The Great Commission and Education

Transcription

1 The Great Commission and Education James H. Park ABSTRACT This article looks at the Great Commission and how it could possibly be applied to post-secondary education. After an initial overview, it attempts to show how the word disciples used in Matthew could be related to students. It then outlines the spiritual dimension of teaching as related to baptism, transformation and reproduction. The article concludes with a section on the possible implications of the Great Commission for the post-modern student. Keywords: Great Commission, Teaching, Disciples, Students, Transformation, Reproduction and Post Modernism I. The Purpose and Structure of the Great Commission During the last two centuries, the Protestant missionary enterprise has often appealed to Matthew s Great Commission in order to inspire and shape its outreach to people across the globe. Although the Great Commission in Matthew 28:17-20 has been one of the most cited missionary texts in the Bible, it has often been isolated from its immediate context (Van Engen 1996, p. 117), from the gospel of Matthew as a whole (Bosch 1997, p. 55) and from the rest of Scripture as well (Blauw 1962, pp ). Within the context of post-secondary education, it might also be observed that the Great Commission has at times been isolated as well. Despite the advocacy of faith and learning throughout the curriculum, all too often most of the teaching of religion is left to Bible classes or the church. The purpose of this article is therefore to give a brief overview of the Great Commission and how it could Manuscript received June 10, 2012; revised July 12, 2012; accepted Aug. 13, James H. Park (jimpark@aiias.edu) is with the AIIAS Theological Seminary, Cavite, Philippines. AAMM, Vol. 6, 77

2 possibly be integrated into a school environment in the making of disciples. This modern use of the Great Commission to inspire the church in its mission seems in part to reflect why the gospel of Matthew was originally written. While it is difficult to understand the total historical environment which guided Matthew to write his gospel, Bosch states that Matthew wrote as a Jew to a predominantly Jewish Christian community in order to motivate them towards a missionary involvement with its environment (1997, p. 55). Thus the Great Commission is especially applicable to addressing the needs of Christian institutions like schools and hospitals that might need to be motivated in their ministry. The Great Commission can be divided into seven sections which are outlined in an abbreviated way below: Gathered in Galilee, Some Worshipped, Some Doubted All Authority is Given to Me Therefore Go Make Disciples of All Nations By Baptizing By Teaching I Will be With You Always While it would be most instructive to go over each of these seven parts of the article will focus on the heart of the Divine command to make disciples, by baptizing and teaching them. II. Make Disciples The verb to disciple occurs only four times in the New Testament with three of them occurring in the book of Matthew. Bosch emphatically states: The most striking use of the verb matheteuein is encountered in the Great Commission (28:19). It is also the only instance in which it is used in the imperative sense: matheteusate, make disciples! It is, moreover, the principal verb in the Great Commission and the heart of the commissioning (1997, p. 73). If the phrase make disciples is the primary element in the final commission it is not surprising that disciple is far more central in 78 James H. Park

3 Matthew than in the other synoptic gospels. The term occurs seventy-three times in Matthew, compared to forty-six times in Mark and only thirty-seven times in Luke. It is, in fact the only name for Christ s followers in the gospels (Bosch 1997, p. 73). The form is almost always in the plural and first appears in the introductory verse to the Sermon on the Mount: Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him (5:1). What follows is an overview of how this important word is used in the gospel of Matthew and thus outlining the character of the disciple which we as educators should seek to encourage in our students. With this thought in mind, I have replaced the word disciples as used in Matthew with the word students so the application to educational settings will become clearer. After all, the root meaning of the word disciple is a learner. The students not only listened to Jesus, they followed him (8:23) which would demand denial of self and cross-bearing (16:24). The first time the twelve students are mentioned is in Matthew 10:1 when Jesus commissions them to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The commission in Matthew 10 marks an important turning point in the focus of the ministry of Jesus. Before this the students are only mentioned nine times. From chapter 10 onwards they are mentioned sixty-one times. It is apparent that Jesus chose to focus on the twelve students during the very heart of His ministry so that they would be equipped to carry on the word and works of Jesus after the resurrection. Thus Matthew teaches in the heart of the gospel that the loosely knit band of followers are becoming missionary students of Jesus through a close and intimate relationship with Him. Students were closer to Jesus than his own mother and brothers (12:49) and they often asked him questions in private to gain instruction (13:10; 20:17; 24:3). The students helped Jesus in His ministry to the people when they took the loaves from Jesus and fed the 5000 (14:19) and the 4000 (15:36). The students at times also impeded and could not duplicate the missionary discipleship of Jesus as when they urged Jesus to send away the 5000 (14:15); the Canaanite woman (15:23) and the children (19:13). Because of their lack of faith, they could not cast the demon out of a young boy (17:19). The students were also slow to understand Jesus words regarding the cross (16:21) and after He predicted their denial, they declared their undying loyalty (26:35). Although the students slept AAMM, Vol. 6, 79

