What Kakashi got right in the Gospel

Kakashi with his signature Lightning Cutter
Image from http://bs1.imghost.nu/images/1/103343.jpg

For Naruto Shippuden fans, there is one particular episode in the Madara arc that hit the core of human problem as described in the Bible.

This is a scene found in the tensed fight between Kakashi and Obito—friends-turned-rivals because of the death of one woman.

But first, a background. Naruto Shippuden is the sequel to the hit anime series, Naruto. It is the story of an orphaned boy’s journey from being despised to being adored as hero by his ninja village. Naruto became a powerful ninja in Konoha, defeating several villains and defending his home and people from destruction.

The story continues until we meet the antagonist, Madara, a powerful ninja who wants to place everyone in a grand illusion, believing that this will end all the pain and suffering in the world.

To achieve this plan, Madara teamed up with another ninja, Obito, a contemporary of Naruto’s teacher, Kakashi. Everyone thought Obito died because of a failed mission a long time ago, but he was secretly nursed back to health by Madara.

And unknown to Obito, Madara slowly brainwashed him into believing that the ninja system, the political structures and everything in the world they lived in caused all the pain and suffering of existence. This culminated in the death of Rin, the woman he loves, allegedly at the hands of Kakashi.

Left to right: Obito, Madara
Image from comicvine.com

Obito witnessed this with his very eyes. It fueled an intense hatred against his friend and cemented his allegiance with Madara and his plan to trap the world in an illusion, supposedly to end all strife.

Kakashi, Naruto and a host of other ninjas banded to stop this plan. After all, who wants a perfect world if this means ceasing one’s existence in exchange for utopia, but only in one’s imaginations?

Obito and Kakashi were naturally drawn to fight each other with all their unfinished business and baggage. And in their faithful battle, we witness the Bible’s diagnosis of man’s very problem in the very words of Obito.

As the two fought, Kakashi managed to corner his foe with his signature Lightning Cutter. But Obito placed him in a Gengutsu or an illusion where our protagonist relived the final moments of Rin’s life, only this time, it was Obito who thrust himself into Kakashi’s lightning weapon.

This move left a hole on Obito’s chest, right where his heart should have been. It didn’t hurt him because everything was just an illusion. Then, came a very telling conversation between the two.

I’m quoting the middle part of their exchange and edited out the non-essential details:

Obito: Look! There’s nothing in my heart! I don’t even feel pain anymore. Don’t feel so guilty, Kakashi. This hole was opened by this hellish world… Kakashi, enough already. You don’t have to suffer anymore… You can have anything you want in this Gengutsu (Illusion) World. The hole in your heart can be filled immediately.

Kakashi: Rin is gone. You are still alive! Do you really think something like this (Illusion Word) can fill that hole in your heart?... You can try and fill that hole with delusions all by yourself but that hole will never be filled.

Obito shows his empty heart.
Screenshot from Naruto Shippuden Episode 371

The famous quote of Blaise Pascal immediately comes to mind, “In the heart of every man is a god-shaped vacuum that cannot be filled by any created thing but only by the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”

Obito certainly has that hole in his heart which he tries to fill up with the illusion that his beloved Rin is still alive. Kakshi also has this hole, aggravated by the guilt of failing both Rin and Obito to their graves.

Believe it or not, we all have this hole in our hearts. It manifests uniquely for each individual. To some, it is a hole of pain brought by painful experiences and trauma. To others, it is a hole of loneliness because of broken relationships among loved ones and friends.

Still to some, it is a hole of confusion about one’s identity and personhood. It is a hole of purpose, a hole of acceptance, a hole of fear, indulgence, pressure, vices... the list goes on.

And like Obito, we struggle to fill that void with something, anything just to muffle the pain and give us a sense of peace and wholeness once more. But Kakashi is right. If we try to fill our holes with delusions, no matter how real they look like, “the hole will never be filled.”

This hole exists because God placed eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We are made ultimately for the eternal. Right at the very beginning, the human spirit tasted what it meant to be full with an unrestrained relationship with God, with a life of bounty and joy at the Garden of Eden without death, pain, and suffering (Genesis 1-2).

