What do disciples do now?
Re-examining the Great Commission with fresh eyes
On Easter morning yesterday, I read through the account of the resurrection in each of the Gospels. In all my 40 years of listening to the Easter story, something new caught my attention.
I wanted to immerse myself in what the disciples must have felt after Jesus died. You go from walking each day for years with your rabbi and then He’s gone. Were they cycling through everything He taught them? Were they trembling in fear at what was next? Did things become clear? We actually get some answers from Scripture but I wanted to sit in that tension with them knowing I’m a disciple of Jesus too. I wanted to ask what I likely would have been asking:
What do disciples do next?
Jesus died on the cross, he rose from the dead. He showed up to the disciples to confirm what He had told them would happen and He also gave them instructions for how to live beyond the resurrection?
It’s this big crescendo in history but what happens after?
For believers— or maybe I’m just preaching to myself her—I think we’ve lost sight of the “what’s next?” We’ve got sports practices and meal prep and finding outfits for our next vacation. We’re toning muscles and optimizing sleep and taking care of kids or parents. Nothing wrong with all that but as I sat there thinking of what Jesus called us to after making the ultimate sacrifice, I realize I’ve buried the lede.