Making Disciples... or Discipling People?
Thinking through the meaning of the Great Commission
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” —Matthew 28:18
Most people who have been Christians for any length of time have heard these famous words from what we call the Great Commission. Jesus, after his resurrection and just prior to his ascension, commissioned his disciples to go and make more disciples. Since those of us who follow Jesus today are also his disciples, this commission is also ours. But what does it mean?
Hang in there with me. This might get a little nerdy, but it’s worth thinking deeply about this.
When we read this in modern English, we see two verbs: “go” and “make.” And we see two nouns: “disciples” and “nations.” So, it makes sense to understand our commission as a command to go to all the nations and create or make a product—disciples. If I said to you, “Go to the kitchen and make lasagna,” you would understand that I’m telling you to go to a place—the kitchen—and create a product—lasagna (which happens to be my favorite meal).
This way of reading the Great Commission is reinforced by the modern, manufacturing-driven world in which we live. A car is made on an assembly line. A phone is manufactured in a factory. A loaf of bread is baked in an oven. A product is created when it is completed. A friend of mine is currently building a house for his family. I walked through it with him the other day, and there is a lot of work yet to be done. It’s going to be beautiful when it’s finished.
But there’s something interesting about Matthew 28:18 that is a little lost in translation. The original text wasn’t written in English but in Koine Greek. And I was surprised when I read it in Greek to see that the word “disciple” in this verse is not a noun but a verb. A very literal translation reads:
“Going, therefore, disciple all the people groups…”
In the original Greek, there are still two verbs: “going” and “disciple.” And there is only one noun: “people groups.” You might ask why it wasn’t translated this way into English, and the answer is simply a limitation of language. In contemporary English, the word “disciple” is a noun, not a verb. In fact, my grammar checker highlights it as a spelling error every time I use it as a verb. This is why translators naturally render it as “make disciples” even though the Greek verb refers to “discipling.”
This may not seem like much of a difference; however, consider how the verse reads if we use the verbs from the original language. Obviously, we are still called to go. That part doesn’t change. However, the phrase “make a disciple” leads me to think of the end product or destination. The phrase “disciple someone” leads me to think of the path or journey.
The Great Commission is not, “Go and create finished products.” Instead, it is, “Go and lead people on the journey with Christ.” If the commission is to create a finished product, the assignment can never be completed. For all my years serving the Lord, I still have areas of sin in my life. I will never be a “finished product” until Christ returns and completes my sanctification. However, if the commission is to show someone how to really follow Jesus in life, I don’t have to be perfect before I can do that. I don’t have to have all the answers before I begin. Whether you have been following Jesus for decades or days, you can show someone else what you have learned and invite them to follow Jesus with you.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples” is a good translation of ancient Greek into modern English. Just remember that discipleship is about the journey as much as the destination. And making disciples is about teaching people to walk with Jesus, not just creating Bible scholars.