SEEKING THE KINGDOM

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto the, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23)

When Jesus atoned for the sins of the world, he had an amazing insight into each person who will ever grace this earth; into their problems, capabilities, mental and emotional states and into their very heart. Because of this He knows what makes us tick, what makes us do what we do, He knows our desires, our thoughts and our motives. It is correct to say that He knows us better than we know ourselves because even we sometimes don't know things that are hidden in our subconscious that drive us to certain behaviours. When Joseph Smith was translating the Bible he made the most significant correction to the above verse of scripture which now reads "you never knew me" instead of "I never knew you". This gives us a much clearer understanding of our relationship to the Saviour of the world. Because of the Atonement, He knows us and He will always know us but we on the other hand can very easily misunderstand what it means to know Him and to eventually enter His kingdom. Clearly from the above scripture, only doing as Christ did will not get us there.

By telling us what will not get us into the kingdom of heaven, He also told us what will: instead of laying up for ourselves treasures on this earth, He admonished us to lay up treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-21). What are these treasures we can lay up in heaven whilst we are here in mortality? If it is not what we do, then it must be what we are: "Treasures in heaven are the character, perfections, and attributes which men acquire by obedience to law. Thus, those who gain such attributes of godliness as knowledge, faith, justice, judgment, mercy and truth, will find these same attributes restored to them again in immortality (Alma 41:13-15)" (McConkie, DNTC, 1:239-40, The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, Student Manual, p. 58). Jesus confirmed this truth by giving us a further admonition to be 'perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect' (Matt 5:48). It has been our destiny from the beginning of time to become exalted to godhood, in other words, to become perfect and complete even as our Father is. Without this perfection we cannot enter His kingdom. In the words of Joseph Smith: "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens and men have got to learn how to be Gods.....the same as all Gods have done before...." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 345-46).  No man, however, can achieve this lofty ideal on his own merits. 

Because it is not in our power to attain perfection on our own, God in his mercy has provided a way for us to do so. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invited his disciples to enter in at the 'strait gate' and thereby follow the course to eternal life (Matt 7:13,14). The gate is 'strait' because it is narrow and restricted but the path is both 'strait' and 'straight'. Where 'straitness' has reference to width, 'straightness' has reference to direction, this direction being invariable and always the same for 'there are no crooked paths or tangents leading to the kingdom of God' (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 769). It is at this gate that perfection has to have its beginning. It is here that it must begin and it is now, whilst in mortality. The supreme standard of the Lord's expectation for us to become perfect as our Father is, is rather daunting considering the reality of our imperfections and our mortal weaknesses. However, as the Saviour used our Father in Heaven who is perfect, complete and finished in his glorified state, as the example of perfection, He has by this suggested a broader perspective of this commandment. Joseph Smith taught that we will work out our salvation and exaltation beyond the grave. This gives us a clear indication that perfection in this life is not attainable. Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: "We have to become perfect to be saved in the celestial kingdom. But nobody becomes perfect in this life. Only the Lord Jesus attained that state, and He had an advantage that none of us has. He was the Son of God, and He came into this life with a spiritual capacity and a talent and an inheritance that exceeded beyond all comprehension what any of the rest of us was born with.....We enter in at a gate, and the name of the gate is repentance and baptism. We thereby get on a path, and the name of the path is the straight and narrow path. And then if we endure to the end, meaning if we keep the commandments of God after baptism, we go up that straight and narrow path, and at its end is a reward that is named eternal life. All of this is available because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ" (Bruce R. McConkie as quoted in Bruce Satterfield, The Sermon On the Mount: A More Excellent Way, Meridian Magazine).

   

Indeed, because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and by virtue of our faith in Him, we can travel this road that leads to the Kingdom of God. The enabling power that makes this possible is called 'grace'. Once the strait gate is entered and sacred covenants made between God and man, we are then endowed with the saving grace which enables us to reach perfection as the Saviour and our Father did. President Harold B. