Category: The Gospel According to Matthew

Studies through Matthew’s Gospel, focusing on Jesus as the promised King and what His Kingdom means for us today.

  • The Master’s Manual: Matthew Part 7 of 7

    The Master’s Manual: Matthew Part 7 of 7

    Introduction

    Every kingdom shapes the lives of its citizens. It forms how they think, act, love, and hope. In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus not only announces His Kingdom — He teaches His followers how to live within it. His words are not abstract philosophy; they are a manual for life under His reign. Through long-form teaching, parables, warnings, and promises, Jesus forms a people who live by the power of God rather than their own strength. And as His teaching points ahead, the Holy Spirit would later come to empower this obedience, turning fearful disciples into fearless witnesses

    What Matthew Tells Us

    Jesus begins His great teaching on a mountain (chs. 5–7). He presents a vision of righteousness that flows from the heart, not religious performance. He calls the humble blessed. He honours those who hunger for what is right. He teaches that reconciliation is better than resentment, purity better than hidden indulgence, truth better than empty promises, quiet trust better than anxious striving. His followers give, pray, and fast without drawing attention to themselves, trusting the Father who sees in secret. He closes with a picture of two houses — one collapses, one stands — showing that wisdom is not merely hearing His words but obeying them.

    Jesus then instructs His disciples for mission (ch. 10). He sends them as His representatives into towns and households, calling people to recognise that God’s Kingdom has drawn near. This mission will meet hostility, yet He assures them they will not be abandoned. When they face pressure and accusation, their defence does not rest on human eloquence; the Holy Spirit will speak through them (10:19–20). Allegiance to Jesus will even divide families, yet He promises that losing one’s life for His sake is the way to find true life.

    Through parables (ch. 13), Jesus reveals the hidden strength of God’s Kingdom. It is like seed scattered on various soils — some hearts resist, some receive superficially, but where the Word sinks deep, it bears abundant fruit. The Kingdom grows quietly, like yeast spreading through dough or a tiny mustard seed becoming a tree. It is worth more than everything a person owns; to gain it is to gain treasure beyond price. Yet for now, good, and evil grow together. A final harvest will come, where the King will bring justice and make things right.

    Jesus teaches that life in His Kingdom reshapes the way believers treat one another (ch. 18). Greatness is found not in status but humility. He values the vulnerable, warning His followers never to push them away. When a brother sins, restoration is patiently pursued. Forgiveness is not measured out reluctantly but poured out generously, echoing the grace His Father has shown. Jesus tells of a servant forgiven an impossible debt who then refuses to forgive another. The warning is unmistakable: those who have received mercy must live as people of mercy.

    As Jesus moves toward Jerusalem (chs. 19–20), He teaches about faithfulness in relationships, generosity that reflects God’s heart, and service rather than self-promotion. When some disciples compete for honour, Jesus redirects them. In His Kingdom, greatness comes through serving, because the King Himself came not to be served but to serve and to give His life for many. God’s generosity is not earned by labour; it is given with delight.

    Near the end of His ministry, Jesus prepares His disciples for what lies ahead (chs. 24–25). He tells them not to be alarmed by turmoil; the world will be shaken, but the purposes of God will stand. His people must remain awake, faithful, and expectant. He compares them to servants entrusted with resources. Some remain diligent; others grow careless. When the King returns, He will welcome those who served Him by serving His people — feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, caring for the sick and imprisoned. He receives such love as if it were shown to Him directly.

    Matthew shows that obedience to Jesus is the solid foundation of kingdom life. But Jesus also knows His disciples cannot walk this path alone. He promises His ongoing presence with them (28:20). After His resurrection and ascension, this promise is fulfilled through the Holy Spirit — poured out at Pentecost as recorded in Acts — who emboldens His followers with power, love, and clarity. The same disciples who once hid in fear now speak boldly, even in many languages, declaring that the risen King reigns. What Jesus began teaching on the mountain is carried forward by His Spirit through His people.

    Why This Matters

    Jesus’ teachings in Matthew reveal the character of life under His rule. They invite us to respond to God from the heart, not merely from habit. They uphold a righteousness deeper than behaviour — a life shaped by love, trust, and humility. His Kingdom challenges our natural instincts: mercy instead of revenge, purity instead of indulgence, generosity instead of grasping, faith instead of fear.

    His commands are not burdens. They describe the beauty of a life aligned with God. The King never demands what He will not supply. He teaches, leads, and gives His very presence. When Jesus promises to be with His people to the end of the age, He is assuring them that obedience is not a lonely endeavour. The same Spirit who empowered Him, who spoke through His disciples, now strengthens His people worldwide.

    Matthew shows the King giving the pattern; the Spirit later gives the power. These are not competing truths but a united story. Jesus forms His disciples through teaching; the Spirit then enables them to live what they have learned. The foundation is the Word; the power is the Spirit; the goal is a people who bear the King’s likeness.

    Hope and Challenge

    Jesus’ teaching comforts and confronts. It comforts by revealing the Father’s care, the Son’s presence, and the Spirit’s help. It confronts by exposing where our allegiance wavers, where anger hardens, where fear rules. His words press us to follow — not half-heartedly, but with trust.

    For believers, this teaching is not an optional layer on top of faith; it is the shape of faith itself. The King calls His people to forgive as they have been forgiven, to serve as they have been served, to hope because He reigns. And He does not leave them powerless. By the Holy Spirit, fearful hearts become bold, anxious minds find peace, and weak hands learn to love.

    For seekers or the curious, Jesus’ teaching is an open invitation. His Kingdom is not for the flawless but for those who recognise their need. Here, the broken are restored, the weary find rest, and those wandering in darkness see light. To follow Jesus is to discover a life deeper than achievement, more enduring than success, more joyful than comfort. This life begins with trusting the King.

    Conclusion

    Matthew reveals Jesus as both King and Teacher. He shows His people how to live under God’s reign — humbly, faithfully, boldly. His teaching gives the pattern; His Spirit gives the power. Those who hear and follow build their lives upon rock. The Master does not send His disciples alone. He teaches them, saves them, dwells with them, and empowers them. This is the life of His Kingdom: shaped by His words, by the Holy Spirit of truth who teaches, comforts, and brings things to remembrance for those born again.

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  • The Royal Mandate, Matthew Part 6 of 7

    The Royal Mandate, Matthew Part 6 of 7

    The Royal Mandate

    Welcome back to The King and His Kingdom. We have journeyed from Jesus’ royal identity to His fulfilment of Scripture, His global rescue, His formation of a new family, and His unfailing presence with His people. Each part has carried us forward — not toward an ending, but toward a beginning.

    Now we arrive at the sixth movement: the risen King sends His people. Matthew closes his Gospel with a royal command that defines the church’s identity and purpose. The King does not only call people into His Kingdom — He sends them into the world under His authority.

    This is the heart of Part 6: the church is sent — making disciples is our mission and purpose.

    What Matthew Teaches

    Matthew shows that the risen Jesus gathers His disciples on a mountain — a familiar place where God reveals His purposes. The One who once walked to the cross now stands alive. His authority spans heaven and earth. Nothing lies outside His rule.

    On that foundation, He gives His disciples their task. They are to go, baptise, and teach — not merely spreading ideas but forming disciples who live under His commands. This is not a suggestion. It is a royal commission.

    To baptise in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is to bring people into a new identity. Their lives now belong to God Himself. They are drawn into the life of the Trinity — welcomed into fellowship with the Father through the work of the Son and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

    To teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded is to nurture a new way of life. Discipleship is not momentary; it is lifelong. It forms whole lives under the gracious rule of the King.

    This mission is global. The disciples are sent to “all nations.” Jesus does not limit the scope to one people or place. The grace of the King extends across every boundary. Matthew began his Gospel by naming Jesus as the One who would save His people from their sins. He ends it by sending His followers with that same message into the world.

