Matthew 28:18-20

In an earlier blog The Starting Point I highlighted the point that discipleship was considered an important topic by the writers of the New Testament and the concept of discipleship is prominent in the last words of Jesus before He left earth. Jesus outlined the mission of the church on five different occasions with five different emphases and in the following historical order (John 20:21, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-49, and Acts 1:8).

Together these passages give us a picture of the commission Jesus gave to all disciples but my focus will be on the words found in Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV), commonly known as ‘The Great Commission’.

Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

It is important for us to understand what these verses really say. There are four words (all of them in bold above) that will help make sense of exactly what Jesus was telling His disciples to do.  Before looking at their meaning, we need to look at the types of words used.

  • First – There is one imperative verb: “Disciple” translated “Make Disciples”.  An imperative verb in English would typically be a single action-word, followed by an exclamation mark like… “RUN!” or “FIGHT!”
  • Second- There are three participles, used to extend the meaning of the verb.  These are “going”, “baptizing” and “teaching”.

In the text, the imperative verb tells us what to do and the participles tell us how to do it.

It is important to our understanding of discipleship to read Matthew 28:18-20 again, and this time to include the relevant language and cultural emphases (bold mine).

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me and I have given that authority to you. Therefore while you are going about your normal life, make disciples of all people, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and walk, talk, listen, ask, experience life together and help them to just obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

As you read the passage this way, you are seeing discipleship as Jesus saw it, part of our everyday life. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, whoever we are with, we disciple. It has nothing to do with events, programs, courses and taking people to church to be saved and everything to do with walking with Jesus and with people as we engage in everyday living.

Let’s go a little deeper into this passage:

Going: We are not a sending people; we are a sent people. Discipling is a natural part of life for all disciples of Jesus, not just a few called ones. We all need to live with a heightened awareness that Jesus is showing us what He is doing in the life of the individuals we meet every day. Our role is to listen to what He is saying to us about those individuals and follow His instructions on what to do.

In John 17:18 Jesus says, ‘As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world’. The Church of Jesus is a sent church because Jesus was a sent Saviour. If we accept that we are sent then that sent-ness is outworked as we as we are going about our daily lives.

Baptizing: Whereas “going” and “teaching” are ongoing processes as we disciple, “baptizing” does occupy a moment in time when one way of life is discarded and a complete new way of life is embraced. However, this moment in time is part of a journey of continually discarding and embracing, turning away from and turning towards. It is a means of grace whereby the emerging disciple shares both momentarily and continuously in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism was not a new thing to the disciples of Jesus, but once Jesus delivered this commission to His followers, baptism was no longer optional. It was and is a normal part of the growing relationship between Jesus and a new disciple. Because baptizing happens ‘as you go’, it only requires water, not necessarily all the trappings of church tradition. Consider the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:36-38.

Teaching: When we think of teaching, we often envisage a structured situation where information is transferred in a predetermined order and format (a ‘just-in-case’ model). When we look at the life of Jesus, most of the time we see a different approach where He asked questions, provided ‘just-in-time’ and relevant answers and modelled lifestyle as He went about His daily activities. When Jesus used the word translated teaching He meant doing life together as disciple, discipler and the Holy Spirit. This may involve all types of experiences, including more formal teaching, but ‘as you go’ teaching is without barriers, limitations, even qualifications. We share what we hear from Jesus as we go.

Remember the Greek word simply says: “DISCIPLE!” So, as we go about doing what Jesus instructed us to do, the Holy Spirit is transforming the heart of the person we are discipling. In the great commission in Matthew, disciple is not an outcome (like a product that you end up with), but rather it is a process that you are doing.  As you go, “disciple!”

There is a final important component in the Great Commission that shouldn’t be missed.  In English it is expressed, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  In the mission enterprise of Jesus, he joins me in my going, my baptizing, and my teaching as I disciple others.

You are already going.  You don’t need to go anywhere else on planet earth to fulfill the Great Commission. The street where you live, the town you live in, your work place and your sphere of influence are the places where you are already “going.”  So, in those places… DISCIPLE!  Do it by baptizing and teaching as you go.You are on a mission WITH Jesus, who is with you as you do what He has commanded.

Invitation. If this blog spikes your interest, we would also encourage you to pass the URL below on to friends who are also looking at how best to engage potential disciples in the 21st century. For those who have already done this we appreciate it.  

https://disciplingasyougo.com

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