“He who has My commandments and keeps them,
it is he who loves Me.
And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father,
and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
(John 14:21)
This word “commandments” is so often misunderstood
People instinctively think of the Ten Commandments
Found in Exodus 20
But, I believe, the commandments that Jesus is talking about
Can be found in Matthew chapters 28 and 10
At the end of Matthew 28 we hear 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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.” Amen.
(Matthew 28:18 – 20)
Jesus said:
“teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”
What had He commanded them to do?
In Matthew chapter 10 we read:
“These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:
…And as you go, preach, saying,
‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.
Freely you have received, freely give.”
(Matthew 10:5, 7 – 8)
The commands or commandements that Jesus gave the Disciples
Were to Preach, Heal, Cleanse, Raise and Cast Out
In other words to do the work that Jesus did
John 14 verse 12
We show our “love” for Him, when we do what He did
Keeping His commandements
Is to do what He did
Not simply Preach: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”
But also “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.”
This is why the Father will love us
Because we are continuing on in His work
The work that He (the Father) gave the Son to do
And Jesus will love us and make Himself known to us
He will manifest Himself to us
And He does
So YES preach, tell people about Jesus
Tell people about the kingdom of heaven
Tell them that it is here – NOW
In and through Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit
This is what Jesus said at the end of Mark’s Gospel:
And He said to them,
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
He who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe will be condemned.
And these signs will follow those who believe:
In My name they will cast out demons;
they will speak with new tongues;
they will take up serpents;
and if they drink anything deadly,
it will by no means hurt them;
they will lay hands on the sick,
and they will recover.”
(Mark 16:15 – 18)
Similar to the account in Matthew 28
But it says that these signs will follow those who believe
They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover
Let us be those who keep the commandments of Jesus
And do what He did
Preach, Heal, Cleanse, Raise and Cast Out