As
part of my lenten discipline this past Lent, I read all four Gospels. One of the
things that struck me was in several places, in various ways, and in each
Gospel, Jesus places great importance in keeping his word or commandments:
“They who have my commandments and keep them
are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I
will love them and reveal myself to them. . . . Those who love me will keep my
word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home
with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that
you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.”
John 14:21, 23-24
John 14:21, 23-24
“If you love me, you will keep my
commandments.” John 14:15
“You are my friends if you do what I command
you.” John 15:14
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not do
what I tell you?” Luke 6:46 (cf. Matthew 7:21)
”Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35 (cf.
“Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word
will never see death.” John 8:51
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in
my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I
have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy
may be complete.” John 15:10-11
That
prompted me to start looking for those places where Jesus explicitly says that
we should or should not do something, or where some behavior or attitude is held
up for clear approval or disapproval. I am going to post what I think is a
complete list of what Jesus said to do or warned against doing.
A
couple of more comments before beginning the list.
1.
Clearly
Jesus taught lessons by his actions. And his parables, while not always
containing explicit commands, often imply some response. I am just listing his
explicit commands.
2.
This
list is not meant to imply that the commandments found elsewhere in the Bible don’t
matter.
3.
What
Jesus commanded only really matters if Jesus is who the Bible and the Church
says he is. And if Jesus is who the Bible and the Church says he is, his
commands should shape the way we read the rest of the Bible rather than the
other way round and, more significantly, his commands should shape our lives.
What Jesus Commanded:
Repent
Jesus
came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the
good news." Mark 1:14-15
“Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17
“No,
I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” Luke 12:3
Believe
“The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in
the good news.’ Mark 1:14
“Everyone
therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my
Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before
my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33
“Do
not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above/born again.”
John3:7
“For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” John 3:16
“Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see
life, but must endure God’s wrath.” John 3:36
“This
is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:29
“And
blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.” Luke 7:23
Follow & Obey
“Enter
through the narrow gate.” Matthew 7:13 (cf. Luke 13:24)
“Not
everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
“Everyone
then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who
built his house on rock.” Matthew 7:24
“Whoever
loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son
or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the
cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37-38
“But
Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” Matthew
8:22
“Whoever
is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
Mathew 12:30
Then
he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves
and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their
life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What
does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit
themselves?”
Luke 9:23-25 (cf. Mark 8:34 & Matthew 16:24-25)
“If
you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Matthew
19:21
“What
do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and
work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed
his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he
answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his
father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the
tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of
you.”
Matthew 21:28-31
“Do
not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not
to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass
away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until
all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these
commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the
kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great
in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds
that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:17-20
“Whoever
does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27
“Whoever
serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.
Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.” John 12:26
"If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will
know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
Next: What Jesus Commanded, Part 2: Love & Mercy
Part
3: Trust, Self-denial & Humility
Part
6: Evangelism
Part
7: Sex, Marriage, & Family
Part
8: Money & Possessions
Part
9: Peace and Violence
Part
10: From the Human Heart, etc
Part
11: Stay Awake & Endure, Judgement Day
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