Matthew 28:16–20
“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.”
This was the first time that the Disciples, according to the Gospel of Matthew, had seen the risen Christ. Of course, they would want to worship Him, for no man had ever raised themselves from the dead before, nor had anyone claimed to be God and proved it with such signs and wonders. They knew before His death that He was God, but in His resurrected form, certainly that truth seemed more real than before. However, some doubted. We know that would likely be Thomas, who really gets a bad reputation for being inquisitive. Surely, if you had seen someone executed and murdered in such a brutal fashion, there would be a few questions in your mind whether He was really alive or not. For the Romans were known for their efficient killing, in fact, if someone was to be executed and they failed to die, the soldiers in charge of the execution would themselves be executed. So they had very strong motives to make sure that their victims stayed dead. Thomas, after being convinced that Christ was the resurrected Christ, and not some apparition, went on to become one of the greatest missionaries of the early church. He went as far as India, where he was killed by a spear for preaching the Gospel. Thomas is made the butt of jokes for doubting that Christ was really alive, but his dedication to the Gospel after he was convinced is rarely mentioned. He had reasonable questions, and, once they were answered, he became a fiery Disciple for the Gospel of Christ. Eleven of the original twelve Disciples died for their convictions, excluding John, who died in exile on the island of Patmos.
Their martyrdoms are actually some of the greatest evidences we have that the Gospel of Christ is true. For, if it were a lie, and Christ did not really rise from the dead, why should these men risk life and limb, in fact, lose life and limb, for a dead Savior who they lied about? If Christ did not rise, then they knew so, for they would be the ones lying about His resurrection. Some have suggested they did this for personal gain, for power, but what personal gain? What power? The church did not have much power at all until 312 AD, when the Emperor Constantine both converted to Christianity and made it the state religion of Rome. That 270 years after the death of Christ and 220 years after the death of the last living Disciple, John. There was no personal gain to be had either, for they gave away all their money, or it was seized by the Romans or Jews. The only thing they had to gain from preaching the Gospel was execution, when, as I said before, was incurred upon 11 out of 12. They had no reason to lie, zero. If they knew they were lying to create a false religion, then they would not have gone to their graves, their brutal executions, still declaring the Gospel. The Romans made it quite clear that, even to the point of execution, if they would deny Christ and worship Caesar, even with a simple ‘hail Caesar,’ their lives would be spared. But none of the eleven broke ranks, spilled the lie, and saved his own skin? That’s unbelievable, unless it wasn’t a lie. Unless they were telling the truth, and preaching a resurrected Christ who really raised from the dead. Knowing human nature, and our survival instinct, there is no way that many men kept a conspiracy together, spread out across the world, under the threat of death. Zero chance. Going back to Thomas, he was in India away from the other Disciples, he could easily have denied Christ and kept on living, perhaps without the others knowing, but he didn’t. He kept preaching Christ resurrected until the very end.
“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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
What a blessing it is for us to be able to spread the Word of God to all nations! How awesome is it that we are the ones chosen to carry the Gospel to all with whom we come in contact. Surely, some are called to be missionaries to the great unreached peoples, and some are called to bring glory to Christ through their home life. Either pursuit is most noble, for as long as the Gospel of Christ is preached, there He is, being praised through our thoughts, words, and deeds. Surely, we should glorify Christ in all that we do, bless Him through living a holy life. For, sometimes that is the greatest way we can praise Him, through living in His commandments. Perhaps you feel called to spread the Gospel to foreigners, a wonderful task indeed! Most commendable! For, if we do not reach them with the Gospel, how will they ever know about the wonderful salvation of our Lord? Surely, unless they venture out, in some of the Islamic controlled places, they will never hear of the Gospel, but through brave Christians that secretly take them the Word. Surely, the Christians that go where they know they will be in danger to spread the Word of the Lord are the most courageous people on the planet, the most selfless, God-fearing Christians to walk the earth. They have nothing to gain, like the first Disciples, but the salvation of other people’s souls. We should support these people, both in prayer and with our money, so they can continue to do their great work. Of course, finding a reputable organization, or missionary, is a must. My missionary friend doesn’t ask for much money, because (of the Filipino exchange rate) $5,000 supports one missionary for an entire year. That is not much, to spread the Gospel through the huge Muslim population of the Philippines. To the ends of the earth should the Gospel be spoken, to the far reaches, no one should be without the opportunity of knowing the Word of God Incarnate. Praise the Lord for His incredible mercy!
