w04 7/1 p. 8-13
'Go and Make Disciples'
"All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples." - Matthew 28:18, 19.
It was a spring day in Israel in 33 C.E., and Jesus' disciples were gathered on a mountain in Galilee. Their resurrected Lord was about to ascend into heaven, but first he had something important to tell them. Jesus had an assignment for them. What was the task? How did his disciples respond to it? And how does that assignment apply to us today?
2 What Jesus said is recorded at Matthew 28:18-20: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples of people 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 the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things." Jesus spoke of "all authority," and "all the days." His commands involving those four all-embracing expressions, which can be summed up in the words why? where? what? and when? Let us consider the questions one at a time.*
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* We will consider the first two questions in this article. The last two questions will be discussed in the following article.
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"All Authority Has Been Given Me"3 First, why should we obey the command to make disciples? Jesus stated: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples." The word "therefore" points to a major reason why we should obey this command. It is because Jesus, the one who issued the command, has "all authority." How extensive is his authority?
4 Jesus has authority over his congregation, and since 1914 he has had authority over God's newly established Kingdom. (Colossians 1:13; Revelation 11:15) He is the archangel and as such commands a heavenly army of hundreds of millions of angels. (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Peter 3:22, Revelation 19:14-16) He has been empowered by his Father to bring to nothing "all government and all authority and power" that oppose righteous principles. (1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Epheisans 1:20-23) Jesus' authority is not limited to the living. He is also "judge of the living and the dead" and has God-given power to resurrect those who have fallen asleep in death. (Acts 10:42; John 5:26-28) Surely a command given by the One vested with such vast authority should be viewed as of the highest importance. Therefore, we respectfully and willingly obey Christ's command to 'go and make disciples.'
5 Early in his earthly ministry, Jesus taught his disciples in a striking way that recognizing his authority and obeying his commands would lead to blessings. He once told Peter, who was a fisherman: "Pull out to where it is deep, and you men let down your nets for a catch." Peter was sure there were no fish, so he told Jesus: "Instructor, for a whole night we toiled and took nothing." However, Peter humbly added: "But at your bidding I will lower the nets." After Peter obeyed Christ's command, he caught "a great multitude of fish." Overwhelmed, Peter "fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying: 'Depart from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.'" But Jesus answered: "Stop being afraid. From now on you will be catching men alive." (Luke 5:1-10; Matthew 4:18) What do we learn from that account?
6 Jesus gave Peter, Andrew, and other apostles the assignment to "become fishers of men," not before, but after they made this astonishing catch of fish. (Mark 1:16, 17) Clearly, Jesus did not require blind obedience. He gave the men a convincing reason why they should obey him. Just as obeying Jesus' command to let their nets down led to overwhelming results, so obeying Jesus' command to 'catch men' would lead to great blessings. In full faith, the apostles responded. The account concludes: "They brought the boats back to land, and abandoned everything and followed him." (Luke 5:11) Today as we encourage others to share in the work of making disciples, we imitate Jesus. We do not require that people simply do as we tell them, but we give them convincing reasons to obey Christ's command.
Convincing Reasons and Proper Motives7 Because we recognize Christ's authority, we have a part in the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work. What other Scriptural reasons for doing that work can we share with those whom we wish to move to fine works? Consider the following observations made by several faithful Witnesses from different lands, and note how the cited scriptures support their comments.
8 Roy, baptized in 1951: "When I dedicated myself to Jehovah, I promised to serve him always. I want to keep my word." (Psalm 50:14; Matthew 5:37) Heather, baptized in 1962: "When I think of all that Jehovah has done for me, I want to show him my gratitude by faithfully serving him." (Psalm 9:1, 9-11; Colossians 3:15) Hannelore, baptized in 1954: "Each time we are in the ministry, we are supported by angels - what a privilege!" (Acts 10:30-33; Revelation 14:6, 7) Honor, baptized in 1969: "When Jehovah's time of judgment comes, I do not want anyone in my neighborhood to be able to charge Jehovah and his Witnesses with negligence and say, 'I never received a warning!'" (Ezekiel 2:5; 3:17-19; Romans 10:16, 18) Claudio, baptized in 1974: "When we are preaching, we are 'under God's view' and 'in company with Christ.' Imagine! While we are in the ministry, we enjoy the company of our best Friends." - 2 Corinthians 2:17*
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* Further reasons for preaching are found at Proverbs 10:5; Amos 3:8; Matthew 24:42; Mark 12:17; Romans 1: 14, 15.
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9 The account about the remarkable catch of fish also shows the importance of having the proper motive for obeying Christ - love. When Peter said, "Depart from me, because I am a sinful man," Jesus did not depart, nor did he condemn Peter for any sin. (Luke 5:8) Jesus did not even criticize Peter for begging him to go away. Rather, Jesus kindly answered: "Stop being afraid." Morbid fear would have been a wrong motive for obeying Christ. Instead, Jesus told Peter that he and his companions would become useful as fishers of men. Today, we likewise do not use fear or similar negative emotions, such as guilt or shame, to coerce others into obeying Christ. Only whole-souled obedience based on love for God and Christ makes Jehovah's heart rejoice. - Matthew 22:37.
"Make Disciples of People of All the Nations"
10 The second question raised in connection with Christ's command is, Where should this disciple-making work be carried out? Jesus told his followers: "Make disciples of people of all the nations." Prior to the time of Jesus' ministry, people of the nations were welcomed if they came to Israel to serve Jehovah. (1 Kings 8:41-43) Jesus himself preached mostly to natural Jews, but now he told his followers to go to people of all the nations. In effect, the fishing grounds, or preaching territory, of his disciples had been limited to a small "pond" - the natural Jews - but it was soon to include the entire "sea" of mankind. Although this change posed a challenge to the disciples, they readily obeyed Jesus' instruction. Less than 30 years after Jesus' death, the apostle Paul could write that the good news had been preached not only to the Jews but to "all creation that is under heaven." - Colossians 1:23.
