Saturday within the Octave of the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord
Posted on April 15, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 28:16-20 (NKJV)
28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Devotion
After Jesus’ resurrection He appeared to His disciples on a mountain in Galilee. He exercised the authority His Father gave to Him. He empowered His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” But how were they to accomplish this?
They were to baptize, and that baptizing was to be done in a certain way. They were to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus commanded that the baptized are to be taught the things that He taught.
We can’t and we don’t keep the Ten Commandments perfectly as He did. Jesus taught that we are to love God and our neighbor. We are to repent of our sins (which are the breaking of the Ten Commandments) and believe in the Gospel of Christ crucified. We are forgiven in Jesus’ righteousness as He vicariously suffered for us and kept the Commandments perfectly on our behalf. Even though He had no sin, He died on the cross to pay for our sins. We believe that Jesus’ resurrection is proof that He accomplished His task as Savior of the world. And we continue to observe and partake of the worship and Holy Supper that He established with the Eleven. We continue to teach and observe them to the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Prayer: Almighty God, Who, through Thine Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, hast overcome death and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life: We humbly beseech Thee, that, as Thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by Thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
