and<\/em>\u00a0he has doubt. He oscillates in the two while choosing to move toward Jesus. Because of this, he is the only one who is lifted into the arms of Christ over the waters. Peter gets to stand with Christ. The rest remain in the boat of purely natural comfort and miss the intimate comfort of being carried on the waves by Jesus.<\/p>\nWhen we come to Matthew 28, this story, related by the unique doubt, should be in our minds. In the same way that Jesus said, \u201cTake heart, it is I; do not be afraid\u201d (14:27), He says, \u201cAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me\u201d (28:18).\u00a0In the same way that Jesus told Peter, \u201cCome\u201d (14:29), He says, \u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,\u00a0and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you\u201d (28:19, 20a). And in the same way that He is ready to lift Peter out of the sea, He says, \u201cAnd remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age\u201d (v.\u202f20b). Jesus is ready to support us on the waters in a moment of intimacy.<\/p>\n
Doubt is not something that keeps the disciples from following Jesus. The opposite point is made. Jesus tells Peter to \u201cCome\u201d when he is not even certain whether the figure on the water is his Lord. And Jesus tells the Eleven to \u201cGo\u201d while they worship and doubt.<\/p>\n
Going in doubt<\/h2>\n As a lifelong doubter, I have always empathized with and envied damsels in distress. In every Superman movie, Lois Lane is terrified of the plane crashing, the volcano erupting, or the bomb exploding. She wonders whether her Superman will rescue her. I, too, wonder whether Jesus will rescue me from my constant mistakes. Every time Lois is swept out of danger into the arms of her helper, I swoon. I envy such a concrete demonstration of love from the One who loves me and gave His life for me.<\/p>\n
My reasoning in the last sentence sounds confused, doesn\u2019t it? How could I wish for a greater demonstration of love than the cross of Christ or a greater manifestation of rescue than His resurrection? But I do, and I think the Eleven did too. They still had doubts. They still wavered in their worship. They needed to know that Jesus would be there for them every time they were in distress.<\/p>\n
When Peter looked at the waves, he became frightened that he could not stand against them. When the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, doubt arose in them when they looked at the cross-shaped road ahead of them. As followers of Jesus, would they sink into death? Would the rulers and powers of this world treat them as they had treated their Lord?<\/p>\n
Notice that Jesus addresses no such concerns in\u00a0Matthew 28:16-20. He says that all authority is given to Him. But the text also implies that they will have to teach and model a life of obedience to God even to death. Jesus\u2019 comforting words are \u201cI will be with you always.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this last sentence, Jesus draws the disciples to exit every natural security they have and receive His support in the trouble ahead. He commands them to go with their only comfort, that He will be with them as they do so. Jesus\u2019 assurance to His disciples is that He will hold them in His arms through every situation.<\/p>\n
Moving to intimacy<\/h2>\n Being held by Jesus is the reason to follow His command to \u201cGo.\u201d The disciples could not be motivated by power; their Savior was just crucified by the powerful. They could not be motivated by safety; their Lord just died. They could not be motivated by prosperity; Jesus was just tortured. The reason given to follow the Great Command is to be held by the Great Commander.<\/p>\n
The author of Hebrews offers us the same reason: \u201clet us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross . . .\u201d (12:1b, 2a). We must look to Jesus not just as our example, though He is certainly that, but also as our source of motivation. If you want to be held, then run to His arms. This means racing directly to the crosses you must bear, and there discovering that He is lifting you up.<\/p>\n
A common phrase is to \u201cset yourself up for success.\u201d But Matthew 28\u00a0compels the opposite. Answer Jesus\u2019 call where you are wavering most, so that when you fail, He will pick you up.<\/p>\n
As doubters, we all want to be held by our Savior. So when He says, \u201cGo\u201d or \u201cCome,\u201d we need to move. We are not ready. We will fail. We still waver with our companion doubt even as we worship. Jesus knows this. Still, He sends us out into the world as His disciples in distress. Behold, He is with us always.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Worship and evangelism in the company of doubt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":309,"featured_media":19388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37,603],"tags":[111,585,583,582],"yoast_head":"\n
Disciples in Distress - Bible Advocate<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n