The Real Jesus

From the July 2009 Trumpet Print Edition »
 

The man depicted in Western art is nothing like the one described in the Bible.

Lately, several newsmagazines have graced their covers with a pale, tender-skinned, soft-spoken, long-haired, womanish figure wearing a beard. It’s supposed to be Jesus. But these erroneous depictions of Christ look nothing like the Jesus described in your Bible.

The real Jesus was a powerfully built, masculine man—a rugged outdoorsman. He was a master of every situation. He was a people person and a dynamically persuasive teacher. He was a man of upstanding character—an upholder and promoter of God’s perfect law of liberty.

Isn’t it time you became acquainted with the Jesus of the Bible?

Christ’s Family

Prior to His 3½-year ministry, Jesus Christ was brought up in a large family as the oldest of five brothers and at least three sisters (Matthew 13:54-56). Traditional Christianity depicts Jesus’s stepfather as some kind of uneducated, deadbeat dad who was baffled by his stepson’s remarkable genius. Joseph was supposedly married to a superior woman.

The real Joseph, however, was the loving head, provider, protector and primary educator of this extraordinary family. He was a “just” man, Matthew wrote, with sterling character. Upon learning that Mary was pregnant, Joseph initially intended to secretly dissolve the engagement for the sake of his own reputation—and Mary’s.

But while Joseph “thought on these things,” an angel appeared to him and said that Mary had conceived of the Holy Spirit. In response to the angel’s instructions, Joseph obeyed God, risked his upstanding reputation in the community, took a pregnant woman to be his wife and accepted her firstborn son as one of his very own.

In northern Galilee, Jesus became known as the son of Joseph (John 6:42). As a teenager and young adult, Jesus worked outdoors, developing into a master craftsman on his stepfather’s carpentry crew.

“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). This was due, in large part, to the indomitable influence of His mentor and stepfather, Joseph.

When Jesus was 12, for example, Joseph took his wife and children to Jerusalem to observe the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. Only males were required to go to Jerusalem for the three annual festival seasons (Exodus 23:14-17). But Joseph was a successful businessman and family man, so he took the entire family.

It was during this trip to Jerusalem that Jesus wound up in the temple reasoning with the doctors of the law. Having learned to be an exceptional student under His father’s direction, Luke’s account says that Jesus was “hearing” and “asking questions” (Luke 2:46). He was listening and learning from some of the most distinguished educators of His day. This was no ordinary 12-year-old.

His parents, having lost track of Jesus on the way home, returned to Jerusalem to find Him in the temple. They were “amazed.” The teachers of the law were “astonished at his understanding.”

From that point forward, Scripture says, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (verse 52).

The real Jesus grew up in a well-balanced, God-fearing household where His physical father served as head and His mother as a submissive and loving helpmeet and homemaker.

Jesus as Master

Think back on your education. Generally, the male teachers we tend to appreciate most are the stronger, more authoritative role models we can look up to.

Now think about Jesus Christ—the greatest orator and teacher who has ever lived. Why should we imagine Him to be an effeminate weakling who somehow moved the masses while speaking in hushed tones?

“Follow me,” He supposedly whispered to the fishermen, tax collectors and businessmen of His day, moving them to promptly drop everything to learn a new profession.

That is not the Jesus of your Bible. The real Jesus “waxed strong” physically and spoke with such powerful conviction and clarity that He astonished the masses! “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29).

Jesus Christ did not teach or even look like the self-righteous religious figures of His day. After the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the Jewish commoners wanted to make Jesus a king (John 6:15). His wildly popular impact early on in His ministry enraged the jealous chief priests and Pharisees. “If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation,” they reasoned in John 11:48. They demanded their officers apprehend this persuasive scholar. But none of the officers would lay hands on Him.

“No man ever spoke like this man!” they said in John 7:46 (Revised Standard Version).

Jesus Christ simply did not fit into the mold of what people thought a religious leader should look and sound like. He was a hard-working, rugged-looking, masculine family man. He loved construction and numerous other outdoor activities like sailing, hiking and camping. He was an avid reader and student—conversant in every imaginable topic.

And He loved people. He socialized so much that His critics accused Him of being a glutton and winebibber! In actual fact, Jesus was the friendliest man who ever lived. He loved being among crowds. He interacted with Samaritans, the blind and lame, the elderly, and women and children. He broke bread with Pharisees, tax collectors and sinners.

Then there were His students—the disciples. Most of those who dropped everything in order to follow the Messiah later sacrificed their very lives for this impressive, God-fearing man. “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”, His disciples lamented after Jesus was gone (Luke 24:32).

Jesus lived the abundant life (John 10:10). He practiced what He preached. And in living in accordance with all of God’s holy laws, He left for us a perfect example to follow (1 Peter 2:21).

Strive to follow those steps set before us by Jesus Christ—the real Jesus, as depicted in the pages of your Bible. ▪

I am testing my feed for twitter and facebook.

Good Morning everyone, Praying for my sweet friends today

I borrowed this from a facebook friend

and Declaring everyone has a blessed day that The Lord has made Repeat this today for your prayer  Declaring My Day Based on Deut. 28:1-4 I am blessed in the city, I am blessed in the field I am blessed in my down setting and in my uprising I am blessed socially, physically, mentally, psychologically I am blessed relationally, inter-personally I am blessed, I am blessed I am blessed physiologically; very part of my life is blessed. I SPEAK INTO MY DAY: I download prosperity into my day, success into my dayI speak over those that I love, I speak prosperity and success I speak to my Government –they will come into divine alignment that they would lead morally and ethically I speak into our business, I speak that our business is successful that we are INCREASING and there is no decreasing! I speak into my home, that my home is a haven of peace I speak into my loved ones that their lives are coming back into alignment I decree and declare that wealth and riches are in my house I speak into my Mind – Peace I speak into my Heart – Courage I speak into my Feet that there are paths that I can walk on so that I can overcome EVERY obstacle I am the Head and not the Tail I am First and not Last I am Above and not Beneath I am LOVED by God I am CHOSEN by God I am PROTECTED by God Today shall come into direct alignment with the plans and purposes of God Every good and every perfect gift comes from God Today is my gift therefore it will end Perfect it will end Good, in Jesus Name!

When Was Christ Crucified and Resurrected?

Here is the only sign Jesus gave to prove He was the Messiah.

From the March 2010 Trumpet Print Edition »

By Mark Nash

Do you know how important the details surrounding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ are to you and to this world?

If you call yourself a Christian, you certainly must believe Jesus is the Son of God, but have you ever studied the only proof Jesus ever gave of that fact? Have you ever carefully evaluated what Jesus said, what actually took place and how it compares to the teachings of your church?

“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:38-40).

Jesus was constantly being challenged by the religious leaders of His time. In this instance, some Pharisees asked for a sign that He was the Son of God.

Jonas is the New Testament version of the name Jonah, whose story is recorded in the Old Testament book bearing his name. Here Jesus ties him directly to the only SIGN of His messiahship that He would give to this “evil and adulterous generation.”

Understanding the events surrounding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is critical to being a true Christian. Isn’t it time you proved your own beliefs?

Three Days and Three Nights

Several important aspects of Matthew 12:38-40 should be honestly evaluated. The first and perhaps most crucial is contained in verse 40, where Jesus clearly and specifically stated that He would be buried for three days and three nights. Is that what your church teaches? Or have you been taught the fable about a Friday crucifixion and Sunday morning resurrection? Try counting the number of nights and days for yourself. From Friday until Sunday morning, you will only find two nights and one day, not three of each.

Jesus said He would be in the earth for three days and three nights as proof He is the Son of God. If the teaching of most “Christian” churches is true, Jesus was only in the earth for two nights and one day, which would mean Jesus is not proved to be the Son of God.

So, now what do you do? How can you call Jesus the Son of God if His own words disprove it? How has the Friday to Sunday myth come to be taught and believed so universally?

First, religious leaders point to the fact that Jesus was crucified the day before a sabbath day. Then they wrongly conclude it means He was killed on a Friday, since the Bible calls Saturday the Sabbath. (As an aside, this proves that those same religious leaders know Saturday is the biblical Sabbath we are commanded to keep holy in the Fourth Commandment. For more on this topic, request our free booklet Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?) They overlook the fact that it was actually an annual sabbath, as we will see.

Second, it was prophesied that there would be false teachings that would sway or be accepted by “many” (e.g. Matthew 24:4-5, 11). Satan, who has worked at deceiving mankind for 6,000 years (Revelation 12:9), is the one behind this deception.

These religious leaders who claim that Jesus was killed Friday afternoon and resurrected Sunday morning, totaling one day and two nights in the tomb, are—by denying the only sign Jesus gave of His Messiahship—actually denying Christ.

Your Bible proves that the murder of Jesus occurred on Wednesday, April 25, in the year a.d. 31—not Friday. It also proves that the resurrection of Jesus occurred at sunset on Saturday evening, April 28, not at sunrise on Sunday.

Let us look closely at what really happened when Jesus was killed.

Not Buried Before a Weekly Sabbath

“After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death” (Mark 14:1).

This was just before the spring holy days in Israel. The Passover and the annual sabbath day called the first day of Unleavened Bread were just ahead. The annual sabbaths are listed in Leviticus 23. (For detailed information about the annual holy days, request our free booklet Pagan Holidays or God’s Holy Days—Which?)

“And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?” (Mark 14:12).

Jesus was having His disciples prepare for the passover, which is not a holy day, but is a sacred service. “And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).

This is the event commonly called the Last Supper; however, in reality it is the “Lord’s Passover” (Exodus 12:11, 27; Leviticus 23:5). It is not the Passover of the Jews, as so many churches teach today.

Continue reading through Mark 14, and the events and timing become clear. It is also recorded beginning in Matthew 26, Luke 22 and John 18.

Jesus and His disciples partook of the Passover in the evening, then went to the garden where Jesus prayed. In the night, Jesus was taken prisoner by a band of men from the chief priests and Pharisees. “And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes” (Mark 14:53).

This was in the night, following the Passover. Immediately the next morning, Jesus was taken to Pilate. “And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate” (Mark 15:1).

After the charade that passed for a trial, Jesus was sentenced to be killed.

“And they bring him unto the place Golgotha .… And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him” (Mark 15:22, 24-25). Time was measured according to the military watches, or guards. The third hour was 9 a.m. in our modern terms.

“And when the sixth hour [noon] was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour [3 p.m.] Jesus cried with a loud voice .… And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost” (verses 33-34, 37).

Jesus died at 3 p.m. the day before the first day of Unleavened Bread referred to in Mark 14:1.

The day before a holy day is called a day of preparation. This was such a day. The first day of Unleavened Bread is an annual sabbath, or a holy day.

Next was the burial of Jesus by Joseph.

Two Sabbaths That Week

Luke 23:50-55 describe Jesus’s burial and clearly state that Jesus died and was buried on a preparation day, the day before a sabbath day also called a high day (John 19:31). The phrase “the sabbath drew on” shows it was getting very near sunset—when days start and end according to biblical reckoning.

Look closely at the next event in the book of Mark.

“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him” (Mark 16:1). The word had was added by the translators.

The Anchor Bible on Mark states this verse like this: “When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdalla, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic oils to go and anoint him.” The Fenton version of this verse states: “Now when the Sabbath was over, Mary the Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought aromatic spices, so that they might embalm him .…”

Lange’s Bible Commentary says: “Only the two Marys had remained too long at the grave to do so, and hence they could not make their purchases till the Sabbath had passed.”

Jesus was buried in the afternoon, just about sunset before an annual sabbath, as has been clearly shown in Scripture. Now, it is after that annual sabbath day that Mark tells us the Marys bought spices. Luke 23:56 fills in another detail: “And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”

So Mark 16:1 states the women bought spices after the sabbath and Luke 23:56 says they then rested on the Sabbath after they bought spices. There is only one explanation that fits both scriptures: After buying the spices, the ladies prepared them for use on the body of Jesus. Then they rested on the weekly Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11; see also Exodus 23:12; 31:15).

John states the sabbath after Jesus was buried was the high sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread: “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (John 19:31).

A high day is an annual sabbath, not the weekly seventh-day Sabbath. So the Bible is clear that there were two sabbath days the week Jesus was crucified, but it takes some detective work to discover it. Begin by reading The New Englishman’s Greek Concordance and Lexicon, by Wigram-Green. Look up the Greek word numbered by Strong’s as 4521 and translated as “sabbath” in Matthew 28:1 (King James Version). This publication uses a “note” to delineate whether the word is singular or plural in its original form. There are several plural forms indicated by the note; however, pay particular attention to Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; John 20:1, 19. Each of those usages is a plural form of the word sabbath; each should have been translated “sabbaths.” To verify this, check each of these verses in The Holy Bible in Modern English by Ferrar Fenton. You will find that each uses the plural word “sabbaths” rather than the mistranslation in the singular. By leaving off the “s” to reflect the plural of the word sabbath, a very subtle deception is started.

The Timeline

The order of events during that terrible and great week of Christ’s murder is clear. Only one explanation fits all the verses perfectly, and there are no contradictions in the Word of God.

Follow the only timeline that fits every verse surrounding these events and coordinates with the three-days-three-nights prophecy of Christ.

On a Tuesday evening, after sunset, Jesus and His disciples kept the Passover. Afterward they went to the garden, and Jesus was captured.

Wednesday morning, He was brought before Pilate and sentenced to death. He was crucified at 9 a.m., and Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m., Jesus died. Joseph begged the body from Pilate very near sunset.

Wednesday evening, Jesus was buried.

Thursday was a high day, or annual sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread, and they ceased from work.

Friday was the weekly preparation day, and the women bought and prepared spices and ointment to properly complete the burial of Jesus.

Saturday, they rested on the weekly Sabbath.

Sunday morning, near sunrise, the ladies came to the tomb to find that Jesus was already risen.

Using elementary math, we can count the following: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night total three nights. The days of Thursday, Friday and Saturday total three days.

The holy days actually lined up to these dates in a.d. 31. The first day of Unleavened Bread fell on Thursday, April 26. That meant Wednesday was the preparation day for the high sabbath. After the high day came Friday, April 27—the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath, when the ladies prepared the spices. Saturday was the weekly Sabbath and Sunday was the first day of the next week, when the ladies came to the tomb early in the morning.

Jesus was in fact killed on Wednesday, buried near sunset Wednesday evening and remained in the tomb until near sunset Saturday evening. Any other count disqualifies the only sign Jesus gave verifying that He is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind.

Someone may ask about the testimony of the angel at the tomb on Sunday morning (e.g., Luke 24:1-6). Each reference simply states that Jesus was not there: He “is risen,” as Luke stated it. Of course He was not there—He had been resurrected at sunset the evening before. Again, with a little detective work anyone can discover the meaning of the original Greek words, and none of them suggests in any way that Jesus was in the act of rising at that time.

Another person may ask whether Mark 16:9 states that Jesus arose on the first day of the week. It says Jesus appeared to Mary, not that He was rising. There is simply no verse anywhere in the Bible to support a Friday crucifixion or a Sunday resurrection.

God’s Word proves beyond question the Messiahship of Jesus Christ. All the verses surrounding His death and resurrection are perfectly coordinated, without contradiction. You can read it clearly in your own Bible: Jesus was in the grave three days and three nights, from sunset on Wednesday until sunset on Saturday, when He was resurrected.

He is the Christ; He is our Savior, the Son of the living God. ▪

Garden tomb where Jesus Christ’s body is believed to have been placed before His resurrection.

(Trumpet photo)

Did Christ Rise on Easter?

 Consider the one sign proving His messiahship.

April 2, 2010  •  From theTrumpet.com

Traditional Christianity has long believed that Christ was buried on the afternoon of Good Friday and resurrected early Sunday morning—one day and two nights later—even though this belief cuts in half the time frame Christ established as proof of His messiahship: “For as [Jonah] was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

Besides that, the Bible nowhere mentions “Good Friday” or “Easter” (Acts 12:4 is a mistranslation). What it does say is that Jesus Christ was crucified on Passover (Matthew 26:2).

In ancient Israel, God’s people observed Passover by killing lambs and smearing blood over their doorposts (read Exodus 12). God then passed over each house where the blood was applied, sparing that household from death. All this was only a type of “Christ our Passover,” as it says in 1 Corinthians 5:7. Today, it is Christ’s shed blood that spares the life of a truly repentant Christian.

