May 12, 2026 Written by 
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Ascension of the Lord

Ascension of the Lord

Ascension of the Lord (year A)

(Mt 28:16–20)

 

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

 

Verses 19–20 are devoted to the mission entrusted to the apostles, who are to go out into the world clothed in the same authority as Jesus Christ. It is a mission with specific objectives and the means to achieve them. First and foremost is proselytism, as indicated by the verb ‘mathēteusate’, ‘to make disciples’ through making known. The aim of the mission is ‘to make disciples’. The Christian is a disciple, one who establishes a close and personal relationship with Christ: the disciple bonds with the person of the teacher and commits to sharing his very vision of life. The apostles must go to every people. They must leave Galilee. They must go beyond the borders of Israel. The whole world awaits them. They must teach all nations.

Thus, God’s message is not addressed to a single people, but to all nations, so that no nation may claim or assert that it is God’s chosen one. When a people thinks it has God on its side, it uses Him to dominate others. When a people feels itself to be the chosen people, it is always dangerous, because in the name of this election it believes it has a duty towards other peoples: to dominate them. On the US one-dollar bill it says “In God we trust”, as if they had mistaken God for the Federal Reserve. Their resource lies in the dollar, not in God. Make “all” peoples [my] disciples – says Jesus – so that no people may claim superiority over others.

Secondly, there is baptism, which serves as an instrument of incorporation into the new faith. Baptism is administered “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. It is, therefore, an instrument that leads the new believer into the bosom of the Trinity, placing them in close relationship with it, whose life they now share. Indeed, baptism is “in” the name; it is an entering “into the name”, entering into a relationship of fidelity. The mission is conceived as gathering the nations around the proclamation of salvation, to lead them all back into the bosom of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the same time, “name” in the singular (not “names”) emphasises the uniqueness of the three Persons of the Trinity.

The third aspect is teaching, expressed by the verb “didáskō”. This concerns all the things that Jesus commanded. The apostles must not limit themselves to baptising. They must teach those who have been baptised how to fulfil God’s will. Their teaching must be twofold, in every respect like that of Jesus: through word and deed. They must show visibly – and not merely by hearing – how to observe all that Jesus commanded. If teaching lacks the visible dimension, it is no longer true teaching; rather, it is incomplete teaching. It bears no fruit. Just as Christ taught, so must they teach the whole world. This is the law of true evangelisation. All the rest is sterile theory.

Now Jesus makes them a great promise: “And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He will be with them until the end of the ages. With this faith, the Apostles must present themselves before every person. The presence of Jesus is not merely one of companionship. It is an active presence. Jesus will work in them and through them his great works of salvation and redemption. Yesterday and today, tomorrow and always, this is how the evangelisation of the nations must be carried out.

The Gospel of Matthew ends as it began. At the beginning, the name of Emmanuel, God with us, was announced to us, as had been foretold by the prophet Isaiah (Mt 1:23). Now he assures us that that prophecy has become a permanent reality: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” In other words, Jesus continues to be Emmanuel, God with us. History is made up of many ‘days’ and every day Jesus is with us. It is not every other day, or days in between: every day, in the everyday reality of life. What a tragedy it is to have relegated the Lord to heaven and not to have realised that the Lord is with us every day, a Lord whom we believe has not fallen silent with time, but who continues to speak even if he is not heard.

In concluding his Gospel, Matthew formulated Jesus’ final words to his disciples on the model of the closing words of the Hebrew Bible, which ends with the Second Book of Chronicles, with the words of Cyrus, King of Persia, the one who granted freedom to the Jews deported to Babylon: 

2 Chronicles 36:23 ‘Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has commanded me to build him a temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to his people, may his God be with him, and let him go!’

By Cyrus’ decree, the Israelites were invited to leave Babylon, the land of captivity, and go to Judea, the land of freedom; with Jesus, the disciples must go out from Judea to all nations. Cyrus’ decree was to go and build a temple; through the apostles, Jesus will build a new temple – the Church – and this is the extraordinary conclusion of this Gospel.

Furthermore, the Gospel of Matthew begins with the words: “Biblos geneseōs Iēsou Christou” (Mt 1:1), “The Book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ”. In other words, it begins with the words of the first book of the Bible (Genesis), and concludes with those of the last book of the Hebrew Bible (2 Chronicles): it is a way of encapsulating the entire history of the people of Israel in Jesus. From the beginning of the Bible to the end of the Bible, everything is encapsulated in Jesus, and now it is not over; we must roll up our sleeves – and, conscious that he is present, go out to all people.

 

 

Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Revelation – an exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers – Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ, True God and True Man in the Trinitarian Mystery

The Prophetic Discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24–25)

All Generations Will Call Me Blessed

 Catholics and Protestants Compared – In Defence of the Faith

 The Church and Israel According to St Paul – Romans 9–11

 

(Available on Amazon)

190 Last modified on Tuesday, 12 May 2026 05:12
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Argentino Quintavalle

Argentino Quintavalle è studioso biblico ed esperto in Protestantesimo e Giudaismo. Autore del libro “Apocalisse - commento esegetico” (disponibile su Amazon) e specializzato in catechesi per protestanti che desiderano tornare nella Chiesa Cattolica.

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