Part 1: Our Uchi and Soto Reality

<Staff Translation>

Doc: Welcome everyone! Iino, I’m so glad you’re here. Yoshiya and Gō, you guys look well. So, Iino, have you ever read the Bible before?

Iino: No, never. I’ve never touched a Bible… or even seen one before. But Gō keeps telling me how interesting it is. He even gave me this booklet, so I felt I couldn’t really turn down his invitation to join you.

Doc: Really? Well, I’m happy you’ve come. I hope you’ll find it interesting too. In this group, we’re going to search out the deep meaning and incredible joy that the Bible brings to our lives. So take it easy. You can share whatever you think and ask questions whenever you like. Alright, why don’t we begin with the “reality” that’s described in the booklet?

Which “circles” are you part of?

Iino: My family, my school, the circle of friends in my class, my club activities, my part-time job… I guess that’s about it?

Yoshiya: Yeah, and recently I joined the “circle” at church too.

Gō: I’m in a band as well.

Doc: Mmm. You’re all part of many circles, aren’t you? Next question:

Are you conscious of the “circles” in your life? Are you familiar with any of the concerns that people have in the booklet? 

Iino: I felt exactly this kind of problem when I was a first-grader in Junior High.

Iino: It was all such a pain I just thought I’d be better off by myself. I still had some good close friends, though.

Yoshiya: I know. I guess people these days who prefer to keep to themselves often end up that way because of the struggles they’ve had relating to others. They don’t want to get hurt again.

Gō: It’s difficult to live without being conscious of all the circles. They’re like the building-blocks of our society.

Doc: Okay, next question.

Are there any circles that you feel at home in, that you want to join, or even that you want to leave? 

Yoshiya: It’s really hard to find a circle where you can completely be at ease, isn’t it?

Doc: The Bible describes a place where we can truly belong on the inside, always and forever. Have a look at the verse on the cover of the uchi/soto booklet. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, 
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Old Testament, Psalm 23:6.

If you look carefully, you can see that the Lord is in capital letters. These capitals are used to indicate the God of the Bible. The “house of the Lord” is the place where God is. Itʼs a place of security and acceptance. So, here’s the question: How does the author describe the house of the Lord?

Iino: It says “forever”, so it looks like a place where you can always stay.

Gō: It’s full of goodness and mercy. Sounds like a great place, doesn’t it?

Doc: Yes. God himself is “goodness”, and he made a good world, generously filling it with good things for us to enjoy.

Doc: “Mercy” is God’s kindness and love that he gives to people who actually deserve his judgement. It’s a word that’s used to describe the unchanging “covenant love” of God. This idea will come up again, so don’t worry if you don’t totally get it now. Okay, next:

What is attractive to you about this “inside” (uchi) place?

Yoshiya: It’s a place where goodness and mercy “follow” us. Not as though we go searching for them, but more like they come looking for us. I think that’s pretty cool.

Doc: Isn’t it! Thanks everyone. Next, you’ll see that Jesus Christ is mentioned in the booklet. In fact, this Jesus is closely related to the house of God. In the Bible it says that Jesus is “faithful over God’s house”.

Doc: He holds the key and he keeps it secure. He has responsibility for opening and closing the doors, and he looks after everyone inside. Thatʼs because he is the “Son” and God is his “Father”. In these Bible studies, weʼll be learning what the Bible has to say about God and Jesus. So don’t worry if you don’t understand yet what’s meant by “Son” and “Father”. 

Now let’s look at another text from the Bible. In this passage, we read some words that Jesus spoke to his disciples on the night before he was crucified (executed on a cross). One of those followers was a man named Thomas. Gō, can I ask you to read it out?

Gō: Sure.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

New Testament, John 14:1-6

Doc: Thanks.

Why do you think that Jesus’ followers had troubled hearts at this time?

Iino: Because their Master was going to die soon, wasn’t he? 

Doc: That’s right. You know, despite Jesus giving them three advance warnings, they still didn’t really know what was going to happen at this point.

Doc: But yes, he is saying that even if something terrible – like his own crucifixion – happens, they must not let their hearts be troubled.

What does Jesus say he is going to do?

Yoshiya: He says he’s going to prepare a place for them.

Doc: Right? And where is that?

Iino: The “many rooms” in his Father’s house.

Doc: Exactly! What Jesus calls “my Father’s house” is the house of God that we’ve been talking about. Jesus is saying that he’s going to go and prepare a place there for his followers, and then he’ll come back and take them to himself there.

Doc: When he says he’s going to “go”, Jesus means that he’s first going to die. And when he says he’ll “come again”, he’s talking about rising from the dead. We’ll talk about Jesus’ death and resurrection in detail later on.

How could Jesus’ followers know the way to his “Father’s house”?

Gō: Jesus says that he is the Way. So if we know Jesus, we can know the way to his Father’s house.

Doc: That’s right! Jesus isn’t pointing to some way that leads far off into the distance: he’s saying that he is the way.

What else can we learn about the Father’s house from these verses?

Yoshiya: If Jesus goes out of his way to prepare a place “for you”, then even if you feel like you don’t have a place where you belong in this world now, if you believe in Jesus, you have a place in his Father’s house. 

Doc: Okay, I’m going to end with a concluding question. 

How do you feel about an “inside” (uchi) place like God’s house?

Iino: Unlike all the “circles” that we make, it sounds like a place where you can truly rest – a perfect place.

What else would you like to know about it? 

Iino: I want to know more about God before I make up my mind about the house.

Gō: Hmm. Yeah, and I want to know who else is in God’s house.

Yoshiya: And what you’re supposed to do there.

Gō: What do I need to believe to go there?

Doc: All these questions are important, and I’m sure you’ve got many more! I’m looking forward to reading the Bible together with you again next time.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.