BY STEVEN THOMPSON

AREWELL SPEECHES can change the world. The patriarch Jacob's farewell speech, along with that of Moses, fixed the very character and nature of the Hebrew people. Their speeches also established the Hebrew people in the land of Israel, which they continue to occupy today, 3,500 years later. Those two farewell speeches give a preview of uncanny accuracy, a sort of advance glance into the heart and soul of an entire people who have exerted a major influence on society during their entire history.

Jesus' Farewell Speech
In a similar manner Jesus placed His stamp on the nature and shape of the Christian church through His farewell speech, commissioning and shaping His followers for a still ongoing challenge. He defined the core task of the infant church, and its response has ever since determined its life and structure.

Jesus' speech to His disciples echoes those of Jacob and Moses. His 12 disciples take the place of the 12 sons who heard Jacob's speech and the 12 tribes that assembled to hear Moses' farewell speech. There are differences between Jesus and Jacob or Moses, however. While these ancient Hebrew leaders would soon be removed from their people by their death, Jesus would live on in an exalted new position from which He would continue to impact His followers.

In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus states, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Jesus follows this with the punch line of his farewell speech: "Go. . . and make disciples of all nations." The resurrected Jesus then promised something not found in other farewell speeches-His continued presence: "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (NIV).

As Jesus issued this striking order, His disciples looked back on their own discipling, more than three years of learning and sharing. However, their sharing of their discoveries had been restricted to a single people group, fellow Jews (Matt. 10:5, 6). Jesus now challenges them to do what He earlier only hinted at. In Mark 16:15 Jesus commissions His disciples to "go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (NIV), echoing the words of Isaiah 61:1-3. They were to go out of their way, approach people regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or faith, and challenge them to become His followers.

The Effects of Jesus' Speech on the Church
Luke placed Jesus' commission in the first chapter of Acts, providing crucial insight into the role of the Holy Spirit in the church. "In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

For Reflection . . . Why do you think Jesus and other Bible characters issued important messages such as this gospel commission in farewells? What does this strategy tell you about these messages? The commission included instruction to make disciples by baptizing, teaching, and witnessing. How do these elements relate to each other and to our personal faith? What do you think of Isaiah's view of what it means to witness? See Isaiah 43:10.

. . . You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (Acts 1:5-8, NIV). Jesus then commands, "Be my witnesses" (verse 8) echoing God's assertion through the prophet Isaiah that His people constantly witness about Him. (See especially Isaiah 43:10 [REB], where the content of "witness" includes "to know me and put your trust in me and understand that I am the Lord.") Just as ancient Israel was to be God's witness to the nations, so Jesus' disciples would be witnesses first in Jerusalem, then to the entire world (Acts 1:8).

In John's Gospel, Jesus directs His farewell speech to Peter, employing images of shepherds and grapevines to express the commission, asking Peter three times to feed and shepherd His sheep (John 21:15-17). By these words Jesus calls for churches to care for their members while also proclaiming the gospel to those who do not yet believe. In John's account of the Last Supper, Jesus weaves His gospel commission into vineyard imagery, comparing his disciples to grape-bearing branches. He twice states "I am the vine" (John 15:1, 5, NIV) and twice instructs, "Bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (verse 8, NIV; see also verse 16). Jesus then sends His disciples to the world, echoing the command used in Matthew and Mark and implied in Acts: "Go and bear fruit" (verse 16, NIV).

Fulfilling the Gospel Commission
All four Gospels stress that Jesus' followers are to take the life of God that they experience in the church and carry it to the world. All are to share the good news that through the Holy Spirit, Jesus, the living Lord of both church and world, meets and joins with His followers in the church. The life that God intended is already available here and now, and as long as time lasts: "I will be with you always, to the end of time" (Matt. 28:20, REB).

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Steven Thompson, Ph.D. (New Testament studies), serves as head of the theology faculty at Avondale College in Australia.