Author: Richard Urban

The Disciples Did Not Abide by the Teachings of Jesus

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That being the case, where would
you most like to live? I think you would
like to live in your original hometown
where you were born. Broadly speak-
ing, ‘original hometown’ can refer to the
planet Earth within the cosmos, and our
homeland is wherever God dwells as its
founding Father. Our hometown is the
earth as God originally intended it to
be – a place where parents, siblings, and
children who have not fallen would live
together. This was to be a place where
black, yellow, and white people could
live together in harmony.

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Unless a religious person comes for-
ward with a logic that offers a clear sci-
entific explanation of cause, process,
and result, the religious world cannot
be saved. The Divine Principle of the
Unification Church has such logic as
described above. The conclusion sug-
gested by that fits everything: that God
exists with dual characteristics, that He
is the Subject partner and the universe
is His object partner, and that therefore
He is the Subject partner of love and
humankind was created as the object
partner of His love. This fundamen-
tal relationship continued through the
power of love which bound it to the eter-
nal world, transcending history. This
action of love continued through thou-
sands of years, and whereas other forms
of power became weaker as time passed,
this power of love remained strong.

The Incarnation of Jesus, A Pioneer

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
February 1, 1959

Matthew 8: 18-22

The disciples did not understand the heart of Jesus. They were trying to use him to elevate themselves. Jesus understood this and had no way to alleviate his aching heart, no matter how much he cried and lamented toward heaven and earth.

Because he had a mission that forced him to go on, he suppressed his sorrow and said to his disciples, “Those who try to elevate themselves will decline, and those who try to lower themselves will rise.” (Matthew 23:12) You have to understand that he repeatedly testified to his determination, inscribed deeply in his heart, flesh and blood.

Listening to him, the disciples thought that the words Jesus spoke had nothing to do with them. Ladies and gentlemen! Please imagine how frustrated Jesus must have felt when John’s mother asked Jesus to elevate her sons to a position of glory in the last days. Although Jesus had taught his disciples and instructed them so many times, they did not understand him. Continue reading “The Disciples Did Not Abide by the Teachings of Jesus”

There Was Not Even One Person Who Welcomed Jesus

1 John 4

4 Dear friends, don’t believe everyone who claims to have the Spirit of God. Test them all to find out if they really do come from God. Many false prophets have already gone out into the world, 2 and you can know which ones come from God. His Spirit says that Jesus Christ had a truly human body. 3 But when someone doesn’t say this about Jesus, you know that person has a spirit that doesn’t come from God and is the enemy of Christ. You knew that this enemy was coming into the world and now is already here.

4 Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit[a] is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world. 5 These enemies belong to this world, and the world listens to them, because they speak its language. 6 We belong to God, and everyone who knows God will listen to us. But the people who don’t know God won’t listen to us. That is how we can tell the Spirit that speaks the truth from the one that tells lies.

Isaiah 51

You are in trouble and drunk,
    but not from wine.
So pay close attention
22 to the Lord your God,
    who defends you and says,
“I have taken from your hands
the cup filled with my anger
    that made you drunk.
You will never be forced
    to drink it again.
23 Instead I will give it
    to your brutal enemies,
who treated you like dirt
    and walked all over you.”

The Incarnation of Jesus, A Pioneer

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
February 1, 1959

Matthew 8: 18-22

What are God’s tactics? To reclaim one person, God must suffer a blow as hard as that person’s worth. This is the way Heaven works. To reclaim one family, Heaven must receive a blow as hard as that family’s worth. This is how that family can be reclaimed. Accordingly, to reclaim a people and raise them, God has to suffer the same amount as their worth. Jesus learned through his daily life that this is the tactic of God.

Because Jesus had to represent God, to claim a people, He had to become a sacrifice on the level of the individual, the family, the religious group, and the people. By receiving a blow, he pioneered the path of sacrifice.

Jesus came to live this way of life. Though he sought a comrade among the prepared Jewish sects, there was not even one person who welcomed him. Even in Korea today, fishermen are poor and lowly people and not well respected. You can imagine how Jesus must have felt when he had to seek out ignorant fishermen 2,000 years ago. Do you think that a person like Peter would become inspired and follow Jesus immediately after just hearing his words a few times? Although that is the way it is written in the Bible, the Bible does not elaborate upon the daily affairs in the background. You have to understand that people like Peter heard some rumors about Jesus that helped them believe in him. Continue reading “There Was Not Even One Person Who Welcomed Jesus”

The Public Life of Jesus Was Full of Tribulation and Ordeals

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In this sense, Jesus was teaching that
the Kingdom would come about when
we attain the self-governing character
to advance with mind-body unity while
ridding ourselves of the circumstances
that would cause us to veer to the right
or left.
The Kingdom does not come through
the efforts of others but by our own
efforts. Being fallen people, you must
deny yourselves. If I cannot bring about
the Kingdom by myself, it will then be
done by someone else. If that happens,
then I must unite with that person in
order to reach the Kingdom. I would
have to follow and keep in step with
him. If he were to go east, I would have
to follow. We should not think of going
west if he goes east, or judge his actions.
There should not be any criticism. (46-21,
1971.7.18)

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People get married to perfect their
individual love while at the same time
perfecting the love of their object part-
ner. Doesn’t it feel good to know you get
married to perfect your love as well as
the love of God?
Men and women have to get mar-
ried to prepare the foundation on earth
through which God can love. Only
when a man and woman come togeth-
er in union through love can the love of
God reside there. The foundation is set
by them.

The Incarnation of Jesus, A Pioneer

Sun Myung Moon
February 1, 1959

Matthew 8: 18-22

Jesus who came 2,000 years ago, Jesus who led a sorrowful life during the thirty years of preparation, there was no one who understood this Jesus from the depth of his heart. No one bowed before him and was able to attend him. There was not even one ugly and crippled person who did that. This is truly a tragic story. Had there been such a person, humanity today would not feel so ashamed. When we consider this, we can understand that we owe an infinitely great debt to Heaven.

As Jesus observed John the Baptist during his thirty-year preparation period, he had many expectations. Jesus, who had been looking forward to the day when he could begin his course of public ministry, finally took the first concrete step toward fulfillment. He thought the people of the time and John the Baptist would welcome him. Yet both treated him coldly and even opposed him. The sects of Judaism opposed him. Jesus, who had made such a brave and firm determination during the preparation period, was supposed to use the Israelite people as his foundation to step forward and fight with the world, but they opposed him. Consequently, he was faced with the miserable fate of having to fight with the Israelite people. You have to understand this. This is why the Israelites, who had prepared for the coming of the Messiah with great toil for 4,000 years, had to begin their mission again from the bottom.

When God’s foundation of 4,000 years crumbled, Jesus had to appear before the people a second time with the same absoluteness of God’s dispensation just after the fall of Adam and Eve. We must understand how sad Jesus must have been. He sought them out because they were supposed to be the chosen people, yet they drove him out. Continue reading “The Public Life of Jesus Was Full of Tribulation and Ordeals”

The Thoughts of Jesus

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

Matthew 8: 18-22

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. Continue reading “The Thoughts of Jesus”

Jesus Had to Remain Silent for 30 Years

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If you have only one son or one
daughter and this only son dies, how
great will your pain as a parent be?
There is a saying that if the only son
of an only son for seven generations
dies, the entire neighborhood and sur-
rounding villages will mourn for him.
It is impossible to fathom the sorrow of
parents who have lost a seventh genera-
tion only child, therefore all the fam-
ilies in the area, all parents, children,
brothers and sisters will sympathize
with them. When we consider this, we
should reflect on the fact that Adam
and Eve were the only son and daugh-
ter for how many generations? For bil-
lions of generations!
Thus, the relationship of the Parent
and child were not consummated. God
lost the only son for billions of genera-
tions, so the only way to find that son
again is to overcome the pain lasting
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for billions of generations. We have not
known that we have such a Heavenly
Parent. (301-100, 1999.4.20)

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No matter how dirty the water, it
knows how to balance itself. People
should also know how to balance them-
selves. My coming here to Jardim does
not mean I have some special relation-
ship with Brazil. There are people living
here representing the five colors of differ-
ent races. Although I do not speak their
language, I do not think that they are a
different species. They are my kin – my
younger brothers and sisters. I am meet-
ing them again after living separately for
six thousand years. That is why they nat-
urally welcome me with joy, although we
do not share the same language, habits
and customs. (276-90, 1996.2.4)

The Incarnation of Jesus, A Pioneer

Sun Myung Moon
February 1, 1959

Matthew 8: 18-22

What then did Jesus do to cope with this mission? He passed through a preparation period. Jesus tried to connect the hearts of humanity to the heart of God, and tried to accomplish the ideology that could move the universe, Heaven and people. Jesus was determined to go forward in the shoes of a pioneer, causing unity between heaven and earth, humankind and the earth, the earth and God, and God and humankind. We have to understand that it took exceptional courage on Jesus’ part to make this resolution, in spite of the tragic situation with which he was faced. God raised Jesus for the sake of the chosen nation of Israel and for the sake of all the things of creation found on the earth. Hence, even if the earth was to betray him, he could not abandon his mission because the people were still there. Even if the people were to betray him, he could not abandon his mission because Heaven was still there. Continue reading “Jesus Had to Remain Silent for 30 Years”