Scriptures: Psalm 63:1-8; Luke 13:1-9
Key Verse: “My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you.” Psalm 63:1
“What is a ‘soul’?” Erma asked me as I was setting up the Communion on one of the dining tables at the assisted living facility where she lived. She looked perplexed and asked another question, “How do I know I have one?” Then I looked into her eyes and tried to recall everything that I had learned about souls throughout my life, even though I was only one third of her age. I thought that she probably knew more than I did. The first phrase that came to my mind was that eyes are the window to the soul. When I met Erma, she was already blind in both eyes. The silence probably lasted too long, so she called out, “Pastor Jade?” I reached out and held her hand and said, “Yes, I’m here! Erma, you do have a soul. We all have souls.”
The original meaning of the word ‘soul’ has the same definition in both English and Chinese, which is "spirit of a deceased person.” The word is derived from Old English which means immortal principle in man. What about the biblical perspective?
The psalmist in chapter 63 uses the word soul three times. It says that his or her soul thirsts for God and then is satisfied with God’s loving kindness to which the soul clings. Therefore, the soul is about the value and principle of life that God has created and preordained. It says in Genesis 2:7: “And the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (nephesh).” In some translations, it says ‘a living being’ or ‘a living person.’
Since a soul is created and preordained by God, God takes it more seriously than we normally would. The same Greek word ‘nephesh’ for soul in creation is also used in Leviticus 24:17-18. It says that anyone who wounds or destroys or conquers the nephesh of a person will be put to death, and anyone who wounds or destroys or conquers the nephesh of an animal will pay for it. And God further commands the people of faith to love the LORD our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might multiple times in the bible, from Deuteronomy 6:5 in the Old Testament to Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27 in the New Testament.
While Erma was still little, she fled Germany with her family when World War II broke out. As an immigrant, she tried to learn and speak English only when necessary. After a few years of marriage, she lost her husband. In order to raise her young children, she began to work and to speak English more often. Then she got sick and began losing her sight. Whenever I visited Erma after her questions about her soul, she shared with me many stories of growing up and growing old. What I learned from her stories was that there weren’t enough people alongside her to nurture and nourish her soul. The last question she asked me was, “Where does my soul go after I die?” Then I told her, “Your soul will rest in God’s loving hands with peace and joy.” And I saw a gracious smile on her face. Thanks be to God.
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