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

 

 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 where Christ had been buried.  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 comments that this lie about the disciples stealing Christ away is absurd.  The disciples were afraid and had all gone into hiding.  Moreover, most of them went on to suffer terrible persecution and martyrdom.  It's simply unthinkable that they would have willingly endured 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."  Here Christ declares that the authority that was His by nature in His divinity is now possessed by His glorified human nature.  My study Bible adds that this human nature has now trampled the final enemy -- which is 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 statement by Christ is called the Great Commission.  It is our Lord's final commandment given on earth.  My study Bible says that it is to be lived out in the Church until Christ returns again.  To make disciples cannot be done in the strength of human beings, but only in the power of God.  The power of the Resurrection is not simply for Jesus Himself, but it is given to all believers for Christian life and mission.  

" . . . 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.  My study Bible comments that Christ Himself is present in each believer and in the Church always, both personally and in the Holy Spirit, because neither can be separated from the other.  To the end of the age, my study Bible says, does not by any means imply that we will be separated from Christ at the end of the world.  He is with us now, and forever, and unto the ages of ages.  Amen.

It is truly remarkable to consider that, from Christ's words here, so many countless generations and people have been inspired to follow His last command.  But even more important is the understanding that He is with us always.  My study Bible comments that the power of the Resurrection is not simply for Jesus Himself, but it is given to all believers for Christian life and mission.  So the power of God's creation, of life and renewal, is with us also.  In Revelation 21:5 we read that the One who sat on the throne, who is Christ in His risen authority, says, "Behold, I make all things new."  In the verbal tense of the Greek, this is literally translated, "I am always making all things new."  And this is truly the power of Resurrection present with Christ at all times in our lives.  It is the power to remit sins, to repent ("change of mind"), to be transfigured and transformed in the light of Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit.  And we should not forget, either, that where One Person of the Trinity is, all are present.  Since Christ's death and Resurrection, the world has changed immeasurably due to the life given to us by Christ.  We cannot count the ways in which His life, death, and Resurrection has given us the foundation of life as we know it, and the things that we value and perhaps take for granted.  As we go forth in faith, we should have confidence that Christ is still at work, within us and among us, and that so long as the world exists, it will be so.  While we may witness things and events in the world that terrify or scandalize, we must keep in mind that Christ Himself has also prophesied for us that such things will continue to the end of the age.  What is important is keeping our faith, continuing to worship, and practicing our faith by living faithfully, by doing the things that He has taught.  So long as life continues, so will this mission of the Church -- and of each one who makes up the Body of Christ -- in each facet of life, from the great to the small.  We don't need to live "grand" lives for this to be so, for Christ's power works through the small and the weak (see 2 Corinthians 12:8-10).  Effectively, throughout the centuries of Christian life, it is simplicity that enables us to most clearly see our way through the grace of God we may perceive, and such has been the pursuit of those monastics who have dedicated their lives to Christ, and through constant prayer.  In applying these teachings to our present time, let us consider the proliferation of images to imitate and consume with which we are constantly bombarded, especially through the internet.  We don't always know the influences present to us and to our children, we don't always understand clearly whatever manipulative messages and techniques may be used.  But we can be assured, through our own emphasis on prayer and worship -- and on the power of simplicity and humility and truth -- that we will find our way properly for the gospel to be preached and to be lived.  Our lives are still intertwined with the power to be always making all things new, the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ -- and His glorified human nature, so that we may follow, unburdened of sin and death and to enter into and participate in His glorious life.  Let us not live by appearances, but by an understanding that it is through this power that our lives in this world are transfigured, transformed, and that grace is always present to us in our lives.  Ultimately, all authority is invested in Christ.   Let us rely upon our faith.  

 

 

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth

 

 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 calls this lie simply absurd, in that Christ's disciples were afraid and had gone into hiding.  Moreover, most of the disciples went on to suffer terrible persecution and martyrdom.  It is unthinkable, my study Bible says, 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 notes that Christ declares that the authority that was His by nature in His divinity is now 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, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you . . . "  This is the Great Commission, and it is the Lord's final commandment given on earth.  It is to be lived out in the Church until He returns again.  To make disciples cannot be done in the strength of human beings, but only in the power of God.  The power of the Resurrection is not only for Jesus Himself, but we should understand it as given to all believers for Christian life and mission.  

 

 " . . . and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.  My study Bible says that Christ Himself is present in each believer, and in the Church, always -- both personally and in the Holy Spirit, as neither can be separated from the other.  To the end of the age, ti says, does not by any means imply that we will be separated from Him at the end of the world.  As the Church's prayers so often indicate and remind us, Christ is with us now, and forever, and unto the ages of ages.  Amen.  

