5/18 To the Tanner's House
/Acts Series 51
Date: May 18, 2025
Title: To the Tanner's House
Scripture: Acts 9:43 - 10:8
43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.
2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.
6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.
8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
**Simon the Tanner**
The Bible testifies that the news of Tabitha, who had died and was raised back to life, spread quickly throughout Joppa, and many people believed in Jesus as the Christ because of this event.
If that's the case, Peter, who raised the dead, would have also become famous there as a great prophet whom everyone would want to meet. The kings and rulers of that place would have wanted to invite Peter and treat him to lavish banquets.
However, the place Peter actually went was a shocking twist.
A tanner is someone who makes leather, and if you only hear that, you might think of a leather craftsman or an artist. But their main job was to take animal carcasses, mostly the leftovers excluding the edible meat, skin them, and process them.
So, in that house, the smell of blood was constant, and it was bound to be swarming with all sorts of bugs, with the stench of rotting carcasses filling the air.
Therefore, they couldn't be located in the main residential areas and had to be as far away as possible, in the outskirts where few people lived.
So, the region of Joppa itself was already by the sea, and even within that, Simon the tanner's house was located right on the beach. Now, with advanced construction technology, luxury apartments are being built near the water in cities like Manhattan, and this region of Joppa is currently the wealthiest and most modern city in Israel, Tel Aviv.
However, back then, houses were built with mud, so being close to water was structurally unsafe. Also, the coast had no defenses like city walls against external invasions, making it a dangerous area prone to robbery, so only the poor lived there.
I once went to a market in Mongolia, and since they eat a lot of meat, the smell of blood from the meat was overwhelming as soon as I entered. I couldn't help but hold my nose. Lamb, in particular, seemed to have a strong odor.
If that's the case for a market selling cleanly prepared fresh meat, imagine Simon the tanner's house, without refrigerators, dealing with animal carcasses and their remains to make leather. Just being near it would have been unbearable due to the blood, stench, bugs, and flies—the hygiene would have been unimaginable.
But that wasn't all.
Leviticus says that even unintentionally touching the carcass of an animal makes you unclean.
[Leviticus 5:2] ‘Or if anyone touches something ceremonially unclean—whether the carcass of a wild animal or the carcass of livestock or the carcass of any creature that moves along the ground—even though they are unaware of it, they have become unclean and are guilty.
In reality, no one wanted to go to the tanner's house, which reeked of foul odors. Moreover, it was a religiously unclean place.
Therefore, it was a completely unsuitable place for Peter, a disciple of Jesus Christ and considered the top leader of a newly growing denomination. Besides, hadn't he just raised someone from the dead, making him the most famous person in the area?
While even kings wanted to invite him, Peter went to a place that no one wanted to go to and where no one even remembered who lived there. Moreover, the Bible records that Peter didn't just visit; he stayed there.
This extreme situation—when Peter performed the greatest miracle of his life and countless people praised God because of him, at that very moment, he stayed in the tanner's house, which was considered the dirtiest and most unclean place—therefore! It wasn't Peter's will, but God's leading!
And in verse 6 of today's scripture, God commands Cornelius, a Roman general, to send people to Simon the tanner's house in Joppa because Peter is staying there.
What does this show? Peter and Cornelius didn't know why, but it proves that God's plan was unfolding step by step.
God led Peter to Simon the tanner's house.
And Peter was once again spreading his arms wide, being led to a place he wouldn't have chosen himself.
**The Baekjeong of Korea**
While researching tanners, I found that they were very similar to the 'Baekjeong' of the Joseon Dynasty in Korean history.
During the Joseon Dynasty, Baekjeong belonged to the seven lowest social classes (cheonmin) under the caste system and faced extreme discrimination. Various records related to the status of Baekjeong remain.
Firstly, unlike ordinary commoners (yangin) or other lower classes, Baekjeong in the Joseon Dynasty were not recorded as 'male/female' in the census register. Instead, they were recorded as 'Baekjeong' or often omitted entirely.
This is a clear example showing that they were not even recognized as people in the official records of the state.
Secondly,
They were not allowed to wear gat (traditional Korean hats) worn by ordinary people and had to wear a specific type of hat called a paeraengi. This was a marker that easily identified them as Baekjeong from afar.
Also, Baekjeong only had given names and could not have surnames. Surnames belonged to the nobility (yangban) or commoners. Therefore, even children spoke informally to Baekjeong, calling them only by their given names or using derogatory nicknames. They used contemptuous terms like 'Baekjeong-a' (Hey Baekjeong) or 'Saeangchi' (a derogatory term for someone who skins animals).
In conclusion, Baekjeong were regarded as something less than human.
While researching Baekjeong, the obvious question that came to mind was: How did these people become Baekjeong in the first place? Did they commit terrible crimes like trying to sell the country or plotting treason, leading to a curse on their entire lineage? That's the kind of question that arose.
However, no matter how much I researched, there was no such information. Even those who committed high treason and had their status stripped away became slaves (nobi), not Baekjeong. It was simply stated that one was born a Baekjeong if their parents were Baekjeong.
Shockingly, even though the work they did was considered unclean by everyone, and they were not treated as human beings, this was determined at birth and could not be changed. Moreover, their children automatically became Baekjeong.
It is incredibly shocking that such blatant injustice was considered normal in Korea just over a hundred years ago.
Then, amidst the social reform atmosphere of the late Joseon period, an incident occurred where a Baekjeong named Park Seong-chun, representing the Baekjeong, directly appealed to the king.
In this appeal, he pleaded for Baekjeong to be properly registered in the census, have surnames, and be allowed to receive education. Although the appeal did not bring about immediate major changes, it is recorded as an important event where the Baekjeong themselves actively demanded their social liberation.
But how could such a thing happen?
How did a Baekjeong, who was despised even by slaves and had no name, come to have the name 'Park Seong-chun' and possess the courage and knowledge to appeal to the king?
**Park Seong-chun**
Records of Park Seong-chun exist in various places.
A Baekjeong, he was pained that his intelligent and diligent son 'Bong-chul' could not receive education and would inevitably live the same fate as him. He heard news that 'Yesugyo Hakdang' (Jesus Academy), founded by Samuel Moore, a missionary from the United States, provided free education regardless of social status, and he enrolled his son.
However, after some time, this Baekjeong suddenly fell ill and was on the verge of death. When Moore (S. F. Moore), the missionary at the Jesus Academy attended by his son Bong-chul, heard this news, he rushed to his side.
Surprisingly, missionary Moore brought with him Avison (O. R. Avison), a doctor at Jejungwon, the first modern hospital in Joseon, and also the royal physician to Emperor Gojong. Thanks to Avison's devoted care, Park Seong-chun miraculously survived his near-death experience.
The king's personal physician treated a Baekjeong.
Through this event, Park Seong-chun began to diligently attend Gondanggol Church, where missionary Moore served. Within the church, he experienced a warmth and welcome he had never imagined before.
However, when the noblemen (yangban) in the church learned that he was a Baekjeong, they couldn't bear to worship alongside him and demanded that missionary Moore expel Park Seong-chun.
But when missionary Moore insisted that there was no distinction between noble and common before God, the noblemen led the majority of the church members and left to establish another church in Hongmunseogol.
Seeing the church empty because of him, Park Seong-chun traveled throughout Seoul, as well as various Baekjeong villages in Suwon, Pyeongtaek, Yangju, and Pocheon, sharing the good news that everyone is equal before God.
The Baekjeong and lower classes, moved by his sincere evangelism and the 'gospel,' flocked to Gondanggol Church, and within just one year, the church was filled with them.
Realizing the value of the gospel that everyone is precious before God, Park Seong-chun now took the lead in the movement to find the human rights of Baekjeong like himself.
In the autumn of 1894, the caste system of Joseon society was nominally abolished. However, the prejudice and discrimination against Baekjeong, accumulated over hundreds of years, remained deep-rooted. Many Baekjeong who, believing in the abolition decree, wore the clothes of commoners were beaten on the streets.
In April 1895, with the help of missionary Moore and a Korean teacher, Park Seong-chun once again submitted a fervent petition to the government cabinet demanding the complete abolition of the Baekjeong discrimination system. Yu Gil-jun, the Minister of Home Affairs at the time, listened to the courageous appeal of the Baekjeong, and on May 13th of that year, he re-promulgated a decree ordering the end of discrimination against Baekjeong and had it announced nationwide.
That day, the moved Baekjeong gathered on the streets of Jongno in Seoul, wearing dopo (traditional Korean overcoats) and gat for the first time in 500 years with dignity. Today is May 18th, so it was almost exactly 130 years ago that Baekjeong were finally able to be treated as human beings.
Through this process, Park Seong-chun rose beyond the Baekjeong class to become a leading figure representing the common people of late Joseon.
On October 28, 1898, he was invited as a representative of ordinary citizens to the Gwanmin Joint Assembly, an important public debate held by the Independence Club in Jongno, Seoul, where he delivered a speech.
Speaking on the theme of 'loyalty to the king and love for the country,' he emphasized that the government (gwan) and the people (min) must unite their hearts to benefit the nation. His speech was recorded in detail in the 'Daehan Gyeonsa,' a history book written by Jeong Gyo at the time, showing that he had become a socially notable figure.
Meanwhile, Gondanggol Church, which Park Seong-chun attended, faced difficulties when its chapel was destroyed by fire in 1898. However, this became an opportunity to reunite with the Hongmunseogol Church, which had been established by the noblemen who left, and in 1905, they established a new worship place in Insadong, becoming the Seungdong Church we know today.
Park Seong-chun continued to serve as an important worker at Seungdong Church and was elected as an elder of the church through a vote in 1911.
There was another elder named Lee Jae-hyung who served at Seungdong Church with Park Seong-chun. He was a famous figure known for calling his former horse groom, Eom Yeong-su, a commoner whom he had evangelized and who had come to believe in Jesus, 'hyungnim' (older brother)—and this Lee Jae-hyung was a member of the Joseon royal family.
A member of the royal family and a Baekjeong served together as elders in the same church.
What happened to Park Seong-chun's son, Bong-chul?
Information about him remained in the Korean Doctors' Newspaper.
Park Seong-chun's son, Bong-chul, changed his name to Park Seo-yang and graduated from Jejungwon Medical School in June 1908, becoming one of the first seven Korean doctors.
He worked at the Severance Hospital Nursing School until 1918, after which he resigned and opened the 'Guse Clinic' in Manchuria. At the same time, he established a church there and served as an elder, and he also established an elementary school for children's education, serving as its principal and participating in the independence movement.
Source: Doctors' Newspaper ([http://www.doctorstimes.com](http://www.doctorstimes.com))
Let's think about the life of a boy named Bong-chul.
His father, an unknown Baekjeong, gained the name Park Seong-chun, which led to countless Baekjeong and lower-class people regaining their names. His son, Bong-chul, became one of the first Korean doctors and a professor, established a church, and built a school, changing the destinies of countless other children.
Where did all these incredible things begin?
If missionary Moore hadn't accepted Bong-chul, the son of a Baekjeong, into the school...
If missionary Moore hadn't gone to unimaginable lengths to save a dying Baekjeong, who was not even treated as a human being at the time, even bringing the king's personal physician...
What about when the noblemen, upon learning the Baekjeong's status, threatened missionary Moore that they would leave the church if he didn't expel him?
As Pastor Chun Min-sung's sermon last week also covered, what would have been the strategic choice, the wise decision for the church's growth in that situation? Of course, it would have been to choose the noblemen, who were literate, followed Bible study well, and could financially support the church, wouldn't it?
However, missionary Samuel Moore, for the sake of one smelly and illiterate Baekjeong... chose that one Baekjeong over the group of noblemen, prepared to have the church empty. How was that possible?
The only reason it was possible is that!
130 years ago, missionary Moore held the same Bible we are looking at now.
The one who led Peter to the house of Simon the tanner, not the royal palace, 2,000 years ago! The same Holy Spirit was upon missionary Samuel Moore.