4 (26:40, 45) and fled (26:56) Jesus promised to meet them in Galilee (26:32) where He had called the first students to follow Him (4:18-22). The only requirement for entering into a discipling relationship with Jesus is that they would obey the call of Jesus by leaving all and following Him. By following Jesus path of missionary discipleship they would be able to be fishers of men (4:18). The cost of being students is emphasized by Simon Peter and Andrew leaving their nets and James and John leaving their boat and father. Jesus teaches that to respond to the call involves letting the dead bury the dead (8:22) and a cross (10:38; 16:24). Following Jesus will involve a sacrifice of self, surrender to the will of the Lord that has extended the call. There is a distinction between those students who make Jesus Lord and others who oppose His rule. Jesus opponents never address him as Lord and the disciples never in any way other than Lord (Bosch 1997, p. 75). Discipleship involved acceptance of his authority, inwardly by believing in him and outwardly by obeying him. There is a supremely personal union implied everywhere in the New Testament when the word maqhths (disciple) is used. There can be nothing in the life of the disciple that is apart from the Lord and his life (De Ridder 1975, p. 186). Jesus is not content with a mere classroom experience but teaches His students as they follow Him. Michael J. Wilkins has observed that the inclusion of the term disciple in the gospel stories directly linked them with the instruction of His followers. Bornkamm establishes that by the inclusion of maqhths in 8:21, 23, the entire pericope was to be considered a discipleship story, and if that perspective is kept in mind, one can see that Matthew has transformed many teaching segments into explicit discipleship-teaching pericopae. In approximately seventeen of Matthew s thirty-four inclusions, the term maqhths is a signal word to note discipleship instruction (Wilkins 1988, p. 165). Despite some apprehension by Peter and the students when Jesus mentions the cross (16:21-23), the disciples faithfully follow their Lord as He weaves His ministry back and forth between 80 James H. Park

5 Jerusalem and Galilee. Christ s prediction of their abandonment of Him is repudiated by Peter and the rest of the students (26:33-35). Although their human weakness does prevent them from following Jesus to the cross, they do gather in Galilee as Jesus had promised (26:32) to follow Him again (28:16). Thus the principles of just how missionary students are to be made is constantly unfolded in the first students who left all to follow the life and teachings of their Lord. The book of Matthew provides rich resources for the students of all ages to discover anew both the meaning and the method of fulfilling the Lord s commission to go and make disciples of all nations. He does this through using the word students more than any other synoptic writer and intimately connecting the lives of these students with Christ s own missionary discipleship. At the heart of His ministry, the students become closer than His own family and it is through the obedience to the command to follow Him that they are fitted to reproduce the Lord s life and ministry to the nations. Now that we have seen the deep and important characteristics of being a student-disciple of Jesus, we will next explore how this disciplemaking process is to take place under the twin rubrics of baptizing and teaching. III. By Baptizing, By Teaching Bosch first observes that, the two modal participles baptizing and teaching... are clearly subordinate to make disciples, describing the form the disciple-making is to take (1983, p. 230). This is an important and major observation about the verse, especially in contexts where high baptismal goals are practiced. The heart of the Great Commission is not merely to baptize, but to make disciples as Jesus had clearly practiced throughout the book of Matthew and the rest of the gospels. In quoting Gerhard Friedrich, Bosch underlines the fact that baptism in Matthew is in itself missional in nature and equated with call: The sequel baptizing and teaching is not doctrinal oversight but consciously chosen by Matthew. Through baptism people are called into becoming disciples of Jesus (Friedrich 1983, p. 182 as quoted in Bosch 1997, p. 79). The whole concept of missionary discipleship in the Great Commission and the book of Matthew are under the umbrella of the AAMM, Vol. 6, 81

6 authority of Jesus who is affirmed that He is Lord. The whole focus of both the baptism and teaching elements of making missionary disciples is to call all the nations under the Lordship of the Risen and exalted Christ who will then be sent to bring others under Christ s missionary authority. The participles baptizing and teaching describe the way by which disciples are made. The believers are commissioned to make disciples by baptizing men and putting them under instruction.... Baptism is the sign of consecration and discipleship in the New Covenant. Its meaning is life, the new life, that has been made possible by their participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. Matthew 28:19 means consignment under the authority of Christ (De Ridder 1975, p. 190, emphasis his). In the discussion of readiness for baptism, De Ridder makes a most cogent comment: The Head of the new body is Christ who is confessed as its Lord. Therefore, in its mission the Church requires the confession of that Lordship before it administers the sign and seal of covenantal incorporation (1975, p. 193). It would seem that if a church has the very basic and generic doctrinal beliefs, then the incorporation of individuals in the Body of Christ would necessarily be somewhat shorter than for a group of believers who have a more extensive set of beliefs. An important point needs to be made here. In the Adventist church a student or member is usually baptized after a series of Bible studies. We tend to teach first and baptize second. What I believe Matthew is showing here is not pedagogical order but spiritual reality. Jesus reminded one of the leading teachers of His time that, Unless you are born from above you cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. Until a person s heart is moved upon by the Spirit of God, the Bible will just be a book of information like any other book. Its unique capacity to not only inform but transform the disciple does not really occur until the same Spirit that inspired the Bible illuminates the darkened understanding of the mind. It is for this reason I believe that Matthew places baptizing before the teaching in order to underline the absolute necessity for the spiritual transformation of the individual before, 82 James H. Park

7 during and after, the teaching them to obey all things I have commanded you (Matthew 28:20). Just what areas of the life need to be brought under the whole realm of the Lordship of Christ is abundantly taught in Matthew. This instruction of disciples in the ways of the Lord will be, by no means a merely intellectual enterprise (as it often is for us and was for the ancient Greeks). Jesus teaching is a call for a concrete decision to follow him and to submit to God s will (Bosch 1997, p. 66). Since missionary disciples are sent into the world, this becomes the arena of their teaching and discipling activities. The context of this is not the classroom (where teaching usually takes place for us), nor even the church, but the world (Bosch 1997, p. 67). This is shown in the gospel itself where teaching takes place both within the discourse and the narrative material which surrounds it. As such, Matthew has arranged the discourses of Jesus into five major addresses which some have described as Matthew s Pentateuch (Bosch 1997, p. 69). IV. Teaching as Transformation Before the Enlightenment of the 18 th Century, theology was the Queen of the Sciences and it was commonplace to link the spiritual with the natural and information with transformation. The rise of the scientific method and world view at this time sought to place what could be discovered in natural revelation (the natural world) above that which had been revealed in special revelation (the Biblical or spiritual world). As reason unaided by Divine guidance was elevated to absolute truth, the Bible was pictured as a book generated by folklore and delegated to the realm of relativism. Science would now provide the community with what was true and each individual would be left to define and understand truth for themselves. This gave rise to the widespread pluralism that is seen today. All truths about God and religion are assimilated into one modern day All roads lead to heaven, I m Ok, You re Ok, super-ecumenical, highly syncretistic, modern Hindu type millions of gods phenomenon. It is easy to understand how the legacy of the Enlightenment not only succeeded in separating information from transformation but eclipsed the life changing influence of the Bible and the Spirit by the promise of a better life through science. This separation between the AAMM, Vol. 6, 83

8 secular and the sacred has influenced church pastors and teachers in subtle ways. As culture and even the church have become more secular, it is becoming much more difficult to teach the Bible as not only information but transformation. Kenneth Callahan in his book, Effective Church Leadership, points out that the church-cultured society of the 1940s and 1950s was served well by professional pastors: Professional ministers are at their best (and they do excellent work) in a churched culture. But put them in an unchurched culture, and they are lost. In an unchurched culture, they do a reasonably decent job of presiding over stable and declining and dying churches. They maintain a sense of presence, dignity, decorum, and decency with a quietly sad regret much like the thoughtful undertaker who sees to keeping things in good order throughout the funeral (1990, p. 4). Since the secularization of the culture has dramatically changed the paradigm of the church and leadership roles, Callahan concludes, The day of the professional minister is over. The day of the missionary pastor has come (1990, p. 3). Could the same challenge be facing the educators of today? The greatest export of the West is its culture. This pluralistic, non-god centered and anti-transformational culture is being broadcast twentyfour hours a day and seven days a week to young people everywhere. If all Christianity does is merely to disseminate information than it will be lost among the static of thousands of equally earnest voices all bartering for attention at the square of public opinion. The Great Commission calls us to unite with the Triune God in the conversion and teaching of our students. Could it be said that the day of the professional teacher is over; the day of the missionary teacher has come? V. Teaching as Reproduction In order for a school or a church to minister and survive in the modern secular context it must not only make disciples in harmony with the Great Commission, but have them reproduce as well. The ultimate goal of any plant is not only to grow to maturity but also to 84 James H. Park

9 reproduce itself through the production of seed. Note how Ellen White goes beyond the goal of personal maturity to the ultimate reproduction of the Christian life in others as the object for which God has called us: Christ is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts of men; and He does this through those who believe in Him. The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing--the reproduction of Christ's character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others (1900, p. 67). Because of the nature of influence, people will reproduce themselves for good or for ill. Jesus told the legalistic Pharisees that their missionary activity had resulted in making the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves (Matthew 23:15). What kind of reproduction do we see in the Seventh-day Adventist Church among its young people? Two extensive studies were done which surveyed, among other things, the youth and established members understanding of salvation. In 1993 there was a study given to 18,500 members from around the world to survey their attitudes beliefs and practices. One of the initial findings reported on page 15 of the December 30, 1993 issue of the Adventist Review concluded that a significant minority of active, church members indicate a lack of understanding about salvation, although they strongly support other doctrines. Has this lack of understanding of salvation been reproduced in the younger generation? Value Genesis was an extensive survey given in 1990 to nearly 15,000 SDA young people in North America. The study s findings on their understanding of salvation indicated the following: Adventist youth tend to be higher on grace than on law as a way of salvation. In spite of this, a substantial portion still identified with law-orientation items. For example, 83% agreed that: I know that to be saved I have to live by God s rules, and more than half (58%) disagreed that There is nothing I can do to earn salvation. Nearly half (47%) even agreed with a statement like: The more I follow Adventist standards and practices, the more likely it is that I will be saved. And 44% believe that: The main emphasis of the gospel is on God s rules for holy living. While the acceptance of righteousness by faith is strong, Adventist AAMM, Vol. 6, 85

10 youth do not find it inconsistent to also embrace legalism (Dudley, pp ). It is apparent that Galatianism, where one begins with faith through the Spirit and ends with human effort to fulfill the law, is widely held in the SDA church today among its adult members and reproduced in its youth. Dudley reports: We have seen that though our youth have heard the words of the Gospel of righteousness by grace through faith, the Adventist emphasis on behavioral standards has led the majority to believe that they must somehow do something to earn salvation (1992, p. 272). And Moore observes that all too often: The children will either abandon the parents values altogether or they will become legalists themselves (1995, p. 149). It is obvious from the above findings that the school and church have to carefully think through both what is to be reproduced and just how it is done. In Scripture the Spirit is given to the church in order to produce fruit and give gifts. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, Galatians 5:22-23) is given the primacy over any other claim or activity by Jesus Himself on the Sermon on the Mount. The Lord warned His church to: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-16). He further counseled the believers that the apparent operation in the gifts of the Spirit would not stand in the judgment if they did not know Him: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name? Then I will declare to them, I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers (Matthew 7:21-23). Paul instructed the Corinthian church in a similar way when he followed the gifts chapter of 1Cor 12 with the love (fruit) chapter of 1Cor 13 and urged them to strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way (1Cor 12:31). Jesus clearly 86 James H. Park

11 taught how this all-important fruit is to be produced: I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). And just what does it mean to abide in the Lord? Ellen White comments: "Abide in Me, and I in you." Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service. The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God. As the vine branch constantly draws the sap from the living vine, so are we to cling to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character (1898, p. 676). As the believer draws by faith from the Living Vine, they produce the fruits of the Spirit. These fruits are not meant to be taken to some County Fair to be admired but never consumed. Christian maturity is never an end in itself. The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing- -the reproduction of Christ's character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others (White, 1900, p. 67). The fruit of the Spirit draws others from the world to unite by faith to the Living Vine so that they too can be nurtured and grow. Union with Christ can only begin and remain if individuals choose to leave the old root of self and sin and be connected by faith to Jesus. The church can be pictured as a group of individuals who have been joined to Christ and one another through the process of conversion. Connecting with the Living Vine by faith is the true test of fellowship and not the mere assent to doctrine. Baptism needs to be properly understood as more than joining the church because an individual agrees with the facts of Scripture. It is primarily the public testimony of an individual s commitment to Christ, a commitment that should ideally be shared and identified with by the rest of the congregations. In a chapter from the book, Discipleship, which he edited, Billie Hanks Jr. underlines the critical importance of personal training drawn from the life of Christ and the secular world: In Jesus ministry of instruction He was sometimes with His disciples in a group, and at other times He was with them individually. He discipled them on both levels, and they ultimately became effective fishers of men. The same AAMM, Vol. 6, 87

