ルカによる福音書10:5-12 Luke 10:5-12,

どこかの家に入ったら、まず、『この家に平和があるように』と言いなさい。 平和の子がそこにいるなら、あなたがたの願う平和はその人にとどまる。もし、いなければ、その平和はあなたがたに戻ってくる。　　　　　　　　（ルカ10:5-6）

「この家に平和があるように」と言うことは、聖書の舞台となっている土地では、特別なことではなかったかもしれません。旧約聖書の時代以来、イスラエルの人々は「平和」を意味するシャロームという言葉で互いにあいさつを交わしてきました。

しかし、ここであえてキリストが「平和」という言葉をおっしゃっているのは、通常のあいさつ以上の深い意味があると思われます。そうでなければ、わざわざキリストは「『この家に平和があるように』と言いなさい」とはおっしゃらなかったことでしょう。「平和」とは、聖書では単に穏やかな状態ということではなく、平和な関係を意味していました。ですから、キリストの弟子は、神様から遣わされた者として、その家の人々と神様との平和な関係を宣言するようにキリストに教えられたのでありましょう。

「神様との平和な関係」は、それを信じて受け入れる人にとっては、何物にも代えがたい貴重な贈り物です。しかし、神様を信じない人にとってみれば、ありがたくもなんともないものです。同じことは現代でも言えることでしょう。たとえば、本当に神様を信じる人にとっては、病気や人生の大きな節目に際して、牧師やほかの信徒が訪問して、聖書の御言葉によって励まし、祈りを共にすることは大きな力となります。しかし、神様を信じない人にしてみれば、同じことをされても、むしろ迷惑に思うかもしれません。ですから、キリストは弟子たちに、神様との平和を感謝して受ける人の家を、和解の福音を宣べ伝える拠点としなさいとおっしゃったのであります。すなわち、遣わされた者が「この家に平和があるように」というあいさつをして、それを受け入れる家を伝道の拠点とするようにとお命じになったのであります。

そのことは次のような7節の御言葉にもよく表れています。「その家に泊まって、そこで出される物を食べ、また飲みなさい。働く者が報酬を受けるのは当然だからである。家から家へと渡り歩くな。」神様との平和を喜んで受け入れる人は、神様のしもべたちの働きを支えることも喜んでするものであります。たとえば、使徒パウロが、マケドニアのフィリピという町で伝道をしたときに、紫布を商う商人であるリディアという女性に出会いました。そして、彼女はその家族と共にキリストを信じて洗礼を受けただけでなく、「私が主を信じる者だとお思いでしたら、どうぞ、私の家に来てお泊まりください」(使徒16:15)と言って、パウロを自分の家に招きました。そして、リディアの家はパウロのフィリピでの伝道の拠点となったのです。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 （7月14日の説教より）

In order to share the Christian faith with others, we need a conviction that we have been saved by Christ. The conviction of salvation can also be described as reconciliation with God or peace with God. A person who is convinced in oneself that “if one believes in Christ, one will be reconciled to God and be saved” can proclaim that salvation to others. However, those who are not sufficiently convinced that “if one believes in Christ, one will be reconciled to God and be saved” will find it difficult to truly evangelise, even if they temporarily attract people with their knowledge and good deeds. Evangelism without the conviction of salvation often ends up making disciples of the evangelist rather than disciples of Christ. This is because the evangelist and the person being evangelised should share the conviction of salvation through Christ, but without the conviction of salvation, the evangelist ends up sharing the personal charms and virtues of himself/herself.

The missionaries who evangelised Japan from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era had a very clear conviction of salvation. There were two missionary brothers, Rev. Alexander D. Hail (1844 – 1923) and Rev. John B. Hail (1846-1928), who evangelised on foot in the Kii Peninsula, where there were no railways at the time of the Meiji era. The younger brother, Rev. John B. Hail, went to visit a member of his congregation who was in critical condition on his sick-bed. When even the family could not tell the person of the life-threatening situation, he read the Bible and prayed in front of the sick-bed member as usual. Then, after saying as many names of church members as he knew, he said, “Please, when you come to heaven, say hello to these people. And please tell them that Hail is doing well and evangelising. Then I will say good-bye. Good-bye, and I will see you again in heaven.”

There may be criticism from intellectuals for such a simple way of believing. However, it was this simple and powerful faith that enabled him to walk on his own feet and evangelise the wide Kii Peninsula in order to preach the gospel of Christ. Rev. John B. Hail, looking back on more than 50 years of evangelistic work in Japan, said in his later years as follows.

The most joyful thing is that since I came to Japan in 1877, there has not been a single sermon meeting in which I have not had a single audience. Only once I went into a wardrobe and sang a hymn there, because they didn’t want me to sing a hymn. I am grateful that no matter in what kind of mountain area I preached, I was always given an audience. (SABA Wataru ed., Sueno ga Kotodomo, 103-104. Translated by MIYOSHI Akira)

When he said, “The most joyful thing is that … there has not been a single sermon meeting in which I have not had a single audience,” he meant that he had gladly preached the gospel if he had even only one audience. This attitude of missionary John B. Hail is reminiscent of the disciples of Christ who, in New Testament times, went from town to town on foot, preaching the gospel of Christ.

