If you only know a few Bible passages, Matthew 28:19 is probably one of them: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ….” It’s an easy passage for the Christian heart to embrace.
We’re surrounded by people who don’t know Jesus, who don’t know that their lives are supposed be lived in the light of Christ and under the blessing of God’s mercy. And we know how simple it is for a person to come into this light: The simple proclamation of the Gospel has the power to change hearts, to bring light, and to create faith!
Add to that the innate Christian love for neighbor, and a call to teach people about their redemption in Christ couldn’t feel more natural.
What Is the Great Commission?
Enter the “Great Commission.” This is what Christians have come to call Christ’s words to the apostles in Matthew 28:
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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (vv. 19–20)
It’s one of a few great moments of “sending” at the beginning of the Christian Church. Each of the disciples has his own missionary story—where he went, who he proclaimed the Gospel to, and how he died.
Of course, you can’t take this sending apart from the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). But that doesn’t undercut Matthew 28 or what Christians take from it. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the Gospel. And so we share the Gospel, the Word of God, and—through them both—the Holy Spirit.
We do this with our families, with our neighbors, and with people in faraway places when we send missionaries.
What Else Is in Matthew 28?
Traditionally, though, Lutherans tend to see something else when they read Matthew 28:18–20. In those words, Jesus promises how He will make disciples: through Baptism and teaching! What does that mean about Baptism? If you have it, you’re a disciple of Christ, with all the new life and forgiveness and salvation that comes along with that status.
Here’s Luther’s Small Catechism on the topic:
What is Baptism?
Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word.
Which is that word of God?
Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew: “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.”
How Do the Great Commission and Baptism Go Together?
These are not totally unrelated messages: the Great Commission and the promise of Baptism. The Holy Scriptures are deep and contain a wealth of truths. One of them here is that the Christian Church is tasked with spreading the Gospel. Another is that Jesus designed a way to do that: through bringing people to Baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
It’s a blessing to know that your own spiritual life depends on an irrevocable gift of God—your Baptism. And what a great joy it is to share that blessing with others.
Scripture: ESV®.
Catechism quotation is taken from Luther’s Small Catechism © 1986 Concordia Publish House. All rights reserved.
Read more about Matthew 28, the Great Commission, and God’s gift of Baptism in Rev. Daniel Christian Voth’s book.
