AP

Matthew 28:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

It is helpful to remember that Matthew, one of ‘The Eleven’, is writing this account after the Day of Pentecost, but he is describing events that occurred several weeks before that life-changing experience.  Judas, the betrayer, had already deserted from ‘The Twelve’ and now the rest of them were desperately trying to get their heads around everything that was happening in their lives!

Post-Pentecost, they were all in no doubt whatsoever about the reality of things turning out exactly as Jesus had promised them during his three years of teaching, but at the moment they were trying to come to grips with his physical, bodily presence in their midst after having witnessed his excrutiating death on the cross and his ‘lifeless’ body being placed in the tomb.  What was happening now was not only totally outside their everyday experiences, it was against all the rules of rational human thinking!  Yes, they had been present when Jesus called for four-day-dead Lazarus to come out of his tomb (John 11), and they had witnessed the young man sitting up in his coffin when Jesus touched it (Luke 7:14-15) and the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:51-56) – but to have Jesus standing before them now produced some understandable doubting.  It certainly called for humbly falling on their knees before him (the literal meaning of the word Matthew uses, translated ‘worshipped’ here), but might they just be imagining things, or experiencing a supernatural ‘vision’ from the Lord.  I don’t have any trouble identifying personally with the ‘some’ (most?) who ‘doubted’ on the mountain in Galilee!

Does it not sometimes (often?) cause us to question in our minds when faced with our Sovereign God’s awesome providence?  Two Scriptures come to mind: the prayer meeting praying for Peter’s release from prison thinking Rhoda was ‘out of her mind’ when she announced that he was ‘knocking at the door’ (Acts 12:14-15); and the father whom Jesus asked if he believed he could heal his child and who cried out in tears, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”(Mark 9:23-24).  I must admit I am greatly challenged by the comment of the Apostle James, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (James 1:6-8)

Dear Lord, please help my ‘unbelief’ and implied instability.  Thank you so much for your undeserved compassion and forgiveness whenever I fail to trust your faithfulness, your promises and your power!  “I will trust my Saviour, Jesus, when my darkest doubts befall; trust him when to simply trust him seems the hardest thing of all.” (CityAlight)

– Bruce Christian