Parables and teaching truths

This week I want to look at a parable that the Savior used to teach during his ministry that displayed what is expected of us in relation to the blessings we receive. This is meant to get you thinking, so study them yourself and see what you get out of them too. If you find some things that you really like, please leave them in a comment so we can all benefit from your study!

Luke 16: 1-12: In the parable of the unjust steward, the man unwisely used all that he had been given stewardship over. When the lord of the house comes and asks for an accounting of what he had been given, the man is ashamed because he didn't deal wisely with what he was given. We will have a similar experience when we stand before God. He will ask us how we sued the gifts and talents that we were given while on earth and hopefully we can tell him that we used what we were given to further his work.

This principle is something that I try to keep in mind all the time, wondering why it is that I have been blessed with so much and what God expects me do with it. As I experience more professional success and increase my income, I will be continually expected to use those resources to bless the lives of those in need. I have a hard time imagining Jesus Christ, if he had a large worldly fortune, buying a large home, nice cars, and a private jet. He would likely appear like any other person on the street, having given all but what he needed to live, away. I think that would feel really good and would make for a very happy conversation with God at the judgment bar when he asks what I did with what I was given stewardship over. I would be able to tell him that I tried to do exactly what he would have done in the situation. 

The Holy Spirit

For this post, I want to focus specifically on one topic: The Holy Spirit. There are all kinds of scriptures describing the mission, nature, and power of the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost, depending on your preference) but I want to focus on a few verses found in the 14th, 15th, and 16th chapters of John. As I go through these verses, I will be looking to identify what the verses teach about the Holy Ghost as well as what a disciple need to do to receive the Holy Ghost.

John 14

• v. 16: We first learn that the Holy Ghost (Comforter) is a gift from God. Christ indicates that he would pray to the Father and ask that he would bless the disciples with the Comforter, implying that it is something that is bestowed upon us. 
• v. 17: Christ teaches that the Holy Spirit teaches truth, and even gives the Spirit another name, the Spirit of Truth
• v. 26: Here we learn that the Holy Ghost is a gift from God and that one of his purposes is to teach us and to bring things to our remembrance, specifically things of a spiritual nature.
• v. 27: Bringing the disciples peace is one of the main missions of the Holy Ghost. It is how God reaches out to us and makes us feel safe, comforted, and confident.   

John 15

•  v. 26: John reiterates that the Holy Ghost has divine origins and is intended to come to us to testify of God and Jesus Christ and their mission to have all of us return to their presence. 
• v.27: This is a commandment that comes with the companionship of the Holy Ghost; that as disciples, we have a responsibility to share the gospel and testify of Christ. As we do so, we will be granted an increased measure of the Spirit. 

John 16

• v. 7: Christ needed to leave the disciples to allow them the opportunity to learn and grow by the Spirit, instead of relying on him for answers to their questions. This also provides us the opportunity to watch how they developed the ability to learn by the Spirit so that we can develop similar skills. 
• v. 8: God also uses the Holy Ghost to reach those who are doing things that are against his will. For those that are still sensitive to his promptings, God sends feelings of guilt and wrongdoing so that his children will hopefully use their agency wisely and choose to change the trajectory of their lives. This guiding light is sometimes referred to as the Light of Christ. 
• v. 13: John teaches here that as the Spirit of Truth, he will not teach us something or lead us in a direction other than that which is right. We can always look to him for direction when we are confused about what we should do. 
• v. 14: As one who shares the mission of both God and Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost will glorify them and lead all people unto them. If a feeling or prompting is received that does not point to the Savior or God the Father then it does not come from the Holy Spirit and should be avoided. 

I am so thankful for the gift and blessing of the Holy Ghost and strive to live worthy of his presence. That is also a good point to make here. We can, by improper use of our agency, offend the Spirit and drive him away. We must make every effort to keep the commandments as we understand them to merit the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. If we will do our part, we will receive that wonderful blessing of being guided through mortality by divine influence.  

The Second Coming

This week I've been thinking about the second coming of the Savior. There has been so much prophesied concerning his coming and the events leading up to it, that I wonder if we will be surprised when it happens. With all of the warnings and signs, shouldn't we have some idea as to how soon it will happen?

