12/06/2019

I was trying hard to post my article on Emperor Akihito’s abdication a week before I was about to journey to Europe but in vain. In the end, Lester, my dear brother, in Christ, helped me to put it up while I was about to catch my flight. Then I received my BFF, Linda Lai’s comment, and she asked if I forgot to have a passage of scripture on my article. I was not rattled by her question, but I didn’t know why I gave the Bible verse a miss?Haven’t I seen Jesus in the event?

It’s probably because of what I thought that the Bible scripture is probably not relevant because historically, the emperor of Japan not only is the symbol of the state but also is the highest authoritative figurehead of the Shinto religion. Strangely, on the second day (21/05/2019) of my trip, in my hotel room, during my morning quiet time, the following scripture was popping up and it says from:

Proverbs 21:1

‘The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.’ – New Living Translation biblehub.com

I felt that God gave me the verse to mull it over, and immediately, I also started to ponder and wanted to trace if I could see my Jesus in Emperor Akihito’s life, his reign and his decision to abdicate. At first, I thought that he was pre-destined to be the Emperor of Japan before he was born, I quickly found the validation for his fate, from the book of

Romans 13:1b:

‘For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.’

With the image of the oversized rules in the imperial palace, and it was unheard of that the royal family would allow an American woman to invigorate the mind of the young prince, inside the castle. As for the royal marriage. Then the young prince headstrongly refused to yield to the imperial tradition and pressed for marrying Michiko, a commoner to be the empress, in the name of love, it says in:

Genesis 2:18

‘it is not good for man to be alone, and I will find him a suitable helper.’

I wonder who had a ‘heart of flesh’ in the imperial household, to give the blessing to the marriage? It says that every marriage is a refining process for both the husband and wife, the royal couple should be without exception. It must be a long trying period for the Empress to fit into the imperial family life. However, after being married to Empress Michiko for more than 60-years, evidently, the emperor has been a partaker of wisdom as what spells out in the book of

Proverbs 5:18

‘Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.’

In his reign of 30-years, he convicted of being the emperor to his people. Non-like any emperor in the past, the royal couple would pour out their hearts specially to visit the relief shelters in the country to reach down to those ordinary folks that were severely afflicted by various natural disasters, to talk to them, to lend them the sympathetic ears severally to listen to the people in front of the TV cameras. I only relate how Jesus feeding the 5000 out of compassion in

Matthew 14:13-21

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large group, he had compassion on them.

Luke 14: 11b

..and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’

As a committed pacifist, the couple frequently made conciliatory trips to Japan’s former enemies and victims with the attempt to atone for his father Emperor Hirohito’s fatal mistake to start the war. When the ruling government was trying to reinstate a militarised Japan, the emperor’s ‘apology diplomacy‘ was not shared and appreciated by the so-called ‘right’ wing group.

It is axiomatic that the big clash of philosophy with the ruling government would never be pleasant. After 30-years in reign, at 85, ‘health’ is the most perfect reason to relinquish his duty as the emperor of the people. The polls indicated that most people in Japan sympathised with him. I think most people would want to see their most ever beloved Emperor to be blissful as long as he lives.

I couldn’t get over what I saw at the end of the abdication ceremony, how the emperor suddenly turned back not to look at the people in the room, but to look at his wife and help her to leave the room. For me, as a woman
with starry-eyed emotion, the emperor’s in-depth affectionate look toward his wife, in a stately setting would lead me to conclude that his wife of more than 60-years probably was the real reason for his abdication.

Often I wonder if the emperor was a Christian or the couple was a Christian couple, then I have to admit it honestly that I don’t know. Only the LORD searches man’s heart and tests man’s mind (Jeremiah 17:10). But I would not be surprised to find out, one day that both of them are. Therefore, I would like to use the following passage as a prayer for the royal couple in my spirit that says in:

Proverbs 5:19 – Young’s Literal Translation

A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.