How does Mark 5:19 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20?

Mark 5:19—A Personal Commission

“ ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.’ ”

• Audience: one rescued man in Gentile territory (the Decapolis)

• Message: declare what the Lord has done and the mercy He has shown

• Scope: start “at home” among familiar faces

• Result: the man “went away and began to proclaim…all that Jesus had done for him” (v. 20)

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Matthew 28:19-20—The Universal Commission

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you…”

• Audience: all disciples, then and now

• Message: make disciples, baptize, teach obedience

• Scope: every nation, to the end of the age

• Promise: Christ’s continual presence

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Shared DNA Between the Two Commands

• The imperative “go”—movement from comfort to witness

• Proclamation—telling “how much the Lord has done” becomes “teaching them to obey”

• Focus on God’s work, not self—mercy in Mark; authority of Father, Son, Spirit in Matthew

• Dependence on Jesus—He sends and supplies (Mark 5:19; Matthew 28:20)

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A Progression We Can Trace

1. Personal witness (Mark 5)

• One man’s story validates Jesus’ power among Gentiles.

2. Corporate mission (Matthew 28)

• A band of followers becomes a global church.

3. Ongoing ripple effect (Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 2:9)

• Jerusalem → Judea/Samaria → ends of the earth, just as one man in Decapolis lit ten cities.

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Practical Take-Aways

• Start where Jesus places you—family, friends, neighborhood.

• Speak of His mercy before tackling deep theology; experience opens ears.

• Expect enlargement—faithful local witness positions us for broader impact.

• Trust His presence; the One who sent the delivered demoniac stands with every modern disciple.