The Great Commission
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “Go . . . ” Matthew 28:18a, 19a
Most English translations of the Great Commission translate the word “go” as an imperative, that is, a command. The impression can easily be given that Jesus is telling us to leave where we are and go somewhere else. That is most unfortunate, for people may immediately think, “I can’t go… at least not right now!” They can be led sadly to think that they are unable to fulfill Jesus’ commission. A young stay-at-home mother or father cannot simply leave their children and go somewhere else. A middle-aged person in business and supporting a family cannot give up that income and leave for some distant place. A senior in declining health and confined to a wheelchair in a nursing home cannot go wherever that senior wants, even if he or she would like to do so!
The Greek word translated so often in our English as an imperative, however, is not a command in that original language. It is a present participle. That fact makes all the difference! Greek present participles have an implied meaning of ongoing action. A better translation would, therefore, be: “As you are going.” In other words, Jesus is not commanding us to leave one place and go to another. Rather, He is saying that as we are going about our daily lives, wherever or whatever that may involve, we are to be sharing the Gospel with others.
Students, who are in school each day for many years, are to be busy sharing the Gospel with their classmates. Workers, who are putting in forty hours a week on the line, are to be sharing the Gospel with their co-workers. Seniors, who have retired and are now free to travel, or who for health reasons have seen their lives becoming more restricted and are confined to the hallways and dining rooms of nursing homes, are to be sharing the Gospel with their fellow travelers or their roommates and caregivers.
The Great Commission is liberating. It applies to every believer, for as you are going, you are privileged to be sharing!
Dear Father in heaven, open our eyes to the opportunities You give us to share Your truths as we go about our daily lives. Amen.