Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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.”
In these parting thoughts, Jesus made several profound and important statements -statements that mean more than we might imagine at first glance.
First, when Jesus said "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," it implies that before His death and resurrection, Satan acted with a measure of authority. If that was once true, Jesus makes it clear that it is no longer true. If Jesus has all authority, the enemy has none. Period.
It is important as Christ followers that we understand that our enemy no longer has authority. Our enemy is powerful, but unable to wield that power indiscriminately. Authority trumps power. Think of any professional sport and we can begin to grasp the difference between power and authority. In American football, for instance, we have some of the biggest, strongest men in the world wearing high-tech armor and equipment, using all of their power and strength to move the ball down the field. The referees, on the other hand, are not necessarily big or strong and have no protective equipment at all. But when the referee blows his whistle, all of the big strong men stop and obey. The players have power, but the referee has authority. We do not have to fear the enemy. Our enemy has power, but in Jesus, we have authority.
The second thing we should notice is that Jesus gives us a mandate. I think that most Christians understand that we are to go, but we get confused about what we are to be doing as we go. Jesus says that we are to go and make disciples; instead, we usually settle for making converts.
In our ministry, we define a disciple as a person who has become an apprentice of Jesus; someone who is willing to rearrange all of his/her life around the teachings and purposes of Jesus in order to become like Jesus. That is different than a convert. A convert is someone who has decided that Christianity will be his/her religion. A disciple is different even than a follower of Jesus. A follower is someone who admires and believes and is in agreement with Jesus. But a disciple is learning to be like Jesus. Our mandate is to make disciples.
And the final thing that I see in this passage is the promise of Emmanuel (God with us). Wherever we go, whatever we do, Jesus is present with His disciples. God is with us.
Lord Jesus, teach me to walk in Kingdom authority as I rearrange my life around your purposes and practices in order to be a disciple so that I can make more disciples. Amen.
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