Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Today I read Mark 11 which contain the stories of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the colt and being hailed as the Messiah which of course infuriates the Pharisees. I can understand why the Pharisees did not believe Jesus was the promised Messiah, but I've never understood why they hated Him so much. Now, they obviously were a people who took their blaspheme very seriously, and perhaps that's all that it is. More likely though I suspect it was more a matter of pride. The Savior had on multiple occasions insulted and tricked the Pharisees by turning their own tricks against them, so maybe it was nothing more than wounded pride. We do know that there was at least 1 Pharisee who did not hate Jesus, although he was ashamed to be associated with Him. But we'll read more about him in John.

This chapter also contains the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree, although Mark oddly enough records that it was not the proper time of year for figs, which is more than what Matthew says about it. Matthew does not mention if it is the time for figs or not, he only records that Christ cursed the tree. Now, Joseph Smith did not correct this part of the story so it leads me to wonder, why would Jesus curse the tree if it was not time for the fig tree to bear fruit? I had always figured that it was because it was actually time for figs to be on the tree and there were none so Jesus cursed it. But this one little line changes that. We all know that the Savior is not one to do something just to show off His power, or without cause. So why would He curse the tree if it was not the time for figs? I must admit I do not have an answer for this one and will ponder on it. Maybe I will learn something I can share.

This chapter also contains the story of Jesus cleansing the temple of the money changers and the merchants selling animals for sacrifice purposes. When I was younger I used to wonder why Jesus was throwing them out. But when I went to seminary it was explained to me that these people were not just selling these animals near the temple, they were actually inside the temple itself, in the outer rooms. It would kind of be the equivalent of people selling temple clothing inside the modern day temples themselves. Could you imagine, going into the temple to worship and having a table setup inside with clothing for sale? Talk about not helping to get you in the proper frame of mind to worship.

This is also the second time Jesus cleanses the money lenders out of the temple, although Mark only records this one instance. In the beginning part of His ministry, John records that Jesus cleanses the temple and casts out the money changers and merchants and tells them that His Father's house is not a house of merchandise.However, at the end of His ministry when He cleanses the temple again, He states that it is His house. This is a very interesting distinction and I have often wondered what made the difference between the first time and this second time. He has not yet started the Atonement, so I can't help but wonder why the distinct change in it being His Father's house and now it is His house.

However, that distinction aside, this story has got me thinking about proper worship in the temple. Now, we all live frantic, hectic lives with many, many things vying for our attention. Some of them are bad, some of them are just time wasters and some of them are very good. But we all need to take the time out for proper temple worship for those of my readers who are Latter-day Saints. It is an important work that has to be done and we are doing it for those who cannot do it for themselves. The temples are built for a very specific reason, and ever since President Hinkley's revelation that we can build small temples, temples are closer than they ever were before now. It is a negligence to not use the temples that are around us and if it has been a long time since you have been to the temple, I really suggest you take the time to go and worship. You will be very glad you did. Until tomorrow.

Lead People to Christ by Example

Today I read Mark 10 which includes the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus by asking Him if it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus replies by asking what the Law of Moses had to say on the matter. They replied that Moses allowed them to be divorced as long as a bill of divorcement was given. Jesus then replies that Moses only gave that law because of the hard hearts of the Israelites and their inability to live the higher law so Moses told them it was ok to get divorced but Jesus then teaches them that divorce for any reason other than fornication is causing adultery. I have never really understood this saying and I am not really sure I will in this life so I will not dwell on it. Suffice to say, my personal thoughts are that as long as two people work at it, they can overcome any obstacle. My wife and I when we got married made an agreement that divorce was off the table. It was not even an option we could consider. It made a huge difference in our early years of being married because no matter how bad things got, we knew that we would get through it, and it forced us to. Too many people these days use divorce as an easy escape because they don't want to put in the work necessary to make a good, healthy marriage.

This chapter also contains the story of the young rich man who desired eternal life and wanted to know what he must do to obtain it. Jesus tells him to go and sell all he has and return and follow Him. The rich man does not do this of course and Jesus remarks that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter into heaven. Now there are two schools of thought on this statement. It is my understanding that there is an actual place in Israel that at the time of Christ was referred to as the Eye of a Needle, and it was a very, very narrow passage that the only way a camel could get through it was to get down on its knees and shuffle forward. Some say that it was an analogy stating that rich men, and women, must humble themselves as these camels must to enter into heaven. While this is true, no one who is prideful will enter into heaven, there is another school of thought on this statement.

Some thing that Jesus was referring to a literal camel going through a literal eye of a needle, which without God's help would indeed be impossible. I personally feel that both interpretations are correct. We must indeed humble ourselves if we wish to enter into the kingdom of Heaven but none of us are getting into Heaven on our own, we must have Jesus' help or we will all fall short as Paul says. Everyone has sinned and all have fallen short, without Jesus' help and Atonement, none of us would be able to make it back into God's presence. So I think both interpretations are accurate.

The final part of this chapter that stood out to me today as I read it, was the story of the blind man, Bartimaeus. As Jesus is passing by where Bartimaeus is sitting in the city of Jericho he calls out to Jesus asking Him to have mercy on him. The strange thing to me is that the people all around him try and make him be quiet. I really don't understand that part of the story. Why would the people tell him to stop pestering Jesus and leave Him alone? Jesus is very well known by this point, it's been almost a full 3 years and it is a well known fact that Jesus heals those who ask Him, so why would they tell Bartimaeus to be silent and leave Jesus alone? We are not told but Bartimaeus does succeed in getting Jesus' attention and Jesus heals him of his blindness and followed Jesus ever after.

How often do we stop those around us from reaching out to Jesus? How often do we tell them they are being foolish or make it harder for them to make the right choices because of how we are acting? Do we bring people to Christ by our actions and words? Or do we drive them away? Do people believe that Christ exists because of who we are and how we carry ourselves? Or do we become a stumbling block for those around us? Those are all questions we have to ask ourselves but the answers have long reaching ramifications. Not only are accountable to God for all those we might have helped, I believe we will be accountable to Him for all those who our actions influenced, either for good or for ill. None of us want to be on the wrong end of that conversation, I can promise you that. Thankfully we can choose now where we will be and how we will get to answer that conversation. Choose wisely. Until tomorrow.

Jesus Casts out a Dumb Devil and is Transfigured

Today I read Mark 9. Chapter 9 starts off with the account on the Mount of Transfiguration. The JST clarifies that the Elias that appears to Jesus is John the Baptist. Other than that, there is not much difference between the account in Mark and the account in Matthew that we have already talked about. Mark does add a conversation between the Savior and the 3 Apostles on their way down out of the Mountain about why Elias must come before the Lord. Jesus' answer is fairly simple that Elias was to prepare the way for Jesus to come and teach the people of the prophets and how the Son of Man was to suffer many things for them.

I often wonder if in the scriptures stories and conversations seem so cryptic because they are written down from someone's memory or if that really is the way people spoke back then. In the case of Jesus, for at least most of it, I think that is the way Jesus was speaking because several times it states that the Apostles did not understand Him and what He meant. I do think that was mainly so that those who were not ready to receive Him would be protected and not condemned for rejecting Him.

After leaving the Mt. of Transfiguration, Jesus rejoins the rest of His Apostles to find that they have all been trying to cast out a devil out of a little boy. It specifically states it is a dumb devil, which I suppose just means it had never spoken and caused the boy to not speak. The Apostles were perplexed because while they had previously had much success with casting out devils, this one resisted their attempts to cast him out of the boy. The Savior, of course, is able to cast out the devil just fine and the boy is calm and returned to his father. The Apostles asked the Savior why they were so unsuccessful in casting out the devil and Jesus tells them that it requires prayer and fasting.

I have often wondered what was so different about this experience than the previous attempts the Apostles had in casting out devils. Why was this one so different from all the rest of the times they tried to cast out devils? The only thing I can think of is how they were living their lives up to this point. In the past, the Savior had sent them out to preach the Gospel and it was while on this endeavor that they reported they could cast out devils in His name. This time however, they were merely waiting for the Savior, Peter, James and John to return from the mountain when they were told about the boy's condition. So perhaps they were not in a spiritual frame of mind like they were when they were out spreading the word of God. At least that is all I can think of.

This chapter also contains the story of the Apostles arguing who will be greatest among them. The Savior tries to teach them that the greatest among them must be the servant of all. I very much doubt they understood what He was trying to teach them here. It is a concept that not many people seem to get. It always seems like those with the money and power in this life are those who expect others to serve them, not the other way around. At least that is how it is here in America, I do not know how it is in other countries but I cannot imagine it is very different considering what the Lord teaches us in Doctrine and Covenants section 121. I do not understand what it is about most people who seem to lust after power and spend their time and efforts chasing after it. Those with power ideally should only desire it to do good for their fellow man. Sadly we know all too well this is not the case.

The chapter ends with the statement about salt and if the salt loses its savor what is it good for. We have already talked about how we are the salt and we are to add that bit of goodness into the life of others. If everyone saw it as their personal mission to make sure that everyone they came in contact with on a daily basis had a little bit of a better day because of them, this world would be such a better place. Until tomorrow.

Jesus Feed the 4,000 and Heals a Blind Man in Stages

Today I read Mark 8 where Jesus feeds the 4000 who have been following Him for 3 days and have been fasting the entire time. Again Jesus manages to miraculously feed them with just 7 loaves of bread this time and a few small fishes. I wonder if everyone fasted the entire 3 days including Jesus and His Apostles or if everyone ate the food they brought and they ran out by the 3rd day. I suppose it does not really matter one way or the other, but I often wonder about the background of these stories that we are not told and what lead up to the miracle that we read about.

This chapter also contains what is perhaps the most interesting miracle that Jesus ever performs. He heals a blind man, but He does it in stages. Every time I read this chapter I can't help but wonder why the first time Christ heals the man, it does not work completely. Christ spits on the man's eyes and lays His hands on the blind man and then asks him to look and tell Jesus what he sees. The man does and tells Jesus that he sees men walking about as trees. This statement leads me to believe this man was not born blind. How would he know what a tree looks like if he had been born blind? So Jesus lays His hands on the blind man's head again and then he sees clearly. This miracle is so interesting to me, why didn't Jesus just heal him fully the first time? Did it have to do with the man's faith? We are not told. I also wonder if the first time Jesus heals him, if the man needed glasses. The description he gives Jesus sure sounds like blurry vision in need of corrective lenses to me. This is again one of those things that I will probably never know the reason in this life. But it is very interesting to me that Jesus chose to do it this way.

This chapter also contains that warning Jesus gives His Apostles concerning the Pharisees and their leaven. Although in this version it does not state implicitly that Jesus is referring to their doctrine. He merely rebukes them for thinking that He is upset with them for not bringing bread when He just fed 4000. You do have to wonder about Jesus' disciples and Apostles sometimes. They just watched Him take 7 loaves and a few fishes and feed 4000 people and have 7 baskets of leftovers and they think He is rebuking them because they forgot to bring any food with them. It's kind of silly honestly. But they were still learning and we are not told much about His Apostles other than some of them were fishermen and one was a publican. We do not know if they were overly spiritual men before Christ called them. So I can understand them not really comprehending His warning to beware their teachings.

They also did not understand His trying to teach them that He will be crucified and resurrected. Peter upon hearing that tells Christ that he won't let it happen. He doesn't understand that it is necessary and has to happen. But then again, none of the Jews did. When Jesus is killed they all forget that He told them it would happen that way and that He would be resurrected on the 3rd day. But that is because the references to His first coming and Atonement had been removed from their scriptures hundreds of years before this. The Apostles are still learning to use their spiritual ears and all too often, miss what Jesus is actually trying to say to them. But they learn little by little. I also wonder if it was harder to learn the things of the Spirit without the Spirit constantly present to testify of the truthfulness of the things they were hearing or if Jesus' spirit was able to fulfill that role? When we who have the Gift of the Holy Ghost hear truth, and are worthy of His presence, the Holy Ghost testifies to us that it is true. And so it is easier for us to distinguish between truth and error. Although we still make mistakes too and can choose to not listen to the promptings of the Spirit.

As we strive to make right choices though, it becomes easier to make even more right choices and to do that which is right in God's sight. But it is still possible to fall and fall hard, take David from the Old Testament for example. He was about as blessed as a man can be, but he still let temptation get the better of him and lost his place and his reward. It can happen to all of us. We have to remain true to our covenants and listen to the Spirit and His promptings. It gets easier to do it each and every time and our desires change so that we want to be better and do what is right. If that is our goal, we will get there little by little. God will give us what we want and what we ask for, so it is important to know what it is you want and where you want to end up. I know what my goal is, take the time to understand what yours is too and you won't be disappointed when you get there. Until tomorrow.

Christ Lived a Life of Service

Today I read Mark 7, which contain a few miracles and is Mark's version of the story Jesus tells about not worrying about what goes into a man that can defile him, but rather that which comes out of the man. We have covered that quite extensively I think in the version Matthew wrote so we will not go into it again.

Mark records a telling of a story of a Greek woman whose daughter is possessed of a devil and desires Jesus to cleanse her of it. Jesus replies that He is there for the Jews and not for others, although He says it in a round about way citing that the family eats before others. She shows great faith by stating that the dogs eat of the crumbs that the children let fall, and Jesus then heals her daughter from afar. There are a few stories of this happening, where a non-Jew displays great faith to the Savior and He consents to heal them. In fact, Jesus is actually not a Hebrew name, Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, Joshua. Jesus went by the Greek version of His name because of the great faith and honor that a group of Greek men and woman showed Him. Despite Jesus being there for the Jews, He never fails to help those of other nationalities when they show great faith.

The part of the chapter that most struck me today was when Jesus retires to a house and desires to be left alone. It must have been very difficult for Jesus, once His fame was known, people would swarm and flock around Him at all hours of the day and night. He rarely had time to Himself or even time to sleep in some instances. But that is what gives us such a wonderful example to emulate, the Savior never did anything for Himself except eat and sleep. He was always helping people and lived a life of service. I have often wondered how He ate and how He obtained food, but considering He is the Son of God I haven't wondered very long on it considering He could create food anytime He wanted.

But the way Jesus lives His life is an example to us. Obviously we cannot forsake our duties and our job, we cannot make food from rocks or nothing, we need to work to obtain money to meet our needs. But are we striving to do more than just meet our needs? Now, I am not saying we need to live in squalor and only survive, I think our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and comfortable. But are we living in a house that could easily house double your family size? Are you working extra hours to pay for a car that costs twice but a smaller more efficient car does? Are you going out to eat for every meal? How many TVs do you have in your home?

The scriptures ask us where our hearts are. What are the things we spend our time and efforts trying to achieve? Are we concerned with building up the kingdom of God? Or are we more concerned with our status in society? With keeping up with the Jones as it were? If the man we are trying to emulate and be like, did nothing for Himself beyond what was necessary to keep His body alive and functioning properly, how should we be spending our lives? Parents spend most of their waking time doing things for their children when they are babies and toddlers. What of the rest of us? Are we serving our fellow man, even if just our families? Or do we come home from work and cloister ourselves in another room away from our family and our responsibilities?

Alma, in the Book of Mormon, in the 5th chapter asks some hard questions for each person to ask themselves to determine how they are doing. I propose that similar questions such as I proposed above are worth asking and finding an answer for too. Now, I am no prophet, but the scriptures teach us that he who would lose His life for the Christ-sake will find it. The scriptures also teach us no man can serve two masters. We must choose this day if we will serve Christ or not. If we serve Him, we must serve Him with our whole heart. When we do, the Lord will use us as His tool here on earth and you will be witness to amazing things and you will never regret your choice. I can promise you that because I have seen it first hand. Until tomorrow.

Jesus Feeds the 5,000 and Walks on Water

Today I read Mark 6. In this chapter the Savior ordains the Twelve Apostles from the disciples that He has and sends them out to preach His Gospel. He sends them out right away and tells them to go without purse or script and to go without a second cloak even but that God will take care of them. Mark does not go into as much detail as Luke does, but he mentions that the Apostles cast out devils and healed the sick all in His name. The Savior also tells them to shake off the dust of their feet as a testimony against those who would reject them. I have always found that a little strange and am glad that is not something modern missionaries do.

This chapter also talks about Herod having John the Baptist killed , which we talked about in a previous post when we read it in Matthew. Despite the fact that men seemed to make really dumb promises back in those days it would seem, it is still interesting that they keep those promises no matter how much they regret making them afterwards. I'm not sure which is worse, living in a society where people make rash promises but they are kept, or one like ours were people don't really promise anything anymore and even if they do, the promises generally aren't kept. I personally would rather live in a world where everyone keeps their word and the promises they make, no matter how rash or grand, are kept and fulfilled.

This chapter also contains the miracle of Jesus feeding the multitude of 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. It's hard to pinpoint which of the Savior's miracles is the most impressive but this one must have been fantastic to see. I can only imagine the amazement of the Apostles as they took up the pitifully small amount of bread and fish fragments and started into the crowd. It must have been truly amazing to watch as the bread not only did not run out but multiplied right before their eyes. Interestingly enough though, it does not record the Apostles reactions to this miracle, although it does not really record any of their reactions except for when Jesus calms the sea and walks on water and a few others, but for most of the miracles, it does not record the Apostles reactions at all. I also wonder if seeing Jesus do miraculous things started to become commonplace and lose it's luster for them? No matter how miraculous it is at first, anything can become commonplace if done often enough.

The final part of this chapter is Jesus walking on the water. This is one of the few miracles that I can reason in my own mind how it might be possible to do it. All the others, like multiplying 5 loaves of bread into however much it was that fed the 5,000, I have no idea. But something like walking on top of the water, that makes sense almost if you understand water tension and how water striders do it. Now, it does not change the fact that it was miraculous and you and I cannot do it, but at least I can understand the physics of it.

Interestingly enough, Mark does not record that Peter tried to walk on the water to the Savior. It merely mentions that they were rowing to the other side of the sea and that the Savior was walking as if to pass them by and heard them become afraid because they thought it was a spirit. It makes no mention at all that Peter tried to walk out to the Savior. I read something about a week ago, when I was preparing to start reading Mark, that stated that most scholars believe Mark made his records by interviewing and listening to the reminiscences and teachings of Peter. Which makes this omission even more interesting because Peter never struck me as one to get embarrassed easily. I would not have thought that Peter would be one to omit his walking on the water for reasons of embarrassment or even forgetfulness, so I don't know what to make of Mark's omission.

I am glad that we have these records of the things the Savior did. As we mentioned above, anything can become commonplace if done often enough no matter how miraculous they first appeared. It is a wonderful thing to have such records of the Savior's ministry and how He interacted with the people. It gives us all something to strive for and become. If everyone would put into practice the things Jesus taught and follow the example He left us of what He did in His life, this world would be a utopia. But it begins with the self and we can only change our own behavior and not any one else's. It all begins with becoming the right type of person. Until tomorrow.

Jesus Casts out the Legion of Devils into Swine

Today I read Mark 5, where the Savior casts out the legion of devils into the herd of swine, heals the woman with an issue of blood and raises Jairus' daughter from the dead. I don't generally do this, but I went back and read my previous entries on these miracles to see what I had said because nothing really stood out to me during my reading today.

Mark goes into more detail about the casting out the devils into the herd of swine than Matthew did. Mark mostly focuses more on the person who had been possessed than Matthew did. The man was so tormented that he lived in the tombs and we are told he would cut himself with stones. Presumably he was naked as well because Mark makes a point that when the people came out to see him that he was clothed. The man could not be bound with chains because he would break them. That kind of gives us some insight into the powers that the devils and spirits who followed Satan have. Most people, even professional weight lifters cannot break chains, yet this man because he was possessed was able to do so. Now, we know that God can grant a man great strength, such as Sampson, but apparently the devil is able to do so as well. There have always been stories of man making deals with the devil to get what they want for probably as long as there have been people. It would only make sense that there be at least a grain of truth to them.

Now, possession by devil is not a topic most people tend to focus on and I really don't want to spend a large amount of time on it either, partly because I feel it is unhealthy to focus too much on the things of the devil as opposed to the things of God, but also partly because I have always been taught that the best way to avoid the power of the devil is to avoid him altogether. But I think it bears talking about just a little bit. We do not hear of people being possessed of the devil these days like we used to in the time of the Savior. I wonder if that is because it is not happening, or because we now say that such people are insane and we lock them away? I really don't have the answer but again I have always been told and taught that the best way to protect yourself from such things is by keeping the commandments, living a righteous life and avoiding situations where the devil may be present, like inappropriate parties, bars and other such places.

It is interesting to me how the people in that city reacted to the Savior cleansing the man of his many devils. Mark tells us that there were 2000 swine in the herd that the devils went into, but makes no mention how many devils were inside the man other than there were many. But when the citizens of the city heard the story from the swine herdsman and saw the man who had been possessed sitting calmly, clothed and in full control of his faculties, they were afraid and asked Jesus to leave. It is very odd that there was no rejoicing for the man and his being saved, there was no welcoming him back into society, although Mark makes it sound like this city may not have been his home as Jesus tells him to return to his family in the city of Decapolis. It makes you wonder what the people of that city were like that they feared such a one as Jesus who had power over devils.

This chapter also contains the story of the woman with an issue of blood which we will talk about when we come to Luke, and the raising of Jairus' daughter, which we talked about back in Matthew. It is important to note that when Jesus raised people from the dead, Jairus' daughter and Lazarus, and any others that we may have record of or may not have record of, He is raising them back to life and not resurrecting them. That means that they are still mortal and will die again as they were raised back to an imperfect body and not to immortality. I think most of you already know that but it is a good distinction to make.

The raising of Jairus' daughter is the first recorded instance of Jesus raising someone from the dead and we can infer that it was indeed the first time as when Jairus first approached Jesus, his daughter was merely sick. But when he was told that his daughter had died, he thanked Jesus for His time and care but told Him there was no need for Jesus to accompany him any further. It was not a common enough occurrence that people are raised from the dead back then, we only have a few instances of it happening in all the scriptures. I imagine many people did not believe it had happened, although perhaps those stalwart individuals who were faithfully living the commandments to the best of their ability did. After all, I would have no trouble believing a faithful priesthood holder had brought someone back to life with a blessing. Although a story like in the case of Lazarus would be a bit harder to accept, but I am getting ahead of myself.

As with all things of the Spirit, Jesus was both accepted and rejected, adored and feared, appreciated and treated with contempt. He still is. It is hard to listen to someone mock my Savior and my faith, but I remind myself when faced with such instances that everyone is entitled to choose their own path and I have no control over what they do just as they cannot control me, thank goodness! All I can do is live the best life I can and spread the Gospel by my actions and words and let the Spirit do the rest. That is what it means to do His will and be an instrument in His hands. Until tomorrow.

Milk Before Meat

Today I read Mark 4, which contain the parable of the sower, the candle under the bushel, and the calming of the sea. We have already covered all of these during our reading of Mathew but I was struck by something in today's reading that I don't recall seeing in Matthew. In verse 34 Mark says that Jesus spake only in parable to the multitude. Now we know that this was done so that He would not be imparting too much knowledge at once to people who are not ready for it. It is the same reason we don't have people who are baptized go through the temple the very next week, they are not ready for it. We all must learn line upon line, precept upon precept and as we prove ourselves to God that we are willing to live according to what light and knowledge we have, then He gives us more. When Elder Bednar was here back in September of last year he said that the reward of living the commandments is more commandments. And he's right, of course.

But the rest of verse 34 is what caught my attention, it says "and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples". I thought this was very interesting. To the multitude, Jesus was giving them a way out if they were not ready to receive His doctrine, but to those who had already made the decision to follow Him, to them Jesus explained all His parable. And that makes sense, it was just interesting to me. But I liken it to a person who has recently been baptized verses someone who is just asking a random question about the Latter-day Saint faith. You would probably give a very similar answer to both individuals, but to the recently baptized member, you would probably go further and give a more complete answer, because they have the Gift of the Holy Ghost which will help them understand the things they are taught. And of course it is not as if we have anything to hide from the person inquiring about Latter-day Saint beliefs, but such people are generally asking for only intellectual pursuits and not in earnest.

But to me it is like teaching a child, you start simple and work your way towards the complex, you don't try and teach a 4 year old all about the intricacies of the Atonement and how it is retroactive and will apply towards all those who had lived before Jesus did. They don't need to know that. A 4 year old only needs to know that Jesus died for us and made it so they can be with their families forever. Likewise a person who is newly baptized needs milk before meat.

I remember a young woman that I taught on my mission and helped get baptized who eventually went on to serve a mission of her own. She did not know very much, if anything, about the Bible before she got baptized. After her baptism, as she read the Book of Mormon, she would write down questions she had and we would spend literally hours going over her questions after the church meetings in the gym while my companion setup appointments with members or sat in on our discussions. But I remember one time while she was reading in I think 1 Nephi she came across a passage about Moses and she asked me who Moses was. I was floored that she did not know who Moses was, however, this is not uncommon among the Chinese people who I served among.

There was another instance where I was tracting with my companion and a very nice lady let us in the door. We were using the old discussion format at the time which starts out talking about God and then moves on to Jesus Christ. Well about halfway through the 2nd principle of the 1st discussion, she interrupted us and apologized for interrupting but we kept saying a name that she was unfamiliar with. She then asked us who Jesus Christ was. So we stopped and said, "You know, Jesus Christ, like in the Bible." She then replied with, "And then there's that too, you've mentioned it several times, what's the Bible?" She had never heard of either. We were trying to build off of common ground, but there was no common ground to build off of. Such a person was not ready for what we had to teach. We tried for a few minutes longer but she quickly lost interest so we left her with a few pamphlets and went on our way.

Heavenly Father loves His children very much and does not want them held accountable to more than they are ready to bear. We read in Doctrine and Covenants earlier this year that when much is given, much is required. That is why Jesus taught in parables after all. It is important that in our zealousness for the Gospel, we are not trying to move faster than those we are trying to teach are prepared for. If we try, we will only be hindering their progression. A child must walk before he/she can run. This is another tender mercy of the Lord and I for one am grateful for it. Until tomorrow.

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath and Calls the Apostles

Today I read Mark 3 which covers several of the same stories and ideas that are found in Matthew, which is no surprise. The chapter starts out with the Savior healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath and the Pharisees taking offense at that. I have often wondered just why, of all the things that they could do and could not do on the Sabbath, healing the sick was placed on the don't list of Sabbath activities? It really does make me wonder if the Pharisees understood the Gospel of Jesus Christ at all. I know that they didn't have the fulness of the Gospel to begin with and were only living the law of Moses but it is still strange to me that they could miss the mark so completely like that.

They for sure did not understand the final judgment and what it's purpose is and seemed instead to think it will be some giant checklist that God will go down and check off all the righteous things they did. I often wonder how such ridiculous measures start, was it something one of their prophets thousands of years before said in passing? Such mania does not appear overnight and the traditions the Jews were following at the time of Jesus outweighed the actual commandments by more than two times. It's really sad to see being on the other side and having the gift of hindsight, just how the commandments which were supposed to help them, became such a stumbling block because of their own pride and haughtiness.

This chapter also contains the calling of the Twelve Apostles. As I read this account, it really made me wonder, why was Judas Iscariot even chosen as an Apostle? I know someone had to betray Jesus and there are two schools of thought that Judas was foreordained or that he had a moment of weakness, but it really makes me wonder what even drew Judas to Jesus? John the Beloved describes Judas as a thief and a liar, but that could be because John wrote his book much later in his life and again was coloring his account with the benefit of hindsight. But I get the feeling that John never really liked Judas to begin with. But several of the modern day Apostles and Prophets have also talked about Judas and his character and seem to agree with John's assessment of Judas. And so I just can't help but wonder, if Judas was such a reprobate to begin with, what drew him to Jesus in the first place? I guess we will never know in this life.

I sometimes wish the stories contained in the scriptures were more complete because sometimes they just seem so weird. For example, this chapter closes with the story of Jesus' earthly family, his mother and half brothers and sisters coming to visit Him. Instead of going out to meet them, He states "Who is my mother, or my brethren?" To me that is just a strange thing to say, even as an object lesson, and kind of cold towards His earthly family. I just have to believe that this is more to the story than that. I can understand His earthly family taking a backseat to the work of His father but to completely shun them seems a little harsh. Now, I fully understand that Jesus is trying to teach the people that true followers of Christ will do the will of the Father, but again it just seems a very strange way to do it.

Again most, if not all, of these stories were covered in Matthew, but we get a slightly different perspective on them from Mark and when we read them again in Luke it will be yet a third perspective. That's one of the reasons reading the synoptic Gospels straight through is beneficial as even though you are reading the same story sometimes 3 times, you are getting a different perspective on them and can learn new things. Although it would be kind of neat if someone were to take the synoptic Gospels and combine them so that you get one Gospel that contains all the stories, teachings and miracles of the Savior in just one book. But then you are faced with the dilemma of which version to use for the stories that are the same. Hence this way is the best way and I personally am just grateful that we have so many of the teachings of Jesus for us to review, study and ponder. Thank goodness that those closest to Him thought to write down their experiences for us. Who knows where we would be without them. Until tomorrow.

Jesus Forgives Sins

Today I read Mark 2. In this chapter the most notable story to me is the story of Jesus healing the man who was sick with palsy. When Jesus came back into the city of Capernaum from the wilderness, people quickly found out about it and thronged the house where He was staying. The man who had palsy was on a bed and four of his friends were carrying him and saw that they would never be able to get the bed inside the house. So they took off the tiles from the roof and lowered him into the house.

When Jesus saw their determination and their faith, He was moved with compassion to help the man. So Jesus tells the man sick with palsy that his sins are forgiven. Now that to me is interesting. It kind of hints to me that the reason the man had the palsy in the first place was because he had been doing things he ought not to do and the palsy was, at least partly, psychological. It certainly conveys to me that the man with the palsy was more concerned about his spiritual health than the physical health. I think that even if everything else was the same, the reason he had palsy etc, if the man had been more concerned about the fact that he cannot move, then Jesus would have told him first to take up his bed and walk.

Now, it can be argued that perhaps the man was concerned with his spiritual status too, but Jesus just used it as an object lesson to teach the scribes that were around. I do not think that is the case personally. I think that Jesus focuses on the individual and what they need most and if it can be used to help others, such as in this case with the scribes, then so be it. But I think Jesus would have healed this man in this fashion whether there was an audience or it was just him and Jesus alone.

Now, I can't really blame the scribes for feeling the way they did. They are sitting there, listening to Jesus teach and then the man with the palsy comes into the house from the roof and Jesus tells him that his sins are forgiven. Can you really blame the scribes for thinking in their hearts that only God can forgive sins? How would you have reacted if this were you? I'm not sure I would have reacted any differently, because only God can forgive sins. I was actually just talking about this very thing with a friend of mine who is not a Latter-day Saint just last week. We were discussing how some religions have people that absolve them of their sins and some do not. I personally think such practice came about from the true method of confessing certain sins to the proper priesthood authority that was certainly in place in the church Christ established after His resurrection. The difference is, a bishop or Stake President, or even the Prophet in the Latter-day Saint church does not forgive sins. They merely listen to the Spirit to determine if they have repented and if God has forgiven them. All the bishops or Stake Presidents do is restore the status of that member back into the church when they feel the person is repentant and the Spirit confirms it.

So again, how would you react if you saw a man forgiving the sins of another? I bet your thoughts would be very similar to the scribes in this story. I'm pretty sure mine would be. But the Savior I don't think is condemning them, merely teaching them who He really is and trying to help their unbelief. At least that is how I read the story. But regardless, you really can't blame the scribes in this story for being skeptical.

The rest of this chapter we have covered before in our reading of Matthew. The Savior calls Matthew to be a disciple, the Savior and His disciples pluck ears of corn on the Sabbath and eat them. Although, the JST version of the story of the disciples eating the corn adds something that Matthew did not have. When Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, the JST adds a line that states that the Sabbath is for man to glorify God, not that man should not eat. I had not thought of it that way before, but it seems like the Pharisees way would have a person go without food if they had not prepared sufficiently before hand. I've actually known some Latter-day Saints who feel this way too, that they prepare all their Sunday meals the day before so they won't have to cook on the Sabbath.

I, like the Savior before me, feel such people do not understand the spirit in which the Sabbath day was given. The Sabbath was given so that man may glorify God and rest from their labors. I do not think it is pleasing to God to make such a big to do about how we keep the Sabbath day holy. Just focus on doing what God would have you do and be about His work and you will be fine. And if your life is in order and the Spirit is your companion, you'll know if what you are doing is considered breaking the Sabbath. But if your life is in order and the Spirit is your companion, I don't think you'll have to worry about keeping the Sabbath, such people tend to keep it naturally. Until tomorrow.

Jesus Heals Peter's Mother-in-law and a Leper

Today I started the Book of Mark, chapter 1. Mark, as best as I can tell, was written to the Romans, those who were not familiar with the concept of a Savior and who did not look for His coming. One of the articles I read about Mark states that his audience was particularly those who placed a lot of emphasis on action and doing. As such, Mark has always kind of felt like the cliff notes version of the Gospels to me. He just speeds along and touches on quite a lot of things the Savior did without dwelling on them too much. Now, Mark was not one of the Savior's Apostles but rather was a young man during the time of Jesus. It is commonly thought that Mark's family owned the house that the Savior and the Apostles used to hold Passover on the last night of Jesus' life. Some believe that Mark actually learned all he did from the Apostle Peter and that the focus on the miracles and the actions of the Savior were Peter's and not Mark's own. Some day we will know for sure, but as we mentioned, Mark does read very quickly and has a tendency to focus on the miracles and the actions of the Savior as opposed to His teachings like Matthew and Luke did.

In the first chapter, Mark cover's the Savior's baptism, His sojourn in the wilderness where He is temped of the devil and the calling of His disciples, most notably Peter, James and John. And that's just the first 20 verses! The rest of the chapter focuses on miracles that Jesus performed in and around the city of Capernaum.

When I was younger and was going through seminary, I had the unique experience to have a different teacher all 4 years. For the New Testament I had the wonderful opportunity of my teacher being my very own mother. She is very knowledgeable of the scriptures and a good portion of my knowledge comes directly from her, as is probably true of most people. But I remember in seminary reading the Gospels and at times being confused about certain things and it was a real treat to be able to discuss them at length with my mother even after class was over. But I bring this up because I used to be confused by the story where the Savior cleanses a man of unclean spirits and the spirits loudly acknowledge the Savior as being the Son of God and Jesus rebukes them to be quiet. I had always wondered why when He was trying so hard to get the Jews to recognize Him for who He was that He would silence one who could most assuredly proclaim who He was.

