John 20:21-22
This is one of my favorite scenes in Scripture. Jesus has just been resurrected from the dead, but His disciples don’t know that it’s happened. The disciples were huddled in a locked room, afraid and unsure of what came next. Their hopes had been shattered. Their confidence was zeroed out. And into that locked and fear-filled room, Jesus walked through the wall and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
Notice that before Jesus sends them, He settles them. Before He gives them a mission, He gives them His presence. “Peace be with you,” He says, because mission never begins with our strength; it begins with His peace. We don’t go for Jesus. We go with Jesus.
Then comes the mission: “As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.” That little word, as, carries with it an enormous amount of weight. It means our mission mirrors His. We are sent in the same way Jesus was sent. We are sent in His way, and with His heart.
So, the question becomes, How did the Father send Jesus? Not with coercive power, but with cruciform love. Not from a distance, but with embodied presence. Jesus entered people’s stories, sat at their tables, listened to their questions, and carried their burdens. He came not to be served, but to serve. That’s what “sentness” looks like. It’s not flashy. It’s faithful. It’s showing up with love in the places God has already placed us.
When Jesus says, “I am sending you,” He’s not asking you to become someone you’re not. He’s asking you to surrender who you already are, your story, your personality, your gifts, your everyday life, to the work of His kingdom. You don’t need a passport to live sent; you just need eyes to see the opportunities already in front of you in the places you live, work, play, and learn. Those places are not accidental; they’re assignments.
However, we aren’t sent in our own power. Jesus followed His sending with a promise: “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22). See, Jesus never sends without empowering. He doesn’t push us out the door; He fills us with His Spirit and walks with us into every moment.
Today, hear His words over you: Peace. Sent. Empowered. As the Father sent Jesus, with love, humility, courage, and compassion, so He sends you. And He goes with you every step of the way.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor