Hebrews 11: 8-16

 In this world in which we live today, some 5,417 people die every hour.  The 20th century is the first century in history in which more people died from man-made causes such as war, murder, terrorism, etc. than from natural causes such as disease, old age, and such.  Abortion, murder, terrorism, war, and other wanton acts of violence cause countless number of people to die.  We live in a world in which we must live in constant fear of dying from mistakes or violence of others; in fact, natural death, caused by old age or disease, can be viewed as luxuries by some.

 At this moment, we live in midst of death.  After the terror attacks of September 11, we realize, all too well, that sudden, unnatural death, at the hands of others, is no longer some distant news item, but a disaster which could strike us at any unexpected moment.  We realize that riding in an airplane, opening a mail parcel, walking along a street, or visiting a public office building can lead to unexpected death.  Therefore, in is no coincidence that regarding spirituality in the 21st century, research based on polls revealed that people picked heaven and everlasting life as the second-most important facet of the three trinities of spirituality. 

  In the midst of the uncertain world, and with the possible advent of revelation, we must establish a good, solid viewpoint of life.  We must have a firm understanding of life and death regarding living and dying.  We must have, within our souls, the answers to questions regarding where we came from, what we must do during the course of our lives, and where we are headed after we die. 

  Chapter 11 of Hebrews is often called the ‘Book of Faith.’  In chapter 11 alone, the word ‘faith’ appears some 24 times.  The first verse of chapter 11 also contains the famous definition of faith.  Faith is defined as ‘the assurance of things hoped for’ and ‘the conviction of things not seen.’  In essence, faith is completely trusting that what we presently hope for will be realized in the future, and undoubtedly believing that there exists a world which we cannot presently see nor feel. 

       The subsequent verses of chapter 11 of Hebrews lists the representative people who have transformed this faith into actions.  Verses 4 through 7 talk of Abel, Enoch, and Noah, all of whom have pleased God through their faith.  Verses 8 through 16 lists and praises the four people whom, through their faith, have walked the path of martyrs Abraham, Sarah, Issac, and Jacob.  And verses 17 through 28 focuses on the ways in which Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses overcame tribulations and temptations through their faith.

  I would like to focus on verses 13 through 16 of today’s scripture.  “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.  And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” 

 This passage indicates that Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and other ancestors of our faith lived on this earth as foreigners, pilgrims, and/or martyrs.  Their eternal homeland was not of this earth; rather, it was in heaven.  They were, in essence, pilgrims from heaven, foreigners who happened to visit this land.  Likewise, we are all pilgrims, who are visiting this land from God’s country.  To simplify further, we are all on a business trip from heaven to this land.  People on a business trip perhaps no phrase captures better the essence of our being on this land, the reason for our being. 

  First, God sent us on a business trip with a special purpose: To perform a special mission.  It is rare for people who work in a corporation or a large company to go on a business trip on their own accord or under their own wishes.  People go on business trips when their companies, or their bosses, send them on such a trip to perform a special task or mission for the company.  Likewise, believe in the fact that we did not come to this land, dispatched from God’s nation, under our own accord or desires; we came to this land because our Lord has sent us to perform a special mission. 

 Every morning in Africa, a zebra wakes up: It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.  Every morning, the lion wakes up: It knows it must outrun the slowest zebra or it will starve to death.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a zebra: When the sun comes up, you’d better be running.  All zebras have a special task that all zebras must perform; likewise, all lions have a special task that all lions must perform.

  I’d like to give another anecdote about mission, or task.  An old sage, a seeker of truth, was meditating at the shore of the Ganges River in India when he noticed a scorpion falling into the river.  He picked the scorpion up out of the river, and the scorpion stung him on his hand.  Then the scorpion fell in the river again.  The sage picked the scorpion up out the river again, and the scorpion stung him on the hand again.  A bystander asked the old sage, “the scorpion is repaying your kindness with a sting; why do you keep on helping the scorpion?”  The sage answered, “Stinging is the natural task of the scorpion; likewise, it is my task, as a sage, to help others in need whenever I can.”

