Matthew 28:11 - 20
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Does the soldier's false story persist to this day?
2. How are we to go about making disciples?
My 2 cents on #1.
ReplyDeleteThe soldiers false story doesn't have to persist to this day. I read articles by Christians arguing against this, but I don't think a single non-believer makes this argument. The average non-believers argument (from what I can see) is that they don't really believe in the accuracy of the account in the first place. They think that the Bible is made up and that Jesus either didn't exist at all, or that He was a normal guy that was used to make all these stories up about. One site claimed that He was a conglomeration of several first century teachers.
When you make that argument, you don't have to resort to a theory that the disciples stole the body. You just have to deny the account in the first place.
I'm not sure the reasoning some Christians argue that the story must be spread even to this day but I suspect they are using a poor method of interpreting scripture. If something is stated in scripture we should look to see what it meant to the original hearers before we seek to apply it to ourselves today. The verse says the story was being "spread ... to this day". That means the story was being spread sometime during the first 70 years or so after Jesus death (the time of the writing of Matthew). It does not mean the story is persisting to Jan. 2017.
ReplyDeleteNow, that being said, I have heard it as a possibility among skeptics but I doubt its given much credence by any scholar, Christian or skeptic.
http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-matthew-28-18-20%20(2).htm says (about making disciples):
ReplyDeleteA study of this passage brings before us some basic things requiring our attention and response to God: authority, the making of disciples, baptism, teaching and obedience.
Authority brings up something so many people do not want to face: we need to be governed.
God gave all authority to Him! Authority is the right to govern. Jesus has that. Our response (as creatures of God who have sinned) should be, to obey Jesus Christ.
If you do not acknowledge this, or if you are not ready to obey Jesus Christ, you need to understand your situation: You are a lost sinner, living apart from God . . .
Disciples become disciples in just this way, by being taught and submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ.
The book of Acts tells us about the apostles doing the work Jesus commanded them to do. They told their audiences about the problem of sin (Acts 2:23; 7:51). That indictment was quickly followed by teaching sinners about the remedy: There is salvation in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). What is all of this? Teaching to make disciples!
One of His first commandments was, to tell His apostles to “go” to people of all nations and teach them, in the hope of good response: becoming disciples. To become a Christian and be a Christian, learning is required about Jesus Christ – who He is, what He provides and how to be saved, then live in obedience to His authority.
http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/go-and-make-disciples-baptizing-them says:
ReplyDeleteOn what possible basis do we have any right to tell anybody they should change their whole way of thinking and acting and become a disciple of Jesus Christ? Only one thing could justify such outlandish proselytizing all over the world—that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and has been given an absolute authority over natural and supernatural forces so that every human and every angelic being will give an account to him. If Jesus has that kind of authority, then we Christians not only have the right but are bound by love to tell other people to change and become his disciples.
He said, "Do it because all authority is mine." Nothing is more reasonable and more loving than to plead with the rebellious creatures of Jesus Christ that they turn and give their devotion to the King of kings who will have the last say in this world.
Tolerance and pluralism will be the most praised virtues of our decade. But over all that stands a word of judgment in the mouth of Jesus Christ: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." Not Americanism, not Western technology, not capitalism, but Jesus Christ is exalted over every culture and every religion. With his absolute authority he lays absolute claim on every person in every place. That's the foundation of all missions, domestic and frontier.
The most important word I think Jesus ever said about becoming a disciple was Luke 14:27, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." Bearing a cross does not mean primarily having hard times. It means going to Golgotha. It means dying with Christ—dying to the old attitudes of envy and strife and jealousy and anger and selfishness and pride; and turning to follow Jesus in newness of life. When we make disciples, we bid people to come and die to their old, destructive ways and to live for Jesus, who loved them and gave himself for them.
That brings us to the command to baptize in verse 19. The meaning of baptism develops out of this meaning of discipleship. If becoming a disciple of Jesus means dying to your old life and walking in newness of life with Christ as Jesus taught, then it's almost inevitable that the symbolic act of that conversion should come to signify a death and resurrection.
Verse 20 shows that making disciples means more than getting conversions and baptisms. "Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you . . . " Conversion and baptism are essential, but so is the on-going teaching of what Jesus taught. The new life of a disciple is a life of obedience to Jesus' commandments, or it is not a new life at all. It is worthless to acknowledge the lordship of Christ in baptism and then ignore his commandments. So all disciple-makers must be teachers, and disciples must be continual learners.
