“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – Matthew 28:19
Referred to as “The Great Commission,” this is the charge of Jesus from his last days on earth (one of those days after His days back here after leaving the planet for few).
These are notable words from Him. If you believe in this savior Jesus, this is a charge we are to keep, right? Jesus also charged us with words like “Follow me.” And when He was asked what the greatest commandment was, He replied with another charge that it was to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And there are myriad charges/responses throughout the bible like, “Judge not,” “Feed my sheep,” and many more. All of these are words that require our response through acknowledgment, understanding, and a choice to submit to them or not.
Perhaps there is significance as to this being Jesus’ last charge, and as a result, I’ve seen in many churches and Christian organizations where this “Great Commission” is taken as foremost, and forefront. Interestingly, a pastor once shared with me that he believes the Christian church has placed this “Great Commission” ahead of the “greatest commandment” when considering those two charges specifically. This might speak to what at the very least is a matter of sequencing, but moreover, I believe it is a matter of being.
A disciple (according to Merriam-Webster) is one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. And specific to Christianity, as one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ's followers according to the Gospel accounts. Essentially, one of those people Jesus asked to follow Him and tried to do it. So let's consider it a follower of Jesus that tells other people about Him. But if we consider the whole of charges from Jesus, there is SO much more to it. It comes to this matter of being—the substance of who we truly are.
When churches or Christian organizations put this priority on disciple-making vs. disciple-being, things can get a bit squirrely. As a result, this often takes the form of classes that are designed to help us map out the processes and procedures, or how-tos of disciple-making, which can sometimes leave class attendees with a compulsion to “make” a disciple. Then an actual person can quickly be made someone's homework assignment, creating an unnatural, agenda-based relationship and drives updates on progress to the group back at church.
I saw a tweet today from @rfossum that said: “'The Church' should concern itself less with the task of making Disciples, and rather the process of being Disciples. Disciples beget Disciples.” which I couldn’t agree with more (okay, that’s my tweet, so perhaps I’m a bit biased). This articulates some of what can arise when a charge of Jesus’ is singled out from the entirety of His words, His existence, and His example, and can prove problematic to actually sharing Jesus’ story of pointing to or demonstrating His unconditional and sacrificial love.
Disciple-making, when seen as a task, can become a goal to attain, a belt to notch. We should constantly be examining our hearts and activities against Jesus’ entirety. Or we can become merely trainers, apologists, or experts. From this position words like “piety” or “hypocrisy” can quickly enter into our character. And Jesus talked about that too and said that when these types of things enter into our being, He might say “I never knew you.” Yikes!
So, if we concentrate our souls and minds to submit to this entirety of Jesus, we may actually live a life that actually does share Jesus’ story, and point to or demonstrate His unconditional and sacrificial love. And as we go, this Great Commission thing might make a few strides forward too.