Sunday, January 04, 2015

Quibbling with the sermon

"Go" is not the main verb of the Great Commission. The Greek is quite clear; "go" is subordinated within the adverbial phrase "as you go." The main verb is what we translate as "making disciples."

As such the Great Commission is essentially "As you go into the world, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you," though even there it's worth noting that the Greek word ethne refers to ethnic groups and not to political entities.

Essentially the Great Commission is a directive to transform society where we are and everywhere we go by disregarding all the racial and cultural barriers that separate us, by acts of a supreme love that invites us to discover eternity through the experience of finding Christ as he turns our poverty into satisfaction.

That's far harder and more disruptive than what we often settle for in terms of evangelism and/or mere "engagement."