“All Authority has been Given to Me!”

“And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV).

As sad as Chapter 27 is, Chapter 28 is glorious. The story of the payment for sin didn’t end with the death of the sinless Lamb of God. Still, we see the angels saying on the morning of the third day (our Sunday), “But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.’” (Matt. 28:5-6).

I don’t think I can ever understand the emotions that those brave women felt when they heard these words. Here they were coming to the grave of Jesus, whom they saw die on the cross just three days ago. No one can get over the loss of a loved one in three days. We can barely process the loss and devastation that has happened to us in that amount of time. However, out of love for Jesus, these women were doing what they were supposed to do: take care of His precious body. They had to be overwhelmed with grief, barely being able to put one foot in front of the other. Can you imagine how long that walk had to have been for them, each step taking them closer to the reality that Jesus was really dead? Then, out of nowhere, when they approached the tomb, they were addressed by an angel of the Lord who appeared like a light shining as white as snow. They had to be dumbfounded. How could they process all that was happening? Could they actually rejoice at this news?

At first, I’m sure they had to slow down their hearts and play back those words in their heads, “He is not here, for he has risen. What did that even mean? There was no way they could have understood how those words would change the world. What a message these women had to bring back to the disciples, “Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” All the way back to Jerusalem, they had to be talking among themselves if this really happened. But where else could Jesus be? They had looked into the tomb for themselves, and He was not there. What could all of this mean? Once the Apostles heard the women’s report of Jesus’ resurrection, they left to meet Jesus on the mountain. I’m sure they had many questions of their own, especially Peter, who only a couple of days ago denied he even knew his Savior.

Having traveled with Jesus for three years, having seen all of the miracles He performed, and having listened to Him discuss His coming kingdom, I know the Apostles understood Jesus' deity and that He was indeed the Son of the living God. Yet, they still saw Him die; their hearts had to burn inside of them. Then we see that Jesus did exactly what was told to the women.

In verse 18, we read, “And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” Their heads must have been swirling with all of these events. They had seen Jesus raise others from the dead, but now here He is in person, speaking directly to them. Whatever His first words were, they had to be important, and they were. Jesus was declaring, as clearly as humanly possible, that He had received ALL AUTHORITY over everything. He was telling them exactly what He wanted them, and everyone who puts their faith in Him, to do. “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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So here we have it, Chapter 28 started with Jesus having risen from the tomb and now commanding His followers with “All Authority” to make other disciples, which are then to make other disciples, and every one of them will have Jesus, the One with All Authority over heaven and earth, with them each step of the way. What a fitting way to end Matthew’s gospel.

This Jesus, who was dead, is now alive. Take Him with you as you make disciples for our living Savior. Remember that we are not going in our own authority, but in the authority of the one who has All Authority in heaven and earth. Make disciples and preach the resurrected Jesus; it’s this message that changes lives.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"