As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you ( John 20:19–23)

The apostles (20:19–23)


    [19] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” [20] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
(John 20:19-23 ESV)

The resurrection has personal implications, but that does not exhaust its significance. Jesus’ vision is not of a multitude of inspired individuals each acting independently out of his or her personal encounter with the risen One. The fruit of his exaltation [John, Page 297] is a community, bound together by their common participation in the Spirit, sent forth to gather his ‘other sheep’ from every corner of the world. Accordingly, in the final two chapters of the gospel, which are concerned with expounding the post-resurrection ministry of Jesus, the appearances which have individual significance (to Mary, 20:10–18; Thomas, 20:24–29; and Peter, 21:15–17) are balanced by those which have reference to the wider mission of the community.16 An encounter with the living Christ is where faith is born; the church of the living Christ is where faith grows and matures. A mature Christian experience will develop from loving Christ in and of himself in an immediate one-to-one relationship, to loving him (no less personally or deeply) in the fellowship of his own.
    The setting is Jerusalem on the evening of Easter day in a room which may well have been where the last supper was held just three days before (cf. Acts 1:13; 12:12). While John may have ‘believed’ (8), and Mary may have testified to her meeting with the risen Jesus (18), the reality of the resurrection has still to emerge among the disciple group with any degree of conviction; hence the locked doors and the continuing fear for their skins (19). Suddenly the Easter glory breaks upon them—Jesus is there visibly in their midst!
    He stills their inevitable anxiety and confusion with a familiar word of greeting, ‘Shalom’, Peace be with you! (19). Shalom, the familiar Hebrew greeting, is a considerably richer notion than mere absence of stress, which tends to be our understanding of ‘peace’ today. In its Old Testament context, shalom basically means ‘well-being’ in its fullest sense. It gathers up all the blessings of the kingdom of God; shalom is life at its best under the gracious hand of God. Jesus’ use of it on that Easter evening therefore represented the first truly authentic bestowal of shalom in the history of the world! Precisely because he has brought the kingdom of God into realization by his death and rising, now and only now is shalom a realizable blessing. Thus his “Shalom!” on Easter evening is the complement of his “It is finished!” on the cross, for the peace of reconciliation and life from God is now imparted. “Shalom!” accordingly is supremely the Easter greeting. Not surprisingly it is included, along with “grace”, in the greeting of every epistle of Paul in the NT.’17
    Jesus further reassures the disciples that it is truly himself they are encountering, no ghost or phantom: he showed them his hands and side. How important for our needy, hurting generation, that Jesus is recognized by his scars! The effect is predictable, but no [John, Page 298] less moving: The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord (20). ‘Joy is the basic mood of Easter.’18

    Jesus, however, has come not merely to assure them of his conquest of death and the triumph of his kingdom. He has come also to instruct and prepare them for what lies ahead. The mission about which he had taught them in the upper room is now imminent and he sets them apart for it in a solemn moment of commissioning. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you (21). Echoing words uttered in his prayer before his passion (17:18), it is the form in which the ‘Great Commission’ appears in this gospel.

[21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
    Several of the fundamentals of the church’s mission in every generation are expressed here.
    1.  The importance of mission. The key to the statement is the parallel it draws between the sending of Jesus into the world by the Father and the sending of the apostolic community into the world by the risen Son. If the parallel holds good, then mission must have the same importance for the community as it had for Jesus. In the latter case, as we have seen, the significance could not be greater. In the Gospel of John, Jesus defines himself as the ‘sent one’;19 and correspondingly the Father is defined as ‘the Sender’.20 Thus the Godhead is defined in terms of mission. Mission reaches back into the eternal relations of the Trinity in the dynamic inter-relationship of Sender and Sent.
    The challenge is evident. As Jesus is defined by the mission of the Father, so the church is defined by its mission to the world.
    The same conclusion is arrived at by another route when we recognize that if God is in this sense a missionary God, the summons to be like him assumes a precise focus. The degree to which individuals and churches are committed to mission, both locally and throughout the world, will be a measure of how God-like (or how godly) they are.
    2.  This commission of Jesus helps us understand the character of mission. The tenses of the two verbs in the sentence are different. The second verb is present: I am sending you; but the first is a perfect, which implies a past action continuing in the present: the Father has sent me. What Jesus has in mind therefore is not a double mission, first Jesus’ mission and then afterwards our mission. Rather it is one single action, the great movement of the missionary heart of God sending forth his Son into the world, [John, Page 299] initially through the incarnation, subsequently through his church. The one mission of God has two phases: the first, that of the Son in his incarnate life; the second, that of the Son in his risen life through his people.21 ‘The apostles were commissioned to carry on Christ’s work, and not to begin a new one.’22 He is in our midst as we go forth for him to the world!
    This understanding of the missionary task carries implications. It touches the issue of authority in our service. Because Jesus’ mission continues through ours, our mission partakes of his divine authority. We can compare the classical form of the commission: ‘all authority … has been given to me. Therefore go … and I am with you’ (Mt. 28:18–20). The presence of the exalted Lord is the authorization of our mission. This is what ‘apostle’ means—one whom Jesus sends and accompanies. In this sense the church in every age is an apostolic community and every Christian witness, sent and authorized by the risen and reigning one, belongs to the apostolate of the Lord. Behind this Christian reality lies a Jewish model, the s¥aœlˆîahΩ or messenger. In Hebrew culture the s¥aœlˆîahΩ embodied the dignity and authority of the one in whose name he had come: ‘one who is sent is as the one who sends him.’23 To slight a s¥aœlˆîahΩ was therefore to slight his master; correspondingly, to respect the s¥aœlˆîahΩ by obeying the message he brought was to respect his master. As the ‘sent ones’ of Jesus we speak with his authority.
    In practice, the exercise of that authority is bound up with our mirroring the mission of Jesus at another point, viz. obedience. Jesus exercised the authority of his Father because he was utterly obedient to the will of his Father (cf. comment on 8:12f.). ‘The transaction [of the s¥aœlˆîahΩ] could not be properly concluded without a resolute subordination of the will of the representative to that of the one who commissioned him.’24 Our wielding his authority is related to our accepting a similar subordination. Here is the paradox of Christian ministry: we find freedom insofar as we permit his enslavement of us; we bring life to others to the degree to which we give up our own; we have authority and power in the measure to which we are willing to become helpless. Positively, however, this opens up unimaginable possibilities, as verse 23 indicates.
    This statement, about loosing and retaining sins, has been appealed to in terms of the authorization of a magisterial office in the church with the direct authority to forgive or retain sins. That implication appears unjustified when the context is taken seriously. The ‘loosing’ and ‘binding’ are the effect of the preaching of the [John, Page 300] gospel in the world, when we go forth in the name and with the authority of the risen Lord. As when he was on earth, so now, the coming of the light of God’s Word draws some to the light for salvation and confirms some in the darkness for damnation (3:19–21; 9:39). ‘There is no doubt from the context that the reference is to forgiving sins, or withholding forgiveness. But though this sounds stern and harsh, it is simply the result of the preaching of the gospel, which either brings people to repent as they hear of the ready and costly forgiveness of God, or leaves them unresponsive to the offer of forgiveness which is the gospel, and so they are left in their sins.’25
    3.  One other aspect of the character of mission is to the point; the cost of it. For the risen one who sends us is identified not by his kingly glory, but by the marks of his cross and passion (20). To be sent by such a Master in his mission must have had the most sobering effect on the apostles. As the Father has sent me had meant for Jesus costly self-sacrifice to the point of the hell of Calvary; it could not henceforth mean less in principle for them. ‘Whoever serves me must follow me’ (12:26).
    4.  Finally, lest these terms of the mission be thought too overwhelming, Jesus also points to the resources of mission. The first has already been stressed; Jesus himself. He will continue to be the leader of the disciple community. As before, so now, they will go out under his leadership and with the inspiration of his living presence. In particular we note, as we did above, the recurrence of this commission formula in the consecration prayer of Jesus (17:18). Here is our all-embracing and all-sufficient resource, that our mission is undergirded by the praying presence of Jesus!
    The other major resource is shared in verse 22: With that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
    Considerable debate has swirled around the interpretation of this statement. In particular, how does it relate to the coming of the Spirit some fifty days later as described in Acts 2? The notion that this is actually John’s account of Pentecost, and in his mind replaces the subsequent coming of the Spirit (a view much in favour with critical scholarship), requires a qualifying of John’s historical reliability which is unwarranted. Accepting the historicity of both Acts and John, and hence the apparent double gifting of the Spirit, some interpret in terms of a relative difference between the two enduements of the Spirit. Thus Calvin distinguishes between ‘sprinkling’ with the Spirit (here), and ‘saturation’ with the Spirit at Pentecost.26 Westcott sees the power of new life imparted in [John, Page 301] John and the power for ministry in Acts.27 Bruce inverts Westcott’s distinction.28
    It seems preferable to recognize that the true coming of the outpoured Spirit took place at Pentecost. Apart from other considerations it would appear that it was only after the Acts 2 experience that any marked change came over the behaviour of the apostles and the kingdom’s arrival became apparent.
    The ‘expiration’ of the Spirit described here in John can then be viewed as symbolic, and hence essentially didactic. Jesus here is teaching the apostles who the Spirit is. Lest a ‘symbolic’ interpretation be thought to reduce this incident to an insignificant affair, let it be noted that until they understood who the Spirit was they were in no position to receive his outpouring. The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost was in a deep sense dependent upon this action on the evening of Easter. Who is the Spirit? He is the life-breath of the exalted Jesus! Jesus the risen one breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. ‘The Holy Spirit is Christ himself in the power of his resurrection … the outstretched arm of the Exalted One.’29
    This understanding of the relationship between Jesus and the Spirit is precisely the one expressed by Peter at Pentecost. When the bewildered crowds demand to know the meaning of the phenomena, Peter’s answer is: ‘this Jesus … Exalted to the right hand of God, he has … poured out what you now see and hear’ (Acts 2:33). No purer expression of this Johannine incident and its meaning is conceivable.
    Thus Christianity at its outset was saved from the danger of becoming a religion focused essentially on supernatural phenomena, ‘signs and wonders’ as such. Instead, from its earliest moments, it was the religion of Jesus of Nazareth, the glorified Servant and Messiah of God, exalted at God’s right hand, and hence the ruler of the universe. He manifested his rule when he so willed by ‘signs and wonders’, but also and more generally, by all the other works of his people in the world. The Spirit is the ‘Spirit of Jesus’. Thus the phenomena of Acts are understood, as are the signs in John, as semeia, ‘signs’ of the person and reign of Jesus the exalted Son and Servant, the Word made flesh. The key to that crucial identification is this moment on Easter evening. But if this perspective is valid, what a resource this represents for the apostolic task! Nothing less than the power which brought Jesus through death and resurrection to the right hand of the Father is the power which is made available to the church in its mission (so Paul in Eph. 1:18ff.).

God Of This City Chords by Chris Tomlin, (G)

God Of This City Chords by Chris Tomlin, (G)
Capo 2
Verse 1:
                       G
You're the God of this city
           D/F#
You're the King of these people
          Em7
You're the Lord of this nation
    C
You are

Verse 2:
     G
You’re the light in this darkness
          D/F#
You’re the hope to the hopeless
   Em7
You’re the peace to the restless
    C
You are

Pre Chorus:
Em7      D/F#          C
There is no one like our God
Em7      D/F#             C     D
There is no one like our God

Chorus:
C   
Greater things have yet to come
D
Greater things are still to be done 
   G    D/F#    Em7
In this city
C
Greater things have yet to come
D                                   G
Greater things are still to be done here

Genesis: Blessing for All Nations

    Following the judgment of the flood, the descendants of Noah gathered in the east in Babylonia and built a city with a tower reaching to the heavens to ‘make a name’ for themselves (11:4). Their actions challenged God’s authority; so he confused their language. This resulted in their migration, in groups who formed various nations (10:1–32; 11:1–9). As God had shown mercy to sinful humanity in the past, so he now set in motion the creation of a nation by choosing Israel’s fathers descended from the line of Shem (9:26; 11:10–26).

Call of Abraham (blessing)
    The promised blessings bestowed on all humanity would be fulfilled exclusively through the family of Abraham. The LORD would be for ever known as the ‘God of Abraham’. The word ‘bless’ occurs five times in the call of the patriarch (12:1–3); this was the gracious counterbalance to the five ‘curses’ against fallen creation and humanity (3:14, 17b; 4:11; 8:21; 9:25). Abraham, as the mediator of blessing to all ‘peoples’ (mis¥paœhΩa®), was himself the progenitor of a ‘great nation’ (gôy), which inherited a promised land (eresΩ). This divine agenda was a gracious response to the formation of the nations at Babel according to their ‘peoples’ (mis¥paœhΩa®) and ‘nations’ (go®yim) which had scattered across the face of the ‘earth’ (eresΩ) (10:5, 20, 31–32).

Promise of a nation (seed)
    The promise of a ‘great nation’ (12:2) implied a large population, but Sarah was barren (11:30). The question of an heir for Abraham and Sarah is the major tension in the Abraham story. Although the prospects for the promise’s fulfilment were dim, Abraham believed God and responded obediently (15:6; also 12:4; 22:16–17). A decade later Isaac was born to Sarah as the appointed heir of the blessing (21:12b). The creation ordinance called for humanity to increase in number (1:28; 9:1, 7), and in the patriarchal promises God said that Abraham’s descendants would flourish as the ‘dust of the earth’ (13:16; 22:17; 28:14; 32:12) and the ‘stars of the sky’ (15:5; 22:17; 26:4). Genesis anticipated the founding of Israel as the future realization of this promise (Exod. 1:7; 3:15–17; 6:2–8; 32:13; Deut. 1:10; 10:22).

Canaan homeland (land)
    For the LORD to make Abraham into a ‘great nation’, the Hebrew people required a homeland. Repeatedly the LORD assured Abraham and his successors of a promised land, the land of Canaan, which the LORD himself would ‘give’ them (12:7; 13:15, 17; 15:7, 18; 17:8; 24:7; 26:3; 28:13, 15; 35:12; 48:4; 50:24). ‘Go from your country … to the land I will show you’ is the first recorded command to Abraham (12:1; 15:7). Abraham obeyed the LORD by migrating to Canaan (12:4), but the patriarch had only a tentative foothold in the land. Famine forced his immediate departure to Egypt, but he returned enriched by Pharaoh (12:10–20). Israel’s future claim to the land was prefigured by the journeys of Abraham, who traversed the land (12:4–9), entered into treaties with neighbours (21:22–34), and purchased the family burial site at Machpelah (ch. 23; 25:7–11; 50:13). The chief tension in the Jacob narrative is the patriarch’s absence from Canaan. Fearing for his life because he had stolen Esau’s blessing, he fled to Aram where he lived for twenty years (31:38). Later, he also left Canaan for Egypt with his sons (46:26–27). Yet the LORD brought Jacob back from Aram to the land of his father (28:15; 31:3; 35:12; 48:4); as a portent of better days when God would bring back the people of Israel from Egypt (46:4), Jacob’s body was returned to Canaan for burial with his fathers in Machpelah’s cave (49:29; 50:4–14).

Because Chist has become a servant

Because Chist has become a servant (8–13)

    [8] For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, [9] and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.

As it is written,
    “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
        and sing to your name.”
    [10] And again it is said,
    “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
    [11] And again,
    “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
        and let all the peoples extol him.”
    [12] And again Isaiah says,
    “The root of Jesse will come,
        even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
    in him will the Gentiles hope.”
    [13] May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
(Romans 15:8-13 ESV)

With verse 8 Paul slips almost imperceptibly from the unity of the weak and the strong through Christ to the unity of Jews and [Romans, Page 372] Gentiles through the same Christ. Further, in both cases the unity is with a view to worship, ‘so that’ they ‘may glorify God’ together (6, 9ff.). The grammar of verses 8–9 is uncertain, however. Here is the NIV text: For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs (8) so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy (9a).
    What is clear is that there are two complementary clauses, the first about the Jews and God’s truth (i.e. truthfulness), the second about the Gentiles and his mercy. But what is the relation between them? Many commentators suspend both clauses on the solemn opening words, I tell you. But because the context highlights the work of Christ, it seems better to suspend them on a longer introduction, namely, I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews.… Then his role as the servant of the Jews, that is, as the Jewish Messiah, is seen to have two parallel purposes, first to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs and secondly to incorporate the Gentiles as well. His ministry to the Jews was on behalf of God’s truth, to demonstrate his faithfulness to his covenant promises, whereas his ministry to the Gentiles was on account of his mercy, his uncovenanted mercy. For, although the Old Testament contains many prophecies of the inclusion of the Gentiles, and indeed the promise to Abraham was that the nations would be blessed through his posterity, yet God had made no covenant with the Gentiles comparable to his covenant with Israel. Consequently, it was in mercy to the Gentiles, as it was in faithfulness to Israel, that Christ became a servant for the benefit of both.
    This truth of the inclusion of Jews and Gentiles in the messianic community Paul now enforces with four Old Testament quotations. In each case he uses the LXX text, and he chooses one from the Law, one from the Prophets and two from the Writings, which are the three divisions of the Old Testament. All four quotations refer both to the Gentiles and to the worship of God, although each contains a slightly different emphasis. In the first, David, though king of Israel, announces his intention to praise God among the Gentiles, although it is not clear whether the nations are to be spectators only or active participants. ‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name’ (9b = Ps. 18:49; 2 Sa. 22:50).
    In the second quotation the nations are definitely participants. Moses is represented as summoning them to rejoice in company with God’s people. Again, it says, ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people’ (10 = Dt. 32:43). In the third quotation the psalmist also addresses all the nations directly and bids them praise Yahweh, repeating the word ‘all’. And again, ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples’ (11 = Ps. 117:1). Then [Romans, Page 373] in the fourth and final verse the prophet Isaiah predicts the rise of the Messiah, descended from David, Jesse’s son, who would rule the nations and win their confidence. And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him’ (12 = Is. 11:10). Thus the Messiah would be simultaneously the root of Jesse and the hope of the nations.
    Paul concludes the long doctrinal-ethical section of his letter with another benediction (see verse 5 for the first). May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him (13a). The reference to joy and peace recalls the apostle’s definition of the kingdom of God (14:17). Now he adds faith (as you trust in him) as the means by which joy and peace grow within us, and he prays that his Roman readers will be filled with both. He also anticipates that this filling will result in an overflowing: so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (13b). The burden of Paul’s earlier benediction (5) was unity with a view to worship; the burden of this one is ‘hope’. He has already expressed his assurance that the Scriptures bring us hope (4). Now he expresses his prayer-wish that the God of hope may cause them to overflow with hope. Hope of course always looks to the future. And since Paul has just quoted Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah will be the object of the Gentiles’ hope (12), we are given a clue as to what hope is in his mind. Paul is looking forward to the time the ‘fulness’ of both Israel and the Gentiles will have come in (11:12, 25), then to the culmination of history with the parousia, and then beyond it to the glory of the new universe which Jews and Gentiles will together inherit. Thus joy, peace, faith and hope are essential Christian qualities. If faith is the means to joy and peace, overflowing hope is their consequence, and all four are due to the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Ps 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

6 The earth has yielded its increase;

God, our God, shall bless us.

7 God shall bless us;

let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Psalm 67. This psalm, like Psalm 65, seems to be a thanksgiving for a fruitful harvest. Unlike Psalm 65, it is not really a thanksgiving hymn; it is rather a prayer that God will bless his people Israel so that the rest of the world may come to know the true God. Verses 3 and 5 of Psalm 67 are the same, marking the ends of their stanzas; they summarize the desire of this psalm, “Let all the peoples praise you!” Singing this helps Israel to keep its own calling in view: their blessing is not simply for themselves but for the Gentiles too (cf. Gen. 12:2–3). Each Israelite is a player in a grand story that stretches far beyond the boundaries of his own life, or even of his own land.

67:2 Salvation is to be made known among the nations, anticipating the spread of the gospel to the nations (Luke 24:47).

Nations

Terminology
    The most common designation for ‘nation’ in the OT is gôy (pl. go®yˆîm). The expression often occurs in conjunction with ‘am (pl. }ammˆîm), ‘people’; gôy has political and ‘am kinship connotations. The LXX and the NT mostly use laos for the old or new people of God, while other (pagan) peoples are generally called ethneœ (pl.). Gôy/gôyîm is normally translated ethnosaœethneœ. Where mention is made of more than one (non-Israelite) people, the plural ammˆîm is also translated ethneœ. There is also a contrast between Israel as the chosen people (*}am or laos) and the Gentiles (*go®yˆîm or ethneœ). Ethneœ occurs only rarely in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua and Chronicles, but much more frequently in Genesis, Deuteronomy, Psalms and the prophets.

Israel and the Nations in the Context of Ancient Perceptions of Nationhood

The nation of Israel
    Ancient perceptions of nationhood were largely a function of the following factors (D. I. Block, in NIDOTTE, pp. 967–970): ethnicity and language; territory; religion; kingship; and history. Israel’s history can be understood in this context. The ancient Hebrews exhibited a strong sense of ethnic cohesion. This cohesion was reinforced by Israel’s call to be distinct from the surrounding nations (e.g. Lev. 20:24, 26). God’s promise of territory to Abraham followed from that of his descendants becoming a great nation (Gen. 12:1–3). In the Promised Land, the Israelites would experience fullness of life, prosperity and security.
    Through the covenant at Sinai, God assumed the role of patron deity, pledging continued concern for Israel’s welfare and safety. The people, in turn, were to abide by his moral code and worship no other gods, even though the neighbouring nations would entice Israel into idolatry. Not only was Yahweh the only god the Israelites were to worship (Deut. 6:4), there was in fact no other god (Exod. 20:1–6; Deut. 4:35, 39): Yahweh alone was the true, living and eternal God (Jer. 10:10). Yet although Israel was his chosen people, non-Israelites also were welcome to worship Yahweh; for the scope of his rule is universal (Is. 54:5; Jer. 32:27).
    Another element in ancient perceptions of nationhood was the royal office. The lack of a king in Israel’s early history made the people feel inferior to the surrounding nations (Deut. 17:14; 1 Sam. 8:5, 19–20). Once Israel had become a monarchy, kings were to provide leadership in warfare, the administration of justice and the worship of Yahweh, embodying the nation’s collective aspirations and exemplifying godly conduct. Their failure to live up to these high ideals in later years led to the disintegration of the Davidic kingdom and renewed bondage to foreign powers.
    Every nation also looks back at defining moments in its history. In the case of Israel, such events include God’s call of Abraham, the Exodus from Egypt and the making of the covenant at Sinai, the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua, God’s choice of David as Israel’s king, the division of the kingdom in 931 BC, and the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles in 722 and 586 BC. The latter traumatic events brought into sharp focus the question of God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel. In this context, prophets foretold the restoration of a believing remnant and the establishment of a new covenant (esp. Jer. 31:31–34).

