Well, you knew it was coming! Last week, we looked at how the first words that each Gospel writer recorded from Jesus told the story of the Gospel messages that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. Jesus was the Messiah who would usher in the rule of God in the hearts of men and reunite sinful man with His holy Father. He was the Son of Man who would come on the clouds, signifying His rule and authority as He followed the will of the heavenly Father.
Today, we will look at the last words of Jesus that the four Gospel writers wrote after He was resurrected from the grave and before He ascended into Heaven to be seated on His throne. When we look at these four quotes, we see they tell of story of power as they fulfill the Gospel mission recorded as the first words we read from Jesus.
In Mathew’s Gospel, we go to chapter 28. Jesus conquered death and is raised in power. The women are ecstatic when they find the empty tomb and learn that Jesus is alive. They run to the disciples to let them know that the Lord is alive. The guards who guarded the tomb were shellshocked and gave into a false narrative that someone stole the body away at night. It was a lame attempt to explain the unexplainable.
Matthew ends his Gospel account with the disciples worshiping Jesus on a mountain. Jesus was crucified for blasphemy, yet His followers worship Him because they learn that He is, indeed, the Son of Man riding on the clouds whom Daniel saw in a vision. The last words of Jesus that Matthew writes, the last words of His Gospel, are these:
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV).
What a powerful way to end his narrative of Jesus’ life. Jesus enters Matthew’s Gospel narrative saying that He would fulfill all righteousness, and now He declares His disposition. The Ancient of Days has given Him all power. This is just as the one as the Son of Man in Daniel 7 was seen obtaining in a vision. Please take a moment to read Daniel 7 and then read these verses again. This is precisely why the disciples were worshiping Jesus on the mountain.
With this great authority bestowed upon Him by the Ancient of Days, He makes His first royal proclamation to His royal subjects.
Make disciples.
Baptize them.
Teach them.
The last words of Jesus recorded by Matthew are about the explosion of His new Kingdom, which starts like a small rock and will grow like a mountain that will fill the earth, just like the dream God gave Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2. Isn’t it amazing that Daniel was given a glimpse of what Matthew records for us centuries before it happened? Praise God for His mighty power to do all that He pleases, and not one word would fail!
Jesus ends His words in Matthew with a promise that we cling to in hope and faith. He promises to be with us always until the end of the age. He will not die. He will be the unbroken lineage of King David. He will be the King who needs no heir. He will never leave or forsake us. He will not lose His throne, and He will rule in our hearts until the day each of us will kneel before Him in joy before His throne in heaven.
Nothing will separate us from the love of Jesus, and He will stand before the Father on our behalf as His grace brings us into the presence of the holy Father. We will gain everything by His great love and selfless sacrifice. And the Father endows Him with power and a Kingdom because of His faithfulness unto death. Mathew writes words of power and ancient promises fulfilled as we see a new Kingdom into which all nations would flow.
Then we read Mark’s account of Jesus’ life. If you remember, Mark’s first words of Jesus were a call to repentance because the Kingdom of God had arrived. Some manuscripts have the last words of Jesus recorded in Mark as words He spoke on the cross, but we will look at the last words most of us read in our Bibles found in chapter 16. Similar to Mathew, Mark’s last chapter deals with the resurrection and gathering of Jesus’ disciples as He issues His first royal decree, having been given all authority by the Ancient of Days.
“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18 ESV).
Go preach to everyone.
Baptize them.
Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Now, as King, He reiterates that when He says that whoever doesn’t believe, and therefore will not accept His decree, will be condemned. He would back up this decree to accept Him as King through allegiance to Him alone with power and a show of miraculous confirmations. The written Words we have from God have been confirmed by our ancient forefathers in faith who cast out demons, drank poison and lived, were bitten by snakes and did not die, and men who fluently spoke languages they did not learn.
Jesus made that happen because He was now King and had all authority from the Father to rule on from His throne. The last two verses of Mark tell us that the disciples watched as Jesus ascended into heaven and took His seat on His throne, and then they obeyed His royal decree by preaching and teaching just like their King ordered them to do.
And then we move to Dr. Luke, who was meticulously writing an ordered account of the life of Jesus for the most excellent Theophilus. When Luke introduces us to the first words of Jesus, they are from a twelve-year-old boy who tells His parents that He must be about His Father’s business. But as we move to the last chapter Luke wrote, we again pick up after the resurrection. Luke gives us tremendous detail during this time that the other writers do not share.
We see angels proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection but we see Jesus busy preaching and teaching what has happened and how He is the one who fulfilled what Moses and the prophets wrote about. He does this with two disciples on the road to Emmaus and then to the gathered disciples as He shows His crucifixion scars and then eats a meal with them. All this is done to prove He wasn’t a ghost or spirit but their Master in resurrected bodily form. And in doing this, we are given the first glimpse of what our resurrected bodies might be like.
As they are gathered at the end of Luke 24, the last words of Jesus recorded for us are:
“and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:46-49 ESV).
The source of their sorrow was the very thing that would lead to their joy as they saw His tremendous power to overcome death. The powers and principalities did not win, But Jesus was standing before them, just as He had always been prophesied to do. And because He had conquered death and was given power by the Father, He told the disciples they would preach and teach repentance for forgiveness of sins. Do we see a theme in the last recorded words of Jesus by these four men?
The Kingdom was here.
Jesus is the King.
He orders His servants to preach and teach as He expands the borders of His Kingdom.
He will give them power that will witness to the things He commands them to do.
This was the business the young twelve-year-old Jesus was about. He was making a Kingdom for Himself, and now the time was at hand for Him to rule on His throne and issue His decree to mankind to come into His Kingdom. Luke is an interesting book because, in these last words, Jesus instructs the disciples to go into Jerusalem and wait to be clothed with power on high.
But we will have to wait until Luke writes the next volume of his account to the most excellent Theophilus before we see the final words of Jesus in Acts 1 before He ascends into heaven. Spoiler alert- It is a royal decree to preach His message in Jerusalem, Samaria, and everywhere on earth.
And then the disciple whom Jesus loved writes his Gospel account. In John’s account, the first words of Jesus are, “Who are you seeking?” This was the bedrock of His mission to create a Kingdom where mankind could seek and find Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
In the last chapter of His Gospel, Jesus is on the beach talking with seven of His disciples. Among them are Peter and John. Jesus pulls Peter aside and lets him know that he will suffer a martyr's death for following Him. Peter looks at the young man John and asks Jesus, what about this man? Will he die, too? Peter knew the special relationship Jesus had with the youngest of His disciples. Would Jesus protect him, or would John suffer the same fate as him?
Isn’t this typical of people? We want fairness and equality. If we have to sacrifice, isn’t it only fair that others have to sacrifice, too? Why should we bear the burden alone? But this kind of thinking flies in the face of God’s sovereignty to do what He wants without having to answer for it to others. Jesus, as an absolute King with absolute authority, makes this very clear when He responds to Peter’s question.
“Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:22 ESV).
King Jesus didn’t owe Peter an answer, and He wouldn’t begin His reign on the throne of His Kingdom by explaining Himself to others. This may be perhaps the hardest lesson for us to learn about Kingdom living. Jesus has a will for each of us to serve in a way to glorify His name on earth. It is not up to us to question how He chooses us to glorify Him, and He will not be forced by anyone to explain His decisions.
When the Father seated Jesus on the throne and gave Him all authority, it was, indeed, ALL authority. Our submission to His rule is absolute, and we must seek to serve Him in whatever way He may call us to serve. Allegiance to King Jesus must be as one who recognizes and accepts His sovereignty over us and our lives. We are the clay who submits to the will of our Potter.
What we learn about the last words of Jesus that the four Gospel men record for us all tells the same story of power. The Kingdom of Heaven that was at hand at the beginning of His ministry was now realized and had been established in power as the Ancient of Days gave all authority to His beloved Son, Who obeyed all He was sent to accomplish.
There is one power that exists now that all men are subject to. We are to share that message with all who will hear it. He is our King, and He sits on the throne in heaven to rule as the King who would draw all men to Himself and reunite with His Father under His Kingship. One day, we will all stand before Him as either a conquered foe or an obedient servant. This is why Jesus came to earth.
I am in the book of Galatians in my daily Bible reading. As Paul starts the letter, he talks about his conversion to Jesus and how he had learned from a revelation of Jesus Himself and not from men.
When Paul took that revelation and began preaching Jesus to others, it had an impact on all who heard it, not only on Jews but on the Christians who heard him as well.
“Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
And they glorified God because of me.” (Galatians 1:21-24 ESV).
Isn't that an amazing thing to be said of you? People glorify God because of you. It wasn't Paul's mighty skills that glorified God, but the fact that God turned an enemy into a citizen of Jesus' Kingdom.
The thing that glorifies God before others is not always the things that impress men but the power that people see in the changed life of a sinner. All of us have a sinful past. When people see us working in the Kingdom of Heaven, it glorifies God.
What can we do today to glorify God before men?
Begin each day by asking yourself,
“What can I do in stewardship for my King today?”
End each day with,
“I pray my stewardship has brought glory to Your name.”
It can be hard to find joy when our misfortunes may be the very thing that brings glory to the name of Jesus. It is not something we see naturally. But through the Spirit, this is exactly what will happen.
It's something the world cannot understand. We may be seen as fools for Jesus. But to our brothers and sisters, it can be the very thing that gives them confidence and boldness.
This is what Paul shared with the Christians at Philippi when he wrote to them while sitting in a prison cell, awaiting trial. Joy in the midst of misfortunes comes when we see the glory given to Jesus that comes through our misfortunes.
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,
so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (Philippians 1:12-14 ESV).
Why do I persevere?
“When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4 ESV).
When I watch the news and get angry at what I see, I choose to focus on that which creates anger in me.
When I laugh at coarse jokes, I choose to listen to things that are not befitting of a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
When I browse through images and videos that objectify the people God made in His image, I choose to place images in my mind that may linger for years, even when I no longer wish to think about them.
When I think back to something someone did or said against me, I choose to let bitterness live and do its corrosive work rather than give the grace that heals and makes us different from the people of the world.
The Spirit of God will work in me to make me into the image of Jesus if that is what I want. But if I have one foot in the world and constantly look over my shoulders at my past rather than fixing my eyes on Jesus, then I give up the very power that can transform me and give the spiritual man the power Jesus promises to His followers.
So, this is my opinion only, based on my experiences and life observations.
It is nice when everything is going great in life. It helps us appreciate the grace and security our God can give, provided we recognize Him in times of plenty.
But we also need to experience the uncertainties of life to feel that hollow pit in our stomach. It helps us learn to have the same trust in God when we don't know what tomorrow may bring.
Perhaps it's our faith that should be constant to demonstrate our walk with God and not our life circumstances.
If you are looking for an easy way to get a daily dose of encouragement from God's Word, I recommend you follow Terry Bennett for the verses he shares and the posts he writes as things to meditate upon. This pastor truly does feed sheep with the milk and meat found in God's Word.
https://www.facebook.com/terry.bennett.1466126
I am in 2 Timothy in my daily Bible reading. This is one passage I am dwelling on I think needs no commentary from me. It's plain to read and easy to understand. And it's scary when we consider the evil society we live in:
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV).
Let us all have our eyes fixed on King Jesus, the Author of our salvation, as we live as pilgrims in this strange land.
If you thought what Jesus did when He was here last time was amazing, wait until you see what He does next time He comes!
Why did Jesus come to earth?
Why did God take on flesh to become man?
In my daily Bible reading, the author of Hebrews tells us:
1. Since death subjected all of God's image bearers, Jesus came to conquer death for us, set us free from death, and defeat the one who has power over death.
2. For Jesus to be the perfect High Priest and mediate for us before God, the Father sent Him to experience everything His image bearers experience.
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:14-18 ESV).
Hebrews was written shortly before Jesus destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish religious and civic system. Was this verse a nod toward this prophecy spoken by Jesus before His crucifixion?
“In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13 ESV).
I am in James in my daily Bible reading. Even in the first century, Christians had trouble understanding the relationship between faith and works. For some reason, we like to silo things and treat them in a clinical manner that separates them. The danger of doing this is that we miss the relationship between them.
When you take a biblical, spiritual view of faith and works, you see that God ties them together in a way we cannot untie. To have faith, our good works must exist. To have godly works, it must flow from our faith.
The legalists silo off works and place the preeminence upon them. In contrast, the ones who swing the pendulum to the other extreme decries legalism and sacrifice the works that demonstrate our allegiance to King Jesus as we submit to His Lordship.
But James seeks to show how these two are not separate but part of the same obedience that our King expects from His subjects. This is why James tells us that works are faith's spirit. Without our obedience to King Jesus, we have a dead faith.
“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:26 ESV).
We set ourselves up for a hard path when we try to explain faith and works separately rather than look at how these two perform a spiritual dance together, inexorably tied to one another by God. Without one, the other is incomplete and foreign to how our God is transforming us.