Abstract
This paper explores the missiological impetus for migrant workers marginalized in South Korea, incorporating Byung-Mu Ahn’s ochlos theory with God’s self-designation – “I am who I am” (Exod 3:14, NIV) – into the contemporary situation of the oppressed migrant workers in South Korea. It suggests shifting their perspective from their insignificant status – illegal immigrants – to the interpretive framework of God’s self-disclosure, thus empowering and legitimizing their protest against the Korean government. Furthermore, this paper encourages Korean churches to adopt missional essentials: (1) a spiritual alliance with God, and (2) a union between migrant workers from various backgrounds.
Keywords
Ochlos Theory and its Usage for God’s Missional Intention
While defined in the Greek-English Lexicon as “crowd, throng, populace, the (common) people, and a large company,” the Greek term ochlos in the Gospel of Mark refers to those who are marginalized and abandoned. 1 For instance, ochlos represents the non-disciple followers of Jesus such as “tax collectors and sinners; widows, children and the sick; [as well as those] oppositional to the ruling class of Jerusalem; [those] feared as a group by the ruling authorities.” 2 Namely, it is assumed that ochlos entails the main members of the community that appears in the Gospel of Mark.
Interestingly, the use of the term by Byung-Mu Ahn, a first-generation Minjung theologian, reveals an important clue to understanding the historical Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. As the Gospel of Mark was written based on oral tradition, it is the ochlos who carried the story of Jesus. 3 The process of transmitting the story of Jesus through the ochlos is as follows: the first ochlos (as witness) who witnessed Jesus in person carried a story of Jesus to the second ochlos (as messenger), and the second ochlos transmitted this story again to the third ochlos who directly affected the author of the Gospel of Mark. 4 Because all three categories of storytellers are defined as ochlos, Jesus’ story as conveyed by the ochlos is expected to be consistent. In other words, we can assume that historical facts about the “historical Jesus” examined through the lens of ochlos are credible.
Per this methodology, ochlos plays a significant role as a messenger that reenacts the event of the past into reality, providing a crucial clue that interprets the past from the contemporary perspective and vice. That is, ochlos theory is a hermeneutical means of connecting, or comparing, contemporary marginalized groups to their biblical counterparts (together, ochloi) across time. It is through this connection of ochloi that the event of the past becomes reenacted and embodied into a reality – an interpretive lens that helps us better grasp both the biblical context and the contemporary situation. 5
It is notable that Byung-Mu Ahn contributes significantly to the development of ochlos theory in a way that associates ochlos with minjung. 6 In other words, Ahn, recognizing a similarity between the concept of ochlos and that of minjung, began to think of minjung as a contemporary ochlos – connecting ochlos in the Gospel of Mark to minjung in contemporary Korean society. This connection contributes greatly to the development of ochlos theory in that it opens a possibility of reenacting what happened in the Bible through contemporary events in South Korea. 7 Given this connection, the Gospel of Mark’s story reenacted with minjung would be a valuable resource to better understand and interpret missiological impetus, or intention, in Korean society.
While Byung-Mu Ahn makes use of ochlos theory in a one-sided way that reenacts biblical texts into contemporary context, this paper argues that ochlos theory can be utilized the other way around. In other words, ochlos theory is a useful means of better understanding contemporary phenomenon from the biblical perspective. If it is possible to make a connection between ochloi of the past and present, and set up a foundation in which the past ochlos can be reenacted in the present ochlos, then the present ochlos should also be able to be reenacted into the past.
With this methodology in mind, this paper attempts to make use of ochlos theory as a means of interpreting the contemporary phenomenon of migrant workers oppressed in South Korea using the biblical perspective of the experience of the Israelites oppressed in Exodus 1-3. To be more specific, in response to a contemporary phenomenon in which many migrant workers in South Korea are oppressed in various forms, this paper attempts to grasp a concept of divine missional intention (missiological impetus) in their plight using ochlos theory, which reenacts the contemporary phenomenon of the migrant workers into the experience of the Israelites oppressed in Egypt. By doing so, we can contextualize a divine missional intention – in this case, liberating God’s people out of their dismal situations as shown through the experience of the Israelites in Exodus – into the contemporary context of migrant workers.
