Mary: The Mother of Jesus Christ

John 19:25-27

I want to take you today into the heart and life of the most famous mother of all time. Of course, I’m speaking about the mother of Jesus: Mary. The scripture tells us that at His crucifixion there were four women standing close by as He was giving His life to pay mankind’s sin debt (John 19:25): Mary (Jesus’ mother), Mary’s sister (possibly Salome, the mother of James and John - cf. Matthew 27:56; Mark 10:35; 15:40), Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

I don’t think any of us would expect to find Jesus’ mother anywhere else other than at this location that day. Where else do you think a mother would be at a time of crisis for one of her children?. She had held Him under her heart until He was born and now she continues to hold Him in her heart even in the most excruciating hours of His life. Clearly, this was the moment that the prophecy given to Mary at Christ’s birth by Simeon was being fulfilled, when he said, “a sword will pierce through your own soul also…” (Luke 2:35) It’s hard to even imagine the grief and agony she was enduring as she watched the nails driven through His hands and feet.

Possibly, one of the reasons this text singles out John separately as “standing by” (19:26) on this day is to imply something beyond the general statement  previously mentioned where several “stood by the cross” (19:25). This Greek participle (“standing by” in v.26), used only in reference to John, seems to indicate that he was physically standing next to Jesus’ mother. With the indescribable pain that Mary was enduring at the sight of Jesus on Calvary, John must have been at her side to physically support her during the time of her overwhelming grief. Her body probably grew weak as she watched the cruelty that her Son was experiencing at the hands of the Roman soldiers. His agony of struggling to get His breath, His bloodied and beaten body surely must have been a crushing weight for her to bear. This little detail is a touching reference that allows us to see deep into the heart of a grieving mother.

Really, some of the experiences of Mary as a mother are ones that many mothers can identify with in raising their own children. From the very beginning there were struggles, challenges, and obstacles, as well as many joys that came with fulfilling her mission as Jesus’ mother.

Consider for a moment how the story of Jesus begins with what some might call a “problem pregnancy.” We know from the testimony of the Gospel writers that He was born of the virgin Mary, but the people of Nazareth only knew that Mary was pregnant...though she was not yet officially Joseph’s wife. They could easily do the math and know that things didn’t add up. Mary’s advancing pregnancy told them that Mary’s pregnancy was farther along that it ought to have been. Though the angel had explained to the two of them that the One conceived in her womb was of the Holy Spirit, that was a difficult story for the rest of the people in that small town to comprehend. Just imagine the gossip among the people and how hard it would have been to walk through the city streets without people gawking at you and whispering behind your back. And, if you don’t think that was hard to handle, then you’ve probably never lived in a small town where everybody knows everybody else.

Then there was the occasion after Mary and Joseph had travelled to Bethlehem for the census and Jesus was born, that they had to flee to Egypt for a time. The journey was deemed necessary because Herod had heard from the Magi that a King had been born in Judea and he was determined to assure that his rule would never be threatened. Consequently he ordered all the infants of Judea to be put to death, forcing the move of Joseph, Mary and the Child (Jesus) to this distant land. Of course, this fulfilled another Old Testament prophecy (Hosea 11:1) concerning the birth of Jesus, but it placed an enormous hardship on Mary and her “young child” (Matthew 2:11).

The distance from Bethlehem to the border of Egypt was approximately 80 miles. The full distance to the closest Jewish settlement in Egypt was at least 200 miles from Bethlehem...at Alexandria. Consider the difficulty of travelling such a long distance on a donkey, across difficult terrain, through dangerous territories with a “young child” in tow. Every mother can probably tell you how difficult it is to travel any distance with young children in the back seat (especially...of a donkey) crying and constantly asking, “How much longer?” And don’t forget, they didn’t have iPads, DVD players, air conditioning, padded seats, places to sleep, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, nor were there any signs or car tags from which they could make up games as they travelled. I’m sure every mother can feel some of Mary’s pain if they stop and consider what this journey must have been like for her.

There was also the time when Mary, Joseph and Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the Passover when Jesus was twelve years old. After the feast was over they began the journey back home only to discover after a day of travelling that Jesus wasn’t with the rest of the family. Don’t you think Mary probably ran all the way back to Jerusalem frantically looking for Jesus? If not, you probably aren’t a mother that has ever lost track of one of her children in a shopping mall. But, a lot of mothers can identify with Mary’s feelings.

Three days later, when they finally found Jesus, He was discussing theology with the scholars in the Temple. It was His mother that asked Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” (Luke 2:48) To which Jesus respectfully replied, “‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?’ But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.” (Luke 2:49-50) Again, I think most mothers can identify with how Mary must have felt as she frantically searched for Jesus over those three days.

I don’t want to give the wrong impression, though, Jesus was never a “problem child.” The Bible is clear that He was always careful to obey his parents growing up (Luke 2:51). But, Jesus’ unique identity as the Son of God and Savior of the world sometimes put a strain on His mother and family as He grew into manhood and began His ministry.

Consider, as well, that Jesus had to leave the family business when He began His itinerant teaching and discipleship ministry. This may have been difficult for His mother to accept, as most mothers can attest when a child leaves the safety and provision of the home she has provided. Jesus had a steady job as a carpenter in His hometown, but He left it behind to pursue His calling and purpose. If you’ve ever had a child give up a steady paying job to do freelance work, you know something of how Mary probably felt when He left home to begin ministry.

In addition, He promptly alienated nearly everyone in His hometown when He read in the synagogue one day a Messianic passage from the Old Testament and said that it was all fulfilled in Him (Luke 4:16-30). To top it off, He mentioned Gentiles rather than Jews receiving God’s blessing which only made the people more angry with Him, causing them to drive Him out of their (His) town. Can you imaging the talk at the well of Nazareth about Mary’s Son that was no longer welcomed among them (Luke 4:24)? How do you mothers feel when people talk about your children in a condescending or derogatory way?

On yet another occasion Mary was at a wedding in Cana of Galilee with Jesus when the host  ran out of wine. Mary, trying to save the host any embarrassment, suggested that Jesus do something to resolve the matter. Jesus, in turn, gently rebuked her so that she would see His role as the Son of God took precedence over His role as the Son of Mary (John 2:4).

Then there was the occasion when a large crowd gathered around Jesus and His mother and brothers had to wait to see Him. Someone reported to Jesus, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” (Matthew 12:47) To which Jesus answered, “‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’” (Matthew 12:48-50) I wonder how Mary felt as she was trying to grasp her changing role with Jesus? Probably many mothers can identify with some of her emotions in trying to figure out her place in the life of her now adult Son. What mother hasn’t felt a little bit ignored as her child came into his/her own? It’s hard to let go when they move out and not expect to be the priority!

Nothing, though, could have compared to how she felt about what was happening on Golgotha that Friday morning. Her heart surely ached with pain as she watched her Son dying on a cruel cross. Every ounce of strength ebbed out of her body and tears flowed down her cheeks until she had no tears left. She must have felt she would die watching this ignominious scene unfolding before her. Had it not been for the fact that John was standing by her (see earlier note), she would probably have collapsed in a heap to the ground...and who would blame her!

Among the many things that amaze me about the cross of Christ, I’ve always been touched by the fact that while Jesus was suffering on Calvary, He was thinking of others before Himself. Of course, that’s the very heart of what Jesus is doing in dying on the cross: taking our punishment so we don’t have to take it ourselves. But notice, before Jesus mentions a personal need (i.e., “I thirst”), He speaks to those around Him (soldiers) and beside Him (thieves) and near Him (Mary and John). In other words, even in the most difficult moment of His life, Jesus is still looking out for others!

In some of the most touching words found in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion, He looks intently at His mother from the cross and says, “‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:26-27)

This is deeply moving because even though Jesus is agonizing on the cross, He never forgot the care of His mother. The One that fulfilled all of the Law now shows His continued obedience in fulfilling the fifth commandment to, “honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12).

William Barclay wrote, “There is something infinitely moving in the fact that Jesus in the agony of the cross, in the moment when salvation of the world hung in the balance, thought of the loneliness of His mother in the days when He was taken away.”

Here is an important lesson for all of us to learn: always remember to love and care for your parents and family no matter how difficult it may be to do so. If there was ever a point in the life of Jesus when He could have thought of Himself rather than others, this would have been that moment. But, even in death He remembered to give love to His mother!!

Paul spoke about this very matter when he wrote, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8) Love brings with it responsibility and Jesus fulfilled His responsibility perfectly.