    Matthew notes that some of the disciples worshipped while others hesitated. Their uncertainty did not disqualify them. Jesus did not send them away or replace them. Instead, He grounded them in His authority and entrusted His mission to them. The weight of the mission does not rest on their inner strength; it rests on Him.

    At the heart of this mission lies a great promise: Jesus will be with His people until the end of the age. The command and the promise belong together. The church goes because the King leads. The church speaks because the King empowers. His authority sends, and His presence sustains.

    The Spirit Who Enables

    Matthew shows that the mission Jesus entrusts to His people is not carried out in human power alone. Earlier, when He first sent His disciples out, He told them they need not worry about what to say when they were brought before authorities. In that moment, what they needed would be given to them. They would speak yet not speak alone. The Spirit of their Father would speak through them (Matthew 10:19–20).

    This reveals something vital. The King who commands His people to go also gives them divine help. The Holy Spirit upholds their mission. The disciples are not left to invent strategies to make their words effective. The Holy Spirit Himself enables their witness. False confidence is emptied; God supplies what is needed.

    When Jesus later commands baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, He makes this truth unmistakable. The mission is rooted in the life of God. The Spirit’s work is not an optional influence but God’s gracious provision. He strengthens, guides, and gives courage to fearful hearts so that they may bear witness with truth and love.

    The King sends, and the Spirit enables.

    Why This Matters

    Matthew teaches that discipleship is not private. The risen King does not call His people into a quiet corner to reflect privately on what He has done. He sends them into the world to make disciples — beginning in their homes and cities and stretching to every land.

    This outward movement is not driven by guilt or pressure, but by the authority of Jesus and the enabling power of the Spirit. The One who commands is the One who remains. His rule is not distant; His presence is active.

    This matters because it aligns us with God’s purpose. From the opening chapters, Matthew has shown that Jesus came to save. Now, at the end, Jesus sends His followers to share that salvation. The church’s mission arises not from human creativity but from the King Himself.

    Discipleship touches every part of life. To be baptised is to belong to God. To be taught to obey is to live under the King. Jesus’ commands are not burdensome; they reveal the way of life we were made for. Discipleship is not simply learning about Jesus but learning to walk with Him.

    This mission also matters because it is global. The Gospel carries dignity across cultures. It does not erase them but welcomes them into the Kingdom. Every person is invited; no nation is too distant.

    The promise of Jesus’ presence gives unshakable hope. He does not send His people alone. He walks with them, opening hearts as they speak. Their confidence does not rest on what they can accomplish but on who He is. Even when opposition arises, the Spirit of the Father speaks through His people. He enables what He commands.

    This truth frees us from self-reliance. The mission is not carried by human charisma, planning, or strength. It is carried by the King and empowered by His Spirit. Our role is obedience; His presence gives power.

    Hope and Challenge

    The Great Commission lifts our eyes beyond ourselves. For believers, it brings dignity and clarity. Whether speaking to a neighbour, encouraging another believer, or quietly serving, every act offered to Christ participates in this mission. Nothing is wasted.

    The challenge is real. Some feel hesitant or fearful. Yet Matthew records that even among those who bowed in worship, some doubted. Jesus sent them anyway — and promised to be with them. Our frailty does not cancel His calling.

    For seekers, this is an invitation. The King who sends His people is the same King who invites all to follow Him. To become a disciple is to receive forgiveness, to learn His ways, and to walk with Him. The Spirit does not simply help those already strong; He strengthens those who come weak.

    The mission is vast, but no one is sent alone. The King goes with His people. The Spirit speaks through them. The Father holds them fast.

    Conclusion

    Matthew does not end with a farewell. He ends with a command and a promise. The risen Jesus, with all authority, sends His followers to make disciples among all nations, baptising in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to live under His gracious instruction.

    The church is therefore not merely gathered — it is sent. Its mission is not rooted in human cleverness but in the authority of the King. Its power does not rise from within but from the Spirit of the Father who speaks through His people. Its hope does not rest on circumstance but on the promise of Jesus’ unshakeable presence.

    The mission is global.
    The power is divine.
    The King is with His people — always.

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  • The Unseen Presence That Holds Us Together. Matthew 5 of 7

    The Unseen Presence That Holds Us Together. Matthew 5 of 7

    Welcome back to The King and His Kingdom, our journey through the Gospel of Matthew. In Part 4, we saw that Jesus gathers His people into a new spiritual family. Today, we ask a vital question: what keeps this family together?

    History is filled with movements that began with passion and purpose, only to fade. Human communities fracture under pressure. Success often seems to depend on gifted leaders, organisation, and resources. If the church were merely human, it would be no different.

    Matthew gives the answer: the church endures because Jesus Himself remains present with His people. He does not simply found His church — He continues to build, sustain, guide, and protect it.

    This is the heart of Part 5: the King who calls His people also stays with His people.

    The Builder Who Stays

    When Jesus first speaks of His church, He declares that He will build it and nothing — not death, spiritual opposition, or human weakness — will overthrow it. The emphasis is not on what His followers can achieve but on what He will do.

    This means the church is not a memorial to what Jesus did long ago. It is His living work today. Its foundation, growth, and endurance depend on His ongoing activity.

    This truth protects us from a subtle misunderstanding: that belonging to Christ depends on formal enrolment in an institution. Many faithful believers are sometimes treated as “outsiders” simply because they have not signed a membership form — yet Scripture teaches that union with Christ is what joins a person to His church. He builds His people, not bureaucracy. Because Jesus Himself is the builder, the church does not ultimately rest on human strength. Strategies and structures may help, but they are not the foundation. Christ is. This gives relief to weary believers and offers seekers a surprising invitation: the church is sustained, not by human skill, but by a living King.

    Where Two or Three Gather

    How does Jesus stay with His people now that He has ascended?
    Matthew records His promise that wherever even a few gather in His name, He is there.

    He does not require impressive crowds, grand buildings, or formal structures. His presence rests upon people united in His name — even two or three. A small group praying; friends encouraging each other; believers sharing a meal — Christ Himself is there.

    His presence is not symbolic. He actively strengthens, teaches, convicts, comforts, and leads by His Spirit. The same Jesus who walked among His disciples now walks among His gathered people.

    This transforms our understanding of church. We do not gather to honour an absent founder. We gather to meet with a present King. Every act of worship is shaped by His nearness. For seekers, this is an invitation: the church is not merely a historical remembrance. It is a living space where Jesus continues to make Himself known.

    The Presence That Holds Us Together

    Jesus’ presence is not only comfort — it is power. It is how the church endures in a broken world.

    Matthew shows this in Jesus’ instructions for dealing with relational conflict among believers. If someone sins, Jesus gives a process for pursuing restoration: private conversation, then witnesses if needed, and ultimately the church. He affirms that what His church binds or releases on earth is recognised in heaven — and He immediately reminds them of His presence.

    This is crucial. Jesus is present even in difficult moments — not only in worship but in messy situations where sin, hurt, and misunderstanding threaten to tear relationships apart. His presence gives wisdom, conviction, and grace so that reconciliation is possible.

    Human communities often fracture because we cannot fully heal wounds or overcome deep hurt. But Jesus sustains His church with a power we do not possess on our own. Because He is present, forgiveness, healing, and unity become possible.

    For believers wounded by church conflict, this offers hope: Christ has not abandoned His people. He remains at work, even when relationships feel strained.
    For seekers, it is honesty: the church is imperfect, yet it endures because a perfect King keeps it.

    Even here, Matthew shows that Jesus’ presence among His people is not merely comforting; it is empowering. Earlier, when He sent His disciples out, He assured them that they would not speak on their own when they faced pressure or opposition. In those moments, the Spirit of their Father would speak through them (Matthew 10:19–20). His presence therefore comes to His people by the Holy Spirit — giving wisdom, courage, and the words they need. The King does not merely stay near; He actively strengthens His church from within.

