Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte
How interesting that when Christ encountered a man with palsy his first inclination was to forgive his sins. He didn't heal his body right away. Christ saw the greater need to forgive the man's sins and taught the implicit lesson that our sprits are more important than our bodies. Our bodies are an essential part of our eternal nature, but they are only tools. One of the main purposes of our bodies is to give us something tangible to learn with. Our bodies offer thousands of visceral experiences that serve as metaphors to teach and train us. What we do with our bodies matters because it shapes and coaches our spirit.
There are numerous passages in the scriptures that emphasize the importance of our spiritual dimension over our physical. After speaking to the Pharisees about the outmoded dietary restrictions of the Law of Moses, Jesus explained to his disciples that "whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?" (Mark 7:18-19). The Word of Wisdom is a visible litmus tests of a person's activity in the church, but the importance of adhering to it pales in comparison to the importance of the ideas we ingest and adopt, or speaking words of love and truth.
God wants us to have a mortal experience, but not get too attached to the temporal aspects of this world. Even in serving others, the most important things we can offer are not tangible. In the hymn, "Because I have Been Given Much," we commit to serve in a similar way and "give love to those in need." Even if we don't have any material resources to share, we can give love. It reminds of a Saturday morning when I ran around the tidal basin from our home in Arlington. As I crossed the street near the Pentagon I noticed a woman at a stop light asking drivers who passed for spare change. All I had was my running belt and nothing of material value to offer. So I picked one of the daffodils that grow wild on the side of the road in spring and handed it to her. I remember being so worried that this gift would be misinterpreted and somehow offend her, but from the smile it brought to her face, I know it had the desired affect to lift her sprints.
In the end, Jesus did not heal the man with palsy because there was something wrong with his body. His body was capable of enabling everything the man needed to do in this life exactly as it was. He healed him "that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sin" (Matthew 9:6). The scribes were skeptical and accused Jesus of blasphemy when he healed the sins of a man with palsy, and so to build faith and demonstrate the power of God, Jesus healed his palsy, "For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?" (Matthew 9:5)
Publicans and Sinners
When the Pharisees saw Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners, "they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?" It was a barbed question motivated by criticism, not curiosity. The Pharisees were making negative judgments about Jesus' character based on the company he kept. "But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth" (Matthew 9:11-13).
Keeping good company doesn't seem like a bad idea. I've been immensely blessed by the influence of good friends, and have seen how friends can have a huge impact on our behavior, for better or for worse. Most parents hope that their kids end up running with a good crowd, and popular research suggests that we end up becoming like the people we spend the most time with. In dining with publicans and sinners, was Jesus above the corrupting influence of others? How should we try to follow Christ's example of tolerance and service? One detail of this story that stands out to me is that the publicans and sinners sought out Christ. Matthew records, "as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples" (Matthew 9:10). While publicans engaged in a detested profession, and sinners were making bad decisions, the implication of this verse is that they sought out the Savior and were presumably trying to learn or change. Maybe we can take from this example that we should choose our associates not based on where they are, but on where they are trying to go; on the orientation, not the position of their hearts and lives.
When the People Were Put Forth, He Went In
Before Jesus miraculously raised the daughter of a certain ruler from the dead, he first dismissed the mocking voices of the faithless: "And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose" (Matthew 9:23-25). I wonder why he cast them out before performing the miracle. If He was not negatively influenced by associations with publicans and sinners, why was the laughter of the faithless a problem when it came time to perform a miracle?
We know that miracles follow faith, and the laughter of the people must have been a distraction, but even if those present were too cynical to lend their faith, Christ's faith and power were sufficient alone to raise the dead. Was their scornful laughter a sufficient distraction to impede Christ from using his priesthood authority? It doesn't seem likely.
Many times the collective faith of a group is used to bless or heal someone who is sick or afflicted. We fast as families and congregations, and place the names of loved ones on the prayer role at the temple. Perhaps miracles follow faith not because God's power is dependent on our faith, but to ensure we are worthy to witness them. God's work will go forward and ultimately succeed with or without us. God doesn't need our faith to do His work, but we need our faith if we want to be a part of it.
He Was Moved with CompassionJesus travelled throughout the region teaching, preaching, and healing, and "when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). I assume this was a figurative description of the spiritual state of the people.
When I encounter someone who is a hot mess, am I moved with compassion, or repelled? If I am really honest with myself about the people I choose to love and serve, they are usually those who have minor or temporary needs, who I can relate to, that are friendly and good at expressing gratitude. On the other end of the spectrum, I can feel myself seizing with anxiety when I think about those I encounter who have intractable long-term needs, who may be socially awkward or hard to relate to, and who are ambivalent or hostile to my attempts to help. Ironically, the more a person needs my help, the more likely I am to withhold my time, love and resources.
While watching General Conference, I was struck with two main ideas that I consider to be inspired by the Spirit and directly applicable to me. The first is that I have been called to minister to my brothers and sisters in a higher, holier way. I'm generally an okay guy. I'm a good husband and a passable father, but I am profoundly self-absorbed in my fixation on academic and professional pursuits. What if a fraction of that energy and mental bandwidth went to serving others?
The other observation is that General Conference is different now than it was for me when I was a teenager. I used to devour every word, taking copious notes. Every teaching felt novel and transformative. Now, I spend most of the sessions distracted by small children, and don't have the same sort of spiritually mind-blowing experiences I used to have. It's always nice, it's always true, I'm always glad I listened. But it is easy to feel that I have heard it all before.
What I realized is that this is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it is simply time to graduate from living in receive mode and basking in a spiritual feast. It is time to act. I already have sufficient knowledge and testimony to do what I need to do. There is not much more I can learn passively as a professional student of the gospel without doing more to love and serve others. As Elder Bednar taught this conference, "If all you or I know about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel is what other people teach or tell us, then the foundation of our testimony of Him ... is built upon sand." He went on to quote the teachings of Joseph Smith that "reading the experience of others, or the revelation given to them, can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of these things can only be obtained by experience..."
After having compassion on the multitude, Jesus said to His disciples "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:37-38). Yes, He was concerned about huge scale of His father's redemptive work, but He was also invested in the individual development and growth of each disciple. Christ made this observation of the harvest not because it was a new idea to Him, but to share this awareness with His disciples. He also invited His disciples to take the next step in becoming laborers themselves by praying for heavenly help.
Image Credit: "Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk" - Jan van Hemessen
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