五福临门 – Wǔfú línmén

23/02/2020

2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

This year, we decided to celebrate the Chinese New Year , also known as the ‘Spring Festival ( 春节 Chunjie) in Taipei, Taiwan. I didn’t remember when the last time I was in Taipei for the festival, but I looked forward to the crisp cold air, the festival spirit, and to be able to be with our loved ones. On our second day in Taipei, the news headline all over the world was on the Coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, China rendered us all speechless.

I knew that I can’t  afford to miss church service on Sunday, 19/01/2020, in the crisis like the virus outbreak. For Arthur’s better listening and comprehension, we planned to attend the English service, but I misread the worship schedule, so ended it up we were in the Chinese worship service. The weather was terrible, and it was pouring, and it was dry and warm as we walked into the church building. People were all masked up inside the sanctuary.

The announcement said that no handshaking and hugging in greeting with others. I glanced at the bulletins, the sermon title read as 五福临门 (Wǔfú línmén). Wow! Wow! the sermon was not only perfectly tailored for the occasion, I immediately thanked Jesus that it was also the topic for my next posting. Customary, when the Chinese New Year is forthcoming, most families would put up the red paper on the doorpost with the  calligraphy of 五福临门 on it.

Many Bible scholars have written books, Ministers have given out sermons trying to point people, more so for Christians to see the Hebrew God in the ancient China. As an ethnic Chinese, a Christian, I have always reckoned that the Chinese traditions and value systems are very familiar to the teachings of the Old Testament. For thousands of years, the word 福 (Fú) is always with people’s good tidings in mind. It’s a blessing with prayers wishes, and efforts.

Land, a parcel of land, represents the pictograph of its root meaning, whereas the ‘Five Blessings’ signifies the ideograph of its root. Little did people know that in 500 BC, in《尚书 – Shangshu》, which is China’s oldest compilation and collection of imperial essays already articulated the list of ‘Five Blessings.’ Intriguingly, its earliest book titled “Book”. The contents have centred around the rules of virtue, ancient codes of moral, graves and culture (1).

According to the Google translation, it says only as ‘Five Blessings, however, literally, it actually says that ‘Five Blessings are knocking at people’s  (your) door.’ The senior Pastor Wong (王) of the Taipei Grace Baptist Church, urged us to quieten our hearts and read scriptures from the Gospel, Luke 5:12-16 before listening to his message. The story is far too familiar, yet I puzzled how the passage would expound the ‘Five Blessings?’  

Luke 5:12-16 NIV

12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell face down and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
13 Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.  “I am willing, He said “be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 
14 “Do not tell anyone, “Jesus instructed him. “But go, show thyself to the priest, and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them. 
15 But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16 Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

The sermon was in Chinese, Pastor Wong drew a chart and also used simple, and understandable phrase as the homiletic to expound each of the five verses that directed us to ‘turn our eyes upon Jesus’ as Blessings

1. 陪伴 (Péibàn) that  means accompany, I thought of the scripture from Gospel of Luke 22:27 b – Jesus said ‘But I am among you as one who serves. And Jesus was in the crowd.
2. 有心 (Yǒuxīn) that means set one’s mind on something, or willfully. in the scriptures, Jesus was willing and ready to heal.
3. 有力 (Yǒulì) that indicates powerfulness. Not only Jesus was willing to heal all, HE had the divine power to heal.
4. 放手 (Fanshǒu) that implies to let go, it says that Jesus walked away from the scene and to go to the wilderness to pray.
5. 圣洁源头(Shèngjié Yuántóu) that denotes the source of the Holiness. Pastor Wong said that Jesus’ healing virtue enables us to be in touch (接触- Jiēchù) the source HIS Holiness.

Pastor Wong cited a few passages of scriptures to talk about the ceremonial cleansing and offerings from the book of Leviticus. And he also quoted 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 to expound the Redemptive Grace (代贖的恩典). It’s a spirit-led sermon, and it’s also an invitation for an in-depth Bible/cross cultural study. I wasn’t sure that Pastor Wong trying to relate the ancient Chinese Five Blessings (五福 ) with the redemptive grace in the Bible times?

A week of an eventful holiday finally come to an end. I have had a lesson of ‘let go‘ with me. There is a new Bible study on the book of Acts awaits for me to go back. Due to the virus situation, we had two more weeks of class break. Although I knew what I supposed to write, a little drudgery, a little daydreaming and too much on the Tube, I had a hard time to put my acts together.

In His mercy, a few Bible verses during my devotion have shaken me to turn to HIM in prayers. I have finally charged up, very happy to see my patients, although the number of them was down. I was slow with my new phone, and I know that I have to learn it by using it. The first time, we had to use Zoom meeting for group discussion via the internet, and it went well.

In HIM, there is no coincidence, the first few chapters of the book of Acts are all on Apostle Peter, John, the Church and the descending and baptising of the H

ly Spirit at Pentecost. And all Christians probably would know that the Greek ‘Pente‘ is  Five.’ HE is awesomely faithful whenever we are faithful! Numeral ‘Five‘ again.

1.《尚书》记载，五福乃指一曰寿(long life)，二曰富(rich)、三曰康宁(peace)，四曰攸好德 (good virtue)、五曰考终命(life with a good finish/an end)。后来因避讳(to avoid a taboo)的原因，“五福”有了些许变化。

东汉的哲学家桓谭在《新论·辨惑第十三》中把最后一福的“考终命”改为“多子孙”，因此“五福”是指：“寿 (Shòu–Long life)、富贵 (fùguì- Rich and Honor)、康宁 (kāngníng – Health and Peace)、好德 (hǎo dé – Good virtue)、子孙众多 (zǐsūn zhòngduō – Many offspring) ”。

The Five Blessings originally listed in 《尚书 – Shangshu》read as : 1. Long life, 2. Rich, 3. Peace, 4. Good virtue, and 5. Life with a good finish or with an good end). However, a few centuries later, in order to avoid a taboo, 桓谭( HanTan), philosopher substituted the last blessing with子孙众多 Zǐsūn zhòngduōNumerous offspring/Descendants/children

ps according to the lunar calendar, today is the last day of January 2020