Jesus Tissues

Jesus Tissues

 

Sometimes, around the university I worked at and elsewhere, I would see some Koreans passing out little packets of tissue. 

 

Korean churches would pass out wet tissues

instead of tracts. On the packets would be

information about the church and a Bible

verse.

 

The university was unhappily perched on top of a steep hill that looked down on all the restaurants and bus stops. That hill, oh, that hill was a constant source of displeasure and whining (징징) from the students. But, as students and professors walked down the hill there were usually some church ladies passing out wet tissues. In Korea, it is common for the Protestant groups to hand out little packs of tissues with a church name and a map to the church. This is in place of the religious tracts I use to receive in America.

 

It is usually some older Korean housewife or young girl (and sometimes with that young girl, I see a guy about the same age.  I am guessing he is trying to get some ''boyfriend points'). And, even though I have been in Korea for ten years, only five times have any of them approached me and actually spoke (Once in English and four times in Korean).  I usually walk past them, usually walking with many other Koreans who I don't know but whom we share a common bound because of proximity of studying and working, and all the Koreans are offered the tissue, but most of the time the church goers step back when I come near them as they do when other foreigners walk past them. It is not that they don't care about our souls and Salvation (I hope not), but something more ingrained within the ESL culture in Korea:  a fear that the white person won't be able to speak Korean.

 

Or, it may just be that I'm really ugly, but I doubt this.

 

One particular day and one other time, I stopped and asked the church goers why they didn't offer me any religious tissues. Walking past them, they didn’t give me the tissue: They just held them closer to their chest as if they were blocking their spiritual hearts. I told them (in Korean) that God can understand Korean, and that the soul is more important than a perceived language barrier (Genesis 11). Anyway, there are cartoon pictures of Jesus all over the tissue packs, so even if the foreigner doesn't understand Korean, they can still understand that the tissues and tracts have to do with Jesus.  That is the most important thing─at least to me. Plus, the foreigner could feel a true heart for God if they are offered the tissues. The older ladies looked at me with wide eyes as I talked to them. Faces etched with looks of deep contemplation. We all stood there for a moment until one of the ladies slowly gone me a pack of Jesus tissues.

 

 

 

Anyway, wasn't Jesus' native language Aramaic?

 

Is this Elvish?

 

 

He probably spoke Greek, too. I speak English and Korean, and that well-intentioned woman only spoke Korean. But, prayers are always heard, despite the language we choose to send them up in.

 

The other times that I was offered the tissues and the church goers spoke in Korean, I thanked them, happy that they weren't put off by my foreign appearance, but offering Emergency Jesus Squatty Potty Tee-pee (as my friend calls the churches’ tissue packs).  Once, a church in my area offered moist-tissues, which was awesome, and got the attention of all the students at my uni, saying that it was cool for God to give moist-tissues out. That church got a lot of publicity with that idea.

 

I mean, I like the Korean version of Jesus, especially the jacked-up one:

 

 

 

And, the wise looking Jesus from the musical Jesus Jesus:

 



 

 But, Jesus died for us all. We are all saved because of Him. There should be no worry about language and whatnot. The Spirit will speak to everyone in their own heart in their own time. We just need to help set up the meeting.