'Do not swear falsely by
(a) my name and so profane
(b) the name of your God.
(c) I am the LORD (YHWH).
Jesus was not teaching His disciples the formula for Christian rite of water immersion.
The thread of Jesus' thought is:
a) make disciples
b) baptizo them
c) teaching them to obey
The theme is making disciples through teaching so they can go and make disciples. (b) baptuizo is not translated, rather it is transliterated. This is a tradition of English Bible translations so as to obscure it meaning by translators who favored paedo-baptism and baptismal regeneration. However baptizo, depending on the context, does not always mean the Christian rite of water immersion. Matthew 28:19 is one such text.
What else can baptiso be translated into English? James Montgomery Boice makes a good point:
When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. -- When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. -- When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. -- Bible Study Magazine, May 1989
With this this in mind Jesus is teaching:
a) make disciples..
b) identifying them with "the name" - the Father. the Son and the Holy Spirit
c) teaching them to obey ...
Jesus is instructing His apostles that New Testament disciples, when they are made through faith in the gospel that the apostle will teach, that they will be identified with the God of the Old Testament - YHWH, which we transliterate as Jehovah - the Father (Isaiah 42:1), the Son (Isaiah 48:16 & 17) and the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1). These disciples will be taught " to obey everything I have commanded." ---among which is:
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations....
So teaching and preparing for evangelism is Jesus commission to the Church.
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