Matthew 28:19-20
About this verseThe risen Jesus sends his followers to make disciples among every people, baptising and teaching them — and promises to be with them always.
Before ascending, Jesus promises his followers power from the Holy Spirit to tell of him from Jerusalem to the farthest places on earth.
But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power, and you will bear witness to me in Jerusalem, through all Judea and Samaria, and out to the farthest end of the earth.”
Say the verse aloud, filling in each blank. Tap a blank for a hint.
These are Jesus’ last recorded words before the ascension. The disciples had just asked whether he was about to restore the kingdom to Israel — a political question — and he answers with something far larger, redirecting them from speculation about timing to the work they are being given.
The geography doubles as the outline of Acts itself: Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, the ends of the earth. Power comes first, and it is given for witness rather than for display. Memorised, it keeps the order straight — the Spirit enables, and the task is testimony.
It promises that the Holy Spirit will give Jesus’ followers power, and sends them out as his witnesses in ever-widening circles from Jerusalem to the whole world.
The book follows the same movement: the gospel spreads from Jerusalem, through Judea and Samaria, and outward across the Roman world to Rome itself.