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.
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 behold, I am with you always,
to the end of the age.” Matthew
28:16-20
Lets focus today on
verses 16 and 17 where some of the disciples doubted. We don’t often see those verses included with
the Great commission, but there they are.
I’ve always found it amazing that some of them could doubt after everything
they’d experienced. But sometimes we see people doubting even after seeing the
hand of God.
After a long fight
with her disease, Shanti was near death.
She had been to the doctor repeatedly.
She had even been to every Hindu temple in the area, giving money to the
priests so they could do the proper rituals to heal her. Shanti’s doctor told her family that it was
time to focus on making her comfortable rather than seeking a cure. One of her neighbors, Sanjeeve, who is a
local pastor, asked if he could pray for her in the name of Jesus. Shanti and her family were desperate, and
later shocked when Sanjeeve made what sounded like a ridiculous claim. Sanjeeve
said that if Shanti came to his church meeting that his church would pray for
her and she would be healed in 15 minutes.
She was doubtful, but had nothing to lose. And it happened just as Sanjeeve said; she
was healed completely in 15 minutes.
I met Shanti a few
months later and she told me how Jesus is powerful, but he’s not the main God.
That’s Shiva. So, she put a statue of Jesus right next to her other idols. Sanjeeve
shared the Gospel again and again with her and showed how she needed to repent
and believe in Jesus alone. Yet, even
with all she saw, she wasn’t willing to follow Jesus. I always thought that when people see God’s
power through Christ, they will 100% of the time repent and believe, but the
same sun that melts ice also hardens clay.
Lord, help those
who see God moving to be open to the truth of the Gospel.
