In Wednesday’s post, I wrote about the disciples being concerned about others working in Jesus’ name, a concern Jesus clearly did not share. He wanted His message to spread, and anyone trying to do that in good faith was all right by Him.
In today’s Gospel, known as the Commissioning of the Disciples, Jesus doubles down. “Go,” He tells them, “and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Remember that these were, by and large, uneducated Galilean fishermen, hardly scholarly or sophisticated. Chances are the most they had ever travelled was when they were with Jesus. What daunting marching orders! What do you mean by making “disciples of all nations”? We’re having a hard enough time here at home!
Yet we know, with some accuracy, that many of the disciples went halfway around what was then the known world: Andrew to Greece, John to what is now Turkey, Matthew to North Africa and Peter, of course, to Rome.
That this took real courage is beyond dispute. But that courage was born from a marriage of faith and trust. There would have been a hundred excuses for each of them not to leave Galilee: too dangerous, too unknown, too exhausting. But they did it anyway because there must have been some unshakeable sense that what Jesus told them was enough to get started.
That’s a wonderful thought because Jesus is speaking to me too. Throughout my life, indeed throughout every day, Jesus is inviting, inspiring, directing and encouraging. Sometimes I’m confused, sometimes I don’t pay attention and sometimes I don’t hear Him at all. But it doesn’t have to be this way, and that’s on me. The disciples gave it a shot. Wouldn’t another wonderful thought be an unshakeable sense that what He is telling me is enough to get started?
I find it helpful the way you are encouraging and invite us to attend to our own experience.