After King Jesus’s triumphant resurrection, He appears to His disciples with an incredibly important message — we even call it a commission. Death, the devil, and the grave have been defeated by Jesus the Risen Savior, and now He commands His disciples to fulfill a mission!

This command will serve as every disciple’s “true north” until the day of His glorious return. 

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20:

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority 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, to the end of the age.”

Remarkable! Jesus declares that ALL authority in heaven and on earth is His, and on that basis, His disciples are to “GO” and make disciples of all nations.

The Great Co-Mission

Isn’t it remarkable that Jesus appears to His disciples--90% of whom just abandoned Him a few days before--and restores them and sets their feet on a path of eternal partnership with God and His mission? These men have been truly transformed.

If you’ll notice, Jesus did not say, “...therefore I am going to make disciples of all nations; you guys should just sit back and watch.”

Quite the opposite! He commands them and then gives them a promise: Jesus tells the disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (the command)...and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (the promise).” 

The Invitation

Jesus could have said anything to them in this moment. It would have been easy to point out their failures and chastise them for running away. He could have told them they didn’t measure up — and He would have been correct on all these accounts. 

But Jesus did not! Jesus looked at them and reminded them of a few key things:

1. He has all authority
2. The mission remains the same
3. The disciples are a vital part of this mission 
4. He is with them forever

Even after their greatest failure, God tells them His mission. He invites all of His disciples to join in with Him--regardless of what their past success rate has been. Jesus is perfection, and He shows us God’s heart of love toward us both powerfully and relationally.

The Takeaway

Wherever you find yourself currently--on the highs of success or bruised from failure--God’s command and promise remain the same! He invites you today to join Him and together make disciples wherever you “Go.” He also promises to be with you!

No matter where you are in life, you can join God on His mission! For some, it’s answering the call to vocational ministry, while for others, it’s running a small business, a classroom, a home, or serving in the medical field.

The beauty of the Great Commission--and the God who invites us to join Him--is that we get to participate alongside Him. He is already at work, and He loves for us to join Him. Remember, He promises to be with us each step of the way and then forever! He invites us to join him and see His power (authority) and love (relationship) at work both in us and through us.

Are you ready to go on a Co-Mission?