In my blogs’ journey from Passover to Pentecost, we come to the commissioning passages. Each of the Gospels, plus Acts, has its own commission of the Disciples, now to be Apostles. Here’s a quick view of each.

MARK

I start with Mark, and it is the most problematic. It is clear to almost all students of the New Testament that the common ending (Mark 16:9-20) is not part of the original Gospel. That doesn’t mean it should be ignored! It reflects the understanding of our commission, by some in the early church:

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Here are its high points:

Followers of Jesus are to go to all the world with the Good News, intended for all creation.
The saving response of those who hear is believing, that incorporates baptism.
Drawing on Acts, the commission says that the Holy Spirit (implied), will produce miraculous signs by those who believe, in the name of Jesus.

The debated issue today is whether Mark’s Gospel ended at 16:8 (“They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”), or the original ending was lost. My view is that the original ending (at the end of the scroll) was lost. A few scholars express the view that I have, that the original ending, like most of the Gospel, is embedded in Matthew’s Gospel. It is to that Gospel that I now turn.

MATTHEW

In both Mark 16 and Matthew 28, the disciples are instructed to go to Galilee (Mark 16:7, Matthew 28:7, 10). Once there, the 11 remaining disciples are commissioned with what is now called The Great Commission:

Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In Matthew 4:15-16, when Jesus’ ministry began, Matthew quoted Isaiah 9:1-2 regarding “Galilee of the nations (or Gentiles)”. Now, as Jesus departs to the Father, He is again in Galilee. The final temptation of Jesus after His baptism is on a very high mountain (Matthew 4:8-9), where the devil shows Him all the world’s kingdom. Now Jesus, on a mountain, points His disciples to all those nations.

Worship with some doubting. I don’t think that this is related to the Thomas story, but it reflects the reality that Jesus commissioned those whose faith may struggle. We, too, should hear this. The Good News has never been spread by a perfect church. We may spend all our energy on our shortcomings, when we should follow our Lord into all nations.
The Lord, not the enemy, has all authority. This is a reversal of the devil’s temptation. We may fear that Satan is winning as we look at this fallen world but look to heaven if you want the truth (Rev. 4-5).
“Make disciples,” was their and is our calling. Jesus made the 11 disciples by calling them and teaching them. As Jesus was to them, they were, and we are, to be to all nations.
Jesus made baptizing a key part of our mission. The power of baptism is in neither us nor the rite, but in the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In much contemporary thinking, obedience equals robotic mindlessness. Yet, for Scripture, it is faithful trust in action. Teaching obedience is not just listing commands, but showing their meaning and importance, while modeling what obedience looks like. Love remains the greatest command.
In Matthew 18:20, Jesus promised to be with His church, especially in its corporate life of discipline and decision-making. Now He promises to be with His disciples in their (our) mission. Ascension is not absence! Heaven is not way out there! Luke and John speak of the Lord’s presence as mediated through the Holy Spirit within us.

No wonder this is called, The Great Commission!

Luke/Acts

Luke gives us two closely related versions of Jesus’ commission:

Luke 24:46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 1: 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I will limit myself to two main points:

They were to be witnesses. This is an important theme in Luke/Acts. Luke relies on witness accounts for his writing. More important, Jesus insists that his disciples bear faithful witness (Luke 12:8-9). They were to be witnesses of the truth of the story of Jesus to the end of the earth. There is a somber association in Luke/Acts between bearing witness and suffering persecution. Martyr comes from the Greek word for “witness.” We should be prepared.
The Holy Spirit comes with power. This is not power for mere display, but for mission. It is impossible to realize such power while denying the presence of the Spirit who would give such power. In regard to empowering our lives and mission, may we all be “Pentecostals.”

John

John 20: 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

This brief commission may be the most challenging.

It comes in the context of Divine Peace. Peace with God prepares us for the hatred of the world (John 15:18-25).
Our commission is a continuation of Jesus’ commission from the Father. That is challenging, knowing Jesus’ commission included a cross. Many of those who heard Jesus’ words would give their lives for Him. Moreover, we have the same saving mission, that gives our suffering meaning.
In a prophetic action, Jesus breathes upon the disciples for them to receive the Breath/Spirit of God. This is the promise made in each commission, and our response should be “Hallelujah!”

We are a commissioned people, a challenged people, and a promised people. Amen.

Tim Kelley