As You Go, Make Disciples

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The video version of this teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/ZmOmeHspm9g

The scripture reading for this teaching is: Luke 24:44-53, John 21:1-25

After Yeshua’s resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and family over a period of forty days. E. W. Bullinger in Numbers in Scripture tells us that forty is a number of probation. As a multiple of eight, the number of new beginnings, the number forty relates to an enlarged dominion, renewal or extended rule.[i] Yeshua prepared for His ministry with forty days of trial in the wilderness; He concludes His ministry on Earth with forty days of preparing the disciples for their increased role in expanding the kingdom of God. The disciples would be responsible for taking the message of the kingdom beyond the borders of Israel.

Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Before the disciples could go, they needed to be prepared and empowered. They needed to be given their mission and the instructions for carrying out this mission. What did Yeshua do to equip them for the days ahead? These days would lead to great joy and fulfillment as well as horrific persecution and death.

The first thing that Yeshua did after His resurrection was to open their eyes to the necessity of Yeshua’s suffering and death and what it accomplished. He was equipping them to be witnesses of His entire ministry. Yeshua spoke to the twelve apostles about this role at their Passover Seder before His arrest and crucifixion.

John 15:26-27 NKJV 26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

In Yeshua’s first appearances to His disciples after His resurrection, starting with those on the road to Emmaus, He explained to them that the entire body of scripture pointed to the necessity of His death before He entered into His glory.

Luke 24:26-27 NKJV 26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Later that day, Yeshua explained these same things to the remaining eleven apostles gathered together in Jerusalem. Peter would later recall these words as he explained the need to appoint another in Judas Iscariot’s place.

Acts 1:21-22 NKJV 21 "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 "beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."

Peter testified to the necessity of Yeshua’s death and resurrection to the gathered pilgrims during the Feast of Shavuot when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples. Peter explained King David’s prophecies about Yeshua.

Acts 2:30-32 NKJV 30 "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 "he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.

Peter expounds on the necessity of Yeshua’s suffering in his first epistle to the scattered believers in Yeshua.

1 Peter 1:10-11 NKJV 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

After Yeshua’s initial explanations about what had happened during the crucial day of Passover, He went on to call the disciples to be messengers of the good news. When Yeshua met seven of the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He provided a harvest of fish after the disciples had spent the entire night fishing without catching a single fish.

John 21:6 NKJV 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

The situation was reminiscent of an earlier night of fishing when they didn’t catch any fish either. At that time, Yeshua had just begun His ministry and had yet to select His twelve apostles to be with Him full time. Simon, John and James had all been witnesses to Yeshua’s baptism. They knew who He was, but had not yet committed to following Him full time. When Yeshua told them to let down their nets one more time, they willingly followed His instructions and were blessed with nets full of fish. At that time, Yeshua called them to leave their fishing behind and follow Him.

Luke 5:10b-11 NKJV 10b And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

However, the responsibility to be fishers of men did not stop with Yeshua’s death and resurrection. The responsibility was instead increased. Along with sharing the good news of the kingdom of God, they needed to do more. In particular, Yeshua singled out Peter and told him three times to take care of His flock.

John 21:15 NKJV 15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."

The forty days that Yeshua spent preparing His disciples were like the days that Moses spent preparing the children of Israel and especially his chosen successor Joshua for the change in leadership and authority.

Numbers 27:18-20 NKJV 18 And the LORD said to Moses: "Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 "set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. 20 "And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

God, also, prepared both Elijah and Elisha for Elijah’s departure and Elisha taking over the duties of Elijah. Elisha, like Joshua with Moses, was chosen ahead of time to take Elijah’s place. Elijah had fled to the wilderness to escape Jezebel’s plan to kill him. He thought that he had been abandoned and that he would die in the wilderness. God sent an angel to minister to him. When Elijah had recovered, God told him it was time to anoint his successor; his duties as prophet of the LORD were coming to a close.

1 Kings 19:15-16 NKJV 15 Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 "Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

Yeshua also anointed the apostles and passed on His authority and duties as a prophet of God.

John 20:21-23 NKJV 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Yeshua sent the apostles to carry on the work the Father had given to Him. The same instructions applied to the apostles as they applied to Yeshua; they were to speak only the words of the Father and to do the will of the Father. Peter explained his commission to Cornelius’ household.

Acts 10:42-43 NKJV 42 "And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 "To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."

Yeshua prepared His apostles and disciples to go and be witnesses of all that Yeshua said and did.

Acts 1:8 NKJV 8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Yeshua not only told the disciples to go, He told them to baptize others in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What does this mean? What did it mean to the first century Jew? Baptism or immersion was an everyday part of Jewish life. Every Jewish home had its own mikvah or baptism pool. It looked like a modern day bathtub only deeper and sunk into the ground. And, of course, it had no water taps or drain plug! The mikvah was used to maintain ritual purity. A woman immersed each month after her menstrual cycle. Both men and women immersed after sexual relations. Any contact with the carcass of an unclean animal required an immersion. Anyone who went into the temple in Jerusalem had to be immersed first.

A second reason to be baptized or immersed was a change in legal status. When Jacob returned to the Promised Land, the members of his household carried idols with them. After the disastrous events at Shechem, God chastised Jacob and told him to get his house in order. After burying all the idols they had with them, Jacob and his household immersed themselves.

Genesis 35:2-3 NKJV 2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 "Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone."

This immersion was to restore the ritual purity of the household, to signal the fulfillment of Jacob’s vow to God, and for the entire household to enter into the covenant promise of God.

Before the children of Israel were given the covenant at Mt. Sinai, they were told to wash themselves and their clothes.

Exodus 19:10-11 NKJV 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 "And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

A final reason for baptism was for repentance or confession of sin. John the Baptist was a leading proponent for this type of baptism. He called on the Jewish people to be baptized for the remission of their sins.

Mark 1:4-5 NKJV 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

When Peter testified to the resurrection of Yeshua at the Feast of Shavuot, he instructed the Jews who accepted his testimony to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins.

Acts 2:38 NKJV 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter’s instructions are the same as John the Baptist’s instructions: Be baptized for the remission of sins. He added that they were to be baptized in the name of Messiah Yeshua. What does it mean for something to be done in the name of another person? Have you heard the expression on old television shows when a policeman comes to the door and demands that a person “open up in the name of the law?” The authority to demand entrance is the law.  In this case, to do something in the name of another person is to invoke their authority to do so.  How about when a donation is made in the name of another person? In this case, to do something in the name of another person is in some way for the benefit or glory of that person.

Perhaps baptizing in the name of Yeshua has both elements. Yeshua is the one who has the authority to forgive sins. Yeshua instructed the scribes and Pharisees about His authority to do so.

Luke 5:24 NKJV 24 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" --He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

Mark records Yeshua’s instructions to include baptism for salvation.

Mark 16:15-16 NKJV 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

After baptism, our actions reflect on Messiah Yeshua. When we follow His commandments, we bring glory to Yeshua and, through Him, to the Father.

What about baptism or immersion for ongoing confession and to maintain ritual purity? The disciples continued to worship God at the temple as long as it remained standing in Jerusalem. They continued in their Jewish life with the regular practice of immersion. John reminds us that we must practice confession of our sins throughout our walk.

1 John 1:8-9 NKJV 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Paul compares Yeshua immersing us in the word of God to baptism.

Ephesians 5:25-26 NKJV 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

Baptism, then, is more than the ritual cleansing needed to enter into the New Covenant through the blood and authority of Yeshua; it is a practice of maintaining that ritual purity through confession of sins and being cleansed through the power of the Word!

Yeshua continued His instructions to the disciples to make more disciples, to teach them to observe all that Yeshua did and taught. Disciples in Yeshua’s time were expected to stay with and learn from their teacher usually over a period of three years. Yeshua followed this model with His own disciples. They lived with Yeshua, traveled with Him and learned from Him.

As Yeshua’s forty days with His disciples came to a close, it was time for Him to pass on the mantle like Moses passed his authority to Joshua and Elijah passed on his mantle to Elisha. When God took Moses to up to Mount Nebo to die, Joshua took over the leadership of the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 34:9 NKJV 9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

When Elijah selected Elisha as his successor, he threw his mantle over Elisha. When it was time for Elijah to be taken up into heaven, Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit.

2 Kings 2:9-10 NKJV 9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?" Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." 10 So he said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so."

Elisha did see Elijah taken up in a whirlwind into heaven. As Elijah went up, his mantle fell from him and Elisha took it up.

2 Kings 2:13-15 NKJV 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.

A double portion of the spirit that was on Elijah fell on Elisha. The spirit was on Joshua because Moses anointed him. Yeshua also anointed His disciples who would take over for Him. We read in John 20:23 earlier that Yeshua breathed the spirit of God onto them. Then Yeshua took the disciples out to the region of Bethany on the Mt. of Olives. The disciples  saw Yeshua ascend into heaven.

Luke 24:49-51 NKJV 49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." 50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

A double portion must have fallen on them as it fell on Elisha because Yeshua said that the one who believes in Him would do greater works than those recorded in the gospel.

John 14:12 NKJV 12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

When God took Moses, the children of Israel wept and mourned his death. When God took Elijah into heaven, Elisha wept and mourned. When Yeshua died on the cross, His disciples wept and mourned. However, when Yeshua ascended into heaven, His disciples rejoiced and praised God! Yeshua had equipped them well for their new mission. Ten days later, they would receive the promised Holy Spirit giving them the power to carry out all that Yeshua had entrusted to them. We, also, are recipients of that same Holy Spirit giving us power to achieve the mission God has given us. It is our responsibility to act as disciples to Yeshua learning from Him and spending time with Him so that we can be true and knowledgeable disciples of our LORD and Master Yeshua. The tools are available for us to be equipped so that, as we go, we can spread the good news of eternal life through the shed blood of Yeshua and His resurrection from the dead.

Study Questions:

1. The phrase “Go therefore and make disciples” in Matthew 28:19 is in the grammatical form which we would usually translate as “Going therefore and make disciples.” We have titled this teaching with the phrase “As you go.” How does this change the way we understand the Yeshua’s instructions?

2. If salvation is by faith (Acts 10:43, Eph 1:8), why do we need to be baptized (Matt 28:19, Acts 2:38)?

3. In John 20:23, Yeshua seemingly gives authority to the apostles to forgive or withhold forgiveness of sins. Does a pastor, priest or rabbi have authority to forgive or withhold forgiveness of sins? Support with scriptures please! Consider Peter’s understanding of this in Acts 8:22.

4. To be baptized in the name of Yeshua can mean either by Yeshua’s authority of for Yeshua’s glory. How does our baptism bring glory to Yeshua?

5. Read 2 Kings 2:1-5 about the transference of power from Elijah to Elisha. How can Elijah and Elisha be compared to Yeshua and His disciples/follower? What role does the Holy Spirit play in this? How can Moses and Joshua be compared to Yeshua and His disciples/followers?

© 2018 Moed Ministries International.  All rights reserved.

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[i] Bullinger, E. W. Number in Scripture. Eyre and Spottiswoode. ©1894. Cosimo Edition. New York, NY. ©2005. Page 266.