I am with you always, even to the end of the age

Christ Pantocrator - St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai (6th century)

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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, 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.

- Matthew 28:16-20

After Easter (in the West and some Orthodox churches -- for the Eastern Orthodox, Easter is this Sunday), the lectionary will vary, giving us readings from different Gospels, until we begin Matthew's Gospel in the fourth week of April. Today's reading focuses on Jesus' last appearance in Matthew's Gospel.

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. In the verses before this, an angel appeared to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" at the tomb. We are told, "His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow." But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." My study bible points out that these two women are "the first witnesses to most amazing event in all history: the empty tomb, the first evidence of the Resurrection." The verses continue, And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" Let us observe the risen Christ's first word to His disciples: "Rejoice!" It is the greeting also of Gabriel to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in the Annunciation -- when he announces to her the great news that she will bear this Child. In the Greek, it literally means, "be joyful." It is a common greeting in Greek, but, as my study bible notes, "here filled with great blessing." The passage continues: So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." In today's reading, the disciples are gathered in this place, in Galilee, home of His boyhood and their early ministry -- a place filled with both Jews and Gentiles (Greek speakers), the "whole world." They are eleven because they are missing Jesus' betrayer, Judas.

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. In John's Gospel, we are given the verses that tell us of Thomas, and his need to see Jesus' body, the evidence of the Crucifixion. Jesus told Him, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas responded, "My Lord and my God!” Jesus replied, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth." This is the statement of what is called in the East, Christ Pantocrator, the Resurrected Jesus who holds all power, is Almighty. My study bible says, "This is the terminology of exaltation and glorification. It manifests the power of His Resurrection, and the authority to bring human beings back to life." It is the statement of Christ Almighty, with all authority and power, the resurrected Christ who has completed His great mission of the Incarnation. It is this Christ who is with us, whose saving power we draw from in prayer and worship, in all the sacraments of the Church, in the faith which we place in His grace and presence and power. In this statement is also His promise to us. He teaches us who He is, and what we worship, the One in whom we place our trust in prayer and faith and love and hope.

"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, 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. Finally, they are given the Great Commission, to make disciples of all the nations. My study bible says, "If we observe this context for the Lord's command to make disciples of all the nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we see that making disciples cannot be done in the strength of man, but only in the power of God. The reality of the Resurrection refers not only to its historicity, apostolic witness, and necessity for faith, but also to its power in our Christian life and mission. The resurrected Son of God, living in us and energizing us, makes possible the salvation of all." Discipleship depends on this power, the power of the Resurrected Christ, the one who promises He is with us always. The Church depends on this, is made from this, the true Body of Christ. There is another note which I will quote for its exploration of Jesus' words here: "By saying He is with you always, Jesus means His Resurrection is neither of the past, nor of the future. It is always present in our lives through the Holy Spirit. We know Him directly, here and now, in the present, as our Savior and our Friend. To the end of the age does not by any means imply that we are to be separated from Him after that great consummation. He is with us now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen." Jesus' promise is with us forever, in each and every single moment of our lives. It is the promise of the risen Christ, the Almighty, the One who has completed His successful mission as incarnate man on earth -- the One who has been through all that we go through of betrayal, of hurt, of faith, of love and hope. The One who is with us. In the icon above, we note the two sides of His face (click it to enlarge): He is the One who has suffered with us, as human, and the One who is also divine. This beautiful icon, from the sixth century, is one of the earliest Christian images known to us. Its power remains.

The great drama of Passion Week unfolds to the appearances of Christ to the scattered and demoralized Apostles. He appears first to the women at the tomb; Mary Magdalene will be called Apostle to the Apostles. She will give the good news of the Resurrection to the rest of them. We are all somehow on that mountaintop in Galilee, in the place where we may encounter the Risen Christ. We may present to Him our hopes, our fears, our doubts, and at the same time He invests in us His Great Commission. He promises to us His power, and the power of the Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit. They are with us always. How does this power work in your life? We remember that with God, all things are possible. The risen Christ is not only the God in heaven, but the Lord of all things, all authority in heaven and on earth. He is the God who has also been human, who has been and is "with us." He is the One given to us "for God so loved the world." Can we grasp this tremendous Gift? Do we understand His promise to be always with us -- even to the end of the age? Let us rest in His promise. Let His Resurrection fill our lives, even to every moment of our lives. Let us invest our faith, and hope and love and remember His teaching. He is the God for all of us, in which there is neither Jew nor Greek, but rather all the nations. Christ's I AM here ("I am with you always") recalls who He truly is, the I AM of the burning bush, the Almighty of Moses and all the stories of the Old Testament. But there is one twist to this "I AM" -- in the Greek, here, "with you" is inserted between the I and the AM. He is with us always. Let us never forget His love.