Pastor Ock Soo Park | Good News Gangnam
Church
"In those days the multitude being very
great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and
saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been
with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to
their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
His leprosy was made whole at once." (Mark 8:1-3)
Drawing
external power
Jesus came to this earth through the Word
of God. I have heard that scientists say that there is no energy within the Earth,
but there is energy coming from an external source which powers the earth. This
is true. In Genesis chapter 1, the earth was without form, void; and darkness
was upon the face of the deep. The earth was not able to cast away the
formlessness, void, and darkness. We see that the Word of God has the power to cast
away the emptiness. The ground transforms into a beautiful image bearing fruits
and blossoming flowers. We can’t defeat the sinful nature within us. Sin enters
our hearts and reigns darkness within us, and we don’t have the power to cast
that out. God said, “Let there be light.” The light came and casted the
darkness away from the earth. It is the same within our hearts.
The
lepers who were healed all shared the same heart
After Jesus speaks to the people in Matthew
chapters 5 through 7, in chapter 8 a great multitude follows Him as He comes
down the mountain. A certain leper comes to Jesus and bows, saying, “Lord if
you are willing you can make me clean.” Jesus says, “I am willing,” and his
disease was healed. One day, as I was reading this Word I thought to myself:
“There must be a ton of lepers in Israel, but why didn’t they think of this?
Furthermore, how did this leper have the heart that Jesus would heal his
leprosy if he came before him?” If all the lepers had the heart that they would
be healed if they went before Jesus, they, too, would have found Jesus and
their leprosy would have been healed.
The leper who came before Jesus was not
handsome, intelligent, or wealthy. He was a leper like every other leper. The only
difference was that Jesus entered his heart one day.
The leper must have lived such a joyful
life after returning to his family after being healed from his leprosy. Why did
not all the lepers go to Jesus? They were despised and separated from their
loving families, and why would they live in a dark cave so pitifully? The
difference was not due to being handsome, intelligent, wealthy, powerful, or
doing many good things. The healed leper had a heart different from the other
lepers.
When he heard about Jesus, he realized how
much power He had and the ability to heal his disease. He said to himself, “If that
is the case, if Jesus is willing, he could make me whole!” The leper had the
heart that only Jesus could heal his leprosy! The leper did not create this
heart, but God formed it inside him.
Other lepers thought it’s so painful to have leprosy. “I miss my family. I was
a good business person and now I have to live in this dark cave. How can I live
in hunger every day like this?” They were bitter about being lepers, but they
did not seek the path to be healed.
He
did not hesitate to meet Jesus
The leper who came before Jesus was neither
handsome, intelligent, nor did he have a lot of money. He was just like every
other leper. The only difference was that the heart of Jesus entered his heart.
One day, he heard someone say that Jesus could heal diseases, and he was the
Son of God showing miracles and powers. When he heard that news, he came to have
the heart that if Jesus is the son of God, then any disease could be healed by
Jesus, and even his disease would be healed!
He did not
hesitate to meet Jesus. He was not able to enter the town Jesus was in because lepers
were forbidden. He heard that Jesus was preaching at the mountain top, and
waited for Jesus at the base of the mountain. When he saw Jesus coming down
from the mountain, he says, “Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean.”
I am
like the leper
I was just like this leper when I was saved
in 1962. Before I met Jesus, I would blame my destiny and wished that I had made
lots of money. I had no way to free myself from poverty, and no way to defeat
my concerns and worries. I was a sinful, filthy, and evil person.
One day, I was suffering and prayed asking
for forgiveness of sins. I always prayed like that, and afterwards my sins were
still there, but that day was different. God created a new heart in me. Saying,
“Of course my sin was washed away at the cross.”
If Jesus was crucified on the cross, then
my sins are washed! My sins are reconciled on the cross! After I discovered my
sins were washed, Jesus entered my heart. I started to change. It was just like
an abandoned field which was full of weeds compared to a good field, which a
farmer ploughed.
