On the Mountain in Galilee
Month 12: Risen & Sending · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: Matthew 28:16-17
16 Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.
Memory Verse
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””— Matthew 28:19-20 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Revelation 1-3
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 359 of 365 — the risen Jesus walks among His churches.)The Heart of It
Weeks earlier, the women at the tomb carried a message from Jesus. "Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me" (). So now eleven men climb a hill in the north. They go back home, back to the lake and the fields where it all began. They had been fishermen here. Ordinary men. And on that ordinary mountain, the risen Lord of heaven and earth comes to meet them. Notice how honest Matthew is. "They worshiped Him; but some doubted." These are not flawless heroes. Even standing in front of the risen Jesus, faith and lingering questions can sit side by side in the same group of friends. And Jesus does not turn any of them away.
That tells us something tender about how Jesus gathers His people. He meets them where they live, on familiar ground. He welcomes the confident worshiper. And He welcomes the wobbly heart still working things out. He doesn't wait until everyone has it all figured out before He sends them. The same is true at your table tonight. Some of you are sure and singing. Some of you have honest questions tumbling around inside. Jesus invites both up the mountain. Worship and wonder can travel together. And the answer to our doubts is never to stay home. It's to draw near to the One who is alive.
Around the Table
Jesus told His friends, "Come and find Me on the mountain!" And they did — and they saw that He was really alive!
Let's do it: Reach your hands up high like you are climbing a big hill to go see Jesus. "Here we come, Jesus!"
The Bible says some friends worshiped, and some doubted. But Jesus still welcomed every one of them.
Let's talk: Is it okay to have questions about Jesus and still come close to Him? Why?
Matthew honestly records that "some doubted" right next to "they worshiped Him." A made-up story would hide that detail.
Let's go deeper: What does Jesus' patience with the doubters tell you about how He treats your honest questions?
💬 Conversation Starter
Where is your "Galilee"? It's the everyday place where you feel closest to God. Maybe your room. Maybe the car. Maybe the kitchen. Where is yours?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The Gospels don't clean up the disciples. They admit that some doubted, even while looking right at the risen Christ. Legends make their heroes look good. Eyewitness testimony tells the awkward truth. That ring of honesty is one good reason to trust the record ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
We sometimes imagine the disciples as spiritual superheroes. Matthew refuses to let us. Worship and doubt stood in the same crowd, and Jesus sent them out anyway. This matters for how you pastor your own home. You are not waiting for your children to reach perfect certainty before you call them to follow and to go. Disciple-making happens along the way, in the company of the One who is with us "always." Your job isn't to manufacture flawless faith in your kids. It's to keep bringing the whole mixed-up household up the mountain to meet the living Jesus. Trust Him to do what only He can do. Lead them toward Him, questions and all.
Draws on: D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to Matthew (Pillar NT Commentary).
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, thank You that You meet us right where we are. You meet us with our worship and our questions and all. Draw our whole family up the mountain to see that You are truly alive. Grow our faith, and make us Yours. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus meets me where I am. He welcomes me even when my faith is still wobbly.