A Shared Ochlos: Israelites in Exodus 1 and Migrant Workers in South Korea
This attempt begins with putting together into the category of ochlos the Israelites in Exodus 1 and the migrant workers in South Korea. To prove that both groups are alluded to as ochlos, this paper describes the characteristic of ochlos as follows: marginalized or oppressed by social authorities. 8 The term need not include all types of social, political, economic, and physical oppressions; if burdened with one aspect of various oppressions, then the group is still eligible to be ochlos. 9 This paper also proves why both groups are eligible to be ochlos by examining the Greek term laos in LXX and Ahn’s precedent usage of Korean workers as an ochlos.
Ochlos – The Israelites in Exodus 1
Considering that the Israelites were exploited as migrant slaves and physically oppressed by the Egyptians, the Israelites are implied to be an ochlos. 10 The Israelites were harshly exploited to construct the infrastructure of the period, as portrayed in the book of Exodus: “They [Egyptians] made their [Israelites’] lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields” (Exod 1:14, NIV). The Israelites’ labor unfortunately gets harsher. When Moses requests to “offer sacrifices to the LORD our God” (Exod 5:3b, NIV) with the Israelites, Pharaoh burdens the Israelites with a greater labor by making them “gather their own straw” (v. 7b) to make bricks, although still required to “make the same number of bricks as before” (v. 8a). To make it worse, Pharaoh’s unreasonable demands lead to a situation in which the “Israelite foremen . . . were beaten” (v. 14a) by Egyptians.
The Greek term laos, which appears in the Gospels, also clearly proves that the Israelites should be regarded as an ochlos. Laos is the term that refers to “a collective group as a unified formation with a certain degree of self-identity among members.” 11 Notably, the term laos is “frequently used in the LXX to translate the corresponding Hebrew word to ‘people,’ the people of Israel in particular” and is also used to substitute the term ochlos in the Gospels. 12 The author of Luke’s Gospel, for instance, prefers to use laos over ochlos, while ochlos in Mark’s Gospel was occasionally changed into laos in parallel passages. 13 Given the fact that the term laos, which refers to the Israelites in LXX, is identical, or at least analogous, to the term ochlos in the Gospels, one can assume that the Israelites are eligible to be an ochlos.
Ochlos – Migrant Workers in South Korea
Migrant workers should also be regarded as an ochlos because they are easily exposed to physical assault from their employers. It is recorded that about 37.6 percent of migrant workers have experienced racial harassment by their employers or Korean coworkers in their workplace, while around 51.2 percent of migrant workers have suffered bullying in various forms. 14 Women migrant workers are especially vulnerable to sexual abuse and assault by oppressive employers, with 11.7 percent of women migrant workers reporting a sexual assault by their employers. 15
Furthermore, Ahn’s precedent usage of Korean worker, Jeon Tae Il, oppressed in Korea as minjung, models migrant workers’ identification as ochlos as well. Jeon Tae Il, a Korean worker, in an act of self-immolation, burned himself to death to let the world know the difficulties of workers in Korea. Ahn argued, “By burning himself, he cried out to the world . . . his death alerted us to pay attention to the miserable realities of the [Korean] laborers and made us discover the minjung.” 16 Given that Ahn made use of the oppressed Korean worker as a contemporary ochlos, we can assume that migrant workers currently oppressed by the Korean government can also become an ochlos.
God’s Missional Intention for the Israelites with a Focus on Exodus 3:14
This paper argues that divine missional intention, or impetus, is revealed through God’s self-designation in Exodus 3:14 – “I am who I am.” God’s self-designation is an answer to Moses’ rejection of God’s commission to “bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exod 3:10b, NIV). Moses questions God, asking, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (v. 11), “Suppose I go to the Israelites . . . and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’” (v. 13a), and “Then what shall I tell them?” (v. 13b). At this point, a question arises: why did God identify Himself in the form of this self-designation – “I am who I am” – in response to Moses’ questions? To answer this question, this paper reflects deeply on God’s self-designation and concludes that it is an expression that does not just refer to the name of God but indicates a missional, or liberational, “act” for Moses.
