NT Come Follow Me 2019 Individual April 29-May 5

April 29–May 5

John 7–10

“I Am the Good Shepherd”

 John 7:14–17

My Thoughts

In Christ’s day, like ours, some place education as the most important means of gaining knowledge. Back then the most popular rabbis were ones that had studied with the great ones and learned. Today how often do we look for the letters that follow a person’s name to place value on what they say.

In the Church it is great to see that even the most simple of workman can have great spiritual knowledge. I had a great Bishop who was a simple farmer, yet he knew how to talk with the Lord.

It is simple to know what is true, we must do what is needed, pay the price to know and then ask.

 What Others Have Said

James E Faust
“We acquire a testimony of the principles of the gospel by obediently trying to live them. … A testimony of the efficacy of prayer comes through humble and sincere prayer. A testimony of tithing comes by paying tithing” (“Lord, I Believe; Help ‑Thou Mine Unbelief,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2003, 22).

 Bonnie L. Oscarson,

“Sometimes we try to do it backward. For example, we may take this approach: I will be happy to live the law of tithing, but first I need to know that it’s true. Maybe we even pray to gain a testimony of the law of tithing and hope the Lord will bless us with that testimony before we have ever filled out a tithing slip. It just doesn’t work that way. The Lord expects us to exercise faith. We have to consistently pay a full and honest tithe in order to gain a testimony of tithing. This same pattern applies to all the principles of the gospel, whether it is the law of chastity, the principle of modesty, the Word of Wisdom, or the law of the fast” ( “Be Ye Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 77)..

 Elder Kenneth Johnson

“It would appear that many who associated with Jesus saw him as a great miracle worker or teacher but not as the Son of God. How do we progress, then, to real understanding? I believe the answer is revealed in the words of the Savior to the Jews: ‘If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine’(John 7:17).

“I am grateful that I was brought up in a home where Christian values were taught and observed, although without benefit of the knowledge of the restoration of the gospel. Later, as I was invited to explore the message of ‑e Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, each new doctrine required deep consideration, often resulting in a change of lifestyle. But those changes did not come about as a result of passive belief or mere intellectual assent. The proof was in the doing, in the exercise of faith. As I  learned and tested gospel principles new to me, I invariably found them to be true” (March 1995 Ensign)

 Bruce R. McConkie

"Jesus never attended a theological seminary; he never graduated from a divinity school; he was not trained for the ministry in the traditional sense; his religious learning was not born of the wisdom of men-and such also was true of the fishermen and others whom he called to hold the keys of his earthly Kingdom. None of them would have qualified as sectarian ministers or as Jewish rabbis. But all of them were called of God, held his authority, received revelation from him, and taught and spoke as the Holy Ghost gave utterance." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1: 441.)

David O. McKay

"That test is most sound. It is most philosophical. It is the most simple test to give knowledge to an individual of which the human mind can conceive. Doing a thing, introducing it into your very being, will convince you whether it is good or whether it is bad. You may not be able to convince me of that which you know, but you know it because you have lived it. That is the test that the Savior gave to those men when they asked him how they should know whether the doctrine was of God or whether it was of man." (Conference Report, October 1966, Afternoon Meeting 136.)

Howard W. Hunter

"Do we hear the imperative in this declaration of the Savior? 'If any man will do, . . . he will know!' John caught the significance of this imperative and emphasized its meaning in his writings. He said, 'He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.' (1 Jn. 2:6.)

"Merely saying, accepting, and believing are not enough. They are incomplete until that which they imply is translated into the dynamic action of daily living. This, then, is the finest source of personal testimony. We know because we have experienced. We do not have to say, 'Brother Jones says it is true, and I believe him.' We can say, 'I have lived this principle in my own life, and I know through personal experience that it works. I have felt its influence, tested its practical usefulness, and know that it is good. I can testify of my own knowledge that it is a true principle.'" (That We Might Have Joy [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], 133.)

Milton R. Hunter

"The Savior has proclaimed what we might regard as a scientific pattern which must be followed if one attains a testimony and retains it. First, he must have a strong desire to gain a testimony. Second, he must study the holy scriptures prayerfully and with an open mind. You recall that the Master declared: 'Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.' (John 5:39; D&C 1:37.) Third, a person must render obedience to God's commandments. Jesus made this fact clear. He said: 'My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.' (John 7:16-17.) And fourth, he must pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ and sincerely ask for a testimony. By doing these things a person receives a testimony that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is true." (Conference Report, October 1965, Afternoon Meeting 82.)

Henry B. Eyring

"...the effect of sincere prayer and of careful scripture study is to always feel an urging to do things. You must tell them, bearing testimony from your own experience, that they need to make a choice simply to be obedient. Real spiritual sight comes to the heart softened by obedience. It takes time, but it is the sure way to see. The Lord made that clear, at least to you and to me, when he said: 'My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.' (John 7:16-17.)" (To Draw Closer to God: A Collection of Discourses [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 151 - 152.)

  How can you come to know that the doctrine Jesus taught is true?

As Jesus taught-simply give the doctrine a try and see what happens in your life.
How true is that with this Come Follow Me program. I see posts online of some who feel over whelmed and so inadequate in doing the study, yet I feel it is simply that we do more than we were before. We think more on the scriptures and questions asked.

My wife and I have found that it is great to just talk in the car as we are driving somewhere of what we have read, our 11 year old over hears and adds in where she can. We have also seen her bring up items later that we discussed as driving.

Small and simple changes are what we need to do.

How has this process helped you develop your testimony of the gospel?

My testimony is based on trying the doctrine-this is how I know it to be true.

John 8:2–11

My Thoughts:

This story has always brought lots of questions to me.

1-      Last time I checked it takes two to commit adultery. If She was caught in the very act why wasn’t the man? He was guilty of stoning as well

2-      Could it have been that those that brought her had sure knowledge of her actions since they had taken part?

3-      Jewish Law required 2 or more witnesses to come forward and that the 1^st accuser was to be the 1^st person to cast a stone. If they did not cast it then no one else could as well.

4-      I find that as Christ asked them if they were without sin that the spirit worked on each of them, each knowing what they were guilty of and also knowing that others around them knew the same about them. Basically if someone cast a stone that would have opened them up to others pointing out exactly what their sins were.

5-      It is dangerous to do this type of thing with a large crowd that knows you and your “sins”

6-      Christ forgave instantly- based on her changing.

What Others Have Said:

Dale E. Renlund
“Surely, the Savior did not condone adultery. But He also did not condemn the woman. He encouraged her to reform her life. She was motivated to change because of His compassion and mercy. _e Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible attests to her resultant discipleship: ‘And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name’ [see John 8:11, footnote c]” (April 2017 General Conference).

