Based on Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:48, John 21:21, Acts 1:8
A Personal Beginning
I had been a church kid my entire life, yet at fifteen I discovered I didn’t actually know God. That year I experienced a life-changing moment when a youth leader explained how I could have a personal relationship with Jesus. A simple conversation on a September day in 1981 transformed everything—I went from knowing about God to actually knowing Him. I had been raised to go to church, pray at meals and bedtime, and had attended catechism classes at Catholic prep school, but I didn’t know God personally.
When someone finally explained the Good News to me, it ignited an insatiable desire to grow spiritually and share this transforming message with others. I couldn’t help but tell my friends, classmates, relatives, and even the priests who were my teachers at school. Looking back, I see how God was already preparing my heart for a lifetime of ministry—showing me firsthand that the Great Commission isn’t theory but the natural overflow of a transformed life.
With all my imperfections and bumps and bruises, I see my transformation that began in adolescence as an illustration of what 1 John 2:6 teaches: “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” My story is just one example of a much bigger truth. When we step back and look at Jesus’ life, we see that He intentionally modeled a pattern for all His followers—a strategy designed not just for salvation and personal growth, but for a world-changing movement.
Jesus’ Intentional Pattern
When we study Jesus’ life chronologically in the Gospels, we discover an intentional pattern in His walk and ministry—a strategic approach to creating a movement. This wasn’t accidental; there’s a deliberate way He taught His first followers to live the life He calls us to live today.
In fact, Jesus gave His followers this mission summary five separate times recorded in the New Testament. It appears in Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:48, John 21:21, and Acts 1:8. This was one of His recurring teachings during His three-and-a-half years of ministry, emphasizing its critical importance. We can suspect that it’s recurring placement in the scriptures is an indication that it was shared and taught often with His disciples.
Most of us know a lot about what we should do—we know we should exercise, eat well, get enough sleep, and not worry. But knowing and living are two very different things. Nowhere is this tension between knowing and living clearer than in the Great Commission itself. Let’s step into the scene in Matthew 28 and watch how Jesus frames this mission.
The Great Commission Scene
In Matthew 28:16-20, we find Jesus with His eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee—likely Mount Arbel at the southwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. This location choice wasn’t accidental. Standing on Mount Arbel, the disciples could see the ancient crossroads of the world: Europe to the north, Asia to the east, Africa to the south, and the Mediterranean to the west.
Picture this moment: as Jesus spoke these world-changing words, His followers could literally look out in each direction and envision the mission fields they would eventually enter. History confirms they did exactly that—spreading the Gospel north into Europe, east into Asia, south into Africa, and west across the Mediterranean. The geographical setting itself reinforced the global scope of their calling.
The text tells us they worshiped Him when they saw the risen Christ—this seems a natural response to witnessing someone who was dead now alive. But then Matthew includes a fascinating detail: “some doubted.”
This isn’t surprising, considering other post-resurrection accounts where His disciples didn’t immediately recognize Him, like on the Emmaus road in Luke 24 or with those fishing in John 21.
What’s remarkable is that in Matthew’s account he includes this reference to doubt without any specific resolution. As Tim Keller observes,
“Here is the author of an early Christian document telling us that some of the founders of Christianity couldn’t believe the miracle of the resurrection, even when they were looking straight at him with their eyes and touching him with their hands. There is no other reason for this to be in the account unless it really happened.”
I believe Matthew includes this detail because he has a pastor’s heart and wants us to take courage in our own struggle between worship and doubt. If we’re honest, most of us drift between worship and doubt at times. The Great Commission wasn’t handed to spiritual giants—it was given to ordinary, devoted but failure-prone followers. Just like us. Our Savior doesn’t “break the bruised reed”; He embraces us and wants to work through us despite our doubts, fears, and flaws.
So how can a mission this big rest on people this fragile? The answer comes in Jesus’ next words—words that ground the mission not in our strength, but in His authority.
