Jesus’ commands

Let’s think of the meaning of Jesus’ words, while looking at the parallel passage in Matthew 28:16-20. The set of Jesus’ commands written here is commonly known as the “Great Commission.” (1) The basis of the Great Commission is that all authority has been given to the Son of God, Jesus, who has been resurrected. Jesus is in a position to send out disciples with authority. (2) The goal of the Great Commission is to “make disciples of all nations.” As for the methods of making disciples, three specific instructions are given: (1) First, the command is to “go.” To make disciples of people, one must go out and proclaim the gospel to them. This is evangelism. (2) Next is to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What this means is to be baptized in the name of the triune God. Until then, there were various baptisms, including the baptism of John. To distinguish Christian baptism, it is administered in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (3) The third method is to teach people to observe all that Jesus has commanded. The disciples were instructed to pass on what they had directly learned from Jesus to others. This naturally includes the teachings of the Old Testament.

The signs that accompany the believers

There are several “signs” written in verses 17-18, which we can see their fulfillment in the Book of Acts (the drinking of deadly poison without harm, however, is not mentioned anywhere). (1) The sign of “casting out demons” is seen in Acts 19:12. (2) Speak with “new tongues” can be seen in Acts 2:4, 10:46, 19:6. (3) “Picking up serpents” is found in Acts 28:3-6. (4) The sign of “healing the sick by touching them” is observed in Acts 19:12, 28:8. Jesus is with us always, to the end of the age. All that Jesus commanded will surely be fulfilled. Today, let’s continue receiving the authority of Christ and keep walking with courage as disciples of Jesus.