I asked my mom about this and she told me that it was the wrong type of endorsement. Yes, the unclean spirit could, and in this case, did proclaim Jesus as the Son of God, but it is not a good thing to have the testator of who you are to be a devil. I like to think of it as if you were on trial for something and the only character witness they could find to vouch for you was a drunken drug addict. Would that look very good upon you? Absolutely not. So it is in this case. I certainly would not want to be associated with an unclean spirit in any form or fashion. So I can understand that while yes, Jesus' mission was to save all mankind and He was the promised Messiah to the Jews, He did not want endorsement from the wrong crowd.

The next miracle that Mark records is Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law. You know, the scriptures do not often talk about women or even bring them up except in a few notable instances such as Ruth and Esther. But you kind of have to wonder in this case with Jesus' Apostles, what did their wives think of them just up and leaving their livelihood like that to follow after Jesus? Now, I may be guilty of analyzing this under New Historicism and imposing American culture upon the 1st Century Jews, but it seems to me that if I came home one day and told my wife that I had quit my job in order to follow around the Messiah, she'd have me locked up and shipped off to the funny farm! But perhaps Jewish society was not that way and the women were very understanding and perhaps when Peter's wife saw Jesus heal her mother, any doubts she may have had were dispelled. We are just not told. But we do know that Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law and word spread quite rapidly and Jesus spent all the rest of that day healing all those with infirmities and when night came He left the city to go into the wilderness to be alone.

The final miracle Mark records in this chapter is Jesus cleansing the leper. The leper had great faith stating that he knew Jesus could heal him if he only wanted to. Jesus replied that He did wish to heal the leper and did so. He then tells the leper to go show himself to the priest but to tell no one about how he got healed. The leper does not heed this counsel and immediately begins to tell everyone he meets how Jesus healed him and Jesus is soon swarmed to the point that He has to leave the city. This is another one when I was younger that I was a little confused. Why would Jesus not want the man to tell anyone. Somehow I managed to miss the very next verse where it answers that very question. Jesus did not have any problem healing all those that came to Him, but when it because known that He could heal leprosy, He knew no peace. People came from all around to see Him and to be healed by Him and there were so many that Jesus could not stay in the city but rather retired outside the walls of the city.

You can definitely tell Mark had a much different audience in mind than did Matthew. Mark does not even touch on the divine circumstances concerning Jesus' birth and instead jumps straight into His ministry and the miracles that Jesus performed. We will see more of this focus over the next 15 days as we read the book of Mark. But it will be a very worthwhile journey as Mark has a few stories not in the other Gospels and a different take on some of the same stories. Until tomorrow.

He is Risen

Today I read Matthew 28 where the Savior is resurrected. This is a very brief version and does not go into as much detail as the other versions of the story do. It is interesting to me that all the Gospels say it is one angel that talk to Mary Magdalene and Joseph Smith corrects it to read that it was two angels. I have always wondered of all the things to change in a manuscript, why change the number of angels that were present, either maliciously or otherwise. All I can think of is that it is important that it was two angels because of the law of witnesses, namely out of the mouth of two or more witnesses shall every word be established. I just find it interesting but I am not sure there is anything of significance beyond it.

The part of Matthew's account that is different than the others is that Matthew makes a point to tell us that the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin bribed the guards to report that it was Christ's disciples that came and took away the body and not that He was resurrected. That is not in any of the other accounts which makes sense considering Matthew was writing to the Jews. So it would make sense that Matthew would make mention of the fact that the leaders of the Jewish church would want to cloud what really happened. In a way you gotta wonder about the smallness and pettiness of these men. The first person in the history of humanity is resurrected, and these men refuse to believe it and pay to try and cover it up. It is really quite unbelievable.

With the resurrection, Jesus' work is complete. What began in the Garden of Gethsemane, what continued on the cross was made complete by the Savior conquering death and overcoming the grave. He is rightly called the first fruits of them that slept as He was the very first person of all those who lived and died, to be resurrected and He paved the way for all of us to be resurrected too. Everyone who was ever born on this earth and received a body, even if only for a second, will be resurrected and receive a body again. The only ones of all of our Heavenly Father's children who will not receive a body are Satan and his followers who were cast out and denied the privilege of being born into mortality.

It seems kind of strange to me that I don't have more to say on the single most important event that has ever happened. But everything I could ever write has been said and spoken a dozen times over, and Matthew's account is so brief compared to all the others, I mean he only covers the very bare minimum, pretty much that it happened and that's all. There will be other things to talk about in the other Gospels when we get there, but for now I will just bear my witness and testimony that I know He lives and was resurrected. I was not there and have not seen Him with my physical eyes, but I don't need to. The Spirit has borne His witness to me, as is His role and I know just as if I had seen and handled His wounds with my own two hands that the Savior lives. He died so that we all might live and He is still watching over us and paving the way for us so that we can all return to live with our Heavenly Father. This I know to be true and I so testify in His sacred name, even Jesus Christ, amen. Until tomorrow.

The Savior Dies

Today I read Matthew 26 where the Savior is crucified and completes the Atonement by dying so that we all might live again. There are many interesting things in this chapter and a couple of them only appear in the Matthew account. For example, Matthew records that Pilate's wife sent to him and told him to let Jesus go free because she had a dream about Him the previous night that discomfited her.

I once read a talk about Pilate that I believe was by Elder Maxwell. He states in the talk that Pilate was a pretty ruthless man in his youth and a very ineffectual governor. I only bring this up because I have always been extremely interested in why Pilate didn't just tell the Jews they were crazy and release Jesus anyway. From what I remember of the talk, Pilate feared if he did that an inquiry would be made back to Rome and it would cause him a lot of trouble and he'd rather forestall it by just having Jesus killed than to risk the civil unrest it would cause. I do believe that Pilate honestly believed that if he had Jesus punished and whipped the people would recant their desire to see Him killed. That is of course not the way it happened.

I've heard it said before that nothing will cause an argument quite like politics or religion. I say that because as many times as I read this account, I cannot get over the fact that the Jews asked to have a murderer, a convicted killer mind you, released into public society as opposed to letting Jesus, who was only accused of blaspheme go. They would rather run the risk of having one of them die at the hands of Barabbas thank let Jesus go, who the only thing they were upset about with Him is that He states He is the Son of God, a blasphemer in their mind. I just cannot get over that, no matter how hard I try.

I also find it almost incomprehensible that Pilate would think a simple washing of his hands would actually not put the Savior's blood on his hands when it was him and him alone that gave the final order to have an innocent man, acknowledged by him, put to death. I remember hearing a talk once by either Elder Neal A. Maxwell or Elder Jeffrey R. Holland that stated that Pilate was never more guilty than when he washed his hands in front of the Jews. His cowardly act always reminds me of those scenes in movies when the bad guy is threatening the life of some innocent person and they tell the hero that unless they do something for him, they will kill the innocent and their life will be on the hands of the hero. I always shake my head in wonder at such scenes and wonder if the villain really believes that, or if they are just trying to unnerve the hero. Regardless, I sadly think that Pilate really believed his act was enough to foist the blame off of himself and onto the Jews. I can only imagine what the judgment must have been like for Pilate to have knowingly killed an innocent man, let alone the Son of God Himself. I shudder to have been in that judgment.

Matthew records that when the Savior died, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom and there were many earthquakes. He also records that after the Savior was resurrected, that the graves of many of the Saints opened and the dead appeared unto many. I have often wondered why this particular piece of information was included at the time of Jesus' death since it cannot have happened until after Jesus was resurrected from the way it reads to me. But it happened when it happened and we will know someday the sequence of events.

A final note on this chapter, Jesus gave up His life voluntarily. Yes, He was put to death and He was on the cross which makes it extremely hard to breathe we are told, but Jesus died willingly and gave up the ghost on His own. When He had finished the Atonement, what He had been born to do and what all of creation waited for Him to do, He let His body die and returned to His Father in Heaven triumphant. Being half God, Jesus could have survived even crucifixion if He had so chosen. He could have kept His body alive, but He voluntarily gave up His life so that we all might be resurrected after death. There has never been a greater sacrifice in all of creation. Is it any reason why so many have declared they will bathe His feet in their tears? Without His selflessness, all of Creation would have perished and been for nothing. Thank Heaven for the sacrifice of Jesus. Until tomorrow.

The Atonement Begins

Today I read Matthew 26, the chapter where the Savior is betrayed and performs the Atonement. There are several interesting things in this chapter that I have often wondered about. I also wonder why Matthew's account leaves out certain things that John puts in since they were both in the room at the last supper. I wonder if it has to do with the difference in audiences or if it has to do with John has the better memory and wrote his account after he was transfigured and so perhaps he had divine help in recalling the events. We will probably never know in this life.

