Now, the Gospels of Luke and John give us more details about what happened between Easter morning and the disciples’ arrival on the mountain. But this is not Matthew’s focus; he jumps straight from the resurrection appearance in the garden to the mountain in Galilee. The emphasis here is on going—Christ who goes first and the disciples who follow after.

What a comfort it must have been for the disciples to know that Christ went before them. Just days earlier they had all fled in terror. All hope was gone. The way ahead seemed dark. But now Christ was alive again. Now He was with them, leading them on and calling them forward in faith.

Jesus goes before us too. Like the disciples, we have a journey to make. And the knowledge that Jesus is blazing the trail—that He Himself is making the way ready for us—gives us hope for the journey of faith upon which He calls us.

If they thought the arrival at the mountain would mean an end to their journeys, they would have been surprised. For here, Jesus gives them the command to “go” yet again. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” He says, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” And so they went, knowing that Jesus was with them even still.

Jesus goes before us too. Like the disciples, we have a journey to make. And the knowledge that Jesus is blazing the trail—that He Himself is making the way ready for us—gives us hope for the journey of faith upon which He calls us.

And so we follow. We travel the road of life, never quite knowing what lies beyond the next turn. There may be joys. There may be sorrows. Indeed, Jesus tells us directly that following Him will mean taking up our cross (Matthew 16:24). But through it all, Christ is there, calling us forward, leading us onward to our ultimate destination: heaven and the joy of His eternal presence.

“I will go before you,” Jesus promised the disciples. The words draw to mind a similar promise God made to His people centuries earlier. “It is the LORD who goes before you,” Moses assured the people as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. “He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

The journey we make through this life can be difficult at times. The way is hard and we stumble often. Brigands and dangers lie sometimes in wait. But we need not for these reasons be dismayed. God Himself is with us. When we fall, He lifts us up. When we are afraid, He promises to protect us. He will not fail to lead us home to Himself. We go forward in hope.

This issue we consider anew what “hope” really is—hope not in the sense of mere wishful thinking but rather hope placed in that which is certain: the promises of God. This hope is not solely for our personal faith lives either; it also gives shape to congregational life too, as we reflect on the blessings God has bestowed on us in the past and trust Him also to lead us into the future.

This issue we consider anew what “hope” really is—hope not in the sense of mere wishful thinking but rather hope placed in that which is certain: the promises of God. This hope is not solely for our personal faith lives either; it also gives shape to congregational life too, as we reflect on the blessings God has bestowed on us in the past and trust Him also to lead us into the future.

All this hope is ultimately grounded in the certainty of Easter—the knowledge that Christ has come, that Christ has died to save us from our sins, and that Christ has risen again to life. It’s the reason the disciples were willing to go to Galilee. It’s the good news that keeps us moving forward too.

Go then after Jesus. Follow where He leads. And surely He will be with you always, even unto the end of the age.

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Mathew Block is editor of The Canadian Lutheran and communications manager for the International Lutheran Council.