Israel and the nations
    Yet while God’s electing purposes focused on Israel, the OT vision transcends this people to include the other nations as well. Thus, contrary to Israel’s perceptions of Abraham as their ancestor exclusively, the table of nations in Genesis 10 places his call within the context of world history. Abraham will be a ‘father of many nations’ (Gen. 17:4–6), and God intends him to be a blessing to ‘all nations on earth’, not merely Israel (Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). Likewise Israel was to fulfil a mediatorial role between God and the nations (Exod. 19:4–6). And while Yahweh sustains a special relationship with Israel, his rule extends to the entire universe. This rule even involves using pagan nations and their rulers as his instruments to chastise rebellious Israel, such as the Assyrian Shalmaneser (2 Kgs. 17:1–23) or Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (Jer. 25:9; 27:6; 43:10).
    In fact, God’s treatment of Israel serves as a public display of his own character (Deut. 29:24): the laws demonstrate his wisdom (Deut. 4:6); the Exodus and other mighty acts his power (Lev. 26:45; Deut. 7:19; Jos. 4:24; Ps. 77:14); Israel’s election his gracious, faithful love (Deut. 7:7–9; 10:15); his discipline of Israel his impartiality and holiness (Deut. 8:20; Jer. 46:12; Ezek. 38:23); and the universal offer of salvation his righteousness (Ps. 98:2; Is. 62:2). The ultimate purpose of Israel’s existence is to reveal the greatness of God’s name (2 Sam. 7:23; 1 Kgs. 8:43, 60; 1 Chr. 22:5; 2 Chr. 6:33; Is. 12:4).
    Israel is repeatedly warned not to be like the nations in their idolatry (Deut. 12:30; 18:9; 2 Kgs. 17:15), and numerous prophetic oracles are directed against the nations, proclaiming divine judgment of the utmost severity (Is. 13–23; Jer. 46–51; Ezek. 25–32). Yet despite all the nations’ detestable practices, God is concerned also for their salvation (e.g. Ps. 67:2; 98:2; Is. 52:10, 15: ‘sprinkle many nations’). This is already implicit in the protevangelion of Genesis 3:15 (which predates the call of Abraham) and is made explicit in the blessing associated with Abraham (12:3) and his seed (22:18).
    Certain messianic texts are distinctly universal, such as the prediction that the ‘obedience of the nations’ will belong to the ruler from Judah (Gen. 49:10). Moreover, many prophetic texts envisage universal recognition of Yahweh (e.g. Is. 2:2–4; 66:18–20; Joel 2:28–32): ‘Then they will know that I am the LORD’ (esp. in Ezek.). A key role is assigned to the Servant of the LORD who will be a light for the Gentiles and bring justice and salvation to the nations (Is. 42:1, 6; 49:6; 51:4–5; 52:10; 61:1–2). Prophets also envisage the pilgrimage of the nations to Mt Zion, ‘the mountain of the LORD’ (Is. 2:2–4; 25:6–8; 66:20; Jer. 3:17; Mic. 4:1–3; Zech. 8:3, 20–23; 14:16–19).

Jews and Gentiles in the NT

Jesus and the Gospels
    The NT depiction of Jews and Gentiles is largely built on two major OT themes: the Abrahamic promise (Gen. 12:1–3) and the Isaianic Servant of the LORD (42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12; cf. 61:1–3). Pervading the NT is the conviction that in Jesus, the promised seed of Abraham, all the nations have been blessed (e.g. Acts 3:25; Rom. 4:17–18; 15:8–12; Gal. 3:6–9, 13–14). The evangelists affirm at the very outset that Abrahamic descent is not confined to physical Israel (Matt. 3:9 par.). They also agree that Jesus operates consciously as the Servant of the LORD who, in keeping with OT prediction, came as a light to the Gentiles (Matt. 12:18–21; Luke 2:32; 4:18–19; cf. Acts 13:47; 26:17–18, 23). Though born in Bethlehem, Jesus begins his ministry, not in Jerusalem, but in ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’ (Matt. 4:15–16; cf. Is. 9:1–2).
    To be sure, Jesus focuses his earthly mission on Israel (Matt. 10:5–6; 15:24), ministering to Gentiles only at their initiative (e.g. Matt. 8:5–13 par.; 15:21–28 par.; see A. J. Köstenberger and P. T. O’Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth). While clearly anticipating the preaching of the gospel to ‘all nations’ (Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10; Luke 24:47; Matt. 28:19), Jesus does not envisage such universal proclamation until after the Jews have ‘handed him over to the Gentiles’ (e.g. Matt. 20:19). Israel’s rejection of their Messiah will result in Jesus’ crucifixion and exaltation but will bring judgment upon Israel, typified by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple in AD 70. Jesus is aware that he must bring ‘other sheep’ (that is, Gentiles) as well (John 10:16), even though this will happen only through the efforts of his followers. They are commissioned by the risen Lord to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’ (including, but not limited to, Israel; Matt. 28:18–20), and are charged to emulate the dependent, obedient relationship he himself has during his earthly mission with the Father who sent him (John 20:21).

Paul and the early church
    The apostle Paul was consumed by Jesus’ vision of gospel proclamation to all the nations (e.g. 1 Tim. 3:16; 2 Tim. 4:17), being convinced that it was the purpose of Jesus’ death that ‘the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles’ (Gal. 3:14). As apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 22:21; Rom. 1:5, 13; 11:13; 15:16, 18; Gal. 1:16; 2:2, 7–8; Eph. 3:1, 8; 1 Tim. 2:7), although a Jew himself, he spearheaded the early church’s outreach to non-Jews (Acts 13–28). Perhaps his most significant theological contribution (of enormous practical significance) was his insistence that the Gentiles were to be accepted into the community of believers apart from Jewish legal observance (food laws, Sabbath observance, circumcision), solely on the basis of faith in Christ (Acts 15; Rom. 9:30; Gal. 3:26–29; cf. Gal. 2). All barriers between Jews and Gentiles had been broken down (Eph. 2:11–22). This conviction was grounded in Paul’s apprehension of the ‘mystery’, which until that time had been hidden in the wisdom of God, that ‘through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus’ (Eph. 3:6, NIV; cf. Rom. 16:25–26; Col. 1:27). On a practical level, Paul assigned great symbolic significance to an offering taken up among Gentile congregations for the Jerusalem church (Acts 24:17; Rom. 15:25–28; 1 Cor. 16:1–4; 2 Cor. 8–9).
    Yet Israel’s salvation-historical distinctiveness is not obliterated. In Paul’s (and the early church’s) missionary practice, the progression was still ‘first for the Jew, then for the Gentile’ (Acts 3:26; 13:46; 18:6; 28:25–28; Rom. 1:16; 2:9–10). In his epistle to the Romans, the apostle wrestled with the implications of large-scale Jewish rejection of Jesus and the major Gentile influx into the church (Rom. 9–11). He concluded that ‘salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious’ (Rom. 11:11); ‘Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in’ (11:25); the fullness of the Gentiles will bring riches also to Israel (11:12); ‘and so all Israel will be saved’ (11:26: a reference to the second coming?).

The end of the NT era
    The most striking and extensive application of OT terminology for Israel to the NT people of God (including both Jews and Gentiles) is found in Peter’s first epistle, especially in chapter 2. This indicates that a paradigm shift has taken place and that it is now the church that is ‘the Israel of God’ (Gal. 6:16). The interval between Jesus’ first and second coming is the ‘time of the Gentiles’ (Luke 21:24), marked by universal gospel preaching which issues in the worship of God among every people, tribe, language and nation (Rev. 5:9; 14:6; 15:4). After the evil world empire, seductress of the nations, and the devil (see Spiritual powers), ‘deceiver of the nations’, have been judged (Rev. 14:8; 16:19), Jesus the Son will rule all the nations (Rev. 12:5; 19:15), and believers with him (Rev. 2:26–27; cf. Ps. 2:9). In heaven, all distinctions of gender, ethnicity or social class will be swallowed up in believers’ adoring relationship with God in Jesus Christ and their joint praise of the glory of their Lord and Saviour.
    See also: ISRAEL; MISSION.

