Matthew 28:16-20
One of the most frustrating verses in all of the Gospels is a summary verse found in the Gospel of John, chapter 20, verse 30: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book." This is absolutely incredible, the most amazing thing in all history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and after one or two stories it comes to a quck end. What? Why not many more stories, many more pages! I wish there were more stories about the resurrection. But this means that the stories we do have about Jesus following the resurrection are all the more important and worth spending time on.
One of those stories about Jesus following the resurrection is found at the very end of Matthew’s Gospel. Not only do we learn that Jesus appeared to his disciples, but that he gave them clear instructions to guide their future, clear instruction about being disciples, clear instructions about what they could rely upon from him. So open up your pew Bible, and follow along with me as I share the reading from Matthew 28:16-20. "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee". Galilee was where they had all met Jesus back in the beginning. Jesus had found them on the shores of the Sea of Galilee fishing, and he found them in the small towns and villages of that rural area. That's at the beginning of the story, and now at the end of the story the disciples are summoned back to the place where it all began: Galilee. Remember how the angels at the tomb said to the disciples looking for Jesus' body, that Jesus had been raised from death, and they could find him in Galilee. Galilee, not Jerusalem, not Rome. Galilee was a back-water, a place of poverty and desperation. You would think Jesus would make his resurrection appearance in the heart of Jerusalem or Rome, but, no, it is in Galilee. This suggests to us that while resurrection is a world-changing event, it is also subtle, and you may not find him in the places you would have guessed he would be.
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee; to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. They meet Jesus on a mountain, and, if nothing else, a mountaintop is a great place to see the lay of the land, to look ahead for the journey. But this setting also reminds us of some other stories that happened on mountaintops, like Noah finding a safe place to land the Ark after the flood, like Moses receiving the commandments from God, like Elijah winning a contest against 400 false prophets. Being summoned to the mountaintop in Galilee is a way of saying that God has something important to say and to do in the resurrected Christ. We better pay attention!
"When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted." This appears to be Matthew's version of the "Doubting Thomas" story that is familiar to us in John's Gospel. I take it to mean that doubting is always part of our journey, that we always have questions, that we need reminding, that we need reassurance, that old experiences are never enough, and that new experiences of the risen Christ have the most power. Our Christian faith is not 100% perfect, if it's only 90%, or 50%, or even 10% that gives enough for God to work with.
Then Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.". This reminds us that the Jesus who is speaking, while he shares our humanity, he also speaks from the heart of God, speaking the word of God to the whole world, but especially Jesus speaks God's words directly to your heart.
And now we come to the focus of my message to you this morning, as Jesus says: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." More than anything else, these verses move us from being spectators to getting involved with his mission in the world. We are disciples appointed to find new disciples. We are disciples heading out into our own community and far beyond it into the whole world. We are disciples, not on our own, but accompanied by the power of the Spirit in all things.
I think it was these words spoken by Jesus that inspired one of the strongest confessional statements in our Presbyterian Book of Order. It was first written early in the life of the Presbyterian Church in what became the United States of America, and now we affirm these words together, it's selection #2 in the Worship Supplement, "The Great Ends of the Church".
All power in heaven and earth is given to Jesus Christ by Almighty God, who raised Christ from the dead and set him above all rule and authority, all power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. God has put all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and has made Christ Head of the Church, which is his body. The great ends of the church are: the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world. The final "great end" always gets my special attention, because it gives me the "bottom line" on what it means to be a Christian congregation: that our church is not just a club though we are always glad to add new members, it's not just a family though many relatives and friends come together here, it's not just a community of faithful people though we learn about faithful living here, but what we are encompasses all of these dimensions in the idea that our church is an exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world, our church is a demonstration of the hope and power we have found in God.
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. This final verse reminds us that while the events of the resurrection and Jesus' words on the mountaintop are from a long time ago, they are a promise that extends from that time into this time, they are a promise that extends from those people long ago into your life. That as you eat the bread and drink the cup, you become a participant in God's hope.
Let us pray. As we gather at the Lord's table, we participate in the truth of Jesus' resurrection and become the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven. We demonstrate, we display, we bring to life, the words of Jesus: This is my body, broken for you. Do this, remembering me. This is my blood, poured out for the world. Do this remembering me.
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