Sometimes the most hopeful word in a passage isn’t the one we’ve been looking for.
We’ve spent a lot of time around here talking about a little three-letter conjunction. But. It’s one of my favorite words in Scripture because it often signals a turn in the story, a change in direction, or a moment when what comes next changes how we understand everything that came before.
But today, I want to give another little word some attention. A preposition, actually. With. And to appreciate why that word matters so much, we need to visit two conversations Jesus had with His followers.
The Great Commandment
In Matthew 22, a religious expert asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest. Jesus answered:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37–39, NIV)
There it is. The Great Commandment. Love God. Love your neighbor. Not particularly complicated to understand, but considerably more difficult to live.
Because loving our neighbors isn’t always easy. Sometimes they’re difficult people. Sometimes they’re people who have hurt us, or people whose lives, beliefs, and circumstances are very different from our own. And sometimes we’re the difficult people somebody else is trying to love.
Jesus doesn’t qualify the commandment by telling us to love only those who agree with us, appreciate us, or make loving them convenient. He simply tells us to love. But how do we do that when we’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or struggling to find hope for ourselves, much less offer it to somebody else?
Hold that question.
The Great Commission
Six chapters later, Matthew brings us to a mountain in Galilee. Jesus has been crucified and raised from the dead, and eleven disciples have gathered to meet Him. Matthew tells us something remarkable about those eleven men:
“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:17, NIV)
There’s our conjunction. But some doubted. Even standing before the risen Jesus, some of His followers were still wrestling with uncertainty. I find that enormously encouraging.
Jesus didn’t wait until every question was answered, every fear disappeared, and every disciple possessed unshakable confidence before giving them their assignment. He sent them as they were.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19, NIV)
The Great Commission. Go. Make disciples. Baptize. Teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded. And what was the greatest of those commandments? Love God. Love your neighbor.
See how beautifully these two conversations fit together? Jesus isn’t sending His followers into the world merely to collect converts or win religious arguments. He’s calling them to introduce people to Him, walk alongside them, and help them learn to live the life of love He taught and demonstrated.
The Great Commission carries the Great Commandment into the world.
But those eleven disciples were ordinary people with limitations, questions, fears, and a history of getting things wrong. Now Jesus was sending them into all nations? How could they possibly accomplish something so enormous? For that matter, how can we?
But Don’t Miss the With
Matthew could have ended his Gospel with the assignment. Go. Make disciples. Baptize. Teach. That’s plenty to keep us busy. But Jesus wasn’t finished. He added a promise:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, NIV)
There it is. With.
We’ve spent so much time noticing the significance of conjunctions that we might have overlooked the enormous hope tucked inside this little preposition. Jesus doesn’t simply tell His followers what to do and send them off to figure it out. He promises His presence.
Not I’ll be watching you. Not I’ll be waiting to see how well you perform. Not even I’ll be there when you finally get everything right.
I am with you always.
When you love someone who is hurting, He is with you. When you extend grace to someone who believes they don’t deserve it, He is with you. When you’re trying to follow Jesus but still wrestling with questions, He is with you. When your own broken story makes you wonder what you could possibly offer anyone else, He is with you.
And there’s something else worth noticing. Matthew began his Gospel by telling us that Jesus would be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Now, in the closing words of his Gospel, Jesus promises to remain with His followers always.
From beginning to end, Matthew has been telling us the same extraordinary story. God came to be with us. Jesus lived among us. He gave Himself for us. And the risen Christ promises to remain with us.
Hope Hidden in Plain Sight
Maybe you’ve been wondering what God expects of you. Maybe you look at the Great Commandment and see all the ways you’ve fallen short of loving as Jesus loves. Or perhaps you read the Great Commission and wonder what someone with your struggles, limitations, or unfinished story could possibly contribute.
Remember those eleven disciples. They worshiped, but some doubted. And Jesus sent them anyway—not because they had everything figured out, but because they wouldn’t be going alone.
The Great Commandment tells us how to love. The Great Commission tells us to carry that love into the world. And the Great Promise assures us whose presence goes with us.
So wherever life takes you this week, whatever opportunities you encounter to love, encourage, forgive, or simply sit beside someone who needs a friend, remember that you don’t have to have all the answers or know exactly where the road leads.
But you don’t have to walk it alone.
Because the most hopeful word in the Great Commission may be the smallest one.
With.
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”And it doesn’t get any better than that.
Please comment!