According to today’s Scripture passage, Christ’s method of evangelism when he sent his 72 disciples was characterised, first of all, by establishing a base. In other words, when they arrived in a certain town, they were not to preach the gospel at random, but to find a house in that town that would serve as a base for evangelism and to stay there. As for how to find a house of evangelism, Christ says in verses 5 and 6 as follows. “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.” Saying ‘Peace be to this house!’ may not have been a special thing in the land of the Bible. Since Old Testament times, the Israelites have greeted each other with the Hebrew word “shalōm,” meaning “peace.”

However, the fact that Christ dares to say the word “peace” here seems to have a deeper meaning than the usual greeting. Otherwise, Christ would not have said, “Say, ‘Peace be to this house!’” “Peace” in the Bible did not simply mean a state of calm, but a peaceful relationship. So Christ’s disciples, as God’s sent ones, would have been taught by Christ to declare a peaceful relationship with God to the people of that house. “Peaceful relationship with God” is an irreplaceable and precious gift for those who believe in God. But for those who do not believe in God, it is a thankless gift. The same could be said today. For example, for those who truly believe in God, a visit of a pastor or other believer to encourage them with the word of the Bible and to pray with them at times of illness or major milestones in their lives can be a great strength. However, for those who do not believe in God, the same may be rather annoying. Therefore, Christ told his disciples to make the house of those who gratefully receive peace with God a base for proclaiming the gospel of reconciliation. In other words, He commanded that those who were sent should make the house where they accepted the message of “Peace be to this house!” their base of evangelism.

This is well illustrated by the following verse 7. “And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.” Those who are willing to accept peace with God are also willing to support the work of God’s servants. For example, when the Apostle Paul was evangelising in Philippi in Macedonia, he met a woman called Lydia, a seller of purple cloth. And she not only believed in Christ and was baptised with her family, but also invited Paul to her house, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay” (Acts 16:15). Lydia’s house then became Paul’s base for his mission in Philippi.

The second feature of the evangelistic approach in the sending of the 72 disciples is that they proclaimed the kingdom of God. That is, in verses 8 and 9 Christ says as follows. “Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” The healing of the sick is a visible sign of the kingdom of God, a miracle performed by a person with a special gift. And “The kingdom of God has come near to you” means that you can enter the kingdom of God by believing in Christ. It means, in other words, that by believing in Christ you are given forgiveness of sins and eternal life. It is important to note that evangelism is about proclaiming the kingdom of God, the reign of God’s grace through Christ, and not about proclaiming other things, such as worldly benefits. Of course, belief in the kingdom of God which has come by Christ may involve visible signs, such as the healing of the sick. But they are only signs of the kingdom of God. Also, the human body in this world will one day die, even if it is healed. Therefore, ultimately the central blessings of the kingdom of God – forgiveness of sins and eternal life – must be proclaimed. If this central point is obscured, evangelism will be impossible. As I said at the beginning, if we evangelise with an ambiguous salvation conviction, we will not be able to proclaim this central point and will end up doing works that can be done without the gospel of Christ, such as improving society or satisfying soul. Modern liberal and rationalist Christianity often tends to stray from the centre in this way. It is truly unfortunate.

The third characteristic of the method of evangelism in the sending of the 72 disciples is that it clarifies the responsibility of those who hear the gospel but do not believe it. The firm attitude the disciples should take towards those who do not believe in the gospel of Christ is described in verses 10 and 11 as follows.

“But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’”

The phrase “know this, that the kingdom of God has come near” in verse 11 is compared to the way it is said when evangelising in verse 9, “the kingdom of God has come near to you.” In verse 11, the words “to you” disappears and it becomes “know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.” This implies that “know this, the kingdom of God has come near to you, but you did not believe it.” And the fact that they wipe off the dust off his feet and leaves the town indicates that “I have preached to you the gospel of the kingdom of God, and I am no longer responsible for your not believing it.” Later, when the Apostle Paul preached the gospel of Christ, he was persecuted in many towns and could no longer stay in those towns, so he moved on to the next town. And Acts 13:51 tells us that when Paul and Barnabas were persecuted and moved to another town, “they shook off the dust from their feet.”

It must be said that if you evangelise and the other person does not accept you, the responsibility for the non-acceptance lies, as a rule, not with the one who evangelised, but with the one who was evangelised. This is because the person who is evangelised, as a human being, has the freedom to choose whether or not to accept the evangelism. Faith is a matter of soul, so you cannot force the other person to believe in Christ. However, recently there are some new religions that try to make people believe in them by depriving them of their freedom through a method called “brainwashing.” We urge you to be very careful with such religions. Christian evangelism in its original form recognises the freedom of the person being evangelised to “accept” or “not accept.” And after recognising that freedom, it is made clear that the responsibility for that decision rests on the person concerned. If this point is not made clear, on the one hand, evangelism can lead to the frightening idea that it is enough to convince people by any means, even by lying, for example. On the other hand, the person doing the evangelism may fall into the wrong way of thinking that the person doing the evangelism is responsible for the other person’s unbelief. Of course, the person doing the evangelism should not easily assume that the other person will not believe. However, the principle that those who do not believe do so at their own freedom and responsibility needs to be clearly affirmed. In the spiritual culture of Japan, where individual autonomy is not well established and leaning relationships are likely to occur, it is necessary to evangelise with full attention to this point. Whether or not one believes in Christ is a matter that affects not only what kind of life one will lead on earth, but also whether or not one will receive eternal life in the world to come. Therefore, whichever one chooses, we must remember that the responsibility rests on the individual who has heard the gospel of Christ.

