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Unpack some of Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples to live as pilgrims in hostile environments. As the world grows increasingly resistant to the Gospel, Christians today must understand their true citizenship and mission. From being royal ambassadors during Christ’s ministry to becoming pilgrims in hostile environments after His crucifixion, the disciples’ journey mirrors our own.
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When I was growing up, my parents made me feel thankful to be an American. It usually took place at the dinner table when they wanted me to finish my food. They would encourage me to eat by telling me how children in other countries didn’t have the same blessings, and I guess at that moment, the blessings I was supposed to be thankful for were peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus.
There are few people who, if asked where they would want to live, would say a country other than the United States. But no matter how good American citizenship is, we will see in some of Jesus’s last words to His disciples that He didn’t want any of His followers to see themselves as citizens of any earthly country. Instead, we’re to see ourselves as pilgrims.
To fully understand some of Jesus’s final words to the disciples, we must understand the mission of God’s people throughout human history.
From Genesis to Malachi, the Gospel was, “The Messiah is coming!”
Sometimes people mistakenly believe the Gospel is a New Testament invention; something Paul invented during the Church Age. The even worse situation is when people think man was saved differently in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. But man has always been saved the same: by grace through faith.
In the Old Testament, people were saved by believing God would send a Messiah. People looked forward in faith to the Messiah coming, like we look backward in faith, believing the Messiah has come:
Galatians 3:8 God…preached the gospel…to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
This shows that the gospel was preached in the Old Testament, as it was preached to Abraham. But it begs the question: How could the words “in you shall all the nations be blessed” be a gospel presentation? This is a prophecy that the Messiah will come as a descendant of Abraham. That’s how all the nations would be blessed in or through Abraham. As people believed this prophecy that the Messiah would come, they would be saved. That’s what happened with Abraham, the father of faith:
Genesis 15:6 [Abraham] believed the Lord, and [the Lord] counted it to [Abraham] as righteousness.
This is justification: Abraham believed and was justified, or declared righteous, by his faith.
(NKJV) Hebrews 4:2 The gospel was preached to…[the Israelites in the wilderness].
We aren’t told exactly what this Gospel presentation looked like, but there was some way for the Israelites to look forward in faith to Jesus so they could be saved. I think they could look forward to Christ in faith through the fantastic types and shadows in the wilderness:
- They saw Christ through the Bronze Serpent: John 3:14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”
- They saw Christ through the manna: John 6:32-33 “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, My Father gives you the true bread from heaven (referring to Himself). For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:4 says Jesus was the rock in the wilderness that provided Israel with water, so they definitely saw Christ through the Rock.
When Israel saw these types and shadows of Christ, they were able to believe in Him.
So this was the Gospel message in the Old Testament: the Messiah is coming. But what did they preach when He came?
From Matthew to John, the Gospel was, “The Kingdom has come!”
God became a Man in the Person of Jesus Christ, came from heaven to earth, and brought the Kingdom of God with Him. This was the primary message in the Gospels. People were invited to enter this kingdom by grace through faith in the King of this kingdom. John the Baptist came on the scene and said:
Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
He knew Jesus was bringing the kingdom of God with Him.
When Jesus’s public ministry began, His first words:
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The ESV and NKJV translate this as “at hand,” but they include footnotes indicating that it could also be rendered as “the kingdom of God has come near,” which is how the NIV translates this verse. I like has come near for two reasons. First, it is in the past tense: it says ‘has come’ because Jesus brought it with Him. Second, it says ‘come near’ because Jesus was on earth and people could see Him, hear Him, and even touch Him. To be near Jesus was to be near the kingdom.
This is the first time the phrase Kingdom of God occurs in Luke, and it’s very fitting.
Luke 4:42 the people sought [Jesus] and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”
People were trying to keep Jesus from leaving them, but He told them he had to go so he could preach the kingdom. He went so far as to say this was his purpose. Think of the way Jesus began much of his teaching: “The kingdom of God is like…” He spent most of His earthly ministry helping people understand this kingdom.
