students of jesus

There was once a time when I stood five feet seven inches. The advancing years have exacted a toll on my frame, but once--at my peak--I commanded 67 inches of altitude. Every inch was important to me. I resented anyone who would short me by saying I looked five-six, and I suspect the Great Commission of Matthew’s gospel feels the same way.

Matthew’s gospel ends with a stirring call to action from the Lord Jesus. The passage has been popular among Evangelicals for more than a century, but over the years--in our hurry to get to the words of Christ in red--we have chopped a couple of inches from the stature of this great passage. We have ignored the two verses that set the stage; verses 16 and 17. They provide the setting for the Lord’s missional statement. Seriously, who reads these verses? As it turns out, you will, today:

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

In only a few phrases we can discover again that Jesus’ words always come rich with context. Even as the Lord points toward the future, he takes into account our shared past. Here are eight points to consider from the two “lost episodes” of the Great Commission:

The eleven: the short phrase reminds us that there are casualties in the spiritual struggle to become a disciple. Like seed that falls on the hard path, there is some that just does not take root. Yet he continues to speak to those who remain.

Went to Galilee: Jesus based his ministry far from the important centers of religion. It’s true: he bled and died just out of the big city of Jerusalem, but he resurrected Jesus called his friends back to the rural backwaters of Galilee. Why did he do that?

To the mountain: not just a region, Jesus had a specific place in mind, and he still does today. I like to think it’s the mountain from the sermon on the mount, but that’s just the romantic in me. Wherever it was, the disciples knew their destination precisely.

Where Jesus had told them to go: The disciples obeyed. Apart from carrying out those instructions, they would have missed an encounter with the resurrected Lord. It’s a simple revelation, but no less challenging: obedience puts us in a position to hear God. My choices can make it make it easier--or harder--for me to hear his voice.

They worshipped him: make no mistake, this would have been a bit strange. Lifelong Jews, raised to believe in an unseen God bowed down before a man. Our worship habits change at his bidding.

They worshipped him (again): worship precedes mission. Always.

But some doubted: These words first hit me like a thunderbolt--some of those who had seen the resurrected Jesus, those who had “proof” of his glory, still doubted! Imagine the scene around Jesus: his best friends giving him worship in a private setting, yet in some of their minds and hearts there was still doubt. Here’s the good news: their doubt did not disqualify them. He still received them, and he gave the “Great Commission” even to those who doubted.

But some doubted (again): compare this phrase with his instructions to leave Jerusalem and return to Galilee. If they did not obey him, they never would have heard the Great Commission. From these two points together we discover that disobedience may keep me from hearing his voice, but doubt will not.

It turns out the Bible school teachers were right all along: we should always look for the full context of a passage. To lose just two small verses would mean the loss of the encouragement we need to complete the mission.