Then he told them:
Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I Googled “Your mission, should you choose to accept it,” and I actually got about 77,700,000 results! If you do not know this phrase, you’ve probably never seen a “Mission Impossible” movie or television show, because this is how they all begin…with a message to the agent about his assignment - and this phrase.
If you go back and read Mark 16:14, you will see that Jesus is talking to His disciples. In fact, Jesus has just given them “what-for” because some of them did not believe those who saw Him after He was raised to life. He appears to the disciples and lays out their “mission”…to “Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world.” And this is OUR mission, too. Jesus follows this with an admonition in verse 16 that...”Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned.”
The message is quite clear…but just in case you have any questions about what Jesus said, let’s break this down a bit. First, we are called to believe in Jesus, even though we have never seen Him. We are to surrender our heart, mind and soul to a God we have never seen in the flesh…to trust that He is the ultimate Authority in our lives…and to surrender completely to Him. Then, we are to share the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ and what He did for us with everyone we encounter. We are to demonstrate our faith, behave in a way that honors His teachings to love others and treat them as we wish to be treated, and to trust God to handle every aspect of our daily living according to His will and in perfect fashion.
There are also a couple of things this passage does NOT say. First, Jesus does not say that we must be baptized in order to be saved. Yes, in verse 16, He says that those who believe in Him and are “baptized” will be saved, but those who refuse to believe in Him will be condemned. But let’s be clear…this does not necessarily mean a “water baptism.” If it did, the thief on the cross would not have been promised an Eternity with Jesus in heaven. I believe that the word “baptized” in this context means that we must die to our sins and old way of life and be “washed clean” (or baptized), in the blood of Jesus.
Additionally, Jesus is not telling us that we have to go around the world as missionaries. When He says to share His GOOD NEWS with the world…I believe He uses that word collectively. Your “world” and mine may not be the same. You may travel for recreation or work and encounter people, quite literally, around the world. You may go on mission trips for this specific purpose. Or you may be like me - pretty well a “homebody” who does not venture out of her community often…so your “world” is your own backyard. I also feel blessed to be able to share Jesus with “the world” via the Internet and any and all who may read these devotionals. Each one of us has a different “world,” and this is where Jesus has called us to share His message.
Ultimately, Jesus’ commission is for us to live out our faith - wherever we are and whoever we encounter. Frankly, I’ve been concerned lately about how some of us are doing in this area. As we become more aggressive and assertive in expressing our thoughts and opinions, I fear we are losing sight of Jesus’ message to us. We are confusing the “mission” to share the Good News with our desire to impose our attitudes and judgments on others. So we are comfortable with name calling – and accepting those who seem to effortlessly throw barbs, criticisms and judgments – and we claim the name of Jesus while acting like downright jerks and bullies at times!
We give people in our “world” the impression that “I’m right, you’re wrong,” and God said so! We behave badly, laugh at ugly jokes and remarks, and give our children (and others who are watching), the impression that this is all okay – that this is how “good Christians” act. And surely God must hang His head in shame at how His children attempt to carry out the “mission.”
- Let’s stop and take a hard look at what Jesus called us to do.
- Let’s renew our commitment to love Him wholeheartedly and serve Him according to His will – not our own.
- Let’s surrender our sins to Him and ask for baptism in His cleansing blood.
- Let’s resolve to carry out Jesus’ mission – not our own…and to behave in a manner that is befitting of our “station” as His precious and redeemed children.
- Let’s share the GOOD NEWS with those in our “world” and make every effort to never contaminate this message with our words or actions.
©2016 Debbie Robus
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