Briefing: Does your agency have a mission statement? Is it clearly stated where all officers in your agency know what it is? Does it have significance for you and how you do your job?

Dispatch (Assignment): Review your agencies mission statement. Read Matthew 9:35-38.

On the Street: The definition of mission statement is a brief description of a company’s fundamental purpose. A mission statement answers the question, “Why do we exist?” As you review your agencies mission statement, does it describe the purpose of why your agency exists? Does it contain words like, “to protect and serve”?

In this passage, we see Jesus’ mission statement. I can’t take credit for knowing this because I was looking through my grandmother’s Bible after she passed away and noticed her hand written note in the margin of Matthew 9:35. It simply said, “Jesus’ Mission Statement”. Had I not seen her note, I would have never realized that Jesus had a mission statement long before corporate America coined the phrase.

While Jesus was on this earth, His mission was to teach, preach and heal. This mission and His ultimate purpose were two different things. In verse thirty-five, we see His mission statement and in verse thirty-six we see the foreshadowing of His ultimate purpose. Jesus was not only the shepherd who came for us, His sheep, but He came to be the sacrificial lamb that died for all of our sins.

The shepherds of the people Jesus is referring to are the leaders who wanted Him dead. They were leading the people astray. Jesus came to be the Good Shepherd who cared for the flock.

The last two verses in this passage are just as important as the first two. Here Jesus gives us our assignment. Pray for God to send workers out into HIS field. In John 4:35, Jesus tells His disciples to look at the fields because, “they are ripe for the harvest”. He goes on to tell them, and us, “I sent you to reap”. It’s time to go to work.

Highlights from this Read: All four verses are the highlight. In this small section of Matthew, we see Jesus’ mission statement, His purpose, and our calling.

One thing we don’t see much of, but had to have been a very important part of the disciples’ three years with Jesus was the teaching. There were probably times when they all got together and Jesus explained life and love to them. We obviously don’t have a journal of all the time they spent with Him, we only see snapshots of significant events. John 21:25 tells us, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

Can you imagine getting to travel with Him, to study Him, to listen to Him? Luke 10:24 says, “For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” I am in that category of being one of those who want that!

Investigational Resources: For more reading about Jesus as the good shepherd, read John chapter 10 and Psalm 23.

Officer Safety Principle: Jesus showed us His mission statement; now it’s time for us to develop ours. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

from The Gospel of Matthew Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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