Operation Immanuel

Matthew 28:16-20

The resurrection of Jesus Christ sheds light on many of life’s issues. Is there meaning in the suffering and hardship of this life? Is there hope in hours of darkness? The resurrection says “Yes” to both questions.

In his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Dan Doriani notes another implication of the resurrection:

     “The resurrection also informs end-of-life issues. We now have the technology to extend life so long that we preserve a shell of the person we love, not the real person. We can keep the heart beating while the mind fades and the pain grows. Loving relatives agonize. The resurrection reminds us that there is more than this life. Since we all die, there is a time to let our loved ones go. We are free to do so, in part because we know that there is life, resurrection life, to come for those who know the risen Christ.”

The resurrection is also a “creation-affirming event” (Doriani). It teaches us that God cares for his physical creation – for human bodies and the human environment – and so should we. We should love this world and serve its people, yet we must not love it too much, for the resurrection is the first taste of the life to come.

But the most important implication of the resurrection remains. The Gospel of Matthew ends with Jesus meeting his disciples and giving them a charge, which we call the Great Commission. “The phrase is apt,” writes Doriani, “for Jesus does commission his disciples to do something great: He charges and empowers them to disciple the nations.”

Jesus begins his charge by saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (28:18). As the Son of God, Jesus always had authority, but he exercised only a fraction of it during his earthly ministry. But now the Father has given to him full authority. As D. A. Carson said, “Jesus came to serve, but he will now be served.”

Jesus concludes his charge stating, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Poignantly, Doriani notes:

“At the beginning of Matthew, we learn that Jesus is God with us to redeem his people (1:23). At the midpoint, we learn that he is God with us to purify his people (18:20). At the end, we learn that he is God with us to disciple the nations (28:20). We have his strength, his Spirit, his presence, and his comfort for our mission; we are not alone.

To accomplish our mission, which is as large as the world itself, Jesus supplies us with two sweeping motives: We have all the authorization we need for the task and we have all the power we need, for we have the very presence of God.

Join us this coming Lord’s Day as we look more closely at the charge Jesus has given to us, his disciples.

Mission Possible,

Pastor Wayne