But he is with us, and he is all-powerful—forever. The great commission is sandwiched in powerful grace, and so are we.
http://discipleship.org/theology/the-call-to-make-disciples-in-matthew-28-18-20/#.WJCPuRsrJPY says:
ReplyDeletePeter’s goal was more than to convince people to believe and be baptized. It was to enroll them into a new community of fellow believers where they would live and learn from one another.
I (Bill) like to describe a disciple as “someone whose intention is to follow Jesus and to learn from Him how to live his life as though Jesus were living it.” To believe in Jesus is to follow Him, and that is what makes a disciple. An accurate statement—and it also would mark only the beginning of the journey.
The disciple-making process begins long before actual conversion. Looking at the Gospels and how people came to true faith, we see that conversion is a process as often as it is an event. Coming to a belief in Christ can take time. Eventually when the moment comes, we experience a realization, a definitive insight or a prayer that brings together the pieces.
Disciple making begins before we’re converted to Christ, when in a special way we are already under God’s care.
The process we call “making disciples” includes evangelism and is done by disciples to make other disciples. That process includes just about everything we do in relation to people around us. Some elements of the process are planned; some we learn from our training. But as a whole, most are unplanned and are manifested in our character. Disciple making includes what we are like when we react to the unplanned big curriculum of life as it comes at us day and night without warning.
http://discipleship.org/theology/the-call-to-make-disciples-in-matthew-28-18-20/#.WJCPuRsrJPY (continued):
ReplyDeleteJesus gave His disciples what so many ministry leaders today are not willing to give—significant chunks of time. Some theologians estimate that He spent 90 percent of His time with the 12 men. When you drop off the grid to engage in this kind of work, you don’t exist in the public eye.
The great omission in the Great Commission is the absence of accountability. Ministers pay far too much attention to people who do not come to services. The Christian leader has something much more important to do than pursue the godless. The leader’s task is to equip saints until they are like Christ, and history and the God of history waits for him to do this job.
In the church, we often talk about accountability more than we practice it because accountability and the commitment it requires can be unpleasant.
http://thinktheology.org/2013/11/07/greek-geeking-the-great-commission-in-matthew/ says:
ReplyDeleteThere are four words (all of them are underlined above) that will help make sense of exactly what Jesus was telling his disciples to do. Before I tell you what they mean, let me explain what kind of words they are, and what kind they are not.
First – there is one imperative verb. An imperative verb in English would typically be a single action-word, followed by an exclamation mark like… “RUN!” or “FIGHT!” or “EAT!”
Second- there are three participles. Do we have participles in English? Why, YES, we do! Participles are “ing” words like “swimming” and “running” and “eating.”
So, in this text there are three participles and one imperative verb. This is the key. Whichever word is the imperative verb, that is the word that tells you what to do. Whichever words are the participles tell you how to do it. Here’s an example:
“Taking out the trash, sweeping the floor, and wiping down the counters, clean the kitchen!”
What’s the imperative verb? Yep… “CLEAN” (the kitchen)
What are the participles? You’re right… “taking, sweeping, wiping.”
See? An imperative verb surrounded by participles. That’s exactly how the great commission text reads. Think you know where imperative verb is yet?
Here’s a hint. Participles (“ing” words) in Greek will, depending on who or what they refer to, end with something like “ontes” or “entes” just as our participles typically end with “ing.” As I said, there are three of these words in the great commission. Here they are…
Poreuthentes – πορευθέντες
Baptidzontes – βαπτίζοντες
Didaskontes – διδάσκοντες
Now about that imperative verb; it’s the word mathayteusatay (μαθητεύσατε).
I’ve heard it this way in a bunch of sermons…
GO! (verbal imperative)
Making disciples (participle plus a noun)
Baptizing (participle)
Teaching (participle)
I’ve also heard it this way…
GO! (verbal imperative)
MAKE DISCIPLES! (verbal imperative plus a noun)
Baptizing (participle)
Teaching (participle)
Okay – so how does it actually shake out in Greek? Here’s the answer:
Going (participle)
DISCIPLE! (verbal imperative without a noun)
Baptizing (participle)
Teaching (participle)
http://thinktheology.org/2013/11/07/greek-geeking-the-great-commission-in-matthew/ (continued):
ReplyDeleteNotice that I said “without a noun”? That’s right. The Greek word is a verbal command, not a verb followed by a noun. In other words, the text does not say “make disciples” (verb/noun) like “build a house” or “grill a steak.” It does not say to verb a noun. It says simply… “DISCIPLE!” which is like saying “RUN!” or “JUMP!” In reality, you can’t “make” a disciple. You can only disciple. So, in the great commission in Matthew, disciple is not an outcome (like a product that you end up with), but it is rather a process that you are doing. The grammar is not telling us to make an object. There is no noun in the text at all. There is only a single imperative verb. Only a command. Only an action word. Only something to do. And what is it? It is “disciple!”
