Matthew 28:16–20
‘Every ending is a new beginning – The Great Commission’
Today’s Gospel reading is the concluding chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. It is an ending yet also a beginning, a springboard into the unfolding story of Jesus’ first followers taking His message to all nations. For this reason, the passage has become known as ‘The Great Commission’, reflecting Jesus’ instruction to his followers to continue practising The Way he had taught, making new disciples as they go, with the promise that He is with them, always.
This Great Commission is given in the power of a Trinitarian understanding of God. In verse 19, Jesus says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – God in three persons, yet one being, the reality we celebrate today on Trinity Sunday.
By way of outline, I’d like us take a mini adventure together this morning, considering three things as we go:
- The mystery within the Trinity
- The clarity that Jesus brings
- The majesty of being invited to bear witness to all of this
That’s our road map, so let’s begin by first considering the mystery within the Trinty…
Many of us here will already be familiar with the language of the Trinity. Think for a moment about daily church services, in which we speak words that reflect God in three persons. For example, the words that bookend the Psalms at Morning and Evening Prayer: ‘Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit…’ Think also of The Grace that concludes Evensong: ‘The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit…’ And then there’s the Creed, which we’ll say together after this sermon, in which we affirm our faith in the triune God. Hear these words often enough and the Trinity, God in three persons, becomes quite familiar. However, interact with a person unfamiliar with this kind of language and you’ll be reminded of just how mysterious this all is.
Whilst on pilgrimage, I’ve met lots of people of my generation and below (that’s millennials and younger), who aren’t inducted into the ways of the Church, yet they display great spiritual curiosity. In conversation, they’ll say things like: “I feel the universe is telling me…” and “I sense there is something more, something bigger…” Often, they’ll also say: “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual…”
The point I’m driving at here, is that God in three persons is more mysterious than we are even able to imagine, but this can mean that people simply stop at being curious. To many, God – if He exists – remains an invisible, distant, unknown God.
Or does he…?
Jesus brings clarity, clarity that helps his followers grasp something of this mystery. It’s like the image of an anchor. Jesus is placed as a secure centre point, from which we move to better comprehend the Creator God operating in three persons.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus says: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6-7). Jesus the anchor and bridge to the Father.
Jesus also says: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22). Jesus the anchor and bridge to the Father and to the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus, God is no longer invisible, distant and unknown – He is the image of the Trinity, the creator God in three persons.
In his excellent book, Practising the Way, the author John Mark Comer connects that Jesus not only bears this image, but draws his followers into the fold of Trinitarian love, before sending them out into the world as agents of the very same
(Practising the Way, p.79). Human beings drawn into the triune relationship of divine love – amazing!
Now, returning to our passage, what’s fascinating about verse 19 – which, as a reminder, reads: “Go therefore and make disciples…” – is the way it’s written in a unique verb tense. A more literal translation would be “As you are going, make disciples…” (Practising the Way, p.149). Do you see the subtle yet significant difference? Here is a commission to bear witness by telling others about Jesus, simply as you are going about your everyday life. It’s a majestic thing to be invited to be a part of.
Returning once again to our passage, also notice verse 17, where is says that some of the disciples doubted. This seems incredible, doesn’t it? After everything that has happened – Jesus’ public ministry, death and resurrection – at the very point of being commissioned in this way, some of the eleven doubted. In fact, throughout Matthew’s gospel, it’s quite striking that some of the most prominent displays of faith aren’t from the disciples but are seen in and through those they encounter. Think of the leper, the Gentile centurion, the bleeding woman, the bearers of the paralytic man (Tradition & Interpretation in Matthew, p.291). These examples of doubt and faith can encourage us today. Whilst we may feel ill equipped to participate in this Great Commission, if we step out in faith, I think we can expect to be surprised by the pure faith and curiosity we find in those we speak to, those we encounter, as we go along the way.
In the spirit of bearing witness, if my own experience witnesses to anything, it’s to the simple truth that, when a person fully recognises who Jesus is – and by that I mean the anchor – and responds from their heart, undeserving though they may feel, providence moves and the adventure of Christian faith, powered by the very real work of the Holy Spirit, truly begins.
I started by saying that ‘every ending is a new beginning’. If every ending really is a new beginning, as I end this sermon, perhaps this moment can become a new beginning for you – a springboard into a new chapter, where bearing witness to Jesus becomes part of your everyday life. If this is the case for you today, then I bless this to you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. One God – three persons – now and forever.
Amen.