Easter 20 The Great Promise

[HKHaugan]

Easter 20 The Great Promise

When Jesus gave the Great Commission He also gave within it the Great Promise, “And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age (Matt.28:20).” Three things stand out about this promise.
First, the Greek word for 'surely' is 'idou.' Actually it is a very strong word in Greek. It is more than 'surely.' In the old English it was 'behold' and 'lo.' In our day Jesus might have said it differently. It has the flavor of "I want you to pay real close attention to what I'm saying. This is reality kicking in."
Second, by saying "I am" Jesus is not just another historic ideal man whom we lift up as super special. He is the “I Am” making clear who He is in relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is the risen God the Son.
Third, Jesus is personally with us "always," every single moment of our existence, to the end of the world and into the Kingdom. This was not just for the apostles and their generation but for every generation of those who believe in Him. He is the Great Promise.
So it naturally follows the Great Realization, "I am in you" and that continues not just for while we are here in this world but eternally. The two go hand in hand. What we realize is built on the promise. The 'always' is the present that has no end. What Jesus promises He lets us realize and as we 'realize' we stand on the "Promise." In one respect this is the assurance that when we obey the other 'Greats' it is grounded in the ongoing 'Realization' sustained by the 'Promise.'
What this means is that all the promises in Scripture find their substance in this Great Promise, "I am with you always." Everything is resolved in Jesus. Take Jesus' words, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matt.11:28)." But don't stop there. See how those words 'jack up' all the promises of God from Genesis right through Revelation. There are hundreds, therefore too many to cite here. Paul knew this when he said, "My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Php.4:19)." This was true for Jew and Gentile alike, "For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Eph.2:18)." He carries that thought through in vs.22, "And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit."
When you read Scripture one way to let it sink in is to take a theme like the 'Greats' and use them like lenses to focus in on what it might say to you. For instance take the idea of the Great Promise and start with Genesis as though every narrative presented a promise. "In the beginning God created..." leads us to see HIm as creating with the promise of life and what it could be. He created an environment with built-in enjoyment as well as functional utility. He promised life spiritually in the context of a physical experience. Creation itself implies intention and purpose. Experiencing God spiritually and personally, then seeing every created physical thing point to a spiritual counterpart which in turn carries a relational theme among those like us. The idea of promise anticipates a future, an every next moment, for every individual person.
Promise dictates how we pray, how we think, how we feel and what we do. Promise is where our hope in the Resurrection leads us to loving God and one another as Jesus showed us in His humanity. In 'promise' we follow the Word of God to give structure to our mind. It shapes the way we view the world in its momentary values and witness to the eternal relational values we see in Jesus. We trust Him in our heart and follow Him led by the Spirit. Simply put, everything has an eternal context while the world is dedicated only to what works for the moment. This is what it means to be Christ-centered as opposed to self-centered. The first is filled with His grace and love that informs, supports and maintains. The second is consumed in fear that isolates, alienates and suffocates. The first buoys the Kingdom of Heaven. The second leaves us in the wasteland of eternal aloneness. It's our choice.