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πŸŽ„ Meaning of our 2023 Christmas Card verses

On the front of this year’s Christmas Card, we have the following bible verse:

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9

This is an Old Testament quote from Isaiah 64:4 (featured on the back of the card):

For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

Isaiah 64:4

The context of the 1 Corinthians passage makes it clear that β€œthe things which God has prepared” is referring to the wisdom and mystery of God’s sending of His One and Only Begotten Son, the wonderful Christmas event. Indeed, although God had sent many prophets to His people about the coming Messiah, no one could imagine that the very Creator of the Universe, the Word Eternal, the Second Person of the Triune God, would empty Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and being born in the likeness of men, even being found in appearance as a helpless Babe, cradled in a lowly manger inside a barn in Bethlehem, thus fulfilling the Scriptures.

A curious detail is that the quoted passage in 1 Corinthians (as recorded in Greek by Paul) is prima facie quite different from the original Isaiah passage. The OT passage seems to be talking about the invisible nature of the Godhead, and the NT passage seems to be talking about the Gift that God has prepared for those who love Him. But as I meditated on this further, this β€œdiscrepancy” between the two is in fact pointing to a greater truth, namely that the great Gift from God is the Gift of Immanuel, β€œGod with Us”: that the Gift and the Giver is one and the same!

Merry Christmas!πŸŽ„

μ˜¬ν•΄ 크리슀마슀 μΉ΄λ“œ μ•žλ©΄μ— λ‹€μŒμ˜ μ„±κ²½ ꡬ절이 μžˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€:

ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜μ΄ 자기λ₯Ό μ‚¬λž‘ν•˜λŠ” μžλ“€μ„ μœ„ν•˜μ—¬ μ˜ˆλΉ„ν•˜μ‹  λͺ¨λ“  것은
눈으둜 보지 λͺ»ν•˜κ³  κ·€λ‘œ 듣지 λͺ»ν•˜κ³ 
μ‚¬λžŒμ˜ 마음으둜 μƒκ°ν•˜μ§€λ„ λͺ»ν•˜μ˜€λ‹€

κ³ λ¦°λ„μ „μ„œ 2:9

이것은 이사야 64:4μ—μ„œ 온 ꡬ약 성경을 μΈμš©ν•œ κ²ƒμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€ (μΉ΄λ“œ 뒷면에 인용됨):

μ£Ό μ™Έμ—λŠ” 자기λ₯Ό μ•™λ§ν•˜λŠ” 자λ₯Ό μœ„ν•˜μ—¬
이런 일을 ν–‰ν•œ 신을 μ˜›λΆ€ν„° 듀은 μžλ„ μ—†κ³ 
κ·€λ‘œ 듀은 μžλ„ μ—†κ³  눈으둜 λ³Έ μžλ„ μ—†μ—ˆλ‚˜μ΄λ‹€

이사야 64:4

κ³ λ¦°λ„μ „μ„œ ꡬ절의 λ§₯락을 보면 β€œν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜μ΄ μ˜ˆλΉ„ν•˜μ‹  λͺ¨λ“  것”은 μ•„λ¦„λ‹€μš΄ 크리슀마슀 사건을 톡해 그의 λ…μƒμžλ₯Ό 보내신 ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜μ˜ λΉ„λ°€κ³Ό μ§€ν˜œλ₯Ό μ˜λ―Έν•˜λŠ” 것을 μ•Œ 수 μžˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜κ»˜μ„œλŠ” κ΅¬μ•½μ—μ„œ μ˜€μ‹€ λ©”μ‹œμ•„μ— λŒ€ν•΄ λ§Žμ€ μ˜ˆμ–Έλ“€μ„ 자기 λ°±μ„±λ“€μ—κ²Œ λ³΄λ‚΄μ…¨μ§€λ§Œ, 우주의 μ°½μ‘°μ£Όμ΄μ‹œλ©°, μ˜μ›ν•œ λ§μ”€μ΄μ‹œλ©°, μ‚Όμœ„μΌμ²΄ μ„±μž ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜κ»˜μ„œ 친히 μ’…μ˜ ν˜•μ²΄λ₯Ό 가지사 μ‚¬λžŒλ“€κ³Ό 같이 λ˜μ‹œκ³ , 심지어 λ² λ“€λ ˆν—΄ μ™Έμ–‘κ°„μ˜ κ΅¬μœ μ— 놓인 무λ ₯ν•œ μ•„κΈ°μ˜ λͺ¨μ–‘μœΌλ‘œ λ°œκ²¬λ˜μ‹€ 것이라고 κ·Έ λˆ„κ΅¬λ„ 상상할 수 μ—†μ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. 그리고 κ·Έλ ‡κ²Œ λ©”μ‹œμ•„ μ΄ˆλ¦Όμ— κ΄€ν•œ ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜μ˜ 말씀 성경은 μ˜ˆμˆ˜λ‹˜ μ•ˆμ—μ„œ λͺ¨λ‘ μ΄λ£¨μ–΄μ‘ŒμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€.

ν₯미둜운 점은 κ³ λ¦°λ„μ „μ„œμ— 인용된 ꡬ절(사도 λ°”μšΈμ΄ ν—¬λΌμ–΄λ‘œ κΈ°λ‘ν•œ λ‚΄μš©)이 ꡬ약 이사야 νžˆλΈŒλ¦¬μ–΄ ꡬ절과 처음 보기에 μƒλ‹Ήνžˆ λ‹€λ₯΄λ‹€λŠ” κ²ƒμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. ꡬ약 κ΅¬μ ˆμ€ ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜μ˜ 보이지 μ•ŠλŠ” 본성에 λŒ€ν•΄ λ§ν•˜λŠ” 것 κ°™κ³ , μ‹ μ•½ κ΅¬μ ˆμ€ ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜μ΄ 그뢄을 μ‚¬λž‘ν•˜λŠ” μžλ“€μ„ μœ„ν•΄ μ€€λΉ„ν•˜μ‹  선물에 λŒ€ν•΄ λ§ν•˜λŠ” 것 κ°™μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. ν•˜μ§€λ§Œ 이에 λŒ€ν•΄ 더 깊이 묡상해 보면, 이 두 ꡬ절 μ‚¬μ΄μ˜ β€œμ°¨μ΄β€λŠ” μ‹€μ œλ‘œ 더 큰 진리λ₯Ό 가리킀고 μžˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. 즉, ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜κ»˜μ„œ μ˜ˆλΉ„ν•˜μ‹  κ·Έ λ†€λΌμš΄ 선물은 λ°”λ‘œ β€œμž„λ§ˆλˆ„μ—˜, μš°λ¦¬μ™€ ν•¨κ»˜ 계신 ν•˜λ‚˜λ‹˜β€μ΄λ‹€λΌλŠ” κ²ƒμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€: 즉 선물을 μ£Όμ‹œλŠ” λΆ„κ³Ό κ·Έ 뢄이 μ£Όμ‹œλŠ” 선물이 ν•˜λ‚˜, λ™μΌν•˜λ‹€λŠ” 것 μž…λ‹ˆλ‹€!

메리 크리슀마슀!πŸŽ„