Day 31: The Great Commission
Angela Lee (Matthew 28:16–20)
To understand verse 16, I had to go back and read v5–10, back to the open tomb, where Jesus and the angel had told the women to tell the disciples where to find Him in Galilee. So back to v16, the 11 disciples went to the mountain in Galilee.
Verse 17 then says some doubted that it was actually Jesus, not surprising when some of them had watched Jesus die an agonising death on the cross. But some also worshipped Him. In verse 18, Jesus came close to them. Let’s stop a minute and just imagine: you had seen your best friend die on a cross, and now He’s here next to you, seemingly alive and well! Wow!
Let’s continue. Then Jesus speaks to them of the authority that He has been given by His Father — ALL authority in heaven and on earth.
In verse 19, Jesus continues to say for them to make disciples of all nations, which to me means Jesus came for all, not just one set of people, one tribe, or one religion, but ALL people. Jesus said to baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus said this to show a declaration of belief in the Godhead — 3 in 1 — and also to symbolise death to sin and a resurrection into a new life in Christ.
Verse 20 ends in an encouraging way. Jesus says to teach the people to obey everything that He had commanded the disciples, and also that He, Jesus, would be with them always, to the end of the age. We now have the Holy Spirit within us to guide us and comfort us.
I used to struggle with this scripture, saying, “I’m not an evangelist; I can’t speak to people about Jesus.” But to follow Jesus, we must obey scripture. If we do nothing else, we must know that this is a call to ALL believers, not just some.
We have been given permission and authority to spread the name of Jesus. The baton started with the 11 but has been passed down to all those that have heard and believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died and rose again.
Reflection
Question 1: Where in my day-to-day routine could I speak to someone about Jesus? Maybe at the coffee machine, on the bus, or even in a phone message to someone.
Question 2: Do you need more help understanding this scripture and our role today as a believer in Christ? If so, please do speak to a leader in Freshfire.
Prayer:
Lord, we pray that we are able to step out in boldness and faith, that we are able to spread the message of love and forgiveness.