The Commission According to the Gospels

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 28:18-20, ESV)

A commission is an act of entrusting; a charge; to act under the authority of, or on account of, another; instructions as to how a trust shall be executed; the duty entrusted to any person or persons.* Before Jesus ascends into heaven he gives last words to the disciples entrusting them with a charge, instructions, and giving them the authority to act on his behalf. The verse above is the commission of Jesus according to Matthew, lets look at the commission according to the other gospels.

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe..." (Mark 16:15-18, ESV)

The last words of Jesus commissioning the disciples according to Matthew is about making disciples, baptism, and teaching. In the gospel of Mark, we see it has an evangelistic charge to it. Evangelism is a gift given to the saints for the work of ministry to build up the body, along with teaching, pastoring, prophecy.. (Ephesians 4:10-12). Reading on in Mark we see Jesus said that signs will accompany "those who believe in my name, they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18, ESV). Now we hear a lot about spreading the gospel but have you ever seen someone with such authrority and power to cast out a demon or lay hands on someone who is sick and they are healed? Are these signs not to be seen today or we of little faith and power?

"and said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:44-49)

Jesus said he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, that written in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms was fulfilled, his sufferings, his being raised from the dead, and the forgiveness of sins in his name. Jesus commissioned them to proclaim in his name repentance and the forgiveness of sin. The new covenant took his death to establish, it is a new covenant in his blood that brings about forgiveness of sin, and another glorious part is that he sent us the promised Holy Spirit to "clothed with power from on high." John writes he came to give us the right to become children of God, born of God (John 1:12-13). Oh, may the eyes of our heart be enlightened to the hope of our calling, the glorious inheritance we have among the saints, which the Spirit is our seal, one of adoption, and power available to us from on high (Ephesians 1:17-23).

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “pastor my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep."" (John 21:15-17)

The last words of Jesus we see in the gospel of John are related to being a shepherd. In other gospels, we see the Parable of the Lost Sheep, which tell of the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine on the hill and goes to look for the one that is lost (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3–7). This has an evangelistic nature to it but the gospel of John has the focus of shepherding, giving the analogy of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep, who feeds and cares for the sheep. This is what Psalm 23 relates to us, the Lord is our shepherd... In the gospel of John we see Jesus commission the ones who love him to care for His sheep.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). 

No matter what gift or commission Jesus gives us we can not neglect loving one another as we go in His name. Jesus prays to the Father that we are one, as the Father and the Son are one, so that the world may believe he is from God (John 17:21). Without agape love for another and fellowship together in the Father and Son, we do not have much hope in reaching the world. Jesus said the world would know we are his disciples by our love for one another, and what we do to the least of these His brethren we do to him. Therefore what do we say indirectly by not loving one another? Is a commision a charge that gives authority to neglect the commands of Jesus? Some seem to think so, that sacrificially serving towards a commission, the command of Jesus to love one another can be neglected.

So what is the commission given by Jesus according to the disciples? It is different in the eyes of the writers of each gospel. Perhaps because they view the commission through the perspective of their gifts? If I have the gift of evangelism, I am a little biased, I would say it is about spreading the gospel, because this is where my gift and passion lie. We hear this phrase often, we need to be the "hands and feet of Jesus" but the body is made up of many members and gifts. If evangelism were feet and we were all feet, then we would not be a whole body. 

If we believe Paul that it is each individual gift working together that causes the body to grow then we would honor all equally. All gifts are indispensable as without each the church would not grow into fullness, as the body grows according to the working of each individual member, gift. Certainly, this doesn't minimize or exalt any gift accordingly, "the eyes can not say to the hand I do not need you," and I paraphrase Paul, the members we might think less honorable and weak are to be given greater honor, this is how God has arranged the body so that there is no division and all are taken care of equally (1 Corinthians 12:21-25). If gifts are to be treated equally then can one commission be greater than another? Can we say the commision is only that according to one gospel? So we have left one reasonable explanation. 

The commission of Jesus encompasses the whole. According to your gift given for the work of ministry, go into all the nations making disciples, teaching, baptizing, evangelizing, proclaiming the gospel, and repentance, and forgiveness in his name. And pastor My sheep. And great signs of healing, laying on of hands, casting out demons.... and other gifts will accompany those who believe. We pray to Jesus that he gives gifts that equip the body for the work of ministry so that the lost sheep are found, little lambs grow up, taught and discipled, growing up truth in love into mature sheep, into the full measure of the stature of the fullness of the Lamb, so all the sheep are fed and taken care of, whole, healed, freed, loved, lacking in nothing.