    The Presence That Carries the Mission

    Matthew ends with Jesus commissioning His disciples to make disciples among all nations — baptising and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded. It is an enormous task. They were few, ordinary, and about to face significant opposition.

    But Jesus closes Matthew’s Gospel with a promise: He will be with His people until the end of the age.

    This promise is not occasional or conditional. His presence is constant and lasting — for as long as His mission continues.

    This is what makes the mission possible. The church does not go into the world relying on human innovation or relevance. It goes with the authority and presence of the risen King. He opens hearts, builds His church in every culture, and sustains His people across generations.

    This is why the church has endured opposition, persecution, and cultural upheaval for two millennia. The church survives because Jesus is with His people, always.

    For believers, this brings relief: the weight of the mission does not fall on personal ability. We obey, but Jesus builds.
    For seekers, the endurance of the global church is itself evidence — despite countless attempts to destroy it, it stands because Christ holds it.

    What This Means for Us

    Because Jesus is present with His people:

    • The church is not a human organisation trying to preserve a memory.
    • When we gather, we truly meet with Him.
    • When conflict arises, He guides, convicts, and restores.
    • When we go on mission, we go with a King who never leaves.

    This gives profound security. The church will not fail because its King cannot fail.
    It also offers a clear invitation. The God who rules heaven and earth is not distant. He is near, active, and inviting people into His family.

    The King Who Never Leaves

    Jesus is the King who does not save from a distance.
    He saves — and He stays.

    • He builds His church
    • He is present wherever His people gather
    • He sustains His people through every struggle
    • He guarantees the future of His mission

    What holds the church together is not human strength, creativity, or organisation.
    It is the unseen presence of Jesus — the living King who never leaves His people.

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  • More Than a Crowd. Matthew 4 of 7

    More Than a Crowd. Matthew 4 of 7

    Jesus’s Call to a New Community.

    Welcome back to “The King and His Kingdom,” our seven-part journey through the Gospel of Matthew. In the first three parts, we have encountered Jesus as the promised King—the fulfilment of ancient hopes, the One who extends God’s rescue from Israel to all nations.

    Now a deeply personal question emerges: What happens when we respond to His invitation?

    We live in an age of unprecedented connection, yet profound isolation. The human heart aches for belonging, for community, for family. We were not made to be alone.

    Many imagine faith as something private and individual—a quiet arrangement between the soul and God. But Matthew reveals something far richer. When Jesus calls people to Himself, He does not gather scattered individuals. He forms a family.

    This is the heart of Part 4: To follow Jesus is to belong—to Him, and to His people.

    The Open Invitation.

    Every family has a doorway. For the family of Jesus, that doorway is His invitation in Matthew 11:28:

    “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

    The only qualification is need.

    Jesus does not call the strong, the sorted, or the spiritually impressive. He invites the exhausted—those carrying burdens too heavy to bear, those who have reached the end of themselves. This is astonishing grace. To enter His rest, we do not first make ourselves worthy. We simply come.

    Notice the invitation is not to a system, a philosophy, or a set of rules, but to a Person: “Come to Me.” Jesus Himself is the source of rest. He offers what no religion, achievement, or human effort can provide.

    This new community begins not with accomplishment, but with welcome. Not with status, but with need. Not with perfection, but with honesty. Every member stands on the same ground: all come weary, all receive grace. This shatters our ideas of self-sufficiency. The family of God is built not on our strength, but on our shared need for His mercy.

    For anyone seeking, this is breathtaking news. You do not have to fix yourself to be welcomed. You are invited in your weariness.

    From Crowd to Called.

    Early in Matthew’s Gospel, large crowds follow Jesus. They listen, marvel, and press close. But as His ministry unfolds, something shifts. Jesus begins calling individuals to walk with Him—to learn, to leave old lives behind, to share life together.

