He spoke to them again and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” - John 20:21
God had one son, and he sent him to be a missionary. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). Jesus’ mission was to go on a cross-cultural journey to tell the people he found about God. He left his home and family, traveled a long way, and identified with the people. He learned their language, ate their food, wore their clothes, and endured their sicknesses. He lived among the poorest folk in the obscurest village, and understood the deepest needs of the community.
But he also kept abreast of the national and international news and was articulate in expressing his biblically based views on the issues in focus. After thirty years of preparation, he began his preaching, teaching, and healing ministry. He went about doing good. He drew large crowds of people to hear his sermons, yet he always had time to listen and love the individual.
In the world’s eyes, he failed in his missionary endeavors and was crucified for his trouble. But in God’s sight, his mission was gloriously accomplished, and he returned home to a marvelous welcome and a grand reward. He paid the ultimate price a missionary is ever asked to pay—laying down his life for his God on the foreign mission field. But like other humble servants that followed after him, he lives forever in heaven, surrounded by his converts. Jesus was the first and finest missionary!
For Further Study: John 20:19-23
Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.
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