Matthew 28:16-20
Gospel according to Matthew 28:16-20
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 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.
Reflections
Today’s Gospel Reading is action-filled. After affirming his authority over heaven and earth, Jesus sent forth his disciples to make known God’s works to all nations in the world. He promised to remain with them always.
Before we analyze the text further to unfold its meaning, let’s digress for a moment to examine what seems as the first and outer layer of meaning. There is an interesting point to observe about God’s commands, and precepts. Are they meant to be demands according to which to order one’s life?
The Ten Commandments of the Old Testament certainly contain a set of rules for conduct towards God and others. The Beatitudes in the Sermon of the Mount contain guidelines for a virtuous life. The rules, applied with mercy and grace, fitting to the circumstances and to the situation, are certainly a combination of both exhortation and an invitation. This is a summons—God charges the disciples with a mission. They are to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and make it known to all people.
Let’s admit, if one takes the mission seriously, it is an arduous task to dedicate oneself to the work of God. Provided that everyone has their own talents and ways of doing this in a way that is most suited to them, the call to repair a broken world by being the instruments of God, is a taxing duty which has its joys and sorrows. It is a heavy task because of the responsibility that it entails for using one’s talents in a constructive and meaningful way; and it is a joyful task because of the prompting of the Spirit.
Taking one step further to examine the existential aspects of being on a mission brings us closer to the second layer of meaning. Considering what is meaningful to aim for raises the question of what is worthwhile--what is of value?
The precepts and the teachings handed to the disciples helped them to form their conscience, to mold themselves into compassionate, caring, generous, forgiving, humble, and faithful human beings. During their formative years with Jesus, their conscience acquired increased refinement and sensitivity to be attuned to the values of love, respect, courage, forgiveness, and charity, just to name a few. Jesus was the perfect model of how to live according to one’s values responsibly. As the Son, he was obedient to the will of the Father. Therefore, according to Catholic Tradition, Jesus was the incarnation of Divine Logos.
The word “Logos,” is derived from a Greek word, and refers to the reason and ground of our existence. (1) According to Viktor Frankl, the ground of our existence is the search for meaning. (2) Meaning consists of the actualization of values in harmony with universal values, reflecting Divine order. (3)
In Viktor E. Frankl’s Logotherapy, a meaning-oriented and values-based open system of evidence-based psychotherapy, the dynamic of meaning-orientation is innate to the nature of the human spirit. (1) Conscience, an instrument of the human spirit, helps us to find the trans-subjective value that stands in relation to us at any moment. (1) This is the value which we were meant to actualize – the one that is meant for us. The person, and situation specific meaning, is called the meaning of the moment. (1)
The meaning of the moment has to be in harmony with the Ultimate Meaning, the ground and reason of our existence. (4) In other words, there has to be a congruence between our path and that which the trajectory is intended to be, that which is specifically given to us, and our conscience discerns as the right one.
As mentioned earlier, there has to be a harmony between the values we actualize, and universal values, such as the sanctity of human life and the dignity of all persons. Otherwise, our actions cannot and could not be considered meaningful. They may be highly organized, and purposeful to achieve and end, but not necessarily meaningful. What is not meaningful is either contrary to universal values in its means, end, or both.
Meaning is not an end to something, but an end in itself. (2) The person on a quest of discerning meaning relies on their inner compass, the voice of their conscience, to decipher what was intended for them. This is something that they “ought to do.” It may be evidenced as a faint intuition, a nagging feeling, or a clear impetus. Either way, it is an impulse from the human spirit to incline toward that which could be brought into reality, could be experienced in a relationship, or could be mastered through a position toward fate. (1)
The human sphere of action consists of choosing a responsible action, or encounter, rather than a mere reaction. Freedom of will to find meaning enables us to make value-based decisions in every situation. The process may involve the dynamics of value-discernation, the identification of possibilities, and making choices, which then allows us to advance in the direction of that value. When we live a value, we actualize it; we bring it into the world.
Therefore, for the conscientious person, the “ought” to, translates into the “could” of possible options, and a path that is experienced as I “should” do, and maybe even, “I must do.” In this sense, “destiny” becomes part of the destination under the auspices of Providence.
Let us consider the Gospel text a bit more closely: After a sense of instruction, Jesus gives the disciples a goal and a direction. First, to go to a mountain in Galilee, a high point, from which each is to choose their intended path to travel, and then a purpose which is to propel them onward. Strength comes from their relationship with God through the Spirit. Jesus promises not to leave their side and to be with them in every triumph and tribulation that may come their way.
