Great Commission Going and Acts 1:8

I have seen Jesus’ words as recorded in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (ESV), applied to the mission work and priorities of the local church in several different ways. One of the most popular applications is to something along the lines of equating Jerusalem with the church’s local community, Judea with the region, Samaria with the United States, and the “end of the earth” with international missions. I can definitely see the logic and usefulness of this application, but I think there is a more biblical way to look at our missions priorities through the lens of Acts 1:8.

The application that I offer is that Jerusalem represents the people with whom we already have established relationships, Judea represents the people with whom we are acquainted and share lots in common with, Samaria represents those with whom we are acquainted, but traditionally have been alienated from, and the “end of the earth” represents everyone else.

The direct audience of Jesus’ words recorded in Acts 1:8 was his disciples, Jewish men whom were deeply aware of and entrenched in the customs of the day. These men found their closest relationships, friends, family and those with whom they interacted on a daily basis, in Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem would have looked, talked, and dressed very similar to these men and Jesus was encouraging His disciples to be His witnesses first to those with whom they were the closest.

Judea was a larger state that encompassed the city of Jerusalem and maintained many of the same cultural marks. The disciples would have no doubt had connections, albeit less intimate, with people throughout Judea. They would have been fairly comfortable in speaking with those people throughout Judea and these people were a natural next step in the disciples work as Gospel witnesses.

Samaria was a different story. For those not familiar, Samaria was the name given to the area north of Judea and was inhabited by Samaritans. The first century Jews looked down on the Samaritans and would not have established relationships. These folks were not just strangers, but the kind of people whom the nominal first century Jew would never be acquainted with.

It seems to me that when Jesus speaks of “Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” He is speaking more relationally than geographically. The whole of biblical witness indicates that God is less concerned with geographic boundaries, which are temporal and subject to change, and more concerned with the relationships people establish in their hearts. This principle is seen in 1 Samuel 16:7, “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (ESV). Man is concerned with the outward, those things that we can see, touch, and understand. However, God is concerned with matters of the heart, complex and uncharted territory for most of us. God is not looking to win territory; God wants to win the hearts of men.

The application of this principle to the indirect audience of Acts 1:8, you and me, is that we should begin to share our faith with those closest to us. This includes the people with whom we interact on a daily basis, our friends, family, co-workers, etc. In addition to the strong bonds we have with this group, these people will have already seen the effect of Gospel transformation in our own lives. Those closest to us represent our Jerusalem.

Our Judea is all of the people with whom we interact with on a daily basis, but are not that closely acquainted with. This may include the casher at the gas station you visit every morning, the waitress at your favorite restaurant, you neighbor, or that co-worker down the hall. While the people in this group may not know your name, they are people with whom you are already sharing life.

Samaria represents those with whom we would not normally associate.  This can take many forms in the life of the modern day follower of Christ. Witnessing to the Samaritans meant reaching across traditional cultural division for the first century Jesus follower. To us this can mean reaching across socioeconomic lines or racial divides. It can also represent reaching out to those whom have wronged us in the past (remember Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 5:43-48). Make no mistake about it, being Jesus’ witness in Samaria is much more that taking a one day mission trip to the “other side of the tracks.” It is a lifestyle of acceptance with a long-term goal of building relationships with those whom the secular world would not expect us to have relationships with.

The “end of the Earth” is not much different for us as it was to Jesus’ original audience. It represents carrying the Gospel light to the farthest places on the planet. What most modern day Christian’s miss out on is the fact that this part of the commission is for every Christian, not only those called to serve as vocational missionaries. While not everyone is called to travel internationally and serve, we are all called to support international missions. Modern day Christians are called to support God’s work abroad through prayer, giving, and going.

The Great Commission is equally applicable to us as modern day Jesus followers as it was to those who herd Jesus deliver it first hand. As you go into the social circles you already have (in your Jerusalem), grow closer with existing acquaintances (in your Judea), reach across cultural divides (in your Samaria), and reach out globally, remember that you are not alone, Jesus has promised to go with you.