How does John 4:2 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20?

Connecting the Two Passages

• John 4:2: “although it was not Jesus Who baptized, but His disciples.”

• Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

John 4:2 records the disciples already baptizing under Jesus’ direction; Matthew 28:19-20 formalizes that same work for all nations after the Resurrection.

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A Preview Becomes a Commission

• Delegated Practice

– In John 4:2 Jesus lets His disciples handle baptism, modeling delegation.

– At the Great Commission He makes that delegation permanent: “Go … baptizing.”

• Training Ground

– Early in His ministry, Jesus is preparing them through hands-on experience.

– By Matthew 28 they are equipped to reproduce that pattern worldwide (cf. Luke 6:40).

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The Centrality of Baptism

• Visible Entry into Discipleship

– John’s Gospel shows baptism accompanying faith response (John 3:22-23; 4:1-2).

– The Commission places baptism at the heart of disciple-making (Acts 2:38; 8:36-38).

• Trinitarian Fulfillment

– John 4 anticipates baptism “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” now revealed fully after the Resurrection.

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Authority and Continuity

• Same Lord, Same Mission

– Jesus directs in John 4; after rising He says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18).

– The authority behind both baptisms is identical; the scope expands from Judea/Samaria to “all nations” (Acts 1:8).

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Implications for Today

• Disciple-Making Is Active, Not Passive

– Like the early disciples, believers are expected to participate rather than spectate (John 20:21).

• Baptism and Teaching Belong Together

– John 4 shows the act; Matthew 28 adds the ongoing instruction that follows baptism.

• Evangelism Starts Where You Are

– The disciples practiced baptism first among nearby Jews and Samaritans, then carried it globally (Romans 10:14-15).

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Summary

John 4:2 is the prototype: disciples, under Jesus’ watchful eye, baptize new believers. Matthew 28:19-20 is the mandate: those same disciples, now empowered by the risen Christ, are sent to keep doing exactly that—everywhere, until the end of the age.