“Do not be afraid,” the resurrected Christ encouraged on the first day of the week after his death on a cross. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Matt 28:10).
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. (28:16)
Have you ever noticed that last phrase? Even then, some doubted. Some doubt today, but if we linger just a little longer in Matthew 28, we find a needed reminder. Despite the doubt, the mission of the believers 2,000 years ago was crystal clear.
Jesus came and said to them, “All authority 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, to the end of the age.” (28:18-20)
Some doubted then, some still doubt today, but our mission remains the same–make disciples and teach them to observe what Jesus has commanded. Along the way, we should absolutely do what we can to lovingly address the doubts…
You, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 20-23)
…and we should diligently work, day by day, to keep our attitudes humbly in check…
…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect… (1 Pet 3:15)
…but let’s understand: some doubted then, some will continue to doubt. In the immediate aftermath of the Gospels, The Acts of the Apostles reveals that the doubt of some on that mountain in Galilee didn’t deter the believers from wholeheartedly devoting themselves to the mission. May doubt in the twenty-first century not deter us from similar focus and devotion. The same work still lies before us: make disciples and teach them to observe what Jesus has commanded.
My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Tho’ some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.
– Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1892)