Jesus Christ died in a.d. 31. The Passover that year fell on Wednesday, April 25 (not Friday). Because God’s days begin and end at sunset, the actual Passover ceremony that Jesus observed with His disciples occurred Tuesday night—the beginning of the 14th day of the first month on the Hebrew calendar. On Tuesday afternoon, the disciples had asked Jesus about where to make preparations for the service (Matthew 26:17). That night, during the ceremony, Jesus changed the symbols, explaining that He was now that Passover sacrifice (Matthew 26:26-28).

After that Passover service, they went out into the Mount of Olives (verse 30). Christ spent most of the night praying while His disciples slept (verses 36-45). Early Wednesday morning, still on the 14th day of the first month, Judas came with the multitude to arrest Christ (verses 47-50). The crucifixion occurred later that same day.

At the “ninth hour” of the 14th, Jesus cried out (Matthew 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46). This would have been at 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. That night, at sunset, marked the beginning of the first day of Unleavened Bread—one of God’s holy days, as outlined in Leviticus 23 (see also Numbers 28:16-17).

The weekly Sabbath, of course, is on Saturday. But the first day of Unleavened Bread was the first of seven annual sabbaths instituted by God. Since most people do not observe God’s holy days today, they do not know that the Bible also refers to these days as sabbaths (see Leviticus 16:31; 23:24, 26-32, 39).

Now follow this course of events closely. In John 19:30, Jesus bowed His head and said, “It is finished.” Notice the very next verse: “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (verse 31). Here is where so many scholars jump the track. They assume that because the day of Christ’s crucifixion is referred to as “the preparation” prior to “the sabbath” (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54) that it must have been on Friday. But as John points out, the preparation day was actually before a sabbath that was a “high day”—an annual holy day.

John 19:32-42 explain what happened between Christ’s death and His burial. Notice especially verse 42: “There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.” They buried Him late Wednesday afternoon, before sunset, because, according to Jewish customs, all dead bodies had to be buried before the Sabbath, whether weekly or annual. So Christ died on the afternoon of the 14th at 3 p.m. He was buried later that afternoon before sunset. From that point, all we have to do is count three days and three nights to know when He was resurrected.

But first, let us go back to the Gospel account in Matthew to continue following the course of events. “Now the next day [after the Passover], that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again” (Matthew 27:62-63). Even these deceived Jews knew what Christ said! After three days and three nights—not one day and two nights—“I will rise again”!

So Pilate set a watch on the sepulcher for three days and nights. The story continues in the first verse of the next chapter. “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre” (Matthew 28:1). Here again is where so many trip up—mainly because of a poor translation. The King James, along with just about every other Bible version, translates the first part of this verse, “In the end of the sabbath” or “after the sabbath.” But if you study the Greek text, you learn that the word for sabbath is actually plural! “After the sabbaths,” it should read.

Why is this significant? Jesus, remember, was crucified on a Wednesday afternoon and buried later that evening, before sunset. The next day, Thursday, was an annual sabbath. The day after that, was preparation day for the regular weekly Sabbath. The reason Matthew refers to sabbaths, plural, is because there were two sabbaths that week! When Matthew says Mary came early Sunday morning, before dawn, after one of the sabbaths, he is referring to the weekly Sabbath.

There is one more sequence of events that provides additional support for the 72-hour time frame. Mark 16:1 says Mary Magdalene and her companions bought spices “when the sabbath was past.” They were planning to prepare these ointments and spices so that they might anoint the body of Jesus. Yet Luke 23:56 says they prepared these spices and then rested on the weekly Sabbath day. Compare these two texts carefully.

Christ inspired four different Gospel accounts to be written so that all the important details of His life might be canonized. Mark said these women bought the spices after the sabbath was past. Luke said they prepared the spices before the Sabbath arrived. Those who hold to the Good Friday-Easter belief must conclude that these verses are a glaring contradiction. They are not! They complement each other perfectly, if you understand that there were two sabbaths that week. The women bought the spices on Friday, after the annual sabbath on Thursday. They prepared the spices that same day, before the weekly Sabbath, and then rested on the Sabbath according to God’s command.

