The words and acts of Jesus

The Commands of Jesus

Jesus gave commands, but they are unlike any other rules: they flow from love and lead back to him. Love God and your neighbour. Forgive. Follow me. Do not be afraid. Go and make disciples. Each command below is quoted from the King James Version and cited. These are gathered plainly; reading each in its full passage is the surest guard against misusing them.

A command from Jesus is never a bare demand. He commands the very love and life he first gives, and he keeps his own commands perfectly on our behalf. Below are some of his clearest direct commands. A word of care: Scripture is best read whole, so each entry cites its passage; some commands were spoken first to particular people in a particular moment, and are read wisely only in that light.

Love God and your neighbour

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Matthew 22:37-39

Jesus called these the first and second commandments, and said all the law and the prophets hang on them (Matthew 22:40).

Love one another

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
John 13:34

Spoken the night before the cross. His love for us is the measure and the source of the love he commands.

Follow me

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19

His first call to ordinary fishermen. To follow is less about rules than about keeping company with him.

Go and make disciples

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Matthew 28:19

The Great Commission, given after the resurrection, joined to the promise, I am with you alway (Matthew 28:20).

Seek first the kingdom

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33

In the Sermon on the Mount, the cure for anxiety: put God first and trust him with the rest.

Love your enemies

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”
Matthew 5:44

One of his most radical commands, grounded in the Father who is kind even to the ungrateful (Luke 6:35).

Do this in remembrance of me

“This do in remembrance of me.”
Luke 22:19

At the Last Supper, breaking bread. The command his followers keep whenever they share communion.

What this shows about Jesus

Jesus does not hand down cold rules from a distance. He commands love because he is love, and he pours out by his Spirit the very obedience he asks. When we fail, he forgives; and he teaches our hearts, slowly, to want what he commands.

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These are his own words and deeds

Everything on this page is drawn straight from the Gospels, nothing added, nothing softened. The living Christ is not an argument to be won but a Person to be met, and he still draws near to everyone who comes to him with an open heart. Read his own words, watch what he does, and see. The Gospel of John is a gentle place to begin.

Meet JesusRead the Gospel of JohnThe gospel

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Frequently asked questions

What is the greatest commandment of Jesus?
To love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). Jesus said all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands.
How many commands did Jesus give?
The Gospels record many, from 'follow me' to 'forgive' to 'go and make disciples.' Rather than counting them, Christians read them as flowing from and returning to love for God and neighbour, and always in the context of the passage where Jesus spoke them.
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