17:2-3
I teach photography. When I am teaching, I am constantly reading the room to see if they are understanding what I’m saying. You can tell if they are understanding the principle or not by how they react. This observation can be a guide as to whether to review, teach something new or stop for the day.
Jesus, as the perfect teacher, did this perfectly. After the “looked round about again on the multitude,” he recognized that they were done for the day. “I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time. Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.” He wanted them to work on their own to understand what he had been teaching.
As trainers, Marci and I know that some people mainly learn on their own. They are a type that like to break a principle down and then put it back together on their own. They learn from assignments. Their are other learners that learn mainly from discussion. They would really benefit from discussing the principles with their families and friends. Of course, Jesus knows all of this and handled things perfectly.
17:4
“But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.” It’s very interesting that Jesus makes other appearances in the world that we do not know about. Surely someone documented those visits. They were likely very similar to his visit with the Nephites.
It’s worth noting that they were not lost to the Father. There is no corner of the earth that we can go that the Father can’t reach us. There is no depth of sin that we can sink to that is unreachable to him. I think we sometimes think that there is. We may think that he can’t reach us but, of course, he can.
We might also think that God is unaware of us. We may think that we’re not that significant - that we don’t matter. That is not true. Everyone of us is a potential infinite being with infinite potential and infinite glory - which adds glory to the Father. None of us should feel as if we don’t matter.
17:6-7
These verses are about Christ’s compassion for us. “And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.” His compassion and mercy for these people drove his actions.
He could have spoken at length about his compassion and mercy. It might not have been as effective as simply demonstrating how he felt. A third type of learner is one that requires a demonstration. They must see something performed for them to understand. Jesus is, again, using perfect technique to teach.
17:8
How important is faith? There is a reason it is the first principle of the gospel. Nothing good happens without faith. “For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.”
If we are willing to become like Heavenly Father, it will require our faith. It is our faith that allows us to progress and move forward. It is our faithfulness that will allow us to inherit all that the Father has. Every blessing we can enjoy is tied to our faithfulness.
Christ’s power is consistent. His mercy is the same for all. There is no difference in the Christ in Jerusalem and the Christ that is here. The factor that determines whether Christ will perform miracles is the people’s faith.
17:12
Jesus loves children. “And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.” There are many reasons to love children. They are teachable, humble, optimistic, playful, innocent, authentic, earnest, without guile, easy to laugh. They display the best of human qualities. No wonder he wanted to be surrounded by them!
It’s interesting that, as the children surround him, that he feels pain about the people in Jerusalem. “And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.” I think the juxtaposition of being killed by adults in Jerusalem and now being surrounded by innocent children was an astounding contrast for him.
I do think that the humility and faith and innocence of those children qualified for some miraculous events. Being surrounded by so many pure humans allows Christ to say things that could not even be written. “And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.” Again, it was the pure faith of the children, and the adults, that allowed this to happen. Christ said, “Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.”
17:21-22
Jesus weeps a lot with the children. I think it was mostly joyful tears. But also, it could be some sadness that these pure children were going to grow up and be affected by this sinful world. “And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. And when he had done this he wept again; And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.”
18:7,11
The primary purpose of the sacrament is to remember Jesus Christ. If we are remembering him, he promises that we will have his Spirit to be with us. “And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.”
This is true for the bread and also the water. “And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.”
All of us need this reminder of Jesus Christ.
18:10
An other key purpose of the sacrament is to renew our commitment to be WILLING to do what Jesus commanded. “And when the disciples had done this, Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you.” It’s important to note that the we are committing that we are willing - not perfect at - to keep his commandments.
18:13
“But whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall, and the gates of hell are ready open to receive them.” It interesting that he says MORE or less. I’d think that less is obvious - meaning that if we aren’t willing to do what Jesus taught then we’ve got a problem. But what about more?
I think that there could be a problem with ADDING to the gospel as much as SUBTRACTING. We cannot add doctrine or speculation. We cannot twist what he’s saying into something else. We cannot add our own doctrine that slightly changes what he said.
18:15, 18
Jesus repeats himself about praying.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.”
“Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.”
There are small changes to these two statements. One talks about being tempted by the devil and the other one talks about entering into temptation. One talks about being led away captive by the devil and the other speaks about how much Satan desires to have us, that he may sift us as wheat.
The point is to be watchful and pray always. We must be observant to recognize good and bad choices. We must recognize when we are sliding off of the path. We must observe our daily routines to see if we are being balanced in our temporal and spiritual needs. We can’t get through life on cruise control.
