Matthew 28:18-20

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."
ESV Matthew 28:18-20

Focused. That may be the best word to describe the Gospel of Matthew. It opens with an announcement of the virgin birth. Verse 21 of the first chapter announces that a child would be born and he would be called Jesus because “he will save his people from their sins.” And down just two verses, Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah, alerting us to Jesus’ true and divine nature; “they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).”

So Matthew begins with a focus on the much anticipated arrival of Jesus and ends in chapter 28 with a promise from Jesus; “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Isn’t this great news? Jesus, who was born of a virgin, hunted by kings, despised by many, and tempted by Satan himself, lived a perfectly righteous life, endured persecution for our sake, and finally conquered even death itself. This same Jesus promises that he will be with us from now on!

Jesus says a lot in these few verses in Matthew in addition to his promise to be with us always. He begins by telling the disciples that “all authority in heaven and earth” is his. Now, isn’t it encouraging knowing that Jesus, who conquered even death, now has all authority? As Christians, we don’t celebrate and worship a powerless Savior. We celebrate and worship a conquering King; the Righteous One.

We find, sandwiched between this fact and his promise, that Jesus gives specific instructions for Christian living and witness. He told the disciples to go and make disciples (followers); to baptize in the name of the Father (Creator), Son (Savior), and Holy Spirit (Helper); and to teach all that he had commanded them while they were with him to all nations. In essence, Jesus gives marching orders to his church in these verses. These are standing orders, known as The Great Commission, and are applicable to us even today.

With that in mind, and thinking back over the last several articles, my prayer for you this week is this: May you be like Habakkuk, conscious of unrighteousness in our community and moved to pray that God would intercede. Like Paul, may your spirit be provoked when you see people worshipping all manner of created things instead of the Creator. Like Stephen, may you be bold in your witness and empowered to share the truth against all opposition; even unto death. Finally, may God grant you the wisdom, strength and desire to prove yourself a neighbor.

Thinking back over the articles dealing with neighbors these last several weeks, can you think of a better way to prove yourself as a neighbor than by following through on our marching orders? “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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church where he teaches an adult Sunday School class. Comments on his column may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.