ルカによる福音書9:1-6　Luke 9:1-6,

「旅には何も持って行ってはならない。杖も袋もパンも金も持ってはならない。下着も二枚は持ってはならない。」

（ルカ9:3）

これは文字どおりの命令というよりは、象徴的に理解するべき教えでしょう。すなわち、伝道に出かける人は、その伝道に必要なものを自分で用意して行くのではなく、父なる神様が必要なものを備えてくださるという信頼をもって行かなければならない、ということです。

聖書の御言葉には、文字どおりに解釈するべきものと、象徴的に解釈するべきものがあります。象徴的に解釈するべきものの代表的なものは、マタイによる福音書5章の29節と30節の教えです。「もし、右の目があなたをつまずかせるなら、えぐり出して捨ててしまいなさい。体の一部がなくなっても、全身が地獄に投げ込まれない方がましである。もし、右の手があなたをつまずかせるなら、切り取って捨ててしまいなさい。体の一部がなくなっても、全身が地獄に落ちない方がましである。」これらが、象徴的な表現であることは、すぐその前で「姦淫してはならない」「淫らな思いで、他人の妻を見てはならない」ということが教えられていることからわかります。すなわち、姦淫の罪を憎むことを強調するために「目をえぐり出す」「手を切り取る」という象徴的な表現が用いられているのです。

それと同様に、ここでは「伝道の旅をするときには、何も持って行ってはならない」という原則を強調するために、「杖も袋もパンも金も持ってはならない。下着も二枚は持ってはならない」という象徴的な表現がなされているのです。使徒パウロは、コリントの信徒への手紙一9章14節で「主は、福音を宣べ伝える人たちには福音によって生活の資を得るようにと、指示されました」と教えています。これは、キリストが「働く者が報酬を受けるのは当然だからである」（ルカ10:7）とおっしゃったことに基づいています。すなわち、伝道する人は、その伝道に行った先で生活に必要なものを得るということです。ですから、本日の箇所でキリストは「伝道する者は、あらかじめ自分の生活に必要なものを用意して行ってはならない。伝道に行った先で与えられるもので生活しなさい」と教えられたのでした。

（7月3日の説教より）

We must always listen carefully to the Bible’s teaching on what Christian evangelism is. Often, evangelism is considered to be as increasing the number of people coming to church. In other words, it is often thought that if the number of people coming to church increases, evangelism is progressing. Certainly, an increase in the number of people who hear and believe in the gospel of Christ is important, and we hope for that. However, we must carefully consider whether increasing the number of people coming to church is the essence of evangelism.

As I have mentioned several times before, in South Korea, Japan’s neighbour, it is said that about a quarter of the population are Christians. And there are not a few churches with tens of thousands of church members in one church. The number of Christians in South Korea increased rapidly between 1970 and 1990. However, statistics show that it stagnated in the 1990s and has rather been declining.

Chongshin University is one of the largest Christian theological universities in South Korea. In a lecture given in Tokyo, he who was the president of the university, said the followings. The reason behind the growth of the church in Korea is that the church preached material blessings and evangelised in such a way that if you believe in Christ, you will receive such blessings in this world. This was true during the stage of economic growth in the midst of poverty. However, in today’s situation where the economy has grown to a certain extent, it is difficult for many people to receive material blessings beyond what they have now, so it is no longer possible to attract people to the church with a message such as “if you believe in Christ you will receive material blessings.” Rather, as a result of attracting people with material blessings, there are many people in Korean churches, but there are few believers who really want to live following Christ, which is a problematic situation. He warned against the illusion that evangelism is making progress by gathering many people whose souls are not deeply connected to Christ.

In today’s biblical passages, we read that Christ sent twelve disciples on an evangelistic mission. The names of the twelve are given in Luke 6:14-16. The twelve are “Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” The sending of the disciples into all the world is also described in detail in the New Testament book of Acts. In today’s passages, Christ sent his disciples to various parts of Judea to experience and train them in what it means to evangelise, in preparation for the coming dispatch to the whole world. This sending of the twelve disciples is recorded not only in the Gospel of Luke, but also in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Since it is mentioned in three Gospels, it must mean that the Church in New Testament times also taught the principles of evangelism presented here as important.

The first principle of evangelism is that we are given power and authority by Christ and sent by him to evangelise. In verses 1-3 of chapter 9 we read: “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” Evangelism is not something that is done by a person’s pre-existing abilities or by authority that comes from outside of faith. It is not, for example, something that a naturally eloquent person does by using his or her eloquent oratory or speaking skills to lead people. Nor is it like a person who is naturally good at winning people’s hearts and minds who uses his or her power to bring people into the fold. Nor is it about a person of social standing who uses his or her position to bring people around him or her to church. Evangelism is something that is done by the power and authority given to us by Christ.

