1. Message to destabilized believers who are leaving the Church
Since Christmas we have focused all of our lectures on the Gospel according to John. From next Sunday, I will commence to lecture from the Acts of the Apostles, whilst we wait and prepare for Pentecost.

As we have already learned, the Gospel of John, presumably written by John the Presbyter in about 90 CE, has two aims. One is to spread Jesus’ teachings, presumably narrated by John the Apostle to the Church fathers, and another is to encourage believers of the early Church who were being persecuted by the Jewish religious authorities and the Roman rulers. I chose chapter 15 of John for today’s lecture because I think it represents the essential message of the writer himself.

At the end of chapter 14 John records Jesus’ words: ” Come now; let us leave” (John 14:31). It was said that after the last supper Jesus set out to Gesthemane, a garden on the Mount of Olives: “When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it” (John 18:1). The continuity of action described in chapter 14 was suspended during chapters 15-17 and directly connected to chapter 18. That allows us to think that these 3 chapters had not existed in the original narration, but were written later and inserted by the writer who tried to convey his own appeal to the church members through Jesus’ words.

After the Resurrection of Jesus the disciples commenced to believe and preach that Jesus was the very Messiah. This attracted oppression and persecution from Jewish religious authorities. Therefore, believers in Jesus were continually at risk of being arrested, jailed, and banished from Jerusalem.

Persecution by the Jewish traditional church was originally intended to rectify heresies and bring mislead believers back to the conventional belief in Judaism. But the circumstances changed after the demolition of the Temple at Jerusalem in 70 CE. Romans, having defeated the Jewish rebels, destroyed the Temple and drove out all the Jewish people from Jerusalem. Judaism, based on protocols observed in the Temple, suffered crucial damage. It was the Pharisaic teachers of the law who restored the Jewish religion. They attributed the reason for the national calamity to the people’s unfaithfulness. They thought God punished them because they had not strictly adhered to God’s Law. In consequence, the Pharisees tried to oblige by respecting the Law in a very extreme and severe way, much more strictly than before.

Such attitudes created oppression and punishment rather than correction. Christians were thrown out of the synagogs. Chapter 16 of John reflects the real situations of the time: “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God” (John 16:2).

The period during which Christians were arrested, killed and excluded from society commenced, as Jesus had predicted. Under those circumstances many believers of John’s church abandoned the faith. John faithfully records Jesus’ words in order to exhort them to keep their faith and belief, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:1-2).

All kinds of trees, bushes, shrubs, and vines need to be pruned. Its an indispensable procedure. Dead wood needs to be removed to make way for new growth. Pruning results in the remaining branches becoming stronger and thus producing more fruit. Jesus is probably comparing himself to the vine of the Jews. The main point is that Christians must ‘abide in Jesus’ if they are to bear the fruit of faith, otherwise they will be cast aside. Furthermore, the intimate bond between Jesus and the church is strongly emphasized: “I am the true vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5).

John further explains the reason why the Church was oppressed, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

Here “the world” means the Jewish social power, which hated Jesus and put Him on the Cross. So to belong to the world is to believe in Judaism. However, John says, Jesus has chosen christians out of the world. Now they belong to the Church, and therefore the Jewish authorities hate them too.

2. The fear of being cast out of the Synagogue

There was genuine fear among Jesus’ believers, of being cast out of the synagogue. There was no freedom of choice. “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (John 12:42-43).

Another fearful example is found concerning Jesus’ burial too: “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away” (John 19:38). To be cast out of the synagogue, meant at that time, to be put out of the Jewish community. We find something similar in Japanese history. During the world war II, Christians were exposed, isolated and excluded from everyday society because of their belief. I present you here and now with a testimony concerning the case of Pastor Stuji.

During the war, a majority of Christian denominations, under military pressure, agreed to worship the Emperor as god. Whereas the Holiness church continually refused to do so. Pastors of the Holiness church were often arrested, including Pastor Nobumichi Tuji’s father. After that incident, his church members were dispersed, and his family could not even get enough food for daily living. Then Pastor Tuji’s mother asked one of the former stewards of the church for some food, but the man simply said ‘no’, even though he had been considered to be the most faithful member and believer within the church. Pastor Tuji says that once we face the risk of segregation, there is every chance that we might abandon the faith. And, being ostracized by the community, our life becomes very hard and difficult to live. This condition of fear and exclusion was very similar to what the Christians of the early church experienced.

Even today, According to statistics*, the percentage of christianity in Japan is extremely low at (1%), by comparison to the Republic of Korea (29.3%), and to the People’s Republic of China (4%). A Japanese economist, M. Sumiya** analyses in “Theology of Japanese Christians” the reasons and difficulties in which to spread and stabilize Christianity in Japan. The author explains the pitfalls and stumbling factors in this way: In Japanese society young people might go to church to discuss with friends their juvenile concerns, and receive baptism. However, once they finish school and get a job they very often quit the church. Because in order to work in a company for years as an employee, it is necessary to adapt oneself to the customs and moral character of the secular society. Besides, men have a tendency to understand christianity logically and intellectually, without having faith in their heart. So they stray rather easily from the path to God.

On the contrary, women have a heartfelt tendency to believe in Jesus. Moreover, Japanese tradition tends to relegate women to being a house-wife after marriage, even though they may have possessed a profession. However, it is considered badly that a house-wife should leave her husband at home, and go to church alone on Sunday. So, Mr. Sumiya concludes that it is the Japanese social system which prevents Christianity from spreading, and becoming stabilized with our society.

In John’s church, believers of Jesus received Baptism. But many of them, labeled as heretics, and being oppressed by traditional Judaism, left the early Christian church. Perhaps some of them remained faithful, but concealed it. A similar tendency exists even today among some Japanese christians, who try to avoid social disadvantage, because of their faith. So, John’s encouraging words should influence us too.

3. Be encouraged and stand up for Jesus.

I will read now from John 16:33, as today’s invocaion verse: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” The discourse ends on a note of triumph. Jesus’ gift of peace empowers the community to face persecution. Peace, here, does not mean a state of mind without concerns, but to be content even though you may be surrounded with problems. Believing in Jesus won’t liberate us from external unhappiness or disasters. Illness and suffering can’t be automatically healed by belief. Yet those who know Jesus should be able to rise up again after painful and unhappy experiences or failures. As hard times pass, one recognizes that trials could be transformed into blessings. Because they were meant to be. As Christians, our suffering and pain is only temporary, because we know the grief of the Cross became the joy of the Resurrection.

The dominating rule of this secular world is exploitation of the weak by force. Such a society measures everything according to material wealth, achievement and success. On the contrary the Bible teaches us to surrender our egotism and to serve others. Willingness to realize welfare for all should be appreciated. As long as we live by believing in God as God, secular power and authorities remain relative. If a real christian is asked by their company to commit a fraudulent or corruptive act, they should refuse, and even accuse openly that kind of management policy.

If they were teachers they would take care of the less talented and poorly achieving pupils, rather than the brilliant ones. Even though the latter have a much better chance at winning an entrance examination into a famous university. Their attitude, of course, might jeopardize the reputation of their company or their school. Thus the world would hate those people, who destabilize existing systems. However, once we face conflicts and problems because of our conviction, many of us immediately abandon belief in Christ, and leave the Church. John exhorts us with Jesus’ words: ” In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

This verse is the very source of our power and courage. Something which made the defeated and despairing disciples stand up for Jesus. They and we are alike. The disciples’ experiences teach us that our faith is weak at the best of times. Even if we are moved by listening to Jesus’ words, or witnessing a healing act, we cannot necessarily become Jesus’ disciples. We must suffer and listen to Jesus’ real voice. If not, salvation will not be realized. John encourages us repeatedly, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8).

To be a disciple of Jesus is to live by a different notion of value from that of this present world, which only generates conflicts. Jesus encourages us with the announcement that His victory over the powers of this world has already been won: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). If and when we as christians experience trouble, be it exclusion or persecution, or something else, these words will empower us to live as His disciples, to bear fruit, and be encouraged by serving others.
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notes
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea#Religion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China#Religion
** ” Theology of Japanese christians” by Sumiya Mistuyoshi.
ISBN-10: 4818405337
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/¶ùë»°´îÃË