A Day in the Life of Jesus
There are moments in the Gospels where time seems to slow, where every word carries a weight that presses gently yet firmly upon the soul. Matthew 28:16–20 is one of those moments. I imagine the scene often: the disciples walking toward the mountain in Galilee, carrying grief, relief, confusion, and hope all at once. They worshiped Jesus when they saw Him, yet Matthew is honest enough to tell us that “some doubted.” That small phrase matters more than we often admit. Jesus entrusted the future of His mission not to flawless faith, but to worshiping, wavering disciples. As I walk through this passage, I am reminded that discipleship does not begin with certainty; it begins with obedience in the presence of Christ.
Jesus opens His commission not with instruction but with declaration: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The Greek word exousia speaks of rightful power, not borrowed influence. His command to go is grounded in who He is, not in who we are. That changes everything. We are not sent because we are capable, articulate, or spiritually accomplished; we are sent because Jesus reigns. As commentator R.T. France notes, this authority “links the mission of the church directly to the cosmic sovereignty of the risen Christ.” When I remember this, the Great Commission no longer feels like an overwhelming burden but a delegated trust. The weight rests on His authority, not my competence.
Jesus then commands, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” The verb “go” (poreuthentes) carries the sense of movement, of life in motion. This is not merely about crossing oceans, though for some it will be. It is about refusing to live a stationary faith. Disciples are formed as we preach, baptize, and teach—actions that require proximity, patience, and perseverance. Baptism, Jesus says, is into the singular name (onoma) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Here the Trinity is not a doctrine argued but a reality lived. The Father who sends, the Son who saves, and the Holy Spirit who sustains are inseparably involved in the making of disciples. We invite others not merely into belief, but into relationship with the Triune God.
What steadies my heart most in this passage is how Jesus ends: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The Emmanuel promise from the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel now comes full circle. Jesus does not send us out alone. The presence of Christ accompanies the obedience of His people. David Guzik writes that this promise “is not a reward for the obedient; it is the equipment for obedience.” That distinction matters. We do not earn His presence by going; we go because His presence is already promised. In the quiet moments of doubt, in conversations that feel awkward, in acts of service that seem unnoticed, Christ remains near.
As I reflect on this “day” in the life of Jesus, I am struck by how He entrusts ordinary people with an extraordinary mission. He does not outline strategies or timelines. He offers authority, clarity of purpose, and abiding presence. The Great Commission is not a task to be completed as much as a life to be lived. It shapes how I speak, how I listen, how I love. Whether next door or across the world, I am invited to participate in what God is already doing. And in that participation, I discover again that Jesus is not only the One who sends—but the One who stays.
May you walk today with the confidence that Christ’s authority stands behind you, His Spirit works within you, and His presence surrounds you as you follow Him in faithful obedience.
For further reflection on the Great Commission and discipleship, see this related article from The Gospel Coalition:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-the-great-commission-still-matters/
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