3. Matthew 28:19-20 : The Great Commission, So Called By Many !

If we are not careful, Bible teaching can be reduced to a foundation based on emotions, sentimentality and tradition. As teachers, we can make statements about the Scriptures which cannot be substantiated.

For instance, there is not one verse in the Bible which calls any words of the Lord 'The Great Commission'. What our Lord instructed the apostles at the end of the four Gospels and in the first chapter of Acts were words of commission. They were also words of great importance. But there is no real support for the idea that this is indeed, 'the great commission'.

But the words of this 'commission' are sometimes used to imply that these were the last words of our Lord, after his resurrection, period. Based upon this 'thought', stress is laid upon these words to make them weight very heavily upon any who would serve the Lord. His last marching orders!! His last farewell!!

There is a great deal of difference between His last marching orders and His last marching orders before He ascends. Because after His ascension, Paul claims a teaching ministry from Christ giving to Paul his gospel. Cf. Gal. 1:11-12. Paul claims that God, "by revelation he made known unto me the mystery…." Eph. 3:3a

So, we know that the Lord spoke and taught after he ascended. This does not discount the words of the Lord we have been discussing. But it should wise us up to the facts of progressive revelation within the filling of the canon. It should make us sensitive to having a proper balance and understanding to the flow of Scripture and the expanding unfolding of truth. We also should be able to have a sense of value of scriptural teaching by context, time and place and to whopm and by whom. Many of us call this a '..rightly dividing the word of truth..' II Tim. 2:15. This includes a proper emphasis and weight given to a portion of the word.

Some give an impression that this is the first time God has made provision for a world-wide ministry. For those in the know, God called Abraham and promised him blessings, such as through Abraham's seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Gen. 12:1-3. In preparation for this, the Lord chose twelve apostles from his disciples and sent them on a 'commission' to this very seed of Abraham.

"Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew 105-6 This 'commission' is not to be contrasted with Matthew 28:19-20. Rather, they are to be seen as two different aspects of one over all program. Matt. 10 is the starting ministry to Israel, the seed of Abraham. Matt. 28 is the consummation, reaching out to the world. There has been no change in dispensation. At the end of the Gospels, the Lord is not ceasing to deal with Israel and is starting to deal with the Gentiles. With a converted nation of Israel (ministry in Matt. 10.), the Lord can now send this nation unto the many nations.(Matt 28.)

The Lord gave testimony that he too"..was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.." (Matt. 15:24) This helps us to deal with a keener understanding of John 3:16. If God loved the world and if Jesus loved the world too, why did not Jesus ever leave the land of Israel to tell other nations of this love in John 3:16? We know God had a plan and he was working out this plan. In Mark's Gospel record, (7:24-30) we find that the plan calls for the children (of Israel) to be reached first, 7:27.

When our Lord gave the disciples those famous words just before His ascension, they knew what to do, where to begin, what to preach and who were to be the first recipients of their message. The Acts of the Apostles records how they began in Jerusalem in Luke 24:47 and Acts 1:8. They ministered to the lost Sheep of the house of Israel. "Fellow Jews and all of you who are in Jerusalem", says Peter in Acts 2:14.

"Men of Israel" and "Let all Israel be assured", are his words in Acts 2:22 and 36.

Peter's second sermon in Acts 3 ends with words familiar to the 'commission' and teaching of the Lord.

"You are the heirs of the prophets and of the covenants God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you." Acts 3:25-26

Faithful to the 'commission' of the Lord, they ministered to the seed of Abraham, the lost sheep, "telling the message only to Jews." Acts 11:19 In Acts 8:1, we find the apostles in Jerusalem, although under severe attack, remaining in Jerusalem to obey the words of Acts 1:8. They remained faithful to the Lord and His word. These were not narrow-minded Jews, hard-hearted or disobedient servants. They faced death and remained in the thick of the battle against the rising rebelling and rejection of the message by the people of Israel.

Others were scattered and so the word was spread to the Samaritans. It came to them, not through the ministry of the twelve. It came in spite of Israel's rejection and refusal to accept that Jesus was the Messiah the Christ, the Son of God.

When we consider the 'great commission' in the light of the opening chapters of Acts, we ought to be amazed that there is not one Gentile saved in Acts 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9. Chapter 10 records the first Gentile ministered to by one of the twelve in the Acts of the Apostles. But note, this is not only the first time, it is also the last time and the only time Gentiles are ministered to by any of the twelve in the Acts. Why is this?

Are we to attack these apostles, like many others, as prejudiced, narrow-minded, hard-hearted and carnal? While men are quick with their interpretations of judgement, we look in vain for a word of rebuke from the Lord. According to some, we should find the Lord scolding Peter for NOT fulfilling the great commission and not following those last marching orders.

Peter goes to Cornelius on the basis of a special revelation from the Lord. He has not mismanaged his calling and commission. He has lived, preached and practiced his understanding of the will of God up to the time of this revelation in Acts 10. But he does seem to believe that he had no new revelation that he was not under law when he told the Lord that he had never eaten anything that is common or unclean. 10:15 He called himself a 'Jew', who believed it was an unlawful thing for a 'Jew' to keep company or come unto one of another nation. 10:28 But the special revelation that God gave Peter, showed him not to call any man common or unclean. This mission to this Gentile was NOT according to the 'great commission'. What Peter learns in Acts 10, was not known in Acts 1.

In Acts 11, Peter is called on the carpet for going to men uncircumcised and did eat with them. 11:1-3.

Peter ends his defense by saying, "Who was I to think that I could oppose God.?" 11:17 New revelation begets new responsibility and new actions. When these witnesses heard Peter's story, they held their peace, glorified God and said," So, the, God has even granted the Gentiles repentance unto life." 11:18

We need to scrutinize more closely this response by these witnesses and listeners. Acts 5:30 says, "Him (Christ) hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Now, here in Acts 11, there is the knowledge that God has now (and not before) granted repentance unto life to the Gentiles. This all must be kept in the context of Paul's conversion, calling and commission in Acts 9. Keep in mind also, that there is no mention of any further ministry of any of the twelve to reach Gentiles. So, what happened to the carrying out of the 'great commission' ? Paul was the Apostle who goes to the nations.

Galatians 2 tells us how the leaders, the pillars, Peter, James and John agree to stop working (as if they really began) on phase II of the over all program ( Matt. 28) which started in Genesis 12. In Gal. 2:9, the Pillars perceived the grace that was given to me (Paul), they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we (Paul, Barnabas and all those with them) should go unto the heathen. And they (Peter, James and John and all the other apostles with them) unto the circumcision.

Interesting, right ! Specially, when we know that Peter, James and John and all the other apostles in the record of the Acts of the Apostles NEVER went to anyone BUT the circumcised before this agreement was reached. The remaining record in Acts deals only with Paul's ministry.

JERRY W. STERCHI

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