This past week I became aware of something I had never heard of before. I learned about “the overview effect.” The “overview effect” is what some astronauts experience when they look back on earth from space. The “overview effect” is characterized by a feeling of awe, a feeling of being connected with the other humans on the planet, and the feeling of how frail and vulnerable earth appears to be with the universe in the background. It must be weird to see the world like this!

There is something quite significant about Jesus’ instructions in our text this morning.  His command to disciple all nations is entirely a new thing!  If we look at the prophets of old, we notice something they all have in common.  They were sent to just one nation, Israel.  Not to “all nations.” 

Central to the Christian faith is the idea of “glory.” The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Chirst mean glory for all who trust in him. Most, if not all, Christians would agree on that. But just when does the glorious life begin? There are some who believe that the Christian life here-and-now will become “glorious” and virtually problem-free. Maybe you have heard of the “health and wealth” gospel. Those who believe this believe that Christians will be healthy and rich in this life! “Name-it-and-claim-it” theology says if you see something and want it, pray for it and God will give it to you. Martin Luther called such people “theologians of glory.”

Paul had come to the Greek city of Athens to do mission work. Athens was a major city of its time. It was a center of politics and arts and philosophy…and religion. As Paul walked around the city, he observed that it was a very religious place. He would have seen the Parthenon temple set high on the Acropolis. There was the temple of Athena Nike. In the marketplace of Athens there were the Temple of Hephaestus, the Temple of Ares, the Temple of Apollo Patroos, and a temple for the mother goddess. Some archaeologists believe at the time of Paul there may have been as many as 40 major temples to Roman deities in Athens. In addition to the major temples, there were shrines and tens of thousands of statues for the gods. One second-century geographer, Pausanias, described Athens as having more religious images than all other Greek cities combined. It was to this city that Paul came preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. (Acts 17:18)

There is a very important backstory to our text. In John 9, Jesus opened the eyes of a man born blind. It was a wonderful, gracious miracle of healing! Who wouldn’t be thrilled about that? The religious leadership! You see, the day on which Jesus performed this miracle was a Sabbath Day. No work was to be done on the Sabbath. And the leadership had a graceless and merciless interpretation of this. They were incensed that Jesus would do such “work” on a Sabbath! They interrogate the man Jesus healed. When the man would not say a bad word about Jesus, but instead continued to give praise and glory to Jesus, the leaders threw the man out. They “excommunicated” the man, if you will. These leaders hated Jesus and they hated any “sheep” who followed Jesus.