THE GREATER COMMISSION …
(a candlelit look into the Meaning of Christmas)

Though I myself have chosen to live as a humble-yet-devout “Follower of The Way” of Jesus Christ, and as such NOT as a practicing member of the Christian church, I do appreciate & respect the undeniable relevance that the Christian faith commands in our modern world.

Almost one third of the Earth’s current population (and well over 90% of the current political leaders of the United States) consider themselves to be “Christian” in one form or another. As such, I would be a fool to not take the time to at least understand the fundamental tenants of such a theological and political power.

How fortunate for me it is, then, that I not only cherish the deeper Truths nestled within the phrases of the Bible’s ancient texts (an adoration into which I have been immersing myself for thousands of hours over the past ten years of my life), but that also I happen to thoroughly enjoy the profound Meaning & awesome Beauty of many of the worship traditions of the Christian religion itself.

And of all the Christian rites & ritual, the candlelight service on Christmas Eve is my favorite by far. It is a Celebration of Unity where worshipers begin by holding unlit candles in a fully darkened church. Thereafter, one candle is lit, typically on the altar, and that flame is then passed from candle to candle throughout the congregation until the entire room is aglow with light & warmth … It truly is a stunningly gorgeous reflection of Love & Community & Oneness.

Of course, for most Christians, this ceremony is also a symbolic premonition of the spread of Christianity over the entire world — a for them inevitable moment when every person on the globe will have learned that Jesus Christ is “the only Son of God” (and thereby been given the opportunity to accept him as their “only Lord & Savior”). This fervent summons to spread their particular religious belief (and thereby “convert the unsaved” — or at the very least “bring on the Rapture”) is known by many Christians as “The Great Commission”.

And indeed, over the course of the last four decades of my life, I have regularly encountered Christians who “preach the word” in this way –- Christian believers who avidly inform me that adopting a subservient allegiance to Jesus Christ is the only way for me to be avoid eternal damnation. And whenever I have asked them politely to explain why they are trying so hard to convert me to their particular way of worshiping God, I quite often hear that they feel compelled to do so because “that’s what the Bible tells us Christians to do.”

With this in mind, I set out some nine years ago to discover for myself exactly where this commandment is found in the Bible. After all, if Christians are sincerely desirous of adhering to the Bible’s teachings, I thought it might be useful for them (and others to whom they preach) to actually know what the Bible itself has to say on the matter.

What follows, then, are the four Biblical passages from Jesus that do indeed call for a “Great Commission”, and yet do so in a way much different from the one most commonly believed & accepted.

As allWays — enJOY!

Commission #01) The Gospel of Mark (Mark 16:15)

This is probably the most commonly referenced Biblical mandate for “the Great Commission”, and it reads as follows: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole of creation.”

By far the most important phrase in this verse is “the Good News”, with most Christians interpreting it to mean that Jesus came to forgive our sins and “save us” – thereby allowing for an eternal blissful life in Heaven (as long as we swear allegiance to him and worship him appropriately beforehand) … Fair enough. Humility demands that we admit that this might indeed prove to be the case. AND YET, even though this opinion is widely accepted in most Christian churches, Jesus himself happens to define “the Good News” quite differently in the Gospels … Consider:

Matthew 10:7 has Jesus explaining quite clearly that HIS “Good News” is the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is actually NOT a post-mortem status to earn or attain, but rather already exists; is already “at hand” right Here & right Now, both “within and all around” us … (if interested, see also Jesus’ commentary on Heaven in Luke 17:20-21 + Matthew 22:32)

In addition, in Matthew 24:12-14, Jesus makes it clear that the other half of HIS “Good News” is that the person who endures the persecutions of fear & anger & sadness, and overcomes them with acts of Kindness & Love, will immediately attain entrance into this Here&Now state of Bliss (that he happens to call “The Kingdom of Heaven”).

While other Biblical characters and other Biblical authors occasionally express divergent views on this subject, these are the only two clarifications of “the Good News” that JESUS offers in the entire Bible.

Which means, quite simply, that — at least according to Jesus himself — Christians are NOT to go around the world and proclaim Jesus as Lord & Savior, but rather are to go around the world and announce “to the whole creation” (with their actions more than their words – see Jesus’ related comment in John 13:17) that A] — we ALREADY are in Heaven, right Here and right Now, and that B] — the realization of this Truth comes only to those who selflessly serve others during their own times of fear or difficulty.

Amen … Let it be so.

COMMISSION #02) The Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 28:19-20)

Almost as frequently mentioned by “Great Commission Christians”, this verse (written many years after the Gospel of Mark, and probably using Mark’s verse as its inspiration) reads as follows: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

First of all, Jesus makes it quite clear that his “disciples” are NOT those who blindly worship him (see Mark 10:18, John 5:41, John 6:15, John 7:16, John 8:50+54, John 12:44), but rather those who “follow him” by EMULATING his lifestyle and way of lovingly dealing with others (again, see John 13:17, as well as 2 John 1:9, John 13:35, John 8:31 & John 14:12).

Secondly, this verse’s mandate to “baptize” others is an interesting one … Without going into too much detail, it is important to realize that the “baptism” that Christ refers to during HIS ministry had absolutely nothing at all to do with anointing the “saved” with water. Indeed, that was John the Baptist’s way of granting sinners their repentance, NOT Jesus’ Way — a Way which, in stark contrast, is a purely Spiritual Path involving a purification by the “fire” of radically altering one’s BEHAVIORS, from selfish to selfless; from greedy to generous; from fearful to courageous. This is what the Greek word “metanoia” meant – a word commonly translated today in the Bible as “repentance” (see Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8 & Luke 3:16 for starters).

Finally, and by far most importantly, according to Jesus his Followers are to teach others “everything that [Jesus] commanded” … And so the all-important question for all Christians becomes: What did Jesus command us to do?

Well, as it turns out, Jesus sole & only desire was for us to emulate his example by loving our Creator with our entire being by actively & courageously Caring for others — especially our enemies (see Matthew 22:37-40 + Luke 10:29-37). This and this alone is Jesus’ “Good News”. This and this alone is HIS “Gospel” –- a message exemplified without exception by the words he uttered throughout the Gospels and, more importantly, a message exemplified without exception by the life he lived.

Thus, to satisfy JESUS’ “Great Commission”, we are simply to go forth and DO likewise.

Amen … Let it be so.

COMMISSION #03) The Gospel of Luke (Luke 24:47)

Less commonly cited, this verse reads as follows: “… and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations …”

Initially, it is important to understand that Repentance & Forgiveness are two prevalent themes throughout Jesus’ ministry, and that neither of these values can be achieved by pressuring another person to enact them … To be valid & viable, they both must come purely “from the Heart” of the one adopting them — NOT from being pressured or persuaded by a missionary to submit thereto.

In addition, “in his name” is a critical (and often overlooked) phrase in this verse … Hebrew names were filled with meaning in Jesus’ day, and thus to do anything “in Jesus name” did NOT merely mean to utter the name “Jesus” while performing a certain task. Nor did this admonition mean for anyone to do a particular deed in Jesus’ honor. Rather, the author of Luke was reminding his listeners to fulfill the MEANING of Jesus’ name by emulating the power of his lifestyle.

The name “Jesus” came originally from the Hebrew “Yehoshua”, and meant either “God saves”, “God is assistance” [i.e. a Guide], “God is Salvation” &/or “God is a saving cry [i.e. a Faith-full utterance]”. When we couple this with the text of Matthew 1:23, where Jesus is originally named “Emmanuel” – which meant “God is within us”, it becomes clear that the phrase “in Jesus’ name” (or “in his name”) actually encourages Christians to go forth and remind others (again, via action more than word) that Salvation lies WITHIN, and that each person has the complete power to re-attain a Peace-filled sense of Oneness with his or her Creator by acting accordingly.

Amen … Let it be so.

COMMISSION #04) The Gospel of John (John 20:21-23)

This verse is seldom used to justify the Christian “Great Commission” (as it seems to have Jesus speaking only to his immediate disciples), and yet it too is worthy of mention; reading as follows: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you … Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

The very first words of this verse, seemingly benign, are actually its most important mandate – “as the FATHER has sent me”; a Father who Jesus repeatedly describes as all-Forgiving (John 5:22) and unconditionally Loving (Matthew 5:40-48).

Remember as well that Jesus made it clear that “The Son of Man (referring in this instance to himself) came to SERVE” others (Mark 10:45), and that in the entire New Testament, Jesus never once approaches others to heal them or to preach to them. Rather, he is always the one who gently shares HIS “Good News” with caring words of Love and humble acts of service, while allowing others to approach him – only breaking into sermons when asked by others to do so, and only healing them when they ask for the same …

As such, it naturally follows that if we are to go forth to others IN THE SAME MANNER that God the Father sent Jesus forth to us, then we too are to humbly & quietly serve others in need, and NOT confront them with our personal beliefs or opinions unless asked by them to do so (see also Matthew 7:1-2 & Matthew 9:8).

And THIS is what JESUS had to say about HIS “Greater Commission”.

May we all — Christian & non-Christian alike — have the humility & the courage to DO LIKEWISE.

Amen … Let it be so.

 

Filed under: Questions for Christians by Scaughdt