Joel M Bradshaw

16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”—Matthew 28

Here are 5 thoughts this cold Monday morning.

1. SOME DOUBTED. Even some of Jesus closest followers didn’t always have everything theologically perfect. Their responses were occasionally exactly wrong. Gives us some hope when we struggle.
2. ALL AUTHORITY. The self-limiting of God the Son to become incarnate was no longer in place. Think of Jesus as omnipotent here.
3. MAKE DISCIPLES. Unlike other rabbis of the day, Jesus’ disciples were to make further disciples of Jesus, not of themselves.
4. ALL. We need to obey the harder teachings of Christ as well as the easier. And the hardest by far is self-denial! The second hardest is love of enemies.
5. WITH YOU. Matthew began his Gospel with the Immanuel prophecy from Isaiah, the virgin will be with child. He now ends his Gospel with Jesus’ enduring promise of Immanuel. Great bookends to the Gospel!–JMB