Currents in Theology and Mission (Oct. 2021)

Two of my articles were published in the October issue of Currents in Theology and Mission: (1) "Reading Mercy in the Parables of Jesus"; (2) "The Johannine Realism about the Kingdom of God, 'Born from Above, Born of Water and Spirit' (John 3:1-21)."

"Reading Mercy in the Parables of Jesus"

The parables of Jesus deal with various issues in human lives, ranging from personal crisis to economic justice. The culture of competition and comparison has deleterious effects on the weak and marginalized. Some parables of Jesus address these problems: “Father and Two Sons” (Luke 15:11-32), “Pharisee and Tax Collector” (Luke 18:9-14), “Wheat and Weed” (Matt 13:24-30), and “Vineyard Workers” (Matt 20:1-16). In these parables, Jesus challenges the merciless society and the culture of competition, asking his audience to see others through the lens of mercy.

"The Johannine Realism about the Kingdom of God, 'Born from Above, Born of Water and Spirit' (John 3:1-21)"

John emphasizes the realism of the kingdom of God in the present. Given the Johannine community’s expulsion from the synagogue due to its faith that Jesus is the Messiah, the members of this nascent community need assurance about their new place in Christ. They are comforted and encouraged to live as children of God. They are born from above and experience a new life through the Spirit. To maintain their discipleship with Jesus, they must keep his word and stay in the light. The Advocate will come to them after Jesus is gone, and God’s reign continues to be seen, touched, and experienced in the present. As Jesus sends his disciples into the world, the Johannine community receives a new mission to love the world, testifying to the truth of God, following Jesus’ word.

Thanks to the book series editors for Cambridge University Press

A big relief. Finally, I heard the good news from the book series editors for Cambridge University Press: "This version of your manuscript is now ready to send to the publisher with our approval." The book title: "Monotheism, Biblical Traditions, and Race Relations."

I expressed my thanks to the two series editors (Elements in Religion and Monotheism): "What good news that I receive from both of you! I cry with excitement. I cannot express enough my utmost thanks for your support, patience, and generosity. I will never forget your mature guidance and care for my work."

Below is what I gleaned from the CUP website.

Religion and Monotheism
This Cambridge Elements series publishes original concise volumes on monotheism and its significance. Monotheism has occupied inquirers since the time of the Biblical patriarchs, and it continues to attract interdisciplinary academic work today. Engaging, current, and concise (20,000–30,000 words), the volumes will benefit teachers, researchers, and advanced students in religious studies, Biblical studies, theology, philosophy of religion, and related fields.

Overview
The Cambridge Elements Series in Religion and Monotheism publishes original concise volumes on monotheism and its significance. As the commitment to just one God, monotheism has occupied inquirers at least since the time of the Biblical patriarchs, and it continues to attract interdisciplinary academic work today. The series volumes will be engaging, current, and concise (20,000–30,000 words), and they will benefit teachers, researchers, pastors, and advanced college, graduate, and seminary students working in the areas of religious studies, Biblical studies, theology, philosophy of religion, the history of religion, and the sociology of religion. The series invites proposals for original works on all aspects of monotheism, and it especially welcomes proposals for works that have significant interdisciplinary value for advanced students and researchers. It will publish both original thematic works and original historical works on monotheism and its importance. While making original contributions to their topics, authors will produce works that are accessible to advanced students and researchers outside their own academic fields.

"The mind of shame and hate" (Mencius)

I admire Confucius because he emphasizes virtuous humanity. I like his practical wisdom. Zi Gong (Confucius's disciple) asked: “Can you summarize with one word how we should live in our whole life? Confucius said: “Isn't it empathy? Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself" (Analects 15:24). This kind of similar teaching is also found in Hillel's episode in Talmud (Shabbat 31a): "What is hateful to you do not do to others; all the rest is commentary, and go and learn it." Jesus also says a similar thing: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matt 7:12).

