Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples a couple of times. In one of those moments, He explained to them the authority that He now possessed – all authority – and therefore charged them with what we have come to know as the ‘Great Commission’. It is crucial to note that this command from Christ is premised on His authority and those that heed to the call of Christ are promised His presence. In other words, when we make disciples, we are acting with divine power and we are in divine presence.
With that said, the question that then begs is, what does it mean to make disciples? First, it is important to define who a disciple is and as would have been meant by Jesus and understood by the early disciples. A disciple is one who follows someone else and takes up their ways. In our case, a disciple would be someone who follows Jesus and takes up His ways – they learn from the person and works of Jesus Christ. Therefore, when Jesus commands us to make disciples, He is calling us to make others follow Him and take up His ways. People will always be disciples of someone or something, but those of us who are believers are instructed to cause people to be disciples of Christ, everywhere.
Reflections
1. What has been your understanding of who a disciple is?
2. Have you been viewing the ‘Great Commission’ as a command? How have you responded to it?
3. In what ways should your life change with this understanding of discipleship?