Luke 8:1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,
Although the verse says “good news,” it’s the word for gospel, because that’s what the gospel is: good news. So, Jesus was preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, because that was the gospel during Jesus’ earthly ministry: “the kingdom has come.”
After Jesus had taught the twelve enough about the kingdom of God, He commissioned them to preach it as well:
Luke 9:1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal…6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Verse 2 states that they preached the kingdom of God, and verse 6 indicates that they preached the gospel, because preaching the kingdom of God was preaching the gospel.
From Matthew to John, Jesus’ Disciples Were Royal Ambassadors In Welcoming Environments
Unfortunately, in Luke 9:2, some translations, such as the NKJV and KJV, use the term ‘preach’ instead of ‘proclaim’, whereas most other translations, including the NIV, NASB, and ESV, use ‘proclaim’. “Proclaim” is better because it conveys kingdom imagery. It depicts a herald arriving and announcing the King’s arrival. The Twelve Apostles announced that the King had arrived.
Royal ambassadors are treated well. People love them. People love to receive them. People want to have them in their homes because it’s like having a famous person with them. To see how well royal ambassadors fare:
Luke 9:3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
This sounds pretty good. They didn’t have to take anything with them: no staff, bag, change of clothes, food, or money. Whenever they reached a house, they would be welcomed; if not, they could move on to the next. The disciples were in a favorable position because Jesus was so popular. The disciples were associated with Jesus, so they were popular, too.
Luke 9:11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.
Jesus attracted huge crowds, and He preached the kingdom to them. I could show you many other verses, but the point is that the Kingdom of God was preached during Jesus’ earthly ministry.
From Acts on the Gospel is Christ Crucified
Because preaching the kingdom of God was such a prominent theme in the Gospels, when the Book of Acts begins, we would expect to continue reading about the Kingdom of God being preached. But there’s nothing like that, and why is that? The King of the Kingdom was rejected. So you can’t keep preaching that message. Instead, they had to preach a new message: the King has been crucified.
1 Corinthians 1:23 we preach Christ crucified.
The ‘we’ refers to church-age believers or everyone after the cross. The new message that began being preached in Acts and continues to be preached throughout our lifetimes is the message of Christ crucified.
Let me show you a few examples. Peter is preaching on Pentecost:
Acts 2:23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men…36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Peter in Solomon’s Portico:
Acts 3:15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
Peter again:
Acts 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the deadby him this man is standing before you well.
Peter and the apostles:
Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
Stephen:
Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,
I could share many more verses, but the point is this: after the cross, we preach Christ crucified for our sins.
From Acts On Jesus’ Disciples Are Pilgrims In Hostile Environments
Jesus just celebrated the Last Supper with the disciples. He’s about to leave the upper room and head to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He will pray and be arrested, but He has one more thing to say to the disciples before they head out. He wants to warn them about what things will be like for them after His death:
Luke 22:35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.”
This refers to Jesus sending out the Twelve in Luke 9, where the disciples went out as royal ambassadors, preaching the Kingdom for the King. This was a period of wonderful provision and relative ease. But this season was coming to an end, because look what Jesus says it will be like now:
Luke 22:36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.
There’s a radical shift. Their circumstances have changed. The kindness and generosity would be replaced with cold looks, opposition, and even bitter persecution. They were previously welcomed into people’s homes, but now they would be unwelcome travelers in a hostile world.
Our Heavenly Citizenship
Jesus’ words to the disciples are true for us:
Philippians 3:20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
It’s possible to have dual citizenship in human, earthly countries, but the Bible says Christians can’t have dual citizenship: once we become Christians, we stop seeing this earth as our home and we start seeing heaven as our home.
1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
What does it mean to be an alien or a stranger? It means we don’t fit in. We don’t feel welcome.
