At the end of the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (28:19-20). This has come to be known as the great commission, and it is cited by parts of the church who believe our purpose is primarily to gain converts to Christianity. However, the scriptures are multifaceted and hardly ever summarized so easily. What we call the great commission is not the only commission Jesus gave.
Earlier in Matthew, Jesus sent the disciples out by twos, saying to them, “as you go, proclaim the good news ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast our demons” (10:7-8). This commission seems to focus less on getting other people to convert to Christ and more on bringing the love of Christ to others. This is a commission to heal, to restore those who are unclean and outcast to community, and to set the soul at ease. This is a mission of telling good news.
Sometimes the commission from the end of Matthew sounds to me like it’s all about telling people what they need to do and to believe in order to get right with God. At least, that’s how it has sounded in many hands in the history of the church. But when we see it in relationship to the earlier commission, which was focused more on bringing good news to people, we get a deeper understanding. God doesn’t commission us to tell other people how they need to be different. God commissions us to make their lives different through kindness, generosity, and healing. Instead of telling them what they need to do in order to enter the kingdom, we get to tell them that the kingdom has already come near. What would it be like for us to say to our relatives or our neighbors, when we see them playing and laughing in the yard, or comforting one who is ill, “I’m thankful for you, because right now I see the kingdom of Heaven.” Then we would be fulfilling the commission of Jesus to proclaim the good news that the kingdom has come near.
In the gospel of John, there’s yet another idea for the church. The risen Jesus meets with his disciples and says to them “receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven” (20:22-23). And later, speaking to Peter, Jesus said “feed my sheep” (21:17). Our commission can never be understood narrowly as winning converts. The commission of Jesus started with caring for people, feeding, healing, and showing mercy. When you’ve done that, the good news kind of proclaims itself.
1 comment:
I remember a long time ago talking to someone I worked with who said they weer going on a Spring Break trip to Florida with their high school youth group. I thought that sounded like a lot of fun until she said they were going to the beach to hand out Bibles and pamphlets to sunburned and inebriated coeds. Not only did this not sound like much fun to me, but it also seemed designed to take advantage of people who are in a state of hedonism and indulgence and might feel guilty about their behavior. I liekd how you put this. Better to preach through your actions. Maybe go to the beach and show everyone you can have a good time without all the tomfoolery.
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