Because the risen Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, he commands his disciples to make disciples of all nations. They are to do this by baptizing them into the one name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to obey everything he commanded, with the assurance of his presence all the days until the end of the age.

Matthew speaks of “the eleven disciples,” reminding us that this takes place after Judas’s betrayal and after Jesus’s resurrection. The group has not yet been restored to twelve. They go to Galilee just as both the angel and Jesus had directed them. This meeting is not incidental. Jesus himself had appointed it.

The setting is a mountain in Galilee. In Matthew’s Gospel, mountains often serve as places of important revelation. We should not force extra symbolism into the scene, but the setting does help us feel the solemn weight of this moment.

When the disciples see Jesus, they worship him. At the same time, Matthew says that some doubted. Here that likely means some hesitated or wavered, not that they had settled into unbelief. The same disciples who worship Jesus also receive his commission. Matthew is showing that true disciples can still struggle with weakness and uncertainty.

Jesus then gives the foundation for everything that follows: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The mission does not begin with human enthusiasm, church ambition, or natural strength. It begins with the universal authority of the risen Christ. His authority extends over heaven and earth alike, in keeping with the Old Testament picture of the Messiah receiving dominion over the nations.

Because Jesus has this authority, he commands his disciples to make disciples of “all nations.” This marks a real expansion beyond the earlier temporary restriction in Matthew 10. The mission now reaches outward to all peoples. It grows out of Israel’s Messiah and Israel’s Scriptures, yet it truly embraces the nations of the world.

The main command in these verses is “make disciples.” The other actions explain how that happens. The goal is not merely to travel, secure decisions, or pass along information. It is to form followers of Jesus who belong to him and live under his rule.

One essential part of that work is baptizing them “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The wording matters. Jesus says “name,” singular, and then names the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This shows unity in the divine name while also preserving the personal distinctions. The verse makes a strong contribution to biblical Trinitarian theology, though we should not press it as though it answers every later doctrinal debate by itself.

In Scripture, being brought into a name means more than simply having certain words spoken over someone. It speaks of identification, allegiance, and belonging. Baptism, then, is not a negligible addition. It is the public initiatory act by which disciples are marked out as belonging to the God revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The second part of disciple-making is teaching. But Jesus states the purpose of that teaching very clearly: “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The aim is not bare knowledge but obedient discipleship. Matthew has already shown that hearing Jesus’s words without doing them is not enough.

For that reason, the Great Commission cannot be reduced to evangelism alone or to instruction alone. It includes bringing people into confessed allegiance to the triune God and then forming them in a life of obedience to Jesus’s commands.

The passage closes with a promise: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This is more than a general word of comfort. It is covenant-like presence language. Jesus promises his active, ongoing presence with his disciple-making people as they carry out this mission. This also recalls the opening of Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus is called Immanuel, “God with us.”

Matthew also uses a repeated pattern of “all” language in this passage: all authority, all nations, everything Jesus commanded, and his presence all the days. The scope is comprehensive. The mission reaches to all nations because the risen Lord possesses all authority, and he remains with his people throughout the whole task until the end of the age.

So the church’s confidence must rest not in technique, numbers, branding, or natural resources, but in the risen Christ who reigns and remains present with his people in their mission.

Key Truths: - Jesus’ universal authority is the basis for the church’s mission. - The main command is to make disciples, not merely to go somewhere. - “All nations” means the mission now reaches all peoples, not Israel alone. - Baptism marks public belonging under the one divine name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. - Teaching in this passage aims at obedience to Jesus, not mere information. - The risen Jesus promises his continuing presence with his disciple-making people all the days until the end of the age.