Memorial Day Monday:

Jesus instructed his disciples as he sent them out with the Good News: “As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.” Matthew 10:8 Those two sentences outline a huge task for the disciples. Let’s look inside.

Since Jesus starts his instructions with, “as you go,” we are not to limit our message to one place. We are to GO! Now, some people are called to go and preach, while others are called to send people with the message, to facilitate those who do go. Nowadays missionaries in the field wouldn’t survive too long without support from a home church, and God needs each of us to hold up our part of the missionary deal, as we are called.

Jesus tells us to preach. When people are languishing spiritually, they’re willing to listen to a messenger with Good News. Jesus tells us to not just council them. We are to preach! Preach not only to an individual seeker, but also preach to several people, a small group, or even a large group, again as each of us is called. 2000 years ago, preaching was accomplished through oration, by making a speech in the Synagogue.

“The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” places a timetable on the “repent and return” message, preached ever since mankind fell from grace. Today is the accepted day to return to the LORD.

Jesus also empowers his disciples to follow in his footsteps, performing sign and wonders just like he did. Jesus taught the laying on of hands to heal the sick and cleanse those with skin diseases. And you can cast out demons by invoking the holy name of Jesus. But raising the dead? I don’t know…

Raising the dead seems like a wonder best left to the messiah; and yet Jesus himself told his followers to do this. The concept was foreign to many at the time, and certainly controversial. The Pharisees believed in some kind of resurrection and afterlife, but the Sadducees did not. Most Jews were uncertain. However followers of Jesus were totally convinced of an afterlife, since they had seen Jesus return from the dead, rising in three days just as he said he would.

Raising the dead was later fulfilled in both Acts 9 where Peter resuscitates Tabitha (Dorcas), and in Acts 20 when Paul raised Eutychus. It doesn’t seem to be common, but the Bible doesn’t say that the authority to raise the dead has been withdrawn either. Therefore it is wise for us to believe in God’s power to do such miracles through His people.

Through Him all things are possible!

Norton Lawellin