Have you ever wondered why God chooses to use such "unlikely" people—the broken, the doubting, and the overlooked—to carry out the most important mission in human history?

In this message on Matthew 28:16-20, Michael Rowntree explores the climax of Matthew’s Gospel, where the risen Jesus regathers his "Varsity squad" of eleven disciples—a number that serves as a stinging reminder of Judas’ betrayal. Rowntree points out that Jesus deliberately bypassed the religious center of Jerusalem to launch his global kingdom from "Galilee of the Gentiles," a backwoods border region often viewed with disdain by the religious elite. By appearing first to women (whose testimony was legally disregarded at the time) and commissioning a group that was still struggling with doubt, Jesus demonstrates that his kingdom is built on the strength of the Savior, not the perfection of his followers.