by Marti Fischer

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.” Matthew 28:16-20

The final scene of Matthew’s Gospel is not set in a temple, a city, or a place of safety. It unfolds on a mountain—exposed, elevated, and unmistakably public. The resurrected Jesus stands before the remaining eleven, the ragged core of a movement that will soon turn the world upside down.

And Matthew tells us something startling:

“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”

This is the condition into which the Great Commission is spoken—not to the fearless, not to the fully confident, not to the spiritually elite, but to worshipers who still carry doubt. Then Jesus speaks words that have echoed for two thousand years:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”

Authority Has Been Given—But Not Taken
Jesus does not ask His followers to earn authority, generate authority, or prove authority. He declares that it already belongs to Him—fully, finally, cosmically.

And yet, here is the paradox of the modern church:

We affirm Christ’s authority
We confess Him as Lord
We worship Him as King
…and then we remain largely stationary.

We are content to know Jesus reigns, without living as if His reign demands we do something. Why?

We Have Confused Belief with Obedience
Much of contemporary Christianity has quietly redefined faith as intellectual agreement rather than embodied allegiance.

We believe Jesus has authority—but we behave as though it is symbolic, not directive. We sing about surrender—but structure our lives around safety, predictability, and control. We admire the Commission—but treat it as a specialty calling for missionaries, pastors, or the unusually bold.

Jesus did not say, “Therefore contemplate.” He did not say, “Therefore feel deeply.” He said, “Therefore go.”

We Prefer Proximity Over Mission
The disciples were told to leave Galilee—to move outward, not inward. But over time, the church has learned how to gather without scattering, to convene without being sent.

Homes and offices become sanctuaries of comfort. Schedules become immovable. Faith becomes privatized. We have learned to practice Christianity without interrupting our lifestyle. Yet the Kingdom of God has never advanced through comfort. It proceeds through obedience that entails cost.

We Are Intimidated by the Scale of the Call
“All nations” feels overwhelming.

The enormity of the task can paralyze us. We tell ourselves:

I’m not enough.
I don’t know what to say.
The culture is hostile.
Someone else is better equipped.

But Jesus did not preface the command with reassurance about our competence. He anchored it in His presence:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The call was never to go alone. It was to go with Him.

We Underestimate What “Going” Actually Means
For many, “go” does not require crossing oceans. It requires crossing thresholds, such as:

Conversations we avoid
Relationships we keep superficial
Spaces where faith is unwelcome
People we avoid because they do not think, vote, live, or believe as we do

Going isn’t always about geography. Often, it’s about relationships, work, and daily life. To go is to bring the life of Christ into places where it is not yet named, trusted, or understood.

Worship That Does Not Move Is Incomplete
Notice the order in Matthew’s account:

They worshiped.
They doubted.
Jesus sends them anyway.

The Great Commission is not a reward for spiritual certainty. It is the remedy for stagnant faith. Faith deepens in motion. Authority becomes tangible in obedience. Doubt is clarified not by retreat, but by participation.

The Question Is Not Whether Jesus Has Authority
That question has already been answered. The real question is this:

If all authority in heaven and on earth truly belongs to Jesus, what justifies our refusal to follow Him outward—into the world He is redeeming?

The commission still stands.
The presence is still promised.
The world is still waiting.
And the command remains unchanged:

“Therefore go.”