Jesus and the Two-Line Promise: The New Testament Connection
Picture this scene: The resurrected Jesus is in the Upper Room, but this isn’t a celebration—it’s the beginning of a forty-day seminar that will change everything.
Luke 24:45-47
⁴⁵Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
For forty remarkable days, Jesus gives His disciples an intensive course on understanding the Scriptures (the Old Testament). And how does He summarize everything? With those same two lines we’ve been tracking:
- Top Line – Teachings about the Messiah who would come to bless Israel
- Bottom Line – Salvation available to all nations
Which passage might Jesus have used first in this Bible study? Though we weren’t there, we can make an educated guess: Genesis 12:1-3. Why? Because the disciples quoted it more than any other Old Testament passage in their teachings:
Genesis 12:3 – I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Listen to how Peter uses this very text in his first sermon after Pentecost:
Acts 3:25-26
²⁵And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ ²⁶When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Then Jesus gives what we call the Great Commission—but remember, this isn’t new; it’s a review of God’s original promise to Abraham:
Matthew 28:18-20
¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Here’s something fascinating: There’s only one command verb here—”make disciples.” And it is transitive, meaning it needs an object. Make disciples of whom? All nations! This isn’t about personal discipleship; it’s about discipling entire nations. How? Through:
- Baptizing them—getting nations to identify as followers of Jesus
- Teaching them to obey everything—getting nations to live in obedience to Jesus
What do you call a group of people who identify with and obey Jesus? The church! The Great Commission is God’s command to spread His church to all nations.
Even the Greatest Commandment reflects these two lines:
Matthew 22:35-40
³⁵One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶”Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
When asked for the greatest command, Jesus couldn’t give just one because both lines are equally vital:
- Top Line – Love the Lord your God with all your heart
- Bottom Line – Love your neighbor as yourself
Consider Jesus’s final instructions:
Acts 1:8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Here’s a revelation: Many of us were taught this was about reaching our local community first (our Jerusalem), then our region (our Judea), and finally the world. But there’s a problem—Jerusalem wasn’t the disciples’ community!
Acts 2:6-7
⁶When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?”
The disciples were from Galilee! So why start in Jerusalem? Because it was strategically perfect for reaching the world:
Acts 2:5 – Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
Think of it as God’s strategic planning: The disciples could reach fellow Jews first (their own culture), then Samaritans (shared heritage), and these converted pilgrims would carry the message back to their home nations. It was the perfect launching pad for blessing all nations!
This pattern continues throughout the New Testament, leading us to a profound question to address in the next chapter before we turn to the conclusion of the Story of God: Does God love His people more than He loves the world?