There’s one short scene in the movie The Perfect Storm where a deckhand asks the captain (George Clooney), “So, what are you so happy about?” To which the captain replies, “You just caught me on a good night. I’m doing what I was made to do—and I’ve got a feeling I’m going to do it even better this time.” 

The captain packed his entire goal in life, his ultimate mission and even his purpose for being on Earth into one short sentence—a feat many have failed to achieve in an entire lifetime. Many people live their full lives without realizing their purpose. As a fisherman and as a captain he believed he was doing what he was made to do—he knew why he was here on this Earth. 

Jesus made it unquestionably clear why He came to Earth and what His purpose was. And yet today, His followers seem to have a hard time succinctly stating why He visited us as One of us. 

How would you answer the question, “Why did He come here?” Your answer might be something like, “He came to die for our sins” or “He came to save us” or “He came to give us life.” While each of these statements is true, by His own account, Jesus stated in no uncertain terms precisely why. According to Jesus, His coming had everything to do with preaching the Good News. 

One Anointed to Preach 

The hour belonged to Him and he commanded the moment, as if He’d spent an eternity waiting in earnest until the summons was issued. Ascending the pulpit, the small-town preacher always knew, as far back as He could recall (30 years ago, in fact), that God had placed “the call” on His life to administer the Gospel. While other youngsters envisioned what they wanted to be when they grew up, how they might earn a respectable living by following in the footsteps of their fathers, He aspired for more Heavenly ideals, forfeiting whatever necessary to make an everlasting impact—in fact, to alter history. 

The pressure of returning home to proclaim that first sermon must have been intense. Those who knew Him growing up predicted He’d amount to little, especially with no proper schooling to speak of. It was the wise sages, after all, who said, “No prophet is welcome in his hometown.” The assembled congregants eagerly anticipated His opening theme. Rumor had it He’d worked on this particular message for the better part of 30 years. They’d learn soon enough. 

An attendant in the sanctuary meticulously unrolled the sacred parchments, placing the ancient scroll in the Preacher’s palm and turning to a selected reading from Isaiah the Prophet. How at home that scroll must have felt in that hand. The divine irony lost on all. The oracles handcrafted by Him from eternity returning back into His hands! At long last, the Word of God had come full circle, secure once again in its rightful Owner’s possession. 

Their fellow Nazarene began by exclaiming: “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” (Luke 4:18-19) 

Seeing that Christ came to preach the Gospel, as one of His followers what must you do? Go and do no less!

Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” In a Christian context, we could say two most important days are the day you were born again and the day you figure out why you were born again. If you’ve experienced one without the other, here’s a claim you can make your own: “I’m where I am at this moment in time because Jesus has entrusted me with the continuation of what He started until the Earth’s four corners have been reached.”