“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
Though all God’s people are to bear witness to the Lord, the focus here is on the apostles and their calling as leading witnesses and representatives of Jesus.
“All authority” is a reference to Christ. His human nature, which had refrained from exercising the divine authority belonging to the person of Christ, now is fully exalted and given free use of divine authority.
“Make disciples” … Jesus gives us the tools to make disciples, Baptism and His teaching.
“All nations” means not just the Jews, but Gentiles too.
“Baptizing them in the name” … name is singular, followed by the threefold naming of the divine persons. This illustrates the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Those baptized in the name of the Father have God as their Father; baptized in the name of the Son, they receive all the benefits of the Son’s redeeming act; baptized in the name of the Spirit, they receive the life-giving, life-sustaining power and presence of the Spirit.
“Baptizing” is the washing with the water of new birth.
“Teaching” … disciples are made not only through Baptism, but through the ongoing teaching work of the Church.
“I am with you always” is not only in Spirit but also according to His human nature. Our church teaches that “He is present especially in His Church as Mediator, Head, King, and High Priest. This presence is not a part, or only one half of Him. Christ’s entire person is present, to which both natures belong, the divine and the human—not only according to His divinity, but also according to, and with, His received human nature”.
“End of the age” means when He returns visibly a second time.
Christ commissions His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations through Baptism and teaching. Today, remember your Baptism and confirmation in the faith, which are precious blessings for the Lord’s disciples. His love and care are new for you every morning. God’s blessings on your day…