Trinity Sunday
June 19, 2011
Matthew 28:16-20
Grace mercy and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Our text this morning is the Gospel from Matthew 28.
Dear friends,
Our Gospel text for today is the conclusion to the Gospel of Matthew. The last word, the final thought or idea he wants to leave with his readers as they are putting down his book and considering what they have read. The reader has followed the life of Jesus from the manger to the cross and the empty tomb and now, at the very end, the risen and victorious Christ is giving His last Word to his 11 disciples before he ascends to heaven. It is a last Word filled with victory and triumph. He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. It is a word of comfort – behold I am with you always even to the end of the age. It is a word of gospel – our Lord gives baptism and the command to preach forgiveness of sins for the release of Satan’s captives.
But there is a curious inclusion here in this text, something that doesn’t seem to belong with the words just mentioned. Two little words that seem out of place.
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. Some doubted. With all the victory and comfort, with all the triumph over sin death and Satan you would expect a different response, wouldn’t you? You would expect excitement, joy, a celebration! And there is that, but why did they doubt? Why would Matthew tell us that there were some that doubted?
I like to watch a good action and adventure film from time to time. I like the suspense, the explosions, the crashes, the heroes, the fun. Within this genre of film, there are those movies where the audience follows a small band of survivors through some extreme situation where in they will have to dig deep and use their wits and all their strength to make it through some dire circumstance. The plot lines always follow a similar pattern; there is of course a hero, or heroine who has the extra strength and courage, who grabs the bull by the horns and leads the group to survival or success. But there is usually that one who is unsure, the one who lacks confidence and courage. The one who clashes with the hero, who says the plan won’t work, who holds back and cowers in fear. Without fail, this character doesn’t ever make it. By the time the final credits roll, the hero is left standing. The coward, the doubter was usually the first to go.
Why does Matthew include doubters and cowards in with the eleven?
The truth is that we have a misplaced notion of what faith is or should be. We think of faith as that thing that makes us strong, that gives us the extra edge to make it, to overcome the odds and achieve the victory. We think of faith as the thing that gives us an “in” with the man upstairs that provides an advantage, the thing that makes us win at life and life’s challenges. That is after all the subject of many books and bible studies – how to win at life and how the Christian faith, how playing by the rules can help you to do just that!
But this is not the Christian faith. This does not reflect the reality. We are not heroes. We are not victors. We are not the stronger, the more powerful, the greater and the better. We are the weak, the timid, the terrified, the unsure. After all, these in our text are our ultimate heroes of faith. These in our text are the 11 apostles. They were the founders of our faith. They are the subjects of our legends. And here they are, at the moment of ultimate victory, and some doubt.
Dear friends, take comfort in these words. Because we are those who waiver and worry, Who fear and even fail. But the comfort of our text is not the strength of those who receive it. The comfort of our text is in the one who gives it. The comfort in our text is Jesus.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” says Jesus. All authority. That means that Jesus is King. And not just of one place and not just for one time. Jesus is the universal king, everywhere. All throughout the world, over all creation, every corner of the globe and every corner of the universe. Jesus is king. And Jesus your king, Jesus the world’s king is a king who gives gifts.
We are not used to kings giving gifts. Every gift given by every other king has some sort of a string attached to it. From what I have been told, many of the farmers around here have had their farm land reappraised by the county. That might sound like a good thing. That might sound like an increase in value, but the bottom line is that your taxes are higher. The king gives with one hand and takes with the other.
But Jesus is not that kind of a king. He doesn’t give with strings attached. He just gives. And here the gifts that he gives are wonderful and assuring.
Here in our text Jesus gives the gift of Baptism. The Bible teaches us that there are many wonderful things that God does through Baptism, that he gives to us the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. But today is Father’s day so we will talk about baptism is association with that day.
To have a father is a good thing. A father gives you so many benefits and blessings. To have a father is to have everything that belongs to that father. He provides for you. He given you clothes to wear, you get to sit at his table and eat his food. He places a roof over your head and he keeps you warm and dry. He offers you protection. He gives you his name, the name of his family so that you have the benefit of his good name and reputation. And with that name you have his estate, an inheritance, a promise for a future.
Baptism gives you all these things, but not in an earthly way, not in a way that they can wear out or wear thin. You have in Baptism, the name of God and therefore the adoption into God’s family. So that Jesus’ Father is your Father. And you are a member of his family. With that adoption you have his provision, his protection, you have his name and his reputation and you have his estate, his heavenly estate as your inheritance. Your name is written on his last will and testament to be one who gets to be a prince or princess in his eternal kingdom. You are a member of God’s royal family – eat your heart out Will and Kate!
Jesus the king of heaven and earth also gives the gift of preaching. Now I know that we all like to laugh and joke about this from time to time. There is an aspect to preaching that seams a little boring. Especially in an era where we are used to 2 minute reports of major world events on the 6 o'clock news and we are constantly entertained by fast paced ever changing television programming. We are not used to sitting still to listen to one guy talk for long periods of time. But this is God’s gift to you.
Jesus commands his disciples to make disciples by baptizing and by teaching people, Christians to obey all things that He has commanded. Jesus gives to his church the gift of baptizing and preaching. And preaching is a gift, it is a blessing.
Not because your pastor is such an interesting guy with so many interesting things to say, but because preaching delivers to you Jesus. Preaching words are power words. They are words that do something, that accomplish something; sort of like a judge who proclaims a captive innocent. His proclamation sets the accused free and releases him from obligation. Preaching words are like healing words that Jesus speaks to lepers and blind men and lame men. Get up and walk, Go show yourself to the priest, Be opened. These words made things happen, these words shifted and altered time and space so that the Will of the Heavenly Father was accomplished. Preaching words do that exact, very same identical thing. Preaching words identify sin, but then release Christians from that sin. Sinners are set free by the preached words of Jesus. You will leave worship this morning with your sins forgiven because of the command and because of the gifts of your heavenly King.
There are times when Christians are tempted to look into their own hearts and into their own lives to find comfort and assurance and strength. There are times when we feel like we should be the examples of God’s power, but we are not. We are the weak and we are the timid. We, like even the eleven are the doubters. But Jesus is the hero. Jesus is the king and he has given us gifts so that even from heaven he is with us every day, in baptism and the preaching and hearing of His Word.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