When Mary approached the tomb early Sunday morning, before sunrise, an angel nearby exclaimed, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6). Yes indeed! He had already risen—the day before, just prior to sunset at the end of the weekly Sabbath. His death, burial and resurrection happened precisely the way He prophesied it would happen.

Why does it matter? Because Jesus Christ staked His claim to being your Savior on the fact that He would remain in the grave for three full days and nights. ▪

EDITORIAL: There, they crucified Him

“The Three Crosses” by Rembrandt

The Washington Times
6:31 p.m., Thursday, April 21, 2011

From the Gospel of St. John
Pilate took Jesus and had Him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on His head, and clothed Him in a purple cloak, and they came to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him repeatedly.


Once more, Pilate went out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, “Behold, the man!” When the chief priests and the guards saw Him they cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him. I find no guilt in Him.” The Jews answered, “We have a law, and according to that law He ought to die, because He made himself the Son of God.”


Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid, and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to Him, “Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason, the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”


Consequently, Pilate tried to release Him; but the Jews cried out, “If you release Him, you are not a friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated Him on the judge’s bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your king!” They cried out, “Take Him away, take Him away! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”


Then he handed Him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross Himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” Now many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”


When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took His tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,” in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled (that says): “They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.” This is what the soldiers did.


Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there whom He loved, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to His mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He handed over the spirit.

Applying the Great Commission to Your Church

Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

The Great Commission lies at the heart of the Christian faith. But how can a typical church think of global missions when there are so many local challenges to contend with? In this essay from Make the World Your Parish: Increasing Your Global Influence for Christ, Reggie Weems challenges pastors to encourage their congregations--big or small, rich or poor--to embrace a truly global attitude toward discipleship and outreach.

A proper interpretation of Matthew 28:19 makes missionaries of every Christian who lives in your town or city, or leaves your local church and moves to another city, country, or continent. It also reinforces the need for local congregations to send missionaries around the world with the saving message of Jesus’s gospel. As the local church becomes aware of a place where no disciples are, it sends disciples to disciple those people.

Foreign missions is simply an extension of the local church's obedience to Matthew 28:19. This ultimately makes the Great Commission the missionary text we have supposed it to be but failed to understand and properly apply in the local context. The local church must ask itself hard questions about raising up a generation of disciples who, no matter their vocational, social, or geographic contexts, are fulfilling the imperative to make other disciples. If it is not being accomplished locally, it will not happen globally. The global success of the gospel is entirely dependent on living out the Great Commission locally.
Every believer is a disciple, and every disciple is a missionary, everywhere and all the time.

The real question for every person who sits in a pew on a Sunday is not, "Am I a witness for Jesus Christ?" but "What kind of witness am I for Jesus Christ?" It is not a matter of "Do I witness for the Lord?" but "Where (and how) do I witness for the Lord?" Being a witness is simply a matter of being an authentic Christian. As strange as it may sound, focusing the Great Commission on the foreign field has undermined the local church’s potential for global success.

Foreign mission endeavors are simply active obedience to the Great Commission in a different geographical location from one’s natural or sending church. However, the presence of missionaries on foreign fields does not necessarily imply obedience to the Great Commission by the church in the sending country. Just like Christians, many churches are happy to allow other congregations to supply missionaries to the foreign field while its own members live ignorant of personal responsibility to Matthew 28:18–20. Where there are no disciples, every church must send disciples to disciple, either from its own fold or in cooperation with other churches or agencies. But we should also recognize that those who leave for foreign fields will not actually disciple there if they do not live as disciples here. Mission begins in the local ministry of every church. The "here" of discipleship ensures the "there" of discipleship. The Great Commission is all about "here," wherever your "here" might be.

My own church is considering extending its mission reach to Italy. Our congregation is already praying that God will move some of our members to Italy. You should pray that God will move your congregants to places where the church does not exist or needs support. Many of our congregants possess vocations that could be worked anywhere in the world. If this is true, why live where the gospel has already permeated a community? It is true that God has gifted us with vocational skills and knowledge to care for ourselves and our families. Our vocations fund our lives financially and in other ways as well. But Christians cannot allow the financial aspect of a job to dominate their thinking.

As Christians, do our vocations only move us toward retirement?

A plumber who is a Christian in Johnson City may be just one of hundreds of Christian plumbers. But an evangelical, believing plumber in Bologna, Italy, will probably be one of only a few. A teacher committed to Christ in Johnson City is most assuredly only one of hundreds in the city. But a teacher who is a Christian in Milan, Italy, may be one of only a few. And on it goes. Many of the people who weekly sit on our pews could move somewhere where the gospel is not yet heard or the church is struggling. They could employ their vocations, which are really ministry platforms, in tent-making ministries whereby they support their families and showcase the gospel in their businesses, homes, communities, or schools. Your church needs to pray that God will mobilize its membership globally.

The church should not simply let people go to be missionaries; the church should send disciples to live missionary elsewhere. Your church leadership should be praying about and looking for people who are disciples in your local context: people who have vocations that can transfer anywhere where the gospel is absent or anemic.

In fact, you might follow the following simple outline below to move your people from outside the context of your local church into the world:

1.Praying (Matt. 9:38) "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” As mentioned above, your leadership should be praying for members to become foreign missionaries. Corporate prayer times in which you lead your people to pray that God would call members of your own church into foreign missionary service are also profitable.2.Teaching (Matt. 28:18–20) "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen." You should also be teaching on how to live missionally. Every sermon and series should have some practical aspect concerning the daily application of truth to our professed Christianity.3.Identifying (Acts 13:2) "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Your leadership should be identifying those members who evidence a discipling mentality.4.Questioning (Isa. 6:8) "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:“Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” Those people you identify should be questioned about future deployment to an intentional field of service either locally or on foreign soil.5.Recruiting (Matt. 4:19) "Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” People considering a call to a foreign field as display agents of God’s grace should be formally gathered into a particular small group whose sole purpose is to help members discover God’s will concerning this matter. This formality lends itself to recognition, accountability, discernment (on their part and that of the church) and training.6.Training (Titus 2:12) "teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age," Those whom your leadership has identified could then be specifically trained for further development of this possibility.7.Deploying (Acts 13:3) "Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away." Ultimately, these people can then be deployed on the foreign field, either through a formal sending agency or sponsored by your church or a consortium of churches.8.Resourcing (Phil. 4:10) "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity." Never send to the field a missionary whom your church does not regularly and sufficiently resource on many levels.9.Inspecting (Luke 10:17) " Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” Ensure that these dear people are held accountable for their missionary status and any support afforded them.10.Rewarding (Acts 8:39) "Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing." Finally, those deployed should be rewarded for their sacrifice, and the leadership should regularly remind the congregation of that service and the church’s essential cooperation in the success of that endeavor as its participation in the fulfillment of Revelation 5:9 "And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation," and 7:9 "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands," Remember, you get what you reward, and the pulpit is the most powerful place for advertising what you desire of your people.

The Holy Spirit has adequately resourced every local church with the gift of all the people essential for successful ministry. It may be that pastors or leaders have not appropriately discerned, accessed, or discipled their people, but every local church has what it needs to thrive. God will replace the leadership you invest elsewhere in his service. We often tell our people that God will provide their needs as they financially invest in God’s work, but we never consider that principle with a church-wide mindset. The church should invest its finances globally. It should also invest its people and material resources. It is an insult to a gracious God to lord it over his resources as though he will not resupply the local church with what it needs as we share in the work of God around the world.

Sending disciples to places where no disciples currently live does not necessarily mean that a church has to send its own people, for many churches simply cannot individually support a person or family in a foreign field. Local churches can cooperate with mission agencies to send their people around the world with the life-saving message of the gospel. Churches within communities or cities could join together to sponsor missionaries, vocational or otherwise. Sadly, a competitive spirit often drives a wedge between congregations. Yet the possibilities for such cooperation are limitless if we will only remember why the local church exists and think beyond the local church toward the globe. We cannot be selfish with any of God’s resources, especially people. This requires a Great Commission mindset and Great Commission living. It can revolutionize a congregation.

This reflection is drawn from Make the World Your Parish: Increasing Your Global Influence for Christ by Reggie Weems, published by Day One Ministries as part of their Ministering the Master's Way series. If you found this reflection useful, you can read much more on this topic in the book.