Today’s reading is Matthew 28

Tom writes:

It’s such an abrupt ending to the gospel that you feel like you are dropping off a cliff. We only just got our heads round the fact that Jesus died and then, before we have time to take our bearings, he flash-bangs a couple of soldiers, cheekily greets the women while they are sprinting down a track, issues the great commission and, well... that’s it. I guess Matthew feels like he can cut things off so quickly because his application points are self-evident; if Jesus has actually been raised then the whole world must be told. Matthew hasn’t really explained what it means to make disciples, other than to do what Jesus did, and he has barely name-checked either the Holy Spirit or baptism throughout the whole of his volume. But I love this because it reveals Matthew’s assumption that you will be involved in the church. It exposes Matthew’s demand that you read the rest of the New Testament. Matthew hasn’t tried to answer all your questions or to provide you with a compendium of faith. No. Instead he has put together a gospel to convey one overwhelming message; You Must Act. All the stuff about the Kingdom, all the parables, all the miracles, all the excuses, all the rejections, all the questions and all the calls of Jesus point in one direction; You Must Act.

The Victorious Resurrected Christ wants you to become a fruit-bearing Kingdom disciple. Jesus wants you to be immersed in a Trinity-filled community and to press hard into His Kingdom agenda. Jesus wants you to leave the nets of your old way of doing things and come be a fisher of people. There is a lot of the year left and a lot of the New Testament left and a life-time of stuff still to learn but will you act on this? Will you act on what Jesus says? It’s shocking how rare it is for someone to really try to do everything Jesus commanded. It’s shocking how rare it is for someone to really know and live as if Jesus is with them everywhere. But why don’t you and I be some of those happy few? It’s Matthew’s prayer that we would. It’s Jesus’ prayer that we would. Let’s make it our prayer as well.

Question for reflection

How has the gospel of Matthew changed your life?

Matthew 28 - Wednesday 11th September