The great commission is often conceived as just “preaching the gospel”. But, in our age, and I think in all ages since the time of Christ, the message alone, decoupled from making disciples/discipleship, has rendered very ineffective results. For that reason I tend to lean on Matthew’s recording of it as, perhaps, the best understanding.
[Matthew 28:18-20 NASB95] 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
So, just what is the great commission, and what is our part in it or response to it? Each of the gospels has some form of this sending out .
[Mark16:14-20 NASB95] 14 Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining [at the table;] and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly [poison,] it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.] [[And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.](Note: there were signs following belief. The signs were not said to accompany those that preached, but those who have believed. Something changed.)
[Luke 24:36-41, 44-49 NASB95] 36 While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 While they still could not believe [it] because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” … 44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 “You are witnesses of these things. 49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
[John 20:19-23, 27-31 NASB95] 19 So when it was evening on that day, the first [day] of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace [be] with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace [be] with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 “If you forgive the sins of any, [their sins] have been forgiven them; if you retain the [sins] of any, they have been retained.” … (days later He appears again) 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed [are] they who did not see, and [yet] believed.” 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
[Acts 1:6-8 NASB95]6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
We have traditionally been taught that herein lies our responsibility to evangelize through the preaching of the gospel of salvation in Christ. And, that may well be, at least, a part of what is indicated. But, that is not the specific instruction of the version of the so-called Great Commission given at His ascension in Matthew.
(repeating) [Matthew 28:18-20 NASB95] 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus begins, there, by sharing the result of His death, burial, and resurrection saying “All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth.” His LORDSHIP over all has been firmly established, by His victory over the last enemy death.
He then gives an apostolic command. Because all authority is mine, GO THEREFORE. He is sending His followers out.
Where? To All nations. Jews and Gentiles.
To do what? MAKE DISCIPLES. Not converts, not decisions, not numbers of confessions unto salvation. But, disciples. Literally, a pupil, a learner, one who would follow His teachings and precepts.
Mark them as disciples with Baptism. The ceremonial and symbolic cleansing from sin, by their own death, burial, and resurrection. But not just a religious act or ceremony, but in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The understanding is that they were being baptized “into”, hidden inside of, entering into, entering among or into fellowship with, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Much more than just a religious service or act. This baptism was an outward proclamation of the pupil, learner, follower, voluntarily losing and laying down their life, to be found inside of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Then, if they made such disciples, those that would make such a commitment, they would need to teach them all that they had been taught and commanded by Jesus. They would need to hold didactic discourse with them for the purpose of instruction. Again, the indication is not just preaching salvation unto them. But, giving training the way they had been given it. Yes, in sharing the word, scripture, and traditional teaching of wisdom (by preaching). But also training by sharing life and conducting oneself as example, trainer, teacher.
And, let us consider that a command is not simply informational. A command requires action and obedience.
He did not say “teaching them all the great information I transferred to you,” He said teaching them “all that I commanded you”. Again the inference is all I commanded you to do, ordered and enjoined you to be actively part of. it was not simple salvation information and pie in the sky when we die, nor knowledge of religious doctrine.
If we look at Jesus, Paul, or Barnabus. Their process for disciples included three basic elements. A call. Practical training. Sending out after instruction/modeling, equipping, and giving authority.
This seems to be the pattern of discipleship Jesus talked about, and then was that modeled by others in the early church
You can’t really call and train someone to lay down their life, unless you are willing to do so, and are doing so yourself, for them. And you can’t give or transfer authority you have not exhibited among, or with, those you would give it to.
We do not need to look at the commission to make disciples and see it as impossible. It isn’t! Because as it was for the disciples then, so is it now for us. Its foundation is laid in the authority of our Lord Jesus. “All authority has been given to me in heaven and in earth! Go therefore, and make disciples..” And, He is with us and has empowered us with the Holy Spirit. We co-labor with Him.
But, neither do we need to cheapen or dilute the call to discipleship to be less than laying down your life to take up His life under His Lordship, and His authority!
It is not simply a fire escape message. It is, however, a decision regarding life, eternal life, and death. It is, as it was from the beginning, a decision to feed from the tree of life, Jesus, or to feed from the knowledge of good and evil and self made religion and die.
Jesus did not dilute it.