Matthew records the last supper and gives almost a cliff notes version of the highlights of what happened in that room leaving out certain elements completely such as Jesus washing the Apostles feet and Judas leaving to go betray the Savior. But Matthew's account includes the sacrament and what it represents without going into too much detail. The Joseph Smith Translation adds a little more, but I think all religions are familiar with the sacrament and what it stands for and don't really want to focus too much on that.

Matthew then moves on to the act that is commonly referred to as the Atonement in the scriptures, that which was done in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew records that Jesus prayed to have the burden removed off of Him if at all possible, but stated that the Savior concluded that He was willing to put aside what He wanted and do as God saw fit. Matthew does not record the visit from the angel that Luke does nor the fact that He bled from every pore which Luke also recorded and Joseph Smith restores to the account and is confirmed in Doctrine and Covenants section 19. In Alma chapter 7 we learn that Jesus was not only taking upon Him our sins, but all our infirmities, our sicknesses, our times of loneliness, our hurts and pains, every negative thing and emotion that a person can feel. All at once. I often wonder if while He was going through it, if He saw our faces and it helped to bolster Him to know that He had saved Fred, or George, or Amy or Mary and so on. I would like to think that all of us, having yet to be born were standing silently around Him giving our support and praying with all our might for His success. We would have known that everything that had happened up to this point was hinging on that one moment in time. Again, we may never know in this life how it happened and the circumstances.

After it was over, the Savior came out of the Garden and woke Peter, James and John. What a sight He must have been. He was covered in blood, I'm sure He was filthy from kneeling on the ground and being wet from the blood all kinds of dirt and other things must be sticking to Him. I'm sure the Apostles exclaimed in shock at the sight of Him, though no such record is given. Then Judas came with the priests to take the Lord and valiant Peter stood forth to defend Him, still not understanding that this was all foreordained.

We will end on the denial of Peter. I have often wondered if the scriptures are not so much recording a revelation Jesus gives to Peter as it is recording a command that Jesus is giving him. Was Jesus rebuking Peter for his valiance saying that tonight you will yet deny me three times. Or was Jesus saying instead to Peter that he needs to deny knowing the Savior three times. Did He in fact take Peter aside and talk to him and help him understand that this is what needs to happen in order to save his life and that Jesus needs Peter to lead the church while He is off the earth? Did Peter cry out of shame at his own personal betrayal of the Lord, or was he crying because it hurt so much to not shout from the rooftops how proud he was to be associated with the Savior? We are not told and will not be told in this life I think. But it is my opinion and thought that Peter was in fact commanded to deny the Savior 3 times in order to save his life and preserve him. I have a hard time picturing the man who just cut off the ear of a guard to save the Savior's life suddenly being a coward and denying that he knew the Savior. To me, Jesus is not revealing that Peter will deny Him, but rather is commanding him to do it. But that is just my thought.

That is the account in Matthew and it is pretty much the same as the other three but there are things that are left out that are contained in other accounts that we will read in the coming months. However, we must remember that Matthew was writing to the Jews and so it makes sense that certain things are not included. I always get sad when reading about the Atonement and what the Savior did for me, because I know all too well what I have contributed towards His sufferings. I pray each and every day that I can become a better man so that I don't contribute too much more than I already have towards His suffering. I know that when I see Him again, I will fall at His feet and weep for joy and thanksgiving at what He did for me. I think most of us will in fact. But you know what, He was glad to do it and spare us that suffering, He volunteered because He loves us. Let us not betray that love and trust by willfully sinning and causing Him to suffer longer. Until tomorrow.

10 Virgins, 5 Talents, Sheep and Goats

Today I read Matthew 25, which is the parable of the 10 virgins, the parable of the talents and the parable of the sheep and the goats. Most people I think are familiar with all 3 of these parables and in fact, in church last Sunday our Sunday School lesson was about this very chapter. It's funny to me that so many people when they first hear the parable of the 10 virgins, they usually react with harshness towards the 5 wise virgins for not sharing their oil with the 5 foolish virgins. I never did though, it always reminds me of that saying, a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

Even as a child when I heard this parable, I was always more curious why the 5 foolish virgins did not just plan ahead. It made sense to me that the 5 wise virgins only had brought enough oil for their lamps and did not have any to spare. Perhaps that makes me selfish, I don't know, but I've been on both sides of the equation where I was the one who planned ahead and someone else did not, or where I did not plan ahead and someone else did. There have been times where the other person shared with me or I with them, but there were far more times where they did not or I did not. Yes, it is a very Christlike thing to do to share even if you only have a very little. But it is also not wise to harm yourself to help another.

Put into spiritual terms, if someone was struggling with a problem, a sin, it is not pleasing to the Lord that you help them shoulder that burden by also partaking of that sin. If someone has a drinking problem, we should not accompany them to bars. And that goes the same for all other sins too. It is a wonderful thing to help others through their sins and burdens and I think God smiles upon us when we help others with their burdens or help clean up the effects of their sins. That is how we help shoulder the load that others bear. That is how we can have extra oil for our lamps if you will and help those others in need. But just like the 5 wise virgins, we cannot pull someone into heaven, it is a toll road that each must pay on their own. We can only help and encourage.

The parable of the talents is a pretty straight forward parable. We have each of us been given talents of the Lord and He wants us to use them and maximize them. However, on Sunday during the lesson, I had a thought that the talents could also be a type or a shadow for righteous living. As we live righteously, we gain in righteousness and we begin to change so that we desire to be even more righteous and grow and progress. To me that could be likened to this parable how the servant with 5 talents took them and made 5 more and the 2 made 2 more talents. These two servants took where they were and built on it. They took their love of the Gospel and their ability to follow the commandments and built upon that foundation so that they were able to keep the commandments a little better and a little more perfectly. But the servant who took and hid his 1 talent, he did not improve himself and is stuck in a rut and perhaps has even gone backwards a little bit. With such behavior the Lord is not pleased. As we have read in the Doctrine and Covenants, we should be anxiously engaged in a good cause of our own volition. We should not have to be commanded or compelled to be righteous. Just a different way to look at the parable and I don't know if it is more correct than the standard parable but it is food for thought anyway.

The parable of the sheep and the goats always brings Mosiah 2:17 to mind for me. The basis of the parable is that the sheep are those which served the Lord by serving their fellow man, whereas the goats did not. Mosiah 2:17 of course tells us that when we serve our fellow man we are only serving God. In the context of becoming who we want to be, serving our fellow man is the easiest way to become the type of man or woman we want to become. The Lord also uses mankind as His tools to perform His work. He comforts us best by sending one of his servants to us to say the right thing at the right time, or to help out in a time of need. And it is a good feeling to be the one providing that service as we have discussed in the past. Service begets love and our ultimate goal is to become like God is who loves all mankind. There is a reason He uses us to serve and fulfill the needs of others when He could do an infinitely better job Himself. It is because we need to do the serving as much as the person on the receiving end needs it. Remember, it is by small and simple things that He accomplishes His will. We are those small and simple things.

All 3 of these parables are pretty straight forward and are easy enough to understand. However, we need to put them into practice and make sure that we are preparing ourselves through righteous living and giving service to those around us that we see are in need of help, whatever that help is, even if it's only holding open a door for them. Like the hymn says, "there are chances for work all around just now, opportunities right in our way". And work for our Heavenly Father is bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, which for us translates to service. Don't let them pass you by, you will regret it if you do, I can promise you that. Until tomorrow.

Preparing for the Second Coming

Today I read Matthew 24, which is all about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Coming of the Savior. Jesus gives the Apostles some signs to look out for and warns them to be ready because no man knows the mind of God, or when the Second Coming shall be. He warns them that there will be many false prophets who will attempt to deceive many and will even be successful.

As I was reading this chapter and wondering what I was going to talk about since really we have already covered this chapter a few weeks ago during our reading of the Pearl of Great Price because this is a chapter where Joseph Smith added so much to it that it was added to the Pearl of Great Price, I had a thought. The Savior spends a bit of time in this chapter warning the people that no one knows when the Savior is going to come again and obviously if we knew when He was coming, we would try and prepare, much like a homeowner whose house is broken into would have stayed awake if he had known at what hour his house was going to be broken into.

But I got to thinking about it, and really there is no point in even wondering when He will come again. If we are focused on that, we are focusing on the wrong things. People look around today, including myself, and see the way the weather is acting and say it is a sign of the times. I am guilty of it too. People see all the wars that are going on and declare the end is near. Any of a half dozen other signs from the scriptures are taking place and we rightly attribute them to the end of the world being near because that is what we have been taught in the scriptures. However, I think that those who are truly prepared for His Second Coming are those that do not worry when He will come again.

