“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”

Matthew 28:16-20

When I was a child, I remember playing the game, “Where’s Waldo?” The object was to look at an illustration of a unique place that includes dozens of people and animals, all the while looking for Waldo, a man in a white-and-red striped shirt who mingles unassumingly among the crowd. You always knew that even if you couldn’t see him, he had to be there somewhere.

Often we come to Scripture like it’s a “Where’s Waldo” puzzle. “I know I can’t find myself immediately, but I’m sure I’m in there somewhere.” While it’s good to apply God’s word to ourselves, we can easily assume burdens that are not ours. One such passage is Jesus’ Great Commission.

Notice the audience who receives the commission: “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them…” Jesus’ commandment was not to all disciples, but specifically to “the eleven,” that is the original twelve minus Judas Iscariot. You find the same in Mark 16, where a similar calling is given. Why is that? Because the Great Commission was given specifically to the apostles as representatives of the church (Eph. 2:20). “Why does that matter?” you may ask. Because this job is more responsibility than each Christian alone can bear.

For years I was taught that the Great Commission was given to every Christian. The application was that we were all called to evangelism. My siblings as well as my own early evangelistic efforts yielded mostly comical results. But my later ventures into “soul-winning” weren’t much better. After coming to see God’s sovereignty in salvation, it was a relief to discover that my evangelism techniques had likely not kept anyone out of God’s kingdom. In addition, seeing discipleship as a life-long process rather than one centering on conversion was also helpful. Nevertheless, this work is a process that includes baptizing, establishing churches, and taking the work of Christ to other places. Individual Christians can’t do those things – and God didn’t intend for them to.

The blessing of discipleship is a great privilege, but not one we dare to undertake alone. There is only one institution who can do this work – she’s called the church, the “mother of us all,” (Gal. 4:26). She’s the united gathering of saints who come together to worship, pray, receive the word, and receive communion on a weekly basis. In giving this commission to the apostles, Jesus freed the people from the burden of pursuing this work individually or on a family basis. This does not deny that individual Christians should witness, encourage, or exhort others. Parents must do these things with their children on a regular basis. The freedom is that those same parents are not required to teach the rest of the world’s children.

When God called His people out of Egypt, the first thing He did was give instructions for how to live and how to worship. He appointed priests and Levites to oversee the worship and sacrificial office. They would set up the tabernacle, instruct the people, sacrifice animals, oversee the washings for various cleansing rituals, and represent the people to God (and vice-versa). When it was time for Israel to move, the priests and Levites were called to transport the elements to the new place. This work was their work for God’s people.  

When Jesus commissioned His apostles, He gave them a similar calling – go forth, oversee the work of the church, wash/baptize the nations (Isa. 52:15), and point to the One sacrifice. We see in the book of Acts that the church grew as men were appointed to the work of taking the gospel forward (Peter, John, Phillip, Stephen, Paul, Barnabas, Silas, etc.). They are the ones we see preaching, baptizing, etc. This calling disseminated as Paul and other apostles ordained elders, who then ordained other elders (Titus 1:5). The church expanded as apostles and missionaries were sent out, they ordained elders, and more local congregations were established. Then, to borrow from John Newton, “Through many dangers, toils, and snares” we find ourselves in 2023, with most of the world in hearing distance of the gospel. All this started with a group of apostles who were filled with the Holy Spirit, who preached, baptized, and ordained others to do the same.

“That’s great,” you may say. “But where does that leave all the Christians who aren’t ordained to preach and administer sacraments?” It leaves you free to pursue your calling in God’s kingdom without extra burdens. Works of piety (giving, prayer, worship), exhorting and encouraging others, growing in wisdom, these are the callings of all Christians. But God doesn’t call every man and woman to be a biblical scholar, a Hebrew expert, or a missionary. He calls us to love Him and our neighbors in whatever sphere He places us. That’s how He will judge us on the last day (Matt. 25).

The Great Commission frees us to serve in our individual callings and trust that He will accomplish His work in the world as He sees fit.

Matthew Carpenter is a husband, father, humanities teacher, and pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville, Alabama. He has written for Front Porch Republic, The Imaginative Conservative, New Focus, and others publications.