A. J. KÖSTENBERGER

Mission

Introduction
    The subject of mission is often absent from treatments of systematic theology, and is frequently neglected even in theme studies of biblical books. But mission is an exceedingly important motif pervading virtually the entire course of biblical revelation, and must not be left to missiologists who are concerned primarily with the modern-day application of biblical teaching on the topic. A biblical–theological survey of mission in the OT, the intertestamental period, and the various corpora of the NT is needed to appreciate the diversity as well as the underlying unity of scriptural teaching on mission.

Mission in the OT
    There was no ‘mission’ in the Garden, and there will be no ‘mission’ in the new heavens and the new earth (though the results of ‘mission’ will be evident). Still, from the proto-evangelion (God’s promise to the woman of a ‘seed’ who would bruise the serpent’s head, Gen. 3:15) to the end of this age, mission is necessitated by humanity’s fall into sin and need for a Saviour and is made possible by the saving initiative of God in Christ.

Genesis
    Once fallen, humans are under the wrath of God. Their relationships with God and with one another are severely affected, and their exercise of dominion over creation through work and procreation is characterized by frustration and pain. The escalating spread of sin is depicted in the narratives following that of the Fall: Cain and Abel (4:1–16), the sons of God and the daughters of humans (6:1–4), the flood (6:5–9:19), and the tower of Babel (11:1–9). In judgment, God scatters humankind over the earth and confuses its languages. This shows how dramatically humanity falls short of God’s creation design.
    Yet God remains faithful to his creation, entering into covenants with Noah (9:9–13) and Abra(ha)m (12:1–3; cf. 15:1–18; ch. 17). The latter is summoned to leave his native country on the basis of God’s promise of a land, seed, and blessing. Ultimately, this blessing extends not merely to Abraham’s physical descendants but to all who are ‘children of Abraham’ through faith (Gal. 3:6–9, 26–29; Rom. 4:16–17). The Abrahamic covenant provides the framework for God’s dealings with humanity in the rest of biblical history, which culminates in the new covenant instituted by Abraham’s ‘seed’, Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16).

The Exodus and Israel’s role among the nations
    Once the Israelites have been delivered from bondage in Egypt, they are to be God’s treasured possession out of all nations, ‘a priestly kingdom and a holy nation’ (Exod. 19:5–6, author’s translation). Israel is to mediate God’s presence and blessings to the surrounding nations, as a people set apart to serve a holy God. This does not mean that OT Israel is enjoined to engage in intentional cross-cultural mission. Rather, as the recipient of the divine blessings, the nation is to exalt God in its life and worship, attracting individuals from among the nations historically by incorporation and eschatologically by ingathering. In this way Rahab and her family and Ruth the Moabitess become part of Israel. Also, Mosaic legislation makes special provision for the geœr, the alien residing in Israel (cf. Exod. 12:48; 22:21). Still, intermarriage with foreigners is frequently limited, particularly in the post-exilic period (Neh. 13:23–27; Ezra 9–10). Overall, only a few individuals are incorporated in OT times, with a large-scale ingathering of Gentiles not expected until the end times (cf. esp. Is. 56:8).

The Davidic kingship and the eschatological pilgrimage of the nations
    In 2 Samuel 7:13, David is assured that his kingdom will be established forever. The establishment of the Davidic kingship is crucial for an understanding of Yahweh’s rule over the nations and the fulfilment of his covenant promises to Abraham. Although the fulfilment of this promise was put in danger by Israel’s disobedience, it is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David, and will be fulfilled completely at the time of Christ’s second coming (Rom. 11:25–29; cf. Acts 1:6; Rev. 20:1–6).
    During the reign of David’s son Solomon, various promises to Abraham and David are fulfilled: the promised land is fully conquered; Israel becomes a great nation; and the Jerusalem temple is built (cf. Deut. 12:5–11). Jerusalem becomes a world centre, epitomized by the Queen of Sheba’s visit to the city. This visit serves as a paradigm for the eschatological pilgrimage of the nations to Zion in later prophecy (Is. 2:2–4; 60–62; cf. Mic. 4:1–5; Pss. 36:7–8; 50:2). Zion, in turn, is depicted in some OT apocalyptic passages as the centre of the new creation (Is. 35:1–10; 65:17–18).
    In the last days, the nations flock to Jerusalem to learn about Yahweh and his ways (Is. 2:2–3; cf. Zech. 8:20–23; Mic. 4:1–2). As they come, they bring the scattered children of Israel with them (Is. 60:2–9). In an amazing reversal, the nations submit to Israel (Is. 60:14), bring their wealth into the city (Is. 60:11–22), and join in the worship of Yahweh, whose people they have now become. Thus the prophet’s admonition, ‘Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth’ (Is. 45:22) is fulfilled. Significantly, this ingathering of Gentiles is depicted as an eschatological event, brought about by God, not by Israel. Moreover, the mode of this ingathering is attraction (the nations come to Israel), not active outreach (Israel’s going to the nations). In addition to the anticipation of the universal scope of eschatological salvation, several prophetic books envisage the restoration of a Jewish remnant, including the inauguration of a new covenant (cf. esp. Jer. 31:31–34).

Jonah
    The book of Jonah is regarded by some as a ‘missionary tract’ calling Israel to go to the nations, and is thus believed to be a precursor to the missionary mandate of the NT. Indeed, the book shows that God’s saving concerns extend to people outside Israel (Jonah 4:11). But Jonah the prophet is not presented as a missionary whose preaching is intended to serve as a paradigm for Israel’s outreach to the nations.

The Isaianic Servant of the Lord
    The Servant of Yahweh, featured in the four ‘Servant songs’ of Isaiah (42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12; cf. 61:1–3), is one of the most important OT figures whose ministry pertains to both Israel and the nations. While the Servant’s work is in the first instance related to the redemption of Jerusalem and Israel’s return to the holy city, eventually it will affect the entire world. The sequence of the Servant’s ministry, directed initially to Israel but resulting in blessing for the nations, follows a pattern similar to that of the Abrahamic promises and constitutes a development of these.

The ‘nations’ in the Psalms
    The ‘nations’ represent the great mass of humanity in rebellion against God and subject to divine judgment (Ps. 10:16). Yet they are still within the Creator’s plan of grace, since he intends to bring blessing to the nations of the world. Fundamental to this inclusion of the nations is Israel’s role as the people of God in whose privileges the nations will be invited to join. In the enthronement psalms (Pss. 47, 93, 96–97, 99), Zion is the permanent centre of the worship of Yahweh in Israel. Like the tabernacle and Mt Sinai before it, Zion is holy owing to Yahweh’s presence, and if his people are ‘holy’ because of Yahweh’s presence in Zion, then Israel is separated from the nations (cf. Ps. 78). Their salvation must therefore involve their coming out of the world to Zion in order to worship the Lord; this will happen in the end times (Pss. 72:8–11; 102:12–22).

Mission in the Intertestamental Period
    The traditional view has been that intertestamental Judaism engaged in mission (cf. esp. D. Georgi, The Opponents of Paul in Second Corinthians; more recently L. H. Feldman, Jew and Gentile in the Ancient World). If so, the early church’s mission would have operated within the parameters already established by Judaism. However, if mission is defined as a conscious, deliberate, organized, and extensive effort to convert others to one’s religion by way of evangelization or proselytization, it is doubtful whether it was characteristic of intertestamental Judaism. For while the Jewish religion was doubtless successful in attracting converts or proselytes, the initiative in such instances usually lay with Gentiles who desired to join Judaism rather than in intentional Jewish missionary efforts (S. McKnight, A Light Among the Gentiles; M. Goodman, Mission and Conversion). Indeed, not all religious expansion is intentional (P. Bowers, in NovT 22, pp. 317–323).
    The NT passage traditionally cited in support of the notion that intertestamental Judaism was a missionary religion is Matthew 23:15. There Jesus excoriates the Pharisees for ‘travel[ling] about on sea and land to make one proselyte’ and for then making that convert ‘twice as much a son of hell’ as themselves. But ‘travelling about on sea and land’ may denote extensive effort rather than geographical movement, and the term ‘proselyte’ does not necessarily pertain to non-Jews but may merely refer to a Jew converting to Pharisaism. And what Jesus condemns is in any case Pharisaic zeal in proselytization rather than Jewish mission as such.
    Intertestamental Judaism should therefore not be regarded as a missionary religion. The operative paradigm was one of attraction rather than intentional outreach. While Jews did allow sympathizers and proselytes to participate in their religious practices to a certain extent, they were primarily preoccupied with national or sectarian concerns. The inclusion of Gentiles in the orbit of God’s salvation was not expected until the end times, as a special work of God, which prevented intertestamental Jews from active outreach to Gentiles. Moreover, the absence of the prophetic voice in intertestamental Judaism left the Jews without an authorizing mandate equivalent to the ‘Great Commission’ in the NT. The missions of Jesus and the early church thus did not merely build upon Jewish precedent but replaced the old paradigm of mission with a new mode of outreach.

Mission in the NT

Mission in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts
    1. Mark. For Mark, following Jesus involves the renunciation of natural ties (3:31–35) and the taking up of one’s ‘cross’ (8:34). While Jesus’ ministry is directed primarily to the Jews (cf. esp. 7:27a), he does have occasional contact with Gentiles, such as the Gerasene demoniac (5:1–20) and the Syro-Phoenician woman (7:24–30). Reference is also made to the future proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles (13:10; 14:9), and the fulfilment of Isaiah’s vision of the temple as a house of prayer for all the nations (Mark 11:17 quoting Is. 56:7). The Gospel’s climactic christological confession is uttered not by a Jew but a Roman Gentile (15:39). Nevertheless, Mark does not show Jesus embarking on a ‘Gentile mission’. He rather presents him as following the pattern of OT (and intertestamental) Israel, whose presence was to attract the surrounding nations to its God without Israel’s making a concious effort to reach them.
    2. Matthew. Matthew’s Gospel opens with the portrayal of Jesus’ fulfilling Israel’s destiny as the representative, paradigmatic Son of God, with the result that God’s blessings to the nations, promised to Abraham, are to be fulfilled through Jesus in the mission of his followers. It concludes with the ‘Great Commission’ which calls Jesus’ followers to make disciples of the nations (28:18–20). This stands in contrast with Jesus’ earlier instruction to his disciples to limit their mission to Israel, according to his own practice (10:5–6; 15:24). Even at this time, however, Jesus is shown already to anticipate the bearing of witness (see Testimony/witness), not merely in Jewish synagogues, but also to Gentiles (10:18). Nevertheless Matthew, like the other evangelists, portrays Jesus’ mission as proceeding along salvation-historical lines: first to the Jews; then to the Gentiles. Occasionally in Matthew Jesus ministers to Gentiles, but never at his own initiative (cf. e.g. 8:5–13; 15:21–27). Towards the end of his Gospel, Matthew refers to the preaching of the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ as a witness to all the nations (24:14; cf. Mark 13:10; cf. also Matt. 26:13).
    3. Luke–Acts. Luke’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus and his salvation; the book of Acts traces the movement of that salvation to the Gentiles. The first volume begins with a summary of God’s promises to Israel which are about to be fulfilled in Jesus. This sets the stage for the second volume, which presents the regathering of ‘Israel’ and her mission as a light to the nations. The infancy narratives of Luke 1–2 indicate that Israel’s hopes for a Saviour of David’s line are about to be realized (1:30–35; cf. 2 Sam. 7:12–13). Through the birth of Jesus, God will restore Israel and fulfil his promises to Abraham and his descendants. However, the Abrahamic promises are fulfilled not in national Israel but in those who fear God (1:50–55). Moreover, the Lord’s Messiah fits the pattern of Yahweh’s Servant (2:32; 4:18–19; cf. Is. 42:6; 49:6–9; 61:1–2). Luke’s genealogy reaches beyond Abraham to Adam (3:23–28; contrast Matt. 1:1–17), pointing to Jesus’ identification with all people, not just Israel. Jesus’ healing of the centurion’s servant, his first encounter with a Gentile in Luke’s Gospel, foreshadows the expansion of his ministry to the Gentiles (7:1–10). Jesus’ choosing and commissioning of first twelve, then seventy (-two) messengers show that the role of an apostle, includes a ministry of preaching and healing (6:12–15; 9:1–2; 10:1–24). Two Lukan parables, found in the extended ‘travel narrative’ (9:51–19:28), envisage Gentile participation in the messianic banquet (13:28–30; 14:23–24). After Jerusalem’s rejection of her Messiah, the risen Christ commissions his disciples to proclaim the forgiveness of sins in his name (24:44–49).
    The book of Acts presents what Jesus continued to do and teach (cf. 1:1) by his Spirit through the early church led by the apostles. The account follows geographical lines, tracing the progress of gospel proclamation from Jerusalem – the centre from which the word of the Lord goes forth – to Judea and Samaria, and ‘even to the remotest part of the earth’ (1:8). In a major paradigm shift from a centripetal movement to a centrifugal one, the Twelve are to function as ‘witnesses’ to Israel (in place of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, 1:6), and subsequently Paul acts as ‘witness’ to the Gentiles. Events with major significance for the mission of the early church recorded in the book of Acts include the outpouring of the Spirit (see Holy Spirit) at Pentecost (ch. 2), Stephen’s martyrdom (ch. 7), the conversion of Paul (ch. 9), and the Jerusalem council (ch. 15). Nothing can hinder the irresistible progress of the gospel, and the church, by the Spirit, overcomes all obstacles. Paul and the apostolic church are now the ‘light for the Gentiles’ (13:47), and while proclamation still begins with the Jews (3:26; 13:46; 18:5; 28:25–28), no distinction is now made between Jews and Gentiles concerning salvation and reception into the church: faith in Jesus as Lord is all that is required (e.g. 16:31). The end of the book of Acts finds Paul ‘preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered’ in the capital of the Empire, Rome (28:31).

Mission in the Pauline writings
    From the time of his conversion and calling on the road to Damascus, the gospel, the good news of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, became the determinative focus of Paul’s whole life (Acts 9). His encounter with the risen Christ led to a ‘paradigm shift’ in Paul’s thinking: if Jesus was the crucified and exalted Messiah, the divine curse on him was ‘for us’, ‘in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles’ (Gal. 3:13–14), and the Law was dethroned as the primary way of approaching God (Rom. 3:21–7:25). Paul knew himself to be entrusted with God’s ‘mystery’, the eschatological revelation that now Jews and Gentiles alike would be gathered together into one body, the church (Rom. 16:25–26; Eph. 2:1–3:13; Col. 1:25–27). While Paul’s ministry was primarily to the Gentiles, he ardently prayed for the salvation of his own people, the Jews, and believed that there remained a future for ethnic Israel in God’s redemptive purposes (Rom. 9–11). It was Paul’s ambition to go where the gospel had not yet been preached (Rom. 15:20–21). His strategy focused on preaching to and evangelizing Jews as well as Gentile proselytes and God-fearers in local synagogues. Paul’s aim was to establish Christian congregations in strategic (urban) centres from where the gospel could spread further to the surrounding regions. In the Pastoral Epistles, Paul emphasizes that God is the Saviour of all (1 Tim. 2:3–4; 4:10; Tit. 2:10–11; 3:4) and provides the post-apostolic church with a pattern of organization and criteria which its leadership must satisfy (P. H. Towner, The Goal of Our Instruction, [Sheffield, 1989]).

Mission in John
    John’s teaching on mission focuses on Jesus who, as the sent Son, accomplishes his redemptive mission in complete dependence on and obedience to the Father ‘who sent’ him (e.g. 4:34). While the first part of John’s Gospel shows Jesus’ rejection by his own people Israel (1:11), the second part focuses on Jesus’ preparation of his new covenant community to continue his mission following his crucifixion and resurrection (chs. 13–17). Anticipating his exaltation to the Father, Jesus promises to send ‘another helper’ (14:16) and to answer prayer in his name (14:13–14). He calls on his followers to glorify him by ‘going’ and bearing fruit (15:16), as they witness with the Spirit (15:26–27). Love and unity are to characterize their lives (13:34–35; 15:12, 17; 17:20–26). In the Johannine commissioning narrative, the crucified and risen Lord, Sent One now turned sender, breathes his Spirit on the disciples and charges them to proclaim forgiveness of sins in his name (20:21–23). The wording of Jesus’ commission, ‘As the Father sent me, so send I you’ (20:21), makes his own relationship with the Father the basic paradigm for the disciples’ relationship with Jesus in the pursuit of their mission (A. J. Köstenberger, The Missions of Jesus and the Disciples according to the Fourth Gospel).

Mission in the General Epistles and Revelation
    1. General Epistles. In their struggle with heretical teaching, Jude, 2 Peter, and 1-3 John display an essential prerequisite for mission: zeal for the ‘faith once for all entrusted to the saints’ (Jude 3). John’s second and third epistle deal with the issue of extending or refusing hospitality to false teachers. But it is Hebrews and 1 Peter that contribute most to a biblical theology of mission. Addressing a congregation in danger of reverting back to Judaism, the author of Hebrews contends that God’s final revelation occurred in his Son, Jesus (Heb. 1:1–3), and that his readers neglect ‘such great salvation’ at their grave peril (2:3; the ‘warning passages’). Christians are portrayed as running a race following their forerunner, Jesus, into heaven (6:20; 12:1–3, 12–13), and as pilgrims and exiles in search of a homeland, a better country, and a ‘city prepared by God’ (11:13–16; cf. 12:22). As followers of the one who endured great hostility from sinners (12:3), believers are not to be afraid to suffer and identify openly with their crucified Lord (13:13; cf. 10:25–26).
    Similarly, Peter describes believers as sojourners and ‘resident aliens’ in this world (1 Pet. 1:1, 17; 2:11; cf. Heb. 11:9, 13). He exhorts his readers to view their suffering from an eschatological perspective (e.g. 1:4–6). The believing community is shown to fulfil the calling of OT Israel which was to ‘proclaim the excellencies’ of God as a mediatorial body (2:5–9; cf. Is. 43:21). Believers’ mission is to take the form of verbal witness (2:9; 3:15), undergirded by a holy, spiritually separated life (1:13–2:10), a God-glorifying response to suffering (esp. 2:13–25; 3:8–18b), and proper submission to earthly authorities (2:13, 18; 3:1; 5:1, 5).
    2. Revelation. Revelation depicts the result of mission: people from every tribe and nation gathered in heaven to worship God and the Lamb (1:7; 4:10–11; 5:9; 7:4–17; 14:1–5). This marks the fulfillment of God’s covenants with Abraham (all nations are blessed in his seed, Christ) and David (the exalted Lord is the eternal ruler of his people). The book challenges believers to renewed spiritual zeal and commitment (chs. 2–3), and exhorts them to persevere in their suffering (14:12). The seer’s apocalyptic visions depict an eternal state free from pain, suffering, and death (21:4); creation has come full circle, with the Edenic state not merely restored but superseded. God’s vindication of the righteous (martyrs) and his judgment of the wicked are for the purpose of theodicy (G. R. Osborne, ‘Theodicy in the Apocalypse’, in TJ 14, 1993, pp. 63–77). John’s four visions ‘in the Spirit’ (1:9–3:22; 4:1–16:21; 17:1–21:8; 21:9–22:21) are cast in terms of the pervasive evil influence of the Roman Empire (‘the whore Babylon’, chs. 17–18), a precursor of the anti-Christ. The concluding chapters depicting the ‘New Jerusalem’ and the new heavens and new earth portray the restoration of God’s created order and the fulfilment of the divine purposes for his chosen people.

Conclusion
    God takes the initiative in mission, for the effecting of salvation through Christ. The Abrahamic promises, the Davidic kingship, and the Isaianic Servant of Yahweh are major motifs that culminate in Jesus’ coming and mission. While OT Israel was to serve as a mediatorial body displaying God’s glory to the surrounding nations, and while even Jesus limited his earthly ministry to Israel, the time between Pentecost and Jesus’ return marks the age of the church’s active outreach. Believers are charged to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all the nations, to make them Christ’s disciples, and to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. In the pursuit of this mission, the church is promised the presence of Jesus and the aid of the Holy Spirit.
    See also: NATIONS; SALVATION; FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION.

A. J. KÖSTENBERGER

My Take: Church is world’s most powerful weapon against AIDS

 

Editor's Note: Rick Warren is the founder and pastor at Saddleback Church and the author of The Purpose Driven Life.

By Rick Warren, Special to CNN

On June 5, 1981, my wife Kay was late into her second pregnancy, just weeks away from giving birth. Absorbed in caring for our 2-year-old and preparing for a newborn, the farthest thing on our minds was news that day of a cluster of men in Los Angeles with a mysterious, devastating disease.
But what began in Africa and was first observed in this small California group became an epidemic, then swelled to a pandemic - touching lives in every country on every continent
Though late to the fight, in 2003 Kay and I heard God calling us to care for those infected and affected, to raise our voices on their behalf, and to figure out practical ways for local churches to serve them.
Timeline: 30 years of AIDS moments
We traveled to Africa, ground zero for this pandemic, and were brokenhearted by the pain and thrilled by the compassion we observed.
Out of the bubble that is American life, we sat with dying men and women, held newly orphaned babies in our arms, and cried with shattered family members.
In America, we’d heard public leaders, including pastors, make pronouncements about AIDS that implied that those infected were enemies, or at least deserved their illness.
But at the grassroots level we witnessed Christ-followers by the thousands opening their hearts, their homes, their wallets and their churches to fellow human beings in their suffering. Clearly, local churches were at the forefront of this battle in Africa.

Kay Warren folding bandages in Rwanda in 2007.

We returned home determined to model our church’s response to HIV and AIDS after the African church’s response. We began by inviting a member of our church – Saddleback, in Southern California - who was HIV positive to tell his story publicly for the first time.
Our members responded with overwhelming love. And once people realized our church was a safe place, other HIV positive people began attending and opening up about their status. To help remove the stigma, I was publicly tested for HIV with network TV cameras rolling.
We began support groups for anyone infected or affected; trained church members to be part of personalized teams for an infected individual; brought in experts in the field to educate our congregation; and hosted three “Global Summits on AIDS and the Church” to showcase the latest scientific, behavioral and psycho-social aspects of the disease.
We reached out to local, regional, national and international organizations, offering our manpower and networks in the fight against AIDS.
One of the great lessons of this fight is that the single fastest way to mobilize at the grassroots level around the world is through local congregations. Nothing comes close to the size and scope of this pool of compassionate volunteers.
The church has the largest distribution network on the planet. There are more churches in the world than all the Wal-Marts, McDonald’s and Starbucks combined. The church was global 200 years before anyone else thought of globalization. We could take you to thousands of villages around the world where the only institution to speak of is a church.
Plus, the Christian church is the only organization growing faster than the new infection rate: while 7,000 people are newly infected globally every day, and church growth experts estimate that the church is adding 35,000 converts daily in China alone.
These church members have a non-profit motivation to serve. We are commanded by Jesus Christ to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Our church sent 14,869 of our members to all 195 nations in the world to beta-test a local church humanitarian program based on the model of Jesus.
Called the P.E.A.C.E. Plan, volunteers Plant churches that promote reconciliation, Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation.
We’ve learned that any church can provide six essential services in the fight against HIV/AIDS, easily remembered by the acronym CHURCH:
–Care for and support the sick. Caring requires no money, just a willingness to offer compassion and kindness.
–Handle HIV testing. At the least, churches can encourage members to get tested, with the pastor leading the way. Everyone should know their HIV status.
–Unleash volunteers. There will never be enough professionals to fix all that is wrong in our world. The Christian church claims 2.3 billion followers worldwide. If only half could be mobilized to care for those with HIV and AIDS, the fight would look very different
–Remove the stigma. It is not a sin to be sick. Jesus never asked a sick person, “How did you get sick?” He asked, “How can I help you?”
–Champion healthy behavior. HIV is almost completely preventable. While new reports suggest that accessing HIV treatment at an earlier stage of the illness is a vital way to prevent transmission, the cost may be an impediment. Behavior change will continue to be the most effective way to cut down on new infections.
–Help with antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients. The simplest way to cut down on new infections, to help infected individuals live longer, and to prevent children from becoming orphans, is to create accountability with medication compliance. Church volunteers can make daily visits or phone calls, reminding individuals to take their medication.
This strategy has been enormously successful in the Karongi District of the Western Province of Rwanda, where Saddleback Church, the government of Rwanda and local churches established a pilot program to train community health workers.
Started in 2008, more than 2,800 community volunteers have been trained through the churches to take on a caseload of 26,000 homes in the rural district where there is one hospital for 300,000 residents.
These volunteers provide access to basic healthcare information and are addressing preventable and opportunistic diseases – the big killers of those living with the virus. The lives of 120,000 children and 50,000 adults are being positively impacted.
Thirty years have passed since HIV was first recognized. In that time, millions have lost their lives and millions of children have been orphaned. Millions more are living with the virus today.
But if the church and other faith communities will step up to the table, and as governments and other health organizations welcome their assistance, the future can be brighter.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rick Warren.

