Sent

John 20:1-23

“Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:21

The God of the universe cares about all of humankind, all throughout human history. In ages past, He sent different kinds of people to reveal Himself, many of them being known as prophets. During John’s lifetime He chose to reveal Himself perfectly though His very own Son. But what about now? He came. He died. He rose again. He published a book, hoped it would fall into your hands, prayed you’d be competent enough to understand it and then left us. Such is not the case.

Having risen, He gave His disciples this charge. He sent them, just as His Father had sent Him. It sounds like a simple enough statement, yet it carries with it profound implications. They were to be sent by Jesus, AS Jesus was sent by the Father. They were called to represent Christ to the world among their generation, just AS Jesus revealed the Father while He was among us. So what about now?

Perhaps it’s you. I say, “Perhaps”, simply because I don’t know who you are. The baton of being sent is one which is passed to all who are authentically followers of Jesus Christ. I do want that for you, but respect if you desire otherwise.

It reads like a command, but for the believer smells more of privilege. There is no greater honour than to serve the One who made the universe and the One to whom which all people answer to. When you really are convinced that Jesus is Lord and the He alone holds the keys to forever, it shapes your life’s ambition. Any responsibility comes not because we are so charged, but because we dearly love people. There really is no other assurance beyond this life apart from Jesus. So for the disciple, the going has very little to do with obligation but everything to do with the privilege of their position in Christ and a genuine love for the people they know.

If you don’t want to be sent, then you probably aren’t. If you do, you may wonder where it is you should go and what it is you should be doing. For the purpose of this short blog post, I would say – Do what you can. Spend your time reading His Word, in prayer with Him and talking it out among His people. Do what comes out of that. I am convinced that He really is alive and is quite capable of leading you and me if we are willing to simply live out our relationship with Him.

Who you are matters far more than any program you could run, any charity you support or the specific cause you lend your name to. If you are sent, your credibility among those you serve hinges primarily on your character and integrity. If we fail to be a people deserving of trust, the ministry we have taken on or the church model we have chosen will matter very little.

It seems that John went. We don’t know everything He did as a disciple, yet we do know that He took the time to write down what he knew about Jesus. The going hasn’t died with John as Jesus continues to send His people today. I have done my best to respond to that call, which is why you are hearing from me this day. I pray that you would also discover the privilege of being sent in Jesus’ name.