Information about Great Commission

Major events in Jesus' life in the Gospels

Nativity Baptism Temptation Ministry Commission of Disciples & Apostles Sermon on the Mount Miracles Transfiguration Entering Jerusalem Temple Incident The Fig Tree Great Commandment Anointing Last Supper Promise of the Paraclete Passion Arrest Before the High Priest Before Pilate Crucifixion Entombment Empty Tomb Resurrection Appearances Great Commission Ascension Second Coming Prophecy This box:  •  • [ edit]

In Christian tradition, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing mission work and evangelism. It has been a primary basis for Christian missionary activity.

New Testament accounts

Some version of the great commission appears in each gospel and in Acts, which is the second part of Luke-Acts. Details vary from book to book. In Matthew, Jesus directs the disciples to baptize people of all nations in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinitarian formula. In Mark, Jesus warns that those who do not believe will be condemned, and he authorizes the disciples to perform miraculous signs, such as healing the sick. In Luke, Jesus tells the disciples to preach repentance and forgiveness, and promises that they will have divine power. In Acts, Jesus promises the disciples that the Holy Spirit will inspire them. In John, Jesus says the disciples will have the Holy Spirit and the authority to forgive sins and to withhold forgiveness.

The most familiar version of the Great Commission is depicted in the Gospel of Matthew 28:16-20:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(NIV)

Other versions of the Great Commission are found in Mark 16:14-18, Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:4-8, and John 20:19-23. All these passages are composed as words of Christ spoken after his resurrection.

Interpretations

The commission from Jesus has been interpreted by evangelical Christians as meaning that his followers have the duty to go, teach, and baptize. Although the command was initially given directly only to Christ's Eleven Apostles, evangelical Christian theology has typically interpreted the commission as a directive to all Christians of every time and place, particularly because it seems to be a restatement or moving forward of the last part of God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:3.

Commentators often contrast the Great Commission with the earlier Limited Commission of Matthew 10:5-42, in which they were to restrict their mission to their fellow Jews, to whom Jesus referred to as "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).

Textual critics note that the portion of Mark 16 which records the commission is not found in two of the oldest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Sinaiticus. The response generally given is that this is immaterial, as essentially the same thing is quoted as having been said by Jesus in at least three other New Testament passages, and additionally that the passage in question was regarded as part of the canon of the scriptures throughout most of Church history.

Some believe that the Great Commission was already fulfilled based on the statements "And they went out and preached everywhere," (Mark 16:20), "the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven," (Colossians 1:23), and "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations," (Romans 16:25-26). [1]

Since the versions of the great commission vary from each other, are attributed to the resurrected Jesus, and do not appear at all in some the earliest examples of the gospels--scholars of the historical Jesus (such as the Jesus Seminar) generally portray the statement as a later editorial addition to the text.

See also

• Seventy Disciples

External links

• Was the Great Commission Fulfilled?
• Billion Soul Initiative