Mission in Matthew's Gospel is not limited to the obvious missional texts – Matt 28.16–20 and Matthew 10. Verbal and thematic parallels between Matt 28.16–20 and Matt 24.1–31 invite an interpretation of these texts as mutually significant. Matthew 24 portrays the present for Matthew's community as darker and more vulnerable than is generally observed in Matt 28.16–20. This article explores both the similarities and contrasts between these Matthean passages and some other key intertexts, particularly Isa 42.1–4. Matthew's eschatological program is discerned, including the nature of Christ's ‘presence’ in Matthew 24 and the mission to the nations as an eschatological imperative.