    A gentle distinction forms: the crowd listens; the disciples belong.

    As these disciples follow Jesus from village to village, they are shaped together—not only by His words, but by shared experience. This prepares them for a moment when Jesus reveals the new reality He is bringing into existence.

    The Called-Out Ones.

    At Caesarea Philippi, after months of walking with Jesus, Peter makes the great confession: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

    Jesus responds with a profound promise in Matthew 16:18: “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

    This is the first time the word “church” appears in Matthew’s Gospel. The word Jesus uses is ekklesia—a Greek term that does not describe a building or an event, but a people. A called-out assembly.

    We are the ekklesia: the called-out ones.

    This is the core idea. God is calling people out of isolation, out of the kingdoms of this world, and into a new spiritual family. This family is not defined by bloodline, nationality, or social standing. It is defined by one thing: faith in Christ. We are a family built on the shared confession that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

    Three truths emerge from Jesus’s promise:

    Jesus Builds. “I will build My church.” The church does not begin with human initiative. It is His work. He gathers, He forms, He sustains. This is an incredible comfort. The community we belong to is not held together by our feeble efforts but by the power of the King Himself.

    It Belongs to Him. “My church.” This family carries His name. Its identity is rooted in Christ—not in heritage, ability, or accomplishment.

    It Will Stand. “The gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Even the powers of death and darkness cannot destroy what Jesus establishes. This family has a divine guarantee.

    We belong not because we hold tightly, but because He does. This speaks directly to our need for belonging. We are not merely admirers of Jesus; we are members of His household. To be a Christian is to be part of a “we.”

    A Family with a Mission.

    This new community is not called to be an inward-only fellowship. Jesus gathers—and then He sends.

    After His resurrection, the King gives His family their purpose in Matthew 28:19: “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.”

    The invitation of Matthew 11 becomes the commission of Matthew 28. Those who have found rest now extend that rest to others. Those who have been welcomed now welcome.

    This connects everything. The new community of faith is the very instrument God uses to accomplish His global rescue plan. Following Jesus is not a solo activity, because the mission He gives us is not a solo mission. We are called to go together, to make disciples together, to baptise new members into this family together.

    This is not work for isolated believers. Jesus gives this commission to His gathered disciples. It is communal work—obeyed together, lived together, shared together. We grow by supporting one another. We persevere by encouraging one another. We reach the world by going together.

    The church is both the fruit of the mission—new people welcomed—and the instrument of the mission—disciples making disciples. Christ builds His family; His family carries His invitation to the world.

    Belonging in a Restless World.

    Loneliness wears many faces. It can settle in a crowded room. It can linger in a busy life.

    Jesus meets that ache with Himself—and with His people. He calls the weary to rest. He calls the lost into His household. He calls the alone into communion.

    This means we are not meant to carry our burdens alone. We are not meant to struggle alone, grow alone, or serve alone. Faith is never merely “me and Jesus.” It is “Jesus—and us with Him.”

    To follow Christ is to step into a shared life. A life of encouragement, prayer, learning, forgiveness, patience, and mission. In this family, every believer receives a place. No one is unnecessary. No one is forgotten.

    For seekers, this family welcomes you. The Church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for all who know they are weary and burdened. It is a place to belong.

    For believers, this is a vital reminder. Do not try to live this life alone. You were not meant to. You have been brought into a new spiritual family. The fellowship of the ekklesia is not optional; it is the God-designed context for your faith, your rest, and your mission.

    More Than a Crowd.

    Jesus calls us into something deeper than interest or admiration. He forms a spiritual household.

    A family that begins with invitation: “Come to Me.”

    A family built on confession: “You are the Messiah.”

    A family held secure by the One who builds it: “I will build My church.”

    A family sent with purpose: “Go and make disciples.”

    What an astonishing King—who not only saves us, but adopts us, gathers us, and calls us His very own family.

    Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

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  • Nation to the Nations. Matthew Part 3 of 7

    Nation to the Nations. Matthew Part 3 of 7

    From a Nation to the Nations: God’s Open Invitation.

