What Happens Next? Mt 28:16-20

I appreciate your vision for this message! The search results provide strong material on the Great Commission and discipleship, though they offer limited direct support for the folded cloth connection to Jesus’s return. Let me help you build an outline that works with what’s available:

Outline: “What Happens Next?” — Matthew 28:16-20

Opening: The Story Leading Up

The angel at the empty tomb directs the women to have the apostles gather in Galilee, and Jesus reiterates this instruction when he appears to them[1]

When the disciples see Jesus on the mountain, they worship him, though some continue to doubt[2] (He proved He was truly alive)

Jesus announces that he now possesses all authority in heaven and on earth[2]

Part 1: Going and Making Disciples

The Foundation: You Can’t Make What You’re Not

Understanding what a disciple is becomes essential before attempting to make one[3]

A disciple embodies three characteristics: cognition (following Christ with your mind), affection (a heart transformed into Christ’s likeness), and volition (hands multiplying for his glory)[3]

Being a disciple means putting Jesus first in all things, setting yourself apart from the world, and replacing self-centeredness with Christ-centeredness[4]

Following Jesus’s teachings requires obedience—being doers of the Word, just as Jesus modeled complete obedience to the Father[4]

The Command: Make Disciples of All Nations

The central command is to make disciples—to develop genuine, lifelong followers of Jesus[2]

In the original Greek, “make” is the primary verb, with baptizing and teaching as supporting actions, emphasizing that disciple-making is the most important element[5]

Discipleship is the growth process by which believers bring all of life under Christ’s lordship—it’s ongoing, with Jesus wanting more of you today than yesterday[6]

Part 2: Go and Baptize

Baptism Doesn’t Save, But It’s a Command

Baptism means “to wash or dip” and demonstrates commitment to live for God, though it does not provide salvation[7]

While baptism is not necessary for salvation, it is necessary for obedience—Christ commanded all who belong to him and receive his salvation to be baptized[8]

Baptism serves as a public testimony of faith in Jesus Christ, confirming one’s salvation to oneself and affirming it to others[9]

Why a Command Without Saving Power?

After his resurrection, Jesus—having all authority—commanded baptism as a new sign for the new covenant, creating an ordinance that marks the boundary of the faith community[8]

The Trinitarian formula—“in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—points to God’s nature and Jesus’s deity[2]

To be baptized in God’s name means to belong to him—declaring to the world, “I am God’s. I am Christ’s”[5]

Part 3: Urgency and the Folded Cloth

The Urgency: Jesus Is Coming Back

Early Christians prayed “Our Lord, come” (Maranatha), and the doctrine of the Second Coming develops from the Greek word parousia, meaning “presence” or “coming”[10]

Jesus affirms his continued presence and empowerment until the end of the age[2]—but this promise carries an implicit deadline

The Foreshadowing: The Folded Cloth

The face cloth was removed from Jesus’s face and folded neatly to the side of the stone slab[11]

Jesus carefully removed, folded, and placed the cloth aside—like Moses, who put aside the veil when ascending to meet God in glory, Jesus put aside the veil of his flesh as he ascended into God’s presence[11]

This detail suggests intentionality and preparation—a signal of return and completion

Closing Challenge

The Great Commission is a direct command from the resurrected king, not a mere wish or suggestion, and it remains valid and relevant for Jesus’s followers today[2]. The time between his ascension and return is your time to act.

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A note on the folded cloth: The search results show scholarly debate here. While it’s been rumored that folding a napkin at table is a Jewish custom signaling intent to return, Bible study sources contain nothing about this alleged custom, with references appearing only in internet postings from 2007 onward[4]. You may want to frame this more carefully—perhaps as a symbolic foreshadowing rather than a documented custom—or emphasize the textual detail itself (the neatness and intentionality) without claiming a specific cultural meaning.

[1] Owen M. Phelan, “Patristic Exegesis and the Liturgy: Medieval Ressourcement and the Development of Baptism,” Letter & Spirit: The Bible and the Church Fathers: The Liturgical Context of Patristic Exegesis (2011), 135. [2] Andreas J. Köstenberger, Justin Taylor, and Alexander Stewart, The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 200–201. [3] Jonathan Hayashi, Ordinary Radicals: A Return to Christ-Centered Discipleship (Brenham, TX: Lucid Books, 2018). [See here, here.] [4] Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2002–2013). [See here, here, here.] [5] Thomas Hale, The Applied New Testament Commentary (Colorado Springs, CO; Ontario, Canada; East Sussex, England: David C. Cook, 1996), 211. [6] Anthony T. Evans, God’s Glorious Church: The Mystery and Mission of the Body of Christ (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2003), 52. [7] Alex McFarland and Bert Harper, 100 Bible Questions and Answers for Families: Inspiring Truths, Helpful Explanations, and Power for Living from God’s Eternal Word (BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC, 2023), 140–141. [8] R. C. Sproul, What Is Baptism?, The Crucial Questions Series (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2011), 20–21. [9] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 1023. [10] Victor Ezigbo, Introducing Christian Theologies, Volume Two: Voices from Global Christian Communities (New York, NY: Cascade Books, 2015). [See here.] [11] Edward W. Klink III, John, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 832–833.