The Great Commission Started Long Before Matthew 28

Did you know that Jesus didn't invent the Great Commission, go therefore and make disciples? I know that sounds odd, but we treat Matthew 28 like it came out of nowhere. Jesus was actually finishing something that he started on the first few pages of the Bible. Hidden inside the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 is a literary device in the Hebrew language that most people never even notice. And once you see it, it changes the way you read everything from Genesis to the Gospels. So stick with me, because by the end of this video, you'll never look at the first 12 chapters of the Bible the same way again. Welcome back to Get Into The Word. My name is Robbie Gallaty. Let's go back to the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis 1, verse 27. The Bible says, God created man in his own image. He created him in the image of God. He created them both male and female. Now look at this. God blessed them and said, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Now here's what I want you to notice. God creates humanity in his own image. And then immediately he gives them a mission. Go therefore, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. And notice what he doesn't say.

He doesn't say find a nice spot and settle in, get cozy. He doesn't say build something comfortable and stay put. You see, the mission from day one was always to scatter. It was always to spread out, to take the image of God and reflect it into every dark corner of his creation. The heartbeat of God has always been the same. Never accumulation, always replication. It was not about insulation for oneself, but about expansion. And from the first pages of the Bible, we notice that we're destined and designed to be mirrors, walking, breathing mirrors, reflecting God's glory outward into a world he created. Now let's fast forward. Humanity corrupts the earth. Sin is running rampant. And God essentially hits the reset button with the flood. I want you to think of Noah's Ark as kind of a floating Eden. It's a fresh start. It's a do over. It's a recapitulation of creation itself. And when Noah, after the flood, steps off the boat onto the dry land, I want you to look at what God says to him. God says in Genesis chapter nine, verse one, these words. Sound very familiar. Go therefore and be fruitful and multiply so that you what? Fill the earth. And then we get down to verse six, very similar language here.

God made humans in his image. You see it? But you be fruitful and multiply, spread out over the earth and multiply on it. Does any of that sound familiar? Where did we just hear? Oh, I know. In the creation of Adam and Eve in the Genesis account. God just finished saying, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth. It's actually the same command that he gave to Adam. The same mission, the same heartbeat has always been the same for God. So at this point, we've heard it twice. God creates, God commissions, God sends. That's always the pattern. That's how he works. But then we get to Genesis 11 and the story takes a very dark and very familiar turn. I want you to see what God does in Genesis 11, one through four. This is the story of the Tower of Babel. The whole earth had the same language and vocabulary. As people migrated from East, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and they settled there. They said one to another, come, let us make oven fired bricks for ourself. They use brick for stone and asphalt for mortar. And they said, come, let us build ourselves a city. Let us build ourselves a tower high into the sky. Let's make a name for ourselves. Otherwise, we will be what? Scattered to multiply across the earth. Did you catch that last line?

Otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth. We have uncovered the real issue in the text here. You see, the sin of Babel wasn't primarily about building a tall building to the sky. It was a direct rebellion against the mission of God. God said, go and scatter. And they said, no, we're actually going to stay right here. They used their shared language, which was a gift from God, not to spread his name, don't miss this, but to insulate themselves. They didn't replicate, they congregated. They huddled up and built a monument to themselves and for themselves. And when we break it down, they wanted four things. Now watch what they wanted. And I want you to remember this as we continue. They wanted their own authority. We will reach the heavens. They wanted their own kingdom. Let us build for ourselves. They wanted their own name Let us make a name for ourselves. They wanted their own will we will not be scattered every single one of those is a direct reversal of what God commanded and it's a rebellion dressed up as Ambition now, here's where it gets really fascinating and this is the part that most people actually miss Moses the author of Genesis was the one who arranged these stories and he uses a literary Technique that the Hebrews were familiar with called a chiasm Think of it like a mirror structure of something the sentences at the beginning of the mirror are Actually parallel to the sentences at the end of the mirror where the entire structure funnels toward a shocking Center point now the Hebrew writers didn't have bold text like we do today They didn't have italics or highlighters or capital letters So, how did they emphasize something? But what they did was they used the structure of the sentences to draw people in toward one center main point Think of it like a greater than symbol pointing toward the centerpiece. So here's how it works. Look at Genesis 11 in Chiastic form the story begins with the whole earth having one language and then it ends with the language of the whole earth Those actually mirror each other then it goes on to Highlight the word there where they settled and then it ends from there where God scattered them

