This was the text of the homily given in our worshipping community by Hugh Hollowell on June 19, 2011.
The Gospel of Matthew, the 28th chapter, verses 16 through 20
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
As I was reading this passage this week, trying to decide what I was going to talk about, waiting for inspiration to hit, if you will, when the second verse sort of jumped out at me.
When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.
But some doubted. Let’s put this into context: It is right after the disciples had watched Jesus be arrested, everyone knew he had been killed by the Romans. Not only had he been killed, but in the most brutal fashion the Roman government could come up with – crucifixion. Then friends of theirs had taken the dead body and laid it in a tomb and sealed it up.
Then, three days later, other friends of theirs went and saw that the tomb was empty, Empty! And then, while they were there, an angel showed up and told them that Jesus had been raised from the dead.
And not only has Jesus been raised from the dead (as if that is not enough!), but he left a message for them with the angel, telling them to go to Galilee, that he would meet them there.
Now, I am pretty sure that if an angel told me to do something, I am going to do it. So they went to the mountain in Galilee where the angel told them to go. The text says they went to the mountain, they saw Jesus and they worshipped him – but some doubted.
What more do these people need to believe?
I like this passage. I like it a lot.
I like it for a number of reasons.
One is that they worshipped him, even though some of them doubted. This tells me that you don’t have to have it all together, or have your questions all answered or even know everything in order to encounter God.
Another thing I like about this is that it tells me that even though some of them doubted, they all worshipped together. In other words, those who were convinced did not hold it against the ones who doubted. And doubt did not keep you out of fellowship with the others.
And the last thing I like about this is that even though they doubted, Jesus did not address that or call them out, but instead gave them a job to do.
Apparently, Jesus is willing to use doubters to move the Kingdom of God forward, not just believers.
And from my perspective, that is pretty good news, indeed.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
