Black Church Tradition Lens Commentary: Matthew 28:19-20 (The Great Commission)

## Black Church Tradition Lens Reading of Matthew 28:19-20 (The Great Commission)

### Tradition-Specific Interpretation

We read Matthew 28:19-20 as the call to embody the liberating and transformative mission of Jesus. This Great Commission is not merely about converting individuals but about making disciples who live out the justice and freedom that Jesus proclaimed. We see this as a mandate to bring holistic salvation — spiritual, social, and economic — to the oppressed and marginalized. The call to 'make disciples of all nations' is a call to challenge the systems of oppression and to build the beloved community where every person is valued as an image-bearer of God.

### Key Language Decisions