Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Who has all the authority?  Jesus.  Where is His authority?  In both heaven and here on earth.

Now, when someone has all authority, it means they are in charge, and what they say goes.  Their word is to be uncontested. They get to call the shots, so to speak.  They have the final say.  As the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus communicated His heart's desire to His disciples when He commissioned them after telling them He had been given all authority.

Jesus wants disciples to be made in all nations. A disciple is someone who learns to master their subject. In Greek, it means becoming a pupil and enrolling to become a scholar.  In other words, this idea of disciple-making is taking those who are teachable and making sure they are equipped with the truth of the gospel and what it looks like to observe what Jesus had commanded His original disciples.

The love of Jesus for His disciples is tremendous and deep. In a similar way, the love of a loving parent is great and deep for a child.  However, we must not think that tremendous deep love means all expectations and desires are dismissed. A loving parent has desires for a child who is deeply loved and seeks to train that child to attain those desires.

In the passages just read, Jesus communicates this desire: He wants His disciples to make disciples for Him.

The way this is presented to the disciples has the tone of a command.  Desires can often carry that type of tone.  Deep desires can often be communicated in such a way as to be a command as opposed to just merely a good idea.  The reason this carries the tone of a command is because Jesus leads off with the fact of His authority.  His authority establishes His position and right to communicate and establish expectations that are meant to be fulfilled by those who are His disciples.

The exercise of His authority does not take away from His love in any way.  It is part of His love.  What loving husband or wife lives with no expectation of faithfulness and loyalty from the other who has entered into a covenant of marriage with them?  I have never heard a marriage vow at a ceremony that said, “I know you will cheat on me with others, and I know at times you will be a no-good lazy bum of a person,  but that’s okay with me because I have no expectations of you.”

If you attended a wedding and heard something like that, you would be shocked. Vows speak of loving each other and promise to bring something to the union that establishes expectations. Jesus did not leave His disciples in the dark about what He wanted them to do.

Again, Who has all the authority?  Jesus.  Where is His authority?  In both heaven and here on earth.  Jesus wants disciples who go and make disciples and teach them to observe all He commanded them.  He will be with us as we go and make and teach.  He will never leave us alone.  He will never abandon us.  This is not a desire rooted in numbers; it is rooted in right relationship and an acknowledgment of who He is in His authority.  It is the furtherance of His calling to bring many sons into glory—the glory of the New Covenant He established with His blood.  Do you know the seven things Jesus commanded His disciples?