Conversation in Faith

The “Great Commission”. Matthew’s gospel doesn’t have an ascension story like Luke, but Matthew does end his gospel with a statement by Jesus that is often called the “great commission”. Sometimes, these verses are interpreted to mean that Christians have a duty to be sure people are “saved”. You or someone you know may feel guilty that they aren’t focused enough on evangelism. These verses have been the impetus for lots of missionary work- sometimes in good ways, sometimes in not good ways.

As always with familiar passages, or verses we think we know, its good to read them and reconsider what we think we know.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt 28:16-20 NRSVue

The mention of eleven disciples is jarring. We think of them as the Twelve. Except one, Judas, is gone. This might make us uneasy. If one of the Twelve can fall away, as close as they were to Jesus, as dedicated as they were to Jesus- who else might fall away?

Then there is a strange and unexpected statement. “they worshiped him, but they doubted.” They were looking right at the resurrected Jesus and they had doubts? I wonder what those doubts were. Did they doubt what they were experiencing? Did they wonder if it a dream or a mass hallucination? Have you had the experience where you saw or heard something and yet couldn’t quite accept it? Perhaps they doubted themselves. Given all that had happened, could they do what Jesus asked? And what was he going to ask them to do?

All in all these first two verses are troubling. Some disciples leave Jesus and some of the others who remain have doubts. This isn’t a very promising image of post resurrection faithfulness. In an odd way it is reassuring. If the original disciples had doubts, then I can also be a disciple even with some doubts.

Then Jesus says, “All authority has been in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Sometimes we interpret this to mean Jesus will institute his own patriarchal hierarchy. The resurrected Jesus as an improved, better version of Caesar. But that’s not how Jesus lived or how he taught before the resurrection. As the other gospels tell us, that’s not what Jesus taught after the resurrection.

Jesus’ authority finds its expression as love and reconciliation. The last are first and the first last. The risen Christ’s authority isn’t swapping out one Emperor for another. Jesus’ authority is entirely different. And this different authority puts him and his followers in direct conflict with the powers and empires of the world- then and now. It is forever true that to say “Jesus is Lord” is to say that Satan, and any and all empires are not.¹ We live in a world of empires and governments, Presidents and Prime Ministers, Premiers and Heads of State, but they are not, ever, Lord.

Jesus charges the eleven and us, to make disciples by baptism and teaching them to follow Jesus’ commands. Which means to invite people to follow in the way of Jesus and to help them grow, to teach, to model, to embody, the way of Jesus. Remember Jesus’ command is to love, neighbor and enemy. We do not make disciples by compelling or legislating compliance.

The disciples, including us, are to offer the way of Jesus to all nations. Nations as we know them now didn’t exist in the first century CE. The word “nations” can also mean people or groups of people. It doesn’t mean Christians rule or run nations. It is not a mandate to colonize by way of the doctrine of discovery.² Rather it means no one and no place is outside the invitation of Jesus into a life of love and care for neighbor and enemy.

This isn’t a charge to take dominion over society or the world. It’s not a charge to be perfect and free from doubts. It is a charge to go into the world, to tell and show the love of Christ, and invite others into this life and to help them grow as faithful people.

Fortunately we do not do this alone. We have each other and we have Jesus, with us always.

1. Carter, Warren, Matthew and the Margins, Orbis Books, 2001, page 551. ↩︎
2. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/doctrine-discovery-1493, and chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://pcusa.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/Doctrine-of-Discovery-Report-to-the-223rd-GA-2018-FINALIZED-COPY_As-Approved.pdf ↩︎