In Mark 13 we find several things that as believers we can watch for. Starting in verse 5 Jesus states that we should listen to what he is about to say that we would be not deceived. Verse 10 says we should watch for the gospel to be preached throughout the world, which is happening already. Verse 13: those who stand for Christ shall be hated, which is becoming increasingly true and the moral state of the earth continues to deteriorate. Verse 22: false Christs and false prophets will arise, which we have seen on multiple occasions specifically when men claim to know when Christ will come again. Other signs that are mentioned in this chapter include stars falling from the skies (there sure seem to be more stories than normal right now about meteorites colliding with earth), the sun and moon will be darkened, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

But in verse 33 we are given a warning/promise; to take heed, watch and pray. Those three things will enable us to see the signs for what they are as they come and we will not be surprised by the Savior's coming when it does happen.

Treasures in Heaven

Today, I'm thinking about rewards. My wife and I just had our second child and she has been a wonderful blessing to us. In church today I thought about what the Lord teaches in Luke chapter 15. After speaking about seeking the kingdom of God, Christ says, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." So, where am I spending my time and energy? On things that can be stolen or corrupted in this world? Or maybe on the things that are "a treasure in heaven, that faileth not"?

In Matthew 19:16-30 a young man comes to Jesus and asks him what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. The Savior responds that he needs to keep the commandments. The young man replies that he has kept the commandments since he was young and asks what he still lacks to be worthy of that great gift. Jesus ultimately says that if you really do what to be perfect, you need to go sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and follow me. It says that the young man then goes away sorrowful because he was very wealthy.

I've always found this interesting because the young man seems so intent on obtaining eternal life; like he would do whatever it took to achieve that blessing. But when Jesus tells him all that is required of him, he doesn't do it. It seems to me that the first answer the Savior gave the young man is one that applies to all of us. We all need to keep the commandments in order to be worthy to enter the kingdom of God. The second answer that Jesus gave seems to be more personalized. In fact, I believe that each of us could potentially receive a different answer to that question if we had the opportunity to ask it. We are required to sacrifice to gain eternal life and in order to be sacrificial, it will be something that we really like.

We go on to read in Matthew 20:1-16 that no matter when we join the Lord's service, we will receive the same reward as those that have been working at it for years and years. In this parable there is a man hiring workers for his vineyard. He hires some in the first hour of the day, some in the third, others in the sixth, more in the ninth, and final few in the eleventh hour of the day. When it was time to be paid, the man paid all of them the same and those who worked from the beginning of the day were unhappy. The man told them they had received what he had promised him and reserved the right to pay all the others as he saw fit. So it will be with those who receive eternal life. Not everyone will have the opportunity to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ from early in life, but all will eventually have the opportunity. No matter when a person decides to follow the Savior, they will have the opportunity to receive eternal life.

Being worthy of miracles

In this post I wanted to expound on a previous post and talk about what it takes to have a miracle happen in your life. In Matthew 17 verses 14 to 21 tells the story of a young man who came to the disciples and was possessed by a devil. The disciples were not able to cast the devil out and so the boys father brought him to the Savior. Later the disciples came to Jesus and asked him why they weren't able to heal the boy and the savior responded with three specific reasons:

• A lack of faith: Jesus tells the disciples that the first reason they couldn't cast out the devil was because of their unbelief. He says if they only had faith the size of a mustard seed they would have been able to perform the miracle. As can be seen innumerable times throughout the New Testament, faith is prerequisite to being blessed with a miracle. We get a supporting testimony from the Book of Mormon. In 3 Nephi 18:20 it says, "And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you" (emphasis added). Another supporting scripture is found in Doctrine and Covenants 42:48: "And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed."
• Prayer: After indicating that they lacked faith, Jesus tells the disciples that this particularly difficult devil required prayer. Prayer is also a way we show faith, supporting Christ's first point. 
• Fasting: Many times when even more faith is required, prophets (including Jesus Christ) have told us that prayer should be accompanied with fasting. Fasting shows our willingness to sacrifice physical appetites in the pursuit of spiritual blessings. This is particularly true if we are seeking a miraculous intervention. 

We can also find other indications of ways to qualify for a miraculous blessing similar to those found throughout the first four books of the New Testament.

• We need to be keeping the commandments and continually applying the blessings of the Atonement in order to purify ourselves from sin, as is found in Doctrine and Covenants 50:29: "And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done."

