And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
The verse records the eleven keeping a set appointment with the risen Jesus on a mountain in Galilee just before His ascension, at the time and place He had appointed. The mountainside was chosen to hold a large company, with about five hundred believers gathered, all who could be called together. When they saw Him they recognized Him by His face and the marks of crucifixion in His hands and feet and side, and they worshiped Him, yet worship and lingering doubt stood together. None of the eleven doubted that He was the One who had been crucified, for they had seen and handled His wounds, and the doubters were certain other followers in the larger company only partially convinced of His identity, though some held the doubt was among the eleven themselves even as they worshiped. This meeting is the immediate setting in which He came to them to declare that all power in heaven and earth is given to Him, commanding them to go and teach all nations and baptizing and teaching them, with the assurance He will remain with them always to the end of the world.
Appointed Mountain Gathering
The eleven kept a set appointment with the risen Jesus on a mountain in Galilee just before His ascension, at a set time and place He had appointed before His death. The appointment was announced afterward by the angel and by His own word that after rising He would go before them into Galilee. In keeping it He kept His promise not to leave His disciples comfortless but to come to them after His humiliation and death. It was one of many times He was seen by them after His resurrection.
The mountainside was chosen because it could hold a large company, and more than the eleven were present. About five hundred believers were gathered there, all who could be called together, with the disciples and others assembled. The larger company came by secret routes from every direction to avoid the Jews. They waited with mingled anxiety, fear and hope to see if Jesus would keep His appointment.
The meeting was of utmost importance to the church soon to be left without the Saviour's personal presence. He designed there to manifest Himself to all the brethren assembled so that all doubt and unbelief might be swept away. There He stood but a step from His heavenly throne, in the brighter chapter following His suffering and death. That salvation opens through His infinite sacrifice a way whereby people might be saved unto a life that measures with the life of God.
The night of communion with Jesus on the mount came before the disciples went forth on their mission and before the power and glory of Pentecost. He called the disciples up into the mount with Him, so that communion with Him came first and then acts of power followed. The meeting with Jesus was part of their preparation for their work.
Worship Alongside Doubt
When they saw Him they knew Him by His face, by His divine countenance and appearance, and by the wounds of crucifixion in His hands and feet and the spear-thrust in His side, and they worshiped Him. Those who had never seen Him before recognized Him as their Saviour when they beheld those marks. Worship and lingering doubt stood together at the sight of the resurrected Saviour, for while some worshiped, others doubted, and doubt persisted alongside the evidence of His resurrection and the worship He received.
The presence of that doubt warns that persistent criticism can weaken a person's own faith and undermine the faith of others. The lesson drawn is to stop doubting, criticizing and finding fault, and instead receive Christ's words and learn to speak them in faith. Unbelief persists even before the seen risen Christ, and those who cherish unbelief leaven other minds with it, so there will always be such doubters, and doubt persists among people who find faith difficult, with unbelief causing loss.
In one account the doubt was among the eleven disciples themselves, who worshiped on the mountain in Galilee just before His ascension when He gave them the worldwide commission, though some were still uncertain, even doubting that He had risen despite powerful evidence. When the eleven saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. In another account none of the eleven doubted that the risen Jesus was the One who had been crucified; the ones who doubted were certain other followers in the larger company who were only partially convinced of His identity with the crucified One.
The eleven had no room left for unbelief and no reason to doubt, because they had heard His unfolding of the straight chain of prophecy about Himself, His words had shown them the prophecies concerning Him, they had eaten with Him, and they had seen and handled His wounded side and pierced hands and feet. The verse shows the real value the Lord Jesus places on sincere belief in His personality, though unseen except by the eye of faith. That belief belongs to the Christian experience to be gained from the ministration of the Holy Spirit promised in this chapter, the earnest of the spirit of life through Christ that every soul needs now, leaving no excuse for departing from the faith. The verse gives no further explanation of their doubt beyond recording that some doubted when the eleven saw Jesus in Galilee and worshiped Him.
