The Essence of Jesus’ Mission in the Gospels

The Essence of Jesus’ Mission in the Gospels
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The Essence of Jesus’ Mission in the Gospels
Introduction
The Bible is a carefully planned and well-articulated piece of writing. The events in the Bible give way to the next as the years flow from the time God created Adam and Eve to the time of Jesus until the book of Revelation. In the book of Genesis, the story of Adam and how he fell from God’s favor is well captured. After several chapters, the Bible introduces a man called Abraham, who is also known as ‘The Father of Faith.’ Through Abraham’s obedience and dedication to God, he was promised a blessing and descendants as much as the stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17). However, regardless of the above, Adam’s sin had already condemned humanity, and in as much as Abraham was faithful to God, he could not atone for the sin of Adam. However, God had a plan to reconcile man to himself, and this is captured quite aptly by Paul in the book of Romans. In Romans Chapter 5, Paul notes that just as sin ensured or guaranteed the condemnation of humanity, through one act and one man, humanity will be redeemed. The redemption that Paul was talking about and that was captured by numerous prophets in the Old Testament was the one that came through Jesus Christ, who was called the Messiah. God still had hope for humanity, but since humanity could not bring itself to reconcile with him, God had the plan of using one righteous act to achieve His plan. The plan of God yielded the essence of Jesus’ mission as is captured in the gospels. Therefore, provided herein is an elucidation of what Jesus’ mission was as per the gospels and an analysis of the lessons learned regarding Jesus.
Throughout Jesus’s life, one thing that was constant was His lack of pride and his understanding that God sent Him to do his work. In the gospel, there are numerous times where Jesus talks of the one who sent Him. In John 8:29, John 5:24, Matthew 10:40, Mark, 9:37, Luke 9:48, John 12:45, among many other scriptures, speak of Him who sent Jesus. Jesus was well aware that He was on earth to do what He was sent to do. Therefore, everything He did was not so He could attain anything but so that God could be glorified. Christ deferring to God was an act of submission and obedience that was in complete contrast to what Adam did, and this started the redemption and reconnection that God wanted to attain through Him.
The gospels are quite clear on what Jesus Christ came to do on earth. After reading the gospels and over the course of this semester, the essence of Christ’s mission on earth has been evidently clear. There are numerous scriptures that capture his mission. However, none comes close to Luke 4:18-19. Here, Jesus speaks out and outlines what can be said to be the essence of His mission on earth. He says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” The scripture above captures the essence of what Jesus Christ came to achieve through the help of God. A few elements within the two verses highlighted above capture His mission on earth, and the gospels expound on these elements. These elements include poverty, captivity, blindness, oppression, and redemption. Throughout the gospels, these elements are captured quite clearly as Jesus actualizes His mission on earth.
In every society, there are divisions or layers that separate people on the basis of how wealthy someone is or looks. Often, people who are poor, sick, or happen to look different from the rest are pushed to the margins of society. However, while on earth, Jesus asks that people care for one another, especially the poor. While preaching in Matthew 25:40, Jesus tells His listeners, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” These were words directed to His listeners on account of the poor and needy in the world. In this instance, He insinuates that serving the poor or needy is similar to serving him. Aside from the above, Jesus insisted on preaching and interacting with the poor more than the rich. In another instance, Jesus heals a woman whose illness has led to 12 years of bleeding. She had been sidelined in the society, but upon touching His cloak, she was healed. In Luke 8:48, Jesus spoke to the woman after she identified herself and told her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Further, while speaking to a wealthy Pharisee in Luke 14:12-14, Jesus advises the Pharisee to avoid inviting his rich friends and family for banquets. “But w...