To Begin: Are you the type of person who likes to know spoilers, or do you like to be surprised? Why nor why not?

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Over the next 6 weeks we are going to be looking at the Gospel of Matthew, one of the four biographies of Jesus’ life and ministry. To dig into this book we’ll be using a Bible reading technique called COMA. This means each week we will consider the surrounding Context of the passage, make initial Observations about what it says, think about the deeper Meaning of this passage, and then Apply it to our own lives.*

Matthew tells the story of Jesus life and ministry, but two key things set it apart from the other gospels. First, it has a lot more Jewish influence! Second, Matthew is a teaching gospel- he records large sections of Jesus teachings (long speeches) interspersed with narrative (descriptions of action). These teaching sections are what we are going to focus on in Bible Studies this term (in the Bible Talks we’ll cover some of the action too!)

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Read: Matthew 28:16–20 (NIV)

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore 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 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Questions:

Context:
1. Take a look at what happens earlier in Matthew 28. What is the context of Jesus’ instructions to his disciples in verses 18-20?

Observation:

2. How do the disciples react to Jesus here?

3. Break up into smaller groups and explore (maybe draw) the logic of verses 18-20. What should his disciples do now, and why?

Meaning:

4. This passage is often called ‘the Great Commission’. What is a ‘commission’, and why is this event given that fancy title?

5. What do we learn here about what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus?

6. Why do you think Matthew ends his gospel this way?

7. How could knowing how this book ends help shape how we will read the rest of Mattthew?

Application:

8. What does it look like for us today to respond to Jesus’ authority

a. Someone who follows Jesus?
b. Someone who doesn’t follow Jesus?

9. This is a big mission to go out to the whole world, and a challenge to us. How can we think about making disciples of all nations now at uni? What next step could you take now?

10. What encouragement is there in this passage as we take on this big mission?

Prayer:

Pray 2-for-2 (pray for two friends who are not Christians for two minutes)


Pray for people from different nations who are studying here in Adelaide- for the challenges of this and that they will hear the gospel


Give thanks it is not all up to us!


If you don’t know Jesus that he will reveal himself to you