Unless I am sure I am doing more at home to send the gospel abroad than I can do abroad, I am bound to go.
-A. B. Simpson
In Matthew’s rendering of the Great Commission Jesus puts legs on the Great Commandment. Love of God and love of our neighbor demands that we are in perpetual motion. To that end Jesus says go. Go is such a simple command and yet it is often misunderstood or worse ignored. Greek, the original language of the New Testament sheds some light on our call to go. The participle “go” is followed by the aorist imperative “make disciples” which linguistically means that “go” becomes part of the imperative. Consider the words of Daniel B. Wallace, professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that grammar is inconsequential! Matthew’s grammar paints a picture and urges an action, and we seriously err if we neglect what our Lord is really teaching at the end of this Gospel.”
In light of the Scripture, may the measure of our calling reflect the wisdom found in A. B. Simpson’s words. May we weigh our responsibility to the Great Commission in terms of effectiveness.
