Seeing, Yet Not Seeing?

Mark 4:12 (NKJV)
“Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.”

A few weeks ago, I lost the left lens of my reading glasses, which had been prescribed in Los Angeles. The upper part of the left side of the frame had somehow broken, causing the lens to pop out. It was especially heartbreaking because the frame had been specially customized and imported from Italy.

So I looked for it everywhere—my car, my office, and the church parking lot where I usually park. I knew it had to be somewhere at church because that was the only place I used those glasses. For the next few days, I searched for the lens, but all my efforts were in vain. I kept wondering, Where did it go? Eventually, I gave up.

Then last week, while cleaning my office with a vacuum, I suddenly noticed the lens I had been so desperately trying to find. It was lying right next to the air purifier—the very spot I had carefully searched with my eyes wide open.

I asked myself, How did I miss it?

Perhaps while I was searching, my mind was too occupied—blaming myself for being careless and feeling anxious about having to find it before Sunday worship. My mind was preoccupied and hurried, and that may have made me blind to what was right in front of me.

Jesus’ words, “Seeing they may see and not perceive,” were spoken about the religious leaders of Israel. They knew the truth of Scripture. They knew that the Messiah would come with the power of redemption for His people. These religiously devoted leaders possessed deep knowledge of the prophecies concerning the coming Savior. However, because they were so occupied with their own preconceived ideas about who the Savior should be, they failed to recognize the Lord standing right in front of them.

A preoccupied mindset is not just a philosophical or psychological concept that gives us a headache when we try to understand it. It can be understood simply as the expectations we build from our experiences in life. We create a framework for our faith, and within that framework, we decide how God should work—or should not work—for us. And when the Lord does not fit into the place we have prepared in our understanding, we can easily feel disappointed, confused, or even blame ourselves or others.

This week is Holy Week, the time when our Lord enters the final stage of His earthly life. Let us empty our hearts and minds. Let us look to the Lord without prejudice, simply as the Son of God, our Savior, who came for us, suffered for us, and rose again for us.

Precious Self

While browsing through the books on my shelves, I came across a sentence I had written in Korean inside one of my college textbooks:

“Because I do not love myself, I cannot love others.”

I had written this line while working on an assignment for a philosophy class, reflecting on the poem “Love After Love” by Derek Walcott, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992:

“You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you.”— Love After Love

The poem suggests that a person who does not respect or cherish oneself ultimately cannot do the same for others. The beginning of all love starts with loving oneself. If we find that we cannot love someone, the reason may not lie in the other person—but within ourselves.

What, then, was in Peter’s heart during his conversation with Jesus? Countless thoughts must have passed through his mind. If we interpret his emotions only through a biblical or theological lens, we might describe them with words like failure, despair, or guilt.

But what if we approach Jesus’ question more personally?

Could it be that Jesus’ repeated question was meant to restore Peter’s lost passion and confidence in himself?

Was it not also an invitation to recover himself—so that he might recover his calling as a disciple?

There were times in my life when I felt closer to the Lord than I do now, and there were also times when I felt distant from Him. And in that distance, I see that I myself was often standing in between.

Perhaps the reason Jesus’ question, “Do you love Me?”, sometimes sounds like “Do you love yourself?” is because the Lord desires the restoration of who we are.

We are God’s Instruments

2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV) “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

Antonio Stradivari was born and lived in the northern Italian city of Cremona. He was a master violin maker, and the instruments he crafted by hand are now called “Stradivarius” instruments. Today, they are considered some of the finest violins in the world and are played by many of the greatest musicians.

During his lifetime, Stradivari made only about 1,000 instruments. Around 500 to 600 still remain today, and some of them are worth millions of dollars.

But these valuable instruments have an interesting characteristic. They are not meant to sit silently in a museum display case for visitors to admire.

Stradivarius violins must continue to be played regularly—at least once a month—to maintain their rich and beautiful tone. If they are left untouched for too long, they gradually lose the depth and quality of their sound. Their value is preserved only when they continue to be used.

As Christians, there are also three precious gifts we must continue to use.

The first is prayer.

The second is God’s Word.

The third is the Holy Spirit.

These are treasures God has already given to us. But like a fine instrument, they must continually be exercised in our lives. We are called to pray constantly, meditate on Scripture daily, and depend on the Holy Spirit continually. When we pray and reflect on God’s Word, the Holy Spirit works within us. He gives us understanding, guides our hearts, and even teaches us what we should pray for.

