Jesus commissions His disciples
Published May 30, 2021 12:35 am
REFLECTIONS TODAY
MATTHEW 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
The Triune God is always with us
The Triune God, our God, is the God of relationship.
The Gospel reading from Matthew is commonly known as the Great Commissioning. Jesus gives his instruction to the eleven disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (28:19-20).
Let us reflect on the instruction that every baptized must be taught to observe all that he commanded his disciples. In Matthew, Jesus’ words and deeds point to the fact that he is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Mt 5:17). And this reminds us of the Golden Rule, of doing to others what we want others to do unto us (Mt 7:12).
Fostering right relationship is what Jesus taught in words and deeds. Our God is the God of relationship. We, therefore, as disciples of Jesus, must constantly check on the kind of relationship we have—with God, with one another and with the rest of creation (cf “to every creature” in Mk 16:15).
According to St. Bonaventure, every creature carries the Trinitarian imprint. We all have the Trinitarian stamp in us, reflective of our very nature which is to relate to one another. This nature finds its self-expression in goodness that diffuses itself, goodness that overflows. In other words, the nature of goodness is to give itself unreservedly. The Triune God we worship is eternally self-giving. God shares with us this self-giving nature. To be true to this nature is to observe all that Jesus commanded us.
The Great Commissioning ends with the assurance of Jesus that he will be with us until the completion of the age: “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (28:20) The Greek verb used is in the present tense, eimi “I am.” This appears as the closing frame to the opening frame of “God is with us” (Mt 1:23). What opens and closes the entire Gospel of Matthew is the assurance that God is always with us.
There is always the great desire on the part of the Triune God to relate with us, giving us the assurance of God’s ever abiding Trinitarian presence. As disciples of Jesus, we are commissioned to proclaim this basic yet profound reality in words and deeds.
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2021,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
MATTHEW 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
The Triune God is always with us
The Triune God, our God, is the God of relationship.
The Gospel reading from Matthew is commonly known as the Great Commissioning. Jesus gives his instruction to the eleven disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (28:19-20).
Let us reflect on the instruction that every baptized must be taught to observe all that he commanded his disciples. In Matthew, Jesus’ words and deeds point to the fact that he is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Mt 5:17). And this reminds us of the Golden Rule, of doing to others what we want others to do unto us (Mt 7:12).
Fostering right relationship is what Jesus taught in words and deeds. Our God is the God of relationship. We, therefore, as disciples of Jesus, must constantly check on the kind of relationship we have—with God, with one another and with the rest of creation (cf “to every creature” in Mk 16:15).
According to St. Bonaventure, every creature carries the Trinitarian imprint. We all have the Trinitarian stamp in us, reflective of our very nature which is to relate to one another. This nature finds its self-expression in goodness that diffuses itself, goodness that overflows. In other words, the nature of goodness is to give itself unreservedly. The Triune God we worship is eternally self-giving. God shares with us this self-giving nature. To be true to this nature is to observe all that Jesus commanded us.
The Great Commissioning ends with the assurance of Jesus that he will be with us until the completion of the age: “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (28:20) The Greek verb used is in the present tense, eimi “I am.” This appears as the closing frame to the opening frame of “God is with us” (Mt 1:23). What opens and closes the entire Gospel of Matthew is the assurance that God is always with us.
There is always the great desire on the part of the Triune God to relate with us, giving us the assurance of God’s ever abiding Trinitarian presence. As disciples of Jesus, we are commissioned to proclaim this basic yet profound reality in words and deeds.
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2021,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.