Why the Great Commission Matters

At the end of the book of Matthew, we read Jesus’ command to His followers:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28:19–20

This is the Great Commission that ties together the whole Bible from its beginning to its end.

Think of this unifying thread as a jet stream or contrail, like the one I saw the other night in the closing of the sunset. It starts behind us with God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis:

“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” — Genesis 12:3

This jet stream drives ahead to an ending that we can’t yet see, but which we continue to pursue:

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” — Revelation 7:9

Directly overhead, in the middle of this jet stream, is the great summary of God’s mission:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16

This is the unifying message running throughout the Bible. Our great God is a promise-keeping God who commissions us to multiply His praise among the nations (Psalm 117). He’s blessed us from the beginning of Genesis to be a blessing to all the families of the earth. He’s the God of John 3:16 who shows the way to salvation for everyone who believes in Him. He sends us to join Him in His mission (Matthew 28:19–20), until He fulfills the vision in Revelation of every people gathered in multitudes at the throne.

That is the exhilarating thing for me—to see God’s call upon Abraham reinforced throughout Scripture, then fulfilled in Jesus Christ Himself, and recaptured by Paul:

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” — Galatians 3:8

So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. — Galatians 3:14

We have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. — Romans 1:5

The people of God are called not to rejoice in their own security while millions perish for lack of knowledge. He’s called us to go, to send our best, and to believe that far from making a sacrifice, we will be immensely rewarded for following Christ into making disciples among all the nations.

With the love of God compelling us, and the fires of hell confronting us, and the goodness of God rewarding us, and the promises of God assuring us, we will expect great things from God.