An Understanding of God’s Self-Designation - An Act of God
Historically, God’s self-designation refers to an act of God rather than a literal name. In the ancient Near East, it was understood that the name of a god represents their characteristics and abilities. 17 Depending on the god’s name, people assumed what kind of abilities this god has. For this reason, the more names a god had, the more powerful the god was. In this regard, the question Moses expects the Israelites to ask – “What is his name?” – is not literally about the name of God but God’s ability to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt.
In this light, God’s self-designation points to the abilities of God. Raymond Abba supports this argument by referring to the usage of the Hebrew term המָ, which is used in Exodus 3:13. 18 המָ is an interrogative pronoun that asks a question about what “quality” or “kind” of a particular matter is. 19 What is remarkable is that in the Hebrew Bible, המָ was never used to inquire one’s name (when asking about one’s name in Hebrew Bible, ימ. is generally used instead). 20
Moreover, the Greek translation of God’s self-designation in LXX also indicates that God’s self-designation is declared to clarify God’s abilities that will be exerted for the Israelites. Gerhard von Rad attempted to interpret the term εἰμί, a verb originally construed to refer to an absolute being in LXX, as a relational being that means to “be in existence here.” 21 That is, Gerhard von Rad understood God’s self-designation as a rhetorical expression that stresses God’s active presence for the Israelites oppressed by Egyptians, and interprets as “I am here for you.” 22
An Application of God’s Self-Designation – God’s Own Self and Activeness
With this understanding of God’s self-designation – an act of God – comes a question: what kind of act does God intend to take through God’s self-designation? Given the context of Exodus 3:14, the process of understanding God’s act necessarily demands a comprehension of Moses’ rebuttal, especially Moses’ reluctance to obey God’s calling. Thus, this paper attempts to reflect on the basis of Moses’ rebuttal and concludes that God’s self-designation is a missional, or liberational, act that: (1) shifts Moses’ perspective from that of his relatively insignificant status to that of God’s own self and (2) empowers Moses to actively resist Pharaoh.
The concern Moses had regarding God’s commission was his relatively insignificant status in relation to Pharaoh. Jonathan M. Platter describes Moses’ concern as a quantitative power continuum by arguing, “As a murderer and expatriate, Moses is relatively low on the continuum [in relation to Pharaoh].” 23 With God’s self-designation, however, Moses no longer needs to be afraid of Pharaoh and the social structures surrounding him because, as Platter argues, “God’s response . . . shifts the emphasis away from Moses’ relative power to God’s sovereign position: ‘I will be with you.’” 24 That is, God’s self-designation is a missional act of God that shifts Moses’ view from his insignificant status to God’s own self.
Furthermore, God’s self-designation is a missional act that turns Moses’ passive attitudes into active resistance against Pharaoh. Thinking himself insignificant in comparison to Pharaoh, Moses is passive towards God’s commission, stating, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exod 3:11, NIV). In response to Moses’ passivity, however, God provides Moses with God’s self-designation – a missional act that empowers Moses to more actively and spontaneously liberate the Israelites out of Pharaoh’s governance. With God’s self-designation, Moses becomes more active in his liberational activities. In the subsequent chapters, he leads a direct protest against Pharaoh (Exod 5:1, NIV) and a proclamation of God’s word towards the Israelites (Exod 6:2-9, NIV).
An Interpretation of the Israelites’ Experience in Terms of God’s Self-Designation
On the surface, God’s self-designation seems to be declared exclusively for Moses. However, it is actually proclaimed for the Israelites, because, as Martin Buber argues, Moses’ rebuttal, which induced God’s self-designation, is fundamentally raised to respond to the potential questions of the inquisitive Israelites. 25 In a sense, we can assume that God’s self-designation can now be applied to the situation of the Israelites as follows: (1) God’s self-designation is a missional act of God that makes the Israelites fearless against Pharaoh by shifting their perspective of their relatively insignificant status before Pharaoh to that of God’s own self. (2) God’s self-designation is a missional act of God that empowers the Israelites to actively resist the social structures of their oppression and Pharaoh himself.
