Christ was on this Earth for 33 years, and his Earthly ministry lasted roughly 3 ½ years. With his earthly mission now complete Jesus has some last words for his disciples. He tells them to go and preach the Gospel to every creature. Mark phrases slightly different than Matthew and Luke. In Matthew’s Gospel Christ tells the disciples to go to all nations and teach them all that he commanded and to baptize in the name of the blessed Trinity (Matthew 28:19-20). Luke’s version takes place in the first chapter of Acts, and he writes that Christ commanded the disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and the rest of the world (Acts 1:1-11).
These were the last words of Christ on earth and they were significant. When we lose a loved one we remember the last words that were spoken. We remember them and we cherish them, and we try to fulfill their last wishes. We should do the same with these last earthly words of Christ. After 2,000 years the church is still spreading that Gospel message as Christ commanded, but what are you and I doing individually?
We have a tendency to think that this is the work of our church leaders, but spreading the Gospel is the duty of all of us as disciples of Christ. Are we taking these words of Christ seriously? This doesn’t mean that we have to go overseas. We can be that witness at work, with our families at home, and in our neighborhoods. There are many ways that we can help spread the message of Christ around the world. We can live the Christian life and be ready to answer questions when they inevitably come up, we can donate to a missions organization, perhaps assist in teaching the faith at church, or even join in a fruitful online discussion so the faith can be understood in a deeper way.
The point is that there are so many things that you and I can do to help fulfill the great commission. You and I may not be called to go overseas, but we can do something right where we are planted. May we go forth today and fulfill the words that Christ commanded.
