The Great Commission Feb2121

 

Sunday Morning Meditation;

2/21/21

Thoughts on “The Great Commission” becoming an evolutionary dead end.

In Chapter 10 in the Gospel of Mathew, we see the wellspring from which all Christian evangelizing efforts, all missionary programs originate;

In Mathew 10, after calling out 12 local citizens to quit their day jobs and to follow him and be his students, a short while later, (Math 10:1)“... he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them (unclean spirits) out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Jesus then instructs them (Math. 10:5-15) in where and how they are to employ these these gifts from him;

“Jesus commanded them “...Go not into the way of the Gentiles, (or) into any city of the Samaritans …(instead) “...go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Jesus then made clear the message they were to relate saying, “... and this is the message you tell to everyone, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand””.

Jesus then indicates when and how they were to use the healing gifts he had given them, “… Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give”.

He tells them “Don’t take anything with you, “...Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet walking sticks: for the workman is worthy of his food.”

Jesus sent them on their way, and acknowledged they would have limited resources, so he outlined how they were to do many things, “... into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go...And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you”.

He let them know that not everyone would receive their message with an open heart, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.”

Jesus made it abundantly clear there would be some folks who would react with anger and hate and cold indifference to the message they shared, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”.

Jesus wanted them to understand that despite having God on their side, they were going to have the stuffing's knocked out of them on occasions; “But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues”.

Jesus impressed upon them that they might spend a lot of time in the court rooms as after they were sent to explain themselves before local councils, their cases could be kicked up the ladder to the higher authorities; “...ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles”.

Jesus continues to impress upon them - this was going to be a big deal and very disruptive to many who heard the message and that they (the disciples) would have a lot of explaining to do. And when the disciples were hauled into court, they were not to stand before the judges and kings and give eloquent pre-planned speeches, but to, “take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak, For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you.” Jesus makes three points here a) your going out on a mission trip and preaching a “heads up” message to the people, b)Not all are going to like the message, some have benefited immensely and have made out quite well under the old system and will resist the disciples vehemently. c)The message God gives was going to be so controversial it would tear at the very fabric of the society, “...And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death”.

Jesus not only wants them to fully understand what they face, but wants to plant seeds of confidence and Hope in their hearts in order they endure to whatever end they may experience, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved”.

Jesus reminds them, not to get bogged down, but to be committed to the SHARING of the message, “so

when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another”.

We need to remember the message. What was it? We need to remember, to some, the message was a release from bondage, for others it was a deadly threat. We need to remember we are the messengers, not the author of the message. We need to remember the offering and blessings contained within the message applies to ourselves as equally as to Others and as equally to Others as to ourselves.

As I write this, I can’t help be wonder if somewhere along the line we garbled the message we as disciples were to share, and in many cases have preached as God’s word a message that is the complete opposite of his message.

I think of the destruction of indigenous cultures which were destroyed and erased from the history books and either an empty void left that was filled with drug abuse, domestic violence, suicide, or an utter sense of being lost. Or, witness themselves being absorbed into our culture, where they filled the ranks of slave labor, concubines, cane cutters, cotton pickers, miners and gandy dancers. Where Individualism taught of the self-made-man and the power and wealth he could accumulate entirely of his own making. But said nothing of being our brother or sister’s keeper as they fell victim to the free market mindset with no safety net to catch those who placed second. When did we lose it? When did we stop letting the Message speak for itself and instead wrap it in economic packages with more strings attached than a puppet collection? When did we lose our belief and faith that the means by which somethings done, is as important as the ends they accomplish? The juntas we covertly keep in power, maintains their hold on power not through doing what is best for their people but but by arresting the protesters , handcuffing them and dropping them from planes out over the ocean, is this what we’ve become? Are these precepts we want etched on our tomestones? Is this what we desire our children’s children to envision when they chant “Make Us Great Again”!

Easter, not Christmas is clearing the horizon. Sacrifice, not tinsel should fill our thoughts. Spring’s renewal is heard in every bird’s song, as the white shroud of snow retreats once again leaving bare the scars we inflicted on each other’s souls. History is only circular if we choose it to be. Nothing is Either/Or. Solutions which distill down to binary fixes, need to avoided.

This is the biggest challenge that humankind faces.

If we don’t wake up

and become aware of the true consequences of our uncritical thinking

our children will inherit the fruits of our obsessions.

My hermitage to yours,

bobb