All the Way to Glory: The Great Commission

Although Matthew provides us with the most detailed account, all four Gospels record the Great Commission, or at least components of it.1 For the purposes of this chapter, we will confine our study primarily to what Matthew reports.

The People the Lord Sends

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them” (Mat 28:16).2  Apparently, the seven disciples who met the Lord by the Sea of Tiberias reunited with the others and arrived at the designated mountain3 where the Savior told them to go. Although there were others present in the Upper Room in Jerusalem when Christ appeared (Luk 24:33), Matthew mentions only “the eleven” (the original twelve minus Judas) when the Great Commission was given. But we must not restrict what the Lord said to them as if there were no application to us. The Lord Jesus is still sending His people to carry out His mission.

Notice how Scripture describes those whom the Savior sent: “And when theysaw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted” (Mat 28:17). The Greek word for “doubt” here (distazo) means a state of uncertainty or hesitation. It was not that the disciples failed to believe in the resurrection, but only that some took longer to realize it was Christ, as was the case in His previously recorded appearance (see John 21, esp. v4). Again, we can appreciate the honesty of Scripture, not portraying the Lord’s followers as perfect, but recording their flaws and failures without covering up anything. These are the people the Lord sends. If He only sent perfect people, He would not have any candidates to carry out the Great Commission.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Who is to go out of that first band of disciples? It is Peter, the rash and the headstrong. It is John, who sometimes wishes to call fire from heaven to destroy men. It is Philip, with whom the Saviour has been so long, and yet he has not known Him. It is Thomas, who must put his finger into the print of the nails, or he will not believe Him. Yet the Master says to them, ‘Go … You are as good for My purpose as anybody else would be.’” As we are about to notice, it is not our supposed strengths which determine the Great Commission’s success, nor will our weaknesses hinder it; therefore, the Lord sends people just like these eleven, and just like us!

The Power the Lord Possesses

To these imperfect followers, who saw Him approaching, the Lord Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat 28:18). This, and this alone, would be the secret of the Great Commission’s effectiveness. The Savior has been given “all power.” The word for “power” here (Greek exousia) means “authority,” and it is not surprising to find this word in Matthew, where Christ is presented as King. Notice that the Lord says this authority was “given” unto Him. Although we see Christ’s authority during His earthly ministry emphasized throughout Matthew’s Gospel,4  it appears that the Savior is making a larger claim here. He is claiming to have been given universal authority, “all authority,” that which is “in heaven and in earth.” It is precisely because He suffered and died, completing the work His Father sent Him to do, that He has received this authority now as the risen, glorified and soon-to-be enthroned Savior (see Php 2:8-9; Heb 2:9; 1Pe 1:21; Rev 1:5). It would not be long before His followers would see this authority demonstrated in their midst when Christ would send the Holy Spirit and give gifts to the Church (Joh 16:7; Act 2:33; Eph 4:8-12), empowering them to carry out the Great Commission. With His universal authority as the basis for the Great Commission, He instructs them (and us) to “Go” (Mat 28:19). We go in His power, not our own.

Therefore, we can have confidence to carry out His program, even if it means meeting hostility and opposition.

The Program the Lord Announces

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (vv19-20a). The word for “teach” here (Greek matheteuo) means “to make dis- ciples.” Disciples are learners, students. And notice that disciples are made, not spontaneously created. It takes time and involves the work of other believers to making of disciples is the preaching of make disciples. But foundational to the the gospel, which Mark highlights in his account, recording Jesus as saying, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (16:15). Disciples cannot be made without the message that will make them, the gospel, which Paul summarizes as “Christ died for our sins … he was buried, and … he rose again the third day” (1Co 15:3-4).

The Lord’s program involves not only the making of these disciples but their baptism. We should both teach what baptism means and encourage new believers to take this obedient step. And we are to baptize these new followers “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The singular noun “name” (rather than “names”) underlines the unity of the three Persons in the Godhead.

Notice also that the Lord’s program includes teaching these new converts “to observe all things whatsoever I [Jesus] have commanded you.” It is not enough to preach the gospel to individuals and baptize them; we must teach them the whole counsel of God. Are we leaving anything out of the Great Commission? How easy it is to focus our attention on a few teachings we deem most important while excluding vast portions of Scripture, ignoring even the fundamentals of the faith.

But we must not miss another part of the Lord’s program, and it involves its intended audience. The Savior said the Great Commission is for “all nations.” The word for “nations” here (Greek ethnos) is the regular term for “Gentiles” in the New Testament. But to send the disciples to the Gentiles was simply to extend the range of their mission, not exclude the Jewish people from it. It is clear from Acts that the Lord’s followers continued their mission to the Jews. In short, the Lord Jesus was sending out the disciples to everyone everywhere. We can be confident still today that everyone everywhere is within the scope of the Great Commission. We can boldly go “into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mar 16:15 ESV).

The Presence the Lord Promises

If we obey, we are not on our own. Jesus said, “And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Mat 28:20). These words contain the fourth “all” in the Great Commission. Christ has been given “all authority.” He wants us to make disciples of “all nations.” He instructs us to teach them “all things” He has commanded. And now He promises His presence to be with us “always.” “Always” (Greek pas hemera) means literally “the whole of every day.” The Lord is with us every moment of every day, not just those particular seasons when we feel close to Him. Because He is with us “always,” we need not fear any opposition as we seek to carry out the Great Commission. And as He is with us, we can rejoice that we work not only for the Lord but with Him (1Co 3:9)! Therefore, let us “Go!”

See o’er the world wide open doors inviting:
Soldiers of Christ, arise and enter in;
Christians, awake! Your forces all uniting,
Send forth the gospel, break the chains of sin.

All power is given unto Me;
All power is given unto Me;
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel;
And lo, I am with you alway.
5


1 See Mat 28:16-20; Mar 16:14-18; Luk 24:44-49 (esp. v47); Joh 20:21.

2 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.

3 Note these previous mountain experiences in Matthew (4:8; 5:1; 14:23; 15:29; 17:1; 24:3; 26:30).

4 His authority is seen in Matthew 1, where He is presented as the heir to David’s throne and Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.” In chapter 2, He is called “King of the Jews.” In chapter 3, John announces the coming of His kingdom (v2). For other examples of His authority in Matthew, see 7:28-29; 8:27; 9:6; 10:1; 11:27; 16:18-19; 21:23.

5 James McGranahan (1840–1907)