I’m a bit of a nerd, and sometimes I like to look at the Word of the Day on Dictionary.com. As I write this, the highlighted word is snollygoster. That’s a mouthful! I can’t wait to use it. (It means “a clever, unscrupulous person,” by the way.)
Today, though, I want us to think about another word. So, our 4GENetwork word of the day is “go.” According to the dictionary, the word means “to move or proceed” and “to leave a place; depart.” You could also use it when saying that you’re taking a risk, like “I’ll have a go at it.” I know it’s not as exciting a snollygoster, but consider the impact that moving, proceeding, leaving, and risking can have. This little two-letter word actually has a lot of power, doesn’t it?
I’ve recently noticed how often Jesus used the word “go” when speaking to the people he led, healed, and forgave. Check out these examples:
“Go and be reconciled” (Matt 5:24)
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” (Matt 5:41)
“Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would” (Matt 8:13)
“Go, proclaim this message: ‘The Kingdom of heaven has come near’” (Matt 10: 23)
“Get up, take your mat and go home” (Mark 2:11)
“Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19)
“Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace” (Mark 5:34)
“Go, the demon has left your daughter” (Mark 7: 29)
“Go, your faith has healed you” (Mark 10:52)
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50)
“Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19)
“Go, you son will live” (John 4:50)
“Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11)
Now, as I’ve meditated on these verses, it occurred to me that when Jesus says “go” he is telling people to do more than change their location. He is telling them to live their Jesus-changed lives! I wonder if Jesus is commissioning them. To the woman who anointed His feet with her tears, he says, “I have forgiven you. Go live now as a Jesus-forgiven person!” To the grateful man healed of leprosy, “Go live as a Jesus-healed and Jesus-saved man.”
Remember Jesus’ last “go” command in Matthew 28:19-20? It’s often referred to as the Great Commission. Here Jesus says:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Go is a powerful word. It’s also incredibly ordinary. How many times a day do we use it? “I have to go to work.” “Go to bed.” “I have to go to the bathroom.” Go is a daily living life sort of word. I think when Jesus uses it, though, he is telling us to live our miraculously Jesus-changed ordinary lives. To rephrase the Great Commission, “As you go about living your daily Jesus-changed life, show people Me. Walk alongside them in daily life showing them how to follow Me so that they can do the same for someone else.”
If we would do this, we might then fulfill another Jesus “go” command. “I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16).
“Go” has been our 4GENetwork word of the day. Now, consider these questions:
In what ways do I need to “go” in response to what Jesus has done in my life? How can I fulfill my commissioning to live my Jesus-changed life in daily, ordinary ways?