Matthew 20:28 (The Message Bible)

This year we are celebrating the 70 anniversary after world war 2. On August 15th the Prime Minister and also the Emporer spoke about war and peace. “Because there were many sacrifices, we can live in peace today,” was one comment that really hits me.

After the Meiji era, Japan has built up a national system centered on the Emperor. It was even so far said, that the Japanese people are children of the Emperor, that the people should devote themselves to the nation and to the Emperor. For the Emperor as the top of the triangle, there were given a lot of lifes and sacrifices.

When you look into the Bible, we can see a totally different triangle system. There you have Jesus on the bottom of a reversed triangle. The “son of man” is referring to Jesus. He is “giving away” his life. It means he is “paying back a price as an exchange for a hostage.” Jesus Christ came onto this earth to give his life as a sacrifice. Certainly Jesus Christ took the sin of all people and died on the cross for us. Jesus humbled himself and put himhelf on the bottom of the triangle, to take the troubles, suffering and grief for us. He sacrifiesed himself for us on the cross so that we can live.