Saturday within the Octave of the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord
Posted on April 23, 2022 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
The great commission of Matthew 28:16-20 to make disciples by baptizing and teaching has been misused by some to justify all manner of lay exercise of the pastoral office. Lutherans should know better. The Lutheran Confessions cite this passage in two places. First, Matthew 28:19 is the proof text for Holy Baptism in the Small Catechism. Holy Baptism is water and the words, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” used according to Christ’s command.
In the second passage, found in the Treatise rejecting the power and primacy of the Pope, the Lutherans explain that Peter is not the first pope, through whom everyone must seek the Church. Line 30 reads, “This commission Peter holds in common with the rest of the apostles.” In addition, the treatise explains that “…Christ gave the apostles only spiritual power, that is, the command to preach the Gospel, proclaim the forgiveness of sins, administer the sacraments, and excommunicate the godless without physical violence. He did not give them the power of the sword or the right to establish, take possession of, or transfer the kingdoms of the world. For Christ said, ‘Go therefore and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you’ ( Matt. 28:19 , 20 ), and also, ‘ As the Father has sent me, even so I send you’ ( John 20:21 )” (line 31). Christ’s commission gives us the confidence that God uses His called and ordained minister to create and strengthen our faith and give us salvation.
Prayer: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who have celebrated the solemnities of the Lord’s resurrection may, by the help of Thy grace, bring forth the fruits thereof in our life and conversation; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Collect for the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord
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.
