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 ESV)
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Matthew 28:18-20: OT Background for the Great Commission
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Understanding the OT background to a NT text often sheds light on the meaning of both texts. Some NT texts are particularly rich in this regard because an author weaves together several OT texts together to form the background for the NT text. The Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) is one example of such a text. Which OT texts provide the background for the Great Commission?
Daniel 7:14 provides a clear place to start:
Compare the yellow, underlined portion (ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία/to him was given dominion) and the blue, underlined portion (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη/all the nations) to Matthew 28:18-20:
When we compare these texts (especially in Greek), it seems clear that Jesus quoted from Daniel 7:14 when he gave the Great Commission to the Eleven.
Now, the question becomes: “So what?” Why did Jesus point back to Dan 7:14? How does understanding this OT background help us understand our Lord’s words in these verses?
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@Nate-Davidson said in Matthew 28:18-20: OT Background for the Great Commission:
Now, the question becomes: “So what?” Why did Jesus point back to Dan 7:14? How does understanding this OT background help us understand our Lord’s words in these verses?
I think that Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that he had permanently conquered his enemies and is now ruling as the ultimate Davidic King over the universe! He has fulfilled the OT promises of a King who would begin a kingdom and rule with justice, punishing all his enemies and vindicating his people.
Revelation 1:4-6 and Revelation 5:8-10, just two sample passages from the capstone of the NT, Revelation, both show this, saying that Jesus “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (1:5-6), and that by Christ’s blood he “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God” (5:9-10).
If we are to faithfully proclaim the gospel in the midst of opposition, we must remember that Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom of God and is ruling over it forever, and that we are his people, under his rule and authority and protection, with a certain future of ruling in his kingdom. The apex of the ages has come, and we are now living in the current of history flowing out of the cross and the empty tomb and the throne of God. Jesus trusted his Father and so conquered his enemies, even by his death, and thus received the kingship; if we persevere through faith in our Father as he did, we too will conquer (Rev 3:21).
