Today's Lesson is from Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 and 17:
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them,“All authority iin heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And see, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I love this scene because it's so honest.
Jesus has been raised from the dead. He appears to the women at the tomb and tells them to go and tell the remaining eleven disciples to go to Galilee, His home region, where He will meet them. When the disciples arrive in Galilee, He is there waiting and they worship Him. But, the Scripture says, "some doubted."
So, Jesus was there in flesh and blood - but there was still doubt. And not Jesus one doubter. Doubting Thomas usually takes the rap here, but the Scripture actually says "some doubted". That's more than one. Two? Three? Seven? All eleven?
In the Baptist church when someone is senses a call to ministry an Ordination Council is set up to discern the fitness of the person for ministry. They usually ask the candidate to tell them about what they believe about various things including the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus, and His bodily resurrection. I read this Scripture and have to wonder how many of of the disciples would have passed the test. And yet, Jesus went ahead and commissioned them anyway. There was no rebuke or chastisement for their doubt. Instead, there were these words, "Go . . . Baptize . . . Teach . . . Make disciples . . . And see that I am with you to the end."
Sometimes we have our questions. Our uncertainties. Nothing in this thing called faith is beyond a shadow of a doubt. Nevertheless, we go. And in going, we discover that we have something within us that makes others want to come too. In other words, in going we see. We see that it's true - that He really is risen, and alive, and with us all the way.
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