Even if you don’t have a mother about whom you can speak honorably, you can always honor her by refusing to speak dishonorably about her. And, as our parents age and need our assistance, we have a God-given responsibility to show them compassion in the waning years of their lives. We live in a culture that devalues the old and infirmed even to the point of discarding them. Jesus, however, teaches us to do exactly the opposite. Even though Jesus can no longer care for His mother Himself, He is careful to see that one of His most trusted friends assumes the responsibility.

However, what I especially want all mothers to hear is that He (Jesus) “SAW” her (19:26)!!

Mothers, do you ever wonder if God sees you? The answer comes from the cross where the Son of God is giving His life a ransom for all mankind: YES, HE SEES YOU AND HE CARES FOR YOU! Usually it’s a mother’s love that is rated as the purest and strongest type of human love. But, the love of Jesus for His mother (and all mothers) exceeds all other loves combined. That Jesus “SAW” her during the hour of His mortal agony illustrates the depth of His compassion for her and for all mothers today struggling to raise their children right!

Maybe you sometimes wonder if your children see you or if they care...the fact is that God always cares for you.

Maybe the question that most begs an answer is, “What did Jesus have that He could give her in these final hours of His mortal life?” After All…

• His body was going to the grave (temporarily).
• His spirit was returning to His Father.
• His clothes had gone to His executioners.
• His peace had been given to His disciples (John 14:27).
• His blood was going to Heaven (Hebrews 9:12).
• All He had left to give her was His friend, John...to care for her the rest of her days. And, that’s exactly what He gave her that day.

History seems to indicate that by this time Joseph had already died, leaving Mary a widow. She was in the mid-life years by now and without an income. As the oldest Son, Jesus had the responsibility of providing for His mother. None of His half-brothers yet believed in Him (Mark 6:3) and none of them apparently lived in Jerusalem. Only John, the beloved disciple of Jesus (and some believe Jesus’ cousin) could be entrusted with this honorable duty of caring for Jesus’ mother.

R. C. H. Lenski wrote, “These two belonged together because these two were losing in Jesus’ death more than the rest. Mary was losing her son, John the master who loved him beyond the rest.”

In committing the care of His mother to John, He was discharging His duty as her eldest Son to make sure she had her daily needs met.

This arrangement may have also been important for John who might have been the kind of believer that needed someone to lean on at times!  He could no longer lean on Jesus as he had so often done during those three earthly years, since Jesus would be in Heaven as our Great High Priest!  But He could gain much fellowship and strength from Mary's companionship and knowledge! No human could better relate the truth of the Virgin Birth than her! She was much older than John, but I’m sure they both found comfort in the fellowship they had around the Person of Christ!

It’s important to note one more thing about these words of Jesus from the cross. His address to His mother as “woman” should not be taken as showing any disrespect towards her. The term “woman” is actually Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing other women (Matthew 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15).

However, this term (“woman”) has special significance in this passage because Jesus is showing her that she now needs to see Him not so much as her Son, but as her Savior. She had to begin looking at Jesus as her Lord. If she does this, then she will know that even though His suffering is indescribably horrendous, it is nevertheless glorious because of its purpose.

That might have initially been a difficult transition for her to make, since Mary first met Jesus at the manger in Bethlehem. She had given birth to Him and nursed Him at her breast. Now, she had to meet Him as her Savior at the cross. She needed to lose Jesus as a Son in order to find Him as her Savior!

If Mary needed to meet Jesus at the cross, how much more do you and I need to meet Him at the cross? If Mary needed Jesus to die for her sins, how much more do you and I need Jesus to die for our sins? If Mary needed to trust Jesus as her Savior, how much more do you and I need to trust Him as our own Savior!

It’s certain that John and Mary got the message that Jesus was delivering that day because the scripture says that he immediately he took her to his home in Jerusalem (9:27). Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there after Jesus was resurrected to hear John tell Mary that her Savior (and her Son) was alive from the dead? What a day of rejoicing that must have been for her as a mother and a believer in Jesus!

Finally, we know that Mary was there following Jesus’ ascension back to Heaven awaiting the Day of Pentecost. She was one of the 120 praying in the Upper Room, praying and waiting with all the others for the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Following that account, we don’t know much else about what happened to Mary. One extra-Biblical account says that Mary stayed in John’s home for eleven more years, and only after her death did John go out to preach the Gospel to the Gentile world. Another report says that Mary died in the city of Ephesus while sharing in John’s missionary ministry. We really don’t know what happened to her after Pentecost, but we can be sure that John, being the apostle of love, perfectly fulfilled his new trust.

Mothers…

1. God sees you and cares about you more than words can ever express!
2. Don’t give up the struggle to teach your children the right way to live.
3. The greatest thing you do for your children is to follow Christ yourself. (see Mother’s Day responses below)

I did a little informal survey about what people most loved about their mothers. I got more responses to this question than any question I have ever asked. People know how their mothers impacted their lives. For instance…

• She is the most compassionate, selfless, giving person I have ever known.
• She saw potential in people when no one else could.
• On the day she found out she had a brain tumor, she was counselling someone, trying to help.

However, I believe the most frequently mentioned quality for why people loved their mothers was because she had shown them Christ is some way. For instance...

• Mom lived to be 100 years old and I was #10 of 11 kids. She loved us all the same and made sure we were in church every time the doors were open.
• She taught us how to be saved.
• She had a direct phone line to God!
• The most kindest, Christ-loving woman ever.

The “Real” Last Words of Christ (Love)

Matthew 28:16-20

Any person’s last words are usually among the most important words he or she will ever speak. When someone is speaking for the final time we often find people leaning in just so they can listen carefully to what is being said. Look through the Old Testament stories of the patriarchs of Israel and listen to them as they come to the final hours of their lives. What you hear is them uttering words of challenge, warning and prophecy concerning their loved ones and the nation. Those “last words” are among the most important words spoken in the unfolding drama of the nation of Israel, through whom Christ was ultimately delivered into our world.

In this series of messages, I have been asking you to lean in and listen carefully to some of the “last words” of Christ following His resurrection and before His ascension back to Heaven. Too often, we think of Jesus’ last words as those He spoke while hanging on the cross. But, the “real” last words of Christ are the ones recorded after He arose from the grave.

Even after Christ’s ascension He did not stop speaking altogether. We have at least four other accounts of the resurrected/ascended Christ appearing to people at different times. In three of these accounts He spoke: twice to Paul and once to the Apostle John (Acts 7:55; 9:3-6; Acts 22:17-21; 23:11; Revelation 1:10-19).

All of these “real” last words of Christ remind us that He is very much alive and is still speaking to His children today...through the scripture.

Among the most significant "last words" of Jesus are the ones He spoke to His disciples on a mountain in the region of Galilee (Matthew 28:16). We are not told the exact location of this mountain where He gave what is called “The Great Commission,” but it was obviously a place well known to all of the remaining disciples.

There is good reason to think that not only were the eleven disciples present at this post-resurrection appearance of Christ, but that more than five hundred others may have been there and heard these “final words” of Jesus recorded for us in the Gospel of Matthew. We know from 1 Corinthians 15:6 that at least on one occasion there were that many people that saw Christ at one time after His resurrection. It seems reasonable that this could have been that occasion. As Dr. David Brown observes, “Nothing can account for such a number as five hundred assembled at one spot but the expectation of some promised manifestation of their risen Lord; and the promise before His resurrection, twice repeated after it, best explains this immense gathering.” (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. [1997]. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible [Vol. 2, p. 63]. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) Dr. B.H. Carroll says, “...by having this big gathering in Galilee, it would avoid creating a disturbance, for if a meeting had been held in Jerusalem, not so many could have attended, and there they would be liable to interruption by the excited people.” (B.H. Carroll, An Interpretation of the English Bible, 13 Vols. [Nashville, BRoadman, 1942], Vol. 11) What we can deduce from these two comments by these eminent scholars is that between five and six hundred people may well have heard Jesus give “The Great Commission” to the disciples on the mountain that day.

One thing's for certain: the disciples must have known that what they were going to hear from Jesus was going to be important. The reason is because when Jesus previously gathered with His disciples on mountains, each occasion held a place of great significance.

For instance:

• Jesus called the twelve to be His disciples on a mountain (Mark 3:13-14; Luke 6:12-13).
• He preached His “Sermon on the Mount” on a mountain (Matthew 5-7).
• He was transfigured before three of His disciples on a mountain (Matthew 17:1-8).
• He unveiled the eschatological future to His disciples on a mountain (Matthew 24-25).

Surely the disciples understood that meeting Jesus on this mountain at this specific time in Galilee meant something big was about to happen.

