TO CHEW ON: "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...'" Matthew 28:18-19a
When Jesus declared "'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth'" He was tapping into and adding onto a rich vein of truth that runs through the Bible.
- Daniel had had a vision of this authority years earlier - Daniel 7:13-14.
- Mary, Jesus' mother, heard about it from the angel - Luke 1:32.
- Jesus talked about it here and in other places - Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 3:35.
- The Apostle Peter preached it - Acts 2:36.
- Paul wrote about it - Romans 14:9; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:10,21.
- Peter did too - 1 Peter 3:22.
It is an authority given to Jesus by God the Father. It is called a "Kingdom" that is described as eternal and indestructible. It is made up of all sorts of people, nations and languages, from those alive now and those already dead. Jesus, the King of it, administers it from heaven. And since this authority is an eternal fact, if we follow the logic of this passage ("Go therefore and make disciples...") we have the privilege of enlarging and affirming it in our time and space—of being part of the gathering in of the people in our generation whom Jesus has already bought and paid for with His blood and so are rightfully His.
Here are the stirring words of my Bible's commentary notes on verses 19 and 20:
"While Jesus' ministry had been to Israel (Matthew 10:5-6), proclamation of and adherence to His lordship is extended to all the nations through the Spirit-empowered ministry of His church. Disciples are to acknowledge openly their allegiance to Christ by the seal of water baptism, which is ministered under the authority of the entire Godhead" - J. Lyle Story - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1345.
What an honor - to be tapped on the shoulder to serve the King of Kings. Let's not lose sight of the eternal significance of our lives and how God can and wants to use us to further His glorious plan.
PRAYER: Great God in heaven, it is so good for me to be reminded of the majesty, eternity and indestructibility of Your Kingdom. Help me to be a worthy and useful foot soldier in it. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
