THOSE who loved him best called him Okuno. His full name was Okuno Masatusuna. He was a great Japanese gospel preacher. He traveled all over Japan preaching the gospel and singing the story of Jesus, for Okuno was a poet as well as a preacher. He printed a fine Japanese hymn book and he, himself, wrote many beautiful Christian hymns. When the children of Japan sing our children’s hymn, “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know,” they use the words that Okuno wrote when he turned that pretty hymn into Japanese.
What a strange life he lived! He was, first of all, a Buddhist student and then a soldier, and then a Confucian wise man. And he was a bad, wicked, evil man and then a Christian, who was ready for every good work. When he was a soldier he wanted his friend who was a traitor to become king, and was willing to die for him. The old Buddhist priest told him that in order to succeed and win the throne for his friend, he must pray and sacrifice to his gods. He did everything the priest told him to do. He fasted until he almost starved. He bathed himself in ice water every morning for months. He sat for hours on a rough coarse mat keeping watch before the idols and saying prayers. He traveled on foot to many, many temples and prayed in over a thousand shrines. He sent his servants to pray in the temples in all the villages until they had offered sacrifice for him before fifteen thousand other sacred shrines.
But there was no answer from these blocks of wood and stone. Okuno was disappointed and angry, and returning to the temples, he knocked down the idols, trampled upon the sacred images and became a bad and hateful man. Then he heard about the Lord Jesus and he resolved to learn about Him. Perhaps He would help Okuno. He was not disappointed. No one who ever came to the Lord Jesus in faith, was ever turned away, for has He not said in John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37), “Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out”? No one who ever came to Jesus was ever sent empty away. Okuno found it so.
How holy and good he found Jesus to be as compared to the sinful, wicked priests that he had to do with for so long. In the presence of Jesus, Okuno realized what a great sinner he was. But grace taught him that the Lord Jesus had died upon Calvary’s cross to put all those sins away. He learned that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). Okuno believed, and was saved.
What a change took place in his heart and life. The dear Lord Jesus became his Friend in his loneliness, and he went on happily and bravely in the strength that He gives to all those who trust Him. In those days it meant death for anyone to teach about Jesus, but Okuno was not afraid. Drawing his finger across his neck, he said with a smile, “They may cut off my head but they cannot hurt my soul.”
Dr. Hepburn, who translated the Bible into the Japanese language, tells of how had it not been for Okuno he never could have done that great work. Okuno was eyes and hands and heart for Dr. Hepburn. He lived to be a dear old man, a scholar, a saint, and a great blessing to his people.
I wonder if you know the hymn from which this verse comes. Perhaps if you looked you would find it in Okuno’s old hymn book:
“Down in the human heart,
Crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving hand,
Wakened by kindness, cords that were broken
Will vibrate once more.”
ML-03/15/1964