  God sent us on a business trip according to His intent to have us perform some mission or a task to fulfill His intent. 

 Therefore, we must discern our purpose, our mission during this business trip and fulfill that mission to the utmost of our abilities.  When those on a business trip fail to meet the intent of the company or their bosses, and fulfill only their own greed or desires, than a certain chastisement or negative actions will await them once they return from the trip.  Furthermore, if those on a business trip pay no attention to the task at hand and spend their energy playing, partying and wasting time, they certainly will not be praised for their efforts or hard work when they return.  Therefore, we all must think carefully and determine why God sent us on this business trip, and concentrate on fulfilling our mission at hand. 

 Second, in order to fulfill our task during our business trip to the best of our abilities, we must live in an unhindered and simple manner.  Only God knows how long our trip will be whether it be 1 year long, 60 years long, 90 years long, or 100 years long only God determines how long we stay on this earth.  The One who sent us will determine the length of our business trip; we do not determine how long our trips will run.  Of course, all of us naturally wish for a longer trip; however, the length of our trip does not depend on our whims or wishes.

 The important thing for us to do when our time is up to return to the One that sent us and provide him with a final report on our trip is to live in a simple, frugal and plain manner.  Once our business trip concludes, we cannot take any of our possessions our money, house, cars, refrigerator, furniture, and other assets with us.  We begin our trip empty handed, and we have to conclude our trip empty handed.  While we are on the trip, we must live simply, frugally, and plainly.  We need to possess just enough to allow us to complete our mission without difficulties; it is foolhardy to possess beyond what is needed.

  A female writer, who also served as a steward in her church, developed a liver cancer.  The prognosis was a short one; she only had two months to live.  She prayed, asking “God, how should I live out the remaining two months of my life?” when it dawned on her that her biggest regret was not having truly loved during the course of her life.  She made a list of people who she felt did not receive enough of her love, and started visiting them.  At times, she would ask for their forgiveness; at times, she forgave them; at times, she encouraged others; but most of the time, she loved others, spending the two remaining months of her life without regrets.  Furthermore, she distributed her wealth in a great, humanitarian manner.  Setting aside the necessary amount to settle her debt and what she desired to leave for her children, she offered rest of her wealth as donations for the needy and missionary funds throughout the world.  Whenever she had some free time, she read the Bible and wrote letters or wills to her children.  The two months the length of time this woman tried to spend so that she would not have regrets elapsed rather quickly. 

 But then, a miraculous thing happened.  She should have been dead from the cancer; yet, her health did not worsen a bit.  Thinking that something is wrong, she visited another hospital and received a diagnosis that she did not have a liver cancer after all.  The first hospital she visited had made a mistake.  After this entire ordeal, the pastor of the woman’s church asked her, “Do you regret spending so much money over the past two months?”  Her reply was “No, reverend.  I don’t think I spent a more meaningful and fulfilling two months in my life than the past two months.  I plan on living the rest of my life like I spent the past two months.”

  Mahatma Gandhi weighed 45 kg, or about 100 pounds, and had less than $2 to his name when he died.  There is nothing more foolish than a traveling man to be burdened by heavy suitcases while he travels.  It is better to be free and simple while working during a business trip.  One must also be prepared to weather some inconveniences and discomforts while on a business trip. 

While on a business trip, one cannot expect to enjoy the same comforts that one enjoys in his or her own house.  Food, clothes, and all other aspects of life may prove to be uncomfortable.  This is not our homeland, the place where we came from; hence, there are many difficulties, discomforts, and inconveniences for us while we are on this trip.  But such discomforts and inconveniences will last only long as our trip; once we conclude our trip and return to our homes, all discomforts will melt away like snow in July heat.  Therefore, if possible, do be burdened by unnecessary wealth and extravagances during the course of our lives; rather, live in a simple, unburdened, and plain manner.

 Third, once we complete our trip on earth, compensation awaits us in heaven.  For those who successfully complete their mission on earth as God had intended, great rewards await them in heaven.  In the New Castle of Jerusalem, there are ‘crown of righteousness’ (2 Timothy 4: 8), ‘crown of life’ (James 1: 12), and ‘crown of glory’ (Revelations 2: 10) that await us.

