The great commission.
If you've gone to church more than just on Christmas and Easter,
you've probably heard of this.
It's the "homework" of the gospels.
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
Then Jesus came to them and said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go 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 I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
(Matthew 28:16-20)
Let's put this in perspective.
1) Jesus was the disciples' closest friend, leader, and spiritual guide for 3 years, performing all these miracles and teaching them about love, tolerance, and equality.
2) Jesus riled up the Jewish leaders of the day with his "reinterpretations" of the Jewish laws and for calling them out because of their spiritual-and political- corruption.
3) Jesus was sentenced to death in the most horrendous way and all the disciples had to go into hiding so that they didn't suffer the same fate.
4) Jesus came back from the dead and showed the disciples the holes in his body where he used to be on the cross; this is what he had said would happen prior to his death.
4) Jesus is now calling all of his disciples onto this mountain so he can give them an assignment so he can ascend into heaven and leave the earth.
My, that's quite a bit to wrap your head around in the span of a few years!
It's no wonder some of them doubted. It sounds unbelievable.
But then, Jesus always did the unbelieveable.
He also did all he could to prepare them for this moment.
All throughout the gospels you hear Jesus forshadowing his death and resurrection.
Performing miracles.
Raising people from the dead.
You'd think if he could do it for other people, he could do it for himself. Right?
The most pragmatic of us have the hardest time.
And when we go through difficult times, it's hard to remember that life will ever be good again.
And when it does get better, we think it's too good to be true.
That's probably the difference between the doubters and the believers:
whether or not to accept the good when it comes.
Fox Mulder from the tv show The X-Files has a poster with a flying saucer on it and the words:
I want to believe.
It's not that the doubters love Jesus any less, I mean, they're there on the mountain top also.
Some may have a critical spirit, or they may just want to believe, but are afraid of the risk.
The risk of things being too good to be true.
It is to these people especially that I believe he especially is speaking to when he makes the next statement: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
He is reminding them that because he died, he has been to where they have not been, and everything he said while he was alive is still valid- and even vindicated.
Then, he takes it one step further, telling them to become the leaders.
The spritual guides.
The friends.
It is their turn to teach the lifestyle of love, tolerance, and equality.
But it's okay, don't worry- especially you doubters,
because "surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
When I hear preachers talk about this part, they interpret this passage
as Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit.
And while I believe that the Holy Spirit is the force that lives within us and connects us to God,
I think Jesus means more than that.
In the same way that our loved ones may live on in our memories after they have died,
so too do I think that Jesus means that he will live on through the disciples carrying on his memory and the lifestyle of love he spent his time on earth teaching.
The fact that we are having this conversation today means that the teachings of Jesus are alive and well in today's culture. Which means that Jesus isn't really gone in the same way my great-grandmother isn't really gone when I bake her super special chocolate cake, or sing my grandfather's favorite song.
He is alive through us the same way he continued to live through the disciples.
Maybe Jesus was making a prophesy:
"And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."
To me, that means that the great commission is still valid, and gives me a personal responsibility to discern the Bible and try to "get Christianity right" for the next generation.
So I will do my best to inspire others to live lives of love, tolerance, and equality.
Grace and Peace,
Virginia Yates
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