Jesus directs his followers to invite everyone to follow his way and become part of his community.
Matthew 28:16-20 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.
These are part of the last words that Matthew records Jesus speaking. They must be pretty significant.
As we dropped our son off at college, I felt the need - as we stood in the parking lot - to give my son some last words... to review all that we had taught him in his first 18 years - just to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything important. But I was too overwhelmed to say much at all. I was afraid that if I started crying, I might never stop.
Not far from our car, I could hear a father almost scolding his daughter, "You just need to believe in yourself. Stop all the negative talk." Most parents were crying. Most students were just hoping mom and dad would get on down the road. And then I saw my husband point to my son's heart and heard him saying, "Remember who you belong to!" If our son remembers that he has been claimed by Jesus as he decides on his major, picks out a girlfriend - maybe even a wife, and eventually takes his place in the world, he will do better than fine. Instead of reviewing the lessons of the last 18 years, my husband summed up the most important thing our son needed to know and let it hang in the air so it would sink in.
This is what Jesus is doing in this scripture. He is summing up for us what leaving his followers behind is ultimately all about: "inviting others to follow him." He left us behind to tell others about him and his community and invite them to become one with us. If we remember this, we will do better than fine too.
But isn't it pushy to "make disciples"? Shouldn't we just respect whatever philosophy or person or faith others follow? Who am I to push my views on someone else? This is a lot to ask... I am just trying to get through the day, pay my mortgage, make sure my kids get an education, and relax a little before I go to bed at night before I have to get up and do the whole thing over again. Most of us want to believe that Jesus didn't want us to insert ourselves in other traditions and faiths -- redirecting them to Christ. We want to believe that Jesus would like for us to "just let them be" - we want to hear Jesus teach "its all good". But Matthew records Jesus speaking something different.
Do we ignore Jesus' directive to invite others to become his followers?
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