Dale E. Renlund

 “The Savior’s mortal ministry was indeed characterized by love, compassion, and empathy. He did not disdainfully walk the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea, flinching at the sight of sinners. He did not dodge them in abject horror. No, He ate with them. He helped and blessed, lifted and edified, and replaced fear and despair with hope and joy. Like the true shepherd He is, He seeks us and finds us to offer relief and hope. Understanding His compassion and love helps us exercise faith in Him—to repent and be healed” (April 2017 General Conference).

 Robert J Matthews

"We do not know what Jesus wrote, but we know that he regarded many of the Pharisees as adulterers themselves. When he said that any in that crowd who was 'without sin' could cast a stone, he didn't mean just any sin, he meant anyone there who was not as guilty of adultery as she was." (Robert J. Matthews, Behold the Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 197.)

Bruce R. McConkie

"[Jesus] was here dealing with men who themselves were guilty, either actually or in their sin-laden hearts, of the same offense charged against the woman; that is, they were in effect adulterers worthy of death according to the terms of the very law they now sought to invoke against the woman." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1: 451.)

Bruce R. Mcconkie

"This cunningly devised interrogatory was in no sense a search for guidance, nor did it raise any point with reference to an infamous act of adultery that needed a decision. Though it was the custom to consult distinguished Rabbis in cases of doubt or difficulty, this was not such a case. They knew, and everyone knew, that Moses decreed death for adulterers, both of them, the man and the woman, and that the accuser's hand should cast the first stone. This was not such a case. The guilty man was absent; the aggrieved husband was lodging no charge; and no witnesses had been summoned, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established. Their purpose, rather, as John expresses it, was to tempt him, 'that they might have to accuse him.'

"The character of the conniving religionists is seen perfectly in their callous use of the woman. 'To subject her to the superfluous horror of this odious publicity-to drag her, fresh from the agony of detection, into the sacred precincts of the Temple-to subject this unveiled, dishevelled, terror-stricken woman to the cold and sensual curiosity of a malignant mob-to make her, with total disregard to her own sufferings, the mere passive instrument of their hatred against Jesus-and to do all this, not under the pressure of moral indignation, but in order to gratify a calculating malice-showed on their parts a cold, hard cynicism, a graceless, pitiless, barbarous brutality of heart and conscience, which could not but prove, in every particular, revolting and hateful to One who alone was infinitely tender, because He alone was infinitely pure.'" (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-1981], 3: 141.)

Victor L Ludlow

"We see Jesus' wisdom when he is confronted by Jewish leaders who have discovered an adulterous woman. He knows that his enemies will criticize any sentence he pronounces, so he wisely puts the burden of responsibility on them, at the same time exhibiting a sensitive concern for the woman's embarrassment. Whereas she had been the focal point of a public scandal and trial, she was now able to quietly return home and, with the Savior's encouragement, repent of her sins. (John 8:3-11.)" (Victor L. Ludlow, "John: The Once and Future Witness," Ensign, Dec. 1991, 52-53)

Chieko N. Okazaki

"Think of the balm he poured on that woman's bruised spirit! She was guilty as charged, and he acknowledged that by telling her to leave her sins behind her. But he told her to go as a free woman into that new life. He did not make her acknowledge her guilt. He did not humiliate her. He did not rub her nose in it. Think of the empowerment with which she stepped forward into that new life!

"This story about Jesus and the adulterous woman teaches us about self-esteem based on having a personal, firsthand understanding of the Savior and his charity, or pure love. Today we are barraged by accusing voices. People seem to stand in line to condemn us. And if the line gets short, we stand in it ourselves to make ourselves feel guilty. We feel guilty for things we have done, for things we haven't done, for things we did but did wrong, for doing too much, for doing too little, for doing things at the wrong time, for doing things at the wrong place, for wearing the wrong color of shoes when we did them-you name it! We're guilty!
"What is the message of the gospel? Is it that we're weak, frail sinners? That Heavenly Father is disgusted and angry with us? That Jesus is sorry he died for us because it was a real waste of the Atonement? That all the angels have decided that giving us agency was a stupid thing to do? No! The message of the scriptures is that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Paul, in trying to make his Roman converts understand this, wrote this beautiful, powerful passage: 'If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect . . . Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8:31-39.)"Isn't that thrilling!" (Lighten Up! [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1993], 156 - 157.)

Dale G. Renlund

  We get a glimpse into our Heavenly Father’s character as we recognize the immense compassion He has for sinners and appreciate the distinction He makes between sin and those who sin. This glimpse helps us have a more “correct [understanding of] his character, perfections, and attributes” and is foundational to exercising faith in Him and in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Savior’s compassion in the face of our imperfections draws us toward Him and motivates us in our repeated struggles to repent and emulate Him. As we become more like Him, we learn to treat others as He does, regardless of any outward characteristic or behavior.

The Savior’s mortal ministry was indeed characterized by love, compassion, and empathy. He did not disdainfully walk the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea, flinching at the sight of sinners. He did not dodge them in abject horror. No, He ate with them. He helped and blessed, lifted and edified, and replaced fear and despair with hope and joy. Like the true shepherd He is, He seeks us and finds us to offer relief and hope. Understanding His compassion and love helps us exercise faith in Him—to repent and be healed.

The Gospel of John records the effect of the Savior’s empathy on a sinner. Scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in the very act of adultery to the Savior... Surely, the Savior did not condone adultery. But He also did not condemn the woman. He encouraged her to reform her life. She was motivated to change because of His compassion and mercy. The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible attests to her resultant discipleship: “And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name.” (Ensign, Nov. 2017, 29-30)

Gordon B. Hinckley

"Even those who transgress, we want you to know that we love you. We cannot condone the sin, but we love the sinner." (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 89)

 What do you learn about the Savior’s forgiveness as you read these verses?

The Savior did everything instantly. Some things took a more than one step but He acted instantly. He also always seems to keep the one in focus and deals directly with the one.
Forgiveness is hard to accept sometimes. Some have said ok God forgives me but then they never forgive themselves so that hinders their growth.

John 8:58–59

My Thoughts:

Christ was from the beginning. He has also had our best interest in mind in whatever He chooses to do.

 What Others Have Said:

Jeffrey R. Holland
“_at is, Christ is not only Alpha and Omega, he is Alpha through Omega — complete, abiding, permanent, unchanged. As well as being before and after us, Christ will, if we choose, be with us.... God has declared himself in the present tense. I am the Great I AM” (Ensign, September 1974).

 Daniel H. Ludlow

"I AM is a divine descriptive title that refers to the preearthly Jehovah, who was known on the earth as Jesus Christ. This name-title emphasizes the eternal nature of the power, authority, might, mission, and calling of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the translators of the Bible have not understood the nature and significance of these words. The King James Version of the Bible punctuates "John 8:58 as follows:

"'Before Abraham was, I am.' This is confusing in syntax as well as in meaning. The verse would more correctly be punctuated: 'Before Abraham, was I AM,' indicating that Jesus Christ was the great Jehovah, the preexistent One, who was a God before Abraham was even born on the earth." (Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the New Testament: The Four Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 137.)

