But, in a way, Jacob got at least two them to do exactly the opposite of what he claimed he wanted them to do.
He told Kate not to steal but, by getting her out of trouble as a little girl, set up the idea that she could get away with stealing.
He told Sawyer to move past his parents' death but gave him the pen to finish his "promise" not to.
The Jin/Sun and Jack visits might have been the same thing but I can't figure out how without re-watching some episodes.
It was almost as if he wasn't there to make things better but to make sure that they "became" the people who would end up on the flight.
its also possible we didn't see flashbacks with jacob's interaction, but rather fast forwards.
