Station #14 of the Resurrection Story
Station #14 ….. Jesus with Disciples on a Mountain in Galilee
Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally. Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-19)
Worth A Thousand Words: The Great Commission, French Catholic stained glass
A Reflection:
The last command Jesus gave the church before he ascended to heaven was the Great Commission, the call for Christians to “make disciples of all the nations.” But Christians have responded by making “Christians,” not “disciples.” This has been the church’s Great Omission. The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ. But the point is not merely verbal. What is more important is that the kind of life we see in the earliest church is that of a special type of person. All of the assurances and benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose such a life and do not make realistic sense apart from it. We cannot be Christians without being disciples, and we cannot call ourselves Christians without applying this understanding of life in the Kingdom of God to every aspect of life on earth. (Dallas Willard)
A Final Blessing in the Spirit of Jesus’ Death/Resurrection:
May God, who put all things together, makes all things new,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
The sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd, up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together,
Provide you with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
By means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always! Oh, yes, yes, yes!
(Hebrews 13:20-21)