  The first woman to conquer Mount Everest, the highest peak on earth that stands about 8,848 meters above sea level, is Tabei Junko of Japan.  She is only 4 feet 9 inches tall, or 144 cm in height; and throughout most of her life, in a traditional male-dominant society of Japan, she was largely ignored and treated as a second-class citizen.  Every time she tried to join a well-known mountaineering club, she was turned away on the basis of her gender.  However, after she conquered Mount Everest, the Japanese society’s treatment of this woman turned around 180 degrees.  Tabei Junko became a national hero in Japan.  Afterwards, Junko was often heard and quoted as saying, “Climbing the mountain is its own reward.” 

 Just as Junko received incomparable rewards after she conquered Everest, we will receive great rewards in heaven when we successfully complete our business trip on earth.

 Once the purpose of the trip has been fulfilled, we must return to our homes.  Failure to return in a timely manner, and wasting time in a foreign land, after completing the tasks of the business trip can be construed as dereliction of duty.  One can be fired for such dereliction of duty.  Likewise, for those of us on a mission on earth, there is a place we all must return to once our work is complete.  Just as dispatched corporate workers return to the corporate headquarters once their work is done, people of God must return to their home, heaven, once their mission is complete.

  The thought of having a home to return to in the evening for children, after a hard day’s playing, is a very comforting thought.  My aunt wife of my father’s older brother used to call her son, who was playing outside, to come home each evening.  “Ku! [My cousin’s name was Jae Kyu, and he was called ‘Ku’ for short when he was younger.]  Come home and eat dinner!  If you don’t come in right away, I’m going to eat your food!”  After his mother called, no matter how much fun he was having playing with his friend, my cousin will drop everything and go home.  Having a home to go to after a hard day’s work!  It is truly a comforting and reassuring thought.

 Perhaps nothing is lonelier than a person is without a home to return to at the end of the day is.  Nothing is more sorrowful and sympathetic than a homeless person who wanders in the midst of a stormy, rainy night is.  The spiritual orphans, who do not believe in God, will wander without a home when their lives near the end, after running their course; however, the children of God will always have a home in the end, a warm home in which God will welcome us by saying, “Welcome home.  There’s a beautiful dinner table and warm bed laid out for you.” 

 In Spain, there is a stone monument to commemorate Christopher Columbus, one of the great explorers who died in 1506.  One very interesting fact, or image, is embedded in this monument: The image of a statue of lion smashing, with one of its front claw, the first letters of Spain’s long standing national motto, written in Latin.  The motto is “Ne Plus Ultra,” or ‘no more beyond.’  Before Columbus discovered the Americas, people of Spain thought that every corner of the world had been discovered by their explorers; hence, they came up with the motto ‘no more beyond,’ meaning there was nothing else to be discovered.  Yet, Columbus came and proved that there indeed was more to be discovered.  Because of this, the lion is destroying the old Spanish motto, starting with the first letters, “Ne.”  So the new motto became “Plus Ultra,” or ‘more beyond,’ and not ‘no more beyond.’

 “Ne Plus Ultra” people think that there is nothing beyond the life on earth, that there is nothing else once our life on earth conclude.  However, our Lord Jesus Christ has shattered the “Ne” and has shown us the heaven that lies beyond the life on earth.  Jesus was the pilgrim, the martyr, the One on a business trip from heaven to earth.  He successfully completed His mission on earth and has gone back to heaven; He now sits on the right side of God.  Therefore, for those who believe and follow Jesus Christ, God will give rewards, just as He rewarded Jesus Christ for successfully completing His mission in this world.

 We are all on a business trip from heaven.  This world is not our home.  It is not our eternal resting place.  This is a place where we came to carry out a specific mission and rest temporarily while we do our work.  Our home is where our spiritual Father rests heaven.  Just as Jesus made a triumphant return to heaven after successfully completing His mission, I hope that all of us can successfully carry out the tasks that God has charged us to fulfill while we live in this world. 

Amen.