WHEN THEY FINALLY BELIEVED
by Rev. J. Loren Russell, BA, MDiv
Matthew 28:16-20:
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “’All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.
What will it take for us to move from a place of doubt to one of faith? Is it possible that we don’t believe because we don’t think that we deserve any more than what we have? Perhaps we, like the disciples, have been disappointed so many times that the blessings, even those that were promised to us, seem like an impossibility.
When the women, who came to the grave to anoint Jesus’ body with oil and spices, found the stone rolled away, His body gone, and the tomb occupied by an angel, they were instructed to go and tell the disciples to meet Him in Galilee. As the women were going as they had been instructed, they met Jesus. The Bible says they grabbed and worshiped Him. He tells them to rejoice, then instructs them to tell His disciples to go to Galilee to meet Him there. They do, and the disciples went. There they encounter the risen Savior, just like He promised (Matthew 28:10, Mark 16:7).
All the disciples worshiped Him, but some doubted. They were all worshiping, but not all were believing. If I can use my imagination for just a minute; those who didn’t believe thought the others were being gullible, too quick to believe, credulous. Perhaps Matthew is referring to Thomas (John 20:25) who said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” From Matthew’s account, we do to know who it was or even if it was more than one, but we do know that there was doubt.
The compassion shown by Jesus reveals that He is who He said He is. He does not even dignify the doubt but responds with a confirmation of His authority, an affirmation of His credentials, and a proclamation of His power; “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” He then gives them a reassurance; “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (v. 20b)
When in doubt, little will come about. When sure, you will accomplish more. When the disciples were given the confirmation, recognized the affirmation, understood the proclamation and had received the reassurance, Mark’s gospel says, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen” (16:20). They evangelized the world!
Today, of the 7.4 billion people who inhabit the world today, 2.2 billion, or 31.5 per cent are Christians. The disciples handled their responsibility, now it’s up to us to go and do likewise. It’s what you do when you finally believe.
Have a Blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Rev. J. Loren Russell, BS, MDiv is President/CEO of The JLR Company, and an associate minister at both Goodwill and Greater Universal Baptist Churches in the Bronx and hosts “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Soul 1 Radio (internet), Mondays 8:00 – 10:00 PM. http://tobtr.com/s/7436671, or by phone (listen or talk) at 646-226-1448.
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