So what now? Jesus rose from the dead, and he is a little more elusive, a little harder to follow compared to how the disciples had followed Jesus around Galilee and to Jerusalem. They had not always been able to keep up with Jesus intellectually or spiritually, but at least the disciples could physically follow Jesus. After the resurrection, that was harder, too.
Matthew records that Jesus had one more thing to tell the disciples. He had instructions on what to do next. They were short and to the point, but extremely hard to carry out.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
It would have been easier if Jesus could have just told the disciples to talk to people about what they experienced. They would have been able to follow instructions like, "Celebrate my life!" or "Create ways to remember my parables and miracles." Writing spiritual music and making religious art would have been simpler. It would have even been easier for the disciples to build a nice church for people to attend for about an hour every Sunday morning.
All those things are great, but smaller pieces of Jesus' request. Jesus asks for more. Jesus is commissioning disciples to make disciples. They can't just be listeners, or even believers. Jesus wants disciples of disciples.
The mark of a follower of Jesus, then, is not someone who desires more people to believe in Jesus; the mark of a disciple is someone who creates disciples. Disciples of Jesus are people who make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples, who make...