Yet the enemy deceived Adam and Eve, and so sin entered the world. With it came death, pain, suffering and ultimately, separation from the only One who can truly satisfy the human heart—God Himself (Genesis 3).

What we now have is a faint memory, a faded photograph, a blurred vision of that intimate walk with
God in the Garden.

Sadly, the enemy distorts even this longing for the eternal by masking it with temporal desires—the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and pride of life. And we run after these things!

C.S. Lewis is correct when he wrote, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too
easily pleased.”

Yet not all is lost. For the God who walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden has not abandoned us. He
said, “You will seek me and find me if you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).” Though sin has hidden His face from us (Isaiah 59:2), He can still be found when by His grace, He allows us to seek Him with all our hearts.

But how can we find Him if, to begin with, our hearts are empty? Apparently, God willed that we not just fill up the void in our hearts with the right things. He takes the empty heart, the broken heart, the heart of stone and changes it with something new—a heart of flesh that knows how to love Him (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Why can He do this? Because one person came to “bind up the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1).” One person came to defeat sin once for all to bring us back to God—He is Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:18).

In our own strength we are unable to understand what we truly long for. But God came here on earth, became human just like us, to point us back to Himself (John 1:14). His very presence emphasized our true longing for the eternal, drawing us once more to what or to who can truly fill us (John 1:4-5).

I once had a hole of affirmation, among others. I tried to fill it with high grades, achievements, awards and honors. But when I was already on top, when I have achieved all I ever wanted, I realized that I was still empty.

Yet, God is gracious. He opened my eyes and showed me that He can change my heart if I will fully entrust it to Jesus. And I did. From that moment on, there is no turning back.

Maybe some of us are still like Obito, attempting to fill our void with things of this world. Or worse, denying our emptiness by plunging into earthly pleasures.

Wherever we are right now, listen to what Kakashi said, “You can try and fill that hole with delusions all by yourself but that hole will never be filled.” You know why? St. Augustine has the answer, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in You.”

May God grant all of us open eyes and make His light shine in our hearts so we can see “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).”

6 Beliefs Filipinos need to double check with Scripture

Roughly 90 million Filipinos claim to follow Jesus. Whether their profession of faith is true or not is beyond my power to determine. However, true followers of Jesus are bound by one thing—God’s Word.

Christ said it Himself, “If you love me, keep my commands (John14:15).” True Christians live by Jesus’ commands found in the Bible. Even more, those who truly desire to obey Him search the Scriptures to check that their teachings, actions, beliefs and lifestyle do not violate His Word.

This was demonstrated by the Berean Christians who double checked the Scriptures every day to make sure that Paul’s teachings are true (Acts 17:11).

As Filipinos, we have several beliefs that warrant closer inspection in light of the Bible. Let us quickly look at six in this article. The discussions are not exhaustive and are here to encourage readers to study them further.  

1. Mary remained a virgin even after Jesus' birth

L' Annonciation de 1644, Philippe de Champaigne.jpg

Many Filipinos assume that because Mary conceived Jesus as a virgin, she remained in this state even after His birth. That is, she never had sexual relations with Joseph, her husband.

But a simple reading of the Bible will prove otherwise. In Matthew 1:24-25 we read,

"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus (New International Version)."

The term "consummate their marriage" is simplified in other Bible translations as "have sexual relations with her (New Living Translation)," "did not know her intimately (Holman Christian Standard Bible) and “sinipingan” in the Magandang Balita Biblia.

If this is not enough, we can even read in Mark 6:3-4 that Jesus had biological half-brothers and half-sisters. This is what Mark wrote,

“‘Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’”

2. The 10 commandments

Most Filipinos read the 10 Commandments not in the Bible but on giant stone tablets that adorn many places of worship. They are supposedly simplified versions of Exodus 20:1-17.

But a simple comparison of the 10 Commandments in the Bible and the commandments on the stone tablets reveals a key difference.

This is a photo of the 10 Commandments at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Iloilo taken by historicphilippines.com

Now, this is the actual text of Exodus 20:1-17

And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The Bible specifically prohibits worship of graven images or statutes and religious icons. Thus, we have a unique second commandment based on Exodus 20:4-5, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them…"

This is written distinctly from the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” which is based on verse 3.