Okay, now how about those participles? What do they convey? There are three ideas.
Idea #1 – Going. The idea here is not “go on a mission trip” or “go somewhere.” The participle conveys a continuous action that is already happening right now, but that also continues to happen into the future. So, the idea is more like… “As you’re going along in your life.” The great commission is not a verbal command to go (stop, go back, and read that sentence again). It is a command to disciple as you are already going. Going where? Answer: everywhere.
It would be more like, “While you’re going through your daily routine, you, yes you – you who work there at the prison or the restaurant – as you are going along doing what you do, and going wherever you go… disciple!” That means that every person can participate in the great commission without ever going on a trip, because we’re all involved in this Greek participle “going.”
http://thinktheology.org/2013/11/07/greek-geeking-the-great-commission-in-matthew/ (continued):
ReplyDeleteIdea #2 – Baptizing. The idea here is that I am to help people make a firm commitment to become a follower of Jesus Christ. How do I do that? Do I do it by sharing facts about Jesus that I ask them to agree with, and ending in sinner’s prayer? Nope! I do it baptizing them. I lead the people that I am with, as I am going along, to commit their lives to Jesus Christ, which is initially done by leading them into the public affirmation of their faith in Jesus. This is done by baptizing them.
Idea #3 – Teaching. The idea here is that I am to spend the time necessary with a baptized disciple teaching them obedience to everything Jesus taught. That has two big ideas. One – I will have to teach them everything Jesus taught. Two – I will have to teach them to obey Jesus. The word teaching conveys both imparting ideas (conveying theology), and living the things I am teaching (consistent modeling).
“AHA!” you say. “But what about that part about going into all the world? Surely this is really about GOING!” No. The Greek word for world is Kosmos, and the word for Earth is Ghays. But the word here in Matthew is neither of those two words. The word here is “Ethnay” which is typically translated “gentiles.” So what is the idea? The idea is that these Jewish Christians were to disciple all of the people groups outside of their own ethnicity, and share about Jesus with every kind of person in the world, and not just keep the good-news announcement to themselves like a new jewish sect with Jesus as the leader.
The good news about Jesus is for “all ethnicities” or “every kind of human being in the world.” This has nothing to do with travelling to foreign countries (though that is fine, and was eventually done – and is still done today). This is about sharing Jesus with everyone even if (and especially if) they are not like you. That’s all.
There is final important component in the Great Commission that shouldn’t be missed. In English it’s, “I am always with you until the end of the age.” What does this mean? It means that I am not on my own in the Great Commission. It is the mission-enterprise of Jesus himself, who joins me in my going, my baptizing, and my teaching as I disciple others.
You are already going along. You don’t need to go anywhere else on planet earth to fulfill the Great Commission. The street where you live, the town you live in, your work-place, and your sphere of influence are the places where you are already “going.” So, in those places… DISCIPLE! Do it by baptizing and teaching.
Now… DISCIPLE! (you thought I was going to say GO didn’t you? Nope. You’re already doing that!).
My 2 cents on the great commission:
ReplyDeleteWe are called to make disciples. What does this mean?
First of all, we need to distinguish the difference between evangelism and discipleship. Evangelism is sharing God's good news in a couple of different ways: 1. Directly telling people the good news, and 2. Showing people God's love so that they may see it and respond.
It's really important to note that we are not responsible for people's response to God's love / the gospel. We cannot make people want to be disciples.
Once people respond to the gospel, then discipleship must begin. This vital job is to teach new believers and seekers what it means to follow Jesus (and there is a lot to learn).
We Evangelists have once again put the cart before the horse. We have put our entire focus on evangelism (using the Great Commission as the command to do so), even going so far as to guilt people into acting in ways that are unnatural both socially and according to their personalities. The Great Commission is about discipleship (what to do with new believers and seekers) rather than evangelism.
Note: Getting the gospel message out is very important. How and when and why we should do that is not in the scope of this article.
I believe that the Great Commission is telling us to do the following:
1. (Prerequisite: Live an open life showing others the love of God and telling people the reason for our belief).
2. Be on the lookout for people who are responding to Jesus.
3. Be there for them and offer to teach them what we have learned. This will require us to spend quite a bit of time with them. We need to have room in our lives to do this, and we need to be ready to do this at a moment's notice.