The Four “Alls” of the Great Commission

Feeling overwhelmed by the task to make disciples? Jesus spoke these words for you.

Ask any Christian about the biblical basis for missions, and most of them will point to Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples of all nations.” These famous last words from Matthew 28

KJV ¹ In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. ² And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. ³ His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: ⁴ And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. ⁵ And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. ⁶ He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. ⁸ And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. ⁹ And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. ¹⁰ Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. ¹¹ Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. ¹² And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, ¹³ Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. ¹⁴ And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. ¹⁵ So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. ¹⁷ And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. WEB ¹ Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ² Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky and came and rolled away the stone from the door and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴ For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men. ⁵ The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying. ⁷ Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.” ⁸ They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word. ⁹ As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!”They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my brothers that they should go into Galilee, and there they will see me.” ¹¹ Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and told the chief priests all the things that had happened. ¹² When they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers, ¹³ saying, “Say that his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept. ¹⁴ If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.” ¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today. ¹⁶ But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ 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 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
comprise what we know as the Great Commission.

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20

KJV ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. WEB ¹⁸ Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ 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 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
, ESV).

When we look closely at this passage, we see Jesus uses almost the same word four different times: the word all.

Consider the four “alls” of Christ’s commission

“All authority”
To go to “all nations”
To communicate “all his teaching”
Empowered by his presence “all the time” (translated always)

Don’t miss the claims — they’re Bible basics, but they’re enormous!

Jesus claims to have all authority in the universe to lead us on this journey. He claims that his teaching is the most important thing in life to follow. Therefore, he claims that all nations need to know his teaching. And last but not least, he claims that he will be with us for all time.

Massive claims, and in the literal sense, incredible — you can’t believe them unless Jesus is God. “If Jesus Christ is who He said He was, then we cannot respond to Him mildly” (Tim Keller, The Reason For God).

What the four “alls” mean for you

When many of us think about becoming a missionary, we see the obstacles — both known and unknown — facing us. Move halfway around the world to live among people who might not want us there and might never care about the message we bring? That’s a scary proposition! We can let fear crowd out our faith.

But pause for a moment and soak in this Great Commission passage. Let the four “alls” speak peace to your heart. Jesus spoke these words to give us a task and to give us courage in the task.

The Great Commission isn’t about marketing Jesus. No matter how eloquently (or not) you proclaim the good news, gospel salesmanship won’t bring the least-reached into God’s kingdom. These “alls” remind us that the burden isn’t on us but on the One with authority.

What is on us, however, is the obligation to obey Jesus’ command.

The Great Commission is your commission

Many of us look for confirmation in a “calling.” But Jesus didn’t call some (or any) of his followers to his mission. Rather, he called them to himself and sent them on mission. If you’re walking with Jesus, this Great Commission command is incumbent on you.

Think of it as an implied fifth “all” — a command for all believers. Every disciple must be a disciple-maker, whether God sends you down the street or to the other side of the world.

As you go — to school, to work, to the grocery store, and to the gym — live and love like Jesus. Be confident in his authority. Teach his commands. Abide in his presence.