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Our Marching Orders
At the risk of sounding a bit âpreachy,â allow me a moment to restate the obviousâfor what we have heard the most often might well be the very command we ignore the most. As the Gospel of Matthew comes to a crescendo, Jesus gave His followers a final word of instruction. We often refer to these words as the âGreat Commission.â With stark simplicity, Jesus set out the calling and the mission of those who would follow Him. âGo,â He commands, âand make disciples of all nationsâ (Matt. 28:19). From that day until now, Jesusâ followers have endeavored to fulfill that assignment. Whatever else the church takes on, it is broadly understood that both âgoingâ and âmaking disciplesâ are essential and defining tasks. The church cannot be the church unless it is going and making disciples.
Interestingly, Jesusâ final instruction was nothing new; it is utterly consistent with His overall ministry. Early on, as Jesus invited Simon and Andrew to follow Him, He explained that He would make them âfishers of menâ (Mark 1:17). Later, Jesus designated twelve apostles. They were appointed âthat they might be with him and that he might send them out to preachâ (Mark 3:14). He called them close, and then He sent them out. Consistently, this invitation to walk closely with Jesus is linked with the command to go out with Jesus. In fact, it becomes clear that an intimate relationship with Jesus necessarily leads to a life of ministry and service and mission for all believers. God is a sending God. Repeatedly, He draws people close and then He sends them out. In the Gospels, we encounter this same pattern over and over again.
When Jesus sent His followers out, He gave explicit guidance. He also explained clearly what would happen to His followers as they obeyed Him. In Matthew 10, Jesus gave the Twelve âauthority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sicknessâ (Matt. 10:1). He told His followers exactly what message to proclaim (v. 7). He also gave them specific instructions about their upcoming journeys (vv. 5â15).
Some of His instructions sound uncomfortable and even potentially dangerous. For these specific and short trips, Jesus told His followers to take no money as they journeyed. He told them to take no bag. He told them to take no extra clothing or shoes. Evidently, Jesus wants His followers to experience Godâs sufficient provision firsthand.
As challenging as some of Jesusâ specific instructions were, however, what He had said to this point was downright encouraging compared to what He said next. âI am sending you out,â He explained, âlike sheep among wolvesâ (Matt. 10:16).
Like sheep among wolves. With that simple, startling phrase, Jesus defined the identity of His followers: they are like sheep. At the same time, He clarified the identity of the people they would meet in the world: they are like wolves. It is not especially difficult to ascertain what will happen to sheep in the presence of wolves. Even if we have no personal experience with either sheep or wolves, we plainly see how this scenario plays out. Frankly, it is not good to be a sheep in the presence of wolves. Sheep donât normally survive in the presence of wolves! Even so, Jesus wanted His followers to understand both their true nature and the true nature of the world in which they would journey. Jesus wanted His disciples to understand both the content of the gospel and the context in which it was to be shared. What He offered was a simple statement of fact.
And notice this: Jesus did not ask the sheep to behave like wolves, and He certainly did not suggest that the wolves would behave like sheep!
After setting this image before them, Jesus did not give His followers the opportunity to revisit their earlier commitment to Him. He did not ask them if, in the light of these new words, they still were serious about following Him. After all, they had already answered His call, and obedience to Him was the necessary next step. With some notable objections, His followers obeyed. They went.
And ever since, His followers have continued to go.
Jesus said plainly that He was sending His followers out âlike sheep among wolvesâ (Matt. 10:16). Then He told them even more. He told them that they would be handed over to the local councils, flogged in the synagogues, and brought before governors and kings as witnesses. He told them that they would be arrested, betrayed, and hated (vv. 17â22). In a word, His followers would be persecuted (v. 23). Jesus made it clear that this impending persecution was not merely a possibility; for those who would obey Him, persecution is a certainty.
