After his resurrection, speaking to his eleven disciples, Jesus said, . . . 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. (Matthew 28:10)

These words have come to be called “The Great Commission”, and have inspired generations of missionaries from all over the Christian world. They are a direct and powerful charge to Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples; but there is another commission from Jesus given to one particular disciple that perhaps reaches even more of believers.

It carries with it forgiveness, redemption, and a path for the churches. Jesus said, Feed my lambs, Take care of my sheep, Feed my sheep (John 21:15-17)

Like the Great Commission, this directive comes from the resurrected Christ. It goes to the apostle Peter alone, and functions to re-instate Peter from his earlier denial of Jesus.

Feed My Sheep is addressed to the one disciple charged to be the Rock: And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18) Peter’s commission is to the churches: Feed My Sheep . It’s a directive that includes young and old, women and men. Not everyone can go to all the nations or baptize throughout the world , but everyone can feed His sheep, and take care of His lambs.

Feed My Sheep is the domestic side of the Great Commission. It’s the side given to the Rock upon which the church is built. It is the very work of the church to love the Shepherd, and feed His sheep. This commission gets less press in many of today’s churches, but it is as powerful and strong as the commission called “Great”. It is a sharing of our lives with both our Shepherd and His sheep. It can be achieved in any environment and in the simplest ways; in the nursery with a newborn , in the used car lot, in the kitchen at home, in the office or onsite at work, in the grocery store, the bank, the classroom and in the church. Feed My Sheep is a commission for life itself. The repentant and redeemed disciple received the commission and remained faithful to it for the rest of his life. The Holy Spirit enables us to feed His sheep once we have, like Peter, recognized His presence in our lives: You are the Christ, the son of the living God. (Matthew 16:15)

There really is a commission for everyone, and though they don’t all look alike, they come from the same Kingdom.

Love in Him,

Prue