Shifting the Israelites’ View from their Insignificant Status to God’s Own Self
When the Israelites were oppressed as slaves in Egypt, many assume that Ramses II (BC 1290-1224) ruled as the third Pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty of Egypt. 26 Ramses II is famous for his enthusiasm for constructing enormous cities and monuments commemorating his domination over ancient Egypt. A great example is Pi-Ramesses, an ancient city that the Israelites were forced to construct, as recorded in the Bible: “They [Israelites] built . . . Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh” (Exod 1:11, NIV). With no other city in ancient Egypt named for Rameses other than Pi-Ramesses, Rameses must be the namesake for Pi-Ramesses. 27
For Ramses II’s urbanization project, especially Pi-Ramesses, the Israelites were harshly exploited as migrant slaves without any basic human rights. The actual amount of labor required of a person is recorded, “yupa, Urhiya’s son: 2,000 bricks requested; delivered 660, 410, 56; total 1,630; missing 370.” 28 When the Israelites failed to meet the labor requirement, they were beaten by Egyptians as the Papyrus Amhurst (3.6-7) indicates, their hands and feet were twisted. 29 The Israelites’ physical oppression clearly reveals their status in Egypt – undoubtedly among the lowest status in the entire social structure. Goran Larsson argues, “The Egyptian hierarchy of superiors and underlings is well documented. It is typical under such oppressive systems that those who rank just above the slaves are recruited from among the slaves themselves.” 30
Given the fact that the Hebrew term amah, which refers to the Israelite female slaves in Exodus 21, is different from that of the Israelite male slaves ('eved). 31 The status of the Israelite female slaves is expected to be different from, or allegedly lower than, that of the Israelite male slaves. A good example that highlights the unequal treatment towards the Israelite female slaves is Exodus 21:7b: “She is not to go free as menservants do” (NIV). Carolyn Pressler argues that Exodus 21:7 is applicable to unbetrothed girls sold into bondage whose economic value is “her sexual and reproductive capacity . . . for sexual use and for breeding children, as well as for general labor.” 32 Ilona Rashkow, a Judaic scholar, also adds by describing the status of the Israelite female slaves as a property, arguing, “Since a female slave was property, her owner could exploit or dispose of her sexuality like any other aspect of property.” 33
In response to the Israelites’ insignificant status, God strongly declares God’s self-designation by stating, “I am who I am” (Exod 3:14, NIV) – a missional act that shifts the Israelites’ perspective from that of their relatively insignificant status and inabilities before the Egyptian social structures to the perspective of God’s own self and the power it entails. For the Israelites, their lower status is no longer an obstacle that hinders them from their liberation. Rather, they were empowered to stand fearlessly against Pharaoh and Egypt’s oppressive social structures, because of God’s promise and self-designation.
Empowering the Israelites to Actively Protest Pharaoh
God’s self-designation also encourages the Israelites to move against the social authorities, especially Pharaoh. This active movement of the Israelites was divided into two stages. The first stage was to encourage the elders, the representatives of the Israelites, to participate in their movement. Aware that the participation of the elders would strengthen their movement, God commanded Moses to “Go, assemble the elders of Israel” (Exod 3:16a, NIV). According to the commandment, Moses and Aaron “brought together all the elders of the Israelites” (Exod 4:29-31, NIV) and conveyed the promise of God towards the Israelites, holding, “I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt” (Exod 3:17a, NIV).
