How does Ezekiel 11:25 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? Reading the Key Passages “Then I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.” “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Ezekiel’s Immediate Obedience: A Model of Testimony • Ezekiel receives a vision of God’s plan for judgment and restoration (Ezekiel 11:1-24). • Verse 25 shows his response: he relays the whole message “to the exiles,” the very people who most needed hope. • His action fulfills the personal commission given earlier: “You must speak My words to them” (Ezekiel 2:7; 3:17). • Key themes: – Faithful reporting of divine revelation – Concern for a scattered, displaced people – Trust that God’s word itself will accomplish His purpose (Isaiah 55:11) The Great Commission: A Call to Global Testimony • Jesus, the risen Lord, entrusts His disciples with the full revelation of salvation. • Core components: – “Go” – an outward, intentional movement – “Make disciples” – not mere converts but lifelong learners – “All nations” – the scope widens from one exiled community to the entire world – “Teaching them to obey” – faithful transmission of all He revealed, just as Ezekiel did – Promise of presence: “I am with you always,” echoing God’s presence with Ezekiel in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:3; 3:22-23). Connecting the Two: Same God, Same Mission • Both passages record a servant receiving divine revelation and immediately sharing it. • Ezekiel’s audience: Israelite exiles in Babylon. Jesus’ audience: all nations—yet both groups are spiritually displaced and need restoration. • The content differs in detail but not in purpose: – Ezekiel announces a future heart change (Ezekiel 11:19-20). – Jesus announces that the promised new covenant is now available (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6-13). • The pattern established in Ezekiel—hear, go, speak—reaches its climax and universal application in Matthew 28. Practical Takeaways for Today • Receive God’s Word fully, then relay it completely. Partial obedience is no obedience. • See every gathering—church, workplace, neighborhood—as a modern “exile camp” where hope is needed. • Depend on the Spirit’s empowering presence (Acts 1:8) just as Ezekiel depended on the Spirit lifting him (Ezekiel 3:12-14). • Teach not only information but obedience, trusting that God’s Word will change hearts. Additional Scriptural Echoes • Jeremiah 1:7 – “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth.’ You must go to everyone I send you.” • 2 Timothy 2:2 – “What you have heard from me… entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” • Revelation 1:1-3 – A final prophetic chain of receiving and passing on the Word, completing the biblical arc begun in prophets like Ezekiel. Live It Out • Speak what God has shown in Scripture without trimming the message. • Move toward people: from living rooms to nations. • Rest in Christ’s promise of continual presence; the same Lord who stood with Ezekiel stands with every believer engaged in the Commission today. |
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