The all-encompassing commission
"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.'” (Matthew 28:18-20)
November 8, 2024
Dear friends,
Before his ascension to heaven Jesus gave instructions to his disciples which we commonly refer to as “the great commission", quoted above.
There's an all-encompassing comprehensiveness to this commission, as seen by his repetition of the word "all", especially as seen in the Greek text:
— All authority -- πᾶσα ἐξουσία
— All nations -- πάντα τὰ ἔθνη
— All that Jesus taught -- πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην
— Always (lit. "all the days") -- πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας
Our Lord Jesus commanded us — his disciples then and now — and we go forth, based upon his authority, "all authority in heaven and earth." And his presence is with us "always, to the end of the age." Herein is our confidence to proclaim the gospel to all creation -- his all-encompassing authority and his always-accompanying presence. He is behind us and with us as we make disciples.
There's an all-encompassing aspect to the discipling task given to us. They -- and we the church by extension -- are given the task to make disciples everywhere. "All nations" to a Jewish background listener would convey the totality of the Gentile (non-Jewish) world. The task is global. And the breadth and depth of our teaching (instructing, discipling) extends to "all that I have commanded you." And not just the knowledge of that, but the practice of it: "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded..."
The result of this all-encompassing task is seen here: “…by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…” (not from a few, but from every). (Rev 5:9) And so shall it be fulfilled that “…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (not some, but all) (Gen 12:3) We are not to stop working at this task until, as the Apostle Paul says, every disciple is brought to maturity: "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." (Col 1:28-29)
Four alls are in this commission. Two alls he calls us to: all the nations and all that he has commanded. And two alls give us confidence: his authority over all, and the promise of his presence always. His authority is behind us, and his presence is with us, and the task is before us.
I am personally thankful for the U.S. election outcome, at least as reflected in the platform of the winning party. But we as Christians should always remember that our ultimate calling is not to make America great again, but to put first the kingdom of God, in all things and at all times.
RECENT READING.
-- "Men did ‘step up’ for their daughters and for women everywhere, but not in the way that these sobbing women on Instagram demanded." (Madeline Osburn in The Federalist)
-- "Enduring Themes in American Politics and the Election of 2024." I enjoyed Dan Fischer's insights on the election.
-- "We’d do better to speak of living as citizens of the kingdom, rather than telling our people that they build the kingdom." From "What Is the Church's Mission?"
FINAL QUOTE.
“The Christian faith is not a mere collection of doctrines — a bag of truths. Christianity is a comprehensive truth claim that encompasses every aspect of revealed doctrine, but is centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Albert Mohler)
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.