Daily Devotional for Saturday, March 22, 2025

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What Does It Mean That Jesus Is with His Disciples Always?

Matthew 28:20 states, “And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This verse is the closing statement of what is commonly referred to as the “Great Commission,” where Jesus instructs the apostles to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. In this final reassurance, Jesus affirms his ongoing presence with those who carry out this mission. However, to understand this properly, we must note that this promise was initially made specifically to the apostles—those whom Jesus had directly trained and entrusted with laying the foundation of the church.

The phrase “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” highlights the importance of full obedience to Jesus’ instructions. Discipleship is not simply about belief or conversion—it includes being taught, submitting to Jesus’ teachings, and living in full compliance with his commands. Jesus emphasized this earlier in John 14:15: “If you love me, keep my commands.” Obedience is the true mark of faith, and part of the commission involves ongoing instruction in righteousness, rooted in the teachings delivered by the apostles under Jesus’ authority.

The second part of the verse, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” was a special assurance given to the apostles. Jesus was about to ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9), and they would be left to carry out their mission in a hostile world. The promise, “I am with you always,” conveyed that he would be spiritually present with them as they fulfilled their divine task. This promise was not about physical presence but about Jesus’ ongoing support, authority, and protection.

It’s crucial to understand that Jesus’ statement here was not a blanket promise to all believers in every age that he would be with each person individually in some mystical or direct way. Instead, this assurance was given to the apostles as they were commissioned to go into all nations with his teaching. Their work would be foundational, as Ephesians 2:20 states, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

Moreover, the fulfillment of Jesus’ continued presence with the apostles came through the sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4), empowering them to carry out their work and ensuring that they accurately conveyed his Word. John 16:13 affirms that the Spirit would guide the apostles into all truth—not all believers generally, but specifically those chosen to transmit Christ’s teachings without error. That guidance by the Spirit is preserved today in the inspired Word of God, not through new revelation or spiritual indwelling.

The phrase “to the very end of the age” refers to the completion of the apostles’ mission and the end of the era in which their foundational work would be accomplished. Once their teaching was confirmed and recorded in Scripture, the church would possess the complete revelation necessary for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). The presence of Christ continues today through his authoritative Word, not through personal appearances or mystical experiences.

Today, the promise that Jesus would be “with” his apostles lives on through the written Word they left behind. His teachings remain, and through them, believers are guided. Hebrews 1:1-2 confirms that “in these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son,” and that speech came through the Spirit-inspired words of the apostles and prophets. Jesus is present in the sense that his Word rules among us (Colossians 3:16), and his authority remains active through Scripture.

Ultimately, Matthew 28:20 teaches that Jesus’ enduring presence with the apostles gave them the power and legitimacy to carry out their unique mission. Through their work, and through their recorded teaching in the New Testament, believers today can learn all that Jesus commanded and live in full obedience to Jehovah. Christ remains present through the abiding truth of Scripture, which continues to guide, correct, and save.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).