Yes, Jesus was referring specifically to the commands found in our Old Testament, but I’m convinced the principle is applicable for those of us who are not under the Law or Prophets. I’m convinced of this because this is not the last time in this very sermon that Jesus mentions this; the next time it is not in reference to the Law or Prophets, but in reference to Him. Listen to His words in Matthew 7:21-27:
“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell-and great was its fall."

Greatness in Jesus’ Kingdom is marked by obedience to the King. In fact, Jesus says that the one who is not obedient will be least in the Kingdom and then goes on to say that person will not even enter the Kingdom. He says that the one who is not obedient does not know Him and is foolish.

But what exactly does it mean to be obedient? In these passages we see that obedience has three aspects: knowing, doing, and teaching.

Recently I listened to a sermon online by Francis Chan in which he gave a great illustration on obedience.

“When I was a kid we used to play this game called “Simon Says.” Most of us have played that, unless you are really young, ‘cause there’s no app for it. Simon says, ‘pat your head.’ Okay, Simon said it (patting the top of his head).
It’s a very simple game, but it’s so weird how in the church “Jesus Says” is a totally different game. If Jesus says something, you don’t have to do it, you just have to memorize it. You study it, you memorize it . . . . He tells us to go out and make disciples. How many people in our churches are actually making disciples? We’ve memorized it.
When I tell my daughter, “Hey Rach- go clean your room.” She doesn’t come back to me two hours later and go, “I’ve memorized what you said. You said, ‘Rach go clean your room.’ I can say it in Greek. My friends are going to come over and we’re going to have a study on what it would look like if I cleaned my room.”
She knows better than that. So why do we think that we’re going to come before the Judge one day and quote everything that He said, talk about how much we know?”1

In my life I have observed that the majority of us humans tend to go to the extremes, whether it be with our finances, time management, or even our faith. Let me use two fictional people to illustrate the two extremes I am talking about:

• Bob is a new Christian. He has known about God his whole life, but only recently has made a commitment to follow Him. One thing that held him back all these years was his frustration with what he saw within the church. What he saw was a group of people who went to a special place to read a book, talk, and pray. But they never did anything! They didn’t help the poor, homeless, or orphans. While they sat in their comfortable, warm buildings, people were starving to death just outside their doors. Bob made a commitment that he would not be like that when he became a Christian. He would not spend his time reading the Bible or seeking to understand it. He would just help people in the name of Jesus, and teach others that this is what they should be doing too.  
• Alexander grew up his whole life in the church. He understands very well that the Bible is the Word of God and that many people teach false things. He sees it as the church’s primary role to study the Bible, interpret its meaning, and defend it against all who disagree with his interpretation. Because of this focus, Alexander spends most of his time reading the Bible, memorizing important passages, and teaching others how to understand Scripture the way he does. Since this is the primary job of the church, Alexander believes that helping people with their physical needs is of little importance. If they just know the truth, then they will be warm and well fed in heaven. Alexander leaves the feeding and clothing business up to the government or charity programs.

Yet I am convinced that knowing and doing are not enough; we must also be teaching. How can we know what to do if we’ve not been taught? Consider Jesus’ life: he knew what his Father wanted, he did the things His father desired, and he spent time teaching his apostles how to do it also. After 3 years of watching and learning, Jesus could speak these words to his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20:
“ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

While in the flesh Jesus went about proclaiming that His reign had begun and showing Israel, through His words and actions, what exactly His reign looked like- which was nothing like they were expecting. Their expectations were based upon what they knew. They lived under the reign of a political ruler, and therefore naturally expected their King to be a similar type of ruler.

The world in which Jesus lived was under the reign of an Emperor in Rome. He was a powerful individual who had his position for life. If he was not liked, he faced possible assassination or a coupe from his military. Therefore he exercised a heavy hand in order to maintain his authority. “Emperors could only survive if their people believed they could outgun anyone and everyone else.”1

“Ranked just below the emperor and his relatives, the patrician families dominated Rome and its empire. The word “patrician” comes from the Latin “patres”, meaning “fathers”, and these families provided the empire’s political, religious, and military leadership.”2 Under the Patricians were the Senators, then under them were the Equestrians, followed by the Plebians (the working class), and so on.

Today we call this a hierarchical system, where a person or group of people have authority over those below them. Those who are below are expected to obey those above them, solely because of their position. If you are in a higher level, then you are considered greater than those below you.

Jesus Himself told us that this type of system was in place in His day:

Luke 22:25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.”

Mark 10:42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.”

Now listen to what Jesus tells His followers regarding this hierarchical system:

But you are not to be like that (Luke 22:26; Mark 10:43).

Did you catch that? In Jesus’ Kingdom there is no hierarchy; no person or group of people are to ‘lord it over’ others nor ‘exercise authority’ over them. Greatness is not determined by your position. What a striking difference between Jesus’ reign and Rome’s reign, not to mention the majority of Christian congregations in the 21st century!

This is going to be very important to keep in mind as we approach the remainder of the New Testament. Whatever else Paul, Peter, or others may say, it must agree with what Jesus is saying here. We must interpret them through Jesus’ teaching.

Not only did Jesus begin to hint at the ‘leadership’ structure (or lack thereof) in His Kingdom, but He also condemned the lifestyle of Israel’s religious leaders during his day. They were hypocrites and greedy, neglecting justice and the love of God. In addition to these, they sought the praise of man and places of prominence; summarily, they wanted to be great.

Matthew 23:5-7a They (Scribes and Pharisees) do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

Mark 12:38-40 And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." (Also Luke 25:45-47)

Luke 11:43 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.”

Listen to what Jesus says to his disciples in response to this:

Matthew 23:8-10 But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. (NASB)

Regarding their behavior, Jesus said, "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Again, whatever else we will encounter in the New Testament must be understood through this lens. The rulers in the non-Jewish world considered themselves great. The Jewish religious leaders wanted to be considered great. Jesus made it clear that His reign would not be like that! In the midst of this selfish ambition and vain conceit, Jesus told His followers what type of person is truly great in His Kingdom.

And later:
He (God) took him (Abraham) outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” (Gen. 15:5)

At that time God also forewarned Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a country not their own and be enslaved for 400 years. God, however, promised to punish that nation and set the people free and bring them into a land of their own (Gen. 15:13-16).

In time, all that God had said would happen happened. The Israelites became slaves in Egypt, and their numbers increased to over a million. Then, through His servant Moses, God led His people out of Egypt in a very powerful way.

At last God had set His people free; they were a nation of people, just as God promised Abraham. However, they were no ordinary nation. At the time of the Exodus, the Israelites had no territory to call their own, though all other nations did. Over time God would fulfill His promise and give them the land of Canaan as their inheritance. However, before coming into their inheritance, the prophet Balaam remarked:  I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations (Num. 23:9).

Another characteristic that distinguished the Israelites from other nations was that they had no human king; God Himself was King. From the moment He led them out of Egypt, God was King over this nation of people. Tragically, also from that moment, the Israelites rejected God as King.
Because of this rejection, they continually fell into the hands of their enemies. In response to their cries for deliverance to God, He sent them judges to rescue them. But the Israelites soon tired of the succession of judges. Listen to what God’s people asked of Gideon:

The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us - you, your son and your grandson - because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian. But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” (Judges 8:22-23).

Though Gideon desired the rule of God, the Israelites did not. Finally, the people approached the prophet and judge Samuel with this request:

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have. But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.” (1 Sam. 8:5-8).

“Give us a king to lead us.” With these words the Israelites completed their rejection of God as their king.

God gave them a human king to lead them and to rule over them. All one has to do is read through the Old Testament to see how well this worked out for the Israelites! Ezekiel 34 paints a clear picture of how Israel’s kings (shepherds) led:

1 The word of the Lord came to me:2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
7 "'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

These are powerful words from a loving God. Now listen to God’s response to the horrible leadership of Israel’s kings:

11 "'For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
17 "'As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 "'Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away,22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.
25 "'I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.27 The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid.29 I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.31 You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.'"

Though God gave the Israelites a human king, He envisioned a day when He again would be King over His people. A day when a people would acknowledge and submit to His absolute rule and reign. A day when He would tend, care for, and shepherd His people.

It doesn’t require much search to find Jesus using the same language that God used in Ezekiel, but referring to Himself. Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). In response to complaints about Jesus eating with ‘sinners,’ Jesus told a parable that pictured Him as a shepherd searching for a lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7).

God’s message in Ezekiel of placing one shepherd over His people is fulfilled in Jesus.

Typically when I would open my Bible to either study or simply read, I would spend most of my time in the New Testament letters. One reason is because this is where we find so much regarding our church practices. Another reason is that the teachings found within these letters have been the source of a majority of division within Christianity. So it is no wonder that I, and many others, spent so much time with Paul, Peter and John.

As a result of this practice, I knew (or at least thought I knew) a lot about church practice but very little about Jesus. Then, when I finally read from one of the Gospels, I understood Jesus (both His actions and His teachings) through the authors of the New Testament letters. The epistles were the lens through which I understood the remainder of Scripture, including Jesus.

But what if this is not the best approach? What if this approach to Scripture has hindered our correct understanding of Scripture? What would change if Jesus became the lens through which we understood all of Scripture?

As I have approached my study on New Testament leadership, this has been my desire. What I have attempted to do in my study is to understand what Jesus has to say regarding this subject and allow Jesus’ words to shape my understanding of the rest of Scripture. We’ll touch more on this throughout this series.