“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, ‘With men this is impossible,                             but with God all things are possible.’ ” (Matthew 19:26)

 “Go, Sharon. Go, Mary. Go, Gary. Go, Joe.”

The last words of Jesus to His disciples, as recorded in the books of Matthew and Mark, include the word “GO.” A comparison of various translations of the passage in the Bible where the Great Commission is given in Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19 also include another word–either “Go ye” or “Go you.” Even if the pronoun is not included, there is the understood “you” in the directive “GO” –Go (you).

Jesus did not say: “Go one. Go someone. Go somebody. Go anybody. Go others. Go no one. Go nobody.” The pronoun was not indefinite but personal, and yet, it was also not these forms: “Go she or Go he or Go they or Go we…” Instead, the chosen words by Jesus were “Go you.” My name can be substituted for “you” and so can yours: “Go, Sharon. Go, Mary. Go, Gary. Go, Joe.”

 ” God made you different so you can make a difference.” ¹

The God-created differences in each one of us make us uniquely able to effect change around us and within others we personally come in contact with through our work, school, social relationships, and other connections.

 “If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.” ²

In Luke’s account, the disciples do not immediately “go” forth. Instead, Jesus tells them to wait until they receive the Holy Spirit to help them go forward in this cause to spread the gospel to all the world:

 ⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:44-49)

They had to be different from the world–their minds opened to understand the scriptures, their appearance altered when “clothed with power” from God, their hearts changed by their witness of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Through God, it was possible to reach out to the nations and change the world. Man alone could not “go” forth and complete this important work.

That powerful helper, the Holy Spirit, is still here. That understanding of scripture is made available in the full Word of God. That heart change is possible from belief in the testimonies of those who witnessed Christ on this earth. The world is in desperate need of Jesus and His message of hope, forgiveness, and salvation. That “world” starts in the family home, the neighborhood, the workplace, and the community. It’s where difference begins and goes forward in ways we can never imagine, for “with God, all things are possible.”

 “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ³

                                                            GO YE!                                                                             

¹Author unknown. wisesayings.com

²Elaine S. Dalton. wisesayings.com

^³Mahatma Gandhi. brainyquote.com

 (Sharon G. Tate blog 04/03/16) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word