Understanding the Great Commission

The Great Comission at the end of Matthew's gospel provides one of the most powerful statements in the Bible on what Jesus’ disciples are supposed to be on about.It is enclosed with two of the most wonderful bookends in existence. The first is, "All authority has been given to me..." The second is, "I will be with you always."These are the opening and closing phrases that the disciples of Jesus heard on the day he ascended to his Father. No wonder they were propelled forward into an antagonizing world, and still proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom. They were able to do so because the graphic image of Jesus and the reality of his bookend promises remained fresh in their minds. So when the authority of Caesar tried to frighten them, they remembered that Jesus actually has all the power. When the whole world was seemingly against them because of Christ they didn't fear, because the "I am with you always" was in their guts.These are bookends, or constraints, that we, too, can use as our animating principle. Because Jesus has all the authority, and because he has promised to remain with us, we can also go forward without fear.But what will we go forward and do? This, I think, is where much confusion exists. We get the bookends, we understand what Jesus is doing, but we misunderstand what our responsibilities are. What exactly is he commissioning his disciples to do?Some people think he is calling us to convert people. And by convert I mean get people to make a profession of faith. That's part of the reason for the obsession with how many people prayed the so-called sinner's prayer. Others think that he's calling us to baptize people. And by baptize I mean get them wet while saying, "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." But it's possible to have done all those things while failing to do what Jesus actually commissioned his students to do.If you think about it, it doesn't take the accompanying presence of the most powerful being in the universe to get people to profess belief in something, or to convince them to get baptized off of that profession. No, that's easy. No need for the power of Jesus there. When we minimize Jesus' statements to transactions that must happen we are grossly misunderstanding why the bookends were stated.The command to go and make disciples who are baptized in the Trinitarian name, is none other than a call for the existing disciples to be a Trinitarian community in which a new disciple can become immersed (baptized) in. But we cannot be a Trinitarian community of self sacrificing agape love unless the Spirit of the Trinity enables us to be such a community. Not that water baptism is unnecessary, it's extremely vital as a means of grace, but it shouldn’t end there, it only begins there.And what of the command to "teach them to obey all I have commanded you?" Churches do all types of theological maneuvering around this one. Modern churches think they are teaching people to do what Jesus commanded by having a class that gives information on the Sermon on the Mount. But that sort of teaching doesn't enable people to do or obey all that he commanded, it only helps them to know about all that he commanded. But the only way we can teach disciples to do what Jesus commanded is if the teacher has learned and is learning how do what Jesus commands. And the only way we can do what he commands is if his Spirit abides with us, empowering us, to do and be like him.The bookends aren't there for decoration, they're there because they are necessary for us to do what Jesus is sending us to do. Without the bookends we would literally have nothing propelling us forward, or holding us up.But with the bookend statement & promise, we are free to dream in the in-between. It frees us to begin imagining creative ways to immerse people into a Trinitarian reality, where they are taught to do what Jesus says. No, this isn't passive participation, it's an active union with the one who has all the authority. So, like I encouraged my church, begin cultivating a holy imagination. Think on how you will make disciples in your community, but don't rest your hopes on your thoughts. Plan carefully, but don't place your confidence in your plans. Rather, be like the character Great-Heart from The Pilgrim's Progress, Act 2. When Christiana inquired as to how he could defeat the giant in battle, he responded.

It is my duty to distrust my own ability, that I may have reliance on Him that is stronger than all.

It is our duty to dream, think, engage, and act, in order that we might obey Jesus' commission. But like Great-Heart our reliance should always remain on the one who is stronger than all. For he promised that if we go, he will always be with us.Listen to an audio version here.