The ubiquity of the Great Commission is rivaled by its interpretive poverty. Matthew 28:18-20—containing the command to make disciples of all nations—is frequently summoned to validate countless and sundry discipleship and evangelism programs, ideas and practices, very often ignoring the interpretive wealth beneath its surface. It’s as if we expect that planting the end of our sentence with a Great Commission flag will immediately summit our discipleship agendas.
This interpretive poverty can be remedied by paying attention to the other great commissions. Yes, commission(s). How many “great commissions” are there? Well, depending on who answers the question, we might have anywhere from one to five, one in the Old Testament and four in the New.
The four commissions in the NT are actually variations of the same mandate (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:48-49/Acts 1:8; John 20:21), each emphasizing a slightly different dimension of what it means to be a disciple. The operative verbs in these NT commissions are: make disciples, preach, witness, and send. The OT commission, frequently referred to as the creation or cultural mandate, was issued by God before the Fall, emphasizing creative activity with the following verbs: be fruitful, multiply, rule, and subdue (Gen 1.27-28).
Do the new evangelistic mandates make the old mandate obsolete? Is older better? I believe each commission charges us with a unique aspect of being a disciple of Jesus. An enriched reinterpretation of the Great Commission will require whole Bible interpretation, one that allows the old and the new to speak. Sampling the evangelistic beats of the NT commissions, we quickly discern a rhythm different from that of the earthy dominion and reproductive impulse of the OT commission. On the one hand, we have soul winning and disciple-making and, on the other, people producing and culture making activity.
If we are to move beyond poverty ridden proof-texts and into the wealth of these biblical commissions, we must reflect on their differences and dig deeply into their interpretive pockets. This will require confrontation with the Bible’s demands to make culture and disciples, to care for creation and be agents of new creation. This work will pay off. Through it we will amass truth and grace to be spent on whole Christian living and Christ-honoring discipleship.