16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And 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 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:16-20
Over the season of Lent, and over the course of Holy Week, we have journeyed with Jesus to a variety of places. We accompanied Him from Jerusalem (Mt 26:1-5), Bethany (26:6-13), Mount of Olives (26:30-35), Gethsemane (26:47-56), the Courtyard (26:69-75), Pilate’s Judgment Hall (27:11-23), Bethphage (21:1-11), the Upper Room (26:17-29), Golgotha (27:24-56), and the Garden Tomb (28:1-11). However, there is one more place that Matthew is wanting to take us: that would be Galilee!
On the night of Jesus’ betrayal, Matthew gives us foreshadowing of this future trip. On their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus tells His disciples: “You will all fall away because of Me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” When Jesus is arrested and betrayed a few verses later, Matthew tells us: “Then all the disciples left Him and fled (26:56).” Jesus is then later crucified at Golgotha and buried.
For the poor disciples, Gethsemane would reek of failure to them, theirs. For the disciples, Gethsemane would be a monument of everlasting shame and guilt, their shame and guilt. For the disciples, Gethsemane would be a lingering question of “What if, what if.”
We can relate to that, can’t we? We know the failures we have endured, both personally, and in our faith lives. We have moments that we wish we could do over. We know the feeling of guilt, and we know the stench of shame. We have asked the question, “What if, what if. What if I…what if they…what if that didn’t happen…what if, what if.”
But remember, the story doesn’t end in Gethsemane. It is why Matthew takes us to Galilee. Jesus tells the women on His resurrection day: “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Failure doesn’t have the last word. Guilt doesn’t have the last word. Shame doesn’t. Sin doesn’t. Death doesn’t. Christ is risen! He has defeated and conquered those things for us. We don’t remain in Gethsemane, but we live in Galilee. We live with and in the Lord Who has authority over all things. We live with and in the Lord of Whom we are baptized in. We live with and in the Lord Who says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age!”
In Christ,
Pastor Nick Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXIV, Number 9, April 2023.)