Luke 14:25-33 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
There is a cost to discipleship. It is all you have and and all that you are, to gain all He is. But there is also a great reward. The fullness of life now in feeding from and knowing Him, and eternal life in Him.
If we consider the mission of Jesus it is evident that His love first for the Father, and His love for us, moved Him to lay down the effluence of glory that had been His from eternity past, humble Himself to become a man and die an ignoble death. (See Philippians 2). In doing so, motivated by love, He would deliver unto the Father His inheritance in the us, the saints (see Ephesians 1:18). And, deliver unto us the restoration of the way to the Tree of Life and eternal life in Him.
This consideration requires us, as the redeemed and His body, to see in His great commission of Matthew 28, what is our mission in making disciples. Is it any less than His being sent from the Father was. To lay down our lives in love for Him, and for the love of others. And, to call, train, and send others to do likewise in God’s eternal purpose.
To call people to be His disciples, and to lay down their lives, taking up their cross to follow Him, may sound like a message that “will not preach” in our time. But it was the message of Jesus, the one modeled by Him, and by His disciples.
Can it stand up in our times? I think it can, if we understand and model its foundations in the Love of God in Christ, and if we are not afraid to live it and share it.
We each have opportunities in contacts we have with neighbors, social contacts in friends and through avocations and organizations. Then, there are those we share interests with in church or associations, and our vocational workplaces. Then, there are family relationships. And, then, there are opportunities that come our way to serve the sick, the poor, widows, orphans, the needy.
These opportunities are many, but tend to be highly surface and superficial. They are often based on what people know of my position, power, wealth, education, or admired attributes – like looks, personality, talent, or the like. As such they may give me some ground for influence, but probably are not going to allow me to call people into a deep commitment like discipleship to Jesus. At least, not without a good deal of development and deeper knowledge of one another. But you have to start someplace, and this is a foothold position.
Deeper influence, or what some have termed transformational influence, generally comes from people seeing service and sacrifice toward them or others. If seen as doing something to only gain access to them on a deeper level it will not work, but will be seen as manipulative. Too much of what the church has done is often seen in this light. However, if truly done without any strings of obligation attached, and when it brings you no visible honor, glory, or position, it is likely to be received and seen as an outworking of something in your character that makes you different and out of the ordinary.
Have you noticed how much news, information, and advertising there is in our culture and the world we live in? Perhaps, at no other time in history, has the competition for a place in the minds of people been so cluttered with input. In our day, most people can’t even look up from their phone long enough to listen or consider what someone else may be saying. Words alone will rarely get their attention. Words are necessary in sharing good news, but your entry into actively invading the space of people will be more requiring of us in terms of love and service.
Although we carry the most important news of the ages regarding Jesus, and God’s love and eternal purpose, gaining people’s attention is difficult in our time. Plus many, if not most, believe they have heard it all before, making it even more difficult to gain their interest. The truth is they haven’t! They have been exposed only to a “come and get” gospel, not the call to life changing, and life giving, discipleship.
Better advertising (like seeker friendly churches have tried) and word of mouth alone will not make much impact, nor put us in the place of transformational influence. An approach to serving, and loving, in humility and without drawing attention to or for ourselves, as Jesus did and modeled, probably will. To sacrifice your time, energy, labor, resources, without seeking fame or accolades or expectation of return is unusual. There are few who do that. It will often prompt people to wonder what makes you different.
And, do keep in mind you are not called to do this alone. We are called and commissioned, as the church, His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23). Your influence is simply a part of our multiplied influence if we are each one functioning in this way. Your relationships with other believers is important as we corporately find ways to influence the world and the communities we are a part of. You will not be a lone voice when the opportunity comes to explain what has made you different and why. You hopefully, probably, will not be the only one claiming to know Jesus and to have found peace and purpose in living for and in Him as His disciple. Even if you are, the opportunity to introduce potential disciples to the true disciples you know and fellowship with will provide the needed modeling and training opportunities.
Let us be prayerfully looking for the opportunities, as individuals and corporately, where we have some foothold of relationship to, under His direction and Lordship, turn our influence transformational by love and service as well as words in sharing the call to discipleship. To love and encourage one another as disciples and to call others to discipleship is not optional.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:35
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. 1 John 3:23-24a
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life– 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us– 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. [1 John 1:1-3 NASB]
By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:10-16
Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 1 John 2:7-10
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:8-10
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. John 14 21-23