The Journey

Many of us are familiar with Jesus’ Great Commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, telling us to go and make disciples of all nations. I love these Bible verses, and so does the church as a whole. We’ve emblazoned them on laptop stickers and bracelets. Serving others is a trendy thing to do. But sometimes we forget to look at the big picture, at the words that come right before “go and make disciples.†Before Jesus sent His friends out into the world, He reminded them that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him.

Jesus is God in the flesh, both fully God and fully human. Matthew shares the story of how God came down to earth, humbled Himself, and became human to take the punishment we deserved by dying on the cross. Jesus is the face of mercy and love. But Jesus’ humility does not make Him weak (Philippians 2:6-11). He claimed victory over the grave when He endured the cross and rose from the dead (Hebrews 12:2-3). In His last recorded words to His disciples, who He’d forgiven and redeemed, Jesus declared ownership of all authority, in heaven and on earth.

This doesn’t mean Jesus will eliminate all the bad things in this world immediately. We are all experiencing life in a fallen world, and even people who love God endure difficult situations. However, it does mean Jesus has the final word (John 16:33). Jesus is the ultimate authority. Jesus is the King of Kings, and He is coming back to restore creation, to establish a new heaven and a new earth. He also sent His Holy Spirit to be in us here and now.

So when we go into the world and share the love of God, we don’t do it to make ourselves seem holy. We don’t do it because social justice is cool or looks good on a T-shirt. We go into the world and make disciples because Jesus died to become our authority, and He shares that authority with us. His love, His mercy, His justice is all that matters. And we don’t want anyone to live without it. • Becca Wierwille

• As we recognize our daily need for the gospel, how might sharing the good news with others flow naturally from a place of humility and love? How are the gospel and social justice related?

• Make a list of people in your life who might not know the love of Jesus. How could you go about sharing the good news of His mercy with them? Take a moment to ask God for ideas.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples…†Matthew 28:18-19a (NIV)

Read Verses:

Psalm 23; 119:129-152; John 10:1-30