A New Devotion - For the Doubters

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Matthew 28:16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but they 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."

For the Doubters

Of course, most Christians know this passage as “The Great Commission,” because in his appearance Jesus told the disciples exactly what to do and how to do it. For example, he said that their job would be to disciple nations, in other words, to show what it means to follow him. And they would be doing that by bringing folks into this new community called the church and teaching them how they might obey his call to love both God and neighbor. He also offered his disciples an incredible source of comfort and power, that as they did what they were called and equipped to do, he would be with them always. You see, even though he’d no longer be physically present, he would still be Emmanuel, the presence of God with his people. Now that’s what Jesus told the eleven on that Galilean mountain, and I think this is something most of us know.

As we read the passage, though, I think it may be easy to overlook the condition of those disciples before Jesus even spoke. You see, according to Matthew, they worshiped him and yet they also doubted. In other words, they believed but not without questions. And yet, knowing this, Jesus still gave them the commission that would change the world.

And I think that’s really good news for us. Although there are some who say faith has to be 100% or it doesn’t exist, personally I’m not sure 100% is ever possible. We’re human; therefore, our understanding and our capabilities are limited. And because of our natural limitations, I’m not sure being 100% is ever possible. That would make our trust perfect, and I don’t believe perfection is possible in this life-time. And even though we might deny and/or try to fake it, some doubt may just be a fact of life. And yet, even men and women who have some doubt, we still have a role to play in the Kingdom of God. You see, the Great Commission is for doubters, like us.