One thing I’ve learned from these chapters is how important prayer is to the Savior. He prays often. He is obviously relying on communication with his Father. His relationship with God, no question, is primarily built on prayer. We can learn a lot by watching what Jesus did. And he did a lot of praying.
How often do we pray? What are missed opportunities? How much more could I be praying if I was okay with speaking with God as I drive? As I sit alone? I think the “get on your knees and fold your arms and close your eyes” routine perhaps limits us in how much we are able or willing to pray. Something to think about.
18:20
“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.” This is an interesting statement. I can say that I have prayed for many things that I thought were right that weren’t granted. Perhaps my faith wasn’t sufficient?
I, of course, believe what Jesus is saying. So, if I pray for something that doesn’t happen, it is because it isn’t “right” or my faith isn’t sufficient. There is also the issue of agency. It’s possible that I have sufficient faith that my children return to the church and, of course, it is right. But God himself doesn’t have the ability to remove someone’s agency.
Also, right and good aren’t the same. Right has to do with aligning with God’s will and good means that I think it’s good. It may be that what I deem as good is not part of the big picture for my life. God knows what is right for me much better than I do. I must trust his judgment about what is right.
I will continue to work on my faith. I fully believe that many answers to prayers didn’t come because of my lack of faith.
18:22
“And behold, ye shall meet together oft.” Yes, we should meet. I have a friend that doesn’t like attending church. Recently, we had a debate whether Jesus ever commanded us to meet often. I was grateful that I remembered this scripture where Jesus says it pretty plainly.
18:25
“And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation.” Those who don’t come unto the Savior risk being led into temptation.
Those who don’t invite others to come unto Christ, I think, also risk being led into temptation. To come unto Christ is be his disciple. One cannot be a true disciple without inviting others to come unto him.
If we are not coming unto Christ, where are we going? If we are not progressing towards him, we are heading in a direction that is filled with temptation and danger. The safe path is the covenant path that leads to Jesus.
18:28-29
“And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it; For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.” Why is this? Why does partaking of the sacrament cause damnation?
To be unworthy and not recognize or care that you are unworthy is the definition of rebellion and damnation. If I am want to be a photographer but aren’t willing to improve and don’t care if I improve, how much will I progress as a photographer? Will my progress be damned? Of course!
The sacrament is a chance to remember Jesus and recommit that we are willing to follow his commandments. If we aren’t remembering him and aren’t willing to follow him, yet partake of the sacrament, we are being hypocritical. We can grow more and more comfortable with this hypocrisy which will lead to our spiritual progress being damned. It’s important.
Chapter 19
This chapter is about prayer. Jesus makes it very, very obvious how important prayer is. It begins in verse 6 and 7. A good portion of every verse in this chapter has something to do with prayer.
6: “And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should kneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus.”
7: “And the disciples did pray unto the Father also in the name of Jesus. And it came to pass that they arose and ministered unto the people.“
8: “they knelt again and prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus.”
9: “And they did pray for that which they most desired.”
17: “And it came to pass that when they had all knelt down upon the earth, he commanded his disciples that they should pray.”
18: “And behold, they began to pray; and they did pray unto Jesus, calling him their Lord and their God.”
19: “And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth.”
21: “I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.”
22: “they pray unto me because I am with them.”
23: “And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words.”
24: “And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire.”
26: “And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.”
27: “And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father.”
29: “Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.”
30: “And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus.”
31: “And it came to pass that he went again a little way off and prayed unto the Father.”
32: “And tongue cannot speak the words which he prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed.”
33: “And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their hearts were open and they did understand in their hearts the words which he prayed.”
34: “Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither can they be uttered by man.”
Jesus, through his actions, is demonstrating the essential nature of prayer in building a relationship with God. He prays and prays, the disciples pray and pray, the people pray and pray. We can never get so close to God that we don’t need prayer.
This chapter is a good lesson for me to pray more often and earnestly. It makes sense that relationships are built through conversation. People are taught through words. The Spirit is likely most communicative when we are praying. I must allow my prayers to be more of a conversation back and forth so that the relationship can grow. Often, my prayers are a soliloquy. My prayers are definitely one-sided.
We know that Jesus and Heavenly Father were one. That oneness likely was built on prayer. That is saying something about the importance of prayer. Jesus even prayed that the people could be one. “Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.”
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