At the end of the Gospel book of Matthew, Jesus commissions his disciples with these words: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, 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” (Matt. 28:19-20a). This moment was, no doubt, a defining one in the lives of the eleven, and it assuredly served as a type of mission statement as they sought to spread the Good News about Jesus and the arrival of God’s kingdom. Many ministries throughout the centuries have used these verses as their rallying cry, and indeed, you could hardly ask for a clearer vision of what God wants his church to be doing on earth, even to this day.

Importantly, however, his statement is bookended with two others that are critical for our understanding of why, at the very end of his time on earth, Jesus was able to give the disciples such a sweeping command. Jesus prefaces it by stating without equivocation, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (28:18). That is what the “go therefore” in his commission refers to. Were it not for Jesus’ ultimate and total authority in the universe, he would merely be leaving his followers with a task that would be doomed to failure. The disciples had seen demonstrations of Jesus’ authority over and over again during his earthly ministry, and, if this was the man who was sending them forth to a seemingly impossible task, then perhaps following him was not as foolhardy as it might seem. We saw a few of the demonstrations of Jesus’ authority in the sermon this week, where, in Luke 8:22 – 56, four stories reveal how Jesus was fully in command over nature, demonic forces, political forces, disease, and death. By only his word, Jesus calmed the storm, cast Legion out of the possessed man, healed a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years, and raised a little girl from the dead. It was in this knowledge, as witnesses to the power of the king of the universe that the disciples went out to witness about the kingdom of God through proclaiming and healing.

Jesus follows his words of commissioning to the disciples with his promise: “And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (28:20b). After showing them the truth of his authority in so many ways and imbuing them with his authority to go and do the same, Jesus assures them that he himself will go with them to the work. Never will they face opposition alone, never will they endure persecution alone, never will they confront death alone, because Jesus will be with them through it all. Let this be an encouragement to all God’s children today – all those who call upon the name of Jesus for rescue and renewal (John 1:12): Jesus was not an inspiring person who called his followers to inspiring, yet ultimately impossible tasks. He is not a powerful, but absent king who sends his followers to fight and die in his place. Instead, Jesus is the creator and king of all that there is, and with full authority over it all he sends his people to the work of drawing all men and women to himself, while he walks by our sides and never forsakes us.