The Great Commission: A Bible Study And Commentary

Here is a look at the Great Commission as given in Matthew 28:18-20 and see why we’re also given this imperative command.

Matthew 28:16-17

Before Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission, He told them to go “to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted” (Matt 28:16-17). The first step in being a disciple of Christ is to obey what He tells us and He told the disciples to go to the mountain, so when they got there, they worshiped Him…but interestingly, there were some who doubted Him. Perhaps they thought it was all a scam or they couldn’t possibly believe it was Jesus Who had been mercilessly beaten, tortured, and crucified. We are not told why some doubted. Otherwise, how they doubted the risen Christ is beyond me. Maybe I would have doubted too.

Why do you think that there were some who doubted?

Have you ever had doubts? What were your reasons for doubt?

Were there doubters mixed in among the worshippers?

Matthew 28:18

After Jesus’ was worshiped, “Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18), and since He has all authority, He is authorizing them to do what they had already been doing and that is to witness to the children of Israel, so the same authority Jesus has in heaven He is extending to the disciples, even though they are submitted to and under Christ.

Do you feel like you have authority to witness for Jesus Christ? Why?

Has this verse possibly been misused before by good-intentioned Christians?

Who are the most difficult people to witness too and why?

Matthew 28:19a

After Jesus tells them He has all authority, He makes it plain why He said that. It was because He commanded them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19a), so they are given a command, and in the Greek language, it’s written as an imperative command, like that of a king, so there is no way out for the disciples. Obviously, they must go into all the world to make disciples of other nations, and history records that they did just that but paid a high price in their martyrdom. Most of them died a horrific death, but the point is, they are to disciple other people they encounter which is exactly the reason Spiritual Fitness was created. If we can help others be discipled, then others will “make disciples of all nations,” even if it’s next door or by supporting Christian ministries financially and with prayer.

What do you think of when you hear the word disciple?

When Paul was mentoring Timothy, was the discipling?

What is your favorite excuse for dodging this command (like I do at times)?

Matthew 28:19b

After the disciples make other disciples, then they are to baptize “them in (or into) the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19b), which means as the Greek language suggests, identify them with the Son of God, Jesus Christ, but also with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, much like Moses was identified in Israel’s baptism in the Red Sea and where Paul wrote, “our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1st Cor 10:1-2). It wasn’t the sea water that they were identified with…it was Moses, so baptizing others is identifying others or associated others with the Three Persons of the Trinity, but of course, the person that is saved should be baptized, because it’s commanded, but not to complete their salvation. You can’t baptize or submerge someone into the Son, the Father, or the Holy Spirit, so in the context, its meaning is clear and it means they are to be identified with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that’s a good thing, right? We are not identified with the water…but with God. I want others to see me and associate me with Jesus, for good or bad.

Do people identify you with Jesus? If so, why?

Why did Paul mention that they were “baptized into Moses?”

Have you been baptized? If not, why not?

Matthew 28:20a

The disciple’s job is not done. After they’ve made disciples of others and baptized them or had them identified with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (with believer’s baptism following), they are to be “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt 28:20a). That’s where I see a connection between the 1st century church and this command. In Acts 2:42 is says the church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” What was the “apostles’ teaching?” It was just what Jesus said not long ago and that was to teach others to observe the same things He taught them. Guess what? That’s the apostles’ doctrine, and that’s the same thing we’re studying today! Really, their doctrine was really Jesus’ doctrine. We’re commanded to teach others the same things Jesus taught His disciples.

Would you say that part of the “all things” they were to teach others included the Ten Commandments?

Why does Jesus say they must “observe” all that He taught them instead of “obey?”

When you come down to it, is obey and observe the same thing? Explain.

Matthew 28:20b

In the final portion of this command from Jesus, or the Great Commission, He reassures them after all His instructions, that He will be with them….always, and that includes right up to the end, and to the end of their lives. Jesus tells us the same thing today. He never leaves us or forsakes us as the author of Hebrews writes, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5), so part of knowing that God will be with us forever, even until the end, is that we can be content, no matter how much money we have…or don’t have. Our contentment doesn’t rest on things….but on Him. Jesus is the Solid Rock upon Whom we rest, and that fact should give us great contentment.

It is a bit fearful to witness to someone?

Why does it seem easier to witness to strangers than friends, family, and co-workers?

Does this get us off the hook?

Is the Great Commission meant for you too? If not, why not?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also host of Spiritual Fitness and Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.