How does Genesis 11:8 connect to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? Genesis 11:8—The Scattering at Babel “So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city.” (Genesis 11:8) • Humanity united around a godless agenda—“Come, let us make a name for ourselves” (v. 4). • God intervened, confounding their language and forcing them outward. • The scattering was both judgment and mercy: judgment on pride, mercy in pushing people toward the divine mandate to “fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Matthew 28:19-20—The Gathering by the Gospel “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” • Christ reverses Babel’s confusion by sending Spirit-empowered witnesses (Acts 2:4-11). • The command reaches “all nations,” the same peoples once dispersed at Babel. • Instead of scattering in rebellion, believers now scatter in obedience—carrying one saving message in many tongues. Key Parallels and Contrasts • Motive – Babel: human glory. – Great Commission: God’s glory in Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). • Movement – Forced dispersion through judgment. – Voluntary dispersion through mission. • Language – Confusion that divides. – Gospel that unites (Ephesians 2:13-18). • Result – Abandoned city and halted work. – Living Church and ongoing work until “the end of the age.” God’s Consistent Heart for the Nations • Genesis 12:3—Abram blessed “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” • Isaiah 49:6—“I will make You a light for the nations.” • Revelation 7:9—A redeemed multitude “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue.” What the Connection Teaches Us Today • God’s purposes will advance—either through judgment or joyful obedience. • The languages that once divided are now strategic gateways for the gospel. • Every believer participates: some go, some send, all pray and witness (Romans 10:14-15). • Our collective mission anticipates the final gathering when the scattering is fully healed in Christ’s eternal kingdom. |