This sermon is an edited version of the sermon, "Reading the Letter to the Philippians" delivered on February. 11, 2006.   Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.     Philippians 3:2-3   The mystery of the Bible hidden behind the history of the world Where do you think the name of the place "Philippi" came from? In the book of Acts, it says Philippi was the foremost city of Macedonia (see Acts 16:12). Philip, the father of Alexander the Great, governed the district of Macedonia in ancient times. Of all the conquerors in history, Alexander was the one who occupied the largest territory. There has been no greater conqueror than he since then. Unfortunately, he died when he was only but a little over thirty. Philippi, named after this great man in history, was an actual geographical location. However, not many people know of Philippi today, and the place was relatively unknown even during New Testament times. However, when we read the Bible which is the word of God, we can see that those places mentioned in the Bible have become the most well-known during the two-millennium-long Christian history. The true message to be revealed through the book of Philippians is a great mystery and is hidden from the eyes of the people of the world. People of the world are not satisfied with what they can see right now. They do not judge by things visible, such as what they have written, or the words, pictures, and photos in books. Rather, they pursue something invisible. They search after what great people have achieved, how the history of the world has proceeded, and the like. While examining all these things, people may easily overlook the secret lying within the Bible. Though what the Bible says is very clear, people do not take it seriously because they are not interested in it. If a student studies only the subjects he likes to study, he may not receive good grades in other subjects. If he studies the subjects he does not like first and puts aside his favorite subjects for a while, he can learn more. If people study only what they like to study, just as they eat only what they like to eat, they only hurt themselves. People in this world do not try to gain the truth from their studies and research on this world, nor do they seek to understand why some people strive to comprehend and study what the Bible says. Let us think about this. Without the Bible, would it be possible for human beings to exist on the earth as they do now? Some may say I am speaking absurdly, but I often think about this whenever I watch news programs. Sometimes I watch TV and see how some famous politicians walk along, with the head politician at front and the other statesmen following after him. The same thing happens with politicians in other countries, with the number of the people accompanying and following the politician indicating how powerful the country is. When I see that, I think about the difference between now and the past and the way that history changes and flows. In the past, rulers wore elaborate helmets, fancy suits of armor, and other decorations to flaunt their power. However, that's not how leaders today display their power. Leaders, voted into office, walk with dignity, their shoulders squared and head held high. Wearing suits, they do not look like conquerors or rulers, and do not appear to boast of their power or engage in open conflict with other leaders. However, there is a "cold war" in this world, existing as enmity between countries, though not expressed outwardly. Now we are in the era where winning or losing depends on strategy and the power of the mind. The power of a country lies in how adept they are in their diplomacy and how they utilize their Machiavellian tactics. In the past people overtly displayed their power, but that is not the case today. The leaders of the world look the same as ordinary people; they do not reign over people. They simply make judgments on things. The leaders have numerous advisers around them. If these advisers mislead their leaders, it results in catastrophe. Critical situations like this loom about us. All the nations should share responsibility, but each nation pursues its own interest. For this reason, world peace exists only in their pledges in vain. This is the world in which we live today. Are our lives safe? On what foundations are our lives built upon? Let us think about the time when Jesus was on this earth. At that time the Herod family reigned over the land of Israel. This royal family was appointed by the Roman Empire, and Israel was under the Romans' power. The Jews handed their jurisdiction over to the Romans, even when they killed Jesus. The Jews asked the Romans to put Jesus to death, and Pilate said he was not able to find any sin in Jesus that deserved death. When the Jews insisted Jesus should be crucified, Pilate said, "You see to it" (Matthew 27:24), washing his hands not to bear the responsibility. The Jews were a nation possessing greater pride than any other nation, but they worked alongside the Romans in committing such a heinous act. In the course of human history, we see many contradictions such as this. The Jewish people's monotheistic ideology was so strong that it was enough to look down upon the powerful Romans. Even though the Jews read the law and writings of the prophets with such religious conviction, when asked what should be done to Jesus, their only answer was death.  However, it is true that it was God's will to kill Jesus. The Jews committed sins to fulfill this will of God. How did they commit the sin? Pilate scourged Jesus, though he said he found no fault in Jesus (see John 19:1-4). From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend" (John 19:12). Pilate was afraid and joined the killing of Jesus. And, during this turmoil, Pilate committed yet another inconceivable deed. He released a man named Barabbas who was a rebel, a robber, and a murderer, but handed sinless Jesus over to death (see John 18:38-40). Supposedly, Barabbas was a man who would provoke the Jews to rebel against Rome in an effort to achieve the independence of Israel. Nevertheless, Pilate released him. The Jews knew that Barabbas was a criminal, but they asked for his release because they did not want Jesus to live. This is ironic, isn't it?All of this is written in the Bible. And because of this, the history of the world went through a great change. If Jesus had not come to this world and not gone through these travails, if the New Testament had not been written, and if certain events had not occurred as written in the Old Testament, what would the world be like today? Compared to ancient times, when the conquerors came brandishing swords and spears, people, today, hide such signs of aggression and do not reveal them as easily. Instead people are taught manners. This change came about by the New Testament all around Europe. The New Testament spread change in Europe. Around the 1100s, Europe was struck by a war called the Crusades. Jesus said, "All who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52). However, the Pope, the religious leader at that time, had the people pick up the sword, and in the name of God he let them try to take Jerusalem, telling his followers it was God's will. If people rebuked, he condemned them as heretics. Numerous young men in Europe died in an effort to take Jerusalem back. At that time many countries were under the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and the kings of these countries were unable to choose not to go to war or take a more passive stance against the Crusades. The religion of their people was under the authority of the Pope, and the kings had no choice but to follow the will of the Pope.There is a famous story related to this war. It is about a king who occupied Jerusalem without shedding a drop of blood.* (*On the 6th expedition of the Crusaders King Friedrich II of the Kingdom of Sicily captured Jerusalem bloodlessly, founded the Kingdom of Jerusalem.) He was disregarded by his people because he was expelled by the Pope for the reason that he did not join the invasion using weapons. He had maintained friendly relations with the Muslim king and exchanged an oath not to intervene with each others' religions. If you go to Jerusalem, you can see Muslim mosques. A famous mosque stands where the temple used to be. Isn't this very strange? The Jews made a strong fort to defend this site, and the Catholics have their presence there as well. Jerusalem now has become an arena of religious competition. We do not know whether this will b

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