Blog #74 December 7, 2023
The parables that Christ brought the people were and are most effective teaching tools. Like Solomon, Christ used familiar real life situations that opened the students mind to needed attributes of virtue and how they might gain them. In many cases the needed attribute took on a life of its own and became one of the characters. In Proverbs, wisdom was portrayed as a mother, aunt, or some other nurturing female mentor.
Proverbs 6:4-5
6:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman;
6:5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
Christ's own disciples questioned Him about His use of parables as opposed to just offering His students plain and simple truths.
Matthew 13:8-12
13:8 Then the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
13:9 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
13:10 For whosoever receiveth, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance;
13:11 But whosoever continueth not to receive, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13:12 Therefore speak I to them in parables; because they, seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand.
Christ was teaching His disciples that the single greatest attribute of a parable is its ability to allow the students to study, ponder, and discover that within their own understanding the parable was no more than an unsolvable riddle. They needed help. For Christ's disciples, He was that help. For us as repentant believers God gave us His Holy Spirit as our source.
2 Nephi 14:6 For behold, again I say unto you, that if ye will enter in by the way and receive the Holy Ghost, it will shew unto you all things what ye should do.
The parable offers a viable reason for learning how to reach out to the mind of God that dwells within us, but it is a choice. Even those of us that have covenanted with God to labor with Him for the Kingdom must choose to reach out to God and allow Him to lead us to a full understanding. If we refuse to reach out we cannot receive.
Luke 11:10-11
11:10 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
11:11 For every one who asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
Today I would like to share with you an often-overlooked Christ-like attribute brought to us in one of Christ's most popular and most studied parables, the parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15:11-32.
Luke 15:11-12
15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons;
15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods which falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
Because of the popularity of this story most of us know the fate of the youngest son. Flush with money and in possession of more dollars that sense the younger son went to a foreign land and spent his inheritance enjoying all the lust of the world he could afford. He woke one morning to find that he spent had all his money. He looked to his friends for help and found that without money he had no friends. In a very short time, he had come all the way from hero to zero. To make matters worse, a famine in the land caused his newfound state of poverty to evolve from pitiful and embarrassing to downright unbearable. He found himself not only broke, but also dirty and hungry. When he was forced to steal from the pigs he was feeding the husk they were given to eat, he discovered as we all do both humility and the need for repentance.
Ether 1:112 Yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel;
He returned to his father, repented, and was forgiven. In fact, his father called all of his servants out of the field and instructed them to butcher the calf that was being fattened up for a very special guest or a very special occasion. The return and repentance of the younger was both. The younger son's sincere humility brought joy to his father's heart. God feels the same joy when one of His children chooses to leave behind the lust of the world and return to Him.
Luke 15:10 Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repenteth.
This is a great ending to a story about foolishness and repentance, but what I would like to share with you today is the thoughts and attitudes of the older son. I would like to examine what they were, and decide if they reflect what we need to be as one of God's children.
Luke 15:25-32
15:25 Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came, and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
15:26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant?
15:27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
15:28 And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him.
15:29 And he answering, said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends;
15:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
15:31 And he said unto him, Son thou art ever with me; and all that I have is thine.
15:32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is found.
In this parable Christ brought to our attention both the rebellion of lust in the younger son, and the less recognized but equally sinful rebellion of envy and jealousy in the older. All attributes of that devil-spawned disease of pride that can and do flourish in the heart of the believer. Even the most faithful are subject to the invasive power of jealousy and envy. In fact these two temptations seem to target those who would imagine themselves closest to God. The existence of envy and jealousy are such a threat to God and His Kingdom that God allowed them their own special place in His original Ten Commandments.
Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Is the older son's reaction unusual or out of line? Have any of us ever felt that way? I have no doubt that all of us from time to time suffer in the power jealousy and envy. Understand if you will the shear power of these feelings. Brethren, the whole advertising industry is founded on the rock of envy and jealousy. In fact I would venture a guess that the most treasured possession of many in the world are those things that they own and everybody else wants. Think about the chaos created every time Apple releases a new IPhone. Most of us can find very little use for a $80,000.00 pickup truck, but to many the ability to own it and show it off is a joy equal to no other. In truth, we are a competitive bunch of earth-bound monkeys and we will do anything to "one-up" our friends, relatives, and neighbors. God watches humanity closely and I believe every time He sees this behavior; He just shakes His head, sighs, and longs for the day when all His children can come to know of true value and true worth. It's really very simple.
DC 6:3c Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
God knows this. We have been promised it, but we have to take it on faith. It's sad that much of the world wants to believe that Christ's resurrection is all about His divinity and in that the after-life for us is something much different. Brethren, Christ was a human trying to show all of humanity how to reach out to God, repent, receive the baptisms of water and fire, accept the lessons of God's Holy Spirit, and walk the path of redemption that leads to oneness with God. God blesses those who seek that path and willingly grow in the ways of the Kingdom.
Psalms 1:1-3
1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
1:2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
What a wonderful description of who Christ is and who we can be if we just open our hearts to all the Spirit would teach us. Christ was the first fruits of the Kingdom. We are to be the bountiful harvest that follows. But to do that, we must listen and absorb all that the Spirit offers. For instance, within the love of God we find the authority of compassion and charity that will and do confound the power of envy and jealousy, but we must choose to receive it. Then we must make it part of our life and our testimony of God to the world.
To quote one of my dear Brethren:
In Deuteronomy we see the progress of a servant of the Lord, who from fear begins to follow the Lord, and from following begins to love, and from love begins to serve with their whole heart:
Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
When we allow our connection with God to turn from fearful willing obedience into loving agreement with ideals we support, God allows us to reject the ways of the natural man, and make God's way our way, too. Within this unity of oneness trust flourishes.
Psalms 37 1:5
1:1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
1:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
1:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
1:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
1:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
See how simple it is, but yet again we find that in God simple and easy are nowhere the same word. Brethren this is hard, but remember we have the very mind of God that abides within us with all the needed power and motivation to turn our corrupted lives into a testimony before the world of God at work in the world of man. But, we have to choose to allow this to happen and involve ourselves deeply in every process and task set before us. Brethren, it is more than just possible it is absolutely doable, if and when we allow ourselves to want it, enough.
Luke15:28 And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him.
Consider if you will how different the reaction of the older son could have been were he fully one with God and the ways of God. Picture a cartoonist thought-cloud over the head of the older son. Written inside the cloud is: "Well there he is, finally decided to come home. Poor kid, he's a mess, looks like he's seen a hard day or two. He's skinny and dirty, and I guess he has already wasted all that money. Kind 'a makes me mad, but look how happy Dad is. It's been years since I saw him that happy. And ya know, I really miss the kid and now I don't have to do all this work by myself. Dad's happy and the kid's home safe; it's all good.
Mosiah 9:40 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life:
In the world of man envy and jealousy are the driving force that causes lust to thrive. In God's Kingdom compassion and charity allows us to live outside of our own needs and discover the joy of helping others. In the unity of oneness where "Me" becomes "We", that joy is always present and never ending.
Which will you choose?
FRED
Create With me Our Testimony of God at Work in the World of Man.