Matthew 28:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

NIV: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

NASB: And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

CSB: Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

NLT: Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

KJV: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

NKJV: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Jesus is appearing to His remaining disciples, who number eleven now that Judas is gone. They have come together on an unnamed mountain in the region of Galilee in the northern part of Israel, away from Jerusalem (Matthew 28:16–17). Jesus tells them what He has often talked about in their presence before His death and resurrection: absolute authority has been given to Him by God the Father. In other words, the source of all power has given all His authority to His Son Jesus.

Here's what Jesus said in Matthew 11:27, long before His death and resurrection: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Jesus, the Son, has chosen to reveal the Father to His eleven disciples standing before Him. He will now give them the authority—and the responsibility—to represent Him and His salvation to the world. This verse and the two to follow at the end of Matthew's gospel are often called together "The Great Commission."

Matthew 28:16–20 describes Jesus' commissioning the eleven remaining disciples on a mountain in Galilee. He had given them a message to meet Him there. Now He appears and commands them to make disciples from the people of all nations on the earth. He calls on them to baptize these disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They must also teach these new believers to obey everything Jesus has commanded them to do. Matthew ends his book with Jesus' promise to always be with those who believe in Him.

An angel of the Lord descends from heaven and rolls the stone from Jesus' tomb. The guards faint. The angel sits on top of the stone and waits. Two women, followers of Jesus, arrive and are told that Jesus is risen from the dead. Jesus then meets them and tells them to give the news to His brothers. The chief priests bribe the guards to say Jesus' followers stole His body. Jesus meets the disciples on a mountain in Galilee and commissions them to make disciples of people from all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey Jesus' commands. Jesus promises to be with them always.

Matthew 28 follows the dark events of the crucifixion in the previous chapter and brings Matthew's story of Jesus to a close. An angel descends from heaven and rolls back the stone. The guards faint. The angel tells two women Jesus is risen and then Jesus meets them. The Jewish religious leaders bribe the guards to lie and distribute a story that His followers took the body. Jesus meets His disciples in Galilee and commissions them to make disciples of people from all nations on earth, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all of Jesus' commands.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 7/27/2024 5:30:20 AM