11 In more recent times, a comparable expansion of preaching territory has been seen. At the beginning of the 20th century, the 'fishing grounds' were confined to a few lands. Yet, Christ's followers back then imitated the example of the first-century Christians and eagerly expanded the territory in which they preached. (Romans 15:20) By the early 1930's, they were making disciples in some one hundred lands. Today, our 'fishing grounds' have been expanded to 235 lands. - Mark 13:10
"Out of All the Languages"
12 Making disciples in all nations is a challenge not only geographically but also linguistically. Through the prophet Zechariah, Jehovah foretold: "It will be in those days that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of the man who is a Jew, saying: 'We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.'" (Zechariah 8:23) In the larger fulfillment of this prophecy, the "man who is a Jew" represents the remnant of anointed Christians, while the "ten men" represent the "great crowd."* (Revelation 7:9, 10; Galatians 6:16) This great crowd of Christ's disciples would be found in many nations, and as Zechariah noted, they would be speaking numerous languages. Does the modern-day history of God's people illustrate that aspect of discipleship? Yes, it does.
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* For more information on this prophecy's fulfillments, see The Watchtower, May 15, 2001, age 13, and Isaiah's Prophecy - Light for All Mankind, Volume 2, page 408, published by Jehovah's Witnesses.
----[OK, so what happened to the part about not requiring people to blindly follow and believe what they are told?? Why is there a statement of what the 'larger fulfillment' of the prophecy's meaning that implies that it is a fact that must be taken at face value? What if someone does not want to blindly believe that this is the correct interpretation?]
13 In 1950 the mother tongue of about 3 out of every 5 Witnesses of Jehovah worldwide was English. By 1980 that ratio had changed to about 2 out of 5, and today the native language of only 1 out of every 5 Witnesses is English. How has the faithful and discreet slave class responded to this linguistic shift? By providing spiritual food in ever more languages. (Matthew 24:45) For instance, in 1950, our literature was published in 90 languages, but today that number has risen to some 400. Has this increased attention to people of various language groups had results? Yes! An average of some 5,000 people 'out of all tongues' become disciple of Christ each week of the year! (Revelation 7:9) And the increase is continuing. In some lands the "nets" are bringing in a very good catch! - Luke 5:6; John 21:6
A Rewarding Ministry - Can You Share in It?
14 In many Western lands, the arrival of immigrants has brought the challenge of making disciples of people 'of every tongue' close to home. (Revelation 14:6) [Yep, we need to snap them up before some other stupid cult does!] How can we help those in our teritory who speak a language other than ours? (1 Timothy 2:4) We can use the correct fishing gear, so to speak. Offer such individuals literature in the language they speak. If possible, arrange for a Witness who speaks their language to visit them. (Acts 22:2) Making these arrangements is now easier, since many Witnesses have learned to speak a language other than their own in order to help foreigners to become Christ's disciples. Reports show that helping in this way is a rewarding experience.
15 Consider two examples from the Netherlands, where organized Kingdom-preaching is carried out in 34 languages. A Witness couple volunteered to go and make disciples among Polish-speaking immigrants. The response to their efforts was so overwhelming that the husband felt compelled to reduce his secular employment so as to have one more day a week available to study the Bible with those showing interest. Before long, the couple were conducting over 20 Bible studies each week. They remarked: "Our ministry makes us very happy." Disciple-makers feel especially happy when those who hear Bible truths in their own language are moved to express appreciation. For instance, during a meeting held in Vietnamese, an elderly man stood up and asked for permission to speak. With tears in his eyes, [it was that painful?] he told the Witnesses: "Thank you for the efforts you are making to learn my difficult language. I am so grateful to learn many wonderful things from the Bible in my old age."
16 It is no wonder, therefore, that those who serve in foreign-language congregations feel greatly rewarded. A couple from Britain said: "The ministry in the foreign-language field is one of the most exciting we have experienced during our 40 years of Kingdom service." Could you adjust your circumstances so as to have a share in this stimulating ministry? If you are still attending school, could you study a foreign language in preparation for this type of ministry? Doing so may open the door to a gratifying way of life filled iwth blessings. (Proverbs 10:22) Why not discuss this with your parents?
Varying Our Methods
17 Understandably, circumstances do not permit most of us to cast our "nets" in foreign-language territories. However, we might be able to reach more people than we do at present in our own congregation territory. How? By varying, not our message, but our methods. In many areas a growing number of people live in high-security buildings. Many others are not at home when we call during our house-to-house ministry. So we may need to cast our "nets" at different times and in different locations. Thus we imitate Jesus. He found ways to talk to people in various settings. - Matthew 9:9; Luke 19:1-10; John 4:6-15.
18 In some parts of the world, witnessing wherever people can be found is an important method of disciple making. Experienced disciple-makers have been giving increased attention to witnessing in a variety of places. In addition to sharing in the house-to-house ministry, publishers now witness at airports, in offices, in stores, in parking lots, at bus stops, on streets, in parks, on beaches, and elsewhere. A goodly number of newly baptized Witnesses in Hawaii were fist contacted at such locations. Varying our methods helps us to carry out to the full Jesus' command to make disciples. - 1 Corinthians 9:22, 23.
19 Jesus' assignment to make disciples included details not only about why and where we should do that work but also about what we should preach and until when we should continue to do so. These two aspects of Jesus' commission to us will be considered in the following article.