Go

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. – Matthew 28.18-20

As Jesus approached the very end of His earthly ministry He had a last minute instruction for the disciples. This was His farewell address, His parting remarks, the last they would hear from Him.

His final message can be wrapped up in one word – go.

Go and do what? ‘Go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations, baptising and teaching them.’ It really is a pretty simple command. The last teaching that Jesus gave us was to go and take His message to others.

It is an awesome task. He could have chosen any way to get His message out, but He chose us. He chose us to make disciples by teaching the things He taught, and to baptise them.

Every time I look at this I get convicted. I realise the responsibility that I have and I wonder how the work would get done if everyone did only what I do to bring for the discipling and teaching.

We do no good if we sit here, read this, and mourn about our failures of the past. We do well, if instead, we take the reminder to heart and set about the task of doing the job with a renewed vigour and a new vigilance.

And we take comfort in that task. Jesus told the disciples, and by extension us today, that He would be with us always. May each of us take the charge to heart today to carry out the words of our Master’s farewell address.