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Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
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 28:11-20
Yesterday, we read that after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 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." So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" 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."
Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. My study bible suggests that this lie is absurd, because at this point His disciples were afraid and had gone into hiding. In addition, most of them went on to suffer terrible persecution and martyrdom. It is unthinkable that they would willingly endure such sufferings over a known fallacy."
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." My study bible says, "Christ declares that the authority that was His by nature in His divinity is now also possessed by His glorified human nature. This human nature has now trampled the final enemy -- death (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)."
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 . . . This is known as the Great Commission. As my study bible says, this is "our Lord's final commandment given on earth." It is the commandment given to be lived out in the Church until He returns again. It adds, "Making disciples cannot be done in the strength of man, but only in the power of God. The power of the Resurrection is not only for Jesus Himself, but is given to all believers for Christian life and mission."
. . . 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. My study bible tells us that "Christ Himself is present in each believer and in the Church always, both personally and in the Holy Spirit, for neither can be separated from the other. To the end of the age does not by any means imply that we will be separated from Him at the end of the world. He is with us now, and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
It's intriguing, in some sense, to consider that these guards are bribed with money in order to lie about Jesus. It's reminiscent of the thirty pieces of silver given to Judas for betrayal -- and his quest to return the money in order to expiate the betrayal, rather than coming to Christ or the disciples; neither is prayer invoked in what we're told. It's a contrast in a way of thinking. There is the kind of material-mindedness that puts everything in measurable terms or quantifies all things in some sort of tangible value, a neat sum. But this is an attitude that can't really see what is what. God's gifts are beyond our own measurement. The Resurrection isn't something equal to some "good news" we'd read in the newspaper; it's not a story that can be paid off to just "go away." It is immeasurable, as God's grace is immeasurable. And to wrap our minds around this great good news is to understand that we have to start thinking in a different way; we need to expand our own minds enough to take it in, as best we can. We are never going to understand all the mysteries of God, including what sort of infinitude constitutes God's grace and power and life. But we are here, in this place of Resurrection, in order to grasp what we can of this unlimited mystery, unlimited life, this power that is at work in us if we have faith, even a spark of faith. We just can't calculate God's love and we can't measure God's help, and this Resurrection is indeed, our greatest help. It gives the power of life -- real life, in itself a power, a force -- in order to be at work within us, always renewing, always offering, always giving us a way. In the Greek, Revelation gives us this statement, The One who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new" (Revelation 21:5). This is a continual tense, and implies both a constant renewal of what is, and all "new things" created. The word "making" is also the word for "create" (and the root of the word for "poem"). The power of this life is beyond the infinite we can imagine. And that is the power of life itself, the power of Resurrection, of life "abundantly." This is the great gift we're given: it can apply to anything, to renewal of whatever it is in our lives that needs healing, a spring which brings new growth and healing and renewal, as well as "new things" into our lives. Let us try to open ourselves to His grace. The great abundance beyond measure is also in His words given to us today: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
