TRINITY SUNDAY 18 May 2008 Matthew 28:16-20 Bruce

Here we have a sense of fullness and completion. Themes from all through the gospel are brought together.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.

All through the gospel, the question has been “Who is Jesus, and should we trust him?” The disciples gather in obedience and offer him worship, but even at this time we are told that some doubted. It is the sort of detail that I would have left out.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

We have here five thoughts or statements, and four alls.
All authority
All nations
All things
All the days

Jesus says that he has been given “All authority”. This answers a question from the beginning of the gospel. Since the birth of an infant king was announced and Herod tried to use the magi to locate this potential rival, the questions have been who is this Jesus, and how will he bring in the kingly rule of YHWH God? The questions have now been answered by the resurrection of Jesus, and now he has been given all authority.
He commands that his followers go and “disciple” all nations, or peoples. No-one is to be excluded. The way that Jesus’ authority will be made concrete will be as people are encouraged to submit themselves as disciples to Jesus. Matthew is having a little joke here: to disciple is to mattheteusate, to become like Matthew who is a dedicated learner and disciple of his Lord. And to be a dedicated disciple is to be involved in sharing, reaching out, to any and every other person around us.
Part of “discipling” is to teach, to model how it is done, that we observe all of Jesus’ commandments – “all things” that he has commanded us. This lays on us a duty and a desire to make ourselves familiar with all he has commanded us – to read and study his word. And to engage with all of it, even the bits we find difficult or unpalatable. There are difficulties here. Infants can be massacred, the innocent suffer – including the guiltless Son of God, millions can perish or be made homeless by flood and earthquake. And yet Jesus has all authority,, and God is love. In terms of the high moral standard that Jesus lays down for us, we are not free to pick and mix those parts that we find easy or conducive to a happy life.
And Jesus says that he is with us “all the days”, translated always. On good days and bad days, on exam days and results days, on work days and beach days, on washing days and rest days, on good health days and sickness days, on wedding days and baptism days, on funeral days and resurrection days, he is always with us and we are always with him. Unlike unhappy Gretna Football Club, where millionaire owner Brooks Mileson poured in large amounts of money and took them from obscurity to the Scottish Premier league; when Mr Mileson was laid low by sickness, the money stopped and consequently the club is about to go into administration. We can rely upon Jesus all of our days.

We are dealing in superlatives. There is a richness, a fullness in all the Jesus has done and is doing, and in who he is. And this is born out in the command from this passage that does not contain the word all.

We are to baptise in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Here we find a completeness that is beyond our easy understanding but which is satisfying and brings us joy.
Jesus is given all authority precisely because he does not crave power; he is content to submit himself to his Father’s will.
There is a mutual love and self giving that flows between the three, that overflows and reaches out to all peoples, and we are caught up in that.
Jesus is happy to do all the Father asks; so are we and we are also happy to share this with all those around us.
And finally, Jesus is no longer with us here on earth, but he is present with us and in us, by the Holy Spirit of God.

We are to ‘disciple’ all nations, and to baptise them either ‘in’ or ‘into’ the name of the Holy Three. May we know the grace of God, not merely to think about him, to talk about him or to sing about him, but to encounter him, to experience his love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.