Christ's Authority and Charge
This worship on the appointed mountain is the immediate setting in which Jesus drew near to declare that all power in heaven and in earth has been given to Him. That power is not distant or abstract but is for those who need it, for you and for me. The One so worshiped still bears the marks of crucifixion in His hands and feet and the spear-thrust in His side, yet asserts universal dominion in heaven and earth while carrying on His work as Mediator as the great foundation of the Christian church. He assumes no power of His own, but all power is given Him, legally invested from the Father, the Fountain of all truth and power. He stands inaugurated and enthroned as the One proclaimed God's Son at His baptism and when He broke the fetters of the tomb, God's only begotten Son acknowledged as equal with the Father and Redeemer of all mankind, who because He humbled Himself to the lowest depth was exalted by God with power over all flesh to give eternal life to as many as receive Him and believe on His name.
There He delivered the great charter of His kingdom in the world, commissioning the disciples as His ambassadors and giving them their credentials from the commission He Himself received from His Father. By that investiture humble men, some fishermen by trade, have authority to serve as teachers and medical missionaries and ministers of the Word. He commanded them to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to observe all things He had commanded. The commission was to reach every person, and the disciples were to work with Christ in saving the world.
The commission first given to the twelve in the upper chamber was there given to the larger number gathered on the mountain, with Christ standing but a step from His heavenly throne. It was given not to the apostles only but also to humble believers with limited talents. They are to go out and continue the work He did.
That charge is accompanied by His assurance that He will remain with them always as their instructor and helper to the end of the world. These final words are an encouragement to every servant of God. Jesus promises to remain with those who preach the gospel until the end of time.
Causes and Cure of Doubt
The doubt on the mountain did not come from lack of evidence, but from lack of faith in Christ's words and from the need to unlearn the traditions and teachings of religious leaders, and that condition of remaining unappreciative and doubtful despite receiving evidence will continue to the end of earth's history, with people in every age refusing to accept the evidence before them while truth is suppressed and error promoted. Some doubted whether the crucified Jesus was risen and whether one who had died could be more than a prophet, because false priestly teaching had confused their ideas of Messiah and His mission. That teaching had to be unlearned in order to accept that Christ reaches His throne through ignominy, suffering and death, that He must suffer and die and then take His throne, and that only Messiah could triumph over death and burst the tomb and its fetters.
Some who saw Him still could not believe the joyful truth of His resurrection, though they knew His power over disease and evil spirits. They struggled to grasp that all authority in heaven and on earth belonged to the same Jesus who had lived and taught among them, and their doubt came from hearts that had not fully received the higher education Christ gives, not being fully converted nor receiving in fullness the Presence that transforms the life. Their doubt was met by favored eyewitnesses going from group to group recounting the angels' messages and their own interviews with the Master, reasoning from Scripture as Jesus had done to show every specification of prophecy of His first advent fulfilled in His life, death and resurrection. Thomas's testimony joined that work, for his refusal to believe without seeing the wounded hands, feet and side and putting his finger in the nail prints was swept away forever by sight of the Saviour bearing the cruel marks of crucifixion. Jesus' brothers were among the doubters who saw Him in Galilee, but they later firmly believed that He was the Son of God and promised Messiah, and their faith was established.
Doubt persists among people who find faith difficult, and those who take the side of doubt lose much through unbelief. Unbelief can keep people from receiving blessings, while controlling feelings and choosing hope and courage helps them and those around them. The presence of doubt among the worshipers warns that persistent criticism can weaken a person's own faith and undermine the faith of others, so the lesson is to stop doubting, criticizing and finding fault, and instead receive Christ's words and learn to speak them in faith. Doubt can remain among people in the church, and when deliberately cherished rather than faith it hinders the church, prevents cooperation with God's servants, makes correction irritate rather than convert, and leavens other minds with unbelief, so it calls for faithful, direct attention; there will always be such doubters even before the seen risen Christ.
Living Out the Commission
Doubt in some who saw Him did not prevent Christ from giving His commission and did not cancel it, for the scene leads directly to His assurance of all authority and His command to make disciples. Every person has a part in carrying that commission out, though not everyone serves in the same way as a minister, for all share in ministry. All church members are to do the work God has given them, giving the message of Bible truth to everyone they can reach, because Christ is the Bridegroom and the church is the bride.
These are the last words of Christ before His ascension, requiring the work essential to be done right where believers are, with preparation to bring to the work. They set before ministers the work and issues to keep before minds in preparing a people to stand in the great testing of character before them. That preparation stands opposed to getting up new explanations of Scripture that deny truth already given, set minds on questioning and criticizing God's Word, and occupy time with controversy, strife, and party spirit.
Worship of Christ calls for representing the truth as it is in Jesus without falsehood, carrying the principles of righteousness into every department of work. It means actively uniting with Christ in service rather than doing nothing and expecting everything to work out, with the assurance that He will cooperate in all efforts to serve Him. He desires to do great things for His people who thus unite with Him.
When inclined to despond because time is fast passing and life and strength may fail, believers must take Christ at His word, keep in the sunshine of the Lord's presence, look in faith to Jesus and not on the dark side. They are not to worry but to move on and trust wholly in God, obeying His command to go and teach all nations with His constant presence to the end of the world. That power declared by the risen Christ is for those who need it, and the work is too precious to be called away from by turning and overturning, but must go forward trusting Him for strength and grace to instruct and enlighten those who have not heard the truth for this time. They are to labor with hunger and prayer to see precious souls converted to God, knowing a fearful account will be rendered to God if unfaithful as His stewards.
The commission is the work given to His followers, the proclamation of the message and the great testing truths for this time and the great principles of the law of God. It is to be presented when men bring side issues such as that the world is flat, to avoid controversy and refusal to let the mind be occupied by matters having no bearing on the work. It forbids letting the mind be occupied with matters that divert attention from inheriting eternal life through loving God and neighbor, and calls for speaking the truth in love and holding believers to the commission given them. Ministers are thereby to hold before minds the plain word of the Lord rather than false doctrines of every kind and new explanations that deny truth already given.
The verse belongs to the brighter chapter following Christ's suffering and death, showing the Lord of glory making infinite sacrifices to open a way whereby people might be saved unto a life that measures with the life of God. Therefore no one suffers more for faith than Christ suffered or pays a higher price than Christ paid. All must be willing to make special sacrifices to save souls ready to perish in order to be counted worthy to enter the city of God.
The verse records the eleven keeping a set appointment with the risen Jesus on a mountain in Galilee just before His ascension, at the time and place He had appointed.
The mountainside was chosen to hold a large company, with about five hundred believers gathered, all who could be called together.
When they saw Him they recognized Him by His face and the marks of crucifixion in His hands and feet and side, and they worshiped Him, yet worship and lingering doubt stood together.
None of the eleven doubted that He was the One who had been crucified, for they had seen and handled His wounds, and the doubters were certain other followers in the larger company only partially convinced of His identity, though some held the doubt was among the eleven themselves even as they worshiped.
This meeting is the immediate setting in which He came to them to declare that all power in heaven and earth is given to Him, commanding them to go and teach all nations and baptizing and teaching them, with the assurance He will remain with them always to the end of the world.
Appointed Mountain Gathering
The eleven kept a set appointment with the risen Jesus on a mountain in Galilee just before His ascension, at a set time and place He had appointed before His death. The appointment was announced afterward by the angel and by His own word that after rising He would go before them into Galilee. In keeping it He kept His promise not to leave His disciples comfortless but to come to them after His humiliation and death. It was one of many times He was seen by them after His resurrection.
The mountainside was chosen because it could hold a large company, and more than the eleven were present. About five hundred believers were gathered there, all who could be called together, with the disciples and others assembled. The larger company came by secret routes from every direction to avoid the Jews. They waited with mingled anxiety, fear and hope to see if Jesus would keep His appointment.
The meeting was of utmost importance to the church soon to be left without the Saviour's personal presence. He designed there to manifest Himself to all the brethren assembled so that all doubt and unbelief might be swept away. There He stood but a step from His heavenly throne, in the brighter chapter following His suffering and death. That salvation opens through His infinite sacrifice a way whereby people might be saved unto a life that measures with the life of God.
The night of communion with Jesus on the mount came before the disciples went forth on their mission and before the power and glory of Pentecost. He called the disciples up into the mount with Him, so that communion with Him came first and then acts of power followed. The meeting with Jesus was part of their preparation for their work.
