Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. ¹⁷ When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Commentary

Vs. 16 “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.”

Having heard the Mary’s testimony, the eleven disciples (Judas being dead) went into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them to go too, where He said He would appear to them.

Vs. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

Now when the disciples saw the Lord Jesus they, like the Mary’s before them, worshipped Him, however as Matthew recalls the event some doubted, (vs. 17), no doubt a reference to Thomas and some others as well, all which is detailed more fully in the Gospels of Luke and John. That said, to doubt is to be distinguished from unbelief, for only the latter results in eternal condemnation, while the former is sometimes a precursor to having great and lasting faith as Thomas and all the disciples demonstrated.

Vs. 18-20 ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Now Jesus having revealed Himself Risen from the dead to them, now gives us the Great Commission, that is His calling us all who believe in Him to go out and make disciples in His Name. Therefore, to assure and strengthen us all of God being with us (and Jesus going before us in this), He now says: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” There is then nothing that is not and will not be subject to authority of the Son of God. Therefore, if any believer is doing the Will of God (preaching, teaching, and or doing the work of the Kingdom of God according to the Word of God) they can have confidence of Jesus Christ the Lord will be with them in it. Therefore, having declared to us all that, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus now gives us all the the Great Commission, saying that we are to make disciples of all nations, thus not just to Jews did salvation come through Him, but to all nations, and so to all nations we must go and declare the Good News of remission of sins and everlasting life to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. Now in making disciples the Lord Jesus Christ commands that we are to baptize them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (vs. 19) because denial of Anyone of the Godhead is to deny God Himself (John 5:23, 7:37-39, 15:23; 1 John 2:22-23, 4:15, 5:1). Now in making disciples the Lord Jesus also commands that we teach them to observe all things as He has commanded us all (vs. 20; also see 2 John 9). For in making disciples of Christ we are not making them in Name only, but as Jesus Christ being Lord in (our) and their lives, thus we are to keep His Word as He has commanded us, teaching all too do the same (John 14:21). Finally, Jesus assures us all that wherever we go and whatever we go through in making disciples for Him, we can be assured that He is with us and will be with us, for He will never leave us, nor forsake us, even unto the end of the age, Amen (vs. 20; Deut. 31:8; Hebrews 13:5).

Scripture Quotations: 

The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson