How does Luke 21:13 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? Setting the Scene • Luke 21:13: “This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses.” • Matthew 28:19-20: “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, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Both statements come from the same Speaker during His final days on earth. In one, He prepares His followers for persecution; in the other, He sends them out to the nations. Together they form a unified call: hardship will open doors for fulfilling the Great Commission. Luke 21:13—Witness Through Opposition • Jesus forecasts persecution, arrests, and trials (vv. 12-17). • Rather than viewing these pressures as setbacks, He says they will “serve as witnesses.” • The word translated “witnesses” (Greek: martyria) is the same root that later gives us “martyr,” underscoring testimony even at high cost (cf. Acts 22:20). Matthew 28:19-20—Go, Disciple, Teach • The mandate is outward-facing: “Go.” • Scope: “all nations.” • Core tasks: – “make disciples” – “baptizing” (public identification with Father, Son, Spirit) – “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” • Promise: Christ’s continual presence “to the very end of the age,” echoing His end-times teaching in Luke 21. The Connecting Thread 1. Opportunity → Obedience • Opposition (Luke 21:13) supplies the stage on which the mission (Matthew 28:19-20) is acted out. 2. Witness → Discipleship • Verbal testimony during trials plants gospel seeds; some listeners become disciples. 3. Presence → Empowerment • “I will give you words and wisdom” (Luke 21:15) parallels “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). Both guarantee divine help when believers speak. Illustrations from Acts • Acts 1:8—“You will receive power… and you will be My witnesses.” • Acts 4:1-22—Peter and John arrested; their defense before the council fulfills Luke 21:13, and 5,000 believe, advancing the Commission. • Acts 8:1-4—Persecution scatters the church; those scattered “preached the word wherever they went,” spreading discipleship. • Acts 16:22-34—Paul and Silas in prison; their witness leads to the Philippian jailer’s conversion and baptism. Practical Takeaways • Expect God-given moments: hostile settings often become platforms to explain the gospel (Philippians 1:12-14). • Prepare, but rely on the Spirit: study Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15) while trusting Christ to supply words (Luke 21:15; 1 Peter 3:15). • See opposition as mission momentum: “All who desire to live godly… will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12), yet those very pressures advance the Great Commission. • Hold to Christ’s presence: whether in a boardroom interrogation or a remote village, the same risen Lord stands with His people, turning trials into testimony and testimony into disciples. |
    |