I give you an example from one of my last years teaching elementary school. One of my fellow teachers turned 40 and invited me to his party, along with most of the other teachers in the school. To maintain good relations with my fellow teachers, I attended the party with Katie. Rhea was a few months old, and we naïvely brought her, thinking that was a reasonable thing to do. I was wrong.
I think Katie and I both knew the party wasn’t what we were expecting when we were walking up the sidewalk to the house behind a couple who were pulling a huge cooler on wheels into the house. When they opened it, it looked like they must’ve emptied the liquor aisle at the local grocery store.
I didn’t think the side I saw that evening, with my fellow teachers drinking, telling foul jokes, and engaging in other activities, was funny, cool, or attractive. There is something embarrassing about watching adults pretend to be teenagers. I don’t know how long we stayed at the party last night, but I know we didn’t fit in. We felt like aliens or foreigners.
And this is how all of us should feel in this life when we are among unbelievers, or among those hostile to Christ. This discomfort is a good thing for one reason: it encourages us to look forward to our true home in heaven.
What Is Commendable About the Faith of Those in Hebrews 11?
Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the Hall of Faith. Many wonderful individuals are listed. Consider what these people did with their faith that made them such great examples for us.
Sadly, some people associate strong faith with the supernatural. If you have strong faith, you can heal people or perform miracles. But as these heroes of the faith are listed, there’s no mention of them calling down fire from heaven, healing diseases, or raising people from the dead. There were three miracle workers in the Old Testament: Moses, Elijah, and Elisha. Two of them, Elijah and Elisha, are not mentioned at all. Moses is mentioned, but it doesn’t say anything supernatural he did.
So what makes these people such great examples of faith? What was so pleasing to God that He wanted to commend them? The most common theme is that their faith caused them to look forward to their heavenly home:
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were pilgrims, and because we know the Promised Land was promised to them, we read this and think, “Oh yeah, they’re pilgrims because they’re not in the Promised Land yet.”
But let me point out something fascinating: verse 9 says Abraham lived in the the promised land, but it was “a foreign land” to him. That’s pretty amazing. You’d think when he was in the Promised Land, he’d say, “Ahh, nothing like being at home; nothing like being in the land God gave me.” So why did Abraham feel like a foreigner, or pilgrim, even in the Promised Land? We get the answer in the next verse:
Hebrews 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
This is what he wanted to call home. One of the most ironic stories involving Abraham occurred when he sought to purchase land in the Promised Land to bury his wife, Sarah. He was purchasing land that belonged to him:
Genesis 23:4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
Abraham said this while standing in the Promised Land. He didn’t say this because he came from Ur of the Chaldeans and these were Canaanites. He said this because he was a believer and they were pagans.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith (everyone mentioned in the previous verses: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
They confessed they were strangers and pilgrims, not because they were outside the Promised Land, but because they were outside their true home in heaven! The next few verses make this point:
Hebrews 11:14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return (they could’ve returned to their earthly homeland if they wanted). 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
The irony of this passage is that the Promised Land was the home God gave to His people in the Old Testament, but it always served only as a picture or type of the true and greater home God has for His people, which is heaven itself. That’s why the heroes of the faith are commended for not being content in Canaan, because they looked forward to the city God had for them.
The question to ask ourselves is: “Are we looking forward to our heavenly home?” If we are, as the verse says, God is not not ashamed to be called [our] God. If we are not, we should wonder why that is the case. It is probably because we are too content in this world. Too comfortable. We fit in too well. We shouldn’t be spiritually comfortable in a spiritually hostile environment.
We Must Be Born Again
We should look forward to our heavenly home, but Jesus said:
John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
People can’t even see the kingdom of God without being born again, let alone enter it. The kingdom of God is spiritual, so we can’t enter it physically. We can only enter spiritually, which requires spiritual birth. This spiritual birth occurs through repentance and faith in Christ when He becomes our Savior and King. Then we are born again into the Kingdom of God.
