TEXT [Commentary]

Q. The Commission of the Risen Lord (28:16-20; cf. Mark 16:15-18)

16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[*] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

NOTES

28:16-17 the eleven disciples left for Galilee. The meeting in Galilee is fitting since the disciples were native Galileans and would normally return home to Galilee after the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Given the previous association of Galilee with Gentiles (4:14-16; cf. Isa 9:1-2), it is fitting that a mandate for mission to all the nations was given here. The disciples (only eleven in number now) obeyed their Lord’s instructions and traveled to a previously unmentioned, nameless mountain that Jesus had evidently designated at some point (28:10).

going to the mountain. The name of the mountain is unimportant, but the fact that Jesus met them on a mountain reminds the reader of the giving of the Torah from Mount Sinai as well as previous mountain experiences in Matthew (4:8; 5:1; 14:23; 15:29; 17:1; 24:3; Donaldson 1985).

28:17 When they saw him, they worshiped him. When the disciples first saw Jesus, like the two faithful women, they worshiped him.

but some of them doubted! Lit., “some doubted.” Most scholars agree with the NLT that some of the disciples were less confident than the others, but others argue that all the disciples doubted Jesus, or at least that they hesitated to worship him (e.g., Hagner 1995:884-85). The word translated “doubted” here occurs previously in 14:31 to describe the little faith of Peter in doubting as he walked on the water and saw the wind. It can be translated “hesitated” or “wavered” (distazō, BDAG 252), and Blomberg 1992:430 argues that it does not refer to unbelief so much as to lack of spontaneous worship on the part of some of the disciples. But this is far from clear, since the only other time the word is used in Matthew (14:31) it is closely related to the familiar theme of “little faith” (cf. 6:30; 8:26; 16:8; 17:20). Whether one thinks of the disciples’ response as hesitant or doubting, it is surprising.

28:18 I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. God’s bestowal of authority or power upon Jesus echoes Dan 7:13-14, 18, 22, 27 (cf. Eph 1:20-23; Phil 2:6-11; Col 1:15-20; 1 Pet 3:18-22). Davies and Allison (1997:683) concisely explain the similarities. In Daniel 7, the authority of the Son of Man passes from him to his community, and so it is in Matthew. Matthew has stressed repeatedly that Jesus is the king who has authority to forgive sins and to save his people (Matt 1:1, 17, 21; 2:2; 7:29; 8:8-9; 9:6-8; 10:1; 11:27; 21:23; 24:14). Jesus demonstrated his authority by word and deed. Hagner (1995:886) helpfully points out that the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus result in a sort of permanent transfiguration (17:1-8). The glory that a few disciples saw briefly at the transfiguration is now the permanent mode of Jesus’ life as the exalted Son of Man.

28:19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations. It is crucial to note that this verse begins with “therefore.” The point is that Jesus, having been exalted, was now in a position to send his disciples forth in mission. Their mission is possible because Jesus is potent. Jesus had already commissioned his disciples to take the message of the Kingdom to Israel alone (10:5-6; cf. 15:24ff), but now he commands them to take it to all the nations (cf. Gen 12:3). Some take this as “all the Gentiles,” and exclude the Jews from the commission, but this is a mistake. No doubt the priority is on the Gentiles, but mission to the Gentiles is supplemental to mission to Israel, not a substitute for it. Ongoing mission to Israel is assumed by 10:23 (Levine 1988). It is clear from Acts that the practice of the apostolic church was to continue mission to the Jews. “Universal Lordship means universal mission” (Davies and Allison 1997:684). For a thorough discussion of this passage in the broader context of early Christian mission, see Schnabel 2004:1.348-367.

The central responsibility of the disciples is to reproduce themselves, to make more disciples. The other activities (go, baptize, teach) essentially describe how a disciple is made. “Disciple” originally designated one who followed an itinerant master, as Jesus’ disciples had done. But since Jesus was about to depart this world, the term “disciple” took on a more metaphorical meaning. One now follows Jesus by understanding and obeying his teaching. If the message of Jesus is to reach all the nations, the disciples will obviously have to go to them.

baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism will be the key, early step of new disciples that initiates them into the church. Their baptism is distinct from Jewish ritual washings because it is a single act. It differs from John’s baptism because it is done with the triadic formula which invokes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (cf. Didache 7:1).

28:20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. The mission mandate also involves teaching new disciples to obey all that Jesus commanded. One would expect that the major discourses of Jesus in Matthew would form the core of this teaching. Walvoord (1974:242) certainly errs by excluding Jesus’ interpretation of the law of Moses from what is to be taught and by restricting the word “commands” to the new commandment of John 13:31-35. Since Jesus was a teacher, indeed the ultimate and definitive teacher of the Torah (4:23; 5:2, 17-48; 7:29; 9:35; 11:1; 13:34; 21:23; 26:55), it is not surprising that his disciples are to continue in this vein. This teaching is not merely to convey information but to change lives from disobedient to obedient behavior (5:17-20; 7:21-27).

I am with you always, even to the end of the age. The commission began with Jesus’ announcement that he had received all authority; it is now concluded with Jesus’ promise to be with his disciples constantly until the end of the age. The disciples’ responsibilities are daunting, but they have amazing resources. They will need to drink deeply of both the power and the presence of Jesus if they are to fulfill his mandate. Jesus has already been called Immanuel, God’s presence on earth (1:23; cf. Isa 7:14). His ministry demonstrated God’s presence as the Spirit enabled him to be God’s servant in compassionately serving the scattered sheep of Israel (9:36) and those oppressed by Satan (12:17-29). Now the disciples will experience Jesus’ presence in a new way, evidently through the same Spirit that empowered him while he was ministering on earth. Even during the difficult times of dispute and discipline, they may be assured that Jesus’ presence and authority will guide and confirm their decisions (18:18-20). This presence is permanent, lasting until “the end of the age.” This expression has been used previously (13:39-40, 49; 24:3) and clearly refers to the time of eschatological judgment at the conclusion of the present order. Because the end of the age is in view, it seems clear that this commission is not merely for the original disciples but also for the disciples of the disciples of the disciples, in perpetuity until Jesus returns. All during this time there will never be a day when Jesus will not be present with his disciples as they are busy about the business of the Kingdom.

COMMENTARY [Text]

According to Luke and John, Jesus appeared to the disciples in Jerusalem after his resurrection (Luke 24:13-53; John 20:19–21:23; Acts 1:1-11). Then he met them in their native Galilee to charge them with a mission that would endure throughout the age. They worshiped him when they met him there, although some still doubted (cf. 14:31). The remedy for this doubt would be found in the disciples’ growing realization of Jesus’ power and presence, truths which bracket the responsibilities of the mission mandate.

One is immediately struck by the repetition of the word “all” in this passage:

1. Jesus has been given all authority (28:18).

2. Disciples are to be made of all nations (28:19).

3. Disciples are to obey all that Jesus commanded (28:20).

4. Jesus will be with the disciples always (lit. “all the days”; 28:20).

The universality of Jesus’ power and perpetuity of his presence provide the dynamic for the universal discipleship mandate. The disciples will be able to disciple all the nations only as they recognize that Jesus has been given all authority and that he will be with them all the days until the end. The universal task is daunting, but it can be done because of the continuing power and presence of Jesus.

Matthew’s story of Jesus concludes with a short chapter that describes the resurrection of Jesus (28:1-10), the cover-up perpetuated by the religious leaders (28:11-15), and the mandate of Jesus for discipling all the nations (28:16-20). The chapter covers the resurrection and postresurrection appearances rather concisely, stressing the religious leaders’ opposition to the resurrection, and stressing the mission mandate of the exalted Messiah. Both of these themes, the former negative and the latter positive, are by now familiar to the attentive reader of Matthew.

There may be no better way to summarize the theology of Matthew than by following up on the themes found in the Great Commission. The setting of the commission finds the restored disciples worshiping Jesus, but not wholeheartedly. Throughout his Gospel, Matthew has presented the weaknesses of the disciples, but all the same, Jesus still promised to build his church on their foundational ministries. God’s power can overcome their infirmities.

The commission itself is based in Christology, as Jesus describes his kingly authority in terms taken from Daniel 7:13ff. Here is Matthew’s theology of the Kingdom in a nutshell. This Kingdom has both realized and unrealized elements, and the disciples are to long for and pray for its full manifestation on earth. The commission is concerned with making true disciples who obey Jesus—their Lord—not just casual hangers-on who may listen to his message without doing it. And these disciples are to be made not only from Israel, but from all the nations, where eager converts, reminiscent of the Roman officer and the Canaanite woman, will be found.

This universal mission also has cosmic implications. When people from all nations are discipled, a new humanity begins to be formed. Thus, obedience to the mission mandate turns out to fulfill (as a byproduct) the original creation mandate that God gave to humanity’s first parents in the Garden of Eden.

As the disciples take Jesus’ message to all nations and make disciples of them, they will experience the faithful Immanuel-presence of Jesus. Through the Spirit, Jesus will tell them what to say when they are under duress from outsiders, and he will be in their midst when they ask for wisdom in dealing with internal problems.

This presence of Jesus will end only when the age ends at his return. At that time the disciples’ enemies will be judged and their sacrificial service rewarded. This will lead to nothing less than a regeneration of the world, and obedience to Jesus the exalted Messiah will no longer be merely partial. God’s “will” will finally be done on earth as it is in heaven. Soli Deo Gloria!