In the Japanese language, there are certain words and phrases that accurately reflect the conscience and the philosophy of the Japanese people.  One of those phrases is ‘wabi-sabi.’  This phrase is derived from the Japanese tea custom called “Daidao”(the way of tea) or the custom of making and serving tea.  This phrase clearly shows the aesthetic consciousness, or appreciation of beautiful things, of the Japanese people.  Just as words ‘jung,’ meaning deep affection, and ‘wonhan,’ meaning bitter enmity or unresolved anger, contain and display the particular emotional conscience of the Korean people, the phrase ‘wabi-sabi’ contains particular emotional meanings that only Japanese people can express and fathom.

 The word ‘wabi’ means the ability to derive true contentment of the heart in the midst of poverty and dearth (state of shortage).  ‘Sabi’ means the ability to gain deep and profound understanding from the most desolate and loneliest of conditions.  Both display the psyche of the Japanese people the ability to take heart and gain deep understanding under any conditions.  The origin of this phrase, ‘wabi-sabi,’ has an interesting story.

  During his youth, Sen No Rikyu, the 15^th century Tea Ceremony Master of Japan, sought mentoring from a famous teacher.  This teacher decided to test Rikyu to see what type of person he was before teaching him the art of Daidao.  So this teacher instructed Rikyu to tend the garden.  Rikyu pulled weeds, raked the soil, planted beautiful plants and trees and made a near-perfect garden.  In an aesthetic sense, it was a garden that was not lacking in any aspect.

 But Sen No Rikyu found that there was something wrong with his garden right before he was about to show it to his teacher.  He discovered that his garden looked too artificial that it looked too man-made and that it did not contain enough natural beauty of nature.  Sen No Rikyu then grabbed one of the cherry trees and shook it until its flowers littered the perfectly arranged garden ground.  He felt that doing so would make his garden more beautiful.  The ability to look at life and nature in a new, special way, like Sen No Rikyu did, is expressed as ‘wabi-sabi.’

 The 15^th century aestheticism, or the standard of beauty, of Japan was dominated by the appreciation of ornate adornments and absolute perfection.  Sen No Rikyu sought to rediscover the appreciation of simple, natural beauty through imperfection, and this movement was later called the ‘wabi-sabi.’

 If we apply this ‘wabi-sabi’ philosophy to our lives today, we can gain great understandings.  True peace and beauty in life is not derived from perfection and overflowing abundance.  Just as paintings need dark spots on canvas to create a sense of artistic harmony, our lives need sad and dark moments to highlight good and beautiful moments.

 Perhaps this ‘wabi-sabi’ philosophy accurately explains the core of Christian gospel.  When we have some dark and ugly aspect in our lives more specifically, the sinning and suffering due to flaws in our morality we can return to our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the One that brings out the bright shining beauty from our dark, imperfect, and ugly aspects.

 Let’s look at today’s scripture with the ‘wabi-sabi’ philosophy in mind.  The First Epistle of Peter is the letter that Peter sent to the many early Christians who were scattered throughout Asia Minor, much like nomads (1 Peter 1: 1-2).  This was not a letter sent to some individuals or a specific church.  Rather, it is a communal letter, a general epistle, sent to a diverse group of Christians.  Therefore, 1 Peter contains many different topics.

 Today’s scripture deals with the relationship that converted Christian slaves must build with their non-Christian masters.  The first-century Asia Minor was a society with strict social rankings.  Buying and selling slaves was a legal, booming business.  People often thought that a slave was a mere possession, whose welfare was at the whim of his master.

 In an era where human rights of slaves were non-existent, a group of slaves started to believe in Jesus and joined a church.  Most of these slaves had masters who were non-Christians.  Therefore, they often received unfair, harsh treatments and punishments from their masters.  Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “It is logically impossible for a slave to suffer an injustice because slaves are simply property, not people.”  Slaves had no right to complain of unjust treatment because of their social status.

  So, in today’s scripture, Peter is giving a ‘household code’ to instruct people on how servants must deal with their masters.  The word ‘servants,’ which appear in verse 18 of today’s scripture, appears as the word ‘oiketai’ in the original Greek Bible.  The word ‘oiketai’ means ‘house slaves.’  Today’s scripture is teaching the Christian slaves how to serve their non-Christian masters.

​The one thing that we must note is the fact that contrary to the customs of the day, Peter readily recognized the full humanity of these slaves and accepted them as his brothers within Jesus Christ. 

 During those days, the difference in social status between a slave and his master was like night and day.  There was a great difference in their social status.  Slave owners, or masters, enjoyed absolute authority over their slaves.  Slaves had no choice but to obey their masters completely.  And the Bible tells us that there were two types of pains that these servants suffered at the hands of their masters.

 According to verse 20, the first type of pain comes from punishments the slaves received when they sinned against their masters.  In this case, these slaves deserve their punishment.  For example, if the servants failed to obey their masters, or cut corners and did not do what they were supposed to do, or created some big problems in the household, then they should rightfully be punished.  The servants have nothing to complain about when punished due to their laziness and disobedience.  In this case, as it is stated in verse 20, there is no credit to be received for patiently receiving punishment for the faults they committed.

 But the second type of pain comes from punishment regardless of faults.  This pain results from unjust punishment.  Even though the servant may have served his master well, he still may be tortured by his twisted and evil master.  Today’s scripture focuses on this second case, when a servant is unjustly punished and tortured without a reason.

 According to verse 18 of today’s scripture, “not only the good and gentle” masters existed, but “harsh” ones also.  These harsh masters often tormented their servants.  These were the problem masters.  What were these servants, who were baptized and became Christians, supposed to do as Christians when treated unfairly by these harsh masters?

 Peter explains that depending on how the servants reacted, such pain can be a beautiful suffering or an ugly suffering.  Peter stresses three types of response, or attitudes.

 First, the servants, with all fear, need to obey regardless of the treatment they receive from their masters.  In verse 18, Peter states that servants need not only to obey the gentle and good masters, but also the harsh ones.  All servants must fear and obey their masters, regardless of the type of person they are. 

 Just as the scripture states, Christians need to be submissive to all people in and out of the household, regardless of their social status.  Treating people according to how they treat us good with kindness and bad with harshness is not a Christian way.  That is the secular way.  Only when we repay evil with kindness will we become true Christians!

 Second, when treated unfairly, the servants must suppress sorrow by thinking of God.  Take a look at verses 19 and latter half of verse 20.  “For this is commendable, if because of consciousness toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully…But when you do good and suffer for it, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.”  Peter does not tell the servants to fight and resist those masters who treat them harshly and unjustly.  Rather, he tells them to think about God and patiently endure their unfair treatment.  Peter promises that the pain they feel will be turned into beautiful suffering.  

 When we, as Christians, run into unfair and unjust sufferings, we need to think about God.  When we do so, God will comfort us and give us the ability to endure and overcome.  Then what does ‘thinking about God’ mean?  It means ‘think about Lord Jesus Christ.’  Specifically, we need to remember the unjust and untold suffering that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross.

 Third, suffering servants need to take after Jesus Christ.  The servants who unjustly suffer need to follow Jesus.  Take a look at verse 21.  “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”  We need to take after our Lord Jesus, who quietly endured the enormous unjust suffering levied against Him. 

​Verses 22 through 25 of today’s scripture effectively summarize the ‘theology of the suffering servant’ outlined in chapter 53 of Isaiah.  Verses 22 and 23 explain how Jesus overcame the unjust suffering.  Jesus had not committed any sins, and His lips had not spoken any false statements.  Yet, He suffered.  When He was reviled, he did not revile in return.  And when He suffered, He did not threaten.  Rather, with a humble heart, He endured all suffering and left everything up to the fairest of judges, our Father God.  He endured all at the cross and waited for the judgment of our fair Father, God.

 Why did Jesus endure it all?  Let’s look at verse 24.  “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.”  To allow us to live and to heal our wounds, Jesus gladly endured all suffering at the cross.  By submitting to unfair punishment, He allowed our sins to be forgiven and our wounds to be healed!

 Now, let’s look at verse 25.  “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”  It sounds like Peter spoke these words with Ezkiel 34: 5-16 in mind.  Because Jesus was able to endure the suffering at the cross, we, the lost sheep, were able to find our way home.  Moreover, we were able to return to our spiritual ‘shepherd’ and overseer, God.  In short, because Christ endured all the unjust sufferings at the cross, we were able to find the right path and return to God.

 This action, or sacrifice, of Jesus can truly be described as ‘wabi-sabi.”  From the dark and imperfect, and not from the bright and perfect, He was able to create something that was more beautiful and strong.  Through suffering, Jesus created a miraculous victory called resurrection.

 Jesus is now asking the same from all those who follow Him.  He wants us to endure and overcome the unjust and harsh suffering.  And He is helping us create something that is much more bright and beautiful from suffering and those things that are imperfect.  He has turned the unfair and unjust punishment into pathway to God’s blessings and grace.

The garden of Sen No Rikyu, the creator of the ‘wabi-sabi’ philosophy, was perfect.  He needed to create some imperfections in his garden to make it more beautiful.  On the contrary the world we live in is the polar opposite of Rikyu’s garden.  It is filled with chaos, sins, and wounds, i.e., with a lot of imperfections.  To get rid of his garden’s artificial aspect, Rikyu shook a cherry tree to scatter its flowers on the garden.  But the world we live in is far from perfect.  That is why we need a gardener who can till our garden, pull weeds, and erect a fence around it.  We need a gardener that would make our garden perfect.

Believe that Jesus is our ‘wabi-sabi’ gardener!  Through the most gruesome and harsh suffering called crucifixion, Jesus helps all of us experience life in the midst of death.  He helps us discover light in the midst of darkness!  He helps us see hope in the midst of despair!  He allows us to gain patience and happiness from unjust suffering!

Just as Our Teacher, Jesus lived the life of ‘wabi-sabi,’ we need to live the ‘wabi-sabi” life.  We need not make our suffering a just or deserving one one that results from our own faults.  We must not make our suffering a deserving, embarrassing, and ugly suffering.  Like Jesus, we need to make our suffering a righteous suffering by doing good deeds.  Let’s make our suffering beautiful in the eyes of God and those in this world! 

​Amen.