"And Jesus came to them and spoke to them saying, All authority in heaven
and on the earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of
all the nations, immersing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
and behold I am with you all the days, till the end of the world." (Mat. 28:18-20)
These verses record a conservation that Jesus had with his eleven apostles
after his crucifixion and resurrection. (v. 16) Now, as the risen Lord he
commissions them to take the good news to all creation.
Jesus has "all authority." He has the right to give orders, to enforce
obedience, and to give people the right to act in his name. Neither the pope
of Rome nor any other human being can claim to have "all authority." The
authority Jesus possesses was delegated to him by God the Father. Paul
said, "He put all things under his feet." (Eph.1:22) "Under his feet" is an
idiom. It is equivalent to saying he is over all things. If all things are "under
his feet," they are subordinate to him. His authority is indicative of the fact
that scripture says he is "at the right hand of God." This phrase is another
idiom and indicates a place of rulership and privilege. An array of scriptures
speaks of Jesus being at the right hand of God. (Acts 2:33, 34; Acts 7:55-56;
Eph. 1:20; Heb. 1:3; 1 Pet. 3:22) God the Father is not subject to the rule
of Christ, for it is he who put all things under him. (1 Cor. 15:27) Jesus must
reign till he has put all his enemies under his feet. "The last enemy to be
destroyed is death." (1 Cor. 15:26)
Jesus has been given authority "in heaven and on the earth." By
this we learn the authority he exercises is universal. It is unlimited as to extent
and place. Paul said, he is "far above all rule and authority and power and
dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also
in that which is to come." (Eph. 1:21) Peter wrote that he "has gone into
heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers
having been subjected to him." (1 Pet. 3:22) "In heaven and on the earth"
is a way of saying he is over angels as well as human beings! The writer of
Hebrews says, "Let all God's angels worship him." (Heb. 1:6) Again, "He
has become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more
excellent than theirs." (Heb. 1:4)
Jesus' universal authority is the basis on which he ordered the apostles to,
"Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations." A person cannot
be a follower of Christ and live in a self-made bottle. There is a world that
needs saving. The apostles were not to wait for the world to beat a path to
their door. They were to go and make learners of all the nations. They were
to do so without any kind of partiality or favoritism. It is not the color a
person's skin but the condition of the heart that determines whether he is a
worthy recipient of the gospel. The apostles were to preach the word and
God would give the increase. (1 Cor. 3:7)
People would become disciples by "immersing them into the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The phrase "immersing
them into the name" is rich in meaning. The verb "immersing" identifies the act
that serves as the point of transition. The preposition "into" shows that it is
not "in the name" or by the authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," but
it is "into" their name. This phrase "into the name" is found in the papyri
sources and it means "into the account of" or "into the possession of." Those
who are immersed into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit become
the possession of the deity. They enter union with the supreme three and as
the result they become God's people. The people of Samaria were "immersed
into the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 8:16) The men of Ephesus "were
immersed into the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 19:5) The believers in
Corinth had also been immersed into the name of Christ. (1 Cor. 1:13-16)
One is "immersed into Christ Jesus" and "into his death." (Rom. 6:3-4;
Gal. 3:27) A person is also immersed "into one body" (1 Cor. 12:13)
Indeed, the New Testament teaches immersion is essential to fellowship
with God, to becoming a child of God, to entering the one body of Christ,
and to salvation from sin.
The Lord told the apostles they were to be "teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you." The new converts were to be
nourished by the ongoing teaching and example of the apostles of Christ.
The apostles were guided by the Holy Spirit (Jno. 16:13) and they were
to guide the early disciples in God's truth. The early believers understood
this and they "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. (Acts 2:42)
The Lord taught the apostles about prayer, the Lord's Supper, the nature
of God, true worship, loving one another, and many other things. Let us
remember : every generation must be taught all the truth all over again!
The apostles could receive no greater encouragement than to hear their
Lord say, "Behold I am with you all the days, till the end of the world."
It is reassuring to know that no matter how dark the night gets, how long the
day grows, or how numerous the trials of life are, the Lord is with his people
as they travel the road we call life. (2 Tim. 4:16-18) God is so good.
RD
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