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 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.’ Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)
The more I study the Bible, the more confused/intrigued I get. In both Luke’s Gospel and his Acts of the Apostles Jesus tells his followers to remain in Jerusalem and after the Holy Spirit they will act as Jesus’s “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” after which he ascends into heaven in a scene reminiscent of the Transfiguration. Shortly thereafter the eleven cast lots to select a twelfth disciple. Next comes the day of Pentecost, the rushing of wind, and the gift of tongues.
Above, the closing four verses of Matthew (28:16-20), often referred to collectively as “The Great Commission,” tell a very different story, one that also differs, interestingly enough, from translation to translation.
First Jesus’s instructions. At the close of Luke’s gospel Jesus and the disciples are in Jerusalem where he directs the disciples to serve as his “witnesses,” to proclaim “repentance and forgiveness of sins in. . .[my] name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” The location is Jerusalem and the emphasis is on witnessing--first on Jesus as the fulfillment of scripture as the Messiah, and second on proclaiming “repentance and forgiveness of sin.”
Matthew, in contrast, sends the disciples, at Jesus’s direction, to Galilee to a mountain at a location that echoes the scene of the Transfiguration in 17:1. Jesus informs them that he has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” and orders them to make disciples of all nations, to teach obedience to all that Jesus commanded, and to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew, with his use of the phrase “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," conveys an elevation of Jesus beyond that of Luke’s Gospel, and far beyond Mark’s.
A particularly intriguing part of Mathew’s story comes in verse 17, translated in the NRSV as:
“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted,” and in the NRSV Updated Edition as: “When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted.” [emphases added]
The NRSV translators’ use of the semicolon and the phrase “some doubted” asserts that some believed and some doubted. The NRSVUE translators’ use of a comma and the statement “they worshiped him, but they doubted” paints a different picture, one in which [all] the disciples worshiped and doubted at the same time.
So which is it? Were they in Jerusalem or Galilee? Were they to witness to Jesus as the fulfillment of scriptural prophecies about the Messiah, or were they to make disciples and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Did some worship and some doubt, or did they [all] worship and doubt at the same time?
Question for Reflection:
- Checking out a literal Greek translation online suggests that the Greek favors “they worshiped him, but they doubted,” but even that appears to be ambiguous. However one interprets Matthew 28:17 it is clear that even in the presence of Jesus doubt was there from the beginning. John makes the same point a different way in the story of “Doubting Thomas” (John 20:19-31). In what ways might both stories reassure us about trusting God (if not translators) despite our continuing doubts?
- Arguments about the “Great Commission” remain to this day. Some see it as a command given only to the eleven disciples present, while others see it as a command for all Christians. Some see it as something already accomplished (Mark 16:20 “And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.”); others see it as an ongoing duty. How do you wrestle and seek to resolve such Biblical ambiguities? Should Biblical interpretation drive our theology, or should theology drive our Biblical interpretation?
Prayer
Lord, as we read the stories told in scripture help us to see deeply into the humanity of the characters and the stories within the stories, welcoming skepticism as a natural part of understanding and the growth of trust in you. Forgive our foolish pride whenever we think we have it all figured out and are tempted to reject others who question our interpretation of you and your word. Remind us again and again of your commandment to love one another. Amen.
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