The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
The risen Jesus meets the eleven disciples in Galilee, on the mountain to which He had directed them (v. 16). The number “eleven” quietly reminds the reader of Judas’s betrayal and death. Jesus gathers them and gives them His mission, even though He knows that some still have doubts.
Galilee is also important. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus began His public ministry in Capernaum, in the northern region called “Galilee of the Gentiles,” where Jewish communities lived amid significant contact with non-Jews. In that region, the people who sat in darkness saw a great light (Matt. 4:14-16; Isa. 9:1-2). Now, after His Resurrection, He sends His disciples from Galilee to all nations. The mission that begins with Israel opens outward to the whole world, fulfilling God’s promise that in Abraham’s offspring all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:8).
The mountain also recalls important moments in Matthew’s Gospel and in Israel’s history. God gave the commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:20; 20:1-17). Jesus taught on a mountain in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). He was revealed in glory on a mountain at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-9). Now, on a mountain, the risen Lord sends His disciples to carry His teaching to the nations. The setting points to revelation, authority, mission, and the continuity of God’s plan of salvation.
When the disciples see Jesus, they worship Him, “but they doubted” (v. 17). Matthew shows that the disciples are still weak, even as they stand before the risen Lord. This is the same pattern seen in Peter, who walked toward Jesus on the water and then began to sink because of “little faith” (Matt. 14:28-31). Jesus approaches these disciples as they worship and hesitate, and He entrusts them with His mission.
Jesus declares, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (v. 18). This echoes Daniel’s vision of “one like a son of man” who receives dominion, glory, and kingship, so that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him (Dan. 7:13-14). As the eternal Son of God, Jesus always shares the Father’s divine authority. Now, after His Resurrection, that authority is revealed and exercised through His glorified humanity as the risen Lord, Messiah, and Son of Man. The Father has vindicated Him and exalted Him, and His kingship is proclaimed to all creation (Eph. 1:20-22; Phil. 2:9-11).
On the basis of this authority, Jesus now sends His disciples beyond Israel to the nations. He says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (v. 19). A disciple is someone who learns from Jesus, follows Him, and is formed by His teaching. The Church’s mission is to announce Jesus, bring people into living communion with Him, and form them in the way of life He taught.
Jesus then explains how this mission is to be carried out: “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit” (v. 19). Baptism is the doorway into the community of the risen Lord, the Church. Through Baptism, a person is joined to Christ and brought into the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. St. Paul expresses this by saying, “For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27).
The wording is also deeply Trinitarian. Jesus speaks of the one “name” of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This shows the unity of God’s life and the communion into which the baptized are drawn. The Christian is baptized into the life of the one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The mission also includes “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (v. 20). Jesus does not send the disciples only to gather followers. He sends them to form people in obedience to His teaching. In Matthew, this especially includes the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches mercy, purity of heart, forgiveness, truthfulness, love of enemies, prayer, trust in the Father, and the doing of God’s will (Matt. 5-7). To observe what Jesus commands means to let His teaching shape one’s conduct, choices, worship, and treatment of others.
The final words of Jesus bring Matthew’s Gospel full circle: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (v. 20). At the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus is called Emmanuel, “God is with us” (Matt. 1:23; Isa. 7:14). At the end, the risen Jesus promises His abiding presence with His Church. His presence is real though unseen. He remains with His people as they pray, teach, baptize, preach, suffer, forgive, serve, and witness to Him among the nations.
The mission belongs to the whole life of the Church. Disciples go because Christ has sent them. They teach because Christ has commanded them. They baptize because Christ brings people into the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They continue because Christ remains with them until the kingdom of God comes in its fullness.
Lord Jesus Christ, risen and living, strengthen Your Church to make disciples with faith, humility, and courage. Help us to observe all that You have commanded and to trust Your promise that You remain with us always. Amen.
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Sources and References
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 970-971.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 674, §168.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition. London: T&T Clark, 2022, 1236.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 60.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 151-152.
- New American Bible, Revised Edition. Matthew 28:16-20 and notes. Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011.
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