Week Eleven: A New Commandment

According to John 13:34-35, others can know that we are disciples of Christ by the way we act toward and treat those around us. Even more than that, "all men" will know that we are Christ's disciples because we love one another. The love we show for each other reveals us as disciples.

As a disciple of Christ, in the situation that someone I know is ridiculed or made fun of because of the way he or she dresses, I would defend that person, telling whoever is doing the ridiculing that I choose my friends by the way they act, and not the way they dress. In the situation that I see someone new at church, as a disciple of Christ, the best way to act would be to go and greet them with a smile and make sure they have somebody to sit with.

I've been trying to consider how I treat people lately, and there is one person at work that I realized that I wasn't treating very well because of another person's opinion of him. I realized last Sunday that I have no right to treat him that way, especially when I wasn't even the one he slighted. I decided to make it a priority to treat him fairly from now on, without letting another person's opinion taint my opinion of him. I haven't seen him very often since then, so I haven't really had the chance to be nicer to him, but I hope to act with love toward him in the future.

Week Nine: Temporal Marriage and the Resurrection

The Sadducees did not believe in angels or spirits, and therefore did not believe in a resurrection, which is the reuniting of body and spirit. Since they did not believe in the resurrection, their question to the Savior about marriage and the resurrection was not asked in sincerity; more likely, it was to try and trip the Savior up and catch Him in His words. Contrary to some denominations' belief, Matthew 22:30 never says that marriage will not exist after the resurrection. Instead, it says that "they neither marry, nor are given in marriage," which literally means that there will not be any marriage ceremonies performed. This is a big difference from the common interpretation:  the first means that no one will be married, while the second one means that only marriages performed on Earth will exist, as no marriages will be performed after the resurrection. Elder James E. Talmage says, "In the resurrection there will be no marrying nor giving in marriage; for all questions of marital status must be settled before that time, under the authority of the Holy Priesthood, which holds the power to seal in marriage for both time and eternity." Doctrine and Covenants 132:15-16 give a little more insight on Christ's teaching to the Sadducees:  "Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world. Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory." These two verses clarify that Christ was telling the Sadducees that marriage is an earthly ordinance, and that only Eternal marriage is recognized in the next life.

Week Seven: Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ

What it means to be a disciple of Christ and what the Savior taught:

• Our spiritual nourishment is just as important as our physical nourishment, perhaps more so. (Luke 10:38-42)
• We pray to the Father for blessings, and He willingly gives them to us, if we only ask. (Luke 11:1-13)
• We must forgive others even as God forgives us. (Luke 11:1-13)
• We should not set our heart on riches and worldly successes, but on the things of Heaven. (Luke 12:13-40)
• If we are faithful, God will provide for our needs. (Luke 12:13-40)
• It is good to provide for our families, but it is also good to give to those who have none. (Luke 12:13-40)
•  We will not follow the ways of the world, or of the popular majority, but the Way of Christ, which is the only true Way. (Luke 13:23-24)
• We should not follow Christ lightly without considering what it'll take to be His disciple. (Luke 14:16-33)
• If we put other things before Christ, the blessings we would have gained from being His disciple will be given to someone else. (Luke 14:16-33)
• Following Christ means giving our all, and no less. (Luke 14:16-33)

If we are faithful, God will provide for our needs.

I have a tendency to forget this principle. I want to be independent and self-reliant, and while God wants us to be self-reliant, He also wants us to be God-reliant. He wants us to do all we can, but, in the end, leave it up to Him. I think He's been trying to teach me this the last few months. I keep thinking that I can take care of myself, that I can do anything, that I can conquer all of my weaknesses. And then I mess up. Again. And again. And yet again. And every time, Heavenly Father reassures me that it's okay. At first I wondered, "Really? It's okay?" The first lesson I had to learn was that it is okay to mess up. The lesson I am learning now is that while it's okay to mess up, it's not okay to give up. And as a part of that lesson, it's especially not okay to give up on the Lord. He won't give up on us, so we shouldn't give up on Him. I am learning that I need to do everything He asks of me, to try my best, and to remember that when my best isn't good enough, He is the one making up the difference.

