The Phrase "The Great Commission" - Who Uses It? Where Did It Come From?

[silicasandra]

So I’ve been Catholic a little over five years. Been a “serious” one a little over a year. One of the areas I am lacking most is Scripture study. I came from what I call a “secular Protestant” background, or maybe “Christian in name but not much else.” So it’s never been a strong point with me, although I am looking to change that.

My MIL, who is a lapsed Catholic and now considers herself non-denominational, has bought our son (20 months old) several Christian (but non-Catholic) board books, etc. One of them is a collection of Bible stories in “verse.” The “poetry” is pretty awful, but my son only likes to look at the pictures, and he knows who some of the figures are, etc. On the page about the Ascension (though it’s not called that), the title is “The Great Commission” and the picture is captioned with “Read more about the Great Commission…” and it lists several places in Scripture. Per Wikipedia (I know, not the greatest source), “The Great Commission” is described as a general Christian idea - to spread the Gospel. Obviously, this is part of Catholicism too, but I have never heard this phrase before and the Wikipedia article focuses on evangelical Christians.

The theological idea itself, at least from what I can tell, isn’t anti-Catholic at all (actually it seems very much in line with Catholic teaching), but I’m curious about the phrase itself - who uses it, where did it come from, would it be appropriate for Catholics to use/do they already use it, etc?

(As I said before, I am not much for Scripture study, so it’s possible that after five years of being Catholic it’s just another thing I haven’t ever encountered. )

Thanks!

 

[po18guy]

It has its basis in Matthew 28:19.

Matthew 28:19
Knox Bible (KNOX)
19 you, therefore, must go out, making disciples of all nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,

The problem is that Jesus was speaking only to the eleven Apostles whom He had chosen. Although we all have a duty to spread the Gospel message, this commission was given to the hierarchy of the early Church.

 

[DaveBj]

It has its basis in Matthew 28:19.

Matthew 28:19
Knox Bible (KNOX)
19 you, therefore, must go out, making disciples of all nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,

The problem is that Jesus was speaking only to the eleven Apostles whom He had chosen. Although we all have a duty to spread the Gospel message, this commission was given to the hierarchy of the early Church.

Among the questions one is supposed to ask when studying the Bible, besides “Who is talking?” and “What is he saying?” is “To whom is the speaker talking?” I think that a lot of times Evangelicals go astray, particularly when studying the Gospels, because they think that all of Jesus’ statements apply to everyone, when frequently he was speaking only to those who would be His Apostles (with an upper-case A).

 

[po18guy]

Among the questions one is supposed to ask when studying the Bible, besides “Who is talking?” and “What is he saying?” is “To whom is the speaker talking?” I think that a lot of times Evangelicals go astray, particularly when studying the Gospels, because they think that all of Jesus’ statements apply to everyone, when frequently he was speaking only to those who would be His Apostles (with an upper-case A).

Context. It’s everything in scripture. However, they are unconsciously training us Catholics to know our bibles better.

 

[iloveangels]

Context. It’s everything in scripture. However, they are unconsciously training us Catholics to know our bibles better.

Really???

 

[iloveangels]

So I’ve been Catholic a little over five years. Been a “serious” one a little over a year. One of the areas I am lacking most is Scripture study. I came from what I call a “secular Protestant” background, or maybe “Christian in name but not much else.” So it’s never been a strong point with me, although I am looking to change that…
Thanks!

That’s a phrase you’ll probably only hear among Protestants. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. And weakness in Scripture knowledge is normal among Catholics, unfortunately, so you don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

 

[po18guy]

Really???

The Holy Spirit works in strange ways.

 

[iloveangels]

The Holy Spirit works in strange ways.

True. He made the Scriptures so they can be read. That’s what you’re supposed to do with them.

 

[silicasandra]

That’s a phrase you’ll probably only hear among Protestants. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. And weakness in Scripture knowledge is normal among Catholics, unfortunately, so you don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

True. I am probably more knowledgeable than some Catholics about Scripture, but CAF sets a high standard.

I had just never heard that phrase before. Since the book it was in was published by an evangelical publisher it seemed logical to think it was probably Protestant (or at least the emphasis was much heavier in Protestantism), but I also didn’t want to assume too much. After all, when you assume…

 

[silicasandra]

Among the questions one is supposed to ask when studying the Bible, besides “Who is talking?” and “What is he saying?” is “To whom is the speaker talking?” I think that a lot of times Evangelicals go astray, particularly when studying the Gospels, because they think that all of Jesus’ statements apply to everyone, when frequently he was speaking only to those who would be His Apostles (with an upper-case A).

Thanks po18guy and DaveBj for your responses. Part of the problem with the “context” issue is that I don’t have a good study Bible (hinting to my husband that it would be a great gift…the expense makes it unlikely that I would buy one for myself!). I have read parts of the Bible, and that by itself has been fruitful (“OH that’s where that line at Mass comes from!”) but my form of Bible study for now has been from reading other documents and then checking the Scriptural references. This is also good but rather time-consuming. I don’t know that I will ever be able to quote chapter and verse, but it would be nice to have that level of familiarity. Probably after all the kids have grown.

Is there a place I could go to learn more about this specific commission and how the Church interprets it (especially with regards to who it’s for)? It would seem that this is a “big deal” to evangelicals and non-denoms, and since most of our nearby family attends those kind of services, it would be good for me to have a more thorough understanding of it.

 

[po18guy]

Thanks po18guy and DaveBj for your responses. Part of the problem with the “context” issue is that I don’t have a good study Bible (hinting to my husband that it would be a great gift…the expense makes it unlikely that I would buy one for myself!). I have read parts of the Bible, and that by itself has been fruitful (“OH that’s where that line at Mass comes from!”) but my form of Bible study for now has been from reading other documents and then checking the Scriptural references. This is also good but rather time-consuming. I don’t know that I will ever be able to quote chapter and verse, but it would be nice to have that level of familiarity. Probably after all the kids have grown.

Is there a place I could go to learn more about this specific commission and how the Church interprets it (especially with regards to who it’s for)? It would seem that this is a “big deal” to evangelicals and non-denoms, and since most of our nearby family attends those kind of services, it would be good for me to have a more thorough understanding of it.

The vast majority of what can only loosely be called “protestants” reject the concept of an authoritative Church (with the power of binding and loosing). Thus, they also reject the Priesthood (although they have retained a form of hierarchy in their communities). With no Bishops, the “great commission” must therefore apply to everyone. That type of thinking, along with allowing the ego to privately interpret scripture, has lead to the innumerable divisions that are seen in Christianity today.

 

[inkaneer]

The Great Commission refers to the “sending forth” of the Apostles. It occurs just before the Ascencion and is recorded in Mt 28. The passage from verse 16-20 is as follows:

" 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And 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 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” [RSV]

This is when the disciples became Apostles. The word Apostle, apostolos in the Greek] means “one who is sent”. Notice only eleven of the disciples were sent. Judas was dead already. Paul would replace Judas as the twelfth Apostle for he will be, as were the other eleven, both chosen by and sent by Jesus. See Acts 9:10-16:

"10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Anani’as. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Anani’as.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen a man named Anani’as come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Anani’as answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

 

[mackbrislawn]

True. He made the Scriptures so they can be read. That’s what you’re supposed to do with them.

Uh…they’re to be listened to. A reader would read scripture and the people would listen. So the normative way to know scripture would be in a group of fellow believers.