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Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 

Recently I was thinking about this very familiar passage which we know as “The Great Commission" and was reading about Jesus’ interaction with the Centurion also found in Matthew at 8:5-13. While I recognise that connecting military discipline with the love of Jesus may not be “politically correct,” I want to share an important lesson in my faith journey that may stimulate some thought.

Although I knew the dictionary definitions of commission, I really did not understand the full extent of the meaning of holding Jesus’ commission until I received my commission as an officer in the US Air Force. First, both are a public pronouncement as you see Jesus’ commission above, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The Air Force also establishes “authority” but not at Jesus’ level by stating “The President of the United States  of America, to all who shall see these presents, greeting”.

Second, both are forever. Again Jesus exceeds our human time frame “to the very end of the age,” while the Air Force “continue in force during the pleasure of the President.”

Let us be God’s onward Christian soldiers by:

• Thanking God for committing to be with us forever; and,
• Ask God to equip and prepare us to fulfill the “Great Commission.”

*Please note that the title is from the song of the same name words by Sabine Baring-Gould and music by Arthur Sullivan.