The Great Co-Mission

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20)

We know that text. It's called "The Great Commission." It's where Jesus tells His disciples to be evangelists. Or ... is it? These are the last words of Jesus recorded in Matthew's Gospel. Perhaps we ought to look a little closer.

According to the dictionary, a commission is a formal warrant granting the power to perform various acts or duties. The word has its roots in the Medieval Latin term, "commissiō," meaning "commitment" where "mittere" meant "to send for a purpose" and the prefix meant "with." Yes, I know, a lot of blather, but it's very important in this context and this commission. If this text is "The Great Commission" where "commission" refers to being "sent on a mission with", exactly how does that work?

We know the gist of the text. Be missionaries, so to speak, right? Not quite. Notice the verbs: "go," "make disciples," "baptizing," "teaching." First, you'll notice that it's a lot more than "evangelize." Second, you may have noticed that "evangelize" is not explicitly there. In Mark's version we read, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel" (Mark 16:15), so it is in there, but not explicitly in this Matthew text. It is implied. So this mission we've been sent on has four specific components. First, go. Don't sit. Don't stay home. Don't hide. Go. It is literally "as you are going" because we all do go. As you are going wherever you are going, then, do these three things. First, make disciples. Now, at this juncture it is quite clear that "preach the gospel" is necessary since the gospel is what makes converts, but it's necessary like a key is necessary to getting into your house. If you take the key with you and never walk through the door, you never get into your house. You never go home. So, start making disciples with the gospel, sure, but that's just opening the door to the command. Make Christ followers. Make people who are learning of Christ. Jesus told His disciples "I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you" (John 13:15). Paul told the Corinthians, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1). We make Christ followers by being Christ followers and then walking alongside others to do the same. This isn't "short-term missions." This is a lifestyle. Paul didn't make converts; he made churches. Scripture says "[Christ] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph 4:11-12). Apostles are God's messengers. Prophets are those who tell what God has proclaimed. Evangelists are preachers of the good news. Pastors are those who shepherd and teachers are those who teach. There is a certain sense in which we all are called to be all of these to some people. It's called "making disciples."

So what does "making disciples" look like? It includes "baptizing." Here, it is baptizing them into the name -- the nature and character -- of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. It includes our "water baptism" concept, but just as much it includes immersing them into the Triune God. The word, "baptizing," in Greek means literally "to whelm." Flood them with God. While you're at it, teach them. The verb is a prolonged (causitive) form for learning. Learning what? It is not about learning knowledge, although knowledge is necessary. It is not teaching them what Jesus commanded, although knowing what He commanded is necessary. It is about teaching them to obey what He commanded. All that He commanded.

When you look at the commission He has given as it is given, it gets to be pretty daunting. We thought we could get away with "Give them your testimony" or "Share the 4 Spiritual Laws" or something and be done. This isn't an event; it's a condition. It isn't a single act; it is a mission. It is huge. That's why it is a co-mission. At least, that's how Jesus presented it. He started with His authority and ability. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore ..." "Therefore" because His authority (absolute) is the reason we do it. And He ended with "I am with you always." We're not alone in this seemingly impossible task. We are on a mission from God, but we are not in it alone. We are literal missionaries in a literal mission field. Wherever we happen to be. We are operating at His command under His authority and His power with His constant presence. It is is indeed a literal co-mission -- His and ours. It would seem to me, given the gravity of the task and the authority that gave it to us, the power behind it and the Presence in it, that we ought to be about our Savior's business.