The Great Commission: Making Disciples

The Great Commission is the command Jesus gave to his disciples to make disciples of all nations: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). This is the mission entrusted to the whole Church, and not to a privileged few only. Mark 16:15 takes up the same call: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." This immense task is not left to the strength of men alone: it is accompanied by a promise that is its very foundation, "and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The risen Lord, to whom "all power is given in heaven and in earth," sends his witnesses clothed with his authority and his presence. To make disciples is not merely to announce a message, but to lead people to follow Christ, to baptize them, and to teach them until they walk in obedience. These verses call every believer to take part in the spread of the gospel, near at hand as well as to the ends of the earth, in the confidence that the presence and power of Christ make this mission possible for all who go in his name. Because all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to the risen Lord, no door is finally closed and no nation lies beyond his reach; the promise "I am with you alway" (Matthew 28:20) turns an impossible task into a certain hope.