The Kingdom of Heaven Rom 10:8-17/Matthew 28:11-20
“JESUS' PARTING WORDS”
Here, at the close of his gospel, Matthew shares Jesus' parting words to his disciples. Much attention and significance is given to the last words of famous people before heading into eternity.
Actor Michael Landon said to his family: “It's time to move on! Love you all!” Harriet Tubman's family sang Swing Low, Sweet Chariot with her; then she said, 'Give my love to the church'.
As the song, Walk Around Heaven played, Bo Diddley looked heavenward and simply said, “Wow!”
There's a comedian on YouTube who had fun with all this by claiming to know of certain individuals whose last words were, well, poignant. One hospital patient, he said, was overheard saying, “I bet I can get the nurse to come faster if I pull out this tube!” A friend of his, he said, was last heard saying to his wife: “Yes, dear, your hips do appear to be a bit wider!” Multimillionaire, Richard Mellon, who'd played a 70 year long game of tag with his brother said to him, “Tag, you're it!”
In a sense, that's what Jesus is saying to his friends. Throughout his ministry, Jesus articulated and demonstrated the kingdom of heaven coming to life among us. By loving on the unlovely, healing the hurting and telling stories of God’s radical grace, Jesus launched a come as you are culture where the hurting and disconnected experienced a sense of belonging in a culture of love and acceptance.
And then before parting company with his followers he passed it on to them. “I've been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey all the commands I have given you, knowing I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:18-20)
Tag you're it! Luke affirms this by noting that among the last things Jesus said to them, he told them: “You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere…” (Acts 1:8)
But are we? Are we we telling people about Jesus....everywhere? Are we doing that? National surveys indicate that we are not. Christianity Today reports that the vast majority of those who attend church rarely share their faith with those outside of it, thus the self-designation: the frozen chosen!
Why is that? Why do we so rarely obey Jesus' final command? What is it that makes we, the chosen, so frozen? Three things I’ve noticed hold us back - that far too often hold me back.
Probably the number one factor inhibiting us is that of fear. But what is it that we’re so afraid of? In my case, it's rejection. One of the reasons I was single until I was 30 was because of such fear.
I remember going to the house of a girl I liked and standing outside talking to myself...:
Yup, that’s her house alright. (fidgeting...) So, here I am.... This is the big moment! What's to keep me from knocking on the door and asking her out? Clearly, there's there’s only one thing for me to do - Chicken out!
Somehow witnessing to someone triggers that same fear. What if I look foolish? What if they scoff, or look at me funny, or say no? What if they tell me to take a hike? Actually, I like to hike...
Truth is, I've experienced all of those things. And things haven't gotten any easier. There's a narrative today that seeks to negate the message of love and acceptance we're to communicate.
-2-
Fact is, that dynamic is not particularly new. Matthew records that it's been going on since the start. “As the women were on their way (to tell the disciples of Jesus' resurrection), some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened..., who gave them a bribe to say, 'Jesus' disciples came during the night and stole his body while we slept.' So the guards said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely and is still told today.” (Matthew 28:11-15)
Those whose hearts are hardened, or feel they have something to lose, are still retelling a false narrative – that the disciples hallucinated or that it's nothing more than wishful or delusional thinking. The reputation of Christians being judgmental or politically motivated hasn't helped either. Some get dismissive, or distant or even angry when we invite or share and fear rears it's ugly head & we give up.
Another reservation is that of our doubt or uncertainty. As one new Christian once asked in an Alpha training session, “what if I’m found out?” It's like a coach talking to his losing ball team....
“There's much to be learned from baseball. The game of baseball and the game of life are very similar. The way a person performs on the field often reflects how he performs in the game of life.”
His team looked at each, and then in unison cried out, “We're doomed!”
What if, in the process of reaching out, I’m found out? What if my weak performance in the field of faith is laid bare for them to see? What if my inability to articulate my faith reflects my doubts or struggles? In this way, our fears, doubts and uncertainty hold us back. Again, it's nothing new. Matthew notes that “When Jesus' disciples saw him, some of them worshipped him – but some of them doubted!” (Matthew 28:17) Yet Jesus sent all of them, the doubters and worshippers alike!
For those of us who have been church going Christians for a while there’s also the reality that we may not have many friends outside the church. Over time we may come to realize that We speak a different language. It's reminiscent of the young German coast guard employee who is left alone on his first day on the job, only to get a distress call on his ham radio from an American navy officer.
“Hello! Is anyone out there! Please help us! We're sinking! We're sinking!”
The novice German coast guard nervously responded: “Uh, what are you sinking about?”
In terms of helping someone who is wrestling with doubt or uncertainty, that’s actually not a bad question: What are you sinking about? If we’re going to connect with those outside of the church, if we’re to throw a life line to those sinking in life, we’d do well to Engage them where they are at, actively listening to their stories and discover what it is they are thinking about. In this way we get on the same page and learn to speak the same language.
It’s not a matter of convincing them where they are wrong, or entering into a debate but having a conversation. It’s not so much our sharing our strengths and victories that connect us with those who are searching or struggling but our own struggles and weaknesses. By risking being vulnerabile, we build a bridge by which we can offer hope to those experiencing struggles of their own.
Paul did no less in his witness. Once, standing in the presence of King Agrippa and his court, Paul admitted: “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus… I cast my vote against (the believers in prison) when they were condemned to death. Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.” (Acts 26:9-11)
-3-
Paul was saying, I understand your reluctance. I was once as reluctant as you. In terms of my fears and reservations, two things have helped me - one the awareness that it is not in my power to convert anyone. I get neither the credit nor the blame. As Paul put it: “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:7)
As I invite or witness, I get neither the credit nor the blame. That’s liberating! It's not on me! My success is not based on how the other person responds but on my being obedient to Js' command.
Second, if I’m to be at all effective in planting or watering seeds, if I’m to lose my inhibitions, I need Jesus’ passion! And what was Jesus’ passion? People were Jesus’ passion. He was passionate about the lost being found, the wounded being healed, the dead in faith coming alive in a dynamic, exciting, eternal relationship with their heavenly Father! He loved people one person at a time!
So how do we come to share that passion? Jesus left his friends some final instructions: “Do not leave until the Father sends you the gift He promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)
This is what frozen chosen ones like me need. We need his fire in us to thaw us out, and to fill us with Jesus’ passion to throw a lifeline to those who are going under. That's why prayer and prayer partners are so vital in our outreach. Jesus told his disciples heavenly authority had been given to him, and now he entrusts that to us. When we pray in Jesus' name, we don't do that as if we've uttered some incantation, some hocus pocus that guarantees we get what we want, but rather we pray under his heavenly auhority, the power of which he healed people and raised others to new life.
It's like the Roman centurion who came to Jesus to heal his beloved servant. He was speaking of Jesus' authority when he said to Jesus: “Just say the word and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go and he goes. I tell another to come and he comes. I say to my servant, 'do this', and he does it!” (Matthew 8:8-9)
This guy recognized Jesus' authority. And in his great commission here at the end of the gospel we hear Jesus speak of it, own it, and then send out his followers authorized to do and share and witness under that very same authority. Praying for those we invite is powerful stuff!
Years ago our son's best friend starting come with us to worship. Along the way, he asked us to pray for his dad, so we did... Then one day he walked across the High School cafeteria and asked if he could meet with me. When Tim showed up he had a lot of questions so I invited him to Alpha. His wife, Crystal, came with him, both of whom had little to no history with Christian community.
Crystal was so moved by her experience that she invited Anna, who in turn invited a friend and a Holy Spirit ripple effect got underway. This past Sunday two others they've invited showed up for Easter worship. That's the heart of Jesus, for us to pass it on..., to share the wealth of the kingdom.
“All authority in heaven on earth has been given to me, so go therefore, and make disciples!” (Matthew 28:19) Jesus is still sending us, just as he did with the women who came to the tomb: “Don't be afraid! Go tell the others...so that they may see me too!” (Matthew 28:10)
Don't let fear or inhibition or disappointment...freeze you up. Don't give up. Claudia and I have invited scores of folks who have yet to show up, but many others have. Engage those God puts in your path by asking good questions, seek to understand them, value them even and especially if they're worldview or lifestyle differs from you own. Invest in them and offer to pray for them.
-4-
After all, “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, but how can they call on him unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have they have near heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?” (Romans 10:13-15) And that's just it! Jesus has sent you!