The Holy Spirit is also actively at work when we practice the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—toward ourselves and others.

As we continue to use these gifts faithfully, the deep and beautiful fragrance within us will begin to resonate outwardly, like the rich and elegant sound of a finely crafted instrument for all people to hear.

Looking for the Wrong Somewhere Within Me

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Many years ago, while I was working on my doctoral degree, I developed anorexia. At the time, I did not even fully understand what anorexia was. I simply assumed that I had lost my appetite. I did not want to eat anything. Even the foods I once enjoyed made me feel nauseated when I tried to eat them. Over the course of six months, I lost nearly thirty pounds.

Then something happened that became a turning point in my life.

One day, our church invited a guest pastor to share his testimony. Before becoming a pastor, he had struggled with alcoholism. For three years, he drank heavily every single day. As he explained why he drank, he said something that deeply shook me:

“I drank because I could not find the wrong somewhere within me.”

Those words struck me like an electric shock. In that moment, I realized that his struggle was also connected to mine. Deep within myself, I had been living with a vague but painful sense that something in my life was not right. I was wrestling with confusion at an unconscious level. I sensed that something was wrong, yet I could neither clearly identify the problem nor find a solution for it. That unresolved inner conflict eventually surfaced through anorexia.

After hearing his testimony, I began to pray before the Lord. Rather than obsessing over what I might have done wrong in the past, I started praying about the direction my life should take in the future. After completing my studies, I made the decision to attend seminary.

In many ways, that decision became my escape from the endless search for hidden faults within myself. I realized that true freedom does not come from constantly searching for our failures, but from seeking the heart of God for our lives.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, all the sins and failures we carry have already been borne by Christ on the cross. The first step toward living a righteous and faithful Christian life is not to become trapped in guilt, regret, or self-condemnation. Rather, it is to trust in the promises God has given us and continue walking forward, step by step, toward the future and hope He has prepared for us.

Let us place every trace of our mistakes and sins upon the cross of Christ. Let us strive to become more like Jesus, to live according to His Word, and to fulfill the calling He has given us. That is the life Christians are called to live in this world.

The Difficult Life of a Christian

Romans 12:11 "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord."

A few weeks ago, Susan and I decided that it was time to eat healthier. We agreed to share our daily meals with one another and encourage each other to stay on track. No more sweets. No more salty foods. No more fried foods. We would eat natural, wholesome foods instead.

A few days later, we discovered something surprising: eating healthy is much harder than we thought.

There is not much to eat. Vegetables, fruits, eggs, chicken breast, 100% whole wheat bread, non-fat yogurt, and milk—our list seemed very short. Unless we constantly invent new recipes, we end up eating the same foods over and over again. Some days, I feel more like a rabbit than a human being. There are several people in our church who have followed healthy diets for years. Suddenly, I found myself admiring them. In our modern world, consistently eating healthy food requires discipline and commitment.

Perhaps it was the same for Christians in the days of the Apostle Paul.

Following Christ was not easy then, and it is not easy now. The world was filled with temptations, just as it is today. In fact, believing in Jesus often invited persecution and suffering. As difficult as the Christian life was two thousand years ago, it remains difficult today.

Prayer, Scripture, worship, patience, forgiveness, peace, and love—these are the things that nourish and protect our spiritual health. Yet none of them come easily.

That is why Paul says, "Be fervent."

The Christian life does not grow by accident. Just as physical health requires intentional effort, spiritual health requires diligence. We live in two worlds at once—the visible world around us and the spiritual world within us. To remain healthy in both, we must be intentional.

Perhaps we need to be a little more patient than everyone else.

A little more forgiving.

A little more gracious.

A little more faithful.

And even if we can spare only one minute, let us close our eyes and quietly think about God. One minute may not seem like much.But sometimes a single minute in God's presence is enough to remind us who we are, whose we are, and why we continue the journey of faith.

A Church for All People

Luke 6:20–21 “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled.”

The World Cup season has begun. The World Cup, held once every four years, is watched by billions of people around the world. It is said that more people watch the World Cup than the Olympic Games. There is no other single sport that captures the passion of the entire world quite like soccer.

Why do so many people love soccer?

The reason is very simple. Soccer can be played anywhere, as long as there is a ball. A person can practice alone with a ball. With just one more person, a simple game can begin. In other words, regardless of wealth or poverty, anyone can play soccer if they have a ball. Soccer is available to everyone. That is one of the main reasons people around the world love it.

Christianity has been one of the most persecuted religions in history. After the resurrection of Jesus, many believers who kept their faith faced oppression, suffering, and even death. Yet Christianity spread rapidly throughout the world.

Unlike many systems of religion, Christianity does not begin with coercion. It does not force people into religious duty or bind them to complicated doctrines as the center of faith. At its heart, Christianity calls people to respond freely by faith.

The reason churches have been established throughout the world, and the message of peace and love has reached so many people, is because of the life Jesus Himself lived. Jesus entered deeply into human life. He did not force people to follow difficult doctrines or heavy religious obligations. He simply lived among sinners, spoke with the poor, and comforted the lonely.

Yet Jesus did not reject the rich either. He gave Himself to all people.

When we look at the history of declining churches, we often find a common pattern. From the early church, through the medieval period, and into the modern era, churches began to decline when they were no longer seen as representing all people, but only certain groups or classes.

In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees and Sadducees were criticized for this reason. In the Middle Ages, religion became closely connected with politics and wealth. Those who did not belong to those powerful classes were often ignored. One of the major reasons many churches in Europe declined was that they came to be seen as churches of the aristocracy. During the Renaissance, while art and culture reached extraordinary heights, the church, in many places, became not the church of all people, but the church of a particular class.

What about the church today?

Can the church truly embrace all classes and all generations?

Is the church a place where anyone can come freely and without burden?

Church leaders must continue to ask themselves these questions. The church does not belong only to the poor. It does not belong only to the rich. The church is the place for all people.

Principles of Education for Church Growth

2 Timothy 2:2 (NKJV)

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Several years ago, I heard a group of historians from Asia and Germany discuss the historical complexities of the Middle East and Israel. In their conversation, they anticipated the possibility of conflict involving the Gaza region, Hamas, and even Iran. I later included this discussion in an article published in a university journal. Their remarkably accurate projections were not the result of speculation, but of a deep understanding of the long and intricate historical background of Israel and the broader Middle East.

Simply put, history tends to repeat itself.

In 70 AD, the Roman Emperor Titus Vespasianus conquered and destroyed Jerusalem, after which the people of Israel were scattered throughout the world. For the next two thousand years, what sustained the survival of the Jewish people was their commitment to educating the next generation. Through religious instruction, they preserved the belief that they were called to reclaim the land lost to them—the land of Zion promised to David by God. This enduring sense of mission, passed down through generations, enabled them to preserve their language, identity, and historical consciousness.

Many of the Jews who later established themselves in the United States were Ashkenazi Jews, descendants of the Jewish diaspora in Central and Eastern Europe. They were educated by their families in the history of their culture and religion, and many achieved high levels of academic success.

In 2005, sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton examined the religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers from a wide range of backgrounds. They found that many adolescents adhered to what they termed “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” (MTD)—a vague, diluted form of religion. According to this perspective, God exists and desires people to behave morally; however, He is not deeply involved in human life, and salvation is understood primarily in terms of being a good person.

This reduction of God to a distant moral figure has contributed significantly to the decline of Christianity in Europe, where many churches now stand empty.

What, then, must we learn from this?

We must examine the current reality of the church in the United States. Since the 1980s, as Christianity has experienced a gradual decline, many churches have responded by pursuing cultural adaptation. This often took the form of “contemporary worship,” sometimes referred to in places like Los Angeles as “art worship.” Numerous independent churches emerged, creating innovative and culturally relevant worship experiences and attracting younger generations, often distancing themselves from established denominational churches.

However, the question remains: how many of these churches have endured?

The reality is quite the opposite of what was initially expected. Many of these churches have disappeared, while established denominational churches have simply adopted certain elements of their worship styles.

The reason for this is not complex. While these movements focused on short-term revival through cultural expression, they often neglected the essential task of educating the next generation. At the same time, many established churches, satisfied with past growth, also failed to teach the core values and principles of the Christian faith to younger generations.

At this point, we must make a decisive choice: What should we pursue for true church growth?

There can be no lasting growth without faithful, Scripture-centered education. There can be no genuine church growth without sincere worship. Ultimately, the issue is not whether worship is contemporary or traditional. Rather, the crucial question is this: How does the church teach the next generation about the living God—the God they long to encounter?

Intentional Love

Philippians 2:8 “…He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

One summer in Los Angeles, I noticed a few teenage girls selling cookies and cornbread near the entrance of a market. They asked if I wanted to buy some. At the time, I didn’t have enough cash, so I simply smiled and said, “Sorry, not enough cash today,” and walked away. Even as I left, I felt a quiet sense of regret. I wished I had some cash to help them.

A few days later, my son Jayden sent me a text from school. He was going on a field trip and needed some money. He had forgotten to ask me the night before. At that time, I didn’t have a car, and his school was eight miles from where I was staying. Still, Jayden needed that money—to eat, to participate, to be part of the day. So I did what I had to do. I ran.

On the way, I stopped at an ATM, withdrew some cash, and continued running toward his school. When I arrived, Jayden was waiting for me. I handed him the money, and then I turned around and ran back home—sixteen miles in total. By the time I returned, I was completely exhausted. It was not something I had planned or prepared for.

Why did I do that? Because Jayden is my son. It was the intention of a father’s love that moved me—without hesitation, without calculation.

Yet when I think back to those teenage girls, I realize something. There was an ATM inside the market. I could have gone in, withdrawn cash, and helped them. I even felt a desire to do so. But I didn’t act. My intention, though present, was not strong enough to move me.

Christian faith calls us to a deeper kind of love—an intentional, sacrificial love for God’s children. The suffering of Christ on the cross was not an accident. It was not forced upon Him. It was chosen. It was a deliberate act of love for those He came to save.

We often call Christianity the religion of resurrection—and rightly so. Through the resurrection, our faith is born and sustained. But behind that victory stands the cross—an act of intentional suffering embraced by Christ. There is no resurrection without the cross.

Before we rejoice in the risen Lord, we must remember the depth of His endurance, the weight of His suffering, and the will that led Him there. His intention to love us through sacrifice now calls us to respond—with remembrance, with devotion, and with a willingness to follow Him.

So today, a simple but searching question remains:

What is your intention toward God?

When Knowing Leads to Understanding

John 4:16-17 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”17“I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.

One day, I was sitting alone at a restaurant bar, eating my meal while watching TV. A man sitting beside me suddenly tapped my arm with his finger and pointed at something, as if he were asking for something. I immediately felt uncomfortable. It seemed rude for a stranger to touch my arm and gesture toward me without saying a word. I turned away without responding and continued watching TV and eating my food.

A moment later, the man tapped my arm again and repeated the same gesture. Feeling irritated, I turned to him and said with an unfriendly expression, “Excuse me. Do you have a problem with me?”

At that moment, a woman who appeared to know him came over and explained that he had recently undergone surgery for oral cancer and could no longer speak well. She told me that he had only been trying to ask for the pen and paper sitting in front of me because he wanted to write something down. Then she explained that he had attended a funeral service at my church not long before and remembered me. He simply wanted to express his gratitude.

I felt this was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

He knew I was a pastor. And he must have clearly seen the irritation and coldness on my face. In that moment, it felt as though a spear had pierced my heart. The rude person was not him. It was me.

Behind every action and every word, there is often a deeper reason.

Yet we often judge people before we know their story. We criticize before we understand. But if we truly knew the pain someone had experienced, would we respond differently? Would we become more compassionate?

I am reminded of a line from a movie in which a man speaks about the younger brother who hated him:

“I know you well. And once you truly know someone, everything begins to make sense.”

Jesus was like that. Jesus Christ already knew the loneliness, shame, and pain the Samaritan woman had carried for years. That is why, when she spoke to Him at the well, He responded not with condemnation, but with understanding and compassion. Instead of exposing her in anger, He gently said, “You are right.”

God knows us completely. He knows our failures, our excuses, our fears, and even the hidden wounds we try to cover. And still, He does not turn away from us.

So come before the Lord honestly. Bring Him your heart without hiding anything. The God who truly knows us is also the God who understands us most deeply.

The Noise-Canceling Generation

Hebrews 10:24–25 (ESV)“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,

A pastor friend in Korea recently sent me an essay written by his daughter during her university studies and asked me to read it. The paper reflected on contemporary global youth culture and its relationship to faith. One phrase, in particular, captured my attention: “the noise-canceling generation.”

The term describes a generation that not only seeks to consume what it wants to hear and see but increasingly filters out anything it does not wish to engage with.

When I was in college, my generation was often described as the postmodern generation or Generation X. We tended to value individual perspectives more highly than the collective ideologies of institutions and communities. Yet, despite our emphasis on personal autonomy, we generally retained a willingness to engage with differing viewpoints. We could disagree, debate, and still remain in conversation with one another.

The present generation appears to be moving beyond even that posture. Differences of opinion are no longer merely challenged; they are often treated as unnecessary distractions. One simply turns on the metaphorical noise-canceling mode. Individuals become increasingly isolated within their own intellectual and emotional worlds, and this isolation is rarely perceived as problematic.

I experienced this shift firsthand in a conversation with my son after he entered college. I asked him whether he was getting along well with his friends. His response surprised me. He asked what I meant by “getting along well with friends.” To me, the question sounded as though he were asking,

“Why is it necessary to get along with others in the first place?”

In such a cultural environment, the self becomes the ultimate criterion for determining what is essential and what is secondary. The perspectives of others are easily dismissed as irrelevant noise. The result is not merely individualism but a form of radical personal autonomy in which the self becomes the primary measure of reality.

Every generation needs the principles of Christ and the guidance of Scripture. Yet in our present age, the Christian vision of community has become especially urgent. At the same time, the traditional understanding of community as “people gathering together in the same place to participate in a shared activity” appears to be losing its persuasive power. Community can no longer be defined primarily in spatial terms. Its meaning must be reconsidered and rearticulated as a matter of shared convictions, shared identity, and shared purpose.

This raises several important questions:

·        Can we learn to think together?

·        Can we share a common faith?

·        Can we view the world through a common biblical lens?

·        Can we engage differing perspectives through meaningful dialogue while pursuing truth together?

The future church must give serious attention to these questions. One of its most pressing challenges will be discovering how to cultivate authentic Christian community in an age increasingly shaped by isolation, personalization, and the impulse to silence all unwanted noise.

The Greatness of Small Things

Matthew 25:21 “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.”

Jensen Huang is one of the greatest leaders in the IT industry. He is often seen as a prophet of artificial intelligence, the visionary behind NVIDIA and one of the major forces behind the AI revolution that made technologies like ChatGPT possible. NVIDIA began as a company known for graphics technology, especially the graphic processing needed for computer games. Today, it has become one of the most important companies in the world. Jensen Huang’s total wealth is estimated to be around 200 billion dollars, placing him among the richest people in the world. In many ways, through AI and computer technology, he has become one of the most influential figures shaping the modern world.

But when Jensen Huang speaks about the driving force behind his creativity and business success, he does not simply point to his genius as an engineer. He often looks back to his childhood.

Born in Taiwan, Huang was sent by his parents to live with his uncle in Tacoma, Washington, when he was seven years old. But because of a misunderstanding, his uncle and parents sent him to Oneida Baptist Institute. They believed it was a prestigious boarding school, and his family spent almost everything they had to send him there. In reality, it was a school where many troubled students were sent as a last resort.

At that school, Jensen Huang experienced fear beyond imagination. His roommate was a knife fighter whose body was covered with scars. Every day, Huang had to face the harsh and frightening realities of life among troubled students. In order to survive, he volunteered to clean bathrooms and helped other students with their homework.

Through these difficult experiences, he learned how to overcome fear. He also learned a very practical lesson about life: whether someone was a good student or a troubled student, everyone needed something. Everyone had a need that could be served. This realization gave him a practical sense of purpose. Later, that purpose helped him take bold risks in the world of computer graphics and technology. Just as he worked hard cleaning bathrooms and helping his classmates, he learned to give his best in everything he did. The small tasks that began in fear and bullying became the training ground that helped shape him into one of the most successful business leaders in the world.

Since middle school, I have read seventy-eight biographies of great business leaders and scientists who have changed the world. Even now, biographies are still my favorite books to read. One common trait I have found in many of these people is that they gave their best to whatever task was placed before them. Most of them did not come from wealthy families. They did not have rich parents who could make life easy for them. Therefore, they had to work hard and find their own way.

In that process, they came to understand people. They learned what people needed. And from that understanding came practical creativity. This idea is connected to the words of the founder of Samsung, who said that what becomes world-class is often found in the simplest and most ordinary things around us.

Jesus tells us to be faithful in small things. He also promises that through faithfulness in small things, greater things will be entrusted to us. The heart of this teaching is simple: in God’s world, there is no such thing as a meaningless or insignificant task. Even the smallest work, when done with humility and diligence, can become the place where we gain wisdom for greater work.

There is no great work without small work.

Today’s greatness often begins with yesterday’s ordinary and unnoticed tasks.

What is the small task before you today? Can you give your best to it?