Jesus Is Present, Always

A.B. Simpson on Matthew 28:20 “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Literally, Jesus is saying, “I am with you all the days.” He comes to us each day with a new blessing. Every morning, day by day, He walks with us with a love that never tires and a blessing that never grows old. And He is with us “all the days”; it is a ceaseless abiding. There is no day so dark, so commonplace, so uninteresting that we do not find Him there.

Often, no doubt, He is unrecognized, as He was on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), until we realize how our hearts have been warmed, our love stirred, our Bible so strangely vivified, with every promise seeming to speak to us with heavenly reality and power. It is the Lord! (John 21:7)

Whether we have the consciousness and evidence, as they had a few glorious times in those 40 days (between the resurrection and the ascension); or whether we go forth into the coming days as they did, to walk by simple faith and in simple duty, let us know this fact always, that He is with us, a Presence all unseen but real and ready when we need Him to manifest Himself for our relief.

God grant that His living presence may be made more real to us henceforth.

J.C. Ryle

Let us observe in these verses, the gracious promise with which Jesus closes His words. He says to His disciples "I am with you always even to the end of the world."

It is impossible to conceive words more comforting, strengthening, cheering, and sanctifying than these. Though left alone, like orphan children in a cold, unkind world, the disciples were not to think they were deserted. Their Master would be ever "with them." Though commissioned to do a work as hard as that of Moses when sent to Pharaoh, they were not to be discouraged. Their Master would certainly be "with them." No words could be more suited to the position of those to whom they were first spoken. No words could be imagined more consolatory to believers in every age of the world. Let all true Christians lay hold on these words and keep them in mind. Christ is "with us" always. Christ is "with us," wherever we go. He came to be "Emmanuel, God with us," (Matthew 1:23) when He first came into the world. He declares that He is ever Emmanuel, "with us," when He comes to the end of His earthly ministry and is about to leave the world. He is with us daily to pardon and forgive--with us daily to sanctify and strengthen--with us daily to defend and keep--with us daily to lead and to guide--with us in sorrow, and with us in joy--with us in sickness, and with us in health--with us in life, and with us in death--with us in time, and with us in eternity.

What stronger consolation could believers desire than this? Whatever happens, they at least are never completely friendless and alone. Christ is ever with them. They may look into the grave, and say with David, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me." They may look forward beyond the grave, and say with Paul, "we shall ever be with the Lord." (Psalm 23:4. 1 Thessalonians 4:17) He has said it, and He will stand to it, "I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

"I will never leave you and never forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5) We could ask nothing more. Let us go on believing, and not be afraid. It is everything to be a real Christian. None have such a King, such a Priest, such a constant Companion, and such an unfailing Friend, as the true servants of Christ.

Octavius Winslow The Lord My Portion, or Daily Needs Divinely Supplied on Lamentations 3:24, 1870

It is not the world which is our portion, but he who made, upholds and governs the world. And what a portion, O my soul, is Christ - A divine Christ, a redeeming Christ, a full Christ, a sympathizing, ever-present, ever precious, ever-loving Christ.

John Piper "The Loving Comfort"

"Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Notice three things: identification, continuation, and duration.

By identification I mean: see who it is that gives this comfort to us. It is the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. O, plead with God to open your eyes to what this means for you. This Jesus, with all authority over every enemy and every disease and every calamity and every futility, promises to be with you. O the preciousness of the new covenant bought for us with the blood of Jesus: I will be their God and they shall be my people (Jeremiah 31:33), and I will not turn away from them to do them good (Jeremiah 32:40). I will work everything together for their good (Romans 8:28). "I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10). So that we can face the worst threats and say with the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:16-17, "Everyone deserted me, but the Lord stood by me and gave me strength." Who speaks this to us? The one who has all authority in heaven and on earth.

Then there is continuation in the loving comfort (verse 20b): "Lo, I will be with you always." Literally: "all the days." By continuation I mean "without break." The all-powerful, all-ruling Christ does not take breaks from his promise of always being with you. Hebrews 13:5: "Be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never fail you, and never forsake you.'"

Then there is the duration of the comfort, namely, to the end of the age: "Lo, I am with you always to the end of the age." Not only is there no break in the continuation, there is no end to the duration in this world. As long as the world lasts, Jesus will be with us in this world. This is the loving comfort: the One who has put all his enemies under his feet and has died for us and risen for us and triumphed over sin and guilt and condemnation and suffering and death and Satan, and who has all authority in heaven and on earth - this one - comforts us by promising that he will be with us continually to the end of the age to do us good and to bring us safely to everlasting joy.