Robert J. Matthews

"There is no question that the message came through, for the Pharisees asked, 'Art thou greater than our father Abraham?' (John 8:53.) Jesus replied, 'Abraham rejoiced to see my day.... Before Abraham was, I am. [Or in other words, 'Yes, I am greater than Abraham; I am the Lord Jehovah.'] Then they took up stones to cast at him.' (John 8:56-59.) That they intended to stone him indicates they got the message that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God, the great Jehovah. This was further certified at the cross when passersby 'reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying .... If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross' (Matt. 27:39-40). And the chief priests, scribes, and elders said, 'He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God' (Matt. 27:41-43).

"There can be no doubt that Jesus was successful in putting his point across to both Saint and sinner. They didn't always believe him, but they knew what he said about himself." (Robert J. Matthews, Behold the Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 229.)

Why were the Jews offended when Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am”?

It is easier to be offended than to admit you may have been wrong about someone.
We need to try to not  be this way, avoid being so hard headed that we cannot accept what people truly are instead of what we think them to be.

John 9

My Thoughts:

Doing good on the Sabbath has never been wrong.
We also do not understand why some families are given the challenges they are. It is very easy for us to say, “Well if they would only be more active their kids would not be turning out like they are” This is wrong.
Also I think that some special families do glorify God through their service to each other and through the seer simple joy they bring.
No two miracles are played out the same. I believe it depends on the people involved and how the Lord knows they need it to happen.
This miracle has lots of levels in it and I seem to find more each time I ponder on it. Some of those thoughts are below.

 What Others Have Said:

James E. Faust
“How are the works of God manifest in these, our handicapped brothers and sisters? Surely they are manifested greatly in the loving care and attention given by parents, other family members, friends, and associates. The handicapped are not on trial. Those of us who live free of such limitations are the ones who are on trial…. The handiwork of God is manifest with respect to the handicapped in many ways. It is demonstrated in the miraculous way in which many individuals with mental and physical impediments are able to adjust and compensate for their limitations. Occasionally, other senses become more functional and substitute for the impaired senses in a remarkable way…. Many of the special ones are superior in many ways. They, too, are in a life of progression, and new things unfold for them each day as with us all. THey can be extraordinary in their faith and spirit. Some are able, through their prayers, to communicate with the infinite in a most remarkable way. Many have a pure faith in others and a powerful belief in God. They can give their spiritual strength to others around them…. Certainly, in the infinite mercy of God, those with physical and mental limitations will not remain so after the Resurrection. At this time, Alma says, “the spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame (Alma 11:43).” (GC 1984, Oct, p. 54)

Bruce R. McConkie

"Apparently the Jews had some understanding of the doctrine of pre-existence. Among their righteous forbears it had been taught plainly as a basic gospel truth. (Moses 3:4-9; 4:1-4; 6:51; Abra. 3:22-28.) Such scriptures as were then available to them however, contained only passing allusions to it. (Num. 16:22; Isa. 14:12-20; Jer. 1:5.) But it was a doctrine implicit in the whole plan of salvation... Jesus' disciples-probably as a direct result of his teachings-knew and believed that men were the spirit children of God in pre-existence and that in such prior estate they were subject to law and endowed with agency. Otherwise they never would have asked nor would there have been any sense or reason to a question which is predicated upon the assumption that men can sin before they are born into mortality." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1: 480.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"There are clearly special cases of individuals in mortality who have special limitations in life, which conditions we mortals cannot now fully fathom. For all we now know, the seeming limitations may have been an agreed-upon spur to achievement-a 'thorn in the flesh.' Like him who was blind from birth, some come to bring glory to God (John 9:1-3). We must be exceedingly careful about imputing either wrong causes or wrong rewards to all in such circumstances. They are in the Lord's hands, and he loves them perfectly. Indeed, some of those who have required much waiting upon in this life may be waited upon again by the rest of us in the next world-but for the highest of reasons." (Cory H. Maxwell, ed., The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997], 84.)

James E. Faust

"The challenge of having handicapped people is not new. Many have questioned why some have such limitations. It was so in the time of Jesus...How are the works of God manifested in these, our handicapped brothers and sisters? Surely they are manifested greatly in the loving care and attention given by parents, other family members, friends, and associates. The handicapped are not on trial. Those of us who live free of such limitations are the ones who are on trial. While those with handicaps cannot be measured in the same way as others, many of the handicapped benefit immensely from each accomplishment, no matter how small.
"The handiwork of God is manifested with respect to the handicapped in many ways. It is demonstrated in the miraculous ways in which many individuals with mental and physical impediments are able to adjust and compensate for their limitations. Occasionally, other senses become more functional and substitute for the impaired senses in a remarkable way. A young friend greatly retarded in speech and movement repaired a complicated clock although she had had no previous training or experience in watch or clock making.
"Many of the special ones are superior in many ways. They, too, are in a life of progression, and new things unfold for them each day as with us all. They can be extraordinary in their faith and spirit. Some are able, through prayer, to communicate with the infinite in a most remarkable way. Many have a pure faith in others and a powerful belief in God. They can give their spiritual strength to others around them.
"For those who are impaired, trying to cope with life is often like trying to reach the unreachable. But recall the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith: 'All the minds and spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement.' (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 354.) Certainly, in the infinite mercy of God, those with physical and mental limitations will not remain so after the Resurrection. At that time, Alma says, 'the spirit and the body shall be reunited again in perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame.' ("Alma 11:43Alma 11:43.) Afflictions, like mortality, are temporary.

"Surely more sharing of the burden will contribute to the emotional salvation of the person who is the primary caregiver. Just an hour of help now and then would be appreciated. One mother of a child who is handicapped said, 'I could never dream of going to Hawaii on a vacation; all I can hope for is to have an evening away from home.'

"The Savior's teachings that handicaps are not punishment for sin, either in the parents or in the handicapped, can also be understood and applied in today's circumstances. How can it possibly be said that an innocent child born with a special problem is being punished? Why should parents who have kept themselves free from social disease, addicting chemicals, and other debilitating substances that might affect their offspring imagine that the birth of a disabled child is some form of divine disapproval? Usually, both the parents are blameless. The Savior of the world reminds us that God 'maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.' (Matthew 5:45.)
"May I express a word of gratitude and appreciation to those many who minister with such kindness and skill to our handicapped people. Special commendation belongs to parents and family members who have cared for their own children with special needs in the loving atmosphere of their own homes. The care of those who are diminished is a special service rendered to the Master himself, for 'inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' (Matthew 25:40.)" (Reach Up for the Light [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1990], 88-90.)

