Commission by Christ: Sent by the Risen Savior to Make Disciples
Commission by Christ: Sent by the Risen Savior to Make Disciples
Commission by Christ
After Jesus’ death, he rose from the grave and appeared to the disciples and many others according to Paul in 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:5-6). What I want us to focus on is not only that he appeared to the disciples, but also what he told them to do. One interesting aspect of this is the reality that every Gospel account has some form of the Commission that Jesus gave to his disciples. If you look at Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:45-49, and John 20:21, they all share the same Commission of Jesus, he is sending his disciples to go and proclaim the good news.
Christ-Centered
As we focus on what Jesus said, we will look at Matthew 28:18-20. However, it is important to realize that this Commission, the Great Commission, is from Jesus Christ, the resurrected one. This can be easy to pass over. As Jesus is the one who has been resurrected, he is the one who is worthy of our obedience. In fact, worship preceded obedience as the disciples worshiped him when they saw him, before Jesus even shared this Commission to them. Worship of Jesus must precede obedience to his Commission.
First, the Commission is rooted in Christ’s authority. “18 And Jesus came and said to them “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18, ESV). The Savior of the world, who has died for our sins and been raised from the grave showing his power over sin and death, holds the keys to death and Hades. In John’s vision, he records this about seeing Jesus, “17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades’”(Revelation 1:17-18). Not only does he have the keys to Death and Hades, the Psalmist says in Psalm 2, he has been given the inheritance of the nations. “6 ‘As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.’ 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession’” (Psalm 2:6-8). The nations belong to Christ!
Second, the commission is rooted in Christ’s instruction. Jesus says, “19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a). He sets the requirements, not us. This means making disciples of all nations, not just some. This means baptizing in the name of the three Persons of the Triune God, not just One or Two. This means teaching others to follow all he has commanded, not just a few things. This is not an easy task, but it is well worth it.
Third, the commission is rooted in Christ’s presence. Jesus says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). Because the Commission is not an easy task, he tells his disciples that he is with them every step of the way. This difficult task comes with comfort from our Lord and Savior. The Great Commission includes a great comfort.
Salvation-Centered
The salvation-centered focus of the commission is of course Christ-centered. How? The New Testament is full of verses that clearly state that salvation is only found in Christ. Jesus himself said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Peter and John in the Book of Acts state, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). This name by which people are saved is none other than Jesus, who Peter and John reference in the previous verses. In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells the Church at Corinth, “3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Paul says he delivered what was of first importance, in other words, the gospel. Paul claims that the gospel is Christ’s death for our sins, his burial, and his resurrection.
As Jesus, our resurrected Savior has commissioned us, we are to proclaim what he has done. Our proclamation is to be rooted in his life, death, burial, and resurrection, because it is only through faith in Jesus that people can be saved. We can tell others about what Jesus has done for us, sharing our testimony of faith. But it is crucial to understand that our testimonies are not the gospel; they are the gospel applied. In other words, our testimonies are not the finished work of Christ on the cross and his resurrection, it is how we have believed in this and how it has changed our lives.
We must proclaim the good news to others because Jesus has commissioned us. This is not a burden we must do to make God satisfied with us. Instead, the one who has changed our lives, brought us from death to life, has given us the honor to join him in proclaiming his name among all nations. The Bible, from start to finish, points to Jesus. Jesus is the source, message, and goal of the commission. Will we rejoice that he has commissioned us to proclaim the good news?