After the large crowd had gathered that day, Jesus approached them and the disciples immediately fell before Him in worship (Matthew 28:17). Others, in the larger body of people, did not immediately recognize Him as the resurrected Christ and “doubted” (or “hesitated to believe”) it was Him. It wasn’t long, though, before they also recognized Him and worshipped Him with the others.

Matthew records that Jesus then spoke to the eleven disciples, but the command they were given would have far-reaching implications well beyond the disciples themselves. His central imperative was for them to “make disciples” and in doing so, He spoke about four universal truths:

1. He has “all authority” to send them on this mission (Matthew 28:18).

2. The mission is to be to “all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

3. They are to teach the new disciples “all things” He has commanded (Matthew 28:20).

4. He promised to be with them “all the days” (Matthew 28:20).

It’s important to grasp the real significance of this singular command ("make disciples") that Jesus gave these men on this day. Too often we read these words to say something like, “Go, and make converts of all the nations,” but that is not what Jesus told them to do. Dr. William Hendrickson writes, “‘Make disciples’ ...is not exactly the same as ‘make converts,’ though the latter is surely implied.’” Another well-known preacher, John Wesley wrote, “The Church changes the world not by making converts but by making disciples.” In other words, making converts and “making disciples” are not necessarily synonymous terms.

Obviously, the first step in becoming a disciple of Jesus has to involve a decision that a person makes to trust Christ alone for personal salvation (conversion). No one has his/her sins forgiven or has the promise of eternal life apart from the decision to receive Him personally. The “door” (Jesus-John 10:7, 9) through which all people must enter to be right with God may seem exclusive to the person who has no spiritual understanding. But, part of our task in obeying “The Great Commission” includes our making sure every person knows that Jesus is not just one of the ways a person approaches God. Rather, it is our task to make sure everyone knows that He is the ONLY way of coming to God!! The scripture is clear that no one comes to the Father but through Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:6) Who paid for our sins on the cross and rose again to bring salvation to all that receive Him (cf. John 1:12).

However, the initial step of becoming a believer in Jesus is just the beginning of what Christ commanded these men (and all of us) to do in “making disciples.” Once a person has made the decision to trust in Jesus, there is still the matter of each new believer becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ. This is a continuing process that involves entering into the life of the church, sound instruction in the faith, and ultimately, each believer reproducing other disciples of Christ that continue this same pattern.

For too many years we’ve been content to count the people that make “decisions for Christ” without understanding and obeying the full extent of "The Great Commission." Consequently, we have failed to obey Christ’s command fully and in the process, have left new believers struggling to understand all that it means to be His disciples. Sadly, some of these fell away from the faith simply because they were not nurtured and instructed in how to follow Christ!

For us to be obedient to "The Great Commission" we not only have to proclaim the Good News of Christ (the Gospel) to those without Him, we must also bring new believers into the church through the initiatory ordinance of baptism and then, within that fellowship of believers, teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded so they can repeat the process themselves with others.

God has not left it up to us to develop a disciple-making strategy. He has recorded the basic principles of how He expects the process to work and it is found in three subordinate participles (“go,” “baptize,” and “teach”) that take on the force of imperatives because of their relationship to the central command Christ gave to “make disciples”!

The first step in this process of “making disciples” is that we must “go.” Actually, this could read, “as you are going,” such that the first step of the process of obeying “The Great Commission” is to incorporate disciple-making into every aspect of our daily lives. In other words – as you are going about your daily business – as you are going to school – as you are going to work – as you are going to the doctor – as you are going to buy groceries – as you are going to get gas – as you are going to visit relatives – as you are going on vacation – as you are going to the ball game – as you are going out to eat – as you are going wherever you are going - you are always going into your mission field.

At least in part, our mission field is right here in the everyday ordinary things of life where we live. If God has you in a distant land or in the Tri-State...that is your mission field. If He has you in an office or at a remote work site...you represent Christ to all those around you. We have to stop thinking of our witness for Christ as only being an extraordinary work that is accomplished in an extraordinary way. Sometimes we make people feel guilty if they aren’t doing something “exceptional” and extremely sacrificial in sharing the Gospel. The fact is that being a good neighbor to those that live around you, being a good employee in your company, treating your employees like you want to be treated yourself, living a Christ-honoring life right where you are right now, etc., are just some of the ways we “go” about “making disciples” as Christ commanded.  

