[He] was preached among the nations…
Summary: This line in Paul’s poetic tribute to the mystery of godliness is potent. The key to God’s plan for saving humanity is that everyone should hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
If you lived back in the days of Jesus, how would you get the message of God’s love to people?
Jesus’ answer was to preach.
In fact, he got so good at it that people would come from miles around to hear him talk. Keep in mind, there were no newspapers in Jesus’ day. No telephone, internet, Facebook, or television. If you wanted people to know about something, you had to tell them … personally!
Of course, if you were a king or an emperor, or maybe a governor, you could have people go out and announce your proclamations for you. Come to think of it, that is sort of what Jesus did, too.
Before Jesus, John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus was coming:
“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” (Mark 1:3)
Before that, of course, there were the Old Testament prophets. Isaiah famously prophesied to King Ahaz:
”Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Then Jesus himself came and preached* to the people:
“‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:15)
In three short years, Jesus went from being a complete “unknown” to being followed by large crowds wherever he went. At first, he personally invited people to follow him (Matthew 4:18-22). Then, he sent his disciples out to preach (Mark 6:7-13). Eventually, he couldn’t get away from people who wanted to hear him speak. Thousands of people hiked miles to a remote hillside to hear him talk (Mark 6:31-44). Another time, thousands more sat and listened for three days without food (Mark 8:1-3).
Jesus died. For three days, there was silence. Then Jesus returned, and this time he sent his disciples out as Apostles (Matthew 28:19-20).
And then he added one more.
Somewhere on a lonely road between Jerusalem and Damascus, an angry young Pharisee, flanked by a few like-minded men, was on a mission to capture Christians. Christ himself interrupted his journey and captured his heart. Instead of pursuing Christians, the young man became one (Acts 9:1-19).
He, too, was sent out to preach, not only to the Jews, but among the nations.
Application: Thank God for preachers!
Food for Thought: What can we do today to help preach Jesus among the nations?
*“Preaching,” by definition, is proclaiming the Gospel. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, May 4, 2026
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Continue reading “1 Timothy 3:16e – Among the Nations”
