The
authority that marked Jesus’ teaching at the beginning of
Matthew (7:28-29) now closes the book: “All authority . . . has
been given to me” (28:18). This authority leads to the
commissioning of his disciples.
- Connection: Genesis 12:1-3-“Go from your country and your
kindred . . . in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.” Now the disciples are to leave home and to go to
the nations at Jesus’ bidding. What exactly are they
supposed to do once they arrive? They are to baptize into the
Name-Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
- Trinity Sunday is the ultimate revelation of God’s
character and the Name is revealed as the disciples go forth
into the mission of making disciples.
- Connection: Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-15). The
call comes: “Go and set my people free.” Moses replies,
“And who should I tell them has sent me?” Again the naming
is connected to mission: the Name is revealed to help Moses
accomplish God’s mission of saving people. [1]
- Jerome (AC 347-420): “They were baptized in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit so that the
three who are one in divinity might be one in giving
themselves. The name of the Trinity is the name of the one
God.” [2]
Where are
you in this story? More of a quick believer or slow doubter
(28:17)? I wonder where most of our Christian community
fits-gradual or immediate?
Notice the four “alls” (panta)-all authority / all nations
/ all I have commanded / with you always. Why such
all-inclusiveness? What difference would this blank-check
commissioning have had on early Christian witness? Which of those
“alls” seems off-putting to post-modern congregations?
Why the command to baptize? Lots of other Christian tasks to
do. I wonder if baptism was viewed by Matthew’s community as the
mark of transition from outside the Christian community to
discipleship within.
The proclaimer
may consider letting the homily become an interplay between name
and mission as we view it in Genesis 12 / Exodus 3 / Matthew 28.
Perhaps this could offer us another way of understanding the
connection between the Matthean commission and the use of the
Trinitarian Name.
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1) I am indebted to Diane Jacobson for the
Abraham/Moses connections. New Proclamation (Minneapolis: Fortress
Press, 2002), page 87.
2) Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Ib (Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 2002), page 313.
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