    Welcome back to “The King and His Kingdom,” our 7-part journey into the heart of the Gospel according to Matthew. In our first two parts, we have beheld Matthew’s royal portrait of Jesus as the long-awaited King and understood His arrival as the stunning fulfilment of God’s ancient promises. Now, we arrive at a theme that is the very engine of the Christian faith: God’s global rescue plan. This part of the story tackles a beautiful and deliberate shift—a divine progression from a message focused on a single nation, Israel, to a Gospel intended for every person on earth. It is a story of expansion, of walls coming down, and of an invitation being sent out to the entire world. This is not a change of plans; it is the breathtaking culmination of a plan God had in mind all along. It is the foundation of the church’s mission and the assurance to every reader that the Good News is for them.

    A Mission to a Nation.

    As we follow Jesus through the early stages of His ministry in Matthew’s Gospel, we encounter a command that might seem surprising. When He first sends out His twelve disciples to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, He gives them very specific instructions. In Matthew 10:5–6, He says, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

    Why would the Savior of the world begin with such a focused, seemingly exclusive, directive? This was not an act of limitation, but of divine faithfulness. Jesus is the Messiah promised to Israel, the King coming to the throne of David. For God to be true to His own covenant story, the message had to first be presented to the people to whom the promises were originally given. This was, as the theme states, “God’s continuing work of salvation within Israel.” It was a matter of divine integrity, honouring the centuries-long relationship God had with His chosen people. This initial focus was the necessary starting point, the sacred foundation upon which a global mission would be built.

    The Turning Point: The Person and Work of Christ.

    The critical pivot that swings the door of salvation open from one nation to all nations is the person and work of Jesus Christ. His life, death, and resurrection are the hinge of all redemptive history. He is, the “true Israel,” the one who perfectly succeeded in the mission His people could not. Through His sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus accomplished a salvation so vast and complete that its power could never be contained within a single ethnic or geographical border. When He died, the great curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This was a powerful, divine sign that the way to God was now open for all people to meet with Him boldly, wherever they might live. His resurrection was the ultimate declaration that a new era had dawned—an era where access to God is based not on lineage, but on faith in His risen Son. The work Jesus accomplished in Jerusalem was a work He accomplished for the world. He is the one who makes the global rescue plan possible.

    A Commission for the Nations.

    With this universe-altering work completed, the risen King gathers His disciples one last time in Matthew’s Gospel. Here, the specific instruction of chapter 10 is replaced by a sweeping, universal mandate that will define the purpose of His followers for all time. This is the breathtaking climax of the shift from a nation to the nations. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

    The contrast is powerful and deliberate. The mission that began with the “lost sheep of Israel” has now exploded to encompass “all the peoples of the earth.” This is not a contradiction but a glorious fulfilment. This Great Commission is the foundational charter for the mission of the church. It is built upon the unshakable truth of Christ’s absolute authority over all things and His promise of His continuing presence with His people.

    This command is the ultimate realization of God’s ancient promise to Abraham that in him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. The Christian Gospel is not a parochial or regional message; it is a gospel for all. This is the very heart of the mission Jesus set in motion.

    God’s Open Invitation Is for You.

    This journey from a focused mission in Matthew 10 to a global commission in Matthew 28 reveals a message of radical inclusivity. It is God’s open invitation to every single person, without exception. Your background, your culture, your history, your language—none of it is a barrier to the kingdom of heaven.

    The Gospel assures every reader that this Good News is for them. The King came to a specific people at a specific time in history to accomplish a universal salvation for all people for all time. This beautiful unfolding of God’s plan is the assurance that no one is beyond the reach of His grace. The invitation of the King has been sent out, from one nation to all the nations. And it is for you.

    Join us next time for Part 4, “More Than a Crowd: Jesus’s Call to a New Community,” where we will explore what it means to belong to the new family of faith that this global invitation creates.

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