Because the elders are the Israelites’ representatives who “constituted a sort of local administration” in the Israelite community, Moses and Aaron need the elders’ support for the movement. 34 William H. C. Propp argues, “To move the people and impress Pharaoh, Moses will have to court Israel’s traditional leadership,” and adding, “Yahweh cannot work effectively through Moses and Aaron alone.” 35 For Pharaoh, the resistance of the elders, the representatives of the entire community of the Israelites, is much more threatening than God’s message conveyed by Moses and Aaron alone. 36
The second stage was to urge the Israelites, especially their elders, to spontaneously protest Pharaoh. Being aware of the power of a spontaneous movement, God commanded Moses to bring the elders when protesting Pharaoh, stating, “Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt” (Exod 3:18a, NIV) – an attempt to make Pharaoh directly face the spontaneous rebellion of his slaves. In Exodus 5:15-16, for instance, the elders challenged Pharaoh by directly unveiling their dissatisfaction, arguing, “Why have you treated your servants this way? Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” The actual impact of their resistance was likely to have been much greater than it appears, due to the inferred voice of the whole community of Israelites. Martin Noth argues, “Underlying 5:13-19 is a piece of narrative in which the Israelites deal collectively with Pharaoh, perhaps through some such group of representatives as the ‘elders,’ just as later, in v. 15, the ‘foremen’ of the Israelites present their case to Pharaoh.” 37
While the elders’ spontaneous resistance did not result in Pharoh’s release of the Israelites, it plays an important role as a vehicle of their liberation. Specifically, when the elders directly protest Pharaoh, their resentment is also geared towards Moses and Aaron on account of their cowardly behaviors. As Moses and Aaron, for instance, await the elders outside after they confronted Pharaoh (Exod 5:30, NIV), the elders criticize them, saying, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you!” (v. 31a). When the resentment of the elders reaches the ears of God, it is God who validates the liberation ministry for the Israelites’ sake, saying, “You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of Egyptians” (Exod 6:7b, NIV). With God’s reaffirmation proclaimed, God earnestly launches the Israelites’ liberation by embarking on the ten disasters in the subsequent chapters (7-12), which eventually induces Pharaoh to release his slaves, the Israelites, and declare, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites!” (Exod 12:31, NIV).
Reenacting God’s Self-Designation of the Israelites with Migrant Workers in Korea
This paper strongly asserts that God’s self-designation disclosed through the experience of the Israelites is applicable to other oppressed groups that belong to an ochlos. This paper also attempts to reenact God’s self-designation shown through the past ochlos (the Israelites) into the contemporary ochlos (migrant workers in South Korea), in order to draw a missional intention for the migrant workers in Korea. The themes are as follows: (1) Shifting the perspectives of the migrant workers from their relatively insignificant status within the Korean social structure to that of God’s strong self. (2) Empowering the migrant workers to spontaneously resist the inhumane treatment of the Korean government.
Shifting the Perspective of Migrant Workers: their Status to God’s Self
The Korean Statistical Information Service reports that in 2022, there were 2,245,912 foreign residents in South Korea, making up around 4.89% of the country's total population, and of these, 522,571 foreign visitors on a work visa. 38 Unfortunately, migrant workers in South Korea have reported experiencing physical assault (10.5%) and verbal abuse (68.6%) in their workplace, while around 11.7% of female migrant workers have been exposed to sexual assaults by their employers. 39 Even worse, approximately 410,000 foreigners are unregistered and work as illegal migrants; as a result, the South Korean government is unable to provide illegal migrant workers with proper legal protection. 40
In fact, South Korea was a country that did not legally allow migrant workers. However, due to the rapid economic growth in the 1970s and 1980s and the development of the domestic industry, the demand for labor rapidly outpacing the supply of domestic workers. As a result, an influx of migrant workers began to appear in Korean workplaces, but as a result of the government's failed policies, many of them were illegal. 41
One example of migrant workers’ struggles in South Korea is the fact that Korean employers underpay them, if at all. 42 Migrant laborers are forced to endure this situation as they are undocumented. Another example is the absence of healthcare for undocumented migrant laborers. As expected, the National Health Service (NHS), a government program that offers financial assistance for medical costs, is not open to registration for illegal migrant workers and even their children, which makes them vulnerable to many illnesses and diseases. 43
A response of missional intention to the insignificant status of migrant workers is that God forcefully proclaims God’s self-designation – “I am who I am” – in the same way as He did for the sake of the Israelites oppressed by Egyptians. By means of God’s self-designation, God encourages the migrant workers to change their perspective from that of their relatively insignificant status within the Korean social structure, to that of God’s own self that transcends all oppression. For the migrant workers, their lower status may no longer be an obstacle that keeps themselves from their liberation from their inhumane treatment under the unfair Korean industrial structure. Rather, the migrant workers are accompanied and empowered by God to stand fearlessly against the Korean government and stand for their own human rights.
