#1330 Matthew 28 Part 3 The Great Commission

 

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 16-20 ESV

Matthew 28: 16-20 The Great Commission

The eleven disciples went to Galilee - Judas was the twelfth, and he has not yet been replaced. 

When they saw Him they worshiped Him - Jesus receives and can receive worship for one sole reason, and that is because He is God the Son, the eternally begotten of the Father. So for you who are Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons or Muslims, the Jesus you refer to that is only a man, only a prophet, or an angelic being, that is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Bible is clear in that we do not worship idols, men, animals, nature, or angels, for all those are beneath God, they are created things, called into being, not the eternal Being. We will dive deep into the doctrine of the "Trinity" when we get to John, but here are some verses till then.

…24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. 26For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.… Romans 1: 24-26

…8And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” 10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.… Revelation 22: 8-10

…9“All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.” 10“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” 11Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.… Matthew 4: 9-11

…17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind. 19He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.… Colossians 2: 17-19

But some doubted - This is one of the great things about the gospels, they don't lose the character of the individual, Matthew covers what he intends to cover, and it is in the other gospels that we find it was Thomas who doubted most, but Jesus alleviates him and others of this doubt. The gospels are not copy and paste; they are very sincere and authentic. 

…26Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”… John 20: 26-28

“When they recognized him, it was natural that they worshipped him, but the whole experience was so mysterious and overwhelming that some doubted…The verb distazo does not denote a settled unbelief, but a state of uncertainty and hesitation.” (France)

ii. “Dunn sees Matthew’s mention of this doubt as ‘a genuine historical echo’ – those who were there would never have forgotten the conflicting emotions and beliefs in that unique experience.” (France)

iii. The fact that some of the disciples doubted argues against the theory that their seeing Jesus was simply a hallucination born of a desperate desire to see Him.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me - This is because of His position as the Son, and also because of the price that He paid to take back, reclaim that which was lost. He said on the cross, "It is finished", the debt was paid, the books were balanced, those whom the Father called were purchased. God has made it abundantly clear that there is no way around Jesus, He is the only way.

…21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes. 22Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, 23so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.… John 5: 21-23

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations - The beginning of Jesus ministry started with Him being baptized by John the Baptist, not John the Presbyterian, and acquiring disciples for the purpose of teaching them. Of all the disciples, there was yet a smaller group of apostles, pillars of the church. Jesus models for them what they are to do as shepherds, which is to teach others about Jesus, going through all of Scripture, declaring to men first that there is a God, that there is a breach between men and God called sin, and that God has provided a bridge between men and God, this man called Jesus, the Son of God. Without Christ it is impossible to please God, the void is too vast, beyond time and space, an ocean one has no means to see across. This command here, what we call "The Great Commission", is not just to the disciples of old, and it is not just to those who would go abroad on the mission field. It is first to those in your house, and to them you make known Who you believe in, you teach your children about God, about sin, about God's holiness and just wrath, we study and learn the scriptures from whence comes our faith, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We go and take our family to church, to meet with other believers, as He has also commanded this as a means of grace. We make sure we are at a church where the Bible is believed and taught, that the doctrine is sound, that we listen as the word is exposited. Remember, He has already appealed to authority here, it is His, so His word is not a suggestion, these are commands, He is Lord.

…10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! 12And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”… Luke 2: 10-12

…9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.… Philippians 2: 9-11

14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.” 15But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.… 1 Peter 3: 14-16

Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit - This is the Triune formula. 

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” 23Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,… Luke 3: 21-23

…25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’ 26When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father— the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father— He will testify about Me. 27And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.… John 15: 25-27