Worship Alongside Doubt
When they saw Him they knew Him by His face, by His divine countenance and appearance, and by the wounds of crucifixion in His hands and feet and the spear-thrust in His side, and they worshiped Him. Those who had never seen Him before recognized Him as their Saviour when they beheld those marks. Worship and lingering doubt stood together at the sight of the resurrected Saviour, for while some worshiped, others doubted, and doubt persisted alongside the evidence of His resurrection and the worship He received.
The presence of that doubt warns that persistent criticism can weaken a person's own faith and undermine the faith of others. The lesson drawn is to stop doubting, criticizing and finding fault, and instead receive Christ's words and learn to speak them in faith. Unbelief persists even before the seen risen Christ, and those who cherish unbelief leaven other minds with it, so there will always be such doubters, and doubt persists among people who find faith difficult, with unbelief causing loss.
In one account the doubt was among the eleven disciples themselves, who worshiped on the mountain in Galilee just before His ascension when He gave them the worldwide commission, though some were still uncertain, even doubting that He had risen despite powerful evidence. When the eleven saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. In another account none of the eleven doubted that the risen Jesus was the One who had been crucified; the ones who doubted were certain other followers in the larger company who were only partially convinced of His identity with the crucified One.
The eleven had no room left for unbelief and no reason to doubt, because they had heard His unfolding of the straight chain of prophecy about Himself, His words had shown them the prophecies concerning Him, they had eaten with Him, and they had seen and handled His wounded side and pierced hands and feet. The verse shows the real value the Lord Jesus places on sincere belief in His personality, though unseen except by the eye of faith. That belief belongs to the Christian experience to be gained from the ministration of the Holy Spirit promised in this chapter, the earnest of the spirit of life through Christ that every soul needs now, leaving no excuse for departing from the faith. The verse gives no further explanation of their doubt beyond recording that some doubted when the eleven saw Jesus in Galilee and worshiped Him.
Christ's Authority and Charge
This worship on the appointed mountain is the immediate setting in which Jesus drew near to declare that all power in heaven and in earth has been given to Him. That power is not distant or abstract but is for those who need it, for you and for me. The One so worshiped still bears the marks of crucifixion in His hands and feet and the spear-thrust in His side, yet asserts universal dominion in heaven and earth while carrying on His work as Mediator as the great foundation of the Christian church. He assumes no power of His own, but all power is given Him, legally invested from the Father, the Fountain of all truth and power. He stands inaugurated and enthroned as the One proclaimed God's Son at His baptism and when He broke the fetters of the tomb, God's only begotten Son acknowledged as equal with the Father and Redeemer of all mankind, who because He humbled Himself to the lowest depth was exalted by God with power over all flesh to give eternal life to as many as receive Him and believe on His name.
There He delivered the great charter of His kingdom in the world, commissioning the disciples as His ambassadors and giving them their credentials from the commission He Himself received from His Father. By that investiture humble men, some fishermen by trade, have authority to serve as teachers and medical missionaries and ministers of the Word. He commanded them to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to observe all things He had commanded. The commission was to reach every person, and the disciples were to work with Christ in saving the world.
The commission first given to the twelve in the upper chamber was there given to the larger number gathered on the mountain, with Christ standing but a step from His heavenly throne. It was given not to the apostles only but also to humble believers with limited talents. They are to go out and continue the work He did.
That charge is accompanied by His assurance that He will remain with them always as their instructor and helper to the end of the world. These final words are an encouragement to every servant of God. Jesus promises to remain with those who preach the gospel until the end of time.
Causes and Cure of Doubt
The doubt on the mountain did not come from lack of evidence, but from lack of faith in Christ's words and from the need to unlearn the traditions and teachings of religious leaders, and that condition of remaining unappreciative and doubtful despite receiving evidence will continue to the end of earth's history, with people in every age refusing to accept the evidence before them while truth is suppressed and error promoted. Some doubted whether the crucified Jesus was risen and whether one who had died could be more than a prophet, because false priestly teaching had confused their ideas of Messiah and His mission. That teaching had to be unlearned in order to accept that Christ reaches His throne through ignominy, suffering and death, that He must suffer and die and then take His throne, and that only Messiah could triumph over death and burst the tomb and its fetters.
