1:9 Alliance: The Great Commission
Editor’s Note: You can also listen to a podcast interview with Brian Dainsberg released in conjunction with this article.
Brian Dainsberg
In Acts 1, Luke mentions that his first volume, The Gospel of Luke, is a record of all that "Jesus began to do and teach" (Acts 1:1). The implication is that Luke's second volume, Acts, will be taken up with all that Jesus continued to do and teach. How is that possible? Just a few verses later in Acts 1, Luke is going to record for us Jesus' ascension. Jesus isn't present bodily for 99% of the book of Acts. How can Acts record what Jesus continued to do and teach when he wasn’t there?
Throughout the New Testament we're given hints that there is an inextricable link between Jesus and the church. For example, when the ascended Jesus confronts Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road, he memorably says, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4). One could imagine Saul being confused by this question. After all, he's not persecuting the ascended Jesus, he's persecuting Christians. But Jesus so identifies himself with his church that his church is meant to be seen as an extension of himself.
Perhaps no passage of Scripture provides a better foundation for understanding this alignment and its implications than the famous "Great Commission" passage of Matthew 28:16–20.
The Great Commission – Then
At the urging of Jesus, the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain specified. Before this in Matthew's account, Jesus has been on a mountain with his disciples for the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt 5–7), the transfiguration (Matt 17:1–13), and the "Olivet discourse" (Matt 24:3–25:46). The setting underlines the importance of the event that is about to transpire.
When the eleven set their gaze upon their crucified and now risen Lord, it prompted a response of worship. But with some of them this worship was remarkably intermingled with doubt (Matt 28:17). Strikingly, this conflation of worship and doubt did not deter Jesus from issuing them their assignment. Perhaps we're encouraged to see in this that "The Great Commission" is less about the qualifications of the agents carrying it out than it is the authority of the one who gives it.
For those disciples attempting to cope with worshiping while doubting, Jesus' words must have been reassuring: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matt 28:18). It's not as though Jesus didn't already possess authority. The authority of Jesus the Messiah has been stressed throughout this gospel (Matt 7:29; 10:1; 11:27; 22:43–44). It appears misguided to conclude that the resurrection conferred on Jesus an authority he didn't already have. Rather, the spheres in which he exercises this authority are extended to the universe. [1]
Since Jesus has universal authority, his disciples are tasked with a universal mission: to make disciples of all nations. This command stands in stark contrast to the one Jesus gave his disciples earlier in the book: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans..." (Matt 10:5). Reaching further back, this global mission brings to maturity the commission God gave Adam and Eve (Gen 1:28) and fulfills God's promise to Abraham (Gen 12:3). So "The Great Commission" can no longer be confined to an exclusively post-resurrection development. It's a theme that runs throughout Scripture and one that will ultimately reach its apex in the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 21–22).
The main verb, "make disciples,” is filled out by the modifiers "baptizing" and "teaching." Baptism presupposes repentance and faith which also assumes evangelism. The closest parallel in Matthew to "in the name" is found in Matthew 18:20 where "in the name" is an expression of solidarity with Jesus. This fits well with Paul's teaching on baptism in Romans 6:1–4. In baptism there is solidarity with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism represents one's union with Christ. In addition to baptism, a disciple also assumes the posture of pupil. There is a tight correlation between discipling and teaching. But the nature of the learning isn't merely academic. The purpose of the teaching is to see baptized disciples "observe all that [Jesus] has commanded" (Matt 28:20). Discipleship is a way of life, not merely a list of beliefs.
Jesus concludes this seismic charge with the type of reassurance with which he began. Having established his universal authority, he ends by assuring his disciples they will have his faithful and enduring presence. With the execution of that universal mission, the presence of Jesus can be counted on in perpetuity.
The Great Commission – Today
What is the mission of the church? There has been no shortage of debate on that question. One fundamental impact "The Great Commission" ought to have on the 21st century church is to see in it the continuity between the ministry of Christ and the mission of the church. In these final words of Jesus before his ascension, Jesus passes the mantle. Up to this point in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is the one making disciples and teaching. Here he transfers that assignment to those who will expand those efforts globally. Herein lies the answer to this contested question. The mission of the church is to make disciples of all nations. In a day and age when so many other pursuits vie for the church's time, attention, and money, Jesus' final words to his disciples, if heeded, will thrust the church decisively in this direction.
How do people, neighborhoods, cities, towns, villages, and countries change for the better? Legislation? Money? Charitable 401c3's? While this passage doesn't overtly discuss sanctification, it would be a mistake not to see it portrayed in Jesus' commission. Doubtless, Jesus drives home the notion of his Lordship through declarations made of his authority and abiding presence. But this authority and presence are so tightly bound up with the command to make disciples that it would be an error to separate them. In other words, if one wants to see the Lordship of Christ rule and reign over our various people groups, make them into disciples of Jesus Christ. Put another way, Jesus exercises his Lordship through disciple-making efforts. Pursuits that skip this may have some value, but in the end, they will prove to fall short of bringing people under the Lordship of Christ.
In conclusion, and to provide some symmetry to this brief assessment, note the following: The book of Acts records the initial outworking of “The Great Commission.” One stunning observation even the casual reader can make is the explosion of the church in the book of Acts. A tiny sect of 120 in one locale becomes a contingent of thousands gathering in dozens of house churches across Mediterranean region. “The Great Commission” fueled church planting. After digesting this, it ought not be surprising why the 1:9 Alliance is "...committed to evangelism, discipleship, and church planting, both locally and globally, as commanded by the Word of God."
Brian Dainsberg - Alliance Bible Church - Mequon, Wisconsin
[1] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew–Mark (Revised Edition), ed. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, vol. 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 665.