The Foundation: All Authority
Then Jesus declares: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This isn’t just a bold claim—it’s the foundation of everything that follows. As Philippians 2:9 states, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” Jesus has authority over death and hell; He is the anointed High Priest – the ultimate mediator between God and humanity who alone can forgive sin; He is the Savior who alone can give eternal life.
But notice—Jesus doesn’t claim authority in isolation. His authority flows out of the eternal plan of the Triune God, where Father, Son, and Spirit move together in mission.
The Trinitarian Mission
What we see here is the beautiful unfolding of the Trinity’s eternal plan. The Father has given all authority to the Son (Matthew 28:18), the Son commands the mission (Matthew 28:19-20), and the Holy Spirit empowers its fulfillment (Acts 1:8). This isn’t three separate activities but one divine mission flowing from the triune God’s heart to reconcile the world to Himself. The disciples aren’t just carrying out Jesus’ instructions—they’re participating in the very life and mission of the Trinity.
First John 5:12 puts it simply: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Want life? Have the Son! There’s no life without Him. It’s impossible to think too highly of Jesus—He has full reign of the universe.
But skeptics reasonably ask: “How can Christians believe in Jesus’ authority over heaven and earth when there’s so much evil and chaos in our world?”
N.T. Wright provides insight:
“The claim is not that the world is already completely as Jesus intends it to be. The claim is that he is working to take it from where it was—under the rule of death, corruption, and wickedness—and bring it under the rule of his life-giving love. And how is He doing this? Through us, his followers. The project only goes forward insofar as Jesus’ agents are taking it forward.”
So what does this look like? Jesus gives us one central command: make disciples.
We are His plan—not just church leaders, but children, teens, adults, male, female, rich, poor, educated, uneducated. We are the sent ones called to carry the message forward.
The Heart of the Mission: Making Disciples
In this one primary command of Matthew 28: “make disciples,” the Greek word used is mathētēs (meaning “learner” or “student”). It appears about 260 times in the New Testament and refers to someone devoted to following a great teacher. Mathētēs is essentially synonymous with “Christian,” which appears only a few times in Scripture.
To be a disciple means you follow Jesus—not just in belief, but in lifestyle, taking on His character and priorities. Making disciples, then, means helping others become students and followers of Jesus, developing His character (the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5 – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) and His priorities (loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and loving our neighbor as ourselves Matthew 22).
And this mission to make disciples isn’t new. In fact, it’s the continuation of a promise God made thousands of years earlier to Abraham—that all nations would be blessed through his family.
The Covenant Promise to All Nations
This mission to “all nations” (panta ta ethne) isn’t a New Testament innovation—it’s the fulfillment of God’s ancient covenant promise. When God called Abraham in Genesis 12:3, He declared, “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” The Hebrew mishpachot (peoples/clan-groups) encompasses the same breadth as the Greek ethne—not just political nations, but every people group, tribe, and tongue.
Throughout Scripture, this promise echoes: through Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 26:4, 28:14), in prophetic visions of all nations flowing to God’s holy mountain (Isaiah 2:2-4), and in the Psalms’ declaration that “all the families of the nations will bow down before him” (Psalm 22:27). Paul understood this connection perfectly, writing that “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you'” (Galatians 3:8).
The Great Commission, therefore, isn’t merely a command—it’s the activation of God’s ancient covenant promise, now made possible through Christ’s death and resurrection. We participate in the same mission God initiated with Abraham nearly 4,000 years ago.
Three Strategic Actions
Jesus outlines the process of making disciples through three key actions:
Go
This represents a revolutionary shift. Previously, people came to Jerusalem and the Temple, but now God’s people are told to go everywhere. We’re not called to wait for people to come to church; we go out as the church to them. We are the temple of God – God’s dwelling place – going out. This brings evangelism to the Great Commission—intentionally sharing and living the Good News through relationships of care, love and proclamation of the Good News.
Practical application: This might mean having intentional conversations with neighbors, serving in community organizations, or simply being the very presence of Christ- His representatives in the places where life happens—workplaces, schools, coffee shops, gyms.
“In our increasingly post-Christian culture, this ‘going’ often means being the first authentic Christian many people have encountered. When faith is viewed with suspicion or dismissed as irrelevant, our consistent presence and genuine care become powerful apologetics. The Great Commission doesn’t call us to be culture warriors, but culture servants—people who earn the right to be heard through love in action.”
Baptize
From the Greek baptizo, originally used in the textile industry for dyeing a garment. When you dip a white shirt into blue dye, it becomes blue through and through – completely transformed in color and identity. This illustrates the complete spiritual transformation baptism represents – the initial conversion and beginning of following Jesus, rooting and establishing a person in faith.
I remember Sarah, a professional in our church who had grown up attending services but had never truly surrendered her life to Christ. When she finally made that decision at age 45, the change was remarkable. Her coworkers noticed it first—the way she handled stress differently, spoke about people with more grace, and found joy even in difficult circumstances. “It’s like you became a completely different person,” one colleague told her. That’s the transformation Jesus brings about—like that white shirt being dipped in blue dye.
There’s this mysterious partnership we venture into as we follow Him and allow His Spirit to do the work. We may not appear transformed all the time, but we’re called to envision ourselves as our future glorified selves – the perfected version of ourselves we’ll become in eternity, moving toward that new reality.
Teach
Teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded, passing on His strategy, character, and priorities to “the very end of the age.” This includes equipping them to go, baptize, and teach others, creating a multiplying effect that builds movements.
This is where the magic happens—when new believers become disciple-makers themselves. Theory becomes powerful when we see it lived out. Let me share some snapshots of how this multiplication looks in practice.
The Movement in Action
Here are two examples of how this multiplication works:
From my early ministry: I witnessed this principle with a youth group of about a dozen teens. I equipped those interested in sharing the Gospel and caring for their Christian friends. At one event, a student named Chris brought his friend Casey. When Casey later asked Chris if he was a Christian, Chris nervously shared his testimony and explained how Casey could start following Jesus. That night, Casey accepted Christ. Within weeks, Casey said, “I want to do for someone else what Chris did for me,” and he shared the Good News with his friend Brian, who then shared it with his sister Erin. In just a few months time, we had five generations of Christians sharing and following Jesus.
From Costa Rica: Mark and Karen Edwards started investing in youth at one local church thirty years ago. Today, their faithful disciple-making has spread to thousands of churches across 16 countries, with nearly 100 Costa Ricans sent out around Latin America, the Middle East, and Spain. It started with ordinary people committed to walking as Jesus walked.
From urban America: I know a businessman in Chicago who started meeting weekly with a few young professionals for Bible study and discipleship. Today, that simple beginning has multiplied into a network of small groups reaching hundreds of people across multiple communities. Each person reached and responsive becomes someone who reaches others.
The Covenantal Promise
Jesus concludes with: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The word “surely” literally means “look”—it’s a second command in the passage meaning “to pay attention.” The format of Matthew 28 follows an ancient covenantal agreement – God’s binding promise and relationship with His people: a preamble (“All authority is given to me”), a stipulation (“Go, baptize, teach all nations”), and a promise (“I am with you always”).
And this covenantal promise is not just about a task; it comes with God’s own presence. That’s why Jesus ends with the assurance, ‘I am with you always.’ His presence is the heartbeat of the covenant.
The Trinitarian Presence
This promise of presence completes the Trinitarian framework of the Great Commission. Just as the Father’s authority flows through the Son’s command, the Spirit’s presence empowers the mission. In John 14:16-17, Jesus promised another Advocate who would be with us forever—the Spirit of truth. In Acts 1:8, He specifically connects the Spirit’s power to the mission: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.”
The presence promised in Matthew 28:20 isn’t merely Jesus’ companionship—it’s the indwelling presence of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, working in and through us to accomplish what only God can do. We don’t make disciples in our own strength; we participate in the ongoing work of the Trinity to draw all nations to Himself.
