This is an overview of one of our messages from the Matthew series. This is the last one in this series, looking at Matthew 28.16-20.
The Search for Meaning
We all want to live for something beyond ourselves. That’s why we pursue relationships, careers, families, and goals. It’s why a great song or a powerful film can move us so deeply. Art, at its best, hints that there is more—something beyond the everyday routines of life—and invites us to step into it.
And yet, despite all this searching, meaning often feels elusive. We get stuck in the status quo. We sense there might be a cost to living for something bigger than ourselves, and sometimes it feels easier to live as if there is nothing beyond our own comfort and ambitions.
The Bible names this longing clearly. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus repeatedly tells us that He is that “something beyond”. He is more powerful than the universe itself, yet more personal than anything we could imagine. He knows us, loves us, and invites us not just to believe something about Him, but to join Him in His work.
At the very end of Matthew’s Gospel, in Matthew 28:16–20, Jesus shows us where true meaning is found.
Jesus’ Final Words and Our Deepest Longing
These verses come at a crucial moment. Jesus has lived, died, and risen again. He is about to ascend to heaven. These are His last recorded words in Matthew. He could have said anything—but this is what He leaves with His followers.
Why? Because Jesus knows that a meaningful life is found not in self-fulfilment, but in joining His mission.
No career can give this meaning, though people in every career are invited into it. No family or relationship can give this meaning, though married and single people alike are called into it. No level of success or failure can take it away.
If we don’t listen to—and live out—Jesus’ words here, we miss the very purpose He created us for. But if we surrender to them, our lives gain a depth and direction that nothing else can offer.
This is why the Great Commission still matters today, whether you’re exploring faith for the first time or part of our church in Manchester.
Worship and Doubt: The People Jesus Sends
Imperfect Disciples
Matthew describes the first recipients of this commission in a strikingly honest way:
“When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:17)
These are not strangers to Jesus. They are the disciples—people who have followed Him closely for years. And yet, even after the resurrection, some still doubt. What does Jesus do in response?
“Then Jesus came to them.”
He doesn’t wait for perfect faith. He comes to imperfect people and invites them into a life of meaning anyway.
Doubt Is Not the End
The doubt Matthew describes is not rejection, but wavering—hesitation. Many of us know that feeling well. The disciples’ doubt was not meant to be a permanent home, but a stage along the way.
Even seeing the risen Jesus did not remove all doubt instantly. And yet, that didn’t disqualify them from His mission.
This matters deeply for us. Doubt does not exclude you from Jesus’ call. It is something to bring to Him, not hide from Him. A life of meaning is grounded not in the strength of our certainty, but in the authority of Jesus Himself.
Jesus’ Authority, Not Ours
One common misunderstanding is to think that doubt excuses us from obedience. We say things like:
“I don’t know enough yet.”
“I’m not a good enough Christian.”
“I don’t feel ready.”
But Jesus doesn’t commission the disciples because they are impressive. He commissions them because He has all authority in heaven and on earth.
The centre of the Christian life is not our confidence, our knowledge, or our feelings—it’s Jesus. When we make doubt the centre, we put ourselves there instead. Jesus gently but firmly recentres us: He is the centre, and He says, “Go.”
This is freeing. We don’t need to force results or rely on our own strength. We are invited to relax into the powerful love of the risen Christ, who is already at work.
What Jesus Actually Commands
“Make Disciples”
The key command in Matthew 28:16–20 is not “go” or “teach”, but “make disciples”.
We are always influencing others—through what we say, how we live, what we value. The real question is not whether we are making disciples, but what kind.
Without Jesus guiding us, we tend to make disciples of ourselves. But the world doesn’t need more versions of us. It needs more of Jesus. Making disciples means helping people take a step closer to God:
For those who don’t yet believe, it’s a step from death to life.
For believers, it’s learning to walk more closely with Jesus.
This is not a solo project. The role of the church is not to replace your responsibility, but to equip you for it. This is why community matters so deeply in the Christian life. If you want to explore how churches think about this shared mission, this article is helpful: What Does It Mean to Join God’s Mission?
Belief, Repentance, and Baptism
A Changed Direction
Jesus’ commission assumes belief—that He really is who He says He is. And belief leads to change. The Bible calls this repentance: a turning around, a re-orientation of life.
In Acts 2, when people hear the gospel, they ask, “What shall we do?” Peter replies, “Repent and be baptised.”
Repentance isn’t adding Jesus onto an already good plan. It’s discovering that we’ve been upside down—and being turned the right way up for the first time.
This doesn’t mean instant perfection. It means a new direction, a new trajectory.
A Life Lived Openly
Baptism follows repentance as an outward sign of an inward reality. It marks entry into God’s family and a commitment to a life of ongoing repentance and learning.
Belief → repentance → baptism → ongoing teaching.
This is not a checklist, but a pattern for a life shaped by Jesus. If you’re curious about what it means to begin this journey, this article explains it clearly: What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?
A Mission for Ordinary People
If you have been baptised, the Bible says you are a missionary. Not necessarily overseas, but right where God has placed you.
Who are your people? Friends, neighbours, colleagues, family members? God does not call us vaguely; He places people in our lives intentionally. The church exists not for itself, but for those who are not yet part of it. This has always been true—from the first disciples, to early Christians in places like Roman-era Manchester, to churches today.
That’s why a church in Manchester like Redeemer understands its calling as deeply connected to the life of the city, not separate from it.
Jesus Is With Us Always
Jesus ends the Great Commission with a promise:
“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This means even in grief, doubt, fear, and uncertainty, we are not alone. We cannot obey God without God. The same Jesus who sends us also goes with us. Meaning is not found in trying harder, but in walking with Him.
Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that we could be saved from an empty status quo and invited into a life that truly matters—not just for ourselves, but for others.
In our worship and in our doubt, He comes to us. He commissions us. And He stays with us—always.