These are the invitations of Jesus we have examined so far: come to Me, listen to Me, believe in Me, follow Me, fish with Me, and abide in Me. Now we hear: obey Me.
This sounds more like a commandment than an invitation. Of course it is a command, but when we grasp Jesus’ understanding of obedience, we see that everything centers in relationship… and relationship always involves choice.
Jesus explains that the way to abide in relationship is to love… and loving God requires obedience. “As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commands and remain in His love.” John 15:9-10
We can’t picture Jesus disobeying his Father… because the Son loved the Father and the Father loved the Son. We know that Jesus did pour out His heart in difficult times. He asked that the cup of death pass from Him in the Garden, but His humble conclusion to the prayer was: “Not My will, but Yours be done.”
In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan wrote:
I have so many people ask me questions like, Can I divorce my wife and still go to heaven? Do I have to be baptized to be saved? Am I a Christian even though I’m having sex with my girlfiend? If I commit suicide, can I still go to heaven? If I’m ashamed to talk about Christ, is He really going to deny knowing me?
To me, these questions are tragic because they reveal much about the state of our hearts. They demonstrate that our concern is more about going to heaven than loving the King. Jesus said, ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command.’ (John 14:15)
And look at the promise that follows!
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him.” John 14:16-21
Quote from Crazy Love by Francis Chan, ©2008 by D C Jacobson & Associates LLC, p. 86