In the 1980 film “Blues Brothers,” the main characters attempt to stop a beloved orphanage from closing. Saving this orphanage is not something they merely want to do; it is something they feel called to do.
One of the characters, a harmonica-playing ex-con named Elwood, continually articulates this calling with the phrase, “We’re on a mission from God.” This phrase ties the entire movie together. The Blues Brothers have a divine mandate.
Jesus sends his disciples into the world in ministry and mission. As he sends them out, he gives them detailed instructions as to what they are to do and how they are to respond to various situations.
Whether we read the sending of the 12 in Matthew 10, the sending of the 72 in Luke 10, or the great commission in Matthew 28, it is clear that the disciples of Jesus have a divine calling. The Disciples are sent on a mission from God.
And so are we.
The instructions Jesus gives the disciples about their mission also pertain to our lives today. As modern-day disciples of Jesus, we, too, are sent into the world on a mission from God. This mission can be best understood in three ways.
1. Sent with Christ’s Message
The gospels describe how Jesus traveled from town to town, preaching the good news of the kingdom (Matthew 9:35). The announcement that God’s Kingdom had come near was Jesus’ primary message.
For example, when Jesus calls the disciples together, he does so with these words, “The time has come . . .The kingdom of God is near” (Mark 1:14). More than any other topic, Jesus announced the Kingdom of God as present and available, and invited people to experience it.
It is significant, therefore, that Jesus instructed the disciples in this way: “As you go, preach this message: The kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 10:7).
Even when the disciples were not received into people’s homes, when they were persecuted or insulted, Jesus still instructed them to bear this message.
Jesus says, “When you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into the streets, and say ‘even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this, the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 10:11).
Whether the disciples were received well or not, listened to or rejected, the fundamental message to be proclaimed was the availability of Christ’s kingdom.
As disciples of Jesus, we do not make up the gospel message. We announce the same message that Christ proclaimed as he walked the dusty streets of Israel. His words are to be our words. “As the father sent me,” says Jesus, “so I send you” (John 20:21).
The fundamental message of all our ministry, mission, and preaching is the availability of God’s kingdom. Jesus calls us to proclaim the presence of Christ and invite people to experience the power of the kingdom.
2. Sent in Christ’s Compassion
Jesus’ earthly ministry was defined by unyielding love for the people. Matthew describes how Jesus looked upon the crowds with empathy and compassion. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
Compassion is not the same as pity. The word compassion means to “suffer with.” Jesus was inwardly moved by the suffering of the people around him. He recognized their deep inner longings; He knew they felt lost and alone, and his heart grieved for them.
Jesus asked his followers to share in his compassion for the lost, the helpless, and the harassed. This is why Jesus told the disciples to pray for workers in the harvest field (Matthew 9:38).
Jesus called the disciples to recognize the myriad of people starving for an experience of grace and love. He wanted his disciples to be filled with his own longing for people’s redemption and healing.
There are still people in need of healing in their lives. Countless people feel spiritually lost or alone. Thus, like the disciples before us, we are called to have compassion for them and pray that the Lord sends more workers into the harvest field.
And yet, it is at this point that Jesus sends his disciples on their mission! After inviting the disciples to share in his compassion for others and to pray for more workers in the harvest field, he commissions them for their mission (Matthew 10:1). Jesus invites the disciples to be the answer to the prayer for more workers! The same is true for us today.
Mission must be rooted in the compassionate heart of God. As the old saying goes, “People never care how much you know unless they know how much you care.”
Without a heart filled with Christ’s love, all our efforts in ministry and mission will fall flat. Our mission is to connect people to the love of God as found in Jesus Christ. This connection will never occur if we are not rooted in the Lord’s love and compassion.
Where do you share the compassion of Jesus? Where does your heart grieve for those who feel helpless or harassed? The place where you share Christ’s compassion is the place where you hear your calling.
3. Sent in Christ’s Power
Jesus never asks his disciples to engage in their mission by their own effort. Mission and ministry are not about human-based prowess or excellence. When Jesus sent the disciples into the world, he sent them in his own power.
Jesus instructed the disciples to “preach this message: the kingdom of heaven is near: Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons” (Matthew 10:7-8).
What is intriguing here is that this activity is the very activity that Jesus himself performed as he traveled from town to town. The ministry of the disciples is an extension of the ministry of Jesus.
There is fundamental parity between the works Jesus performed on earth and the ministry of the disciples. Matthew 9:35 describes how Jesus “went throughout all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.”
Matthew 9:24 speaks of how Jesus raises a dead girl back to life. In calling the disciples to perform the same work he does, Jesus sends his followers into the world as an extension of his own ministry.
It can become easy to view mission through the lens of strength or ability. Many people question their calling because they believe themselves to be lacking the necessary skills. Some of the greatest people in scripture also did this.
Abraham and Sarah said they were too old, Moses said he could not speak, Jeremiah claimed to be too young, Peter said he was too sinful, and Paul said he was unworthy to be called a disciple. Yet, in every case, God’s power was manifest in profound ways.
As followers of Jesus, we have a mission, divinely given. We have been empowered to proclaim Christ’s message, embody Christ’s compassion, and testify to Christ’s power.
Each of us has this calling upon our lives. This calling isn’t about our skill or accomplishment, our prowess or greatness.
As we allow the compassion of Christ to fill us and the words of Christ to inform us, the power of Christ works through us. Because ultimately, being sent with a mission isn’t about how good we are but about how good Christ is; it is not about what we do but about what He does through us.
For further reading:
What Is the Biblical View of Mission Work?
Are all Believers Called to Ministry?
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