The word always is perhaps one of the most misused words in our English language. If we stop and think, we could find it being used out of context often. "I always, he/she always, we always this and that". I have been guilty of this far too often. We can be sure though that Jesus did not do this. He used words very carefully. He never wasted them. What in fact does this word mean in the following verse? I have read Matthew 28:20 many times and it has often been near to my soul.
Of course, I had only read it in English, and Spanish, and even there I was greatly impacted. Just the thought of the living Christ, the anointed chosen One of God, presently being with me is overwhelming. The verse reads as follows in two of our excellent English translations:
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (ESV)
And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (NASB)
That seems pretty clear. There is no special deep hidden truth to be gleaned when one turns to the original, but there are a few things worth noting that may make it a little clearer. First, here is the verse:
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ’ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.
Of course, I had only read it in English, and Spanish, and even there I was greatly impacted. Just the thought of the living Christ, the anointed chosen One of God, presently being with me is overwhelming. The verse reads as follows in two of our excellent English translations:
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (ESV)
And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (NASB)
That seems pretty clear. There is no special deep hidden truth to be gleaned when one turns to the original, but there are a few things worth noting that may make it a little clearer. First, here is the verse:
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ’ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.
First, Jesus says, ἰδοὺ. The word "behold" really does not capture that much in contemporary English. In Greek however, it means much more. It is saying "Behold! Look! See! Pay Close Attention!" There is something important about to be said, don't miss it! Jesus is about to convey something worth hearing and remembering.
Second, He says ἐγὼ...εἰμι (I am). Were He to say simply εἰμι it would be clear what He is saying, but He does not stop there. He adds the emphatic ἐγὼ (I) to perhaps give that extra punch, and say as it were, "I myself and no one less". In English, by rule, we have to add the personal pronoun, I, you, he/she/it, we, you, they, before the verb. In most languages that is not the case; Greek is one of them. You can say, "Am the way, the truth, and the life", or you can say "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The latter gives more emphasis and says "I". Well, in John 14:6 the same combination is used as here in Matthew 28:20, ἐγὼ εἰμι. It was very clear that Jesus was claiming to be the ONLY way, truth, and life. In fact one could argue that it carried more weight for the Greek ear than the English. It was something that jumped out at them, you could say, the way it may not to us.
A third thing to make mention of. How long is Jesus with the believer? This is where the Greek caught my eye. We just saw that He says ἐγὼ μεθ’ ὑμῶν (I am with you). Implying that He is with us now. Now He says, πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας (all the days). Nothing fancy or hidden here, just simple language. "I am with you all the days". Not merely "always" or "forever", but "all the days", each and every one of them, one by one with all their trials and troubles, not missing one, no vacant moments, no vacations. Not just "all days", but all τὰς (the) days. He IS with us-present, and all the days-future. He is never leaving. And to stress His being with us a third time He says, ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος (until the consummation of the age). Wow! There is no place for doubt. He is with us now, all the days, until the completion, the consummation, the end of the age. What a comforting truth for the believer.