How does Acts 5:20 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? Setting the Scene • Matthew 28:19-20 captures Jesus’ closing charge: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” • Acts 5:20 records the angel’s directive to the imprisoned apostles: “Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.” These two passages sit on the same timeline of obedience—Matthew records the mandate; Acts shows that mandate in action. The Command to Go Matthew 28: “Therefore go…” Acts 5: “Go, stand…” • Both imperatives come from divine authority—Jesus in Matthew, an angelic messenger in Acts. • “Go” pushes believers outward; there is no option to stay silent or seated. Proclaiming “the full message of this new life” • The Great Commission’s core verbs—make disciples, baptize, teach—require verbal proclamation. • Acts 5:20 specifies the content: “the full message of this new life,” the gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection (Acts 2:31-32; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). • Baptism (Matthew 28) publicly identifies converts with that very “new life.” Echoes of Jesus’ Final Mandate 1. Same audience scope – Matthew: “all nations.” – Acts 5: temple courts = the launch pad; Acts 1:8 quickly stretches to “the ends of the earth.” 2. Same method – Teaching “all that I have commanded” (Matthew 28:20). – Telling “the whole message” (Acts 5:20). 3. Same promised presence – “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). – The angelic rescue in Acts 5 demonstrates that Christ still protects His witnesses (cf. Acts 18:9-10). Power Behind the Commission • Matthew 28:18—“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” • Acts 5:32—“We are witnesses… and so is the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit supplies courage (Acts 4:31) and vindication (Acts 5:19). • Parallel support texts: Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16. Key Parallels at a Glance • Authority: Christ’s (Matthew 28:18) → angelic envoy (Acts 5:19-20) • Action: Go, make disciples → Go, stand and speak • Audience: All nations → the people (beginning in Jerusalem) • Content: Gospel and obedience → “new life” in Christ • Promise: Christ’s presence → Spirit’s empowerment and protection Practical Takeaways • Proclamation is non-negotiable; silence contradicts our marching orders. • Geography is no barrier—start where you are, then keep moving outward. • Opposition is inevitable (Acts 5:17-18), but God overturns chains to keep the message moving. • Full gospel, not fragments: sin, cross, resurrection, repentance, new life (Acts 2:38-39). • Ongoing teaching and discipleship seal the work begun by evangelism. Concluding Encouragement Acts 5:20 is the Great Commission’s living sequel. What Jesus commanded in Matthew, He continues to empower in Acts—and in every believer today who will “go, stand, and tell.” |
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