King Jesus Says – A Series Starter

It irked me to be honest.

Not just about everyone else – it was a stick in me as well. Christians in some circles make a big deal about this verse,

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

The Great Commission is the name that’s given to what Jesus says here. It’s such a hugely influential verse that it’s bandied about to the point that it’s easy to lose the point of the verse. That irked me. I agree that what Jesus says here is very important here. The question is: what is He saying?

Nope, I’m not going to get into the depths of the various elements of what is being said in that verse in this blog. That’s not for this entry … but maybe some other juncture. It is a a question, though, that nudged me to remember a game I used to play when I was a child.

Simon says.

How Simon says worked is that someone would be the speaker and everyone else would have to respond to what the speaker said as long as it was prefaced with the phrase, “Simon says.”. The idea of the game was to look to eliminate people … from the game of course … by issuing an instruction without the Simon says and someone following that instruction. That was an enjoyable game back in the day especially as skilled speakers would employ speed and rhythms to get people out.

The bigger deal of the game, though, was that if Simon didn’t say it, you shouldn’t do it, but you should do what Simon says.

That brings us neatly to an aspect of the Great Commission that irked me. The thrust of the mission was making disciples by teaching them to observe everything commanded by the one who has all authority in heaven and earth. Taking that seriously would require disciples to have a good idea of what was commanded. Not only does there have to be a good idea of what was commanded, there has to be a lifestyle based on those commands. Life has to be lived based on what King Jesus says.

That should be straightforward. Of course it’s not. Lots of activities and practices that are done in the name of Jesus have nothing to do with what He commanded. And there is more interest in things that others have said rather than what He commanded.

There’s enough in the Christian life to be busy doing lots of well meaning activities and little regard to appreciating the commands of Jesus. Commands implying there’s more than one. Commands, certainly suggesting it’s more than just the two greatest commandments that people refer to.

It’s worth from time to time developing more than a passing interest in what He commanded, how we follow it and how we teach others to observe it. Hence this series of exploration on that matter of what does King Jesus say.

The point of this issue irking me is not for me to just have a miserable look on my face. It’s for me to act on the nudge to cultivate a greater love for the King and living by what He has commanded.

(Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden