The Great Commission
Matthew 28:19-20
19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
In the "Great Commission" of Matthew 28:19, Yeshua tells us to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations, but what does it mean to make disciples? The operative word, or action of verse 19 is “make” in the Greek, matheteuo. According to blueletterbible.org, the word actually means to be a disciple of one, to follow his precepts and instructions, to make a disciple, to teach or instruct. Verse 20 has Yeshua continuing on explaining this; we are to teach the nations, all that He commanded! So, what did He command?
Matthew 5:17-19
17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:19 shows Yeshua saying how we need to obey the commandments and teach others to do the same as those who do not will be least in the kingdom.
Matthew 7:21-23
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:21 has Yeshua telling us that we need to do the will of the Father, which we know to be the Torah.
Mark 7:8-9
8Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
Mark 7:8-9 shows Yeshua explaining the importance of the commandments of God to the Pharisees because they have been putting their own traditions above the law of God (see Mark 7:1-13).
Mark 10:17-20
17As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
Mark 10:17-20 is the story of a young man asking Yeshua what it takes to inherit eternal life. Yeshua responds by first referencing the commandments of God. When the young man says he does follow the law of God, Yeshua then tells him, all that is left then is to sell his things in order to gain heavenly riches and to follow him. So, His answer appears to be to obey the law of God and follow Yeshua. This is echoed by Revelation 12:17 where those who follow the commandments of God and have the testimony of Yeshua are the ones the Adversary goes after! Coincidence?
Luke 17:10
10So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
In Luke 17:10 Yeshua says that just as a slave does all he is commanded, we are to obey that which is commanded and that we would only be doing what we should have done. What was commanded? The Torah.
John 14:15
15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Finally, John 14:15 has Yeshua making a simple statement, if you love him, then you keep his commandments. What did Yeshua command but everything the Father commanded as he only said what the Father said (John 5:19, John 8:28, and John 12:49).
So what we have here then, is Yeshua telling us with the “Great Commission” to go out and teach the world to obey God. In fact, obeying God shows love for Yeshua and the apostle John also described obedience to God as showing love for God (1 John 5:3). It should also be noted that many say everything changed when Yeshua died, that with Him ended the application of the law for us today. However, the “Great Commission” was given after He was resurrected! Unless what He commanded us to teach was only what He said after He rose (which we have no confirmed record of), then it can only be the Torah that we are to teach to the nations which he taught before He died.
We hope that this has blessed you. Remember, continue to test everything.
Shalom