Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity – Sunday  June 7, 2020 | A sermon on Matthew 28: 16-20 | by the Rev. Dr. Judson F. Merrell, STS |

¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, „All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

¹⁹ 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,

²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.“

(Mat 28:16-20 NRSV)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Today we celebrate The Holy Trinity, one of our major festival Sundays.    Our Gospel for this day is the final five verses of Matthew’s account of the Gospel, and is often called “The Great Commission.”  It follows the appearance of the resurrected Jesus to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.  In that meeting, Jesus told them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee where they would see him.  The scene that we have as our Gospel today is the appearance of the resurrected Jesus to the disciples in Galilee, as Jesus foretold, and is the only one that Matthew records between Jesus and the eleven.  Although brief, this encounter not only brings to a close Matthew’s account of the Gospel, but also lays out Jesus’ instructions for the disciples and the church as they live into a new day.  These five verses are a fulfillment story, more specifically the story of Jesus as told by Matthew and the establishment of the church as we know it today.

The first part of this text that echoes the theme of fulfillment is the location:  a mountain in Galilee.  Many times throughout the Bible God meets his people on a mountain.  Whether it was on the trip out of Egypt to the Promised Land to give the law or Jesus teaching his disciples (the Sermon on the Mount) or Jesus’ transfiguration or now His post resurrection appearance; big godly things happen up on the mountain.  Location is important, and gives importance to what it happening.  As God gave the law via Moses up on a mountaintop, now Jesus gives instruction for the church via the eleven.  This fulfills his earthly ministry and transitions to the work of the Spirit that is given to the church on Pentecost.

Second, we have his instructions to the disciples (and therefore the church) in verses 19 and 20:  ¹⁹ 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, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”  I had a seminary professor that always talked about this verse and how if we were to parse out the original Greek we would see that the word make is the only command.  That is what we do, the rest describe how we do it.  We make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching.  That is the pattern of the church that still exists today.  The church exists because the Spirit empowers us to fulfill Jesus’ command to make disciples.

Third, Matthew ends his account by reminding the readers who Jesus is.  Back in Matthew 1 we find the accounts of Mary and Joseph, and how they navigate the fact that Mary is pregnant by the work of the Holy Spirit. During this time, an angel of the Lord comes to Joseph in a dream.  Matthew recounts that dream for us:

„Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.“ ²² All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

²³ „Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,“ which means, „God is with us.“ ²⁴ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, ²⁵but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. (Mat 1:20-25 NRS)

As we read and hear the final verses of Matthew’s account today, we hear Jesus tell the disciples:  “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.“ (Matthew 28:20)  Here we find the fulfillment of Matthew 1:23: „Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,“ which means, „God is with us.“

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, we are reminded that God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is a God of fulfillment.  God has been, is, and forever will be.  In the beginning He created all things and has continued to be present throughout the history of creation.  Jesus has promised to be with us to the end.  He has sent his Holy Spirit to empower and guide us as we walk all the days of this life.  God has not abandoned us or the world, but instead constantly worked to fulfill his good promises to those He calls his own.  In the name of the Father, the +Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.