Jesus does teach all of the ten commandments, and he applies them to all, irrespective of their degree of their belief in the existence of God. Some of the ten commandments, the first five, apply to those who are aware of God’s existence as king above all gods. They include not blaspheming Him, not putting other gods before Him, not worshipping idols. Honour towards parents is on a par with reverence towards God too, in recognition of the divine order. Jesus did teach all this, such as in his example of a prayer, the “Lord’s Prayer” as it is called. He also rebuked those who undermined honour of parents. He taught that he himself was lord of the Sabbath and he habitually attended synagogue on the Sabbath and recognised abstaining from manual labour on it. Yet, he also made his teachings applicable to those who did not actually believe in God, as the God above all gods. He was inclusive in his reach. He sought to draw all into eternal life by his teachings. On one occasion he was asked about eternal life and what practical steps someone can take to seek it. He just said “keep the commandments” not being specific. When pressed he emphasised those which applied to everyone, irrespective of their beliefs. Not everyone believes God exists, but they still have a duty to treat each other well. James clarified this in his epistle “if you do not love those you can see, how can you love the one you cannot see”. Love starts even before we are convinced God exists. We must still do unto others as we would have them do unto us. It starts there. When we come to believe God is real and an actual person, then we have commandments in how to love Him. Before then we can still live by the light He gave in Jesus His Son. Eventually we believe Jesus is Son of the Father. It takes time. We start where we are. Jesus speaks to us where we are in the journey. We follow him as we are today, immediately. Then we learn the truth found in him over time.
