During a ‘forty day period’ following his resurrection, Jesus appears a number of times to his chosen apostles. While speaking to them about the kingdom of God, he gives them instructions as to how they are to be his witnesses. Jesus tells them to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom ‘into all the nations’ and then ‘disciple all the nations’. Because the word ‘(to) disciple’ in Matthew's account of this commission appears as a verb, with ‘nations’ [Gr. ethne] as the object of that verb, it seems that Jesus wants us to have whole nations in mind as we carry out his commission.[iii] But before we look further at what ‘discipling nations’ involves—with the help of the three other texts in the New Testament where the word ‘(to) disciple’ is used as a verb—we will first look at the way three of the four gospels connect Jesus' commission to the Father.

Jesus tells his disciples that he is sending them into the world in the same way that the Father sent him. So the Great Commission is an extension of the commission that the Father gave to Jesus. And he tells them that they will only be able to carry out this commission after they receive ‘the promise of the Father’, the ‘baptism with the Holy Spirit’ (Med.#49). The empowering of the Holy Spirit—initially given to Jesus and then to us (Med.#26)—is about the kind of relationship that the Father long ago promised that he would have with us too (Med.#30), through our relationship with Jesus, his ‘Firstborn’ Son (Med.#7 &#5). And it is this new relationship with the Father, through Jesus and by the Spirit, that Jesus seems to have in mind when he speaks about ‘discipling all the nations’. For ‘discipling nations’ begins with ‘baptizing them’ into the Father, and into the Son, and into the Holy Spirit’.[iv] This initial discipling aspect of the Great Commission is more than just a baptismal formula and a religious dogma for individuals to believe in. Rather, it is an important initial aspect of ethnic groups being ‘discipled’ into a relationship with the Father, as well as with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Yet the newer teaching on ‘discipling nations’ tends to skip over ‘the baptizing’ bit and to focus only on the ‘teaching’ part.

So how do we fully obey Jesus' command to disciple nations by ‘baptizing them (nations)’ in the way that Jesus commanded us? First we must remove the false dichotomy between the commission Jesus received from the Father and the one he gave to his disciples. Though Jesus primarily ministered to the nation of Israel, he also took time to minister to foreign families that lived among his own people or in neighboring regions (e.g. Mat.8:5-10; 15:21-28); and he hinted that his calling did indeed include other nations (Med.#23). The Father even led Jesus to bear witness among the Samaritans, whom the Jews considered to be unclean ‘foreigners’ and a ‘different ‘nation’ or ethnic group [Gr. ethnos] (Med.#3; Lk.17:16-18; Act.8:9). Now, Jesus commissions his disciples to go back to this ethnic group and to other nations, but they must also continue to bear witness in their own nation—concerning his death, resurrection and ascension. And there is more discipling of his own nation, through baptizing and teaching, that needs to be done in Jerusalem and in Judea.

And also in Samaria; for there are many more Samaritan towns and villages that still need to hear the Good News. And it seems that no discipling, baptizing and follow-up teaching, had taken place during Jesus' visit to Sychar. Only after Pentecost do large groups of Samaritans believe the Good News, receive water baptism and begin growing as disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit (Act.8:12-25; 9:31). Now they too are baptized: ‘into’ a relationship with Jesus (into the name of the Son) and into a relationship with (into the name of) the Holy Spirit. But are they also baptized into a new relationship with (into the name of) the Father? Luke doesn't tell us. John does tell us how Jesus told the Samaritans the good news about the advent of a new relationship with the Father—as well as about eternal life through the indwelling Spirit and through Jesus as Messiah and savior of the world (Med.#3). If we're going to baptize nations in line with Jesus' commission, we too need to proclaim the good news of the Father, not only the good news of the Son and the Spirit.

Likewise, we need to remove another dichotomy in our thinking if we are going to ‘disciple nations’: the dichotomy between: ‘baptizing’ believers into the church, and ‘teaching' nations as whole societies to obey the biblical principles of the kingdom taught by Jesus. The New Testament—especially in Paul's letters—speaks of ‘nations’ [ethne] of believers (also a remnant Israel) within the church (Med.#6,#44,#30 & #70), not only of ‘nations’ as unbelievers (including the rest of Israel) who are outside the church (Eph.4:17; Rom.11:7,25; also Med.#46 & #75). So baptizing nations and teaching them to obey Jesus is first and foremost about ‘discipling nations’ that have become members of the church. This, however, requires us—especially Westerners—to think of the Body of Christ being made up of ethnic groups as well individuals (Med.#69).

At the same time, we do need to consider how Jesus envisioned and practiced discipling nations through people who already have positions of influence in various spheres of society. He spoke of the social impact an educated scribe who has been ‘discipled’ can have in teaching others in his nation—to help them connect the good news of the Father's kingdom to all that may still to be treasured in their cultural heritage. And Jesus himself ‘discipled’ Joseph of Arimathea, a ‘high status’ member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ‘supreme court’.[v] His position of influence in the political sphere enabled him to raise a dissenting voice in the trial of Jesus, as well as a decisive voice with the Roman governor in securing the body of Jesus for burial.

Nevertheless, the fourth and final text—about how Paul and Barnabas ‘discipled many’ believers among ethnic groups living in the southern Galatian city of Derbe—returns us to the primary meaning of ‘discipling nations’. So ‘discipling all the nations’ is first about baptizing and teaching: a large number of believers in every ethnic group within the church; yet it is also about discipling believers in positions of social influence in different spheres of society. And our baptizing and teaching, along with our proclamation of the Good News should draw all of these into a growing relationship with the Father and the Spirit, as well as into a relationship of obedience to Jesus as Savior, Lord and Eldest Brother.

Father, thank you for giving us eternal life: through knowing you, the one true God from whom all things came and towards whom we live; and through knowing Jesus whom you sent as the Savior of the World, our one Lord and Eldest Brother—through whom all things are and by whom we live through the Holy Spirit whom you also gave to us: to be with us and in us forever just as you promised, and to transform us into the glorious image of Jesus. (Jn.17:3; 1 Cor.8:6; Rom.8:29; Jn.4:42; 14:16-17; Act.1:4; 2 Cor.3:18)

[i] The first five texts are taken from J.K. Mellis, The Good News of the Messiah by the Four Witnesses: pp.281-282,285-286.

[ii] The next four texts are taken from J.K. Mellis, The Good News of the Messiah by the Four Witnesses: p.87 and p.270.

[iii] Since the Great Commission is one of Jesus' commands, all baptized believers must be taught to play a role in obeying it.

[iv] In this sentence in the Greek, the verbs ‘baptizing’ and ‘teaching’ are both subordinate actions to the main verb: (to) ‘disciple’.

[v] Read a short account of a 19^th century ‘Joseph’ in: ‘Discipling a Political Leader: Ratu Ilaija Varani of Fiji’.