In verse 1 of today’s passages, the power and authority conferred by Christ is said to be “power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.” Such power and authority are based on the words of the Bible and the work of the Holy Spirit. Today, miracles to cast out demons and heal the sick are rare. However, where there is pure faith in the words of the Bible and the work of the Holy Spirit, miraculous works can be performed even today.

Also, evangelism is something that Christ sends us to do. It is not something that we do because we want to do it on the spur of the moment. In Romans 10:15 it says: “How are they to preach unless they are sent?” In other words, evangelism is something that the Lord Jesus Christ entrusts us with and sends us to do, saying, “Preach this.” What are we to preach then? “The kingdom of God!” “The kingdom of God” means “the rule of God, the rule of Christ.” Therefore, “to proclaim the kingdom of God” is also to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Lord who rules over all things in heaven and on earth. The blessings of the “kingdom of God” are forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Therefore, “to proclaim the kingdom of God” is also to preach that “if you believe in Christ, you can receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life.”

In any case, evangelism is proclaiming Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:5: “What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” It is easy to fall into the trap of evangelising in such a way that says, “I evangelise because I want to,” which results in your proclaiming yourself and gathering people around you, rather than proclaiming Jesus Christ. And the sad thing is that even if many people are gathered for a time, they will eventually scatter because each soul is not united to Christ. Evangelising around material blessings, which I talked about at the first of today’s sermon, is also probably that he wants others to receive material blessings because he has received material blessings through his faith. Then, when he evangelises, people’s souls will not be united to Christ and they will remain connected to their material desires and lusts forever. It will lead people to think that anything is good, even if it is not Christ, as long as they can receive material blessings. And if they believe but cannot receive material blessings, they will abandon their faith and scatter.

In some cases, they may try to evangelise with so-called psychological blessings, which are not material blessings. In other words, they do not teach repentance, but simply give psychological reassurance. What I mean is that they teach that the gospel is “I am OK, you are OK.” In other words, evangelism is to lead people to think that “I am OK as I am, and you are OK as you are,” so that they can live their lives with peace of mind. This is the practice of those influenced by American psychology.

At first glance, this approach seems to be in line with biblical teachings, but it is missing an important point. That is that the Christian faith involves awareness of sins and repentance. They are absent in the teaching “I am OK, you are OK.” It is a big mistake to try to teach faith only by what is pleasing to the ear without awareness of sins and repentance. The Christian faith is that by repenting, dying to the old self and living a new life through the life of Christ, one is transformed to be able to love and live for others. It is not Christianity that says “I’m OK, you’re OK” without any awareness of sins or repentance. This is also a self-centred way of evangelising, where he evangelises in order to get others to achieve psychological security because he has achieved the same kind of security. This is not the evangelism that Christ sent us to do. This approach also fails to really connect people’s souls to Christ. When people are tested by the storms of life and history and become not able to say “I am OK, you are OK,” those who are bound together by this psychological security will also be scattered.

Thus, empowered by Jesus Christ, sent by Jesus Christ and proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the Lord is evangelism. From this, the second principle of evangelism becomes clear. That second principle is trust in God the Father. Verse 3 of today’s passages says: “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.” This is a teaching to be understood symbolically rather than as a literal command. It means that those who go out to evangelise must not prepare for themselves what they need for the mission, but must trust that God the Father will provide what they need.

There are two types of biblical words: those that are to be interpreted literally and those that are to be interpreted symbolically. Typical of those that are to be interpreted symbolically are the teachings of Matthew 5:29-30: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” That these are symbolic expressions is evident from the fact that they are immediately preceded by the instruction “Do not commit adultery” and “Do not look at a woman with lustful intent.” In other words, the symbolic expressions of tearing out the eye and cutting off the hand are used to emphasise the abhorrence of the sin of adultery.

In the same way, the principle that “when you go on a missionary journey, you must take nothing with you” is emphasised here: “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.” Symbolic expressions are used. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 9:14 that “the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” This is based on Christ’s statement in Luke 10:7 that “the laborer deserves his wages.” This means that those who evangelise get what they need to live where they go to evangelise. Therefore, in today’s passages, Christ means: “He who evangelises must not prepare beforehand the necessities of his life. He should live on what is given to him at the place where he goes to evangelise.”

If we consider why he taught this, it is probably because those who preach the gospel of the cross of Christ need to follow Christ on the way of the cross. Christ told his disciples in Luke 9:23-24: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Evangelising without preparing for the needs of one’s own life is a painful cross to bear. And when those who evangelise walk carrying their own crosses, those who are evangelised can also learn how to live the life of a disciple who carries his cross. In addition, living by what is given at the place of the evangelisation requires a sincere trust in God the Father. As those who evangelise walk in sincere trust in God the Father, those who are evangelised can also learn to live in sincere trust in God the Father.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, resurrected and appeared to his disciples, he said as follows. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:18-20)” As revealed in these words, the essence of evangelism is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. And Christ’s disciples are those who hear his words, believe them and obey them.