The missionary I mentioned, John B. Hail, evangelised the YAMANOUCHI family, an old family in the village of Minabe, Hidaka-gun, Wakayama Prefecture, on the Kii Peninsula. The way he evangelised them could be described just like as the evangelism of today’s Bible passage. So I would like to show what happened in that evangelism. The YAMANOUCHI family was an old family in the area, a rich family who had served as Shinto priests for generations and ran a sake brewery. The second daughter of the YAMANOUCHI family, YAMANOUCHI Sueno, moved to Tokyo and became a teacher and student at the newly opened Ferris Girls’ School in Yokohama. As a teacher she taught Chinese classics and as a student she learnt English. This was in June 1875. YAMANOUCHI Sueno was a woman who excelled in calligraphy and Chinese studies and had a beautiful pseudonym “Shūka” (autumn flower), which was given to her by the famous Japanese painter TOMIOKA Tessai. While a teacher and student at Ferris Girls’ School, she was baptised by missionary Rev. Ballagh at Yokohama Kaigan Church and became a devoted Christian. Sueno then evangelised her family whenever she returned to her hometown. This was around 1882 (Meiji 15).

Sueno had a younger sister called Kumako, who married into an old family called the KUSUMOTO family in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture. The KUSUMOTO family in Tanabe was the offsprings of KUSUNOKI Masashige, who served Emperor Godaigo, and was one of the most powerful families in Tanabe. When Kumako decided to believe in Christ through Sueno’s evangelism, her mother-in-law, who was a devoted Buddhist, pressed her to divorce or to worship Buddha. Kumako then firmly stated, “Then divorce is the way to go,” and returned to the YAMANOUCHI family with her three children. The head of the YAMANOUCHI family at the time, a man called YAMANOUCHI Ryohei, devised a plan to somehow get his sister to return to her place of marriage, and welcomed missionary John B. Hail, who was on his way back to Osaka from Tanabe, as a guest. He strongly requested John B. Hail to convince his sister that it was acceptable to worship Buddha only in form if she worshipped the true God in her heart. However, Missionary John B. Hail was, as I mentioned earlier, a man of very strong faith and would not have accepted this request. On the contrary, the voices of Ryouhei were heard by Sueno and Kumako, who were in another room, and Kumako became more and more firm in her Christian beliefs.

About a month later, missionary Alexander D. Hail, brother of missionary John B. Hail, visited the YAMANOUCHI family. Kumako volunteered to be baptised, and missionary Alexander D. Hail, after a trial, decided to baptise her on the following Sunday. However, the elder brother, Ryouhei, was furious that a missionary would disturb the peace of home and tried to make a bloodbath out of Alexander D. Hail. An influential local official saw this and interceded, suggesting that the baptism be postponed until next autumn, and the matter was somehow resolved. However, Kumako fell ill two months later and did not return. In the presence of her mother-in-law and other members of the family, she said, “If I am allowed, I would like to live happily with my husband and everyone else forever, and see my children through to the end of their lives. I have asked God to take care of my children and I am sure he will do what is best for them. I too will be led by the hand of the Lord.”

About a year later, when his brother, Missionary John B. Hail, made another mission trip to Tanabe, Kumako’s elder brother, Ryohei, came to the inn himself, confessed his sins and said he wanted to be baptised. He also said that he was going to close down his family’s sake brewery. Soon afterwards, Ryohei’s wife was also baptised and the YAMANOUCHI family became a Christian home. Surprisingly, the following year Kumako’s husband, who had been called to heaven, was baptised. Eventually, all the members of the YAMANOUCHI and KUSUMOTO families, including the mother-in-law who persecuted Kumako, entered the path of Christian faith. YAMANOUCHI Ryohei later went to Tokyo to work in Christian documentary evangelism before becoming a pastor and one of the founders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Japan. In addition, YAMANOUCHI Sueno, who evangelised the family, married Rev. UEMURA Masahisa, who later became the leader of the Church of Christ in Japan. (Ibid., 32-34, 41-42, 73-77; SABA Wataru ed., Uemura Masahisa-to Sono Jidai, vol.1, 735-763. Translated by MIYOSHI Akira)

Evangelism is thus through people who have the conviction of salvation, whom God has specially chosen. Therefore, in evangelism there is no need to lament that only a few people believe. God is spreading the gospel of Christ to the world today through a small number of people with deep faith.