Excerpt: The nature and scope of the Great Commission in light of the missional metanarrative of the Bible Dan Kenny, 2016 The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) is often the first passage called to mind when considering God s mandate for mission. However, it is best understood within a broader missional metanarrative that extends from Creation to Revelation. This is because the Great Commission continues and expands God s missional mandate from the Old Testament, reshaping it in light of Christ s identity and work, and propelling it towards the eschatological vision of a multinational kingdom of worshipers. By analyzing Matthew 28:16-20 in light of this metanarrative, the comprehensive nature and universal scope of the Great Commission becomes obvious to the reader who, in turn, is commanded to participate in fulfilling it. The Old Testament canon develops a framework for mission that originates with God and his desire to be known. 1 Initially, the creation account in Genesis 1-2 emphasizes relationship, first through speech revealing a desire for self-revelation, and second through the creation of humankind in the image of God as relational beings (Gen 1:27). Furthermore, their disobedience prompts a plan of redemption, inaugurated by the protoevangelion 2 in Genesis 3:15. 3 The text clearly shows that God s desire to be known and worshiped is not overturned by sin. Then as the Old Testament unfolds, the universal scope of His intention becomes clear, in keeping with the universal scope of his sovereignty as creator. After he divides humankind into nations at Babel, God initiates a program to make himself known to all nations through Abraham and his descendants. Genesis 12:1-3 introduces a formula in which God will bless the emergent nation of Israel, with the purpose that they would be a blessing to all peoples on earth. Israel s election is therefore not about rejecting other nations, but in some way is for the sake of other nations. 4 Ultimately, Israel was designed to play a mediatory role between God and the nations a kingdom of priests representing the holy God by being a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). 5 Their conduct would draw the 1 Bruce Dipple, Becoming Global (Croydon: Sydney Missionary and Bible College, 2011), 19. 2 Meaning First gospel announcement. 3 Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2006), 212. 4 Wright, 65. 5 Deyoung and Gilbert claim that kingdom of priests is an overlapping term with holy nation, and that Exodus 19:4-6 is best understood as a designation for Israel s call to be set apart from the world and belong to God. They add that Israel s priestly function is not about making God s presence known, but instead about administering sacrifices to placate God s anger against them and the nations. See Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 46. However, this ignores the clear revelatory purpose for Israel s obedience, as outlined in Deuteronomy 4:5-6; Israel s conduct (and God s redemptive actions among them) would bear witness to the character of the one true God. While
nations to the incomparable character of Yahweh (Deut 4:5-6). In this way the missional mandate was attractional, 6 inviting the nations to come to join God s people; ultimately this found its focus point on temple (1 Kings 8:41, 43). 7 As Christopher Wright notes, this framework uses the indicative of God s authority and universal reign as its foundation, which leads to the imperative of Israel s commitment to God s mission. 8 Ultimately they existed not only for themselves, but as a light to the nations (Isa 49:6) revealing the character of God who reigns over all and desires to be known. 9 The Great Commission sits within this framework, and also extends upon it. To begin with, the nature of the Great Commission hinges on the character of Christ, in a similar way that God s missional mandate in the Old Testament emerged from his character. For instance in Matthew 28:16, the disciples worship the risen Jesus on top of a mountain in Galilee. 10 The scene recalls Isaiah 2:2, in which the mountain of the LORD s temple will be established and all nations will stream to it. Here, the disciples stream to Jesus atop the mountain, foreshadowing that he will now supplant the temple as the focus point for the nations to worship God. 11 Furthermore, the next statement provides the foundation for his commission: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matt 28:18). His command to make disciples thus comes by virtue of His vindicated status as the risen Son of God. 12 The conjunction therefore establishes this link for the Israel s missional mandate was not about proactive going as it is for the church, God certainly intended for them to be a blessing to the nations such that some would be enfolded in his people. 6 Michael W. Goheen, A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011), 25. 7 Jonathan Lewis, Meg Crossman, and Stephen Hoke, eds., Chapter 2: Israel, the Covenant People, in World Mission: An Analysis of the World Christian Movement, 2nd ed., vol. 1, The Biblical / Historical Foundation(Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1994), 15. 8 Wright, 59-60. This is particularly evident in a number of verses with missional meaning. For instance in Exodus 19:3-6, in which you have seen what I did forms the indicative, and keep my covenant forms the imperative. So too with Deuteronomy 4:39-40, in context of the missional frame given in v6-8. 