12 principle holds true in the practice of medicine. Surgeons who perform the most delicate surgery are required to have the longest and most personalized periods of internship training. In general, the more critical the consequence of failure, the greater the need for thorough individual training. If for no other reason than this, training in evangelism, which involves eternity, must demand our very best efforts (1993, p. 95). VI. Implications for the Post-Modern Student The young people of today live in a world that is constantly changing, but gives them no power to change. They live in a world with a thousand friends on Facebook, but nobody to really talk to. They try to survive in a society that asks questions about everything but gives an answer for nothing. All institutions in society, including the church and school, are painted in the same cynical hue of black. In this discouraging context, a teacher is challenged, and indeed called by God, to not only convey information but the transforming grace of the gospel as enunciated long ago on a mountain in Galilee. Truth must and should not be presented in a dry, lifeless way. There is a hidden glory in the Word of God just as there is hidden gold and gems in the earth today. Just as a great amount of effort is taken to remove these rare elements, we should make a strong effort to dig and dig until the glory is found and we can show it to the wondering eyes of our students. The teacher must first listen to and understand the words of the Risen Lord to His disciples, words that are addressed to each one of us. We who stand at the end of the world need the promise and presence of the One who said, I will be with you in our challenge to make disciples of the young people under our care. What the Enlightenment has torn asunder, the teacher must patiently stitch together and present not only information but the transformation that is possible through abiding in the One True Vine. Just as the hearts of the two disciples burned within them as they walked and talked with Jesus along the road to Emmaus, the teacher s heart must first be transformed by the spiritual truths and realities that are in both the written word and God s creation. It has always been 88 James H. Park

13 paradigmatic that the Lord converts the preacher and teacher first before the congregation or students hear the presentation. The transforming power of the word that will first bless the teacher and then the student directly comes from a daily quiet time of devotion which develops the faith which produces the fruit of the Spirit. Then the young person, who is constantly enticed to join themselves to the swiftly decaying branches of society s marketing skills, will be drawn to the Branch of God s choosing. The teacher, who has themselves listened to that still small voice, will guide the students to the fountain of grace and wisdom as revealed in Scripture. The teacher should not only strive for excellence of teaching but also excellence in character because it is by our fruit and not our diplomas, that all will know that we have been with Jesus. In this aspect, the teacher themselves must first understand and experience the growth of fruit in their own lives through faith in the Vine that they may reproduce that fruit in the lives of their students. Through this process of fruit bearing, the teacher will be empowered to fulfill the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all their students, by praying and working for their conversion and instructing them in all things. Thus the teacher will be joining themselves with the Risen Lord who has promised to be with those who are obeying the command to make disciples until Jesus comes and graduates us all to that Great School in heaven above. References Bosch, David. (1983). The Structure of Mission: An Exposition of Matthew 28:16-20 in In Exploring Church Growth (ed. Wilbert Shenk; Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans.. (1997). Transforming Mission. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis. Blauw, Johannes. (1962). The Missionary Nature of the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Callahan, Kenneth L, (1990). Effective Church Leadership, (San Francisco: Harper & Row. De Ridder, Richard R. (1975). Discipling the Nations. Grand Rapids: Baker. AAMM, Vol. 6, 89

14 Dudley, Roger. (1992). Valuegenesis: Faith in the Balance, Riverside, CA: La Sierra University Press. Eims, Leroy. (1978). The Lost Art of Discipleship Making, Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Friedrich, Gerhard. (1983). Die formale Struktur von Mt. 28:18-20 in In Zeitschrift fur Theologie und Kirke, vol. 80, pp , 182. Quoted in David Bosch, Transforming Mission, 79. Hanks, Jr, Billie. Discipleship Making and the Church, In Discipleship Billie Hanks, Jr. and William A. Shell, eds. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Moore, Marvin. (1995). The Gospel vs. Legalism. Washington, DC: Review and Herald. Van Engen, Charles. (1996). Course Syllabus: Biblical Foundations of Mission. Pasadena: Fuller Theological Seminary. White, Ellen G. (1898). Desire of Ages, Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press.. (1900). Christ Object Lessons, Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press. Wilkins, Michael. (1988). The Concept of Disciple in Matthew s Gospel. Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill. 90 James H. Park