There’s a lot going on in this passage of
Scripture. Jesus has come to the end of his physical time on earth. He has
instructed his disciples to meet him in the far north of Israel near the lake
of Galilee where he spent much of his ministry. He met with his disciples to
give them the final orders which we call the Great Commission. The instructions
were to make disciples of all nations baptizing them and teaching them to
observe all that he commanded his disciples. He did not base this command on
the need of the world to hear the gospel. He based this Great Commission on the
fact that all authority had been given to him. Let’s see what that means.
The idea that Jesus had authority was not
some new thing to him. After all, he had lived face-to-face with the Father
since long before time began. He was the eternal son who had been the agent of
the Father in the creation of the earth. In fact, many months before his
departure, Jesus had affirmed the fact that he was the Son to whom all things
had been given by the Father. Listen while I read from Matthew 11:25-30. At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the
wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes,
Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been
handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and
no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to
reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle
and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
There’s no question in the mind of Jesus that
all things have been handed to him already before his obedience at the cross
and his subsequent resurrection from the dead. He was not waiting for
everything to be handed over to him. In fact, the prophet Daniel had foreseen
this transfer of power. Listen while
I read Daniel 7:13-14. “I saw
in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like
a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples,
nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be
destroyed.
The prophet Daniel looked ahead in a vision
more than 500 years before the birth of Jesus and he saw the Son of Man coming
to the Ancient of Days to receive from him a magnificent array of things that
we’ve yet to see completed. Daniel said that the Son of Man was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom. He said that all peoples, nations, and languages would
serve the Son of Man. Daniel said that the dominion referred to here is an
everlasting dominion. Praise God! It shall not pass away and his kingdom cannot
be destroyed. Jesus knew this from his childhood reading of the prophets. Jesus
understood that all things would be given to him. Yes, Jesus is Lord of all!
Jesus, knowing that all things are given to
him, served. Listen to what John
said about the Last Supper. John is the only disciple who recorded this event.
Well, let’s let John tell it in John
13:3-5. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all
things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,
rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it
around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the
disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Jesus, Lord of all, was approaching the end
of his physical life. He knew that all things have been handed to him just as the
prophet Daniel had recorded. On his way to the cross he came into an upper
room. Normally, when entering a house for a special event, a servant would be
waiting with a pitcher of water, a basin and a towel. Israel was a very dusty
place during the life of Christ and everyone’s feet became dusty as they
walked. As the guests arrived the servant would quickly bathe their feet. That
servant would be the lowest on the pecking order in the household.
Since there was no servant available when
they arrived, and none of the disciples would take on the task of washing the
other’s feet, Jesus served as the lowest servant in the room. It is important
to see that…
This fit with his view of authority. Look at
what Jesus said in Matthew 20:25-28. But
Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles
lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It
shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your
servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your
slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many.”
Too often in many churches today there seems
to be a scramble for the position of “most important”. I am glad that is not
one of the problems our church faces. I appreciate very much the little things
that are done by members of the church to make me, as pastor, know that I’m
appreciated. It is an honor to be the pastor of this church! At the same time,
I am not excused from the responsibility to do whatever needs to be done.
Jesus, the Lord of all, seeing that the disciples were too haughty to wash one
another’s feet simply took on the job. Everyone needs to have the same kind of
attitude. That is the way Jesus looked at his place in ministry.
Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that
they were being called on to do an awesome ministry of making disciples of all
people. And yet at the same time he wanted his disciples understand that they
had no authority given to them. In the same way, as believers in Jesus Christ,
we have no authority of our own. All authority is given to Jesus Christ and we
fulfill our role as Great Commission Missionaries in his authority not ours.
You see he was given…
“All authority” in heaven. Listen to what
Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus in Ephesians
1:19-23. The apostle wants the church there to know what the hope they have
is all about and what the glorious riches are for the saints…and
what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,
according to the working of his great might that he worked in
Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the
heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and
dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in
the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over
all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all
in all.
Jesus’ heavenly authority was established by
his entering the holy place in heaven with the sacrificial blood that was shed
on the cross. With that sacrifice for us he was not just raised from the dead
and ascended into heaven he was also seated at the right hand of power. That
heavenly authority allows him to be our mediator. He is the one who intercedes
between us and the Father in heaven. Jesus is the one that is placed above all
rule and authority and power and dominion! Jesus has all authority in heaven
and the Scriptures teach that he has…
“All authority” on earth. It seems strange
that that we can say he has all authority on earth when things are such a mess
here. Perhaps we can understand it better when we read Hebrews 2:8-10. … Now in putting everything in subjection to him,
he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything
in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than
the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering
of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it
was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many
sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through
suffering.
To say that Jesus was made a little lower
than the angels is to say that he became human. He who was eternally God became
man with a specific purpose in mind. It is hard to understand how Jesus could
be made perfect but he was. I know that to be true because the Bible says it
is. He who has all authority in heaven and on earth today learned obedience
through his suffering. God had always had this plan in mind from before the
creation of the world. Jesus entered into the holy place in heaven not with the
blood of bulls and goats but with his own blood. This caused him to have
everything made in subjection to him on earth as it is in heaven. The problem
is the world seems to be in open rebellion against him. The promise is made
that everything will be subject to him but…
We do not yet see everything in subjection to
him. The plan of God included a
process whereby the world would have the gospel preached to it. Luke, the
writer of the book of Acts, recorded Jesus’ commission in Acts 1:8. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus promised his disciples that they would
be empowered to witness. We know that this was an actual event on the day of
Pentecost. But for us it was an event on the day that we became a believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Not just believing about him but believing “in him”. The
church today has a responsibility to witness to Christ in our Jerusalem (for us
that’s Stamford), in all Judea (the surrounding areas), and Samaria (as far as
we can reach locally) and to the end of the earth. Every believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ should be prepared anytime to give a reason for the hope that we
have of eternal life. We need to lead people to see their need because all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God; and (we’re in a lot of trouble)
wages of sin is death! This applies to everyone in the world. All have sinned
and all are subject to eternal death! But, if we could lead people to confess
that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead
they will be saved. No, everything on earth is not yet subject to him…
But it will be. Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be
proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then
the end will come.
It is important to recognize that Jesus did
not simply leave everything in the care of a bunch of men. He didn’t say that he
was leaving the earth and they should do the very best they could to fulfill
his mission. Jesus said instead I am with you always even to the end of the
age! It’s important for us to understand that this impossible task is not just
in our hands! Jesus is Lord of all! And he has promised that he will complete
the work that he has begun in our lives. Not, we will complete it, but, He will
complete it. There is no doubt that Jesus intends that the gospel of the
kingdom will be preached to all the world. That means that we have to begin
with our families and friends, our neighbors and even our enemies! We can do
that not because we have the ability but because Jesus is Lord and all
authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth.
Without a question the Bible teaches that
Jesus is the creator of all things. He was present with the Father before the
world was created. He was part of the Godhead when the words were spoken, “Let
us make man in our image.” I have never read an adequate explanation of how
Jesus became man yet remained forever God! I know it is true because the Bible
says it is. The Bible further teaches that Jesus is Lord of all! In fact, in
order to know that we have a personal relationship with him we must confess
that Jesus is Lord while believing that God has raised him from the dead. We
are born separated from God because all have sinned and come short of the glory
of God. It is important that we come to him as our Lord not just “the Lord”! I
hope you have committed your life to him and accepted him as your Lord. If not,
today is the day of salvation!
All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard
version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
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