Observing the King’s Commands (OTKC) 01 – An Introduction

Law and order. The two words apparently go together like “bread and butter”, “cats and dogs”, and, of course, “fish and chips”.

The thinking is that the law maintains the order, and order is established through the law. This makes sense when we consider the world of games and sports. With the idea being to reach a particular end and not leave things open to chaos, the rules of the game support the framework in which all participants can engage in the game with the cover of fairness. That’s the desired outcome of the exercise: the game happens, and whoever wins does so because they abide by the rules.

We go to sleep at night with a degree of security if we know we exist in an environment where rules allow us to operate under the cover of fairness. These rules—the laws—establish this security.

Followers of Jesus are not supposed to be hung up on the Law of Moses because Jesus came to fulfil them. Indeed, Jesus is the fulfilment of all that is mentioned about Him in the Law and the Prophets. When He ascended to heaven, there was an issue around what the Gentiles were supposed to follow regarding a faithful response to the gospel. The issue was resolved by a judgement from the council of elders, essentially informing Gentiles that they were not obliged to observe the Mosaic Law but were required to still live up to standards of godliness.

This brings us to the last words of Jesus in the gospel, according to Matthew.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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 28:18-20)

Referred to as the Great Commission, the heart of it is about making disciples. There is the initiation of the disciples, followed by the process of making disciples, followed by the assurance of Jesus’ presence in making the disciples.

I could get the impression, in some circles, that making disciples was about submitting to weekly attendance at a church service and paying the dues to keep up the weekly attendance at a church service. Jesus’ instruction, however, makes it clear how disciples are made – teaching them to observe Jesus’ commands. That assumes that there’s an understanding of those commands and an active observation of those commands to be in a position to teach others to observe them.

The instruction is about observation that connects to what it is to be a disciple. A disciple is a student. Observation is about studying. It’s a case of the student studying. A disciple studies the commands of Jesus. That study is an apprenticeship – thus, the idea is that the student is eager to take on the topic of study. In this case, there’s an eagerness to be like the Son of God. This study is unlike academic ones, where you’re considered cheating if you look up the answers and use them in the test. In this study, the students are actively encouraged to look up and use the answers in the test. In this study, the students are also encouraged to make every effort to use the answers and apply them directly in the test. That’s not cheating in this circumstance – that’s the heart of success.

We have the commission to make disciples by teaching them to observe the commands of Jesus. We are to carefully study the commands of Jesus to do them and grow in them. As we observe the King’s commands, we can be assured of true order.

This then naturally leads to the question – what are the commands? And that is the premise of this blog series. You might want to summarise it as though it’s the two great love commands. If that were the case, the gospel accounts would be replete with episodes of Jesus’ teachings. If we just took the gospel according to Matthew – a gospel designed to make the connection between Jesus and the Law and the Prophets – there’s a lot more to the commands of Jesus than the two great love commands. For example, take the first command of Jesus … which we’ll consider in the next entry.

For His Name’s Sake

C. L. J. Dryden

Shalom