Jesus' Appearances After The Resurrection (Day 9)

To be commissioned means that you are given a specific role or task and the authority to carry it out. Artists are commissioned to create specific works of art. Military officers are commissioned to lead, care for others, and take responsibility for what’s been entrusted to them.

In the same way, Jesus commissions the eleven disciples at the end of the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. Before He sends them out, He tells them that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Then He gives them what we now call the Great Commission: to go into all the world, make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them to follow everything He has commanded.

An interesting note in Mark’s account, this happens right after Jesus calls them out for their doubt. So, they weren’t perfect, confident, or completely prepared, but Jesus still chose them and sent them anyway.

And He doesn’t just send them out on their own. He promises that He will be with them always.

We see the impact of this throughout the rest of the New Testament as the disciples spread out in every direction, telling people about Jesus and building the foundation of the church that we participate in today. That same mission didn’t stop with them; it’s something we’re invited into today. Remember Matthew 6:10, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”