The Great Commission is Jesus’ last words to His disciples before returning to heaven. One’s Last words are words that are remembered. They often make the most significant impact. These words are so crucial that all four of the Gospel writers recorded them in some form five times. Luke records it in his Gospel account as well as in the book of Acts. This article focuses on three aspects of The Great Commission.
1. The Mission is a Stewardship From the Lord (Matthew 28:18-20)
Imagine showing up to a business to pick up something you left there—your credit card or glasses, for instance. However, someone you don’t know is waiting for you at the door. They tell you not to go in but instead to go away right away, even though it is regular business hours. What would you do?
Now imagine that same scenario, but parked out front is a SWAT vehicle, and the person at the door is in uniform. Now, when they tell you what to do, you immediately listen! They have the authority!
Or maybe you notice a spot on your shoulder that you’ve thought nothing of. Your friends or spouse said it was nothing to worry about. However, your dermatologist says you should get it removed right away. Who do you listen to? The dermatologist, who speaks with authority, of course!
We heed the advice of those who know more than we do. We trust in a risen, sovereign Savior who has defeated death and reigns above all because He knows more than we do. There is no greater authority than Christ. He speaks, and we listen. He commands, and we respond. Jesus asserts, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18.” So, we must listen and obey because Jesus has all authority. But, in Matthew 28:19, Jesus connects His authority with the mission He gives His Church. The word “therefore” is the conjunction that places weight on the mission because Jesus has all authority. The authority of Jesus is the motivation for us to fulfill the mission He has given His Church. Jesus speaks with authority. We listen. He commands. We obey.
2. The Mission is a Sovereign Command from the Lord (Matthew 28:19-20)
The main verb found in verse 19 is “Make Disciples.” You can strip everything else away from these two verses, and the command is “Make Disciples.” Making disciples is the mission of the Church. The mission for you and me as individual followers of Jesus Christ is making disciples. Making disciples is a sovereign command of the Lord.
- It is not a suggestion to be considered.
- It is not an appeal to arouse a sympathetic response.
- It is not a proposal that should be accepted.
- It is not a plea in which the Lord is saying, “Please make disciples.”
The Great Commission is a sovereign command of the Lord that must be obeyed. If we only partially obey, ignore it, take an apathetic approach, or worse, do not obey this command, we are in sin! We must make disciples.
As we look at the structure of this command, three participles surround the main verb. In English, a participle is a form of a verb that describes a noun or pronoun. The participle describes the state or action of the noun or pronoun. It can be in the present or past tense. The present tense usually ends with the suffix “-ing.”
In the text before us, there are three participles:
- Go
- Baptizing
- Teaching
Two participles are translated into English using the present tense to describe the pronoun “them” in verses 19 and 20. “Them,” of course, refers to disciples. So, the participles “baptizing” and “teaching” describe the state of the disciples. A disciple is baptized. A disciple is taught. We will focus on these two participles in the coming weeks.
As good Bible students, you have already observed that the first participle is not translated into English using the “-ing” suffix. Why? This participle is not in the Greek present tense. It takes on the weight of the main verb “make disciples” because it is not in the present tense. Let me illustrate in this way:
If I say to you, “Go buy a gallon of milk.” Could you buy a gallon of milk without going somewhere? No! You must first go to the store, the dairy farm, or wherever you buy milk before purchasing a gallon of milk. Even in this digital age, when you can order groceries online and have them delivered to your doorstep, you still must first go to the store’s online store in their app or website to make the purchase.
Such is the case with the great commission. We must go make disciples. When we rightly understand this, we understand that making disciples is intentional. It is not passive. It is not “when I feel like it.” It is not even “when the door of opportunity opens, I will make disciples.” The command is intentional: Go Make Disciples.
We are to make disciples of all ethnic groups. The word “nations (Matthew 28:19)” is the Greek word “ethnos.” It is the word from which we get our English word “ethnic.” It refers to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin. It does not necessarily refer to borders around land as we think of today when we speak of “nations.” For example, in the Old Testament, foreign nations not worshipping the One True God were known as pagans or gentiles. In the New Testament, Paul uses ethnicity to refer to Gentile Christians.
So, The Great Commission is a sovereign command of the Lord. There is no place for prejudice, bigotry, racism, sexism, or any form of narrow-mindedness in making disciples. All have sinned and need salvation provided only in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:8-10).
3. The Mission is Superintended by the Lord (Matthew 28:20)
Verse 20 is a promise from Jesus that He would superintend the mission. How does Jesus superintend the mission of the Church today? He does so through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised His disciples that when He went back to heaven, He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to help us.
Luke records Jesus’ instructions to His disciples to go to Jerusalem and stay there until they receive the Holy Spirit. Then, in Acts, Luke records for us the coming of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus promised.
Luke 24:48-29 (ESV)
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Acts 1:8 (ESV)
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
John also records Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit as our Comforter or Helper. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to bear witness to Jesus. We are to join the holy Spirit in this work and be witnesses of Jesus Christ.
John 14:26 (KJV)
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 15:26-27 (ESV)
26 But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
The Holy Spirit’s work in witnessing of Jesus is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. His work is a warning to the unsaved. But, it is also a witness to the good news of Jesus because He took the punishment for our sins.
John 16:8-11 (ESV)
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
The Great Commission has three characteristics:
- It Is A Stewardship from the Lord
- It Is A Sovereign Command from the Lord
- It Is Superintended by the Lord
If these three things are true, as presented in The Great Commission passage, then what excuse do we have for not making disciples? None! The mission is from the Lord, for the Lord, and by the Lord. We are responsible for joining the Lord Jesus Christ on His mission and trusting Him for the results.
So, how are we doing? As a church, corporately, are we making disciples? As an individual, are you making disciples?