Missiology

Missiology is the ordered study of is the Christian church’s mission. As such it is a discipline within theology, incorporating a number of strands. Biblical study investigates the basis of the church’s mission in the missio Dei, the calling of Israel to be a light to all nations (Is. 49:6) and Jesus’ commission to his disciples to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth and the end of time (Mt. 28:18–20; Acts 1:8). Historical study surveys the growth and expansion of the church at various periods and assesses its impact on different societies and cultures. Systematic theology studies the interaction of Christian faith both with secular philosophies and ideologies and with other systems of belief. Ethical studies, are incorporated into missiology where the church has a reponsibility to declare God’s will for the whole of life (see Ethics; Social Ethics). Pastoral theology seeks ways to intruct new converts and integrate them into the church.
    Because of the wide scope of missiology it has an important role to play in the integration of other areas of theology. Put another way, every aspect of theology has an inescapably missiological dimension, for each one exists for the sake of the church’s mission.
    In popular imagination mission is often misconceived as Christians crossing national [435] frontiers to spread the gospel. This view reflects a past age when Christians tended to divide the world neatly into Christian and non-Christian. Today, however, ‘the missionary frontier runs round the world. It is the line which separates belief from unbelief.’ Mission takes place from and to all continents and within each nation.
    Some Christians want to restrict missions to evangelism, understood as proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ and inviting people to believe in him for salvation. Most students of mission, however, see it in wider terms (see Lausanne Covenant).
    ‘Mission’ conveys the biblical idea of ‘being sent’, classically expressed in Jesus’ saying, ‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you’ (Jn. 20:21). The parallel between God sending Jesus and Jesus sending his disciples describes both the method and the content of mission. The church’s mission, then, encompasses everything that Jesus sends his people into the world to do. It does not include everything the church does or everything God does in the world. Therefore, to say the church is mission is an overstatement. Nevertheless, to ignore or compromise the commission to go into all the world as Jesus’ representatives shows a defective life. ‘A church exists by mission as a fire exists by burning.’
    The church’s mission can be summed up in five general tasks. The order in which they are listed is not intended to suggest priorities. Biblically speaking each is vitally important. By stressing one more than the others, different groups of Christians have tended to see them as alternatives. God, however, allows us no choice.
    1. It is to be involved in stewarding the material resources of creation. This means encouraging a wise and harmonious use of the natural order created by God, by engaging in the numerous aspects of conservation and the elimination of pollution (see Nature, Theology of). The church will point to the creator’s gift of life for all which implies renouncing greed, and a restrained enjoyment of material goods by all in such a way that future generations will find life sustainable on earth.
    2. It is to serve human beings without distinction and whatever their need. It has a compassionate task to aid refugees and the victims of drought and famine and to help set up development schemes, literacy campaigns, health education and housing programmes. It has a particular responsibility to minister to the needs of the handicapped, old people, the bereaved, children at risk and families in tension, and to rehabilitate offenders against the law, alcoholics, drug-addicts and chronic gamblers.
    3. It must bear witness to ‘the truth as it is in Jesus’ (Eph. 4:21). This includes a number of tasks, sometimes separated into apologetics, pre-evangelism and evangelism. Bearing witness means both the verbal communication of the apostolic gospel and visual demonstration of its power to bring new life and hope to human relationships and communities.
    4. It should be engaged in seeing that God’s justice is done in society (see Righteousness; Society, Theology of). In particular, the church will be active in promoting and defending the integrity of family life against easy divorce (see Sexuality), abortion, casual or abnormal sexual relationships, pornography, the exploitation of women and children, and experimentation on early human life (see Bioethics). it will also seek alternatives to policies which give rise to more homeless, badly educated, undernourished and unemployed people. It will fight for human rights and against human discrimination (especially racism; see Race). Finally it will challenge the inexorable build-up of weapons of mass destruction and the increasing arms trade between rich and poor nations (see War and Peace).
    5. It has a responsibility to show what it means in practice to be a reconciled and liberated community in the midst of a corrupt, distressed and despairing world. It is sent to demonstrate the reality of God’s unmerited grace by practising forgiveness (see Guilt), the sharing of goods and resources, by eliminating prejudice and suspicion, and by exercising power as servanthood, not as domination and control. The church is to be both a sign and an agent of God’s purpose to create a new order where his peace and justice will reign.
    Missiology engages in serious theological reflection on all these aspects of the church’s mission. In addition it has, in recent years, focused on a number of specific issues to do with the implementation of its task. Is it right for Christians to be involved in violence to overthrow non-elected, repressive regimes (see [436] Revolution, Theology of)? What is the right approach in sharing Christ with people of other faiths—dialogue, proclamation or simply presence among them? Should churches of ethnically and culturally homogeneous groups be encouraged for the sake of church growth? What role, if any, should mission agencies, which exist independently of any church, play in evangelism, relief or development? How may human and financial resources be shared in genuine Christian partnership between different parts of the worldwide church in a way which commends the gospel?

Bibliography
    D. Bosch, Witness to the World: the Christian Mission in Theological Perspective (Basingstoke, 1980); O. Costas, Christ outside the Gate. Mission beyond Christendom (New York, 1983); R. Padilla, Mission Between the Times (Grand Rapids, MI, 1985); W. Scott, Bring Forth Justice (Grand Rapids, MI, 1980); J. R. W. Stott, Christian Mission in the Modern World (London, 1975); J. Verkuyl, Contemporary Missiology: an Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI, 1978).

Powerful North Korean Student Testimony // The 3rd Lausanne Congress CapeTown South Africa 2010

A Global God?

Matthew 28: 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

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.”

Only a global mission is worthy of a global God. Someone disagreed on this statement with the pastor at a meeting that i had attended yesterday. Well, here are some perspective that i like to quickly offer...

Here are 2 key verses in each respective books -Matthew and Acts. Read carefully and you will see that God's heart is to reach out to NATIONS. Read the second half of Isaiah (from chpt 40 onwards) and you will discover why God has a plan and purpose to redeem Israel - so that one day, Israel can be the light of the world! Well, i think these couple of quotations are good enough for one to chew upon. I do think that God is indeed a global God.

Go Global, Stay Local. ;-)