The farmer will till the ground to rid the
weeds and make a clean field, and afterwards, plant sweet potatoes, potatoes,
and cabbage. Everything the farmer plants sprouts into delicious vegetables. My
heart transformed in that way. Before, I was filled with worries, hatred, ambition,
shame of sin, and despair. Just like the weeds in the field that mess
everything up, those things were tangled in my heart. After Jesus entered my
heart, every time I read the Bible I could see the Word build my heart, piece
by piece. The Lord would be pleased if I preach the gospel. So I should preach
the gospel! I should live for Jesus! I should share this Word with that person!
I could feel Jesus filling my heart with joy and hope.
In John chapter 15, Jesus says, “I am the
vine and you are the branches, and your father is the farmer.” God is not the farmer
who plants cabbage, potatoes, or sweet potatoes. God plants faith in our
hearts. After being saved, the more I read the Bible, the deeper I was able to
accept the Word. I could see faith was planted in my heart and the Word living
and working which led me to bear many fruits.
My
sins were so great that it seemed it never would be white as snow
Matthew chapter 8 speaks about a leper who
was separated from his family for a long time and lived in the dark caves of the
leper town. If his family did not send him food he would starve. He was too
weak to do anything for himself.
How could this leper end his life? One day
he overheard some people talking. There is a person named Jesus, and He can
heal diseases. When he heard that, he thought to himself,
“Could this be the Messiah? He could be the
Messiah. When the Messiah comes, He will deliver us from our suffering, and He
could deliver me from my leprosy.” Until then he never thought there would be
someone who could deliver him from leprosy.
I am still the same. I attended church from
a young age but I thought it would be impossible for my sins to be washed as white
as snow. I lied, hated, and was arrogant.., I sinned daily. The sins I
committed outwardly were many, and the sins I committed inwardly were so great
that it seemed that my sins would never become white as snow.
When I look back I could see my days were
filled with failures, and I discovered that I was a failure. I was deeply wrapped
in sin. I am too evil. If I had another chance at life I do not want to live like
this. If I were 15 years old again, I would live a better life. One day God
made me think about the crucifixion of Jesus. When I thought about how Jesus
died in my place. He washed my sins!
My heart was no longer like the abandoned
field, full of weeds. God began to create a new field in my heart, piece by piece.
A heart that I did not have before came upon me as I read the Bible. God will
work through me! I must preach the gospel! I must tell people that their sins
are washed! God stirred so many new thoughts in me that I could not number
them.
Hope
led his footsteps to come before Jesus
2 Kings 5 talks about General Naaman who
listens to his maid servant and visits Prophet Elisha in Samaria. He thinks, “I will meet the man of God and I will be healed of my leprosy according
to what my maid servant said. There is puss and stench excreted from my body,
but now I will be cleaned and free from this suffering! I can live a brighter
future! I will be free from leprosy!” He took his soldiers and rode from Damascus
to Samaria.
The leper who went before Jesus started his
footsteps to meet Jesus because he felt that Jesus could heal his disease. Once
the faith and hope in Jesus arose, this heart lead his footsteps to go before
Jesus. Before, ambition, blamefulness, hatred, and arrogance had dragged his heart.
God stirred hope towards Jesus and that hope now leads him. As long as he was
going out to Jesus, he was walking, step by step, in hope.
When Jesus met the leper, He said, “I am
willing and be cleansed.” Immediately, his leprosy was healed. According to the
Law of Moses, he went before the priest to be pronounced clean before he
returned back to his family.
“Kids, daddy is home!!”
“Daddy, you can come into the town now?”
“Yes, my leprosy is completely healed! We
can all live together now! I know it was tough until now right? Daddy is going
to get a job, and buy you nice clothes and delicious meals.”
“Daddy, this is so great that we can live
together!”
We can imagine this type of wonderful dialogue
once the leper is cleansed and returns back to his family.
God’s
heart will lead us into the New Year
He was a leper like all the other lepers,
but when God stirred a heart towards Jesus, he began to live a new life. Just
like how people plant seeds to reap the fruits, even now, God is planting the
seeds of the Word to reap fruit. We do not realize the true joy behind relying
on and hoping for God.
God will establish His heart within us for this New Year. This heart will lead
us through the year. People will be saved through us, and I believe we will
bear the fruits that please God.