If one doubts this prohibition, we need only to supplement this with Psalm 115:2-8 that tackles the issue of idol worship graphically. In this Psalm we read:

Why do the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
 Our God is in heaven;
    he does whatever pleases him.
 But their idols are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
    eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
    noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
    feet, but cannot walk,
    nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

The sad omission of this vital commandment has led many Filipinos to believe that praying to statues and adoration of images are Biblical. A closer look at the Bible, however, reveals that these practices go against God's Word.

How about the two commandments against covetousness in the stone tablets? These should rightfully be combined because they are written as one in Exodus 20:17. Why split what was originally written together in the Bible?

3. Salvation by doing good

1timothy2four.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/good-deed.jpg

When heaven and hell and the salvation of one's soul are discussed, majority of Filipinos mistakenly think of a scale. Borrowing from the idea of “karma,” they believe that people’s destiny is dependent on whether or not they can do enough good to outweigh their sins and tip heaven on their favor.

They think that as in a balance, when God weighs a person's deeds, the good acts should overcome the bad so that he can have eternal life in heaven.

However, a plain reading of Ephesians 2:8-10 reveals God's will on this matter. Paul writes,

"8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

A person is saved NOT by good works but by God's grace which is received through faith in Jesus. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone can one gain eternal life. If, by God’s grace, we believe in Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, we are saved!

So what are good deeds for? Notice verse 10. The good that we do have been prepared beforehand as evidences of genuine faith. That is, good works are the result NOT the prerequisite of salvation.

4. Having a religion equals faith in God

Immaculate Concepcion church at Oslob, Cebu

Many religious Filipinos equate their devotion to a certain religion as faith in the Living God. They think that because they are members of a certain church and attend to their religious obligations, they already have genuine faith.

However, faith in the Bible is richer than this simplistic view. When we read Romans 10:1-3, we find that genuine faith involves knowledge or understanding of the truth.

Paul writes,

“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

One cannot just follow something blindly. To say that faith exists, a person needs to understand what he believes in. In the case of Biblical Christianity, he needs to understand the Gospel message.

The Gospel tells us that all human beings have sinned and are now separated from God (Romans 3:23), condemned to suffer eternal death (Romans 6:23). But by God’s grace, He sent Jesus to take the death penalty (Romans 5:8) and provide a way to reconcile people to God (1 Peter 3:18). He died on the cross as our substitute but rose again (1 Corinthians 15:2-4), promising eternal life to everyone who believes in Him as personal Lord and Savior (John 3:16).

But not everyone who knows the Gospel message possesses genuine faith. James 2:19 even tells us, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.” Demons believe, in the sense that they know God’s Word, but instead of faith, they shudder in fear.

This is so because the second element of genuine faith is persuasion. Knowing something is not enough, we have to be convinced that what we know is true. We have to believe that we are sinners, that we are separated from God, that we will one day suffer in hell for our rebellion.

And if we’re convinced by these, we must naturally be persuaded of the need for a Savior and that this is no other than Jesus.

Finally and most importantly, as in Apostle Paul’s experience recorded in Acts 26, genuine faith entails personal trust in Jesus. We do not just know, we’re not just convinced, ultimately, we surrender our entire lives to Jesus.

This is how genuine faith looks like in the Bible—intellectual knowledge, intellectual persuasion and whole-hearted trust in Jesus.

5. Who becomes a saint

http://sanpedrocalungsod.com

The country rejoiced in 2012 when another Filipino was declared a “saint” after meeting the strict criteria laid down by religious institutions. This set of criteria makes people believe that being a saint is reserved only to the holiest and most pious followers of God.

However, we can read throughout the New Testament that all true believers in Jesus are called saints. Two telling examples are read in Acts 9:13 and Acts 9:32 where Luke called Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem and Lydda “saints,” “believers” or “holy people.” Notice that the terms are interchangeable.

And perhaps none is more telling than 1 Corinthians 1:2 where we read,

 “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours…”

Paul makes plain that those who belong to the Church of God in Corinth are called to be “saints,” “believers” or “holy people” together “with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Does “every place” include the Philippines? Certainly! Even Filipinos who consider Jesus as Lord are saints of God.

The Bible shows from these examples that being a true follower of Jesus, believing in Him as personal Lord and Savior, makes one a saint in God’s eyes. After all, to be a saint (Gk. hagios) means to be set apart (holy) for God’s work and for the expansion of His Kingdom.

No one fits this description but God’s people, true followers of Jesus.

6. We lose nothing when we believe in swerte or luck

http://www.foreigners-in-china.com/images/
chinese-new-year-symbols-12Animals.jpg

Many times we hear Filipinos say, “Wala namang mawawala kung maniniwala sa swerte.” Thus, every new year, we watch several TV segments about feng sui and astrology in an attempt to improve our luck.

But this seemingly innocent tradition and hobby, actually attacks the very character of God. The concept of luck is foreign in the Bible because it presupposes the absence of an all-knowing, all-powerful, benevolent and sovereign God.

Luck, after all, leaves our lives to chance. There is no assurance about anything because the universe operates randomly.

But in the Bible, we see that God is in control of the universe. In Psalm 115:3 we read, “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.”

No knowledge escapes His mind, be it about the vastness of the universe or our personal lives. These are demonstrated clearly in Psalm 139:2-4,

“You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.”

and in Psalm 147:4, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”

All these are true because God created everything there was, is and ever will be. God bares this in Job 38 where He challenged Job,

“6 Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
    or who laid its cornerstone….
“Who shut up the sea behind doors
    when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
    and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it
    and set its doors and bars in place,
“Have you ever given orders to the morning,
    or shown the dawn its place,
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
    and shake the wicked out of it?
“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
    or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
    Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?

These six items are but some of the beliefs Filipinos need to be more critical of. If we truly desire to obey God and His commands, the best place to start is in the Bible. Why don’t we spend more time reading and understanding it so that we can see for ourselves whether the things we practice are true?

Let us not depend on the media or other people or even this article to tell us what to believe. Instead, let us immerse ourselves in God’s Word, studying it diligently, to find out “if these things were so.”

Remembering LJM

On Christmas day I read from a friend's Facebook post that Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc has passed away. LJM, as she is commonly known in journalism circles, is the editor-in-chief behind the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI).

I have first known about LJM from Philippine press history lessons in college. She is remembered as among the brave writers who dared to expose the lies behind the late dictator's rule. She also stood firm in the face of government corruption and political pressures from subsequent administrations, all in the name of a free press.

When no one else wanted to report about Ninoy Aquino's death and burial, they were at the forefront. LJM and other journalists turned a humble lifestyle magazine into democracy's lone defender.

When former President Erap Estrada called on the TV industry to boycott the Inquirer, she dug her heels in and continued churning stories about Erap's mansions and mistresses.

In a few months, we witnessed People Power anew. Just as she did in 1986, LJM contributed to social change through her brave stories in our generation.

I'm writing this as tribute and gratitude to one of Philippine Press's bedrocks. We enjoy press freedom and democracy today because of the contributions of people like LJM.

Though I have never met her, I am thankful for the journalism principles she espoused and developed. These have shaped my mass communication professors who,  in turn, shaped me, one way or another.

And though I have never professionally practiced journalism, I had been a part of PDI once as a college scholar and an intern. She had been my EIC for one full summer term.

I also felt indebted to LJM because of an article about her I read today. I have always wondered why PDI allowed me to pursue a different path after being their scholar for two years.

I was surprised that they never demanded the return service when I wrote them that I was no longer considering the newspaper after my graduation. They didn't even ask me to pay back even after I offered to return every peso from the scholarship.

I was even more surprised that they let me go when my simplistic reason was I felt that God was calling me to serve Him through Christian ministry. God and spirituality never sat well with many journalists in the Philippines so I thought my reason was unacceptable. But PDI respected it.

This has always been a mystery for me until I found out that LJM was spiritual herself. In a tribute article by PDI,  she was described as a woman who always went to mass daily, seeking God's peace in troubled times.

Now, I don't know how Biblical her view of God is or how much similar our faith convictions are, me being a Bible Christian. But this I know, she believed that there is a God, and I know this influenced PDI to never leave Him out of the newsroom.

