MATTHEW 28:18 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me — the Great Commission is grounded in the resurrection's cosmic consequence. The one who was crucified with a mocking title (King of the Jews) now makes the most comprehensive authority claim in the Gospel. Daniel 7:14 gives the Son of Man authority, glory, and sovereign power over all peoples; Jesus' claim to all authority in heaven and on earth is the explicit fulfillment of Daniel's vision, applied to the risen Jesus rather than announced in a heavenly vision. The resurrection is not a private restoration for Jesus' followers but a cosmic event that changes the authority structure of the universe. The commission flows from this authority: if Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, the disciples are sent with his authority to all nations.
Church Fathers on Matthew 28:18
When Saint Matthew has vindicated the Lord’s Resurrection as declared by the Angel, he relates the vision of the Lord which the disciples had, 'Then the eleven disciples went into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.'
After His Resurrection, Jesus is seen and worshipped in the mountain in Galilee; though some doubt, their doubting confirms our faith.
This is more fully told by Luke; how when the Lord after the Resurrection appeared to the disciples, in their terror they thought they saw a spirit.
Read all 24 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a reflection on this verse
No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!