First Impressions
What Jesus said right before he left the building
Right before Jesus left the earth, he said something that should stop us in our tracks every time we read it. 'All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.' Then, almost in the same breath: 'Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.'
Think about that order for a second. Jesus doesn't say 'go' first and 'authority' second. He leads with authority. Before he sends anyone anywhere, he wants them to know exactly who's backing the mission. This isn't a pep talk from a guy hoping things work out. This is a king handing out assignments after he's already won the war.
And here's what stands out reading it fresh: Jesus doesn't send his closest friends out because they finally had it all figured out. Just two verses earlier, Matthew tells us some of them still doubted, even after seeing the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes. He commissions them anyway. He doesn't wait for perfect faith. He sends imperfect people carrying his perfect authority.
'Make disciples of all nations' is a bigger statement than it sounds. For a group of Jewish fishermen and tax collectors, 'all nations' was a stretch. Their whole world had been organized around being God's chosen people, set apart from everybody else. Now Jesus tells them the message is for literally everyone — every culture, every language, every corner of the map. And then he adds the how: baptizing them, teaching them to obey everything he commanded. Not just informing people about Jesus. Actually walking with them long enough that their lives start to look like his.
This is the passage a lot of churches keep coming back to because it's not just a nice verse — it's the actual job description Jesus left behind. And it raises an honest question worth sitting with this week: if Jesus handed you this same authority and the same assignment, what would change about your ordinary Tuesday? You don't need a stage or a title to take this seriously. You just need to actually believe he meant it when he said 'all authority.' That's where this week starts.
Sit with this
- 1When you hear Jesus say 'go and make disciples,' does it feel more like a weight you're carrying or an invitation you get to say yes to? Why?
Journal prompt
Write about one relationship in your life right now — a neighbor, coworker, or family member — where you could actually put 'go and make disciples' into practice this week. What would that look like in a totally ordinary, un-preachy way?