Jesus tells the disciples, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."  My study Bible notes something extraordinary and unexpected, but understood in the Church since ancient times:  that this authority that was always His by virtue of His divine identity as Son has now come to be shared even with the human Jesus, who has ascended in His full identity as Son of Man and Son of God, so that even His humanity is transfigured.  The implications for we human beings were never lost on the early Church, as it came to grips with the understanding of the implications of this ascent into heaven of both humanity and divinity in Christ.  My study Bible elaborates that this glorified human nature now means that Christ's power can work in us, in our lives, and in what we do:  in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit disciples can be made in the world.  The power of God is at work in and among human beings in its transforming and powerful capacities for healing and setting aright:  we can come to faith through grace, the power of Resurrection is at work for all of us, in all of us.  In a modern frame of mind, we tend to perceive these things only individualistically.  But the implication isn't just for believers as individuals, but for the body of the Church as a corporate entity.  The many saints and stories of God's glory at work in us and among us testify to a "great cloud of witnesses," a whole body of traditions that feed us, an ongoing expression of Resurrection through the myriad saints and saintly acts of grace and experiences of God's uplifting power in so many dimensions, ongoing into the future, and at work around the world.  Sometimes it seems that this "corporate" or "community" sense of who we are is lost in debates and dissension, and a very individualistic sense of faith that results.  But we should not forget that what each one does becomes a part of the whole and touches on the whole.  We are not saved alone, but our faith works through both love of God and love of neighbor, and grace does not just touch one, but ripples out in ways that we just don't know -- perhaps only in the love that touches our hearts so that we in turn may touch others through our own changes.  There really is no such thing as one person praying alone without those prayers somehow effectively serving the world, even if unknown to the one who prays.  In our dissension and disagreements with one another, in the midst of a world engulfed by strife and seemingly ever-growing conflict, let us believers consider that our faith does not make us alone, but a part of something, and that as we practice that faith it is also up to us to be concerned with how we create community as well.  A modern world seems to lose sight of Christ's great emphasis on humility and serving one another, and that the core of what we know of God is love.  St. Paul writes what is perhaps the greatest statement on love in his Epistle to the Corinthians (found at 1 Corinthians 13:1-13).  Among other things, he writes, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  He reminds us that "love never fails" but that everything else we value will pass away, and that now we know in part, but in the fullness of the Resurrection, we will know just as we are also known.  So therefore, what abides is "faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."  In John's Gospel, Jesus gives a new command, that we love one another as He has loved us.  He taught, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (see John 13:34-35).  Let the transfiguring power of Resurrection be made clear in our understanding of love and community, and the great truth of Jesus Christ, God and human, who came to offer us all salvation.   Let us remember that He is with us always, and call upon Him to teach us His love.

 

 

 

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

 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

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

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."  Here Christ declares His authority -- that is, the authority that was His by nature in His divinity is now also possessed by His glorified human nature.  In Him, human nature has now trampled the final enemy -- death (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).   Here is the interesting, even fascinating, juxtaposition:  as Jesus declares His overwhelming authority, there are those who worship, but some doubted.

"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 called the Great commission.  It is the Lord's final commandment given on earth to His disciples.  It is to be lived out in the Church until He returns again.  My study bible says that making disciples cannot be done on the strength of man, but only in the power of God.  The power of the Resurrection isn't only for Jesus Himself, but rather it is a gift 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.  Christ Himself is always present in each believer and in the Church -- both personally and in the Holy Spirit, because neither one can be separated from the other.  Jesus is with us now, and forever, and to the ages of ages.  This is something that we must never forget, in any and all circumstances.

It's an awesome thing to ponder Christ's authority, that it is not simply His divine authority per His divine nature that He is speaking of, but rather it now also includes the glorified human nature of the Incarnate Christ.  Why is this an awesome thing?  It indicates the capacities for which human beings were created.  How can glorified human nature share this power of the ruler of the universe?  It is so much greater than we can ponder that the possibilities are limitless for us to consider what it means.  And this was the truly staggering fact that awed the classical world when it learned about Christ:  that humanity was revealed through Him and His life to be so much greater than could be imagined -- fit for the glory of the Lord.  For the early Church, this tremendous news was also reflected in veneration of His mother as saint, the one through whom the Holy Spirit worked to produce a child who was also God.  In these realities made manifest through God at work in the world, in the mission of Christ as Incarnate Son, all human beings are lifted up as potential carriers of the Kingdom and of true majesty and beauty, because Christ has dignified humanity with the crown of divinity in Himself.  If all that is too staggering to think about, consider simply that we are made for grace and for glory, and that is the good news indeed.  His Incarnation, suffering, death, and Resurrection teaches us what we are made for, where He wants us to follow and be with Him.  Today is Ascension Day, and we commemorate this farewell which is not at all a farewell, but rather a promise that He is with us always.  Amen.