“Tonight’s lesson was good,” said Kokoro-san. Our little group of three was having a Bible study in a restaurant that night. After eating, we studied the story of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke. The atmosphere was relaxed, and there was a low chatter of people talking in the restaurant.
“Really? I am so happy to hear that,” I said. “What was good about it?”
“I could understand today’s Bible story,” she said.
“Oh!” A concerning thought suddenly occurred to me. “Well . . . What about the other Bible stories we have been studying? Did they make sense to you?”
“No, not really,” Kokoro-san said. “They were difficult to understand.”
At this point, we had been having Bible studies with Kokoro-san for about five or six weeks. That means we had been studying stories for more than a month that were not really connecting with her. I had been intentionally choosing stories and parables I thought would connect with the Japanese mind. Plus, I tried to make sure there was no deep theology, no difficult conversations and no complex storylines. We even read each story once in Japanese to ensure the language barrier was not a problem.
But that night, I was reminded of the huge gap between my understanding of the Bible and hers. I was studying with someone who, before our meetings, had never sat over an open Bible. I knew in my mind that I would meet such people, but the reality of what that really means was hitting me now. We were in a country and context where Christianity was rare. The people, places and meanings of the Bible are totally strange to most Japanese people.
But as I reflect on that conversation with Kokoro-san, I also asked myself another question. Why did she understand the Bible story that night? I cannot totally understand the answer, but hope springs up in my heart. Is she becoming familiar with the stories of the Bible? Is the Spirit moving upon her to bring understanding? Something happened that evening that made her understand the story and really like what we read.
It is still entirely too early for me to understand why some stories make sense, and others do not. But we are confident that if our family continues to answer God’s call to missions, He will teach us how to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). Please continue to pray for the people of Japan to believe in Jesus and His Word. Thank you.
