Matthew 28:19-20
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Context and meaning
These are the last words of Matthew's Gospel, spoken on a mountain in Galilee. The text records an honest detail in the previous verse: some worshiped, "but some doubted". The mission is handed to a group that was not entirely convinced.
Grammatically, the main verb is "make disciples"; "go", "baptizing" and "teaching" are participles describing how. That is, the center is not geographic movement but the forming of people.
"All nations" breaks a boundary: until then, the movement was essentially Jewish.
And "teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you" defines the content — practice, not just information.
The final line is the promise that holds it all up: "behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age". The Gospel that began by calling Jesus Emmanuel, "God with us", ends with the same idea.
This verse appears in
Scripture text: World English Bible (WEB), public domain. Prayers, introductions and reflections: original text by this site, not affiliated with any denomination. Devotional content; it does not replace medical, psychological or legal advice.
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