 Bruce R. McConkie

 "Healing miracles are performed by the power of faith and in the authority of the priesthood. By doing these physical acts, however, the Master's apparent purpose was to strengthen the faith of the blind or deaf person, persons who were denied the ability to gain increased assurance and resultant faith by seeing his countenance or hearing his words." (Doctrinal Commentary on the New Testament 1:320.)

 Bruce R. McConkie

"Their Messiah stoops down; he spits on the ground, he makes clay with the spittle; and he anoints the eyes of the blind man with the saliva-filled lump of the dust of the earth...There can be little doubt that he is deliberately violating the [rabbinical] law of the Sabbath in two major respects: (1) he made clay, and (2) he applied a healing remedy to an impaired person, which of itself was forbidden, and in addition there was a specific prohibition against the application of saliva to the eyes on the Sabbath. This strange restriction came into being because of a common belief that saliva was a remedy for diseases of the eye." (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-1981], 3: 208.)

 Bruce R. McConkie

"'The Rabbis had forbidden any man to smear even one of his eyes with spittle on the Sabbath, except in cases of mortal danger. Jesus had not only smeared both the man's eyes, but had actually mingled the saliva with clay!...The Sabbath of Rabbinism, with all its petty servility, was in no respect the Sabbath of God's loving and holy law. It had degenerated into that which St. Paul calls it, a 'beggarly element.' And these Jews were so imbued with this utter littleness, that a unique miracle of mercy awoke in them less of astonishment and gratitude than the horror kindled by a neglect of their Sabbatical superstition.' (Farrar, p. 439. Gal. 4:9.)" (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-1981], 3: 202.)

 John 10:16

Who are the “other sheep” the Savior referred to in John 10:16?

Not only the people living in America but also the lost 10 tribes scattered where ever they were.
Sometimes the lost sheep are sitting next to us at Church. They just don’t realize they are lost.

NT Come Follow Me 2019-Individual April 22-28

April 22–28

Matthew 18; Luke 10

“What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?”Matthew 18:21–35

My Thoughts:

I find it interesting that the please from the servant and those that he “Bullied” were the same. One received forgiveness but did not give it in return.

How often do we want people to over look our issues or problems but we fail to give that in return to others? The 

What Others Have Said:

Richard Tice

Peter's question implies that his brother asks for his forgiveness-that he is sorry for his trespasses. Consider the following, 'And again, verily I say unto you, if after thine enemy has come upon thee the first time, he repent and come unto thee praying thy forgiveness, thou shalt forgive him, and shalt hold it no more as a testimony against thine enemy-And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him until seventy times seven.' (DC 98:38-39, emphasis added)

Fortunately for us, the Lord will forgive us even more than 490 times. Certainly, our petitions for repentance must be tiring for Him, but He continues to forgive until more than 'seventy times seven.' As one commentator noted, "First, there is the fact of our indebtedness to God, a debt so great we could never conceivably repay it. (See Mosiah 2:21.) Second, there is the fact that God freely forgives us, if we forgive others. We must be careful that the minuscule debts others may owe us do not prevent us from being forgiven our enormous debts of sin." (Richard Tice, "Bekahs, Shekels, and Talents: A Look at Biblical References to Money," Ensign, Aug. 1987, 30)

Robert E.  Wells

"The quality of mercy tempers the strict, severe sentence with compassion and an understanding of extenuating circumstances. The infinite mercy of God cancels any punishment if the sinner repents, asks for forgiveness, and promises to follow Christ. God's mercy comes from his unlimited and unconditional love for us. Likewise, we should show mercy to others through unlimited and unconditional love for them.

"Our parents love us-not necessarily because we deserve it, but because they are our parents and we are their children. And because of their love, they sacrifice to provide for our welfare and security and happiness. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, loves us-not because we deserve it necessarily, but because we are his brothers and sisters. And because of his love, which is unconditional, the Savior willingly sacrificed his life for us. Sacrifice and service beget love." (The Mount and the Master, 65.)

Spencer J. Condie

"In latter-day revelation the Lord reiterated the main point of this parable when he said: 'I the Lord will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men' (D&C 64:10). We cannot expect to gain forgiveness for our sins against the Lord if we are unable to forgive those who have trespassed against us.

"It is very easy to discuss forgiveness as an abstract principle, but when one has been bilked out of one's life's savings, or been the object of an unjust lawsuit, or been the victim of untrue gossip, or become the physically handicapped victim of an accident caused by a drunken driver, or been the victim of child abuse, then forgiveness is no longer an ethereal, abstract principle. It is then that the requirements of the Atonement, the tempering of justice with mercy, can have a great impact in our lives in freeing us from the bondage of hatred and revenge by cleansing our souls through the miracle of forgiveness." (In Perfect Balance, 41.)

Is there someone who needs to feel mercy and compassion from you?

This is  question that we may need to ask ourselves every day. There are some  people who get hurt or offend by us without us even knowing it. True it rests with them not to be hurt but that is hard.

What Others have said

N. Eldon Tanner

"How wonderful it would be if we would all forgive and love our neighbors. Then it would be much easier for us to call upon the Lord to forgive us of any of our wrongdoings, and as we repent and bring forth fruits meet for repentance, we can expect God's forgiveness and mercy to be extended in our behalf.

"...How important it is for us to apply in our lives those great principles of repentance and forgiveness. Let us always remember that the one who carries a grudge or ill feelings toward a neighbor and does not forgive is the one who is uncomfortable and unhappy and ill at ease, and continuing in this course will canker his soul, and in him will remain the greater sin. There are numerous stories with beautiful endings where persons who have carried grudges or harbored ill feelings toward others have had the courage and strength to, later on, go and apologize, showing love and making reconciliation, resulting in a beautiful new relationship where both are greatly relieved and happy together." ("The Importance of Prayer," Ensign, May 1974, 50)

Luke 10:1–20Who are the Seventy?

My Thoughts:

The charge given to the 70 is the same that was given earlier tot he 12.

The Church today uses the 70 world wide. I have no idea how the Church would function without them.

Back in my youth each Ward had 70’s, they were the Ward missionaries. I remember talking to people from other faiths and bringing up the offices in the priesthood and each time they just gave me a look when I mentioned 70. Some said that it was not based in scripture. 

What Others have Said:

Elder S. Dilworth Young

"Within five years of the date the Church was organized, the Prophet had surprised Brigham and Joseph Young with the statement that Joseph Young was to be a president of the seventy. No man would have thought of such a group of men as the seventy. There were to be seventy men in the quorum, and the quorum was to be presided over by seven presidents-not a president with six counselors, but seven presidents, each holding the presidential keys over the quorum. Until that time the only information about this important body of men was contained in the narrative of Luke. (quotes Luke 10:1-5, 8-9, 17.)

"Until 1835 no one conceived that the word seventy meant a holder of a peculiar office in the Church, with a special calling. Now, because of the revelations of 1835, we know about the organization of the seventy in the time of the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ appointed the seventy and assigned them their work in his day. You have just heard a description of that work. Joseph Smith organized them and appointed them their work in 1835. President Brigham Young made changes in the detail of their organization in 1845 to fit the needs of his day, as did President John Taylor in 1885.

"Each President of the Church has used the seventy as he felt inspired for his day...We should work in vain if we should try to follow the pattern of work for the one quorum laid down in 1835 or for the ten quorums organized in 1845 or for the sixty-five or so organized in 1885. It is the right of the living prophet to point the way for his generation." (Conference Report, October 1968, Afternoon Meeting 69.)

From the Encyclopedia of Mormonism:

"President Spencer W. Kimball organized the First Quorum of the Seventy on October 3, 1975... In the April 1984 general conference, six new members of the Seventy were sustained for a period of three to five years-rather than for life, as before. In the general conference held on October 4, 1986, all stake quorums of seventy were discontinued, and all seventies in those quorums were directed to affiliate with the elders quorums in their wards.

"In the April 1989 general conference, the Second Quorum of the Seventy was organized, with General Authorities called to temporary service. As additional General Authorities are required to administer the growing worldwide organization, it is assumed that additional quorums of seventy will be formed 'until seven times seventy, if the labor in the vineyard of necessity requires it' (D&C 107:95-96). The First Quorum of Seventy consists of members called for lifetime service or until granted emeritus status. The Presidency of the First Quorum of Seventy presides over both quorums of seventies, as their assignments are not distinguished by quorum." (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 1302.)

Gordon B. Hinckley

"We now have approximately 8,500 missionaries in the field who are working, I think, as missionaries have never worked before, averaging 210 hours a month of actual proselyting per missionary. We have approximately seven thousand additional missionaries in the stakes. But with all of these, 'the laborers are few and the harvest is great.' (See Luke 10:2.)...I believe, my brethren, with all my heart that the field is white ready to harvest. We had nearly 50,000 baptisms last year. I think it not at all unrealistic to believe that we could have 100,000 converts a year in the Church if all of us were alert to the opportunities that are about us and would go to work accordingly. I think the answer to the increased number of converts does not lie particularly in our methods-effective as those methods are. Rather, I think we are living in the day of the fulfillment of the word of the Lord given through the Prophet Joel, and repeated by Moroni in his first visitation to the Prophet Joseph. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. . . .' (Joel 2:28.)

"What will it take to do it?

"First, it will take an awareness of our responsibility and our opportunity. Great and magnificent as is the work of the more than 15,000 missionaries who have been set apart, I am convinced that we have a far greater force for teaching the gospel to the world in the membership of the Church-'every man a missionary'-as has been said here so convincingly tonight. 'Every man a missionary!'

"Anyone can do this, whether you're rich or poor, whether you're bond or free. I think every member of the Church has the capacity to teach the gospel to nonmembers. I was told the other day of a crippled woman, homebound, who spends her days in a wheelchair, who has been the means of bringing thirty-seven people into the Church. An awareness, brethren, we need an awareness, an everyday awareness of the great power that we have to do this thing.

"Second, a desire. I think many of us realize that we could do it, but we lack the desire. Let every man single out another, a friend. Let him get on his knees and pray to the Lord to help him bring that man into the Church. I am as satisfied as I am of anything that with that kind of prayerful, conscientious, directed effort, there isn't a man in this Church who could not convert another. I think of a phrase that has been quoted by Brother Richard L. Evans: 'If not I, who? If not now, when?' I leave that thought with you.

"Third, the faith to try. It is so simple. As Brother Franklin D. Richards has pointed out, this is not complex. It is simple. We have in the Northern Far East Mission of the Church today a beautiful and capable Japanese girl, born in Honolulu. I said to her, 'Were your folks members of the Church?' 'No, they were Buddhists.' 'How is it then that you are here?' She said, 'I had a high school friend who took me to Mutual once a week and then gave me a tract to read.' That girl went on to the University of Hawaii and then to Illinois Wesleyan University, from which school she was graduated. Today she is a missionary in Japan.

"...Brethren, the power lies within us to spread the Lord's work. '. . . I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation. . . .' (Romans 1:16.) I give you my testimony of this work, of its divinity, and of the responsibility which lies upon us to spread it throughout the earth to fill its divine mission, and urge you, my brethren, every one of you, young or old, rich or poor, professional man, clerk, or laborer, to work with your associates to build the kingdom, all of which I do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen." (Conference Report, April 1961, General Priesthood Meeting 88-90.)

Mark E. Petersen

"Jesus well understood that he would not remain long in mortality and that his ministry would necessarily be limited, and so he planned to follow the age-old example of the Lord in raising up and calling to the ministry living prophets, authorized men of God, to carry on the work.

"But in doing so it was necessary for the Lord to warn these servants in the ministry of the attitude of the people. He remembered that in the ages past there had been a tendency on the part of the people to resist, reject, persecute, and even slay the prophets of God, and Jesus knew that that tendency continued even in his own day because he had felt it. And now, as he was about to send forth his authorized servants to minister among the people, and having in mind this tendency, he said to them, 'I send you forth as lambs among wolves.'

"What a commentary upon those who reject and resist and persecute the authorities of the Church. What a rebuke from the Lord himself to those who stand in opposition to the servants of the Lord." (Conference Report, April 1945, Afternoon Meeting 42 - 43.)

LeGrand Richards

"(Speaking of Luke 10:5-7) I figured that if I were in a home one night, and the peace of heaven rested there, it was my responsibility to bring the family into the Church. If I didn't, it was because the devil was a better salesman than I. Now, I visited a home in Amsterdam, and on our first evening, tears rolled down the lady's cheeks because of what we said. Upon leaving, I said, 'If your minister learns we've been here, he will tell you we are the wickedest people on earth, and if you believe him, you will not want us to return.'

"That is just what happened. A daughter from that home met one of the Saints on the street and said, 'When Mr. Richards comes to see us on Tuesday, Mother and Father will not be home.' So we made another appointment for Tuesday, and called at their place on Monday. I put on all the smiles I could and said, 'Pardon us, but something came up for Tuesday and we couldn't come. We knew you spend each evening at home, so we didn't think it would make any difference if we came Monday or Tuesday.' We were in, and we brought that whole family into the Church." (Lucile C. Tate, LeGrand Richards: Beloved Apostle [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], 51)

Spencer W. Kimball

"With our Testament open we read of the ministry of Christ, for this was the scene of much of it. We ask for the cities in which he lived and performed so many miracles, for we remember that in this area of but a few miles much of his work was done, much of his ministry was accomplished. We would like to walk through the triplet cities so often visited: Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum. We see no spires nor towers, nor walls. We ask our guide: 'Where is Chorazin?' He shakes his head. There is no Chorazin. We conclude it must have been on those hills above where now are sprouting grain and vegetables and dry weeds.

