The Simplicity of the Great Commission

Most of us know what the so-called “Great Commission” is. This refers to “Jesus’ directive concerning the church’s missional identity” and it’s a promise “that the worldwide expansion of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins will be fulfilled” (The Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms, p. 95).

There is nothing unusual or strange about this “commission” for Jesus desires that His people openly and widely proclaim the good news about Him to all the world. These are the parting words of our Savior to His people that they might make Him known to others. But why is it that the simplicity of this command is so difficult?  It may be difficult to carry out but why would it be so difficult to understand and do?

Today I was leafing through a volume that describes the situation in which many of our popular hymns and songs were composed. One of these pointed out that the author or writer was striving to understand and promote the “great commission” in a way that the reader and singer would accept and relate to the great commission as the song says. But this caused me to think and wonder… what if the writer were to fail to really understand the truth? What if he or she were to promote a wrong idea that the singer were to accept and assume is correct? But what if the meaning were wrong?

As an example, let’s go to the so-called Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:18-20. We know that there are other renditions of this, such as Mark 16:15ff and Luke 24:44ff, but in this essay we want to just limit our thoughts to Matthew’s version.

Jesus says this (in Matthew 28:18): “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Thus the commission is based on Christ’s universal authority—thus we are to take this with the seriousness with which it deserves.

The Lord continues: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Then the next verse says, “. . . teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This shows that Christ’s commission is a “command” to be obeyed. Jesus then promises His presence with believers throughout this age.  Now, let’s go back to verse 19. Jesus sends His disciples out to all the nations. This would include everyone in the first century and every succeeding century. These people reached are to be made “disciples” or followers of the Lord Jesus. They are not to be left in their ignorance but are to be reached for Christ and His cause. Further, these people are made followers (in part) by baptism. Baptism in whose Name?  Into (eis) the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

There are many different points we could comment on here, but we’ll just limit ourselves to what these disciples were to do as they went out to all of the nations. They were to “baptize” them. But what does this mean?

According to W. E. Vine, it means “the process of immersion, submersion and emergence” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary).Or it means “a dipping in water” (Liddell and Scott). Or it can man “to put or go under water” (Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary). We are quite convinced that the typical person who reads the book of Matthew has little or no idea that this is true. How many readers really know that when Jesus said that His apostles were to “make disciples of all the nations” and were to baptize them, that He was saying that His followers were to immerse these people from all nations?

Further, when the typical Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, or Episcopalian reads the Gospels, how many of them really know this?  Further yet, when Jesus says that His apostles were to “make disciples,” how many of these modern religionists realize that he was saying that they should cause people from all nations to become “learners” by following Jesus, and that they were to follow Jesus by being immersed into the Lord?

Surely, these contemporary religionists are totally confused about what the Great Commission was and is! They have been misled by their pastors, their priests, their ministers, or other leaders. They surely must think that when they go into all of the world to make disciples, they are obeying the command of Jesus when, actually, they are wide of the mark of what the Lord wants.

To repeat, Jesus is telling His apostles (hence, us today)

1. To go into all of the world
2. They should make disciples (through preaching) of these people
3. They are made disciples by baptizing them
4. To baptize them, they are to “immerse” or “dip” them in water
5. Under what authority? In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
6. These converts (whose immersed in water) are to be taught to obey or observe that which Jesus commanded the apostles
7. The Lord then promised His presence to be with them

Again, we repeat, how many Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Lutherans, or Episcopalians really know what God through Christ commanded them? Do you think that when the Catholic in AD 1300 or the Lutheran in AD 1600 or the Methodist in AD 1800 or the Presbyterian in AD 1900 were going to Africa, Asia, the Americas, or Europe, did they really know what Jesus Christ wanted them to do? We strongly doubt it.

Of course, the next logical question is this: If these religionists failed to obey the Great Commission, what does Jesus think about this omission? First, we don’t know His view on this other than what He has revealed. If He wanted to do something other than what He revealed, He would have that option. However, there is no indication whatever the He wanted to change His instructions to His apostles. And if He didn’t change the Great Commission to the apostles, we assume that He would not to us either.

In other words, Jesus commanded His apostles (and us) that they should go into all the world and proclaim His truth, His good news, to all creation in all nations. These taught ones were to be baptized. And we just observed above that “baptism” means to be lowered into water and removed from water—otherwise known as immersion or dipping. Were they to be left where they are? No, they were to be taught. Actually, part of the reaching of these people involved teaching them to “obey” or “observe” all that the Lord Jesus commanded.

Do we see the import of this?  We’ll not comment on all of those immersed here (such as Baptists, the Church of Christ, the Christian Church, the Pentecostals, and others) for they have other issues to deal with (such as the meaning, significance, or import of baptism). But here we just refer to those who have not at all submitted to Christ’s command to make disciples, followers, or learners for this requires a certain amount of mental awareness and desire to please God. And, in addition, we want to especially express our concern for those who have not at all been baptized (i.e., not been immersed), such as Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and others like them.

Are we like many people in the twenty-first century and think that Jesus Christ will merely pass over people who have not submitted to the Great Commission? We know that millions of people have no interest at all in submitting to these parting words of our Lord. But Jesus, the very Creator of the universe, the One with all authority, issued a command about 2,000 years ago. Are we going to obey it? Or can we just pass by it, forget it, neglect it, or close our eyes to this command? Apparently the Lord considered it important and God the Father must have known of its importance. Otherwise they would not have given the command.

What will you do? What do you think? How do you understand this? Knowing the truth does put a certain amount of responsibility on us, doesn’t it! We can’t just pass by it and go our way. If there is a certain amount of interest in this matter, let’s do more than consider it. Let’s personally obey this and reach others with the truth! Now is the time!