In response to His instructions, Jesusâ followers set out on this grand and frightening adventure, and, sure enough, they experienced everything that Jesus had promised. They went out as sheep among wolves, and they experienced what sheep typically experience in the presence of wolves. Predictably, the sheep were true to their identity. Just as predictably, the wolves were true to theirs. And the inevitable result is precisely what Jesus has promised: persecution.
If there is any possible way to do it, we generally want to relegate passages like Matthew 10 to the distant past. We want to keep passages like Matthew 10 as far as possible from our own experience. Obedience to these ancient words, in todayâs world, would potentially be seen as unbalancedâeven insane. Especially within the church today, we might be encouraged to avoid taking Jesusâ instructions too seriously.
All the same, we claim that we are utterly devoted to Scripture. With great respect, we study to understand the world of these earliest followers of Jesus. We read about their suffering and we celebrate their costly obedience to Jesusâ call. Jesus clearly told His followers long ago that they would suffer, and they did suffer. We know the story of these faithful followers is true.
As true as this story of ancient persecution is, however, we long to believe that these verses are merely âhistory.â We want very much to believe what happened to these earliest disciples is not what will happen to us. We want to believe Jesusâ words in Matthew 10 do not apply to believers todayâat least, not to all believers!
We desperately cling to the possibility that these hard verses do not apply to us.
But what if Matthew 10 is not merely âhistoryâ? What if Matthew 10 is a true word intended for Jesusâ followers of every timeâa true word intended for even our time? What if Matthew 10 is about you and about me? What if âsheep among wolvesâ is an accurate description of both our calling and our world today? What if Jesusâ followersâHis followers todayâreally are like sheep? And what if the worldâthe world todayâreally is filled with wolves?
Opening ourselves to the truth of Godâs Word is dangerous. Popular theologies would tell us suffering can be avoided, that there is a way to be both faithful and comfortable at the same time, that there is a way to be both obedient and safe, that persecution is the destiny of believers who live only at certain times or in certain places, that God will reward obedience with success and security. Popular theologies would tell us that, even if we are sheep, it is possible to minimize our exposure to a world filled with wolves.
Godâs Wordâlived out in present active tenseâhowever, tells us something very different. Jesus would have us understand that His followersâHis followers long ago and His followers todayâare, in fact, sheep. Jesus would have us understand that our worldâour world long ago and our world todayâis filled with wolves. And knowing the certain outcome of that encounter between the sheep and the wolves, Jesus would have us understand, even in this kind of a world, He fully intends to accomplish His purposes. Jesus will use these sheep to complete His great plan.
Judging by what eventually happened to Jesus Himself, we come to understand that persecution and suffering and sacrifice are necessary parts of His ultimate strategy, even today.
This book retells the story of that strategy. This book tells the story of modern-day followers of Jesus who understand what it means to live as sheep among wolves. This book tells the story of Jesusâ settled intention to accomplish His purposes using unlikely things like persecution and suffering and sacrifice and martyrdom. This book is about the unlikely followers of Jesus who model the characteristics of sheep.
Jesusâ instruction is compelling in its clarity. It is not a suggestion; it is a command. âGo!â He says. âI am sending you!â
But what He says next is quite a surprise: âI am sending you out like sheep among wolves.â
We have the high privilege of answering Jesusâ call to go. But let us be clear about this: we go on His terms, not ours. If we go at all, we go as sheep among wolves.
Why then, given that Jesus led His disciples every day to be with Him âto seek and to save what were lostâ (Luke 19:10), did He feel it necessary to one more time command us with the Great Commission of Matthew 28?
Can it be that which Jesus lived and commanded the most is what we ignore obeying the most?
Today are we willing to follow Jesus to the tough places; anywhere and anytime He still commands?
More than Talking Points
- Is this command of Jesus always defined by His desire today to âseek and to saveâ those who are lost? Who are you seeking today?
- One enlightened brother said every Body of Christ who have a heart for the Nations needs four types of people: (1) Those who go, (2) Those who send, (3) Those who raise support for those who go, and (4) Those who welcome the Nations in their midst to their homes. Evaluate the obedience level of your church by these statements. Evaluate your commitment.