Matthew 28:19-20
Matthew 28:19-20 is the Great Commission: the risen Jesus tells his disciples to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to keep all he commanded. He ends with a promise: I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20 · KJV
Matthew 28:19-20 in context
16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:16-20, King James Version.
What Matthew 28:19-20 means
The commission rests on the verse just before it. Jesus first says, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). The word therefore in verse 19 ties the sending to that authority. The disciples are not going out on their own say-so.
There is one main task and three parts to it. Go, and teach all nations, which many modern translations render as make disciples of all nations, since the Greek word is the verb form of disciple. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And teach them to observe all things Jesus commanded, so that following him is learned and lived, not only heard.
All nations is a wide turn. During his ministry Jesus had sent the twelve only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6). Now the circle opens to every people. Most Christian traditions baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, though churches differ on the method, timing and meaning of baptism.
The promise at the end bookends Matthew's Gospel. In the first chapter Jesus is called Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matthew 1:23). In the last verse he says, lo, I am with you alway. The book opens and closes on God's presence with his people.
Background and context
Before: Matthew 28:1-18. Early on the first day of the week the women find the tomb empty, and an angel tells them Jesus is risen and is going before them into Galilee. Jesus meets them and repeats the message. The chief priests pay the soldiers to say the disciples stole the body by night. Then the eleven disciples go to a mountain in Galilee where Jesus had appointed them. When they see him they worship him, but some doubted. Jesus comes and says that all power is given to him in heaven and in earth.
After: Verse 20 is the last verse of Matthew's Gospel. The story continues in Acts 1, where Jesus tells the apostles they will be his witnesses to the uttermost part of the earth and is then taken up into heaven.
Jesus had promised this meeting before his death: after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee (Matthew 26:32).
Key verses
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
Matthew 28:16 · KJV
And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
Matthew 28:17 · KJV
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Matthew 28:18 · KJV
Cross references
- Mark 16:15 Mark's account: go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
- Luke 24:47 Repentance and remission of sins preached among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
- Acts 1:8 Witnesses in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth.But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
- Matthew 1:23 Emmanuel, God with us, the promise the Gospel opens with.Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
- Matthew 10:5-6 Earlier the twelve were sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- Matthew 4:19 The first call: follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
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Common questions
What does Matthew 28:19-20 mean?
It is Jesus sending his followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey his commands. It rests on his authority over heaven and earth and ends with his promise to be with them always.
Why is it called the Great Commission?
A commission is a charge given with authority. Christians have long called this one great because it is the last charge Jesus gives in Matthew and it reaches to all nations. The name is a later label; the Bible itself does not use it.
Who wrote Matthew 28:19-20?
The Gospel does not name its author. It has traditionally been attributed to Matthew, the tax collector Jesus called to follow him (Matthew 9:9). The words are spoken by the risen Jesus.
Who was the Great Commission given to?
To the eleven disciples, who met Jesus on a mountain in Galilee after his resurrection. Christians have generally understood it to apply to the whole church after them, since it reaches to the end of the world.
What does teach all nations mean in the KJV?
The Greek verb means to make disciples, so many modern translations read make disciples of all nations. It is more than passing on information; it means bringing people to follow Jesus.
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