Acts 8
36-37 As they were going along the road, they came to a place where there was some water. The official said, “Look! Here is some water. Why can’t I be baptized?”[c] 38 He ordered the chariot to stop. Then they both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
Richard: We have the life giving water and element of God’s love and truth and the grace of Christ’s salvation. We should offer that water to others!
Jeremiah 30
12 The Lord said:
My people, you are wounded
and near death.
13 You are accused of a crime
with no one to defend you,
and you are covered with sores
that no medicine can cure.
14 Your friends have forgotten you;
they don’t care anymore.
Even I have acted like an enemy.
And because your sins
are horrible and countless,
I will be cruel
as I punish you.
15 So don’t bother to cry out
for relief from your pain.
16 But if your enemies try to rob
or destroy you,
I will rob and destroy them,
and they will be led as captives
to foreign lands.
17 No one wants you as a friend
or cares what happens to you.
But I will heal your injuries,
and you will get well.
The Incarnation of Jesus, A Pioneer
Sun Myung Moon
February 1, 1959
What determination did Jesus make as a pioneer during the thirty-year preparation period? He determined, “I will even go toward the path of death, the road of persecution. I will go on even if I am to be destroyed.” Jesus made the determination of a lifetime, that he would gain control over his living environment during his preparation period, eradicate any self-centered philosophy, resolve all relationships on the level of the people, and rectify the rituals in Judaism that placed too heavy an emphasis on the Old Testament and its laws.
For Jesus, who had to pioneer the Kingdom of Heaven and the hearts of all humanity, there was no day when his heart did not visit the realm of God’s ideals at least several times. You have to understand that Jesus was this kind of person.
Although the people on the earth did not recognize the internal grief of Jesus during the thirty-year preparation period, God was on his side. When Jesus was shaving wood with a plane or was cutting a piece of wood with an ax, he wanted to experience the heart and situation of God and build the Kingdom of Heaven God desired. Even when he was taking a break after a meal, this desire of his heart did not fade away. You have to understand that there was not a moment when he did not have these thoughts.
Moreover, Jesus felt deep down in his flesh and bones that even if the 4,000-year history was to be abandoned, this value could not be abandoned. Even if the chosen Israelites were to be abandoned, such value could not be abandoned. Even if the chosen religion was to be abandoned, this value could not be abandoned. He felt that he could abandon everything he had, including his parents and relatives, but he could not abandon this value. You have to understand that his life was an unending continuation of bravery amid tragedy. In his life, he made preparations by cultivating a heart of perfect heavenly love, and he looked forward to the day of hope.
You should picture Jesus and his heart as he was making preparations for that one day, that one time. Even if the clothes that he wore were poor and the expressions on his face pitiful, his gaze was unmatched by any conqueror or pioneer of the earth.
His gaze could connect with the heart of God and see through the universe. Accordingly, as he looked at the world with this heart and perspective, he could not help feeling miserable and tortured. He could not avoid sorrow.
Considering this, we can infer how, the more intensely Jesus clung to God, who had toiled throughout history, the more he was concerned that the Israelites and his disciples might fall faithless. Jesus spent the thirty-year preparation period reticently, with this mind-set.
No matter how intensely his heart burned on the side of God, it was never for his own sake. No matter how preoccupied he became with the wishes of Heaven, no matter how seriously he looked at the world, we have to understand that it had nothing to do with the fulfillment of his own personal desires.
His gaze was for the sake of the Israelites, his heart was for the sake of the Israelites and the entire world. This is why Jesus shed endless tears. Jesus re-determined to face the path of death countless times during this preparation period. When he heard the rumor that someone was about to pass away, he felt that it was he himself. If there was someone who was unjustly persecuted or wronged, he felt that it was he who was undergoing the privations. You have to understand the heart of Jesus, who looked at all the tragic affairs of the society during his time as if they were unfolding in his life.