And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28.18-20

The Great Commission
This is perhaps the most mistranslated verse in all of Scripture.

Frequently, when I have taught the Great Commission, I will say, “Now there is only one imperative, one command, in this passage. What is it”? to which people almost invariably reply, “Go!” Because, of course, there it is right there in the translation of verse 19.

However, that translation is not quite accurate, and therefore that response to my question is not correct. The only command in the Great Commission is “make disciples.”

Now making disciples, as Jesus continued to say, involves teaching the things of Christ to other people. Whose job is that?

Certainly those who are called to the teaching office in the Church. But, as I am arguing in this study, that duty of teaching the things of Christ to one another and the world also falls on every follower of Jesus Christ. In the Kingdom of God, we are all called to be teachers. As we grow in the Lord Jesus we ought to be teachers. Thus, we must make sure we understand where and how we must carry out this duty appointed us by the Lord.

So let’s examine the Great Commission of our Lord a little more closely, and see if we can’t glean some additional insights into how He expects us to carry out this witnessing and teaching mandate.

Ready as we go
The word “Go” in verse 19 is, as I mentioned, consistently mistranslated in our English Bibles. Rather than being a verb in the imperative mood, as it seems so often to be, the word is actually a participle, and is meant to describe the subject of the imperative verb, that is, you – as in you all. As a participle, it should be translated temporally: “as you are going.”

So what Jesus actually commands is that, as we are going about the everyday situations of our lives, in order to make the most of those situations, we must be ready with a life well-lived and a word of witness or instruction, so that we might teach others to be followers of Jesus Christ, or at least to consider Him.

Let’s face it, we talk about what excites us most. Seen a good movie lately? You’ll share it with your friends, often with much enthusiasm, urging them to go see it. Get a new car? You’ll want to show it off to all your friends. Got a new tech-gadget? You’ll parade it out with joy for everyone to gawk at and covet. New child or grandchild? Out come the pictures.

It’s the way we are: we talk about the things that excite us most. And when our relationship with the Lord Jesus and our experience of the Gospel of the Kingdom affects us like movies, cars, gadgets, and kids, we’ll talk about these with anyone and everyone who will listen.

Our audience
So whom should we expect to be our audience for such teaching?

Well, ask yourself, “Where do I go each week?” What makes up the as-you-are-goings of your life? We pretty much have these in common: our homes, neighborhoods, places of work, stores and restaurants, service organizations, churches, circle of friends, clubs, professional associations, and so forth. As Jesus was sent to a particular place and time to do His disciple-making work, so He has sent each one of us to our own Judea and Samaria, with the same mandate (Jn. 20.21).

When we begin to see our everyday places as our classroom, and all the people we routinely see there as our students, we’ll be in a position to start lining-up the curriculum of truth that we’ll want to present to them as we are going about our everyday tasks.

Assuming, of course, that we are growing in our excitement about the things of the Lord.

How’s your daily time in God’s Word? Rich? Full? Yielding regular encounters with the glory of God? What about your prayers? Do you really experience being in the presence of Jesus as you open your soul to Him in prayer? Do you find that your times with the Lord are increasing the hope of glory in your soul and the experience of righteousness, peace, and joy in every area of your life?

Work harder at your spiritual disciplines, and be sure that you go with Jesus into all the as-you-are-goings of your life, and soon enough you’ll find that you can’t not think about the Lord and His goodness. You will always have something to say about the One Who always fills your life with meaning, purpose, wonder, glory, and love.

For reflection
1.  How would you explain the Great Commission to a new Christian? What does this require of us? How can we make the most of the time given to us for this high calling?

2.  What would you describe as the as-you-are-goings of your life? Have you mapped out your Personal Mission Field? What opportunities for teaching or bearing witness are present there?

3.  How would you evaluate your spiritual disciplines at this time? Are they giving you the kind of excitement and conviction about the Lord you need in order to fulfill your call to teach? Why or why not?

Next steps – Conversation: Is your current practice of spiritual disciplines producing in you genuine excitement about the Lord? Do you need to improve your prayers and Bible reading? Today, talk with a Christian friend about the state of your spiritual disciplines. Seek counsel and advice, and perhaps a prayer partner. Together look for ways you can begin to know and enjoy more of the Lord’s presence and glory in your times with Him each day. Commit to maintaining accountability with one another.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Learning Jesus, is Part 5 of a 5-part series on Following Jesus.Each week’s study is available in a free PDF which you can download by clicking here.

Christians learn best when their learning is framed within a Christian worldview. Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, is available any time, and at no charge. Click here to learn more about this helpful and challenging introduction to Christian worldview, presented in 12 diagrams by T. M. Moore.

Take up the challenge of your Personal Mission Field – and do so with a friend. Watch the video on our Mission Partners Outreach for more information about how you can begin to follow Jesus in your Personal Mission Field (click here).

The Lord uses your prayers and gifts to help us in this ministry. Add us to your regular prayer list, and seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you share with us. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the contribute button at the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.