Most of Jesus’ mission took place in Galilee. Very fitting then, that the mountain of the Great Commission is believed to be Mount Arbel, overlooking the Lake of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Galilee. (5) After all, Jesus invited his disciples who were fishermen by the Lake of Galilee. He performed his many miracles and calmed the seas by the Lake of Galilee. He reunited with them after his resurrection to send them forth from this spot, by the “Sea.” When he appeared to them, some of them were ready to welcome the Spirit, and “they worshipped him, but some doubted” (Matthew 28:16-20).
Historically, there was another shore by another Sea where a group of people who were led by God faced decisions to either accept or reject their commission. Some did, while some doubted. But this happened much earlier, by the Red Sea, when the Jewish people were led out of Egypt under the guidance of Moses.
According to the Midrash, the Jewish Biblical exegesis (interpretation), when the Jewish people came to the Red Sea after having been “sent,” guided by out of bondage in Egypt with God walking with them in the form of a cloud of fire, and pursued by a fast approaching and vengeful army, they divided into four groups. (6) One group said, “Let us throw ourselves into the sea.” Another group said, “Let us go back to Egypt.” The third group said, “Let us fight against them.” And the fourth said, let us pray; “Let us cry out against them.”
To each of these groups, Moses affirmed the promise of God. To the group who said, “Let us throw ourselves into the sea,” he said: “Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13). To the group who said, “Let us go back to Egypt,” he said: “the Egyptians you have seen today, you shall never see them again” (Exodus 14:13). To those who said: “Let us fight against them,” he said: “The Lord will fight for you.” (Exodus 14:14). Finally, to those who said to “cry out against them,” he said, “You be quiet” (Exodus 14:14). Moses then prayed on their behalf. God replied to them, as recorded in Exodus 14:15, saying “Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.” God went with them. God sent the angel Michael who became a wall of fire, and he moved behind to protect them, every last one, until they all crossed into safety.
The final layer of the text provides some directions about how to respond to the Great Commission: In the New Testament, Jesus sent his disciples on a mission among the nations. The question was not what they could expect to gain for themselves, but what was expected of them? Jesus said: “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:16-20). How were they to accomplish this task?
According to the Rabbinical teaching, when you are “…headed toward Sinai” and you are confronted with a hostile and indifferent world, your most basic response must be to go forward” (7). “Not to escape reality, not to submit to it, not to wage war on it,” but to go forward doing something good for the sake of a task or for the sake of someone (7)
Paraphrasing the words of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, “When a cold and impregnable sea bars your path, don’t look down. Don’t look back. Look forward. Look at the mountain. Move toward it.” (7) The promise is that “…when you move forward, you will see that insurmountable barrier yield and that ominous threat fade away. You will see that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, you have it within your power to reach your goal. Even if you have to split some seas.” (7)
In conclusion, complementing the Old Testament exhortation with the New Testament invitation, the beauty of being on a mission with God is the reassurance of a Divine plan, in which every step, no matter through what kind of terrain, is sure to bring us closer to the fulfillment of a glorious outcome. Sometimes, however, in order to advance, we have to elevate ourselves to a higher plane to be able to see things not so much from a human perspective, but from God’s perspective.
Going forward, we are not asked to do what is impossible. God will provide those along the way. What is asked from us is only to do our part: To do what is reasonable, doable, and possible, in our situation, with our capacities, and resources, and to do what needs to be done, so that through our work, God’s greatness can be glorified.
Mother Theresa remarked, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”
Today is the day of the Great Commission.
Today we are given a chance to turn these words into action.
Resources:
Frankl, V. E. (2014). The will to meaning. Foundations and applications of logotherapy. New York, NY: Penguin/Random House.
Frankl, V. E. (2014b). Man’s search for meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Frankl, V. E. (2000). Man’s search for Ultimate Meaning. New York, NY: Perseus.
Marshall, M. & Marshall, E. (2024). Viktor E. Frankl’s Logotherapy and Existential Analysis. Theory and Practice. Ottawa Institute of Logotherapy.
Holy Land Site Ministries (2024). Mount Arbel. Holylandsite.com
Spitzer, T. (2016). At the Sea: A Selection of Midrashim. Reconstructingjudaism.org
Meaningful Life (2024). Four factions. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Chabad.org