The great commission
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Read Matthew 28 v 16 to 20 |
The disciples here obeyed the command of the angels in Mark chapter 16 verse 7.
Matthew 28 v 17 When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted.
We see that "some doubted". Different people took different lengths of time to be convinced by the evidence, particularly when it followed the traumatic events which they had just been through.
Matthew 28 v 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Look at these references and see how they support the statement that Jesus made here - showing that the power and the authority over all things given by God to Jesus is central to God's plan:
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Matthew 28 v. 18 |
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John
3 v 35; 5 v 22 to 27; |
Matthew 28 v 19 and 20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;… "
Having both given his apostles the authority to forgive sins, and established his own authority, Jesus then gave them his authority to preach and show people God’s plan. He also encouraged them by telling them that he would always help them in this work.
If you have a Bible with cross-references, have a look at some of the cross-references from verses 19 and 20 to see how the first-century church carried out Jesus’ commands.
Matthew 28 v 20 " …I am with you always, even to the end of the world…"
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The references will show you that God’s promise to "be with" people occurs all through the Bible. Here we meet the same comforting promise from Jesus: |
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I am with you |
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Genesis
39 v 2, 3, 21; |