I also remember that during our scholarship interview I disclosed that I was also considering going full time in Christian ministry. I didn't understand the comment of one panelist then who said something like, "Oh perhaps this one's going to be a missionary too!"

Maybe LJM's leadership made even the senior editors of Inquirer sensitive to faith issues. Another panelist even asked me to elaborate about my faith. I can't remember who he was now but I found out later that he, too, is a follower of Jesus.

These anecdotes may seem tangential, but I guess I just want to thank LJM for keeping God in the PDI newsroom. My ministry story could have gone a different path without this key element.

Of course I still believe in God's sovereignty. If He wills that I serve Him in the campus work, it will come to pass. But the road towards that reality became easier as He allowed all the pieces to fall into place-- and I believe these include LJM as PDI's EIC.

Her legacy in toppling down a dictator and unseating another corrupt president will be remembered by many. And in my own small story, I will remember LJM as among God's instruments in my journey towards serving Him full-time in the student ministry.

Saitama and some ministry reminders

Upon the recommendation of a housemate, I started watching a new anime series entitled, 'One Punch Man.' This is about a hero named Saitama who defeats his enemies with a single powerful punch.

Throughout the first season, we see him frustrated with the lack of worthy foes who can match his strength.

We also witness his journey up the ranks as he defeats one monster after another. Though undeniably the most powerful of all the heroes, he started at the bottom (Class C) for getting poor marks in the essay exams of the Hero Association.

Unlike other heroes, however, Saitama's unaffected by his rank. While others fight monsters to increase their popularity and rankings, he does  so for the sheer passion of being a hero.

He has defeated several powerful enemies, saving millions of civilians and other heroes ranked much higher than he was.

Sadly, many people branded him a cheat because they couldn't believe that a Class C hero outperformed the elite Class S.

But amid the slander emerged Saitama's most admirable quality-- selflessness. In one episode, a vicious sea monster knocked out several Class S and A heroes after rampaging in a city.

Even Saitama's own disciple, Class S cyborg Genos, nearly died at the hands of this beast. But as expected, Saitama killed the monster with one punch.

At first, the people were in awe, then disbelief, finally contempt. One survivor even bashed the other heroes for being weaklings because a mere Class C outshined them!

Desiring to protect the other heroes from shame and feigning recognition, Saitama pretended that the monster became weak after fighting all the other heroes earlier.

He even acted arrogant just to divert the people's criticisms from the defeated heroes to himself. Saitama fueled the rumors that he cheated his way in the rankings by taking credit of other heroes' work.

Genos understood his master's motivation. He didn't care about his reputation. What's important is that the other heroes don't lose the people's trust.

Saitama didn't care about greatness as long as he can faithfully fulfill his duties at all costs.

This quality reminds me vividly of John 3:30. When Jesus' ministry began overshadowing John the Baptist's, the prophet only had one answer: "Jesus must become greater, I must become less."

As a minister, I always battle the temptation of fame and honor whenever great feats are accomplished in God's ministries.

I constantly remind myself that all glory and honor belong to God so I must always ask the Spirit to check my heart's motivations in all I do. False humility has no room in God's ministry, because everything is dependent on His grace.

The temptation of pride also rears its ugly head whenever my heart quietly demands recognition in the work I do, forgetting that I must please God not men.

Pride causes me to feel this entitlement when the fact is I should be doing my share of God's ministry out of love for Him. If I only run after the praises of men I am no different from the hypocritical religious leaders during Jesus' time.

They pray loudly and ensure that their good deeds are seen by everyone to gain people's admiration. In condemnation, Jesus said that the only reward they receive is the hollow praise of man. They do not have the affirmation of God.

The Lord reminded me that He alone is my audience as I dispense my calling as a Christian worker among students. False humility and pride do not sit well with God's grace.

Instead, all of my days, I should strive to please and serve my only Master, Lord and Savior-- Jesus Christ! How I long to hear Him say one day, "Well done my good and faithful servant..."

PS. I find it interesting that God reminded me these things using an anime! Truly, if we're sensitive to God's Spirit, we'll find Him speaking to us even in unconventional ways.