阅读经文 

耶稣作为神所应许的弥赛亚来到我们中间。许多人认为弥赛亚是一位政治性的君主，会把他们从罗马帝国的政权的压迫下解放出来。但耶稣的使命却不是政治性的。祂来是要把罪人从罪的暴政辖制中解放出来，赐给他们与神永远同在的新生命。

耶稣在传道过程中与宗教权威发生了冲突。祂挑战了宗教权威，因为他们更关心权力和地位，而不在乎引导人们按照神的心意生活——爱神、爱邻舍。宗教领袖们感到了耶稣的威胁，于是密谋杀害祂。他们设法让祂被罗马政府处死。于是，耶稣为我们舍命，死在十字架上，被埋葬。但祂又复活了，为了拯救我们的缘故战胜了罪恶和死亡！

在耶稣升天之前，祂告诉门徒（还有我们），在这个充满暴君和强权政治的世界里，一切权柄都赐给祂了。然后祂说，当我们在这世上走向各地时，我们要使人作主的门徒。如何做呢？要给他们施洗，使他们加入神的大家庭，要教训他们遵守神的教导。如果我们对这项使命感到退缩惧怕（因为担心会遇到反对的声音），祂应许不会让我们独自面对，祂会藉着祂的圣灵永远与我们同在。

Jesus came to live among us as the promised Messiah of God's people. Many of the people thought the Messiah would be a political king who would free them from the grip of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' mission was not political. He came to free sinners from the tyranny of sin and to give them new life with God forever.

In his teaching ministry Jesus clashed with the religious authorities. He challenged them because they were more concerned with power and position than with leading people to live God's way—by loving God and loving their neighbor. The religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus, so they plotted to kill him. And they managed to get him executed by the Roman government. So Jesus laid down his life for us by dying on a cross, and he was buried. But then he rose to life again, victorious over sin and death for our sake!

Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus told his disciples (and us!) that against all appearances, in a world of tyrants and power politics, all authority had been given to him. Then he said that as we are moving about in the world, we are to make disciples. How? By baptizing them into the family of God, and by teaching them to be obedient to his teachings. And if we ever grow afraid of this task (for we will meet opposition), he promised that he will always be with us through his Holy Spirit.