Simply Jesus Pt. 17: “… Teaching Them to Observe All That I Commanded…”

Every night it’s the same routine with our daughter. We tell her to take her shower, use the restroom, brush her teeth and put on lotion. Every. Single. Night. Imagine how you, the parent, would react emotionally if this fictional scene unfolded before you…

Dad: Hey Boo, I need you to get ready for bed. So go shower, use the restroom, brush your teeth and put on lotion, please.

Daughter: 15 minutes later bursts out of the bathroom like Simone Biles after sticking a landing. “I did it! I’m finished!”

Dad: You’re all finished?

Daughter: Yes! I’m all done! I’m all clean and ready for bed.

Dad: You’re all done? So you took a bath, brushed, used the toilet and put on lotion?

Daughter: Well, I washed my hands until they were SO clean.

Dad: So let me get this straight. You were in the bathroom for 15 minutes, and all you did was wash your hands?

Daughter: Yeah. Just like you told me. I got clean and ready for bed.

So, if you were the dad in that fictional story, what would your emotional reaction be to your daughter’s actions?

Astonishment? Bewilderment? Frustration? I ask, because I sometimes I wonder how Jesus feels about the way His modern day disciples approach His commands.

After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, not too long before He ascended back to the right hand of God the Father, King Jesus gave His disciples this solemn charge, also known as the Great Commission:

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. – Matthew 28:18-20

This passage is loaded with spiritual insight, but the main phrase I’d like to highlight is, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.”

Look at the simplicity and passion with which the early Christians interpreted this phrase:

The Lord, when, after His resurrection, He sent forth His apostles, charges them, saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you.” And the Apostle John, remembering this charge, subsequently lays it down in his epistle: “This is how we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that says he knows Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” … This is to be a confessor of the Lord. – Cyprian 250CE, Volume 5, p. 536 [CD-ROM]

As I wrote in my book, "What Jesus says in the Great Commission is so plain it takes an elementary school education to understand and a seminary degree to confuse. Jesus actually expects His followers to obey all His commands, because that’s what followers of Jesus do."

But, like the daughter in the story above, Christians are frequently found rewriting Jesus' commands on our mission statements and websites, and then we expect rewards in heaven for living out a comfortable version of His words.

For instance, Jesus didn’t just tell us to make disciples. He told us to make disciples of all people groups. Jesus didn’t just tell us to love God and love people. He told us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves.

Jesus said to repent. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do not worry. Follow Him.