But today, I want to visit Mencius, a great interpreter of Confucius, who says that "the mind of shame and hate is important." A virtuous, righteous human must know what shame is and what hate is. Simply speaking, when one does a bad thing, one must feel shame. At the same time, when one sees evil acts from others, one must condemn those things. Feeling shame is an important virtue as much as one judges others. We need to recover a mind of shame in our work, our decision-making, and in all our lives. Often, we are clear as mud when we deal with ourselves. We need self-inspection and must be adamantine in our dislike of heinous acts. The following calligraphy represents the above words of Mencius.

 xiū ě zhī xīn

 

"Today" (σήμερον) in Luke

Luke brings the good news to the world of today (σήμερον, semeron). Today is the day of salvation. Today scriptures (the word of God) are to be fulfilled in our hearing. Today is the day of repentance and renewal. The lost are found and restored today. God's reign is in the here and now. The poor must be fed now. Blessed are those who are poor. Luke is a smart, realistic theologian who deals with the delay of Parousia with a focus on God's work today. Cognitive dissonance is resolved, as Luke shifts its mission to God's mission today. Though some argue that Luke is an innocuous gospel to the Roman Empire, we cannot ignore the alacrity of Luke's creative strategy emphasizing "today," without which the good news is hollow. See the following texts from Luke, which include the importance of today.

Luke 2:11: To you is born this day (today) in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

Luke 4:21: Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 5:26: Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today” (healing a paralytic).

Luke 17:21: For, in fact, the kingdom of God is within or among you (no use of "today," but we see the present tense of God's rule).

Luke 19:5-10 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Luke 23:42-43: Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (to one of the criminals).

"Race, Ethnicity and the Gospels"

Yung Suk Kim, "Race, Ethnicity and the Gospels." In Oxford Bibliographies in Biblical Studies,  (accessed 26 Aug. 2021).

 

Introduction

The study of race and ethnicity in the Gospels has yielded a significant number of publications. Methodological, in-depth critical biblical study by scholars focuses attention on the contemporary social and political context where racism, classism, and all sorts of phobias are widespread. Race and ethnicity are often discussed alongside gender, class, politics, and ethics. While some interpreters have a clear focus on race/ethnicity in the Gospels, others broadly deal with various topics covering race, gender, religion, and ethics. There are a few directions in this study. First, Jesus’ Jewish ethnicity is the focus of study and the Gospels are explored with an understanding of his ethnicity in context. The questions addressed include: (1) How did Jesus think of his ethnic identity in the context of political turmoil under the Roman Empire? (2) How did he think of his ethnic identity in relation to Jerusalem and elites? (3) How did he think about other races or ethnicities? Second, there are studies concerning the tensions that existed between Jewish ethnic identity and Christian ethnic identity in the Gospels. In particular, Matthew’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel belong to this category of the study since there are distinctive stories that reflect the relations between Jews and gentiles. Among others, Matthew 15:21–28 (Jesus’ encountering a Canaanite woman) and Luke 4:16–30 (Jesus’ radical sermon about God’s preference for gentiles) reflect the tension or confrontations that existed between Jews and gentiles in early Christian communities. Mark’s Gospel and John’s Gospel also include episodes about race/ethnicity: Mark 7:24–30 (the Syrophoenician woman) and John 4:1–42 (Jesus and the Samaritan woman). Third, scholarly attention is also given to matters of biblical interpretation concerning race and ethnicity in the Gospels. Interpreters tackle prejudices about race, supersessionism, white racism, and oppressive ideologies. Fourth, the Four Gospels as a whole are re-examined from the perspective of racial, ethical concerns. While Jesus’ ethnic identity, the relations between Jews and gentiles, and biblical interpretation about race/ethnicity are included, scholarship also extends to the myriad intersection of topics such as migration, liberation, refuge, postcolonial issues, and identity politics.

Wisdom from Qohelet (Ecclesiastes)

According to Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), the ideal life is not to seek the mere future or gain an immortal life elsewhere. Rather, it is in the here and now. Tomorrow is not in our hands. The world is an uncertain one (Eccl 11:1-6). Heaven and earth are fair to everyone (Matt 5:45; Dao De Jing 5: 天地不仁). Anything can happen anytime to anyone. That reality is not simply because this world is evil but because the nature of life in the world involves vulnerability and death. We are hebel ("vapor, breath" in Eccl 1:2; 12:8). We must say: "I live short and I am breath or vapor." Of course, this reality with "hebel" does not implicate or suggest a life of living carelessly or irresponsibly. Hebel or short-lived life does not mean that our life is worthless or vain. If you think that way, your reading of Ecclesiastes is misleading. 

Rather, ironically, our short life is more valuable and precious than otherwise because we live short. So, the right attitude is to remember our death and value our time so preciously. 

