I remember watching a tv series that came to a cliff-hanger at the end of the season. Cliff-hangers are a great tool to keep you interested in the new season. Unfortunately for that series, the new season never happened. Filming was interrupted, probably by Covid, and by the time everyone could get back to filming, all the actors had committed to other projects.
I don’t remember much about the series now, but I do remember the strong disappointment in knowing that we’ll never know what happens next!
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A fitting End
The good news is our series on Matthew is drawing to a close and there is no cliff-hanger. In fact, Matthew wraps up his gospel very neatly with a very clear imperative from Jesus.
We’ve been looking at Matthew through a very particular lens this time. We’ve been looking at with this view of what does this mean about how to follow Jesus?
As we look at His parting words, we see a very clear message about what Jesus asks of us as followers.
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)
The importance of the Kingdom narrative
We started this series by looking at the coming of the promised King. God had promised for centuries that He would send a Messiah, a King descended from the line of David, to restore His people. Jesus began His ministry by announcing the Kingdom was near.
The Kingdom narrative really plays out in Easter week. By riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus acknowledges He is that promised king. His Triumphal Entry can be seen as a march on Jerusalem, where He would begin the process of establishing His kingdom.
That narrative continues into Holy Week. Jesus wrangles with religious leaders, then is put to death. He fights the battle for His Kingdom through humility, suffering, and death. And then with Easter, the tomb is empty! The last enemy to be defeated was death, and coming out of that victory Jesus announces in our passage that all authority and power in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.
A narrative of liberation
To understand the Kingdom narrative further, pay attention to what Paul says about the Kingdom:
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14 (NIV)
This wasn’t just Jesus making Himself King. He established His Kingdom to liberate people from the realm of darkness and bring them into a Kingdom of life.
Most, if not all, of Jesus’s followers were confused about this. They expected a physical Kingdom. However, Rome was never the enemy. Death and hell have always been the enemy and Jesus fought a war of liberation to set people free.
A narrative of urgency
Paul continues his thoughts in Colossians:
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Colossians 1:28-29 (NIV)
Paul saw his mission as rescuing as many as possible from the kingdom of darkness. In fact he says he’s not there just to rescue but to present everyone perfect or mature in Christ.
Paul’s mission sounds an awful lot like something else we just looked at: Make disciples.
A narrative of authority
Going back to the Great Commission, notice how Jesus prefaces everything? I have all authority and power, both in heaven and on earth.
It’s in light of this authority that He calls His followers to make disciples.
“I’ve won the victory. I’ve established my Kingdom, and I’ve defeated death and hell and have set the captives free. In light of this, you must make disciples.”
Could there be any more weight given to a command? Could Jesus have added any more authority to what He asks of His followers? I don’t think so.
Making disciples, not converts
Jesus didn’t say make converts. He didn’t tell people to grow their local congregations. He never asked to bring people into a new religion.
Jesus commanded us to make disciples. This is the goal He wants us to strive for.
We’ve looked before at how Jesus provided a definition of discipleship when he called Simon and Andrew:
- “Follow me…” That speaks for itself: Follow Jesus
- “…and I will make you…” Jesus will make us into who we need to be. Be transformed by Jesus
- “…fishers of men.” He asks us to be committed to the mission of Jesus.
Following Jesus. Transformed by Jesus. Committed to the mission of Jesus.
That sounds a lot like being presented perfect or mature in Christ.
The Kingdom narrative and the importance of discipleship
Why is Jesus so adamant? Why does he demand discipleship, not simply mental assent?
It goes back to the Kingdom narrative. Because the stakes are so high.
People are lost in darkness. People are oppressed and enslaved. This is a battle of liberation, and when you go into battle, you don’t go in untrained, unarmed, and unprepared.
We cannot do this casually. This is all or nothing and when the stakes are that high, can we do anything less than go all in on making disciples and preparing them to join the mission of Jesus?
Our number one priority as a church should be to lead people to following Jesus, bring them into a relationship that transforms them, and prepare them to join the mission of Jesus. In other words, it’s to make disciples.
That’s it. Nothing else is remotely close to that. Everything else is just window dressing. If we are not making disciples, we are failing in our mission.
There’s no easy way to put that.
Are we making disciples?
We should constantly ask that question. Who are the disciples we’ve made recently? How have we helped prepare people for the mission of following Jesus? As a neighborhood church, have we made disciples from within the neighborhood?
Those are hard questions.
In our series we’ve asked about what Jesus taught, said and did. Have we considered the one thing that Jesus did above all else?
He made disciples. He focused most of His time relationally bringing His followers to a place where they were ready to take on the reigns when He was gone. Do we want to follow Jesus? That involves making disciples.
How did He make disciples? He did it through relationships. We might be afraid we can’t learn the strategies and say the right thing, but one thing we CAN do is form relationships.
There’s one last point when we feel like we’re in over our head. I believe there’s another reason he emphasized His power and authority. If He has all that power and authority, it means he can equip us to do what He calls us to do (remember that part about “I will make you into fishers of men?”)
The stakes are so high that we cannot do this casually. But in the big climax where Jesus conquered death and hell and put Himself in the position of all power and authority, do you think those parting words of his mean anything?
Make disciples.