9 Dipple, 22. According to Dipple, the phrase bring my salvation to the ends of the earth in Isaiah 49:6 opens up the possibility of go and tell being added to the existing hear and come mandate. This is true in Jonah s case, and also though perhaps incidentally in the accounts of Joseph and exiles like Esther or Daniel. Nonetheless, Israel s missional task was primarily attractional, and their eventual failure to fulfill it was on the grounds of being disobedient to God s moral covenant rather than a mandate to go and tell. Jonah and others are not intended as paradigms for Israel, but exceptions to their normal pattern of obedient and attractional life as mission. (See Andreas J. Ko stenberger and Peter T. O'Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: a Biblical Theology of Mission (Downers Grove, IL: Apollos / Inter- Varsity Press, 2001), 44-45). 10 Historically, Galilee was often called Galilee of the Gentiles. The fact that Jesus appeared and commissioned the church here rather than in Jerusalem further cements His mission s outlook towards the nations. 11 Donaldson in Grant R. Osborne, Matthew (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary On the New Testament) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 1077. This idea extends across the book of Matthew. Initially, the book of Matthew opens by drawing a parallel between Jesus and this Old Testament metanarrative. Jesus comes as the ultimate revelation of God s character Immanuel (which means God with us) (Matt 1:23). Chapter 1 s genealogy accentuates his link to Abrahamic lineage, with the inclusion of Rahab implying a view towards redemption of other nations. In Christ, God is fulfilling both his covenant to Israel and his program of making himself known to the nations. 12 This develops his role as the Son of man introduced in Daniel 7. See Craig Ott and Stephen J. Strauss, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 320.
reader. 13 His command to go and make disciples also emerges from his identity; he is the sent one from the Father, who then sends out his disciples as he was sent (John 20:21). As R.C. Sproul notes, he is the supreme Apostle of the Christian faith in that he alone has been sent from the Father to open the way for faith, calling disciples to become apostles of the supreme apostle. 14 The nature of Jesus commission hinges on this program of making disciples, which entails wholehearted commitment to a person and their pattern of thinking, life and priorities. 15 It is not just adherence to an ideal or a moral system, but to Jesus himself. Thus the nature of the Great Commission emerges from and focuses on the character of Christ. Similarly, the scope of the Great Commission also emerges from Christology. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, and therefore calls on his followers to make disciples of all nations because all nations sit under his universal reign. The phrase all nations panta ta ethnē does not mean all Gentile individuals or all countries in the geopolitical sense. Rather, the preponderance of LXX and New Testament uses of panta ta ethnē refer to Gentile people groups. 16 The scope of Jesus commission therefore involves seeing people from all cultural subgroups following him as disciples. This theme is continued in the book of Acts, as the diaspora in chapter 8 sends missionaries to different people groups, and the apostles (most notably Paul) plant churches among a variety of Gentile communities. The letters further articulate the universal scope of the Great Commission, including Peter who appropriates the Mosaic covenant in Exodus 19 and applies it to disciples of Jesus, even specifying that they should declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Pet 2:9). Therefore, the missional metanarrative extends throughout the New Testament, further showing the universal scope of the Great Commission. This ultimately finds its fulfillment in Revelation, as the eschatological worship assembly contains people from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev 7:9). Continuing to unpack Matthew 28:16-20 yields further insights into the nature of Jesus commission. While R.C. Sproul claims there are four imperatives, 17 it is more grammatically correct to say there is one imperative make disciples and three auxiliary participles: going, 13 Howard Peskett and Vinoth Ramachandra, The Message of Mission (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2003), 175. 14 R. C. Sproul, Matthew (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 824. 15 Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992), 746. 16 John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! the Supremacy of God in Missions, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 210-211. Out of eighteen New Testament uses, panta ta ethnē refers to corporate people groups as opposed to individuals at least nine times. Eight of the remaining uses are ambiguous. Out of nearly one hundred uses in the LXX, reference is to Gentile nations in distinction to the nation of Israel. 17 Sproul, 825
