly not worthy to come to you. Just say the word, and my servant will get well. 8 I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “In all of Israel I’ve never found anyone with this much faith!”
10 The officer’s friends returned and found the servant well.
Richard: We need faith like this army officer. We must know assuredly that God’s Will will be done as we have faith in the Will.
Proverbs 4
Keep looking straight ahead,
without turning aside.
26 Know where you are headed,
and you will stay
on solid ground.
27 Don’t make a mistake by turning
to the right or the left.
To Whom Do You Belong?
Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 16, 1958
Therefore, humanity today must feel the heart felt when Jesus and God met in one moment in time to bring an end to the 4,000-year history. Yet humanity today is not even thinking about this. When Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane in blood and sweat, his heart was unspeakably sorrowful as he thought about the betraying people and the faithless altar. He tried to represent the worldwide dispensation.
As you can see, because Jesus’ heart of love toward God was greater than the opposition of the religion, the people, the nation and the world, he could possess all the heart that one can feel as a human being and all the heart that God possessed. As a result, he could walk the path to Golgotha with confidence.
Therefore, if you pray today with the same heart as that of Jesus who prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39), none of you will go to hell. However, there was no one who understood Jesus’ heart of love. Consequently, Jesus left behind the terms “bride and bridegroom” on this earth.
Why is Mary Magdalene remembered in Christianity? Why is it that her name has been passed down through many generations in memory? Jesus said it should be so. At that time, who would have tolerated a lowly woman pouring 300 denarii worth of aromatic oil on the feet of a bachelor and wiping it with her hair? Why did Jesus say that the name Mary Magdalene would be remembered wherever the Gospels were taught? The disciples laughed at him, Judas Iscariot protested, and everyone opposed him on this. He spoke these words because, more than his beloved disciples or countless other people, the actions of Mary Magdalene in that hour set the condition of having offered all of her heart and effort.
When Jesus died on the cross, the disciples who had followed him all ran away. However, Mary Magdalene and the mother of Jesus went to visit Jesus’ tomb. They had families, a husband, and the Jewish customs centered on the peculiar Old Testament mentality. However, disregarding all of these, unconcerned about social dignity or honor, they went to visit the tomb of a deceased bachelor Jesus. This is how Mary Magdalene could meet the resurrected Jesus.
Where will the heavenly judgment be determined? You should not brag because you have made many contributions and efforts for Heaven. It is not decided by that. The only thing that counts is when the heart of God and the heart of Jesus are experienced in your body and bear fruit. When this becomes an inseparable relationship with God and Jesus, this alone will be the condition of eternal immortality.
When you consider this, what should humanity do today? Although it is good to pursue the words of truth that can link you with God and pursue spiritual experiences, more important, you must build a relationship of love through which you can dwell deep inside the heart of God. You must build a relationship of heart and love with Jesus. When you do that, you can stand as the bride of Jesus and the sons and daughters of God.
Today, however, we are a sad people. The thirty million Korean people should become the Israelites, but we have failed to do so. No matter how many churches there may be in this society, there is no church of God. No matter how many people of faith there are, we have come to realize that they are not the sons and daughters of God. Therefore, what must emerge on this earth? There must emerge on the earth the sons and daughters of God who can save this people. There must be a church of God. A people of God must emerge. Accordingly, if a way opens on the path of tears and the path of abandonment, through which we can become the sons of God, we must offer gratitude for that.
In the 400-year period of the Egyptian captivity, the purpose of which was to build a people, the Israelite clans set the one standard and ideology centered on Heaven. By uniting as a people, they passed through a period of unchanging faith. Only after that were they finally able to usher in the one day of hope. Similarly, you are in the same position. You must feel deep in the core of your bones that you are living in a land similar to Egypt today. Therefore, you must now possess the heart of Moses. He carried on the battle, with a heart of enmity, toward the palace of the Pharaoh that overlooked the chosen Israelites. Moses did not change his determination for one day, even as he was struggling through the forty-year course in the Midian wilderness.