These words of Christ are clearly imparted as directions to all of Christ's Disciples, and as such should be ones we take seriously and seek to honor in some way, shape or form in our own lives. Primarily among these is the sharing of our faith.
Introduction
(Read once to be introduced to the series. After that skip this to go right to the good stuff!)
Welcome to my Devotions Series. This series features devotions based on the Scriptures of the Common Lectionary. The series is being prepared for eventual print publication.
By going to my Main Article List you can also find the complete collection posted on Gather, including the additional readings not posted to any groups. New Scriptures selections will be posted every Monday through Thursday to my main page and to my groups.
The series is also posted and regularly updated on my official blog every Monday, with the entire selections for the following Sunday: http://www.cedwardsellner.blogspot.com/
You can find a host of additional information, online resources and links to my other work there. This includes a cross-referenced Archive that lists the various Sundays, but then also lists all currently published Devotions by their sequence in Scripture as well as a Topical Index.
You can go directly to the Devotions: Archive by clicking here.
Each Scripture is also hyperlinked to the online Bible at Bible Gateway in the NIV version I used in preparing the series.
As I mentioned this series is being prepared for print publication, so I of course would welcome any and all feedback, either through Gather, or directly to cedwardsellner@aol.com
Lectionary Cycle Year A: First Sunday After Pentecost (Trinity Sunday):
Matthew 28:16-20 (Read it on Bible Gateway)
The Great Commissioning
In this passage we have another version of the Commissioning from Jesus to his Disciples (see Devotions: John 20:19-31 & Luke 24:44-53 for their takes on the Great Commissioning).
Matthew deals with this event differently than the other Gospels. He doesn't chronicle the Ascension of Christ at all. Matthew also leaves out any other stories or even allusions to stories of Christ's post-resurrection appearances. According to Matthew, Christ is resurrected, appears to the women, and tells them to send the Disciples to Galilee where they will see him, then he appears to the Disciples there, commissions them, and the Gospel ends. By doing so, Matthew narrows his focus specifically on the Commissioning itself and thus brings us to it in this selection of the Lectionary.
Jesus commissions the Disciples based on the fact that he himself has been given all authority over Creation, both Heaven and Earth and it is out of this authority that he empowers them. First, the Disciples are to preach and teach the Gospel, they are to spread the words of Christ, specifically his commandments. Second, the Disciples are to make Disciples of others, to bring them into the fold. Third, the Disciples are to baptize those who proclaim the faith, specifically here, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, which is the traditional language of Baptism to this day.
Of course this commission to the Disciples, then becomes the central commissioning of the Church, the Body of Christ that would be born out of the work of the Holy Spirit and the Disciples. Thus, it is not just a commission to those eleven believers, but to all of us, even today, us modern day Disciples.
Now while this commissioning cannot in and of itself be separated out from the many other teachings of Christ, thus somehow setup as the end all and be all of what the Church should be about, it does say something about what all of us Christians should be participating in in some way. There are many things NOT said here that the Church still holds as part of its mission, for example, the care of the poor, the practice of other sacraments or rituals of celebration and remembrance, and organization of believers into communities of faith and so forth.
But the fact that Christ commissions his Disciples to very specific tasks, directly instructing them to carry out specific duties, should be a message to us. Primarily, it should be a means of asking ourselves if we are being faithful to Christ's commission. Are we being Disciples of Christ in our lives?
Just as the overall identity of the Church has become far broader and more diversified than the simple words of commission from Christ, so has our identity as Christians. However, as that identity broadens and diversifies, there is something lost if we lose this core of who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to be about.
These words of Christ are clearly imparted as directions to all of Christ's Disciples, and as such should be ones we take seriously and seek to honor in some way, shape or form in our own lives. Primarily among these is the sharing of our faith.
As a Pastor, I've known quite a few Christians who seem comfortable relegating all these duties to professional clergy, thus somehow elevating clergy to the role of Disciple, everyone else to the role of Believer, but that is certainly not the intent of this message. Christ doesn't tell the Disciples to go into all the world and make them believers, and, oh, yeah, ordain a few to do the other stuff. Christ commissions the Disciples to go and make all the world DISCIPLES.
I think all of us could benefit from strengthening our own connection to that role, seeing, defining and presenting ourselves as a true Disciple of Christ and in doing that, we should each find our own way of carrying through that which Christ commissioned of us. Whether we share Christ's teachings and commands from the pulpit, or in the workplace, or among our friends, or with our children, we need to find our ways and places to teach and to preach, to share the Gospel. While we may not officially Baptize, we should find our own way we will encourage others to profess faith, to stand up and to commit themselves to Christ. After all, it comes with the job description.
For the complete listing of our Devotions, see our Devotions Archive
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