From East And West

And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Matthew 8:11-12 

Christ’s saving work is a large work. On the night before He went to the cross, as He instituted the communion feast, He said His blood was shed ‘for many.’ The scene in Revelation describes ‘a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues standing before the throne….’ In our text, He is standing before a Roman centurion, a gentile, and in the midst of His exchange, He uses the words before us. This hints at the broadness of the plan of salvation. When Christ said, ‘many will come, from east and west,’ He is indicating what is ‘many’ to Him. We perhaps thinks of ‘many’ in very different terms. Christ’s ‘many’ is a huge number. In fact, if in all things He must have the first place, there is good reason to believe there will be more saved than lost. This is tremendously encouraging for anyone who seeks to make much of Christ in the hopes that others will embrace Him as the Gospel offers Him. We have confidence in the plan of God. We believe that ‘many will shall come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.’ It is utterly worthwhile for us to proclaim Christ and to pray for those around us to believe. He will do His saving work and bring many.  

Our Gracious, Sovereign God, 
we rejoice at the broadness of Your plan of salvation. 
We praise You that it extends to all peoples 
over all the earth, in every generation. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning