Matt 28:16-20 – “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  

It has often perplexed me as I read this particular passage.  The eleven had walked with Jesus for over three years, seen the miracles, heard the teaching, and knew His promise and the prophecies of His Resurrection, yet “some were still doubtful.”  Mark makes it a little stronger and says that Jesus rebuked them because they did not believe those who reported the resurrection. 

That has caused me to wonder what people would do today if Jesus stood in the flesh or in person before them and declared His promises to them.  Would they accept it as a true revelation of God and confirmation of His Word, or would they doubt it? I wish I could say that all would believe and receive the confirmation of the Word, but I have learned human nature well enough to know that would not be the case.

Let us move beyond that and to what He said in this passage.  I want to approach this in the simplest terms possible.

• Jesus declared, “All Authority had been given to Him in heaven and on earth.”  In two realms, He Was All Authoritative.
• In that Authority and Power, He Commissioned Those disciples and us to “Go therefore and make disciples of All Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…”
• He further promised that He Would Be Present in the process and be with them and us to the end of the age.

We have the Authority of Heaven to spread this message of Hope!  We have the Power of God’s Authority backing us and the promise that He will be present to give oversight and assistance in the process.  My question is: “What is keeping us from doing that?”  

Years ago, I heard the story of an airman during World War II who was talking to the chaplain before a mission, and the chaplain briefly mentioned God and offered to give a generic prayer.  The airman stopped him and said, “Chaplain, I don’t want you to pray because you don’t believe.”  The chaplain was stunned, and the airman continued saying, “If I believed there was a God and hell, though England was covered with glass, I would crawl on my hands and knees to tell everyone to flee that place.  You, sir, do not believe because you are not warning anyone.” 

Sometimes, we must reexamine our actions and ask, “Do we believe?”  Then ask, “How do people know we believe?”  If we are the only Bible, some will ever read, “What is the Gospel according to our lives?’

May God be with you as you go through your day!