Ultimate Requirements to be a Disciple of Christ.

  

To be a disciple of Christ, we need to forsake everything. We need to offer up our whole souls unto Him, and to "continue in fasting and prayer and endure to the end" (Omni 1:26). We need to give Him everything that we are and allow Him to shape us into who we can and should be. In other words, being a disciple of Christ is worth everything we have, including who we are, and we need to be willing to give our all in order to obtain it.

Week Six: The Mount of Transfiguration

Important events from the Mount of Transfiguration:

• Jesus takes Peter, James, and John onto a high mountain.
• Christ is transfigured in front of them, appearing as bright as the sun and as white as the light.
• Peter, James, and John see a vision of the earth in its "future glorified position" (BD, Transfiguration, Mount of).
• Moses and Elijah appear to them and teach them, telling them of Christ's death and resurrection.
• Christ, Moses, and Elijah confer the keys of the kingdom on Peter, James, and John.
• Peter, not knowing what to say, suggests building a Tabernacle for Jesus, Moses, and Elias each.
• A bright cloud overshadows them, and God the Father's voice is heard coming from the cloud, saying:  "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."
• Peter, James, and John fall on their faces when they hear God's voice.
• Jesus touches them, telling them to arise and to not be afraid, and they see that He appears as a man once again.
• After they come down from the mountain, Jesus tells them not to tell anyone what happened until after He had risen from the dead.
• We have not yet been told all of the events that happened there.

These events helped prepare Peter, James, and John as future leaders of the Church because they gained greater understanding of who Jesus is, were given keys of the kingdom of heaven, and heard the witness of God the Father and felt the witness of the Holy Ghost. They also saw things that were to come, which, if I am correct in this being their first time, established them in their roles as prophets, seers, and revelators.

Week Five: The "Bread of Life" Sermon

The day before Christ gave the Bread of Life sermon, He performed the miracle of the feeding of the Five Thousand. Many people sought the Savior the next day because they had heard of the miracle, and wanted to be fed. I used to seek the Savior only when I thought I needed Him. I would only seek Him when I thought He could do something for me and get me something I wanted. I realize now that I would only seek Him when I thought it would benefit me. Now, though, I try to seek the Savior as often as possible, because I know that He will lift me up and make me stronger, and because I want to do what He asks of me. I suppose that before I was seeking "meat which perisheth" before, whereas now I seek "that meat which endureth unto everlasting life." 

In response to the people who sought to be fed, Christ taught them that while feeding their bodies is important, those who feed their bodies still die in the end. He told them that they need to feed their spirits, because those who feed their spirits do not experience spiritual death. He then told them that the only source from which they could feed their spirits was He, the Son of God and the Savior of the World. He taught that all men must come unto Him in order to be saved, and those who are saved will never die a spiritual death.

Christ not only used meat to teach this principle; He also used treasure, saying that only treasure from Heaven doesn't rust or become corrupted. He warned against those who seek after meat that perishes and treasure that corrupts. Today, this could be interpreted as placing any worldly thing above Christ. Anything we consider more important than Christ is perishable, corruptible.

Many people were offended by what Christ said, saying that His teachings were hard sayings. Many of these people left and no longer followed Christ after that. The Apostles, on the other hand, responded with faith, saying that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and The Source for Eternal Life. The Apostles were able to respond this way because they were in tune with the Spirit. There are many times in the scriptures and elsewhere where people have fallen away because of "hard sayings," like Laman and Lemuel who took "the truth to be hard," the young rich man who refused to give away his riches, people in early Church History who thought the next prophet should be chosen by the people and not the Lord, and many others.

I think that John 6 teaches that we need to follow Christ no matter what. No ifs, ands, or buts. We need to follow Him and do as He says, no matter how hard we think it is, because, hard or not, it's what we need to do. It makes me think of the saying, "I never said it would be easy; I only said it would be worth it."