To understand the power of this promise, we need to grasp what “covenantal” means. A covenant in biblical terms isn’t simply a contract or agreement—it’s much deeper. This is what Walter Brueggemann calls “persons bound not only to God but to one another in a caring, sharing community”—a relationship that transforms how we live together.Here’s the key insight: The presence of God is covenantal. He is with us as we go, baptize, and teach, and because we go, baptize, and teach. We can’t invert this biblical order by waiting for His presence before we go. It’s the going church that enjoys the presence of God. So what does this look like in our everyday lives? How do we actually walk in the way of Jesus with this promise sustaining us?
Walking Forward in the Way of Jesus
Bottom Line: The Great Commission isn’t for spiritual elites—it’s for ordinary people willing to walk as Jesus walked, confident in His authority and sustained by the presence of the Spirit, making disciples who make disciples until He returns.
But here’s a truth we often miss: We’re all disciples of something and making disciples of something. Every day, we’re either becoming more like Jesus or more like something else. And every conversation, every social media post, every decision influences others toward some version of life.
The question isn’t whether we’re discipling others—we are. The question is: disciples of what? A parent who constantly complains about work is discipling their children in cynicism. A leader who prioritizes profits over people is making disciples of that value system. A friend who responds to every challenge with vocal worry is teaching others that anxiety is the natural response to difficulty.
Are we making disciples of consumerism, cynicism, or comfort? Or are we making disciples of Jesus?
Consider your spheres of influence: your family learning about priorities from your life, your workplace observing the character and values you model, your neighborhood experiencing whether your presence brings hope, your online community seeing what version of life you promote.
This is especially crucial today when many workplaces discourage religious expression and our neighbors may have negative associations with Christianity from media portrayals or past church experiences. The Great Commission doesn’t require us to just preach sermons in hostile environments—it calls us to live such transformed lives that people ask questions about the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15).
Jesus has given each of us a personal “nation”—a distinct group of people we’re uniquely positioned to reach. When you walk into any room as a Christian, hope enters that room because the hope of Christ resides in you.
The college student who shared Jesus with me in 1981 probably had no idea that conversation would eventually lead to my decades of vocational ministry. But that’s how movements work—one conversation, one relationship, one act of obedience at a time. Just as that September day in 1981 transformed everything for me, God wants to use your transformed life to transform others.
Remember:
- You don’t have to be perfect to be used by God
- The presence of Jesus & the Spirit comes as we go, not before we go
- Making disciples is about relationship, not programs
- Every Christian is called to this mission
- Small beginnings can lead to global movements
The question isn’t whether you’re qualified. The question is whether you’re willing to walk in the way of Jesus and invite others to join you on the journey—starting today, in the ordinary places where God has positioned you to make disciples who make disciples until He returns.
“Who might be your Casey?” consider: “Who has God already placed in your path this week—your own ‘Casey’ waiting for someone to share the hope that transformed your life?”
Bibliography
- The Holy Bible, New International Version. Colorado Springs: Biblica, 2011.
- All Scripture references from Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:48, John 21:21, Acts 1:8, 1 John 2:6, 1 John 5:12, Philippians 2:9, Galatians 5:22-23, Genesis 12:3, 26:4, 28:14, Isaiah 2:2-4, Psalm 22:27, Galatians 3:8, John 14:16-17, 1 Peter 3:15.
- Brueggemann, Walter. The Covenanted Self: Explorations in Law and Covenant. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999.
- Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. New York: Dutton, 2008.
- Wright, N.T. Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters. New York: HarperOne, 2011.
- Wright, N.T. For All God’s Worth: True Worship and the Calling of the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.
- Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009. [For Greek word studies: mathētēs, baptizo, ethne]
- Vine, W.E. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996.
- Kittel, Gerhard, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. 10 vols. Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-1976.
- Pixner, Bargil. With Jesus Through Galilee According to the Fifth Gospel. Rosh Pina: Corazin Publishing, 1992. [For Mount Arbel location reference]
- Jesus Holy Land Study Tour Guide, Steve Hudson [For Mount Arbel location reference]
