And the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain whither Jesus had commanded them, and when they saw him, they worshipped him, and some doubted. And Jesus drew near and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.

According to John, Jesus first appeared to the disciples on the very day of the Resurrection, when their doors were locked, then eight days later, when Thomas also believed. Then, when they were just preparing to go to Galilee, and not all were yet gathered together, but some were fishing in the Sea of Tiberias, the Lord appeared to one of the fishermen, to the number of seven. Consequently, the appearance of which Matthew speaks was after those of which John speaks; for the Lord often appeared to them for forty days, now he came and then went again, and was not always and everywhere with them. So the supreme disciples, along with all the other followers of the Lord, worshipped Him. "And some doubted," that is, some were perplexed about Christ, whether it was He or not. These words should be understood as follows: the eleven disciples went to Galilee; and these eleven worshipped Him; and some, probably of the seventy, doubted about Christ; however, in the end, these latter were also convinced. Some understand it this way: Matthew did not say who exactly the doubters were; but what he did not say, John said, that the doubter was Thomas. However, it could also be that everyone doubted, as Luke really says. Judging by all this, you must understand this: when the disciples came to Galilee, they worshipped Him; but these same worshippers in Galilee, as Luke says, had doubted before, that is, when they were in Jerusalem. Jesus said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." This is the thought: As God and Creator, I have always had authority over all things, but I have not had voluntary obedience on the part of men; now I will receive it also, now all things will submit to Me; for by my cross I have conquered him who already has the power of death. Submission is twofold: one is involuntary, according to which we are all slaves to God and against our will, not excluding demons; the other is voluntary; in this sense, for example, Paul was a servant of Christ. Formerly, when all showed only involuntary submission, the Saviour had power over everything, as it were, only halfway; but after the cross, when the knowledge of God became accessible to all, and when all had submitted voluntarily, it was fitting for Christ to say: "Now I have received all authority." Formerly, I had power only partially, when they served Me only involuntarily, because I am the Creator, but now, when people serve Me freely and intelligently, I have already been given all and all authority. By whom was it given to Him? It is obvious that He Himself accepted it, "humbled Himself... to death" and crucifixion. Otherwise, if He had not humbled Himself and fought the enemy with the help of the cross, He would not have saved us. Therefore, the words "all power has been given to Me" should be understood in this way: by My own deeds and struggles I saved people, and as a result they became My inheritance, My own people. This means that the Lord has authority on earth in the sense that the whole earth has come to know Him; and in heaven – in that the reward and residence of those who believe in Him is in heaven. On the other hand, since human nature, previously condemned, now, after hypostatic union with God the Word, sits in heaven, receiving worship from the angels, it is fitting to say: "All power in heaven has been given to me"; for human nature, formerly servant, now in Christ itself rules over everything. In short: if you take into account the fact that the words "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me" is spoken by God the Word, then understand them in this way: all authority has been given to Me, inasmuch as now, both involuntarily and willingly, those recognize Me as God, who previously served Me only through involuntary submission. If you look at these words as referring to the human nature of Christ, then connect with them the following meaning: I, formerly a condemned nature, but now, by virtue of an unmerged union with the Son of God, have become God, – I have received power over everything, so that in heaven the angels worship Me, and on earth I am glorified in all limits. In accordance with this, the Lord no longer sends His disciples to the Jews alone, but as having received power over all, having sanctified in Himself all human nature, He naturally sends them to all tongues, commanding them to be baptized "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." May Arius and Savely be ashamed. Arius – by the fact that the Lord said not – in the name, but "in the name"; and the three have one name – God, therefore the Trinity is one God. Let Sabelius be ashamed of the fact that the Lord did not mention one Person, who supposedly has three names, but is sometimes called the Father, sometimes the Son, and sometimes the Spirit, as he superstitiously says; on the contrary, he mentioned three Persons, whose name is one – God. Further, since it is not enough to be baptized alone, but after baptism one must also do good; then he says: "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" – not one or two, but "all" of My commandments. Let us be afraid, brethren, knowing that if we do not keep even one thing, we will not be perfect servants of Christ; for it is required of us to preserve everything. See how the Lord's speech embraces both branches of Christian piety – theology and active virtue. For by saying that we should baptize in the name of the Trinity, He taught us theology, and by adding that we should teach and keep the commandments, He showed us active virtue. Finally, since the Lord sends His disciples to the Gentiles, and moreover to danger and death, in order to encourage them, He says: "Do not be afraid, for I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Know that He also reminded them of the end of the world in order to induce them to despise dangers all the more. Do not be afraid, he says, all worldly things, whether they be sorrow or prosperity, will have an end; Therefore, do not fall away in grief, because it is passing away, nor be deceived by good things, because they will come to an end. However, the Lord's promise to be with them refers not only to the apostles, but also to all His disciples in general, that is, to all who believe in Him and keep His commandments; because the apostles did not have to live until the end of the world. Thus, the Lord promises His abiding to the end of the age, both to us and to those who will come after us; However, not in the sense that it will be until the end of the world, and after the end it will not be. No, then it will be especially with us, and moreover in the clearest way, for the expression "before," wherever it occurs in the Scriptures, does not exclude what will come after. Let us give thanks to the Lord, Who dwells with us here, Who now bestows upon us every good, and who desires to dwell with us in the most perfect way unto endless ages. To Him is due all thanksgiving and glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.