Every point in this story reveals Jesus’ identity as the Son of God as he completes his mission on Earth through his own sacrifice. He is arrested, beaten, and crucified by being nailed to the cross. The first part of the story shows a picture of defeat, where even Jesus’ disciples abandon him thinking that it is the end of the story. Then, the resurrection happens! Jesus defeats death, gains victory against evil, and comes back to life full of glory and power. He becomes the path and the means for us to enter the God’s Kingdom and reconnect with our Creator. This culmination of the Biblical story fully reveals the extravagantly loving heart of God, who did not hesitate to identify himself with us humans, suffered, and died on the cross so we can have a new identity in him and be reconciled with ourselves, with each other, and with our Creator. Through Jesus, God does not just invite us to eternity, but also shows us the path, gives us the means to get on it, and helps through our …show more content…
We can see God’s mission in action through Paul’s ministry to proclaim the Good News to the Gentiles and establish new churches. This was the time where the first international and intercultural church mission was born. Luke brings to our attention that the scope of God’s mission goes beyond Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. God cares to make his name known and his salvation available to all nations through this apostolic mission. We see that this mission requires obedience to God’s calling, passion to bring people back to God, and willingness to go “off-road” in doing his work. This is an open invitation to us to not only receive the Good News but also become active participants in God’s mission by making disciples and establishing