16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
When the rest of the disciples met with Jesus face to face for the first time, their response was the same as the women’s—they worshipped Him. While the women also feared, the record here shows that some of the disciples doubted. What is meant by this is left unexplained, except that Mark 16:11 records that “some refused to believe” the testimony of the women. Thomas, in particular, refused to believe anyone’s testimony—he would only be satisfied if he saw for himself in person (John 20:25). Matthew bypasses the details and goes immediately to what has been called the “Great Commission.”
Jesus laid out the plans for continuing the mission that He had begun and now validated with His resurrection. In a word, the disciples’ commission from now on was to make other disciples. The Greek grammar is explicit in that the imperative is to “make disciples.” The “Go” is a participle form that would better be translated, “As you go, make disciples…”
How then does one make disciples? Jesus explained that it involves two things: baptizing and teaching. Baptizing means bringing people to the place of publically identifying themselves as followers of Christ. Christians down through the ages have taken this very literally, though not without controversy about the mode or method of baptism.
Making disciples also involved teaching baptized followers of Christ to follow His teachings—everything. Praise God for the four men who penned the narratives that now make up the first four books of the New Testament—so we have a clear record of what He taught.
Some implications: 1) Jesus never intended there to be two tiers of Christians, with the more advanced one being discipleship for a special class of believers. 2) The message is for every human being on the planet. The message does need to go out. Praise God for the missionaries who have taken this message to the ends of the earth. 3) Every disciple should be involved in making disciples, for following all of what Jesus taught includes this very command to make disciples!
Lord, I recommit to learning Your Word and following closely everything that Jesus taught. Point out to me when I am subjectively selective in my obedience.
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