Today’s passage teaches us a parable about our lives, which involve choosing between spiritual and physical matters. There is a biblical parable about a feast that was prepared and invitations sent out, but when people declined for various reasons, the host went out into the streets and invited anyone to fill the banquet hall. In the cultural context of the Near East at that time, refusing a feast invitation was a grave insult. This parable signifies the process by which Jesus’ gospel, rejected by the Jews, was then spread to the Gentiles.

We reflect once more on what it means to understand the gospel, to embrace it in our lives, and to live a life that spreads the gospel through our actions. Since last Sunday, our church has begun its spring revival meeting, hosting a feast of the Word with esteemed pastors. Pastor Joseph Kim, the eldest son of Pastor Jang-hwan Kim who served as interpreter for Billy Graham—a key figure in Korea’s great Christian revival—delivered a testimony sermon on faith and identity.

His message during the English worship service in Part 2 was even richer and more compelling than his interpreted sermon in Part 1. Though his appearance is Western, Pastor Kim was born and raised in Suwon, making him unmistakably Korean at heart. His sermon felt incredibly relatable. He likened himself to an ‘egg that’s white on the outside and yellow on the inside’ and his wife to a ‘banana that’s yellow on the outside and white on the inside,’ sharing the identity struggles and spiritual growth he experienced as a person of mixed heritage.

Ultimately, I believe having faith is a journey of discovering one’s true identity—realizing where you belong and who you are. Physically, you may be born into a certain country or family, but spiritually, you come to understand your identity as a noble son or daughter of God’s kingdom. Today, I begin living a life worthy of that noble identity—practicing the gospel and enjoying the happiness of being invited to the spiritual feast.