DEVOTIONAL

It has been a few weeks since Easter, or Resurrection Sunday. The celebration and confetti feel like a distant memory faded into the background. Busy spring activities are in full bloom. The last stop in the Gospel of Matthew propels me into “Ordinary Time” of the liturgical calendar (June to November) with things to ponder, pray, and respond to. As believers, the motivation behind going all out for Easter is because our King Jesus is not dead in a grave. He is alive! And there is none other like Jesus. He is unmatched in so many ways. In the final chapters of Matthew, I want to look at a few of them to remind us of who it is that invites us to participate in “The Great Commission” in Matthew 28:16-20.

Early in his ministry, people notice a difference in Jesus that is not in their scribes and religious leaders. Think about how many decades the religious leaders have led their communities in the teaching of the Old Testament. They teach with credibility about the Law, the Prophets, Noah saved from the flood, a lot of good stuff. And yet Jesus enters the scene, teaches to a crowd, and people lean in. What is he is saying? Wait, who is this man? Back in Matthew 7:28-29, the crowd recognizes that Jesus teaches with greater authority than their religious leaders. They can sense it. This proclamation lands on the crowd in one of two ways: I want to follow you or I reject you. Religious leaders are in the camp that strongly reject Jesus. Therefore, they challenge the one who is their greatest threat. How does Jesus respond? He speaks truth in authority with unmatched power. Simply put, Jesus drops the mic. One example is in Matthew 22:29-32. Jesus responds to the religious leaders that “He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” Boom. Other examples are stacked in Matthew 21:1-27 from the time Jesus enters Jerusalem, to cleansing the temple, to cursing a fig tree, etc. Jesus, the Son of God, lives and breathes on earth with authority and power unmatched to anyone who was or is to come.

With this, my next question is who gives Jesus this authority and power? Where does it come from? And what does Jesus have power over? We could spend hours down a beautiful rabbit hole exploring scripture that answers these questions. Here is my encouragement to you. If you feel a peak of curiosity, lean into it, and spend time in the next week exploring. God is so faithful once we take that first step to start. The high-level answer to my curiosity is God the Father gives Jesus’s authority and power. Also, Jesus exercises authority over heaven and the earth. To answer the first question, I went back to the Old Testament in Daniel 7:9-14 that speaks to the “Ancient of Days” (God) taking his seat and the Son of Man (Jesus) given everlasting dominion. The language in Daniel 7 reads powerful off the pages as the scene comes alive of eternity. 

As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire… I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:9,13-14

I imagine this scene comes after what I read in Matthew 24:29-31 of Jesus’ second coming on the clouds of heaven “with power and great glory.” Another reminder that all of heaven and earth is claimed by Jesus. He is the Alpha and Omega.

Paul encourages the early church in Colossians 1:15-19 by describing at great length how Jesus is unmatched. The word Paul uses is “preeminent” which means foremost or paramount. Reading this passage pumps me up every time. I am so thankful God includes this encouragement in the Bible because I need it a lot. When life feels out of my control or I read another tragic news article, I remember Jesus holds all things. Jesus makes peace by removing the barrier of my sin when He died on the cross to reconcile me back to God. What I broke, Jesus used His authority and power to restore and make new. My natural response is, maybe like you, why?

This brings us to the end of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus does two things. First, Jesus declares authority and power over heaven and earth. He is brief, but I hope our minds start to picture the depth of that statement based on Daniel, Colossians, and Jesus’ resurrection at the beginning of Matthew 28. The truth in that Jesus holds claim over heaven and earth is meant to build our confidence for the next part. The second thing Jesus does is give a command to you and me to go and make disciples. We get to participate. We are empowered by the resurrected King Jesus to teach others about him and pray with faith and authority that can move mountains (Matthew 21:21).

What about you? Have you let the reality of Jesus’ unmatched authority and power sink in? Jesus holds all things. And with that, Jesus invites us to go and make disciples. Easter reminds me of the invitation. Easter reminds me that what comes next in the liturgical calendar is not “Ordinary” by any means, but an exciting time to go!