SOAP 21/21 - Into the World (Mt 28.16-20)

 

SOAP 21/21

Into the World

Matthew 28.16-20

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT 5

For the next 21 days, let's commit to feeding yourself spiritually by reading and reflecting on a passage of Scripture each day using the S.O.A.P. method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer). Keep a brief daily note of what you learn and how you might apply it, and at the end of the 21 days, share your biggest takeaway with someone else. 

---

Into the World

Matthew 28.16-20

The Great Sending

At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, the risen Christ appears to His disciples and gives them their mission: make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching, under His abiding presence. This passage is both commission and promise: the Church of Jesus' beloved are sent, but are never alone.

---

Matthew 28.16-20 (ESV)

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 behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

---

Greek Word Study

• ἐξουσία (exousia) – “authority” (v. 18). Not domination, but rightful power, often tied to responsibility and relational legitimacy.

• μαθητεύσατε (mathēteusate) – “make disciples” (v. 19). To form learners, apprentices in a way of life, not simply converts.

• βαπτίζοντες (baptizontes) – “baptizing” (v. 19). Immersing into identity and community, not only ritual washing.

• διδάσκοντες (didaskontes) – “teaching” (v. 20). Ongoing instruction, shaping character and practice.

• συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος (synteleias tou aiōnos) – “end of the age” (v. 20). Not destruction of time, but fulfillment of history.

---

Historical Situation

Matthew’s Gospel (c. 80–90 CE) speaks to a community navigating the trauma of Jerusalem’s destruction, scattered Jewish-Christian identity, and growing Gentile mission.

The “Great Commission” marks a turning point: the Church’s life is not inward retreat but outward loving witness, grounded in baptism, merciful teaching, and the enduring presence of Christ and fidelity to him.

---

Observation through Three Lenses

1. Traditional (Catholic / Orthodox / Protestant Mainstream)

Tradition sees this text as the foundation of sacramental mission. The Trinitarian baptismal formula undergirds liturgy and creeds. The apostolic mission becomes the Church’s hierarchical structure of authority, ensuring continuity through bishops, priests, and sacramental practice. The danger: mission becomes institutional expansion, more about defending human authority than embodying Christ’s love.

2. Evangelical (Conservative Protestant)

Evangelicals emphasize the Great Commission as the marching orders for evangelism. The focus falls on conversion: bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Jesus. Discipleship is often reduced to decisions, numbers, or missionary campaigns. While this passion for outreach reflects obedience, it risks turning mission into colonial export or cultural dominance, rather than holistic witness to God’s kingdom.

3. Process Theological (Relational, Whiteheadian)

Process theology hears the Great Commission as a sending into co-creative partnership between God and man. Authority in Christ is not coercive command but relational empowerment and enrichment. “Make disciples” means nurturing communities that embody relational love and justice. Baptism is immersion into divine relationality; teaching is formation in God’s lure toward peace. Mission is not about control or conquest but participation in God’s renewing of the world. The promise “I am with you always” grounds mission not in fear or performance but in God’s abiding, persuasive presence as truth as well as teaching and acknowledgment: The Creating-Redeeming God is always with creation  in acts of creating and redeeming through it's willing structures.

---

Application through Three Lenses

1. Traditional

Am I faithful to the Church’s sacramental mission, joining in worship and service that continues Christ’s presence in the world?

2. Evangelical

Am I obedient to Christ’s call to witness, making disciples not by words alone but by living a life that points to Jesus?

3. Process Theological

Am I living as a co-creator with God, embodying relational love and forming communities of justice and peace? This passage heals by reframing mission not as conquest but as accompaniment, empowered by Christ’s abiding presence.

---

Prayer

Christ of all nations,

You send us into the world with authority rooted in love. Teach us to baptize not into fear but into freedom, not into empire but into communion. Make our teaching gentle, our witness humble, our service generous. And remind us always that You are with us — to the end of the age, and beyond. 

Amen

---