"'Then where is Bethsaida?' we ask. 'Where is that noted city where so many sick were healed and the lame were made to walk; where deaf could hear and lepers lost their curse? Where is his favorite place he often lodged, the home of Andrew, Peter, and Philip his dearest friends? Where is old Bethsaida, the house of fishers, the place of miracles, the seat of gospel teachings, where fishermen became apostles?' In these very few miles much of interest happened. 'Where is Bethsaida?' Our guide shakes his head again. There is no Bethsaida. 'Capernaum, then?' we ask, 'Where is that important place, the port where fish were loaded, traded, marketed?' He shakes his head again, then smiles as he thinks it through and changes the accent, and 'Oh, you mean Capernaum.' He shows us the ruins of a large synagogue.

"If this was of the Messianic period it is the sole survivor. A back wall, great stones tumbled in disarray, some olive presses are mute reminders of long ago. But that can't be Capernaum, his own city, the great Capernaum, the haughty, wicked, rebellious, Capernaum!

"Now we realize that we should not have expected to see these cities, for were they not doomed 1,900 years ago? Have we forgotten the prophetic curse of the Master? In their unrepentant attitudes toward the Savior of the world and his exalting message, Christ warned: 'Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

"'But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.' We found that Tyre and Sidon still exist on the Mediterranean coast.

"'And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.' (Matt. 11:21-24.)

"And then we remember that only prophets and angels had visited Sodom to call that people to repentance, but for these tri-cities the Creator, the Lord, the Christ had come in person and for nearly three years had dwelt among them and performed the miracles and taught the gospel. They had ignored and rejected him. (We cannot remember ever reading about any Church branches in these cities.) Sodom and Gomorrah went up in smoke 'as the smoke of a furnace.' If these cities were more rebellious than Tyre and Sidon, more corrupt than Sodom, and more wicked than Gomorrah, we think we understand." (Conference Report, April 1961, Afternoon Meeting 77 - 78.)

Elder Dilworth Young

"I believe I know a little about what our Lord and Savior must have felt on that great day when he called seventy to him and told them to go forth, giving them authority to do the things that they had seen him do. I believe that the man side of his nature made him worry about them. He was hopeful they would all measure up to what he told them; and, while I know he had the prophetic view and could see ahead, I like to think that he worried about it, too. When they came back and said those immortal words that even the devils were subject to them because of his name, he must have experienced a thrill of satisfaction. (See Luke 10:17.) I have had something of that kind of sensation when, after I send these young people out [as missionaries], they send me letters and say, 'The houses have been opened to us; we have been fed and we have been clothed, and the way has opened for us to preach the gospel far beyond our strength and ability.' Then I feel like saying, 'Yes, even the devils are subject to you through His name.'" (Conference Report, April 1949, Afternoon Meeting 96.)

Luke 10:25–37

My Thoughts

The good Samaritan has changed for me through the years. Years ago I would not give a second thought of stopping and helping someone on the side of the road or in trouble. Unfortunately today it is not a no thought reaction. I find myself thinking if it is safe, if I am the best person to help, if this will back fire and law suits or issues arise. It is sad that I have to go through this process in my head but I can’t not do it. Today people have changed, people are good and great but also some are not.

I struggle with this and will probably only have it get worse. I also have found myself questioning if someone really needs help. When I see a general text on my phone or the neighborhood face book page asking for a ride or if someone can spare a few minutes….this I can control and get rid of! Satan would love nothing more than me to isolate myself from my neighbors, It goes back to the unmerciful servant. How can I ignore others when they ask for a simple help and then get mad when no one takes up the offer to help me when I ask?

What Others Have Said:

This is worth the read-A different take on the Parable of the Good Samaritan 

John W. Welch, “The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols,” Liahona, Feb. 2007

Hugh B. Brown

"'. . .Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. . .with all thy mind. . . ' (Luke 10:27.) The above is but part of Christ's injunction, but seemingly a part not often stressed in print or pulpit. We hear often of the necessity of loving God with all our hearts and with all our souls, but there was a purpose in his including 'mind' in his instruction.

"Can one love with the mind or is its function limited to the cold processes of unemotional fact-finding? Is the extent of our love of God to be gauged wholly by sentimental reaction, lip service, physical demonstrations, forms, and ceremonies?

"Jesus said, if we would have eternal life we must know God. Can one love that which he does not know? By what process do we come to know? Is love affected by knowledge? 'We are saved no faster than we gain knowledge.' Of what? Of God. As we gain knowledge of him we become like him and with this growth our capacity for love increases. As we become like him, we achieve salvation, which is, in the very nature of things, a continuing process.

"Any person's conception of Deity must come within his mental horizon, which is determined by the degree of his intelligence. Man, by his reasoning, naturally endows God with his own noblest and highest ideals, which if he be studious and devout, are ever growing. Intellectual activity then produces an ever-changing, because ever-growing, concept of God. Once the mind has grasped the idea of God it will burn and glow, seek to assimilate and radiate, adore and emulate. This love of God by the mind of man when accompanied by the love of heart and soul will light the pathway of salvation, the gates to which may be unlocked by the key of knowledge." (The Eternal Quest [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1956], 223 - 224.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"For a disciple of Jesus Christ, academic scholarship is a form of worship. It is actually another dimension of consecration...For the disciple-scholar, the first and second great commandments frame and prioritize life. How else could one worship God with all of one's heart, might, mind, and strength? (Luke 10:27.) Adoration of God leads to emulation of Him and Jesus: 'Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.' (3 Ne. 27:27; see also 2 Pet. 3:11.)" (Henry B. Eyring, ed., On Becoming a Disciple Scholar [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1995], 7.)

Howard W. Hunter

"Eternal life, God's life, the life we are seeking, is rooted in two commandments. The scriptures say that 'on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.' (Matt. 22:40.) Love God and love your neighbor. The two work together; they are inseparable. In the highest sense they may be considered as synonymous. And they are commandments that each of us can live.

"The answer of Jesus to the lawyer might be considered as the Lord's touchstone. He said on another occasion, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' (Matt. 25:40.) He will measure our devotion to him by how we love and serve our fellowmen. What kind of mark are we leaving on the Lord's touchstone? Are we truly good neighbors? Does the test show us to be twenty-four-karat gold, or can the trace of fool's gold be detected?

"As if excusing himself for asking such a simple question of the Master, the lawyer sought to justify himself by further inquiring, 'And who is my neighbour?' (Luke 10:29.)

"We all ought to be eternally grateful for that question, for in the Savior's reply came one of his richest and most appreciated parables, one that each of us has read and heard over and over again." (That We Might Have Joy [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], 144.)

Neal A. Maxwell

Bruce R. McConkie

"Who is my neighbor? To the Jews among whom Jesus ministered, this was one of the most important and yet difficult questions. They had been commanded by Moses to love God with all the strength and power their whole souls possessed (Deut. 6:4-5) and also to love their neighbors as themselves. (Lev. 19:18.)...But who among earth's teeming hosts were their neighbors? Traditionally they had loved their neighboring kindred in Israel and hated the pagan Gentiles, with whom they also frequently found themselves engaged in armed conflicts.

"Foreigners and Samaritans were not neighbors according to rabbinical teachings. 'The rabbis said: He excepts all Gentiles when he saith His neighbour...We are not to contrive the death of the Gentiles, but if they are in any danger of death we are not bound to deliver them, e.g. if any of them fall into the sea you need not take him out, for such a one is not thy neighbour.' (Dummelow, p. 751, italics added)

"But Jesus in this parable drew from one trained in the spirit-killing letter of the Jewish law the instinct-born gospel truth that all of our Father's children with whom we have contact are our neighbors. The parable presupposes that God 'hath made of one blood all nations of men' (Acts 17:26); it teaches the lesson that each member of this great brotherhood of man should exhibit an active benevolence toward every other one of his Father's children." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1: 471.)

Hugh B. Brown

"[On the occasion when] the Master was asked who is my neighbor, he replied with the parable of the good Samaritan, which teaches the lesson that all who need our help, all whose lives we touch are our neighbors, whether they live across the street, over the fence, across the continent, or over the ocean. Our neighborhood has become world-wide." (Conference Report, Apr. 1963, 8 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the New Testament: The Four Gospels, by Pinegar, Bassett, and Earl, p. 232)

James E. Talmage

"The road between Jerusalem and Jericho was known to be infested by highway robbers; indeed a section of the thoroughfare was called the Red Path or Bloody Way because of the frequent atrocities committed thereon...Though not definitely stated, the victim of the robbers was almost certainly a Jew; the point of the parable requires it to be so. That the merciful one was a Samaritan, showed that the people called heretic and despised by the Jews could excel in good works. To a Jew, none but Jews were neighbors." (Jesus the Christ, 400)

Mark E. Petersen

"I suppose the priest who passed by that traveler who had been attacked and beaten and left half dead must have been a praying man. That was his business. Probably he was paid for it. But in spite of all his prayers, he was not enough interested in the way he lived, he was not enough interested in translating his prayers into action to be willing to do anything about this poor, half-dead man who was abandoned there after having been beaten by thieves.

"I am sure, too, that the Levite was likewise a praying man. I suppose there was probably no more pious man in all Palestine, and I am sure that he could pray as well as any Pharisee who might say that he thanked God that he was better than other men. Even this Levite, forgetting all his prayers and forgetting the real meaning of true religion, was willing to stand there and look at this man, and pass by and leave him there without supplying the necessary succor for him.

"...I suppose there are no more frequent prayers offered than the appeals that go up to the Lord asking him to bless the poor and the needy, and yet our fast offerings are down, and we still have many people in the Church who do not live enough the way they pray so that they are unwilling to get in and work with the welfare program and make that welfare program work for those who are in need. How well do we live according to the manner of our prayers?

"...'What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?' (James 2:14-16.)" (Conference Report, April 1947, Afternoon Meeting 100.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"It is so easy to pass by, especially when we are busy and when we are on the equivalent of the other side of the street. We are busy being busy. We are often actually less generous with our time than with our money. We keep forgetting where our time comes from!" (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 73.)

Howard W. Hunter

"The Samaritan gave us an example of pure Christian love. He had compassion. He went to the man who had been injured by the thieves and bound up his wounds, took him to an inn, cared for him, paid his expenses, and offered more if needed for his care. This is a story of the love of a neighbor for his neighbor.

"An old axiom states that a man 'all wrapped up in himself makes a small bundle.' Love has a certain way of making a small bundle large. The key is to love our neighbor, including the neighbor who is difficult to love. We need to remember that though we make our friends, God has made our neighbors-everywhere. Love should have no boundary; we should have no narrow loyalties. Christ said, 'For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?' (Matt. 5:46.)

"Joseph Smith wrote a letter to the Saints, published in the Messenger and Advocate, on the subject of loving one another to be justified before God. He wrote:

"Dear Brethren:-It is a duty which every Saint ought to render to his brethren freely-to always love them, and ever succor them. To be justified before God we must love one another: we must overcome evil; we must visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, and we must keep ourselves unspotted from the world: for such virtues flow from the great fountain of pure religion. Strengthening our faith by adding every good quality that adorns the children of the blessed Jesus, we can pray in the season of prayer; we can love our neighbor as ourselves, and be faithful in tribulation, knowing that the reward of such is greater in the kingdom of heaven. What a consolation! What a joy! Let me live the life of the righteous, and let my reward be like this!" (History of the Church 2:229.)" (That We Might Have Joy [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], 145-146.)

Merlin R. Lybbert

"I presume that most of us have visualized this parable as requiring our aid to an injured person, even a stranger, who is in need because of an injury or sickness. The beauty of the parables of the Lord is that they have many applications, and thus their teaching value is unending. I would like to suggest an application of the principles taught in this parable to a current setting.

"There are many of God's children who are wounded or sick in spirit. Many once enjoyed fellowship with the body of the Saints, but for one reason or another are now on the roadside. They are the less active among us. Generally, we know who they are and have association with them in various settings, but because they are not physically sick or injured, we too often play the part of the priest or the Levite and walk by 'on the other side.'

"In this dramatic parable, Jesus contrasted the response of the two respected religionists with that of a despised citizen of Samaria. There is at least a scintilla of similarity here to an elders president, a high priests group leader, a member of the bishopric, or a home teacher, and to the less-active brother or sister who has fallen inactive by the wayside. Perhaps we do not despise them, but we sometimes ignore them or otherwise disregard them. Each of us can be a good Samaritan by dealing compassionately with these neglected brothers and sisters.

"We can bind up their spiritual wounds by rendering needed service, pouring in the soothing oil of friendship and supplying the soul-healing balm of genuine brotherly and sisterly love. We can set them in our own automobiles and accompany them to our homes and places of worship, devote the necessary time and attention to warmly fellowship them. The good Samaritan spent the night with his wounded friend and stayed with him until satisfied that he was on his way to recovery. Similarly, we ought to become close enough to these less-active brothers and sisters to truly become their friends and support and sustain them while they spiritually heal.

"...Most of us are acquainted with someone who is spiritually ill or wounded, lying on the roadside half dead, and who desperately needs the assistance of a good LDS brother or sister-that is, a Latter-day Samaritan. Our prophet has repeatedly reminded us that rescuing the less active is one of our greatest challenges of service." ("A Latter-day Samaritan," Ensign, May 1990, 82)

Thomas S. Monson

"Each of us, in the journey through mortality, will travel his own Jericho Road. What will be your experience? What will be mine? Will I fail to notice him who has fallen among thieves and requires my help? Will you? Will I be one who sees the injured and hears his plea, yet crosses to the other side? Will you? Or will I be one who sees, who hears, who pauses, and who helps? Will you?

"Jesus provided our watchword, 'Go, and do thou likewise.' When we obey that declaration, there opens to our view a vista of joy seldom equaled and never surpassed.

"Now the Jericho Road may not be clearly marked. Neither may the injured cry out, that we may hear. But when we walk in the steps of that good Samaritan, we walk the pathway that leads to perfection." (Be Your Best Self [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 154.)

Why do you think the Savior chose a Samaritan, someone who was hated by the Jews, as an example of compassion and loving one’s neighbor? 

Even as ye have done it unto the least of these….how many times do we see a plea for help but think, “I don’t want to help them.” Now if it was so and so I would love to help out. Hopefully none of us have this happen.

I have to think who the Samaritans are today. the homeless lady begging for money by the freeway, the kids who aren’t the best well kept hair and clothes, even some that appear to be well off and doing good on the outside but we can tell something is happening inside their spirit that need help.

What does this parable inspire you to do to show more mercy to others?

I will do better today than I did yesterday. I will keep my mind open to the spirit to help guide me to those that need me.

Luke 10:38–42

My Thoughts:

Verse 38 states that it has Martha’s house. This simple fact changed the whole story to me. I think of my own wife and how she would want everything to be perfect and every bit of food to taste wonderful.

I do not think the Lord was saying one was better than the other but that we need to have balance. Maybe at that moment the perfect casserole was not as important as listening to the Master. 

What Others Have Said:

Daniel K. Judd

"We cannot save ourselves no matter how many casseroles we bake or home teaching visits we make. That is what Paul was teaching when he wrote, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.' (Eph. 2:8-9.) Any theology that stresses the importance of 'good works' has humanism as a likely counterfeit." (Daniel K. Judd, LDS Church News, 1995, 01/07/95)

Neal A. Maxwell

"Sometimes in the Church we gravitate toward conspicuous busyness rather than doing what we have really been called to do. Getting thus diverted usually occurs, however, because of bad judgment rather than bad motives. When we fail to accord priority to our real opportunities, we tend to make Martha-like choices instead of Mary-like choices. Remember, it was Martha rather than Mary who 'was cumbered.' (Luke 10:40-42.)

"A bishop who is merely a manager of programs or activities will be more weary and less effective than a bishop who is a shepherd of the flock. Doing those basic things we are supposed to be doing can permit us to proceed with confidence and in patience. Otherwise, indiscriminate busyness will result in trying to do too many things simultaneously, pursuing quickie campaigns and producing only temporary results at best." (We Will Prove Them Herewith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 110.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"That scripture is an important scripture for all of us who at times get too task oriented and who, in the midst of our frustrations and harassments, pass it along, and sometimes with gusto, to others who seemingly are less involved than we are, who seem not to be doing their share as they should.

"Some mothers in today's world feel 'cumbered' by home duties and are thus attracted by other more 'romantic' challenges. Such women could make the same error of perspective and priorities that Martha made. The woman, for instance, who deserts the cradle in order to help defend civilization against the barbarians may well later meet, among the barbarians, her own neglected child.

"The modern Marthas may include those who are careful and troubled by many things, some deservedly. But they needlessly leave kitchen and cradle not for instruction by the selfless Savior of mankind, but for self-serving enterprises that will be distance-producing as far as their primary relationships are concerned." (Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977], 102.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"For those of us who are 'cumbered' and who suffer from Martha-like anxiety, Jesus urges us to be more thoughtful about choosing 'that good part' in human relationships that will not 'be taken' away from us. Being 'careful' and 'troubled about many things' can reflect devotion to duty to be sure; but a devotion which is so inverted that those things which matter most are at the mercy of things of this world may be more common than we think.

"Life situations and leadership situations often present us with Mary versus Martha type choices in terms of how we spend our time and the priority we assign to the tasks on our 'agenda' of action. Mary 'heard his word', exploiting a unique, one-time opportunity to learn from the Master. Martha had no doubt served hundreds of meals before and would serve hundreds after Jesus' visit. With our associates, partners, and children in a fleeting mortality-do we tend to make Martha or Mary choices?" (Mormon Musings, 11)

Patricia T. Holland

"On a pristinely clear and beautifully bright day, I sat overlooking the Sea of Galilee and reread the tenth chapter of Luke. But instead of the words on the page, I thought I saw with my mind and heard with my heart these words: '[Pat, Pat, Pat,] thou art careful and troubled about many things.' Then the power of pure and personal revelation seized me as I read, 'But one thing-only one thing-is truly needful.' (See Luke 10:40-41.) ...As I sat pondering my problems, I felt that same sun's healing rays like warm liquid pouring into my heart, relaxing, calming, and comforting my troubled soul.

"Our loving Father in heaven seemed to be whispering to me, 'You don't have to worry over so many things. The one thing that is needful-the only thing that is truly needful-is to keep your eyes toward the sun-my Son.' Suddenly I had true peace. I knew that my life had always been in his hands, from the very beginning! The sea lying peacefully before my eyes had been tempest-tossed and dangerous-many, many times. All I needed to do was to renew my faith and get a firm grasp of his hand, and together we could walk on the water." (Jeffrey R. Holland and Patricia T. Holland, On Earth As It Is in Heaven [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 81.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"We can all try to watch out for Martha-like anxiety, which is genderless. It can also deprive us of special experiences if we are too 'cumbered about much serving.' Conscientiousness is not an automatic guarantee that we will choose the 'good part' which will not be 'taken away' from us (Luke 10:38-42).

"Our most precious remembrances are concerned with 'the good part.' These will remain with us, while many of our once-pressing anxieties will be long since forgotten.

"Brigham Young, in periods when pressures could have filled him with Martha-like anxiety, instead made Mary-like choices:

'In my experience I never did let an opportunity pass of getting with the Prophet Joseph and of hearing him speak in public or in private, so that I might draw understanding from the fountain from which he spoke, that I might have it and bring it forth when it was needed. ... In the days of the Prophet Joseph, such moments were more precious to me than all the wealth of the world. No matter how great my poverty-if I had to borrow meal to feed my wife and children, I never let an opportunity pass of learning what the Prophet had to impart" (in Journal of Discourses, 12:269-70)." ("Wisdom and Order," Ensign, June 1994, 42)

Neal A. Maxwell

"Mary sensed that she was in the midst of a special, never-to-return opportunity to be given by the Savior Himself, the Bread of Life. Martha was so busy preparing perishable calories that she let that opportunity go unused. While there are times when we apparently can't avoid being badgered by events, it ought not to become a way of life. The consequence of our good choices will not be taken from us either." (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 56.)

How would you summarize the Lord’s counsel to Martha in your own words? 

Take time to breathe. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Examine your schedule—is there something “needful” that needs more of your attention?

Again the Primary answers apply- Daily study, daily prayer, regular Temple attendance, and after this lesson- make time to serve the one that needs it.