And Commissions Me

Christ’s Commencement Address

6.4.23 [Matthew 28:16-20] River of Life (The Festival of Holy Trinity)

May the God of love & peace be with you to the very end of the age.

Over the last weeks colleges and universities celebrated hard-working students for completing their degrees. Their graduates put on caps and gowns, were surrounded by well-wishers and loved ones, and waited for their names to be called. Then they walked across the stage, accepted a certificate of their academic achievement, and received applause from the crowd.

But a graduation ceremony feels incomplete without a commencement address. First, a student speaker will reminisce about all the good times & hard work that led to this momentous day. Then another speaker will get behind the podium. This speaker isn’t a graduate, but rather represents who or what these eager graduates long to become.

The commencement speaker will typically laud the graduates for what they have done to get to this moment, too. But they won’t stop there. They will tell the graduates that, in many ways, the hard work has just begun. The speaker will remind the graduates that they have all the skills and training they need to go out there and achieve their dreams & build an exciting and fulfilling future for themselves. The world needs you. You’ve been trained. Go out. Do great things. Change the world.

Perhaps that familiar pattern in commencement speeches colors the way we hear our Savior in (Mt. 28:18) Go and make disciples of all nations. There are a few commonalities. Like graduates, the people Jesus was addressing here—the eleven disciples—had been in a school of sorts. They had been trained by Jesus for around three years and learned wonderful things from him. During that time, they were being molded and transformed—readied for the next step. And of course, there is the command to go out into the world and do something. But Jesus is not telling them: You’re ready to go out and change the world.

The first clue that Jesus is not unleashing his disciples to go change the world is in Mt. 28:17 When the eleven disciples saw Jesus they worshiped him, but some doubted. Huh?

This make us pause doesn’t it? We can understand the disciples doubting on Easter Sunday before they had seen Jesus for themselves. We can understand why Thomas didn’t believe when the Ten told him that they had seen the Risen Lord. But by this point, each of the Eleven had already seen the Resurrected Jesus. So why did some doubt, even while they were seeing and worshiping Jesus?

There are a few possible ways to understand this. Matthew, one of the Eleven, might be saying that a subset of the Eleven doubted. If that were the case, we might expect him to say who or how many. He doesn’t. Look carefully at what he does say. The Eleven saw. The Eleven worshiped. But there were some doubts or doubters among the Eleven. How can this be?

While this may surprise us, it shouldn’t. Matthew’s Gospel is filled with those who see and worship Jesus and yet still have doubts.

The most obvious group is the people of Jerusalem. In Matthew 4, we’re told that (Mt. 4:25) large crowds from Galilee & Jerusalem among other places followed Jesus. Yet crowds from Jerusalem and Judea were not willing to receive salvation in Jesus’ name and instead demanded that Pontius Pilate crucify the King of kings.

But it’s not just nameless, faceless crowds that see, worship, and still doubt. In Matthew 11, John the Baptist, the one Jesus said was (Mt. 11:11) the greatest among those born of women, sent his own disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Christ or if they should be looking for someone else. Don’t forget what John said about Jesus (Jn. 1:29) Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He recognized Jesus’ superiority. Jesus was the only one John ever tried to deter from being baptized. But he had his doubts.

So, too, did Peter. In Matthew 14, this is the only other time in the Bible this particular word for doubt is used. It’s when Peter is walking on water to join Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. Notice the similar pattern here and there. First, the disciples were afraid. Then Peter saw Jesus and said (Mt. 14:28) Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water. Then Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. But when the wind and waves kicked up and caught his attention, he became afraid and began to sink. (Mt. 14:31) Immediately Jesus reached out and caught him and asked him: Why did you doubt?

Peter saw Jesus. He trusted Jesus and acted upon that faith, but he still doubted. Isn’t that exactly what’s happening here? Not just in Matthew 28:17, but in our hearts and lives, too?

We see and we believe and we still have doubts. We are all jumbled up. We believe that Jesus lived for us and died for us and rose from the grave for our justification, but we have our doubts about what he says here: Go and make disciples of all nations by baptizing and instructing fully. We have our doubts, not because we don’t think this is a good idea or a worthy endeavor. We have our doubts because we think Jesus picked the wrong people. We’re not so great at striking up conversations with complete strangers. We’re not so confident that we know enough about the Word of God to teach anyone even half of what Jesus commanded. And isn’t the work of Baptism just for the professionals?

We have doubts because we are looking to a place of frailty and faults. Us. When you think it’s all up to you, you will let you down.

But that’s not where Jesus starts. Look at what Jesus does and listen to what he says to those who have their doubts. (Mt. 28:18) Then Jesus came to them and said: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. First, we notice that Jesus does what he did for Peter. He draws near. He comes to those who have both faith and doubts. We can’t sort out all our doubts. Jesus deals with them by drawing near. His presence and his Word are what those who are tossed back and forth by their doubts need most.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus set aside the full use of divine power. He did miracles, but not for his own convenience. He still walked wherever he needed to go. He didn’t just appear. But now, after taking away the sin of the world and triumphing over death and the devil, his authority has been unleashed. He does just appear in new places. But Jesus doesn’t use this supreme authority to put on an impressive show. He calls and encourages his people to pursue the lost and lead those who have faith and doubts to a deeper confidence in their Christ.

(Mt. 28:18-19) All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. Here Jesus is speaking to the doubts we have sloshing around our hearts and minds. Those who am I and what do I know doubts are silenced by his supreme authority. It is not about who you are or what you know, but the who He is and what He has done. The same Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who brought everything in heaven and on earth into being are empowering you and me to be their spokespeople. The Lord of Hosts is blasting his bugle and bringing us into formation.

Go and be a disciple. Go and make disciples. Go with confidence because I AM with you always. Wherever you are, nothing can separate you from my love. No one can snatch you from my hand. There is nothing and no one to fear because the great I AM is with us.

Go and be a disciple. Go and make disciples. So what is a disciple? We must recognize that a disciple is not someone who with great strength of character and self-discipline morally imitates Jesus. The disciples were not replicas of their Redeemer. They were men who needed to be Redeemed. That’s where Jesus starts in discipling.

In Baptism, we are redeemed from wickedness. In Baptism, the sinful nature in us is drowned—booted from the throne of our hearts and replaced with the Beautiful Savior. Baptism is embedded with the powerful promises of the Gospel. The authoritative assurance that Christ died for me, personally. Christ rose for me, personally. Christ lives in me, personally. Christ’s righteousness is my righteousness and I will receive the reward that he has earned for me. Baptism is the divine process of writing us into the Triune God’s will. We are co-heirs with Christ. How does this happen? It’s not because we earned this status. It’s not because the person who baptizes us is so special or super-sanctified. It’s because God said it. When God speaks what is impossible for man happens immediately. Our Holy, Holy, Holy Triune God alone has the power to change this world. He finds the lost. He gives sight to the blind. He brings the dead to life. That’s what God has done for each and every single one of us. God has made you his own. Go and be a disciple. Go and make disciples. Go and trust that God is working through his Word and Sacraments, among his people.

That’s Jesus’ commencement address. You’ve been claimed in Baptism. You’ve been changed through the power of the Holy Spirit. Go and be a disciple. Go and make disciples. This is how God loves the world. This is how God redeems his creation. Just as Christ came to us, so he sends us to draw near to those who are not yet disciples.

God’s people, who bear his name and are themselves temples of the Holy Spirit, love all he has revealed about Himself in his Word. When they look at God they see someone Wonderful. Love. We want to live and be like him. Jesus is with us to achieve this very goal.

That’s what we are called to do. Not to trust in our own strength of character or lean on our own self-discipline, but to be conformed to Christ’s image by the power of God’s Word. We trust our Triune God because we have seen his humble patient obedience. We love our neighbor because we know Jesus’ love for his enemies. We pray boldly because we know Jesus has taught us how to pray. Even when we have trouble in this world, we trust that he has overcome this world just as he said. The Triune God, who has all authority everywhere has called you and committed himself to continue to be with you always. Amen.