It moves from each other to each other's language from come Let us make bricks to come. Let us mix up their language from let us build for ourselves To which mankind has built and right in the middle don't miss this The very center of the entire structure is this line? The Lord came down while they are trying to build up to the heavens God has to come down just to see their little project. There's a lot of humor in the text here they're straining with all of their might to get to the sky and God has to stoop low almost comically to see their little project and Then he confuses their language. He scatters them and here's the thing what felt like judgment to them was really the mercy of God you see the curse of Babel was the kindness of God because he stooped low and Helped them and kept them from destroying themselves And listen, you know this as well as I do God's biggest blessings in my life at times come when he stops my plans before they even start Now here's something that's easily overlooked in the text and it's important to understand this to get the idea that Moses is trying to communicate with the flow of the narrative Genesis 11 the Tower of Babel Actually happens chronologically before Genesis 10. This is the technique in Hebrew called the law of recurrence The Torah will sometimes do this to prevent people from missing the point of the text It presents events out of order chronologically to really create tension for the next Insight or the next introduction in the text and we know what's coming next in Genesis 12 It's the call of a man named Abram God wants the rebellion of Babel to be freshed on the minds and the hearts of the hearers When they meet Abraham or Abram at the time, he wants us to see the contrast in the text So let's pick up the story about Abram at the ripe old age of 75 years old in Genesis chapter 12 Immediately, we're thrusted into the story and we hear these words God said to Abram go from your land your relatives and your father's house to the land I will show you I will make you a great nation I will make your name great. I will bless you. You see the repetitive nature and you will be a blessing I will bless those who bless you I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through who? through you

Now let's put Babel and Abraham's call side by side because the contrast is stunning At Babel the people said let us build our own kingdom God tells Abram. I will build a nation through you at Babel. They said let us make a name for ourselves God tells Abraham. I will make your name great and his name is going to be changed to Abraham soon Which means father of the multitudes at Babel. They said we will rule in the heavens God tells Abram. I will bless you and through you I will bless the nations at Babel They said we will never scatter the God tells Abraham go leave Multiply, did you catch it? same category completely opposite direction. One is built on pride, the other is built on the promise of God. And this thread doesn't stop with Abraham. It runs all the way through to the life of Jesus. When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, I want you to listen to the language of the Lord's prayer in Matthew chapter six, verse one. Watch the similarities here. It's amazing. Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and do not bring us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory. You know the addition there forever. This thread runs through the Lord's prayer. Notice the comparison.

Our Father in heaven, God's authority. Hallowed or honored, sanctified be your name, his name. Your kingdom come, not mine, his kingdom. Your will be done, not mine, his will. You see, everything Babel tried to seize for themselves, Jesus surrenders back to the Father. And this is what you came for. Did you know the same theme and commission is found in the Great Commission? Let's go to Matthew 28. You know anything about me? I'm passionate about making disciples who make disciples. Jesus gives the Great Commission. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, now here's the interesting part. That word go is the first word of the Great Commission and it's the first word. It's a callback to Abraham's commission. It echoes his commission. Remember, Abraham, go from your land. Jesus says to his disciples the exact same word and I don't think it's by accident. And what we're gonna see here is in the Great Commission, the entire structure mirrors the reversal of Babel. Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey or observe all that I've commanded you and behold, I will be with you to the end of the age. Babel said our kingdom.

Jesus says no. Make disciples of all nations for my kingdom. Babel says our name. Jesus says don't do that. Baptize in my name. Babel says our authority. Jesus says all authority has been given to me. Babel said we won't go. Jesus begins with this one word. Go, therefore, and then make disciples. The Great Commission isn't just a New Testament idea. It's really the crescendo of a story that God started writing in Genesis 1. It runs through the rebellion of Babel and culminates with the call of Abraham. So the question I wanna leave you with, and I really want you to sit with this one, which tower are you building? Which kingdom are you advancing? Because every one of us is building something. Every day we build with our time, our energy, our resources, our influence, our social media accounts. We're all building something. You see, Babel wasn't a monument to what we can do for ourselves. Babel was about making a name for themselves separate and apart from God. And by contrast, the Great Commission is a movement of what God can do when we attempt to make his name great. One stays in one place.

The other goes forth. One builds up for themselves. The other pours out for others. Babel is comfortable. Babel is safe. Babel looks an awful lot like the American dream, if we're being honest. Build our name. Accumulate our stuff. Protect our comfort. Stay put. Don't go anywhere. But the call of God has always been the same. From Eden to Noah, from Abraham to Jesus, and now from Jesus to you and me. Go, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth for the glory of God, and make disciples. So again, which tower are you building today? If this video helped you see something new in God's word, would you do me a favor? Hit that like button right now and share it with someone. Also leave a comment below about something you've learned from this video, or maybe a thought you had while listening. It really helps the channel. And if you're new here, don't forget to subscribe right now so you don't miss another episode. We have an action-packed season of insights that we're mining gold from God's word over the next few months and year. Until next time, get into the word

until the word gets into you.