A Claim, A Commandment, And A Promise

But just as Christianity is not merely “sin management,” so it is not merely “fire insurance” either. Grace changes us, or it is not grace. The twentieth century martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, warned us against what he called cheap grace. He said, “Cheap grace is the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. ‘All for sin could not atone.’ Well then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world; let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin” (The Cost of Discipleship).

In our text from Matthew today, Jesus tells us – commissions us, actually – to “make disciples.” Surely, this cannot be discipleship, can it? a nominal form of Christianity characterized by self-absorption, the demand that our religion be served to us in bite-sized portions that require no chewing, the expectation that the church – and therefore God – exists to meet my needs rather than change my desires? This cannot be discipleship, can it? A life of “flowery ease” that has no cross in it, no sacrifice, no humbling of ourselves before a holy God, no repentance, no cost? Can it really be quick, easy, and cheap? Or is it “a long obedience in the same direction”? The truth is: there is no instant discipleship, and our passage for today from Matthew 28, makes that clear. If you look at this text, you will see, first of all, a claim, then a command, and finally a promise.

The claim is striking. Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” In our day and time, we have come to mistrust those who claim authority for themselves. Ironically, people still claim to like Jesus. And, maybe they do, but they don’t like him as an authority. They admire his example, perhaps even see him as a model of compassion and gentleness, but he must not be allowed to invade their own personal autonomy. One fast food chain has recently scrapped their “Have It Your Way” slogan in favor of “Be Your Way,” but the operative words are still the same: “your way.”

And yet, Jesus claims, “I am the way…” (John 14:6). If our lives are not to be shallow, spiritually malnourished, and, in the end, disappointing, we must acknowledge the authority of Jesus. He must be our King. The Shorter Catechism asks, “How doth Christ execute the office of a king?” And the answer, in part, is: “Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself” (Q/A 26). We may be tempted to say, “I’m not sure how I feel about that” – as if our feelings are the governing criterion in matters like this. But it has nothing to do with feelings. Christ is King. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. And we will submit to him either now or later, for the day is coming when, “at the name of Jesus, every knee [shall] bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue [shall] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10f.).