Empowering Migrant Workers to Spontaneously Protest the Government
The process of reenacting God’s self-designation in Exodus 1-5 into the situation of migrant workers in Korea also informs us of God’s missional intention that empowers the migrant workers to give rise to a spontaneous movement against oppressive Korean social structures. The process of reenacting is as follows: God’s commandment towards Moses, “Go, assemble the elders of Israel” (Exod 3:16, NIV) can be appropriated by Korean churches to say, “Go, assemble [the representatives of migrant workers]” – God’s missional intention may be found in inspiring the migrant workers to make a movement against the Korean government in a more effective way.
Korean churches, in accordance with reenacting God’s missional intention, have taken some steps to recruit representatives of the migrant workers. A great example is the Bangkok Bible Seminary Korea (BBS Korea) – a theological school that Korean churches brought from Thailand to South Korea to educate Thai workers in Korea to become elders, or spiritual leaders, ministering among themselves. Since 2000, when some Korean churches began to minister to migrants from Thailand, Korean pastors have encountered a cultural barrier in various forms. Thus, through BBS Korea, Korean churches came up with a system through which they can assemble and educate Thai elders. A theological education provided for Thai workers through BBS Korea, this paper argues, draws upon God’s missional intention in assembling elders for God’s liberational plans.
God also commanded Moses to bring the elders when protesting Pharaoh, stating, “Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt” (Exod 3:18a, NIV) – an attempt to make Pharaoh directly face the spontaneous rebellion of his slaves. This paper reenacts this scene in a way that God commands Korean churches, “Then you [Korean churches] and the elders [the representatives of migrant workers] are to go to the king of Egypt [the Korean government].” To put it another way, God empowers, through God’s self-designation, the representatives of the migrant workers to stand spontaneously against the Korean government.
The Joint Committee for Migrant Workers in Korea (JCMK) is an example of God’s self-designation reenacted and how Korean churches have supported the migrant workers to spontaneously resist the Korean government. JCMK is a migrant-worker union, comprised of thirty-nine organizations, that systemically and spontaneously raises a movement against the unfair treatment by the Korean government. 44 What is noticeable is that out of the thirty-nine organizations of JCMK, more than twenty are based out of Korean churches, and many essential positions of JCMK are taken by Korean pastors. As expected, the contribution of Korean churches and pastors to JCMK is significant, and it is a notable example of how God’s of how God’s self-designation is reenacted.
Missional Suggestions for Korean Churches Working for Migrant Workers
Despite the significant efforts of Korean churches, many migrant workers are still struggling with various forms of oppression. This paper ascribes its culprit to two deficiencies of the migrant workers’ movement: (1) a lack of alliance with God, and (2) a lack of union among the representatives of the migrant workers. These deficiencies, this paper argues, represent a clear sign concerning what Korean contemporary churches ought to do to liberate the migrant workers from their dismal situations. Along this line, this paper provides missional suggestions for Korean contemporary churches to encourage the migrant workers to realize: (1) that their movement should be spiritually united with God’s covenant, and (2) that their movement should be based on a union among the representatives from various backgrounds.
Missional Suggestion – A Spiritual Alliance with God’s Covenant
One apparent failure of the Korean church’s ministry for migrant workers is its lack of spiritual alliance between a movement of migrant workers and the covenant of God’s self-designation. The movement of the Israelites not only begins with a spiritual trust in God’s liberation plan (Exod 4:29-31) but also proceeds in spiritual cooperation with God’s instructions in every single step – a process that successfully leads to their liberation. On the other hand, this paper attributes the lack of a spiritual alliance with God and God’s great covenant with the movements of migrant workers to a failure of the Korean church’s ministry.
This failure stems from an unawareness among churches that the migrant workers’ movement itself is, in fact, a spiritual battle against oppression. The Bible teaches that Christians should work for justice and righteousness in the world (Micah 6:8), and that they have a particular responsibility to care for the marginalized and oppressed (Isa 1:17, Jas 1:27). This means that whether recognized or not, a liberation process for migrant workers is inherently spiritual. Along this line, Donal Dorr argues in support, saying, “Work for liberation ultimately involves a spiritual battle, even though it is necessarily carried out at the political, economic and cultural levels.” 45 Dorr also points out that the church has to address the spiritual battle, holding that “the struggle against the Powers is a battle of the spirit, and that the mission of the church is to play a key role in this struggle.” 46
Jürgen Moltmann offers some key roles for churches. First, churches ought to spend time eating and drinking with migrant workers. In Moltmann’s view, “mission happens through community in eating and drinking,” for “hope is eaten and drunk” – a foundation in which a spiritual alliance can be made between migrant workers and God. 47 In addition to a spiritual alliance, migrant workers also “can express their concrete needs and discuss . . . the strategies of self-liberation.” 48 Second, churches should empower the migrant workers to become active agents in their liberation process, as Moltmann emphasizes the “folk movement” – “the movement in which the people itself becomes the subject of its own new history in the liberation movement of God.” 49
Moltmann’s argument plays an important role in forging a guideline on how Korean churches should carry out the liberation ministry for migrant workers. Above all, Korean churches ought to provide migrant workers with a hope – a spiritual alliance with God – by taking time to eat and drink together in community. By doing so, Korean churches can also listen to their concrete needs and come up with some actual strategies for their self-liberation. Korean churches, then, must be committed to empowering the migrant workers to become an active agent in their liberation process against the Korean government. Becoming an active agent based on a spiritual alliance with God would be, as Moltmann describes, “an expression of solidarity.” 50
Missional Suggestion – A Union Among Those from Various Backgrounds
Another failure of Korean churches’ ministry for migrant workers is its inability to bring together migrant workers from various backgrounds. Korean churches, as a matter of fact, have tried their best to form a union between migrant workers by providing language classes, cultural events, and social support. Their efforts were, by all appearances, somewhat successful, as some unions have been made among migrant workers. Under the surface, however, the failure of the Korean churches’ ministry lies in the fact that their unions were based primarily on the same ethnicity, country, and language. With unions reluctant to cooperate with each other, the collective voice of migrant workers against the Korean government loses its own integrative power.
David J. Bosch emphasizes cooperation with various associates in ministry by referring to the mission of the Apostle Paul. A characteristic of Paul’s missionary practice, Bosch points out, is his strategy of making use of various associates in its process. 51 Three different categories of associates, for instance, cooperated with Paul to advocate for his ministry, and these, Bosch evaluates, “identify with his [Paul’s] missionary efforts; this is the primary intention of the cooperative mission.” 52 For Bosch, making much of the role of churches in the process of cooperation among various associates is vital; “not being represented in this venture constitutes a shortcoming in a local church.” 53 For this reason, Bosch emphasizes the role of churches in Paul’s ministry as much as “Paul regards his mission as a function of the church.” 54
A great example of Paul’s emphasis on cooperative work with associates can be found in his ministry of reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles. For Paul, whose ministry was largely focused on reconciling the relationship between Jews and Gentiles (e.g. Rom 1:16-17, 11:1-32), assistance of various forms from local churches was essential. For this reason, “Paul urges churches” as Kirsteen Kim highlights, “to contribute to the needs of the saints in Jerusalem as an expression of the unity of Jews and Gentiles.” 55 Furthermore, Kim sheds light on Paul’s active attitude that not only urges but also “gathers representatives of these churches to go to Jerusalem with him to offer their gifts.” 56 Noticeably, Paul’s cooperative ministry with the representatives of churches is not so much attributed to his personal strategy as to God’s willingness, which is particularly based on “the fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy of nations going up to Jerusalem (e.g. Isa 66:20, Jer 3:17).” 57
The missional emphasis Bosch and Kim place on the cooperation with associates, as exemplified through Paul’s ministry, seems to be a guideline on how Korean churches ought to work for migrant workers. Above all, various groups of associates should be made for migrant workers, irrespective of their ethnicity, country, and language – a crucial step that binds together migrant workers’ voices to more effectively resist unfair treatment of the Korean government. It is the responsibility of Korean churches, as Bosch highlights, to come up with some cultural activities or programs to create and promote unions comprised mostly of representatives from various groups of associates. Further, Korean churches ought to educate the representatives to realize that their cooperation, or alliance, with one another is based on the fulfillment of God’s commandment, “Go, assemble the elders of Israel [the representatives of the migrant workers]” (Exod 3:16, NIV).