baptizing and teaching. 18 Therefore, the main task is one of making disciples, with the participles describing how this is to be done. 19 Firstly, the instruction to go calls to mind Jesus sending out his disciples (Matt 10), initially to the people of Israel, but then to all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). This act of sending out contrasts against the attractional mandate for mission in the Old Testament, developing a proactive mandate for Jesus disciples. Secondly, the instruction to [baptize] them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit emphasizes God s involvement in the mission; it ultimately emanates from the full breadth of his triune character. Those baptized in his name express allegiance to him, committing to a holy life under his authority as Lord. 20 It also symbolically demonstrates inclusion among the people of God, 21 which means the Great Commission is concerned not only with individual salvation but community formation. Finally, the instruction to [teach] them to obey everything I have commanded you clarifies that conversion is not the final goal. Rather, just as God s old covenant people were supposed to be holy, so too are his new covenant people; the disciple must submit all of life to Christ. 22 This comes once again in response to the universal reign of Christ (Matt 28:16), justifying the need to obey everything. Crucially, this obedience creates a recursive pattern in which Christ s command to make disciples is itself obeyed by those who have been made disciples. In this way, the movement generated by the Great Commission is designed to be self-propagating. The final sentence of the text provides assurance for those who participate in the mission, but also articulates whose responsibility it is. The phrase I am with you always uses the same morpheme (pas) in always as in all authority (Matt 28:18), all nations (28:19) and all things (28:20). The passage therefore synthesizes the authority of Christ, the scope of his mission, the calling to complete obedience, and the assurance of his presence into one indivisible unity. Consequently, all who recognise his universal reign and enjoy the blessing of his presence are also commanded to participate in making disciples of all nations. Reference to the end of the age further clarifies this: the eschatological kingdom will not come until the gospel has been preached to every ethnē (Matt 24:14), and Jesus specifically promises his presence with this timeline in view. 23 The whole of 18 R. T. France, Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)(Nottingham, England.: IVP Academic, 2008), 420. 19 This is not to say that the participles can be discarded or forgotten. Osborne argues that in this case they carry imperatival force because of their syntactic placement. Though nonetheless, the central activity of the command is to make disciples. See Osborne, 1080. 20 France, 420. 21 Deyoung and Gilbert, 46. 22 Ott and Strauss, 36. 23 Ott and Strauss, 37.
Jesus church is therefore commanded to fulfil the Great Commission, empowered by the authority and presence of Christ from whom the mission comes.
Bibliography (with some extra books to look at too!) Borthwick, Paul. Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church? Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2012. DeYoung, Kevin, and Greg Gilbert. What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Dipple, Bruce. Becoming Global. Croydon: Sydney Missionary and Bible College, 2011. France, R. T. Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries). Nottingham, England.: IVP Academic, 2008. Frost, Michael. The Road to Missional: Journey to the Center of the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011. Goheen, Michael W. Introducing Christian Mission Today: Scripture, History, and Issues. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014.. A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011. Köstenberger, Andreas J., and Peter T. O'Brien. Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: a Biblical Theology of Mission. Downers Grove, IL: Apollos / Inter-Varsity Press, 2001. Lewis, Jonathan, Meg Crossman, and Stephen Hoke, eds. "Chapter 15: World Christian Teamwork." In World Mission: An Analysis of the World Christian Movement. 2nd ed,. Vol. 3, Cross-cultural Considerations, 1. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1994.. "Chapter 2: Israel, the Covenant People." In World Mission: An Analysis of the World Christian Movement. 2nd ed,. Vol. 1, The Biblical / Historical Foundation, 1. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1994. Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992.
Osborne, Grant R. Matthew (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary On the New Testament). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010. Ott, Craig, and Stephen J. Strauss. Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. Payne, J.D. Strangers Next Door: Immigration, Migration, and Mission. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2012. Peskett, Howard, and Vinoth Ramachandra. The Message of Mission. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2003. Piper, John. Let the Nations Be Glad!: the Supremacy of God in Missions. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. Sproul, R. C. Matthew. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013. The Joshua Project. "Global Statistics.." 2016. Accessed August 20, 2016. https://joshuaproject.net/global_statistics. Wright, Christopher J.H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2006.