Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had said they would find him. There they met him and worshiped him—but some of them weren’t sure it really was Jesus!
He told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end d of the world.”
As the disciples climbed that mountain to meet Jesus, they had mixed feelings. Many of the disciples remembered how they had deserted Jesus when he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, not even turning up when he was crucified at Golgotha. And while these men had all seen Jesus once he rose from the dead, in their hearts, they still remembered their perfidy, their cowardice, and wondered what Jesus was going to say to them. Jesus was waiting when they reached the mountaintop, but those who had been the most fearful were now the ones struggling to believe that Jesus was really with them. Still, when other disciples bowed, these men bowed also and found that as they bowed, they too believed that Jesus was really there in the flesh.
Jesus wasted no time in remonstrations or criticisms, but went straight to the point, giving these men a thrilling new commission. Rather than remaining in Jerusalem or Galilee or Judea, these men were to make disciples of ALL nations. Jesus was commanding these men to begin baptizing new believers and to teach them everything he had already taught them. Coming from a culture with strong oral traditions, these men had readily memorized Jesus’ teachings during his three years with them. Now Jesus commanded them to share everything he had already taught them about the kingdom of God.
Although Matthew, the former tax collector, was a careful scribe, he did not mention Jesus’ ascending into heaven. The most complete account of the ascension was recorded by Luke the physician, who interviewed many sources before writing his gospel and the Book of Acts.
Acts 1:1-3 Dear friend who loves God: In my first letter I told you about Jesus’ life and teachings and how he returned to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, actually alive, and proved to them in many ways that it was really he himself they were seeing. And on these occasions, he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4-5 In one of these meetings he told them not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them in fulfillment of the Father’s promise, a matter he had previously discussed with them.
“John baptized you with water,” he reminded them, “but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days.”
6-8 And another time when he appeared to them, they asked him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel from Rome now and restore us as an independent nation?”
“The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection.”
9-11 It was not long afterwards that he rose into the sky and disappeared into a cloud, leaving them staring after him. As they were straining their eyes for another glimpse, suddenly two white-robed men were standing there among them, and said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has gone away to heaven, and some day, just as he went, he will return!”
Although we frequently assume that Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission just as he was about to ascend into heaven, that’s not actually the case. Evidently, during the period between the resurrection and ascension, Jesus spent time instructing the disciples, reassuring them that he had forgiven them for deserting him. Then Jesus began pointing the disciples toward the bright future in store for them. Later on, Saint Paul would describe it in this fashion: 2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. In heaven a crown is waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming back again.
Although the disciples had dim ideas about what might happen, Jesus knew exactly what each of those men would do, the wonderful ministries they would carry out, and the fashion in which they would die still glorifying their Lord. Those men climbed that mountain doubting themselves; however, they came down off the mountain with new orders and new visions of ministry. By accepting those men with their failures and doubts, Jesus transformed them by his words. And even though Jesus had already breathed on them, giving them the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit was preparing to descend in a far more magnificent fashion on the Day of Pentecost.
Even before Easter, Jesus was transforming lives. A woman who had become a social outcast because of persistent vaginal bleeding became whole after touching the hem of his garment. Blind Bartimaeus received his sight. Lepers who hadn’t entered villages in years because of their diseases were cleansed, and those confined to mats on the floor went leaping and dancing for joy when Jesus healed them. But one of the greatest miracles Jesus ever did was forgiving the disciples and recommissioning them. God does not play favorites; His power to transform failures into glorious disciples remains available to us today. No matter how far we have sunk, no matter how shameful our sins, God’s love and mercy are greater.
John later wrote in 1 John 1:5-10, “This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all. So if we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins. If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.”
All of us sin every day. All of us fall short of God’s glory. But God’s mercy is also available to all of us if we will only confess our sins and ask God to forgive us and clean us up. Let’s pray.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and there is nothing we can do to wipe out that sin. But You tell us in Your Word that Jesus has paid the blood price for our sins on Calvary. Please forgive us our sins. Clean us up. Help us to believe in You and in Your Son Jesus Christ. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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