The news that broke the day after the last Hangul Day (October 9) sent a wave of excitement through Korean society. Hangul Day celebrates the invention of the Korean alphabet, and the subsequent announcement that author Han Kang had won the Nobel Prize in Literature was not only a momentous occasion for her personally but also a source of national pride. As Koreans, we deeply appreciate this achievement, recognizing its significance both at home and abroad.
Yet what about the servants of the Lord, the coworkers with God in Christ’s ministry? What prize do they look to receive? The prize of Apostle Paul’s faithful ministry was not like the honor of the Nobel:
It seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. . . . We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world. (1 Cor 4:9, 13, NIV)
How could our merciful Lord treat the Apostle, who was willing to lay down his life for the gospel of the grace, in such a way? It would have been understandable if Paul had complained, but he did not. Instead, he took pride in it. He saw it as a glory to bear the marks of Christ’s suffering on his body. It was an even greater prize to boast in than the Nobel Prize.
How could this be? As Paul confessed, “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). He valued the crown of righteousness that he would receive from our Lord and King Jesus Christ more than any Nobel Prize in the world. This is why he was unfazed by being treated as the scum of the earth. This is to become like Jesus Christ, who did not shrink from carrying the cross like a cursed sinner, but obediently endured it, seeing the joy set before Him. Paul had the same faith as Moses:
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. (Heb 11:24–26)
This requires all Christians to follow the way, if our citizenship is in heaven. We must look forward to getting the reward from our dear Master in heaven.
It is natural to hope that people would recognize and commend us. But though we are true servants of Christ, Paul said that it was a very small thing to be judged by people, for he knew that the One who judges him is the Lord (1 Cor. 4:3–5). This is why he yearned for his entire ministry to be approved on the day of Christ Jesus. All the flocks he cared for should be a crown at the day of the Lord. This was what he desired all the time.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. (Phil 2:14–17)
Though he is a towering figure in Christian history, Paul never sought the glory of men even though he deserved to be honored in the sight of men. Is our greatest desire to be faithful to the Lord in our work? Or are we ultimately after another prize, one that fades, such as the Nobel Prize, big money, a luxury house, or fame?
Can we really consider the reward we’ll receive from the Lord on that day as far more valuable than receiving any highest prize here on earth? The crown of righteousness from the Lord is far better.