Go and Tell

“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 28:19-20

We can only “go and tell” after we have “come and seen” (John 1:46). Our Lord doesn’t desire us to tell about what we do not know, but what we do know. That’s why He could tell the apostles to “go and make disciples of all nations.” He wanted them to testify or bear witness to what they had seen and experienced of Christ. They had walked with Him for three years, ate, slept, and watched Him cry. They had heard Him teach, seen Him walk on water, calm a storm, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, made the lame walk, and the mute speak. They had seen Him cast out demons, turn water into wine, and kill a tree with a word. They had seen Him supply bread, raise the dead, and the turn the religious establishment on its head. And last, but certainly not least, they saw Him crucified for the world to see. They saw Him die and some had even witnessed His burial. But, it was the resurrection and His appearance to some five hundred people that launched their view of Him into a new and exciting realm. He had been dead and rose again with the marks to prove He wasn’t a shadow or an apparition. He walked around, talked, and even cooked and ate some breakfast.

Thomas, one of the disciples, was a lot like us. Men don’t just rise from the dead. He wanted proof. He said,  

“Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe”—John 20:25b. 

It’s a faith challenge I think any of us would understand. But Jesus was up to the challenge, appearing to Thomas offering His nail-imprinted hand for Thomas’ inspection.  

"Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side. Do not disbelieve, but believe"—John 20:27.

The disciples were fully confident who Jesus was and were ready to do whatever He asked. It was no difficulty for them to “go therefore and make disciples.” Jesus was and is God. For some of them it began with “come and see” and then became “go and tell.” Jesus makes the offer to us to come and see who He is, learn for ourselves His wondrous love that was shed on the cross on our behalf. He offers His back to the whip and His shoulder to the cross. He lays down His life freely for us so that our sin might be paid for and we might enter into a radically life-changing relationship with Him. And once we have seen who He is, and come to know this loving God, we cannot keep in the joy that we have. We want to share it, we need to share it, because it is in our joy to do so. Like witnessing a beautiful sunset or hearing an amazing song, our joy is incomplete until it is shared. So we “go and tell” others of this amazing God who came to earth to live among us and take our sins upon Himself. He went to the cross to die so that we would not have to, and He gives us salvation and the opportunity to share this news with anyone who will hear.

So, let’s not keep this wonderful news of God’s amazing love silent. Let’s go and tell everyone we know what Jesus has done for us, so that they too may know the joy of having their sins forgiven and a relationship with their Creator and great Lover of their (and our) souls. Amen.