Genesis 18:1-10a, Psalm 15, and Colossians 1:15-28
#1. Fear and tension in dealing with strangers
The book of Genesis tells the story of Abraham serving three visitors. Some call them God and two angels, while the Bible calls them God and men. This happened about 4,000 years ago. If three strange adult males showed up in front of our house, we might feel afraid. We will be even more wary of them if their skin colors do not look like that of our local residents. But today, Abraham treats them with great hospitality.
Four thousand years ago, when people set out on a long journey, they needed someone to help them. The traders visited base camps along the way. They had to secure a safe route to get what they needed, including water and food. These traders and foreigners, on the other hand, caused anxiety among the long-time residents of the area. Nevertheless, the harsher the climate, the more cordially these guests were treated. The Mongols, Eskimos, and many other indigenous peoples of this land showed kindness to the traders and settlers who came from other nations. The same is true of the story of Abraham and the Middle East in today’s Bible. Although each region and culture is different, the basic feeling of wariness and fear of strangers is inevitable.
#2. God appeared to Abraham.
The important thing today is that God has come. God came to meet Abraham. Let’s look at the episodes up to Genesis 18. There are creation, the genealogy of human history, human sin and forgiveness, judgment through the flood, the story of the Tower of Babel, and the story of Abraham and his nephew Lot. There is a cycle of repeated human mistakes, judgments, forgiveness, and so on. And again, humankind sins and turns away from God. It is for this humanity that God himself came to us. And the Creator planned to begin with Abraham. He is a very suitable person for this job. We can know him today through his actions in entertaining God and the two angels.
#3. Jesus appeared to us.
God is invisible to our eyes. When I was in elementary school, when I told my friends that I went to church, they asked me, “Is there a God? If God is, show him before my eyes.” We know this is a very childish thing to say. That is impossible. Yet the apparent fact is that God often comes to us. He comes in human form, as in Genesis. God also usually accompanies Jesus when he sends him into this world. So, God revealed himself to be visible to human eyes. That is why Jesus said in John 14:9: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” These words of Jesus explain that he himself is the form of the invisible God. We see Jesus by faith. We meet Jesus in prayer. We have an intimate relationship with Jesus through faith. Of course, to see God, God must reveal Himself to us.
#4. Challenging service
When we meditate on Jesus, He is the firstborn from among the dead (18), He makes peace through His blood, shed on the cross (20), and He has reconciled you through Christ’s physical body by His death. (22) When we think of Jesus’ ministry, the path was hard. He was so desperate that, right up until the moment of his death, he wanted to avoid the cross if possible. It’s a very shameful death. How could the Son of God endure such a shameful death? But in the end, he obeyed God’s will and plan. How could his disciples betray the Son of the omnipotent God? The Son of God suffers under the Roman soldiers, including Pontius Pilate. It was initially impossible. But God and Jesus made this possible. Although it was a shameful path, at the end of this path, he looked forward to the glory of God and the salvation of humankind. Jesus’ ministry on the cross. Through this, he became the firstborn among the dead. Through his blood, peace became possible for humankind. Through His perfect death on the cross, we can be fully reconciled to God.
#5. But the blessings that follow
Abraham served three foreigners. He treated them very kindly. Jesus served humanity by giving everything he could, even losing his precious life. This whole serving process was challenging. But we know the outcome. God promised Abraham a son when he was about 100 years old. Starting with this, he was made the ancestor of countless descendants. And God blessed him to live another 75 years. God also resurrected Jesus Christ with a perfect body. It was different from Lazarus, who was resurrected before Christ. He was not much different from the dead. However, Jesus’s body was now different from before, so the disciples did not recognize him right away. Through this service, Jesus finally attained supremacy over all beings in the world.
#6. Easy Discernment
What is the secret to making difficult service and permitted blessings possible? I think it lies in discernment. Throughout Genesis chapters 14 and 21, we learn that Abraham was a man of considerable influence in the area where he lived. He had the wealth and military power to defeat the tribal kings. Naturally, many people wanted to meet him. He must have had quite a few guests. But he was a man accustomed to serving, as he had given a tenth of his possessions to Melchizedek. Because he was sincere to everyone he met, he was finally able to serve God well when he met Him again. Easy discernment is not to discern at the same time. We believe that by serving others to the best of our ability without discrimination, God will grant us the blessings and grace that He promised to Abraham and Jesus. Amen.