Written by Mackenzie Lancaster
Matthew 28:18-20
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on has been given to me. 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 everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The Great Commission. A very daunting yet inspiring verse in the Bible that we hear so often. Whenever I hear these verses read aloud, the person reading it always says “go” as if it were in all caps, bolded, and underlined three times. The same emphasis is put on the word “go” in all the images I see of the verse. Like this one:
Putting emphasis on “go” is so very inspiring and yet...so incomplete.
It gives only a partial impression of these couple of verses. There are quite a few more action words that are equally important to remember from this passage. It can almost be read as a check-list:
o Go
o Make disciples
o Baptize them
o Teach them
If we are only focusing on the word “go” we aren’t getting the entire message that Jesus is trying to get across here. There are steps to be taken, and it’s a process to completely follow Jesus’ command here. But looking at that list seems like so much more than just “go!” But lucky for us, Jesus doesn’t just leave us with the command, He gives this command hand in hand with a promise:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
His promise is to be with us always, and forever. I don’t know about you, but that promise is music to my ears after being told to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation, which seems like a big task all by ourselves, but with Jesus going with us forever and always, it doesn’t seem so daunting.
So, go!
Go to work...
Go to school...
Go to the grocery store...
Go out into your neighborhood...
“...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 everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”