Week Four: The Lord Often Taught with Parables

A parable is defined as a story that relates Heavenly things to everyday earthly things in order to veil the true meaning of things, so that only those who are ready to hear the truth will understand it.

The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven describe the future growth of the Church. The parable of the gospel net explains why the Church sends out so many missionaries. The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven explain the incredible growth of the Church, especially considering its humble beginnings in the American Frontier. The parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price explain why some members of the Church are willing to sacrifice so much worldly wealth and recognition in order to maintain membership in the Church. The parable of the tares and the parable of the gospel net explain why some members choose to leave the Church.

Considering the parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price, I'm not exactly sure what I would sacrifice to obtain the Kingdom of Heaven. I've never really thought about it before. I've grown up in the gospel, so I've never really had to think about what I have or will have to sacrifice. But I can think of one thing. I had to give up my obsession with anime. But it doesn't really feel like a sacrifice anymore, because the blessings far outweigh the sacrifice. I suppose that's how it is with everything, and why I've never really thought of it before.

As for the parable of the gospel net, I suppose the net that is cast into the sea would be the Lord's Church. If that's true, then being caught in the net would mean joining the Church. And if that's true, then that means that the separation of the good and the bad is very much like the division between the five wise and the five foolish virgins in the parable of the ten virgins. Even if you're in the Church, you're not necessarily saved just because you got into the Church. So the action of gathering the good into vessels and casting the bad away would represent the last judgement, in a way.

Week Three: The Beatitudes

According to the footnote "A" for Matthew 5:3, "beatitude" comes from the Latin word "beatus," meaning "to be fortunate," "to be happy," and "to be blessed." In the Institute Manual it says that to be blessed is something higher than to be happy. It says that happiness is dependent on outside circumstances, whereas blessedness comes from within. From these two sources, I would come to the conclusion that blessedness is a happiness that comes from living the gospel and looking to Christ, rather than from other, temporary actions.

Up until now, I had not understood what it meant to be "poor in spirit." It sounded to me like somebody who did not have the Holy Ghost's help very often because they were "poor" in "the Spirit." Later, I learned that people who are poor in spirit are people who are not rich in pride. So then I thought, "Why didn't Christ just say 'Blessed are the poor in pride?'" But when I read the commentary in the Institute Manual, I finally understood. It says, "To be poor in spirit is to feel yourselves as the spiritually needy, ever dependent upon the Lord...". I realized then that this, while I had not had a name for it, was what I had been learning over the past six months. I've been "discovering my dependency," as I put it in a journal entry. As I read the commentary, my heart was touched, and I knew that I am on the path to becoming poor in spirit.

Another commentary that impressed me was the one that gave the definition of meekness. I always thought being meek meant being timid. I always pictured a mouse when I heard "meek" in the scriptures. But the Institute Manual says that "A meek man is defined as one who is not easily provoked or irritated and forbearing under injury or annoyance. Meekness is not synonymous with weakness. The meek man is the strong, the mighty, the man of complete self-mastery." What really caught my eye was "not easily provoked." This stood out to me because it is something I have been working on the past few weeks. I've noticed that I have snapped at my siblings on occasion, and have been working on not letting what other people say irritate or offend me. I once thought I was meek. Now I know I still have things to work on.

The third beatitude that caught my eye was "Blessed are the peacemakers." I had always fancied myself a peacemaker. I got along with just about everybody; even if we disagreed at times, I still got along with them. But now I realize that there might be more to it than that. Would being a peacemaker mean not taking sides? Would it mean trying to be the moderator when you're caught in the middle of a disagreement? Would it mean not getting offended when people don't respect my opinion? Would it mean learning to agree to disagree and not drag out the argument for the argument's sake? As I've thought this, I realized that I still have a ways to go before I'm truly a peacemaker.

I'm not perfect, as no mortal is, but I know that as long as I follow Christ and trust in Him, He will show me the way on the path to perfection.