“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20)

That’s how Matthew’s gospel ends. We call it the Great Commission, the great sending out of the apostles with a message for the world.

Some thoughts:

• The principle command is to make disciples. The two phrases that follow help us understand the meaning of “make disciples.” You do that by baptizing them and teaching them to obey.
• Jesus wasn’t giving us a baptismal formula to be pronounced over the person being immersed. “In the name of” reflects whose authority lies behind the act. It’s not about something that you say.
• This command is given directly to the Twelve (or the Eleven, if you want to be picky), but the teaching element of this command extends it to others. When the apostles taught others to obey, they would teach them to make disciples as well.

We mustn’t forget that the gospel writers weren’t just writing history. They were writing teaching books for the church. They chose their material in a Spirit-guided way, using the stories and teachings that would benefit the church. Matthew ended his book with these words to emphasize their importance, the centrality of the mission.

These were the marching orders for the church in the first century. And that hasn’t changed.