Lucas Garden

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. ( Matthew 13.44-46 ) I was waiting for a bus at a restaurant. A man next to me was absorbed in the crossword game, and suddenly asked me what the answer is for "shrinking Asian sea". "Sorry. I don't know," I replied. "That's ok. Thank you for your help." He grinned broadly at me. His smile and soft tone were so mysterious that I felt comforted and less melancholy for a while. I searched for the answer on my phone, and informed him that the answer is "ARAL". He looked so pleasant but asked me again, "Can you give me a pen for my crosswords?" I readily gave him a pen. He continued to do his game with my p...

What does it mean to meet Jesus? The meeting is not just such a commonplace we usually have in school and workplace. It is the paramount event by which a person is completely turned from a sinful life and saved by his absolvent authority. In other words, a person cannot veritably meet Jesus without true repentance by which he or she is turned from sins. The Zacchaeus' story gives a good lesson on what a true meeting with Jesus looks like. Sins Zacchaeus was a Jewish man, yet he was ostracized and despised by the Jewish community. It was because he was a chief tax-collector at Jericho who was working for the Roman Empire. ( Luke 19.2 ) He was affluent, but might feel guilty and shame since his wealth was made based on exploiting his people. He might also feel resentful and distressed since he never intended to be cruel to his people but it might be the only inevitable way for him to earn his and his family's living. Moreover, he might suffer from an inferiority complex due...