Why didn't I Pay More Attention?

Why didn't I Pay More Attention?

In school I can remember wondering about the purpose of High School English. Nouns and pronouns were not my favorite subject (pun intended). I also thought it was pretty funny when they would say, "Verbs, now that is where the action is"; being the analytical type that I am I still think it is a valid question to ask why we need to learn these parts of speech.

Although, I take total responsibility for napping during English I wish there would have been someone that would have given one good reason why these things were important. I can remember asking. I also remember that no one took the question seriously or maybe they just didn't know.

The blog today demonstrates why English is so important to folks who study the Bible. Our example comes from Matthew 28:19. Verbs are marked in red. Conjunctions are the words colored green (the green ones in the red I will explain later). Nouns are shaded blue. Pronouns are the words colored blue and the adjectives are underlined in blue. Allow me to pause, I can't believe I care! Not only do I care I am blogging about this so you will care. I admit I have become a grammar Nazi or at least a grammar Nazi want to be. I am studying parts of English. My flesh still rebels and I feel like Charlie Brown AAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGGG.

However, when you look at this verse and its syntax (definition at the end of the article) you learn something really cool. The command in this verse is to make disciples. I would have thought the command was to go. When you study the Bible inductively you find little nuances like the example here in Matthew 28:19 that impact your entire theology and this is where the green text inside of the red shading comes in. The green text inside of the red shading is my marking for imperative verbs. Imperative verbs are defined like this...
The imperative mood corresponds to the English imperative, and expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding. Thus, Jesus’ phrase, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mk.1:15) is not at all an “invitation,” but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers.
Larry Pierce, Tense Voice Mood. (Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.), TVM5794.

Realizing that our command is to make disciples as we go gives the truth of this passage. If I believed "Go" was the command in and of itself I would miss the point entirely.

Do you see grammar mistakes in the blog? Go ahead, blast me, I deserve it. I should have been paying attention in class.

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Syntax
1 a : the way in which linguistic elements (as words) are put together to form constituents (as phrases or clauses)
b : the part of grammar dealing with this
2 : a connected or orderly system : harmonious arrangement of parts or elements
3 : syntactics especially as dealing with the formal properties of languages or calculi
Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary., Includes Index., 10th ed. (Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.: Merriam-Webster, 1996, c1993).