There were many occasions in the life of Jesus when he retired from the multitudes that followed him and sought the peace and quiet of the mountain side, where in communion with his Father in heaven he gained fresh strength and comfort for the tasks that lay before him.
In Luke’s gospel we are told,
“Jesus went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6. 12) We can surmise the purpose of that prayer as we read further on :
“When it was day, he called unto him his disciples and of these chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.”
In Mathew’s gospel it is written—
“And when he had sent the multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray and when the evening was come he was there alone.”
In the last chapter of Mathew we come to another mountain scene. Jesus and his eleven disciples (one had proved false to his profession and become a traitor instead of a disciple) gathered together on a mountain in Galilee. This meeting place had been chosen by Jesus himself as we are told :
“The eleven disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And Jesus came and spoke unto them saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
That was their commission : Jesus sent them forth on their life’s mission. He entrusted to them the message of salvation and history reveals their loyalty to their Master’s commands, even to the laying down of their lives for His sake.
Jesus realised the weight of the responsibility that was being placed upon the shoulders of these disciples ; but in his opening sentence he inspired them with confidence and courage by telling them of the source of strength and power that would never fail them :
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth,”
If their Master had been granted all power in heaven and in earth, then surely there need be no fear nor shrinking in the heart of his servants. They could draw on that power at all times for was not the promise made to them—
“Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the world.”
The gospel acording to Mathew closes on that note. The disciples could go forward with that assurance ringing in their ears, knowing that He who had made this promise was able to fulfill it. And time and again they would remember it, as they faced persecution and sore travail, even unto death, for the preaching of the gospel which had been committed unto them.
As we turn back the pages of Mathew’s gospel with the words of Jesus fresh in our minds, “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”, we realise the penetrating effect that the acceptance of the gospel must have upon the life of a believer. The observing of all things whatsoever has been commanded by Jesus requires serious attention to those commands and an understanding and appreciation of them. Paul spoke of having this treasure in earthen vessels and we know the frailty of these earthen vessels too well. Nevertheless, beside the believer of today—beside each one who strives to observe all things that have been commanded by Jesus there is that unfailing promise :
“Lo ! I am with you always even unto the end of the world.”
It stands for all time, and for all disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who seek to observe the commands of their Master. It silences all faltering faith ; it discourages all doubt ; it banishes all fear ; it stands triumphant as the voice of authority and power :
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Lo ! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Never let that promise depart from our hearts and minds : rather let it lead us into all truth, and into a more perfect knowledge and understanding of the commands of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One