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.”

1) Who has given the authority to Jesus and how is this significant?
The question of whether Jesus was fully God was never disputed among the disciples or the early church. He claimed to be God all throughout His time on earth. Here, Jesus is declaring that God has given all authority to Him as an equal with God. This portion specifically, right before Jesus ascends to Heaven, is actually a fulfilled prophecy from Daniel 7:13-14, where Daniel is seeing a vision of the Son of Man (Jesus), with a cloud, coming to the Ancient of Days (God the Father). God grants Jesus dominion, glory, and a kingdom that will never end of all nations, tribes, and tongues.

2) How does one go about making disciples and what does it mean to make disciples?
According to Matthew 13:50, a disciple is a “scribe” who has been trained in the things belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven. This scribe, or disciple, is compared to the master of a house who is continually bringing out new and old treasures, meaning that disciples are constantly doing two things, both learning and teaching. They are teaching what they know (the old), but are continuously still being discipled as they grow and learn (new). In short, a disciple of Christ is one who has been trained in the everyday gospel, who also invites others in to learn the gospel life, and is also ever learning more of it for themselves.

3) What is important about the order of the command?
The sequencing order is important and we should always pay attention to these “ordering” details when studying Scripture. First, we are to GO. Jesus doesn’t tell us to go to seminary first or even to pray first. We are simply called to Go. Go across the street, go make that phone call, go strengthen that relationship, all for the sake of intentionally sharing the gospel. GO! After we are obedient about going, then we focus purposefully on growing disciples. We watch our speech, our social media habits, our relationship interactions and ask ourselves, “are my actions drawing those around me into a deeper relationship with Christ?” When a disciple decides to cross the line of faith, the command of baptism is right on its heels, followed, not preceded, by teaching. You don’t have to know everything about the Bible to decide to follow Jesus and be baptized. You simply must be willing to be His disciple, then be baptized, then continue learning and growing and guess what? You got it, “Go. Make Disciples. Baptize and Teach!”

1) Who has given the authority to Jesus and how is this significant?
This vivid intertwining of God the Father and God the Son is significant because if Jesus is truly God of all, then there is no escaping the fact that we must choose what to do with Him. The Bible does not leave open the possibility that Jesus was simply a really good man or profound prophet. Because He is the Almighty, with all authority, and a kingdom that will never end, we must either choose to call Him our Lord or walk away and choose to serve our own pride. There is no middle ground. No gray lines here. Is Jesus yours?! What will you do with Christ?

2) How does one go about making disciples and what does it mean to make disciples?
Before you can worry about making disciples, you must first be a disciple. Again, the question is asked, “Is Jesus yours?” If so, then ask yourself if you are living like a disciple in both inviting others in to be disciple and in pursuing Jesus more passionately for yourself. Discipling others doesn’t have to look like going through a study book with someone, it can happen in everyday life as you wash dishes with your children, talk on the phone with a friend, go on a date with your spouse, or even post something on Facebook. Take the opportunities around you to disciple, to invite others in to living the Jesus life in a deeper, richer way, live out God’s Kingdom in the now!

3) What is important about the order of the command?
Verse 19 has a “therefore”, which ties directly to Christ’s declaration about all authority being His. This is our motivation and our comfort! Because Jesus is God, having all authority, He is commanding us with that very authority to “Go. Make Disciples. Baptize and Teach.” Also, because He has all power and rule, it comforts our hearts as we go about being obedient, because we know that it’s His power fueling us and preserving us! As you go about your next minutes and hours and tomorrows, remember that this undergirding power is for you as you go living out the Jesus life! Never once does He leave you alone to live out this calling on your own power! It’s Jesus all the way, sisters!

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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