Sadly, some have imposed a new form of legalism on the church today that is as deadly as the old forms of legalism that used to prevail among us. In their zeal to obey “The Great Commission,” they have decided that the only forms of evangelism/outreach that are acceptable or viable are the ones which are characterized by something radical and/or revolutionary that is done among people that need to know Jesus. They’ve coined a host of new spiritual-sounding buzz words to let everyone know that their particular form of evangelism/outreach is the most biblical, committed and pleasing to the Lord. Then they judge everyone around them as being less spiritual and less interested in reaching the lost simply because they don’t live up to the new “high-commitment” paradigm for reaching the masses.

The truth is...every one of us is to be an “incarnational evangelist” right where we live, work and play every day of our lives. That is...we are supposed to bring the reality of Christ through our own lives to the people with whom we already have connections so that they will see Jesus in us every single day. Granted, we also have to share the message of the Gospel itself with those same people, but they will most likely believe what they “see” in your life before they will listen to what you “tell” them about your life.

“The Great Commission” commands us to “make disciples” and that process begins with the people that live across the street and around the corner in your community. Until we see our own neighbors, friends, family and co-workers as our first mission field we have missed the very first aspect of what it means to obey the command to “go”!

We should note that our “going” is also to be to “all the nations.” The commission that was given to the disciples on that mountain in Galilee did not stop with their own local communities to the neglect of the rest of the world. They were to “make disciples” among every ethnic group (panta ta ethne) wherever they are found in the world.

We have to stop for a moment and think about the significance of Matthew recording this aspect of the command from Jesus to “make disciples.” Matthew’s Gospel is written primarily to convince the Jewish people that Jesus is their Messiah. The book is filled with Old Testament references that are shown to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. His references to Jewish life that aren’t as familiar to us, were easily understood by the primary audience he was trying to reach. That’s what makes this aspect of “The Great Commission” so significant because he is telling the Jews reading this Gospel that Gentiles have been included in the salvation Jesus has made possible in His death, burial and resurrection. Matthew has recorded this command from Jesus at the end of his Gospel, explaining the far-reaching implications of what He has commanded them to do in “making disciples.”

Consequently, while it is true that we are all to be “missionaries” wherever we may live and do our work, some of us will be called out to be missionaries to ethnic groups located in the various countries of the world. Thankfully, God is still sending from among us the ones He wants to take His glorious Gospel to those we cannot necessarily reach ourselves. The question that has to be in the forefront of our minds is...are we listening for His call to this international disciple-making work? And, are we willing to answer that call should He issue it to us and/or encourage our children to answer His call to this same work? Though we are not all called to an ethnic group in another part of the world, don’t you think we also have an obligation to help those that have been called to “go” to “all the nations”?  The truth is, “The Great Commission” has not been fully obeyed by the church until every person in every generation and in every nation is given the opportunity to hear the Gospel so that they, too, may become faithful followers of Christ (i.e., disciples). There is much work to be done by us all...at home and abroad!

The second part of the command from Jesus to “make disciples” is to “baptize” those that have trusted in Jesus, which effectively brings them into fellowship with the church community where they can be nurtured and taught the ways of God.

Baptism is not an option that new believers may choose, but a command that every believer is to obey. It depicts the inner union believers have with Christ as having died to their old life and risen with Him to newness of life (Romans 6:1-10). It is a public declaration or confession of our personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a pledge to follow Him as His disciple. The idea that a person would receive Christ as Savior and not be baptized, thus preventing him from participating in the full fellowship of the local church, was completely foreign to the early New Testament church.

David Platt, who is the president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, as well as a bestselling author, speaks accurately to the matter of the importance of the local church in disciple-making. He says, “When it comes to talking about making disciples, it’s not about individual followers of Jesus, on their own, lone rangers making disciples. It’s about being a part of a body and together making disciples. Those unbelievers need to see evidence of community around Christ. They need to see the love of Christ in action. They need to see the mercy of Christ in action. The church needs to become a picture that, especially for hardened hearts of unbelievers, softens their hearts towards the goodness of Christ in the community of faith. We don’t just walk in isolation. We walk in love and service to one another. We’re teaching the Word to each other and the Word is spreading through each other. All of that has to happen in the context of relationships with other people. And so disciple-making is intricately tied to commitment with a local church.”

The local church is God’s plan for making disciples that faithfully follow Christ. It’s in the loving environment of a church family where we best learn how to be His disciples. I read about one church that emphasized their strategy for making disciples with three very simple words. The article said their church existed to: “gather,” “grow” and “go.” That’s a pretty good description of how the church should function. We “gather” on Sundays with other believers to celebrate Jesus, encourage one another, serve one another, and be the family of God. We “grow” through the teaching and preaching of the Word of God in worship services and through connection to Life Groups where we interact, pray and are accountable to each other so that scripture is worked out in our lives through shared life experiences and circumstances with other believers. We “go” from these other settings to spread the Gospel and “as we are going,” we interact, befriend and practice being good neighbors and witnesses to those that need Jesus.

Leading people to Christ and leaving them without a church or in a church that doesn’t teach the truth is a failure to fulfill “The Great Commission”!

The last part of “The Great Commission” that tells us how to “make disciples,” has to do with “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”  

Teaching people the truth of God is fundamental to the church’s role in fulfilling “The Great Commission.” We live in an entertainment culture that has relegated “teaching” (especially scripture) to a secondary role in the church.

• We too often gather for the Sunday performances that take place on the platform, rather than the truth that is proclaimed that can change our lives for the eternal good.
• We’ve developed such a short attention span that we now prefer soundbite sermons filled with self-help methodology, rather than the sound exposition of the scripture.
• We love to hear preachers/teachers talk about the scripture and tell us stories, but we don’t want to be bothered by any systematic instruction in doctrine or theology.
• We’re not grounded in the Word of truth and consequently, we are often blown about by every wind of doctrine (cf. Ephesians 4:14) that comes along.
• We’ve allowed the world to do more to change our churches internally than our churches have done to change the world externally.
• Our foundation for life is too often the shifting sand of pop psychology and positive thinking, rather than the solid rock of truth.
• Our worship gatherings sometimes feel more like a local high school pep rally than the people of God gathering for the worship of the holy God of Heaven!

And, all of this is because we have failed to “make disciples” who have been taught “to OBSERVE all things that I have commanded you.”

This teaching would include things like the marvelous discourses that Christ gave, the parables and the many precious sayings of Christ dealing with things like, ”abiding” in Him, “loving each other,” “bearing witness” of Him, “denying yourself,” “taking up your cross” and other similar truths. They were to teach about His predictions and His many promises and assurances that He gave to His followers. They were to instruct them about the cross, hypocrisy, proclaiming the Gospel, prayer, humility, trust, a forgiving spirit, marriage and the Law. They would explain about Christ’s healing work, His travels, His suffering, His death and resurrection, etc. They were to teach about all of these things and the implications of them on daily life.

In addition to all this, we have the rest of the New Testament encompassing His continued ministry, instructions and commands to His church. This is a lifetime endeavor and none of us ever mines all of the depths of all that God has given us in His Word.

In the original language of the New Testament, this command to “teach” is a present tense participle, meaning that this is to be a continuing task. (It also implies the continued willingness of the disciple to be taught.) Every new believer quickly realizes that there is much to be learned of doctrinal and ethical truth once you have come to Christ.

Let’s remember again, we aren’t instructed to just teach disciples “some” of what Jesus commanded, but we are to “teach” it “all.” In other words, as one scholar notes, “Nothing may be suppressed and nothing may be added, nothing may be watered down or given a new meaning.” (Wolfgang Thrilling, The Gospel according to St. Matthew [New York: Harper & Herder, 1969], 2:270)

What Christ desires is that Christian teaching so permeate our hearts and minds that we are controlled and molded by it in every aspect of our life and character. Apart from this kind of teaching we may have a crowd of people that are fans of Jesus, but too few that are truly His followers!

It is these three things that are the divinely given pattern for making disciples: “go,” “baptize” and “teach.”

Where are you in this process?

• As you go from here today you are entering the mission field where Christ wants you to “make disciples.”
• As you humbly live out your faith and share the Gospel story, you should be encouraging others to make the right decision to trust Jesus as their Savior.
• When a person makes the decision to receive Christ, you should bring them into the church through their public profession of faith in baptism and connect them to worship services and Life Groups where they can begin growing in grace.
• As they begin to understand their new found life in Christ, you should encourage them to reach out to others to continue the process of making more disciples of Christ.