Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 28:18

"And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth." — Matthew 28:18 (ASV)

“All” (GK 4246) dominates vv.18–20 and ties these verses together: all authority, all nations, all things (“everything,” NIV), all the days (“always,” NIV). The authority of Jesus Messiah has already been heavily stressed in this gospel (e.g., 7:29; 10:1, 7–8; et al.). Therefore it is wrong to claim that the Resurrection conferred on Jesus an authority incomparably greater than what he enjoyed before his crucifixion.

The truth is more subtle. After all, during his ministry his words, like God’s words, cannot pass away (24:35); and he, like God, forgives sin (9:6). It is not Jesus’ authority per se that becomes more absolute. Rather, the spheres in which he now exercises absolute authority are enlarged to include all heaven and earth, i.e., the entire universe. The Son becomes the one through whom all God’s authority is mediated (cf. Php 2:5–11). It marks a turning point in redemptive history, for Messiah’s “kingdom” has dawned in new power.