He, too, was spreading his arms wide and following where the Holy Spirit led, not the path he desired.
With two other groups joining the South Dakota mission trip departing at the end of June, the total number of participants is now 54. It has become the largest team ever. With a diverse range of genders and ages, it seems it will be a very fruitful mission.
However, what if we...
In 2019, after hearing the heartbreaking news about Nicole, the teenage girl we were close to in South Dakota, we had listened to the enemy's whispers to give up on that place...
Moreover, considering the church's situation at that time... Pastor Choi's dispatch, the church's financial situation, the remaining members...
...if we had placed more weight on all those realities...
We had gone for 12 years, and the church's situation had changed so much...
A new leader had been established, so... we had done enough!
Who could have pointed a finger if we had stopped there?
If we had stopped then... what would have happened?
These fruits that we are now faintly seeing would have all vanished like a mist.
Just as the dawn before sunrise is the darkest, and spring comes at the end of a long winter,
There is the fiercest opposition that makes you want to give up right before bearing fruit.
In those moments when you feel powerless and meaningless, what is needed is unwavering trust and faith in the Lord who called you,
A moment when unshakable faithfulness is required.
The fact that a Baekjeong, who was born a Baekjeong, would give birth to Baekjeong, live that way, and disappear without a name, could regain his name and help countless others, including his son, find their names...
It was accomplished through the obedience of one person who followed the calling, by those who spread their arms wide and followed the path the Lord led, even when the fruit was not immediately visible, the loss was clear, and they didn't understand why they had to go there.
**The Fate of Sinners**
We were born in a good era and, through various fortunes, were not born as Baekjeong in the Joseon Dynasty. However, spiritually, humanity is born with deep-rooted sinfulness, unable to escape the shackles of sin, living by making all sorts of things our masters, moving from one addiction to another.
Global smoking rates have recently plummeted, but it is now medically being proven that cell phones and scrolling can be more dangerous than smoking. Public schools, aware of the danger, are belatedly operating cell phone lockers to lock away children's phones during class hours... but what about the rest of the time?
What about adults and office workers who don't go to school? There are no cell phone lockers at work... can they restrict themselves?
Even though slavery and the caste system have mostly
...been abolished, aren't modern people always living as slaves to something?
For example, in Korea, all children born spend their entire lives aiming for a single university.
How many people are living as slaves, bound by things like academic elitism, lookism, and materialism, unable to escape? It's passed down from parents to children... isn't it pitiful?
Isn't it to break those chains and remove those snares that the Lord came? It's to make us see the eternal truth, not just the immediate reality.
Don't live a futile life chasing after different kinds of empty things. Don't waste your life on things that will disappear in a moment. Know that you are eternally precious beings, break free from the childish shackles of temporary things, and see the truth of your and our worth, each other's eternal worth!
Then, all those things that everyone chased after, risking their lives, will seem so childish and insignificant!
When your eyes are opened to the truth like that, you will see the shining narrow gate, and from there, the narrow path that follows will unfold as truly beautiful and fragrant for the first time.
That path is one that turns away from the easy and comfortable road. It is a gate that can only be entered when you lay down your own thoughts, plans, and will and surrender to the Lord.
For missionary Moore, that gate was the door to the house of Bong-chul, the dying Baekjeong's son.
For Peter, that gate was the door leading into the house of Simon the tanner.
For this church, that gate is this land of Manhattan, the white plains of Mongolia,
And the gate of the neighborhood swimming pool in South Dakota, where the Native American children were so excited they left their belongings scattered.
What were Simon the tanner and his family like when Peter came to them?
When someone like the Son of God, who had recently raised the dead, said he would stay at their house...
What about when Moore came to Bong-chul's house with Avison, the king's personal physician?
The end of today's scripture concludes with a high-ranking Roman official, who ruled the world at the time, being sent to the house of Simon the tanner. The tanner's house, which no one wanted to go to, had now become a place everyone sought to meet the Lord.
We have the same Bible that missionary Moore saw, and the Lord who leads Peter lives within us.
Where is that Lord leading you?