Some who saw Him still could not believe the joyful truth of His resurrection, though they knew His power over disease and evil spirits. They struggled to grasp that all authority in heaven and on earth belonged to the same Jesus who had lived and taught among them, and their doubt came from hearts that had not fully received the higher education Christ gives, not being fully converted nor receiving in fullness the Presence that transforms the life. Their doubt was met by favored eyewitnesses going from group to group recounting the angels' messages and their own interviews with the Master, reasoning from Scripture as Jesus had done to show every specification of prophecy of His first advent fulfilled in His life, death and resurrection. Thomas's testimony joined that work, for his refusal to believe without seeing the wounded hands, feet and side and putting his finger in the nail prints was swept away forever by sight of the Saviour bearing the cruel marks of crucifixion. Jesus' brothers were among the doubters who saw Him in Galilee, but they later firmly believed that He was the Son of God and promised Messiah, and their faith was established.
Doubt persists among people who find faith difficult, and those who take the side of doubt lose much through unbelief. Unbelief can keep people from receiving blessings, while controlling feelings and choosing hope and courage helps them and those around them. The presence of doubt among the worshipers warns that persistent criticism can weaken a person's own faith and undermine the faith of others, so the lesson is to stop doubting, criticizing and finding fault, and instead receive Christ's words and learn to speak them in faith. Doubt can remain among people in the church, and when deliberately cherished rather than faith it hinders the church, prevents cooperation with God's servants, makes correction irritate rather than convert, and leavens other minds with unbelief, so it calls for faithful, direct attention; there will always be such doubters even before the seen risen Christ.
Living Out the Commission
Doubt in some who saw Him did not prevent Christ from giving His commission and did not cancel it, for the scene leads directly to His assurance of all authority and His command to make disciples. Every person has a part in carrying that commission out, though not everyone serves in the same way as a minister, for all share in ministry. All church members are to do the work God has given them, giving the message of Bible truth to everyone they can reach, because Christ is the Bridegroom and the church is the bride.
These are the last words of Christ before His ascension, requiring the work essential to be done right where believers are, with preparation to bring to the work. They set before ministers the work and issues to keep before minds in preparing a people to stand in the great testing of character before them. That preparation stands opposed to getting up new explanations of Scripture that deny truth already given, set minds on questioning and criticizing God's Word, and occupy time with controversy, strife, and party spirit.
Worship of Christ calls for representing the truth as it is in Jesus without falsehood, carrying the principles of righteousness into every department of work. It means actively uniting with Christ in service rather than doing nothing and expecting everything to work out, with the assurance that He will cooperate in all efforts to serve Him. He desires to do great things for His people who thus unite with Him.
When inclined to despond because time is fast passing and life and strength may fail, believers must take Christ at His word, keep in the sunshine of the Lord's presence, look in faith to Jesus and not on the dark side. They are not to worry but to move on and trust wholly in God, obeying His command to go and teach all nations with His constant presence to the end of the world. That power declared by the risen Christ is for those who need it, and the work is too precious to be called away from by turning and overturning, but must go forward trusting Him for strength and grace to instruct and enlighten those who have not heard the truth for this time. They are to labor with hunger and prayer to see precious souls converted to God, knowing a fearful account will be rendered to God if unfaithful as His stewards.
The commission is the work given to His followers, the proclamation of the message and the great testing truths for this time and the great principles of the law of God. It is to be presented when men bring side issues such as that the world is flat, to avoid controversy and refusal to let the mind be occupied by matters having no bearing on the work. It forbids letting the mind be occupied with matters that divert attention from inheriting eternal life through loving God and neighbor, and calls for speaking the truth in love and holding believers to the commission given them. Ministers are thereby to hold before minds the plain word of the Lord rather than false doctrines of every kind and new explanations that deny truth already given.
The verse belongs to the brighter chapter following Christ's suffering and death, showing the Lord of glory making infinite sacrifices to open a way whereby people might be saved unto a life that measures with the life of God. Therefore no one suffers more for faith than Christ suffered or pays a higher price than Christ paid. All must be willing to make special sacrifices to save souls ready to perish in order to be counted worthy to enter the city of God.