When Jesus gave us His mandate in Matthew 28:18-20 (commonly referred to as “The Great Commission”), He left us with a very specific task. This task was not just given to the “missions program” of the church or to a few who feel called to be a “missionary.” This task was given to all of us. Here is how one author has explained the mandate that Jesus gave to all of us who are followers of Jesus Christ:
“Disciple all the peoples.”
Jesus spoke as if they could see every single nation from the hill on which he stood. To disciple each one of the nations meant that there would be a once-for-all change among every one of the tribes, languages, and peoples.
In the syntax of His sentence, the Greek word translated “make disciples” required an object for the discipling action. The scope of that object (in this case “all the peoples”) would define the extent of the discipling action. The mandate should never be abbreviated as merely “make disciples,” as if Jesus simply wanted the process of disciple-making to happen. The expression must stand as a whole: “disciple all the peoples.” Jesus was setting out a super-goal. A discipling movement was in the destiny of every people on earth. He was given them the task of starting the movements.
Jesus did not emphasize the process of communicating the gospel. In fact, He said nothing about the gospel itself. They were not mandated merely to expose people to the gospel. They were commissioned to bring about a result, a response, a global following of Jesus from every people. It was a task to be accomplished. And it would be completed. No doubts crossed their minds about that. Jesus always finished everything He set out to do.
(Excerpt from Steven Hawthorne, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, Third Edition, page 110.)
(Map image from www.mapability.com)
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