EVER PRESENT

Jesus gave His disciples a daunting task. He had spent as long as three years with some of them, teaching and training them in the ways of His kingdom, with the ministry and service that were entailed. He had sent them out on practice mission trips (see Matthew 10:5–16). He had assured them that the good news about Him would ultimately be preached to the entire world (see Matthew 24:14). Now He was sending them to all the nations of the world to continue His ministry, to share the good news about Him, and to teach the things He had taught them. Still coming to terms with His death and resurrection, they now had to consider ministry and mission without Jesus, even venturing into the pagan territories they could see on the other side of the lake from their mountaintop vantage point.

This was a big commission, but it also came with big promises.

Jesus bookended this commission with two assurances.

First: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). The resurrected Jesus rightly claimed all power for Himself.

Then He concluded with, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). All power, everywhere; all presence, always—to the ends of the earth and to the end of the age. Wherever and whenever you are reading this—this promise includes you. We are recipients of these promises, of this power, and of His presence.

As the story has been told and retold across the centuries and generations and from nation to nation, tribe to tribe, language to language, it has arrived at us.

Whether we grew up with these stories as children or are reading them for the first time on this page, these words speak to us.

They give us hope and courage, and invite us to share them again in our time and place.