Tag Archives: Great Commission

Resurrection

Resurrection 12: Ascension

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The story of the Ascension comes in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. It appears to follow, almost immediately, the story of the Great Commission  (Matthew 28:18-20). For me, these two extraordinary events are inextricably linked.

4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Acts 1:4-11

Horsham: 1st July 2026
Resurrection encounter

Matthew 28:20 tell us that Jesus had called the Apostles to meet him on the mountainside. When they were all together, Jesus gave them the direction to go into the world, make disciples and establish his Church.

It is almost certain that it was following this conversation that the events of Acts 1 take place. In the Greek, Acts 1:4 described the Apostles ‘gathered together’ with Jesus (συναλιζόμενος). The word used here may imply that they were sharing a meal.

In giving the Great Commission, Jesus told the Apostles that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18). In the ascension, that power and authority is demonstrated and affirmed, as the Apostles witness resurrected Jesus is physically lifted and taken up into heaven. The resurrection demonstrates the power of God and the uniqueness of Christ. For every follower of Jesus the Ascension demonstrates the power and authority of the risen Jesus, and changes our relationship with him.

Ascension

Stay in Jerusalem
The Disciples are directed to remain in Jerusalem. This is a command from Jesus, the one who has supreme authority. Even after his ascension, Jesus has a plan for his followers. He announces and directs his plan, and this plan has a purpose.

You will receive power
The first stage of the plan is that the Disciples are to remain in Jerusalem. The second is that they will receive power. They have a divine appointment with the Holy Spirit which will empower, embolden and encourage them. It is through the giving of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus at Pentecost that the Church is established.

You will be my witnesses
So they are to remain in Jerusalem until they receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Having received the Spirit, they have work to do. They are to be his witnesses in Jerusalem. But they are also to be his witnesses in Judea, the Jewish homelands which surround Jerusalem. They are also to travel beyond Israel, into Samaria. Samaria, a country which is deeply problematic for devout Jews.  Yet the dominion of the One who has all power and authority extends beyond the Jewish nation, even beyond Samaria, into the whole world.

This is not the end..
We can understand why the eleven Apostles are staring intently into the sky long after Jesus had disappeared from their sight. It is a moment of profound finality. Jesus, Immanuel, is taken back into heaven. Yet this end is only the conclusion of a chapter, it is not the end of  the book. In case they had not already got the point, their reverie is broken by two angels who tell them that Christ will return. It is not for them, or for you, to know when. But there is more to come. Christ has ascended into heaven, but this is not the end.

Once more the Disciples have witnessed the extraordinary power of Jesus. Once more their minds are blown.

Ascension

End Piece

The Ascension is a profound and extraordinary moment, a visible demonstration of the power of God. But it is absolutely not the end of the story. Christ will come again, but as he told them just before he ascended, in the meantime there is work to be done.

19 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, 20 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 28:19-20

The work continues. Even today there is work to be done.

  • in the area where you and I live and work – our Jerusalem.
  • in our area, region and nation – our Judea
  • in areas of the world which we would rather not visit – our Samaria.
  • Even to the ends of the earth.

Be in no doubt:

Christ has died
Christ has risen
Christ will come again.

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex

Resurrection

Resurrection 11: Great Commission

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The Great Commission refers to the directions given by Jesus to his disciples shortly before his ascension into heaven. These familiar words are recorded at the end of Matthew’s gospel. The passage contains an extraordinary claim, a command, and a word of encouragement.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 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

Pocklington, Yorkshire: 15th June 2026
Resurrection encounter

We make a huge mistake if we look at the Great Commission in isolation. God’s purpose had always been that all nations should be drawn to him. God’s promise to Abraham was that his offspring would bring blessing to all nations (Genesis 22:17-18).

The Eleven

The original twelve apostles have been reduced to eleven by the betrayal and later the death of Judas Iscariot. According to Matthew, the eleven had been directed to meet the risen Jesus on the hillside. This is a significant difference. This encounter is unique in that every other reported appearance seems to have taken the witnesses by surprise, whilst this one is by a very specific divine appointment. Why was this one so different? Perhaps because the giving of the Great Commission immediately preceded the extraordinary demonstration of Christ’s lordship, his ascension to heaven. It was critical for the future of the Church that all of the disciples should witness the Ascension, and that they all, as one, received the commission. The fruit of this commission was to be the establishment of the Church. 

The Claim

The claim made by the risen Christ is extraordinary. ‘“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The enormity of this claim is profound. No living person could make it with integrity.  It is a statement which takes the universal nature of Messiahship described in the book of Daniel and applies it to the risen Jesus. 

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Daniel 7:14

It is authority which can only be claimed by the Messiah. His power was evident in his ministry, and here, he affirms to the diciples that it coonntiues even after his death. and by him, only in his resurrection. God’s plan for the world is, and always has been, global.

The Command

‘Therefore.’ It is the authority which has been given to Jesus which gives the weight to the command. ‘Therefore go..’ The word ‘go’ is an imperative. There was no choice. It was a direction. Then as now, disciples are not called to stand still. There is work to be done, and the disciples are to go and do it. The task is clear. ‘Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’   Make disciples. Disciples are followers – people who commit to follow. Baptize them.  Teach them to obey everything I taught you. 

The Encouragement

The Apostles had been living on a rollercoaster. They can have had no idea what lay in front of them. I wonder how many times they later paused and reflected and held on to his words of reassurance. ‘And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’

End Piece

Jesus had summonsed his remaining Apostles to meet him on the hillside for a reason. This was a critical moment. We so easily pass by verse 17,  which tells us that amongst the disciples, even up to this point, some doubted him. It was critical for the establishment and development of the Church that those doubts were dispelled. They were now to be witnesses to the closing chapter of the resurrection period of 40 days – the Ascension of our Lord to heaven. As, in that moment, those last doubts were dispelled, it was essential that the disciples all understood the commission which was to be their responsibility. The commission was to establish the Church, not just in Jerusalem, but throughout the world.

So, the commission was given specifically to the Eleven. What, then, as disciples ourselves, as followers of Jesus two millennia later, has this to do with us? 

I started this post by saying that we make a huge mistake if we try to see the Great Commission in isolation. It is a critical theme which permeates Scripture. We make an even greater mistake if, either because of our desire to be ‘progressive’, our preference for social action, or sheer idleness, we act as if the Great Commission does not apply to us. 

Ok, we are not all evangelists. We’re not all teachers. We often struggle to share our faith, even with those we know well. Yet if you are a follower of Jesus, the Great Commission in some way applies to you. You can look for opportunities for conversations. You can get alongside our family, our colleagues, our neighbours, our friends, and take every opportunity to tell them about Jesus.  We must remind ourselves constantly that we are ambassadors for Jesus in our community and our culture. And that means that the responsibility for continuing the work of the disciples is yours and mine.

Great Commission

The outworking of the Great Commission in your life will look very different from the Apostles. It will look different to how it looks in mine. But if it were not for countless generations of saints who have gone before us, recognising their own responsibility for the Great Commission, we probably wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

Remember who gave this command. Remember that ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus.’ 

‘Therefore go…’

Richard Jackson: Horsham,West Sussex