Rethinking the “Great Commission”: 5 Surprising Truths Christians Overlook

If someone were to ask you what the mission of the church is, what would you say?

For many Christians, the answer springs immediately to mind: “go and preach the Gospel.” It has become the default summary of our collective purpose. This phrase, more than any other, seems to capture the essence of the church’s core directive from its founder.

But what if that understanding, while popular, is incomplete? A closer look at the biblical texts—specifically the passage known as the Great Commission—reveals a more complex, challenging, and ultimately more profound mission than this simple slogan implies. A careful reading uncovers truths that are often overlooked in our haste to summarize our calling.

This article will explore five surprising truths about the church’s mission, drawn directly from one of its most famous and foundational passages.

The “Go and Preach” Mandate Has a Shaky Foundation

The most well-known command to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation” comes from the end of Mark, chapter 16. This is the version many have in their heads when they think of the church’s mission.

However, there is a significant counter-intuitive fact about this passage: it is not considered historically accurate. The earliest and most reliable manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark do not include this section. Modern Bibles often acknowledge this by placing the text in italics or adding a footnote explaining that it was likely added by a later scribe. This historical uncertainty is a crucial detail, underscored by the passage’s humorous inclusion of a promise that believers will be able to “play with snakes”—a clear reason to hold this particular text “a bit loosely.”

Perhaps the popularity of Mark’s version persists because it’s “convenient” and “doesn’t ask a lot of us.” It frames the mission as a simple act of proclamation, standing in contrast to the more demanding commissions found elsewhere. In Acts, Jesus calls his followers to be witnesses, people who speak from personal experience. In John, he commissions them with the staggering words, “As the Father sends me, so I send you.” These alternatives demand a life of deep transformation, not just a message of proclamation.

The Mission Was Given to Doubters

The authentic Great Commission, found in Matthew 28, presents a raw and honest scene. The 11 remaining disciples—starkly reminded of Judas’s betrayal and their own failure—meet the resurrected Jesus on a mountain in Galilee.

To appreciate the gravity of this moment, we must understand that Matthew’s gospel is a book of mountains. Key events consistently unfold on a summit: Jesus faces temptation on a mountain, delivers his core ethical teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, reveals his glory in the transfiguration, and now delivers his final command from this ultimate peak. This is the climax of the entire story.

Yet the text includes a stunningly human detail: “When they saw him they worshipped him but some of them doubted.” In what should have been a moment of pure, unadulterated triumph, uncertainty lingered. This detail, far from weakening the account, validates it as a historical document. A fabricated story would likely omit such a flaw, presenting the disciples as perfect heroes of faith.

Here lies the core insight: Jesus does not wait for their doubts to be resolved. He does not pause to offer more proof or demand absolute certainty before proceeding. Right there, in the midst of their worship and their doubt, He gives them their world-changing job to do. This is a profound encouragement for anyone today who experiences seasons of uncertainty in their faith; doubt is not a disqualification from participating in God’s mission.

The Real Task: Make Apprentices, Not Just Proclamations

In Matthew 28, the central command is not to “preach” but to “make disciples of all nations.” The distinction is critical. To “preach” can be interpreted as simply talking at people—a one-way proclamation of information. To “make disciples,” however, is to train them as apprentices.

A disciple, in this context, is a lifelong apprentice of Jesus. It is someone who disciplines themselves to follow His commands and model their life after His. The mission, therefore, is not merely to get people to verbally assent to a set of beliefs, but to teach them to do the stuff, not just talk about the stuff.

This transformative apprenticeship is symbolized by the command to baptize. The act of going under the water represents dying to oneself—to one’s own agenda and way of life. Coming back up out of the water signifies rising to a new life lived for Jesus. It is a deep, personal commitment that goes far beyond hearing a sermon.

“Going” Is a Posture of Trust, Not a Change of Address

The command “Therefore go” is not given in a vacuum. It immediately follows Jesus’s declaration, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” To understand the mission, we must first understand the authority behind it. With these words, Jesus announces the fulfillment of a prophecy from Daniel chapter 7, where the prophet envisioned “one like a son of man” approaching God and being “given authority, glory and sovereign power… His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away.”

Jesus is declaring that this cosmic victory, foretold for centuries, is now won. The battle against sin, death, and the forces of darkness is over. The mission to “go,” therefore, is a direct consequence of His enthronement.

While “go” can certainly mean moving overseas, its deeper spiritual meaning is to move out of a state of “staying.” To “stay” is to live in a place where you are your own god, where you make your own decisions and prioritize your own comfort. To “go” is to move to a place where you must trust and follow Jesus, leaving your self-focused comfort zone. It is a posture of readiness.

The late musician Keith Green captured this posture in a now-famous line:

“there’s a rule in the armed forces always obey the last order you got until you get new orders from command headquarters. The last order I got in my Bible was go.”

Beware the Comfortable Christianity That Sinks the Ship

The mission given by Jesus requires sacrifice, obedience, and a willingness to move out of our comfort zones. A significant threat to this mission is what Keith Green called the “bless me gospel.” This is a message, common from many pulpits, that says “we’re doing fine” and that God is pleased with our current state. It lulls Christians into a passive sleep, assuring them that simple belief is enough.

Green illustrated the absurdity of this position with a convicting analogy about marriage:

“That would be like saying to my wife I know you’re my—I’m your husband and I have a certificate to prove it but I can’t live with you I can’t take care of you I can’t spend time with you… but praise God for our commitment to each other… Saying you’re a Christian when you aren’t willing to sacrifice your time energy money and possessions is like saying to God I know you’re my Lord but I can’t act as if you’re my Lord.”

Green recalled being awakened from this spiritual slumber himself after reading the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. He realized that those churches, which seemed to have things more together than he did, received stern correction from God. This led him to question the comfortable message he was hearing. He used another powerful analogy to describe the danger:

“it isn’t the ship in the water that sinks the ship it’s the water in the ship that sinks it. it isn’t the Christian in the world that creates problems it’s the world in the Christian that does.”

As Green tells it, God spoke directly to his heart, clarifying the true calling: “I want to mould your life after me not modern Christianity… I want your willing submission and obedience.”

The Ultimate Promise

The Great Commission, when examined closely, is not a simple, historically dubious slogan. It is a deep and challenging call to a life of active apprenticeship, to a posture of radical surrender, and to a faith that confronts personal comfort for the sake of God’s kingdom.

Yet, this demanding mission does not end with a command; it ends with a promise. The final words of Matthew’s Gospel are: “And be sure of this I am with you always even to the end of the age.”

This is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise made at the very beginning of Matthew’s book, that the Messiah would be called “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” But as theologian Skye Jethani notes, our understanding of “with” is crucial. Many Christians approach God from different postures: life under God (a life of rules), life over God (using principles for personal gain), life from God (seeking blessings), or life for God (trying to earn favor through works).

The Great Commission’s promise is about none of those. It is an invitation into a life with God. The relationship itself—walking with Him as He did with humanity in Eden—is the mission’s ultimate goal and reward. He commands us to go from our places of safety, and as we do, He promises the one thing we need most: Himself.

As you move through your day, in your neighborhood, your family, and your work, what would it look like for you to stop “staying” and truly “go”?