Session 4: Matthew 18.16-20: The Great Commission
Suggested Opening Prayer :
Heavenly Father, your Son commissioned his apostles to make disciples of all nations: aid us in our discipleship, that through us the whole world may come to know you, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent; through him who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen.
Background :
Scholars have often described St Matthew's Gospel as the most Jewish of the Gospels, and it was almost certainly written for a Jewish-Christian readership. We have to remember that in the ancient world books were not written for 'publication', but to meet local needs. St Matthew was simply meeting his own predominantly Jewish Church community where it was. So, for example, when he describes the events leading to Jesus' birth, Matthew emphasises the fact that Jesus is a descendant of King David more than any of the other gospels. Matthew also constantly quotes from the Old Testament to show how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, as, for example, when he tells the story of the first Palm Sunday in Matthew 21.1-11. Matthew also makes sure that his readers are aware of Jesus' continuity with his Jewish past in the Sermon on the Mount: Jesus is stricter in his interpretation of the Jewish Law even than some of the Pharisees, and Matthew wants people to know it (e.g. Matthew 5.17-48). And, by and large, in St Matthew's Gospel, Jesus' ministry is exclusively to the Jews, until, that is, right at the very end when he commissions his disciples.
The Great Commission : Matthew 28.16-20
This is very familiar territory, but read through it slowly, and as you do, try to put yourselves into the sandals of those first apostles, immediately after the events of the first Holy Week and the first Easter.
• How do you think the disciples were feeling when they reach the mountain?
• How would these fishermen have felt about the task Jesus was giving them?
• How would they have felt after Jesus' departure?
This story is crucial for the Church. It is not just the apostles' commission, but it is our commission too, so look at it now from today's perspective.
Verses 16-17 set the scene for the commission itself.
• Have we ever encountered the risen Lord?
• How do we react when we encounter the risen Jesus?
• Do we ever doubt him, like some of the disciples did?
• Does a personal encounter with Jesus help us to overcome these doubts?
In verse 18, Jesus begins to address his disciples.
• How do you personally think of Jesus?
• How do others think of Jesus? (e.g. is it just as 'the baby Jesus')
• What image of Jesus is most helpful for today's Church? Is he the baby Jesus, the son of Joseph the carpenter, Christ crucified, the risen Lord, our friend and brother, Christ the King, the eternal Son of God, the authoritative Judge at the Last Judgement, or some other?
In verse 19, Jesus commissions his disciples.
• Has the Church forgotten what it is there for?
• Do we actively make disciples?
• Have we ever brought anyone to faith?
• Why do we find Jesus' commission so difficult to carry out?
The final verse, verse 20.
• What commandments?
• Do we really remember that Jesus is with us?
• Do we want to remember it?
• Do we act as if it matters anyway?
• What actions can we take to fulfil Jesus' commission to us, his Church?
Allow a period of silence for reflection and prayer, finishing with the Lord's Prayer. Finally read through the whole story of the Great Commission . and then, go out and do it!