What I mean by that, is that we have talked many times over the past year on how the final judgment is not some checklist of what we have and have not done, but rather a thorough, no holds barred examination of who we have become. So, I think that the right person who is ready for the second coming will not worry about when the Savior comes again but will instead focus on living their life they way they should be. And while it is true that no one is perfect, the person who is truly converted to the Gospel will be ready for the Savior to come tomorrow just as much as he will be 50 years from now. Because you have to remember, it's about what is in our hearts that is important, it's who we are.

Now, this is not to say we should not be concerned with the Second Coming. I personally am very concerned about it, because I look around at how crass and crazy the world has gotten and can't imagine it getting even worse. The thought literally sickens me. So I wonder and I hope and pray for my family and my children having to grow up in this constant deluge of filth and garbage that is always on display for them. And so I pray the Second Coming will be sooner rather than later. But even in that I err and should be instead focused more on teaching my daughter the Gospel and on being the best Christian I can be and living my religion to its fullest.

It interesting to me how we can read the scriptures and as good as we think we are doing, we will still find ways to improve. But that stands to reason because we are none of us perfect. We all have room for improvement and we all need to make sure we are focused on living the Gospel in the best way we know how and focusing on those things that matter most. Focus on the weightier matters, true discipleship as my bishop calls it. When we forget ourselves and go to work living the Gospel, amazing things can happen. If you want to see just how much a force for good you can be in this world, just pray and ask God to use you as His instrument in this life and you will be amazed and what you can accomplish and the experiences you will have. Don't do it unless you are ready for it though.

It's hard not to be caught up in the things of this world sometimes. There is a lot of good in this world and a lot that is ok. There is even more that is bad, but most Christians are not entangled in that. It can be a challenge to pass up that which is good for that which is best. But that is part of why we are here, to learn and decide where our hearts lie. It is up to us to choose for ourselves where we want to be, and we make those choices a dozen times everyday. Just make sure you can live with the choices you are choosing. They will be with you for eternity. Until tomorrow.

Beware of Hypocrisy

Today I read Matthew 23, which is one big long warning from the Savior against the Pharisees and the Scribes. It is really unfortunate that as a group, the Pharisees were so corrupt that the Savior felt He had to spend so much time making sure that the people knew not to be like them, because they were the leaders of the people. It is natural that the people would want to be like the Pharisees and the other leaders of the church, for that is who they would perceive as being the most righteous. I think most people are that way, whatever faith you have, you believe that those who are in positions of authority in your faith are the most righteous, the best able to follow the commandments. So it makes sense to me that the Savior would feel so strongly that He needs to condemn the Pharisees and make sure the people know not to emulate them, but it is really sad.

This chapter is one big long comparison of the Pharisees to other things and how they are hypocrites. For example the Savior compares them to a sepulcher that is white and pristine on the outside, but as with all graveyards, on the inside are full of dead bodies. And He gives many other comparisons of a similar nature. I remember when I was in BYU, I took a course on the first half of the Doctrine and Covenants and the professor told us that in the scriptures, God had condemned hypocrisy more than any other sin. He was basing that statement on the sheer number of times it comes up in the scriptures. But it makes sense again to me, because there are few things we as human beings will tolerate less than a hypocrite. Think about it, what is the very first defense children give when confronted by a parent as to why they did something they know they are not supposed to do, "But you do it". Children hear what their parents say but they follow what their parents do. Have you ever heard the phrase I can't hear what you are saying because your actions are too loud, or some variation?

It is a hard thing to avoid hypocrisy, for one thing because no one is perfect. We all know the 10 commandments, and the great commandments we talked about yesterday. We know what we are supposed to be doing and we want our children to be better than we were. So we teach them, and others, the right way to behave. But if we cannot put into practice what we are teaching, is it then wrong to teach our children to be otherwise? A parent who smokes tells their children not to be like them and to not start smoking because it has ruined their life. A trusted friend tells us not to commit adultery because it destroyed his family. Do we take these lessons as one from those who have gone before and have the benefit of experience and wisdom? Or do we look at someone touting ideals they themselves are too weak to put into practice?

I personally think there is nothing with telling those in our care, or who we have their ear, the right way to live and the right way to be. Hypocrisy is more of trying to pass yourself off as doing something a certain way when you are not. For example, the Pharisees were all about making sure everyone around them kept the Sabbath day holy, but they were doing it based on the traditions of their fathers, and not keeping the spirit of the law. They were guilty of telling the people to be like them when they were heading in the very wrong direction. There are many such people in this day and age and it seems every month we have a new person who we find out was living a completely secret life and we condemn them not for making mistakes, but rather for trying to hide them and pass themselves off as something they are not.

We generally will respect someone who gets up and freely admits they made a mistake and are prone to forgive them, most of us. But the sure fire way to get everyone mad is to maintain you did nothing wrong when the evidence is mounted against you. People hate to find out they have been lied to. It is the same now as it was back in the time of Jesus. I think perhaps the saddest part of Jesus' warning against the Pharisees is that it was in regards to all of them. It's very easy to typecast and to generalize and say everyone does that, but that is not true, it is only a select few that do that. However, in the case of the Pharisees, it was the vast majority that were the hypocrites and those whose hearts were actually in the right place were so misled by others that they were duped into thinking they were in the right. At least that is my thought and it saddens me. It is always sad to me when I see good men and women led astray because they want to do what is right but have fallen in with the wrong crowd.

Fortunately, we each of us have the light of Christ in us that helps us decide what is right and what is wrong. We need to make sure we are listening to it, it will tell us when people tell us things, or teach us things, if they are right or wrong. We especially need to teach our children to hearken to it and to make sure they are prepared for the challenges of an ever increasingly evil world. It might be the only defense they have. The scriptures state that if you teach a child the right way to live, they will not depart from it when they are grown. That is a comfort to any parent, but the most surefire way to get them to live a proper life, is to live a good life and pave the way for them to follow. Children want to be like their parents. Give them something good to aspire to and you won't be disappointed in them. Until tomorrow.

The Two Great Commandments

Today I read Matthew 22. It's interesing that the Pharisees are smart enough to understand Jesus' parables, but not wise enough to understand that Jesus was the son of God. In a way, it was not their fault as all references to the Savior's first coming had been taken out of the scriptures. The ancient leaders did not believe the prophecies of the Jews killing their Savior to be true prophecies since they were waiting for the Savior to free them so they removed them from the scriptures, thus ensuring that it came to pass.

The Savior tells the Pharisees another parable, the one about the king who throws a marriage for his son but the guests do not show up. A clear reference to the Jews rejecting the Savior. The part of the parable that I don't understand is when the king notices one of the guests does not have a wedding garment on, he throws him out. I think this references those who desire to enter the kingdom without the proper ordinances being performed. It doesn't matter how much we desire to enter into the kingdom of heaven, if we are not properly prepared and have not done the ordinances necessary or taken upon us the proper covenants, we will not be allowed in. Nor would we honestly want to. We would be extremely uncomfortable in the Father's presence if we are not prepared, much like coming home too late after our curfew and having to answer our earthly father's questions of where we were and why we were late. It would not be a comfortable experience.

The part of this chapter that I enjoy the most though is the Savior's answer to the question of which of all the commandments is the greatest. We have talked before about how the 10 commandments are not so much do's and don'ts as they are a list of the traits our Father in Heaven has. And unless we exhibit the same traits as He does, we will not want to be around Him. I personally would not be surprised in the slightest if the final judgment is nothing more than the Father sitting down with us and explaining the type of people that will be in each Kingdom and asking us where we would like to go and where we think we would be most comfortable. Again, that is just my opinion, but it would not surprise me at all if that turned out to be the case.

But the 10 commandments can be easily sectioned into 2 neat categories, those that dictate how we are to act towards God, and those that dictate how we should act towards others. Though shalt not have any other Gods before Heavenly Father, thou shalt not make any graven images, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord they God in vain, thou shalt keep the Sabbath day holy. All of these commandments have to do with how we are supposed to treat Heavenly Father. Some might wonder what keeping the Sabbath day holy has to do with how we treat the Lord. To me it's about honoring the day He has set aside as holy. Heavenly Father has asked us to do no labor on the Sabbath and to cause no one else to do labor. He has also asked us to do His work on that day, and so by honoring those requests we are honoring His wishes. That is how I feel keeping the Sabbath holy is more about how we treat God than our fellow man.

The rest of the commandments, honor thy father and thy mother, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not covet. All of these have to do with loving our fellow man, or woman, more than ourselves.

If everyone followed these two commandments, there would be no crime, there would be no hurt feelings, there would be no people allowing their tempers to get the best of them, it would be a virtual paradise. During the millenium, the reason Satan will be bound is most likely because people will be following the 2 great commandments and treating others the way we want to be treated. As the scriptures state when there is Zion, the Saints have all things in common and they are one heart and one mind.

Sadly, we know this will not happen until the Millenium and the scriptures state that after the Millenium the people will go back to being carnal and devilish again. The scriptures teach that the nature of man is an enemy to God and has been since the fall of Adam. When man is taught to overcome that nature and to do what is right and to treat others they way they want to be treated, then society is pleasant and life is how our Father in Heaven wants it. Following the 2 great commandments is the best way to ensure a happy home and a happy family. Teaching our children to follow them is the best way to ensure a happy society and the effects continue to spiral out from there. It's nice to dream what the world would be like if we all lived the way the scriptures teach us to. Maybe some of us will live to see the day where we actually do. Until tomorrow.

The Savior vs. the Pharisees

Today I read Matthew 21, which begins the last week of the Savior's life. This chapter starts out with the Savior sending two of His disciples into town to go and fetch a colt, according to the Joseph Smith translation, or an ass according to the King James' version. They then bring it back to the Lord and sit Him upon it and then He rides into the city of Jerusalem while the people lay palm fronds and other leaves and their clothes in front of Him for Him to ride over, thus fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah.

As usual, the Pharisees have a fit when they see the people revering the Savior and tell Him that He should stop them. Also as usual, He quotes scriptures to them so that they will understand that He cannot stop the people from recognizing who He is, and frankly at this point, He does not care. At this point in His life, the Savior has come into His glory and there are few things left to do before fulfilling His final mission. Matthew does not record the first instance, but the Savior actually cleanses the temple twice in His lifetime. The first time, He refers to the temple as His Father's house. However, this time, He refers to the temple as His house. I think it's after the Mount of Transfiguration that He comes into His glory and refers to the temple as His house.

You would think, after 3 years, that the Pharisees would be tired of trying to trick Jesus and trap Him in His words. But it would seem, like some people I have met in my life, they are just not happy unless their plans are dumped on their heads and they land on their faces in front of the people, who they fear to offend. It's just so funny to me that Jesus is SO much smarter than the Pharisees but they keep trying anyway. In this chapter, they want to know where Jesus got His authority to preach and perform miracles from. So Jesus states that He will answer them if they will answer His question of whether or not the baptism of John was divine or made up.

As usual, their fear of losing their power and upsetting the people is their downfall. They know that if they say it was divine that Jesus will rebuke them for not believing in it and being baptized, but they knew that it they said it was made up, that the general people would get upset because the people all believed that John was a prophet. So, they thought they had come up with the perfect answer and instead just plead ignorance. Which is not a bad answer considering their predicament, however, since they could not, or rather would not answer His question, Jesus declines to answer theirs. It is so funny how every time they try and trap Him, all He does is turn it right back on their heads and trap them instead.

The Pharisees were not stupid men. They know the scriptures and despite being a little overzealous, they understand Jesus' parables and when He is referring to them. Jesus gives them the parable of the unjust husbandmen who of course, represent the kingdom of the Jews. The Pharisees recognize at the end that the parable is about them and are quite upset about it, but once again they are afraid of upsetting the people and so they do nothing to Him. Now, the JST continues the story just a bit by stating that His Apostles came to Him and asked about the parable He just spake unto the Pharisees and Jesus reveals that the Kingdom of Heaven will pass from the Jews to the Gentiles. But it will not reside with the Gentiles forever since they too will be destroyed at His Second Coming. It is interesting that the Lord reveals to them that He will give His Kingdom to Gentiles here, but when Peter receives his vision later in the book of Acts to take the Gospel to the Gentiles there is resistance. Of course the Apostles were also flat out told that the Savior would be crucified and resurrected 3 days later and did not understand that either so I guess it is not all that strange.

I wonder if it was hard for Jesus, to have no one understand you like that. He had no one to confide in or rely on except for His Father in Heaven and the Holy Ghost. When He tells His earthly friends what is going to happen they do not understand, either because they choose not to, or because they are still expecting a military Savior. That is a very lonely place to be when you feel no one understands what you are being asked to do. I remember when I was preparing for a mission and I was very sad because I knew that despite their protests to the contrary, that my serving a mission would mean losing all my friends. I would come home a very different person and 2 years with virtually no contact would allow us all to drift apart quite a bit. Everyone around me told me I was worried for nothing that it would not happen that way. Unfortunately, I was right. I came home and while 90% of the friends I had left behind were still there, it was very, very different and we all eventually drifted apart again. Now, some I still keep in touch with but partly we drifted apart because we were all teenagers then with no responsibilities. Life happens when you grow up and now I have a wife and a daughter. Even if I were still in Kentucky where most of them reside, I would not really have the time to be with them like before.

Now that is a very weak comparison to make with the Savior and how no one seems to want to believe Him when He tells them He will be killed soon, but it's the only one from my personal life I can really make. I'm sure it must have been lonely for Him. Luckily, for us, because He has trod that wine press alone, He knows how to comfort us in our times of loneliness. We can turn to Him because He does know what we are going through, perhaps He is the only one who does. It is a comfort though that at least someone understands. And the best part is, He is never too busy to listen. All you have to do is pray. Until tomorrow.

Parable of the Labormen

Today I read Matthew 20. I have often wondered about this chapter and the parable that the Savior opens up with. He starts this chapter with the parable of the labor men in the vineyard. The natural man in me which desires the world to be fair, agrees with the laborers in this parable that the lord of the vineyard did that which was wrong. I don’t know why I should feel that way since I am well aware that the world is not fair. Not only that, the lord of the vineyard did exactly as he promised each of the laborers. It is not up to the laborer how much he will be paid for his labors once it has been agreed upon. He only has a say in the matter of saying yes he will work for that amount of time for that amount of pay. That is simple economics. But like I said before, the natural man in me can’t help but feel if I were one of the men who worked the entire day and received the same wage as a man who only worked an hour, I think I would be upset. And if I were one who only worked an hour and received an entire day’s wage, I think I would be embarrassed.

The really strange thing to me about this parable though, is that it is meant to highlight that no matter when a person joins the kingdom of God, their reward will be the same. That is how I have always heard it explained and how I have always interpreted it. And when it is viewed in that context, I am perfectly fine with it. I have no problem with someone who lived a life of sin and debauchery, finding the missionaries in the last year of their life and completely repenting and becoming converted to the Lord receiving the same reward as me who lived my whole life serving Him. I don’t have a problem with that at all. For some reason, I only have an issue with it when it is in the context of money. I wonder why that is? It could be because I realize that even though the person has now become converted, he/she still has to work on changing their personality and becoming the type of person who would want to be around the Savior and God. There is no such thing as a death bed confession as we have talked about before now. I truthfully don’t know if that is the reason or not, but I do know that it does not bother me in the least that a person’s eternal reward has no bearing on when they performed the sacred ordinances and became converted and started serving Him.

The other part of this chapter that struck me as interesting was when Jesus speaks to the mother of James and John, or the mother of Zebedee’s children as the scriptures state. She asks Jesus if her sons can sit at His right hand and on His left hand in the kingdom of Heaven. He responds back that she does not know what she is asking and that in order to grant such an honor, they would have to drink of the same cup that He shall drink of, as well as be baptized after the manner of His baptism. They respond in the affirmative that they will indeed do these things and Jesus agrees with them that they will. I’m not exactly sure what we are to take away from this though? We know that as His Apostles, these two men did indeed suffer greatly in His name, and I believe James was even martyred for His sake and we know that John did not taste of death but rather chose to stay on the earth to bring souls unto Him until His second coming. So I am not sure what exactly He means by this statement to James and John.

However, it did lead into the discussion with the rest of the Apostles that we mentioned a few days ago. Jesus tells His Apostles that if any of them would be the chief among the rest, that man would be the servant of all the rest. He goes on to give Himself as an example of what He is referring to. He states that the Son of Man did not come to be ministered unto, but rather to minister unto mankind and to give His life as a ransom for all mankind. Jesus could have chosen any life He wanted. He could have been born as a prince for a throne that was not deposed by a foreign nation. He could have come as the military commander the Jews longed for to throw off their oppressors and create a kingdom on this earth that would never be overthrown. However, He chose instead to be born in a stable, with animals and a midwife for His only witness besides His own mother and step-father. His first attendees were shepherds that were watching their flocks on a nearby hill. He chose a life of service to His fellow man.

If that is the role and life He chose for Himself, shouldn’t we look at our own life as well and see where we stand and what we can be doing better? The noblest thing we can do in this life is to serve our fellow man. I firmly believe that. Parents do it every time they have a new baby. The baby relies on them for everything, it cannot take care of itself in the slightest. That is why it is so easy to love a baby, because service begets love, like we talked about in yesterday’s post. If you need another reason to lose yourself in service, think on this: if we are trying to become like Jesus, shouldn’t try in our earthly life to emulate how He lived His? It makes sense to me. Until tomorrow.