Great Commission

In Christianity, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples to spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. The most famous version of the Great Commission is in Matthew 28:16–20, where on a mountain in Galilee Jesus calls on his followers to make disciples of and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Great Commission is similar to the episodes of the commissioning of the Twelve Apostles found in the other Synoptic Gospels, though with significant differences. Luke also has Jesus dispatching disciples during his ministry, sending them to all the nations and giving them power over demons, including the Seventy disciples. The dispersion of the Apostles in the traditional ending of Mark is thought to be a 2nd-century summary based on Matthew and Luke.

It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing ministry, missionary work, evangelism, and baptism. The apostles are said to have dispersed from Jerusalem and founded the apostolic sees. Preterists believe that the Great Commission and other Bible prophecies were fulfilled in the 1st century while futurists believe Bible prophecy is yet to be fulfilled at the Second Coming.

Some students of historical Jesus hypothesize the Great Commission as reflecting not Jesus’ words but rather the Christian community in which each gospel was written. (See Sayings of Jesus.) Some scholars, such as John Dominic Crossan, assert that Jesus did commission the apostles during his lifetime, as reported in the Gospels. Others, however, see even these lesser commissions as representing Christian invention rather than history.

The Great Commission, stained glass window, Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick in El Paso, Texas

History

It is not known who coined the term Great Commission, which was popularized by Hudson Taylor.

Scholars such as Eduard Riggenbach (in Der Trinitarische Taufbefehl) and J. H. Oldham et al. (in The Missionary Motive) assert that even the very concept did not exist until after the year 1650, and that Matthew 28:18–20 was traditionally interpreted as having been addressed only to Jesus’s disciples then living (believed to be up to 500), and as having been carried out by them and fulfilled, not as a continuing obligation upon subsequent generations.

New Testament accounts

The most familiar version of the Great Commission is depicted in Matthew 28:16–20,

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 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.”

The following comparison table is primarily based on the New International Version (NIV) English translation of the New Testament.

**Matthew 28:16–20**
The eleven disciples went to Galilee according to the instructions of an angel, and later Jesus himself. On the designated mountain they saw Jesus: some worshipped him, others still doubted. Jesus: ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’

**Mark 16:14–18**
Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples as they sat eating. Jesus accused them of unbelief because they did not believe those who had allegedly seen him after he had risen. Jesus: ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name, they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.’

**Luke 24:44–49**
Jesus appeared in Jerusalem to the eleven disciples and others as they stood talking. Jesus repeated that everything written about him in the Scriptures had to be fulfilled. Jesus: ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But remain in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

**John 20:19–23**
Jesus appeared in Jerusalem to the disciples (except Thomas) who were locked down in a house. Jesus wished them peace twice and said: ‘As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you’. Jesus blew the Holy Spirit over them, said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld’, and left.

**Acts 1:4–8**
Jesus taught the disciples for 40 days in Jerusalem. Jesus: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ Disciples asked if Jesus would soon restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus: ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’

Interpretations

The commission from Jesus has been interpreted by evangelical Christians as meaning that his followers have the duty to go, make disciples, teach, and baptize. Although the command was initially given directly only to Christ’s eleven Apostles, evangelical Christian theology has typically interpreted the commission as a directive to all Christians of every time and place, mainly because it seems to be a restatement or moving forward of the last part of God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:3. As members of the Bruderhof Communities, some Christians see their life of church community as taught in Acts 2 and 4 as their part of proclaiming the gospel to all men.

Commentators often contrast the Great Commission with the earlier Limited Commission of Matthew 10:5–42, in which they were to restrict their mission to their fellow Jews, who Jesus referred to as “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. (Matthew 15:24)

Preterists believe that the Great Commission was already fulfilled based on the New Testament passages “And they went out and preached everywhere” (Mark 16:20), “the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Colossians 1:23), and “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations” (Romans 16:25–26).

The Jewish Encyclopedia: Gentiles: Gentiles May Not Be Taught the Torah states:

R. Emden (יעב”ץ), in a remarkable apology for Christianity contained in his appendix to “Seder ‘Olam” (pp. 32b–34b, Hamburg, 1752), gives it as his opinion that the original intention of Jesus, and especially of Paul, was to convert only the Gentiles to the seven moral laws of Noah and to let the Jews follow the Mosaic law — which explains the apparent contradictions in the New Testament regarding the laws of Moses and the Sabbath.

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia