Matthew 28:19 and the Doctrine

Matthew 28:19 and the Doctrine of Proselytizing "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," Matthew 29:19 The cosmetic definition to be taken from this brief but important passage in the Gospel of Matthew is that Jesus has commanded his followers to spread the faith through Baptism and the spread the teachings of Jesus, including recognition of the Holy Trinity.

Inflection: Matthew 28:19 is a concise passage and yet stands among the most highly debated for the apparent directive which it issues and the implications to the socialization of the Christian faith. Indeed, the idea that Jesus has instructed that all are to experience the baptism and indoctrination in the Christian God is induced here and has been put to effect in no small number of political, economic and religious contexts and proselytizing has come to define a significant aspect of the faith.

Quite to the point, the France text refers to this as the initiation of the 'Messianic Mission.' (France, 1106) This perspective underscores the direct correlation between this moment in the life of Jesus and the impetus for the spread of his word. Context: Indeed, the scriptural passage is contextualized by one of the most important -- if not perhaps the most important -- of moment's in the narrative of Jesus.

The resurrection and the witness of the resurrection would fulfill Jesus' promise to his followers and would signal to them that he was indeed the son of God. This would become a catalyst to the command which called for his followers to go out to all the nations of the world and spread knowledge of that which they had witnessed.

Word Usage: The use of the word 'disciples' here, as couched in the phrase 'disciples of all nations,' is a telling perspective which alludes to the expectancy of Christianity to make followers of all men. This is an expectancy coming into its form in the context of the passage from Matthew 28:19. (Hagner, 421) Scriptural Testimony: Scriptural testimony shows the chosen passage to be ensconced in the symbolic importance of the narrative Jesus to the Christian identity.

Most particularly, Matthew 28 is concerned with the resurrection of Christ and the command associated with it to go forth and preach the word of this miracle.

So is this recorded in the text by Davies & Allison which tells that the disciples were "instructed by the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, 'teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.'" (Davies & Allison, 639) Interpretation of Others: The interpretations of others would help to drive the importance of this passage and the broader importance of the whole gospel of Matthew.

Here, Luz & Linss remark that "because Matthew is the chief Gospel of the church, the history of influence of the Synoptic material is predominantly that of the Gospel of Matthew. In distinct from other writings of the New Testament where it is more easily possible.