 

Parables

I think it's a little funny how we see the Savior's parables from the New Testament in today's world. We often simply declare them old-fashioned or too cultural to understand, some of which may be true. But the ironic part is the reasoning behind Jesus Christ's propensity to teach in this manner. In Matthew 11:15 he said "he that hath ears, let him hear," or in other words, if you're supposed to understand what I'm teaching than you will.

It has become a part of our modern society to push to the side nearly anything that requires virtually any effort and as such, we often lose much of the celestial wisdom that Jesus Christ brought to this earth, as recorded in the New Testament. These stories were obviously not literal and are intended to teach a point. here are some tips for gaining a better understanding of scriptural parables as found in the Bible Dictionary

(a) Do not force a meaning on subordinate incidents. 

(b) Do not regard as parallel parables that are connected by superficial likeness of imagery.

(c) Bear in mind that the same illustration does not always have the same significance—for example, leaven signifies a principle of good as well as a principle of evil. 

(d) Remember that the comparison in a parable is not complete, does not touch at every point. Thus, the characters of the unjust judge or the unjust steward or the nobleman who went into a far country—possibly referring to the infamous Archelaus—do not concern the interpretation of the parable. The parable draws a picture of life as it is, not as it ought to be, and compares certain points in this picture with heavenly doctrine. 

(e) Observe the proper proportions of a parable, and do not make the episode more prominent than the main line of teaching.

If we can keep some of those things in mind, I think we can maximize what we learn during our study of the New Testament.

Miracles are evidence of faith and God's power

The premise of this post comes from a phrase Jesus Christ said to Joseph Smith as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 35:8. Christ said, "I will show miracles, signs, and wonders unto all those who believe on my name." With that in mind, jump with me to the New Testament, specifically Matthew chapter 8.

As I read through this chapter, I saw what Christ was talking to Joseph Smith about. Whenever he performed a miracle, there was always a demonstration of faith by someone involved. So let's explore how in this one chapter of the New Testament we see several examples that support what the Doctrine and Covenants teaches on the subject.

Matthew 8: 1-4
Jesus has just concluded the Sermon on the Mount and has returned to town. He barely gets into the city and he is approached by a man with leprosy. The leper shows his faith by saying that he knows that Jesus is capable of healing him and simply asks if Christ is willing to do so. The Savior, seeing his faith, indicates that he is willing and immediately the man is cleansed of his disease.

Matthew 8: 5-13
The story that Matthew tells immediately following that of the leper is someone who is not sick having faith on behalf of someone else. Christ is in Capernaum when a centurion (a commander in the roman army) came to him saying that his servant was very sick with palsy. The centurion admits that he may not be living as he should and indicates that he would prefer that Christ not come into his home, but says that he knows if Jesus simply says for his servant to be healed, he would be. Christ is surprised by this man's incredible faith and tells him to return home saying, "As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee."

Matthew 8: 14-15
Here Jesus heals Peter's, wife's mother who is sick with a fever. The scripture doesn't indicate that the healing was solicited like the two previous occasions, so this indicates to me that it was Peter's mother-in-law that was demonstrating the faith. Even though she may not have asked for it, Christ seems to perceive in her great faith and heals her accordingly.

Matthew 8: 16
In this verse we see an account of many people being healed, but the thing they have in common is that they were "brought unto him" by someone having faith. A friend, family member, or other acquaintance knew that Jesus Christ was in the area and had faith sufficient to take their loved on to him to be healed. We're told in the end of the verse that he "healed all that were sick."

Matthew 8: 23-27
This is a classic story from the New Testament but differs from the previous accounts because Christ isn't healing anyone. He has boarded a ship with several of his disciples and eventually fell asleep. A big storm starts battering the boat and the men aboard become very frightened and wake Jesus up, saying they were about to die from the tremendous storm and waves. Christ then says the famed words, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?" and then he calms the storm. While it may not seem like the disciples on board with him showed very much faith (in fact warranting being referred to as having little faith) they did turn to the Savior when they were scared and concerned for their lives. The act of turning to Christ for help was certainly a demonstration of faith.

As you can see, in just one chapter there are many examples of this pattern described in Doctrine and Covenants. To be worthy of a miracle, one much demonstrate faith. There are many, many other examples of faith preceding the miracle in scripture. Leave a comment to share example you have found.