Almost without fail, when we talk about missions we want to begin with the Great Commission; however, the truth is that this little talk that Jesus had with His disciples is more closely the last word on missions rather than the first. Let’s take a little journey through the Bible to see how we can make this assertion. In all reality, God Himself was the original missionary. Psalm 19:1-4 proclaims, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun.” Every time we look outside our door, we see His witness. It is as though He has left a giant gospel tract on our doorstep! The Apostle Paul verifies the fact that the created order is God’s calling card to prove that He gives every man a personal chance to know Him. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
It is a reoccurring theme throughout the Bible that whatever blessing or correction comes upon the nations of the earth is totally the Lord’s doing.
Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph. (Psalms 108:9)
0 thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour. (Daniel 5:18)
The Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine
inheritance. (Isaiah 19:25)
Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose
the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut. (Isaiah 45:1)
Psalms 86:9 takes the role of God among the nations to another level, stating that they will all eventually acknowledge Him, “All nations whom thou has made shall come and worship before thee, 0 Lord; and shall glorify thy name.” The Psalmist further confirms that God is sovereign over all the nations. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalms 24:1)
“For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth…God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.” (Psalms 47:2, 8)
Amos asserts that He will hold all the families of the earth — not just the Jewish people or the Christian nations — accountable. Just remember the handwriting on the wall in Babylon and the fire and brimstone that rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah — and you’ll see that He wasn’t just fooling around when He said that.
In addition to the universal witness that He has left in the creation, the Lord chose one particular people to present a living witness for Himself — a walking, talking tract, if you please. That people was the Jewish nation, birthed from one faithful servant — Abraham.
When the Lord called Abraham and his descendants to be separated as a testimony unto Himself, He made it clear that the Chosen People were not hand-picked for their own sake but for the benefit of the whole world.
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:2-3)
Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. (Genesis
18:18)
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 26:4)
Abraham personally proved to be a blessing to the nation of Sodom through fighting on their behalf (Genesis 14) and interceding in an attempt to spare them from the judgment of God (Genesis 18). He also blessed the gentile king Abimelech and made a covenant with him. (Genesis 21:27)
But his greatest blessing to the nations was to be through the nation he would birth. It would be through the Jewish people that Joseph would arise to save Egypt and the rest of the civilized world from starvation; Daniel would arise to be an example and leader in Babylon; Esther would arise to serve as queen of the Medo-Persian Empire; a little slave girl would arise to direct the great general Namaan of Syria how to be healed of leprosy; Solomon would arise to amaze the whole world with his wisdom and prosperity; and — most importantly of all — the Messiah would arise to redeem all of mankind.
The Jewish people were constantly reminded that their uniqueness was not for their own revelry but so that they could be like a light on a lamp stand shining out to the nations of the earth.
And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared
throughout all the earth. (Exodus 9:16)
For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him
for? (Deuteronomy 4:7)
But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his
covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. (Psalms 67:1-2)
I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of
the people, for a light of the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:6)
And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)
And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. (Isaiah 62:2)
Even when the prophet Obadiah speaks of an ambassador that is sent among the heathen, he is pointing out the nation-sized thread that is woven throughout the Old Testament — that Israel is present as a testimony.
God even directed that the Jewish people make special provisions to include outsiders in their religious life so that they could come to understand their God. Strangers, as the non-Jewish nations were called, were permitted to take part in the Passover (Numbers 9:14), Sabbath worship (Exodus 20:10), and sacrifices (Leviticus 17:8). The Jews were warned not to oppress strangers (Exodus 22:21) and were told to allow them to glean in their fields (Leviticus 19:9-10). There was even a special
directive that might be considered an Old Testament version of the Golden Rule to instruct them as to how to treat strangers. (Leviticus 19:33-34) Assimilation allowed non-Jewish people to marry into the nation and become part of the bloodline; Ruth and Rahab the harlot both married into the people and even became ancestors to Jesus. God proclaimed that the nations would be attracted through Israel (Psalms 22:27; Isaiah 2:2-3, 45:22; Jeremiah 3:17); unfortunately, most of the Jewish people
were like Jonah who refused to understand this calling and the privilege associated with it. First Jonah ran from his commission to minister to the gentile city of Nineveh, then he threw a pity party when God did save and bless the people after the prophet reluctantly yielded to the divine directive to preach to them.
Isaiah specifically addressed eight nations and then spoke in universal terms when he promised salvation to the “ends
of the earth” (verse 45:22) and to the “sons of the stranger” (verse 56:6-7) and when he prophesied that the temple in Jerusalem was to become a “house of prayer for all people” (Isaiah 56:7). In Ezekiel, God showed that His actions among the Jews was to cause people to recognize that He is God. At least sixty times in this one book, the prophet said, “They shall know that I am the Lord.” This number does not include similar phrases such as, “They shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it.” These passages not only point out the judgment of God, but they also stress the redemption of the Lord. God’s message to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews, is that there is redemption even in judgment. It could be said that the phrase is connected
with God’s acts and His ax. When He brings down His ax upon the people, they can’t help but know that He is God;
however, whenever He is present there is also redemption present. Beginning in chapter twenty-five, God shows
that He will use the Jews to wake up many foreign nations including Moab, Edom, the Philistines, Tyre, Sidon, Egypt, Babylon, and Mt. Seir.
The prophets foresaw a time when the Gentiles would seek after Israel’s God. “And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” (Zechariah 2:11-12) “Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zechariah 8:22-23) “Then the nation of Israel will refresh the world like a gentle dew or the welcome showers of rain.” (Micah 5:7) By the time of Jesus, people throughout the Roman Empire were recognizing that their pagan religions were empty and were turning to Judaism because of the witness of the Jews testifying that “I am the Lord.” These converts fell into two categories, “devout men” or “God fearers” (Luke 7:4-5, Acts 10:1-2) and proselytes (Acts 2:10, 6:5, 13:43). Unfortunately — as Jesus affirmed — the Jews of His day, still stuck in the Jonah syndrome, made any converts who did come through their witness into “children of hell.” (Matthew 23:15)
Jesus, on the other hand, showed a remarkable openness to gentiles. The gospels are full of references to His interactions with gentiles: a Samarian woman at the well and the resulting ministry to the whole city (John 4:39-42), a Canaanite woman whose daughter was grievously vexed by a devil (Matthew 15:21-28), the Wise Men from the east (Matthew 2:1), Egypt (Matthew 2:14-15), Galilee of Gentiles (Matthew 4:15), a Roman centurion (Luke 7:5), a Samaritan leper (Luke 17:11-19), Idumaea,
Transjordan, Tyre, Sidon (Mark 3:7-8), Syria, Galilee, Decapolis (Matthew 4:24-25), the centurion’s servant in Capernaum (Matthew 8:5-13), the demoniac of the Gerasenes (Mark 5:1-20), healings in the land of Gennesaret (Matthew 14:34-36), the four thousand who were fed in Decapolis (Mark 7:31-8:9), and the centurion at the crucifixion who recognized that He was the son of God (Matthew 27:54).
In His ministry, Jesus repeatedly made statements which proved His intention to bring the non-Jewish nations to God: He said that many from the north, south, east, and west would come into the kingdom (Luke 13:29); He spoke of other sheep that He would gather (John 10:16); He made a Samaritan the hero of one of His most famous parables (Luke 10:25-37); and He told a number of other parables which were related to gentiles, including the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32), the parable of the householder (Matthew 21:33-45), and the parable of the marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14). When He cleansed the temple, He cast the merchants and money changers out of what was apparently the Court of the Gentiles and then declared that the temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations (Mark 11:17), and He corrected the disciples who were looking for Him
to establish the Kingdom of Israel by declaring that He has come to bring the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3, 6).
Those who knew Him could see the call of the nations upon His life and ministry. Simeon called Him the light to the Gentiles
(Luke 2:32); Luke traced his genealogy back to Adam to prove His connection to all men (Luke 3:38); John said that He was the light that would enlighten all men (John 1:9, 12:32) and clearly stated that he came to save the world (John 3:16-17); and Matthew clearly pointed out the gentile blood in His heritage through Ruth (Matthew 1:5). Even His crucifixion marker was written in the three major languages of the time — Greek, Latin, and Hebrew — so that no one could miss the point. (Luke
23:38)
It is upon all this foundation of Old Testament and gospel teaching on the mandate to minister truth to the world that Jesus finally comes to His disciples with the Great Commission — a mandate so significant that He repeated it four different times. By carefully studying the post-resurrection appearances of the Savior, we can see that He was constantly challenging His followers with their mission. Matthew 28:16-20 records the appearance of Jesus to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee; Mark 16:14-18 describes an appearance while they were having a meal, apparently in Jerusalem; Luke 24:36-49 recounts the first manifestation of Jesus to His disciples as a group after the resurrection; and Acts 1:3-9 documents His final conversation with the disciples on the Mount of Olives at the time of the ascension. One significant factor in this commission was that they were not to try to act upon it until they received the power of the Holy Spirit which would come on the Day of Pentecost. As we go through the book of Acts, it is noticeable that every time there was a fresh move of the Holy Spirit, the church expanded into a new dimension: the Day of Pentecost birthed the church; the outpouring in chapter eight brought the message to the Samaritans; the infilling in chapter ten initiated the move among the gentiles; and the Holy Ghost revival in chapter nineteen spread the gospel throughout all Asia.