What is the Great Commission?

Understanding Matthew 28:18-20

The Great Commission is the most important marching order in the history of the church. Spoken by the risen Jesus on a mountain in Galilee, it is the final instruction He gave before ascending to heaven. Every missionary movement, every church plant, every evangelistic effort in 2,000 years of Christianity traces its authorization back to these words.

The structure of the command:

In the Greek text, there is only one imperative verb: 'make disciples' (mathēteusate). The other verbs — 'going,' 'baptizing,' and 'teaching' — are participles that describe how disciple-making happens. The command is not simply 'go' but 'as you go, make disciples.'

1. 'All authority has been given to me' — Jesus begins with a claim of cosmic sovereignty. He does not say 'some authority' or 'spiritual authority.' He claims all authority — in heaven and on earth. The Great Commission is not a request or a suggestion. It is issued by the one who holds universal authority. This is what gives missionaries the right to cross cultural, national, and linguistic boundaries with the gospel.

2. 'Make disciples of all nations' — The word 'nations' (ethne) means 'people groups,' not modern nation-states. Jesus is commanding His followers to reach every ethnic, linguistic, and cultural group on earth. The scope is total — no people group is excluded, no culture is beyond the gospel's reach. The task is not merely to 'win converts' but to 'make disciples' — learners, followers, people who are being transformed into the image of Christ.

3. 'Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit' — Baptism is the public initiation rite of discipleship. It identifies the new disciple with the Triune God. The Trinitarian formula here is one of the clearest statements of the doctrine of the Trinity in Scripture — all three Persons are named as one 'name' (singular), indicating unity within diversity.

4. 'Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you' — Discipleship does not end at conversion. It involves ongoing instruction in obedience to Christ's teachings. This is not mere intellectual knowledge but practical obedience — the goal is transformed lives, not just informed minds.

5. 'I am with you always, to the very end of the age' — The Commission ends with a promise. Jesus does not send His disciples out alone. His presence accompanies them — not occasionally, but 'always,' and not temporarily, but 'to the very end of the age.' This promise has sustained missionaries in prisons, on deathbeds, and in the most hostile environments on earth.

The Great Commission in the other Gospels:

Matthew 28 is the most famous version, but every Gospel and Acts contains a commissioning:

• Mark 16:15 — 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation'
• Luke 24:46-47 — 'Repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem'
• John 20:21 — 'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'
• Acts 1:8 — 'You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth'

The repetition across all four Gospels and Acts underscores its centrality — this is not a footnote but the climax of Jesus' earthly ministry.

Why it matters today:

The Great Commission has not been rescinded. It remains the standing order for every generation of Christians. As of 2024, approximately 7,400 unreached people groups still exist — groups with no indigenous community of believers and no access to the gospel in their own language. The task Jesus gave is not yet complete.