Focus on your valuable life to be happy, enjoy your life in a good way (Eccl 3:12), work with others (Eccl 4:7-12), and love them as you care for yourself. "I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live" (Eccl 3:12). You need to follow what your heart tells you, not being pressured by others (Eccl 11:9). 

So, the wise person values today and now, remembering his/her eventual death (Eccl 7:2, 4). "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting" (Eccl 7:2). "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth" (Eccl 7:4).

Conclusion: So, save time (Eccl 12:1-7). Memento mori: Remember that you die. Carpe diem: Seize today. Amor fati: Love of fate.

Confucius and his legacy

Confucius's Golden Rule:

Zi Gong asked: “Can you summarize with one word how we should live in our whole life? Confucius said, “Isn't it empathy or mercy? Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself" (Analects 15:24).子貢問曰。有一言而可以終身行之者乎。子曰。其恕乎。己所不欲、勿施於人。

Interesting:
-Hillel: "What is hateful to you, do not do to others; all the rest is commentary" (Shabbat 31a).
-Jesus: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matt 7:12).


Five Analects of Confucius (source):
“Respect yourself and others will respect you.”
“Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.”
“To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.”
“Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.”
“The noble-minded are calm and steady."

Four Books
Great Learning (or alternative)
The Doctrine of the Mean (or alternative)
Analects (or alternative)
Mencius (or alternative)

"Five behaviors of the gentleman most central to the Analects are benevolence (ren 仁), righteousness (yi 義), ritual propriety (li 禮), wisdom (zhi 智), and trustworthiness (xin 信)" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

측은지심(惻隱之心) : 어려움에 처한 사람을 애처롭게 여기는 마음을 뜻한다.
수오지심(羞惡之心) : 의롭지 못함을 부끄러워 하고, 착하지 못함을 미워하는 마음을 뜻한다.
사양지심(辭讓之心) : 겸손하여 남에게 사양할 줄 아는 마음을 뜻한다.
시비지심(是非之心) : 옳고 그름을 판단할 줄 아는 마음을 뜻한다.
광명지심(光名之心): 중심을 잡고 항상 가운데 바르게 위치해 밝은 빛을 냄으로써 믿음을 주는 마음이다.

Love in Confucianism

In the Doctrine of the Mean (one of the Four Books in Confucianism), there is an important phrase that represents Confucius's main thought: 仁者人也 (rén zhě rén yě). See the following calligraphy I wrote. This phrase may be translated as "To love is to become the person." By the way, love (Ren in Chinese: 仁) appears frequently, 106 times, in the Analects of Confucius. The question is: What is Ren or love according to Confucius or how do we interpret it?

 

 *Four Books and Five Classics: 

-The Four Books: Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Analects, and Mencius

-Five Classics: Classics of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Change, Book of Rites, and Spring and Autumn Annals 

사서는 논어(論語), 맹자(孟子), 대학(大學), 중용(中庸); 삼경은 시경(詩經), 서경(書痙), 주역(周易); 춘추(春秋)와 예기(禮記)를 포함하면 오경이다.

Three moments of human experience and transformation

 

Where should we start as we think about human transformation? I argue that it is marginality. As I wrote a book back in 2013, A Transformative Reading of the Bible, I still hold the view that authentic human transformation needs a moment/attitude of "I am no-one." "I am no-one" is a locus where I find the love of God. With God's grace, I would say "I am some-one." I am that I am. I am confident in myself. I love myself. Then, I may love others. "I am one-for-others." The transformation experience is not a linear movement but a circular one. 

Liberate the Bible

Many read the Bible as a single book, treating it as a metanarrative. But the Bible was written not as a single book and it is a collection of various writings produced in different times for over a thousand years. It involves a multitude of authors or editors, disparate communities, and eclectic ideas. It is necessary to liberate the Bible and put it back in its place. We must interpret various parts of the Bible from diverse perspectives.

Strictly speaking, the Bible does not talk to us. The Bible does not mean, but we (as readers) mean with the text. So we need critical engagement with the text, considering various writings in the Bible seriously, and taking a stand about our interpretation.

Authority is not encoded in the text. It is not knowledge or information. It is the power of God that transforms people and the world. It becomes the catalyst for a new humanity. Through the reader's conscientious engagement, the authority of the scriptures may come alive. That is, through our endless, careful interpretation, the word of God for our time can be unlocked, activated, and communicated to the world.