There’s a verse at the end of Matthew that always fascinates me; it’s Matthew 28:17. It’s after the resurrection, and Jesus’ disciples have travelled to a mountain in Galilee where Jesus is waiting for them; the verse reads, “When they [the disciples] saw him [Jesus], they worshiped him; but some doubted.”
Matthew 28:17 is the first time we read about the disciples of Jesus explicitly worshiping him. Sure, there were times in the Gospel of Matthew when the disciples fell to the ground in terror or bowed before him in wonder, but this is different. For Matthew to describe the disciples’ actions as “worship” is significant because worship was reserved solely for God. Matthew is saying that for the first time, the disciples see Jesus clearly for who he really is, and it causes them to worship. Have you ever had an experience like this? Have you ever clearly seen Jesus and been led to worship because of it?
What fascinates me about Matthew 28:17 is the last part of the verse. Matthew writes, “but some doubted.” Imagine yourself in that situation for a moment. Jesus, who you saw die on a cross, is standing before you. How would you respond? Would you be among the group that worshiped? How could and why would some doubt what they saw in front of them?
I love how Dr. Eugene Petersen translates what Matthew wrote in Greek. Petersen writes, “The moment they [the disciples] saw him [Jesus], they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.” When I read Petersen’s paraphrase, it helps me understand the verse, and it causes me to consider, do I, knowing who Jesus is, hold back from worshiping him with pure abandon? Do I keep holding back from risking myself instead of giving everything to Jesus as an act of worship? Do I sometimes doubt instead of worship?
When we see Jesus clearly, it should cause us to worship with pure abandon because of the awe and wonder caused by seeing who Jesus really is. The challenge is that sometimes we lose the awe and wonder we first had about Jesus, and when that happens, I believe our worship becomes safe or routine, not risky, as Petersen describes. When was the last time you stood in awe and wonder of Jesus and worshiped him with abandon? Is it time to take a fresh look at who Jesus is?
This weekend in our Apostles’ Creed series, we will begin focusing on Jesus. The Creed declares that Jesus is the Son of God, but what does that mean, and what difference does that make today? This Sunday, we’ll be looking at Hebrews 1 and what the early church believed about Jesus and the difference it made in their lives. Then, having to look at what it means to declare that Jesus is the Son of God, we will have an extended time of worship where you can worship Jesus in song, through communion, through art and journaling, or by surrendering to the waters of baptism.
I hope you’ll join us this weekend as we see Jesus clearly and respond to him with risky and wholehearted worship.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Kirk
PS… we’ve rearranged our order of things this Sunday. We’ve moved the sermon earlier so that we can respond with extended worship. You’ll want to make sure to be on time as we’ll begin to look at Hebrews 1 around 10:40 and enter into an extended time of worship around 11:10.
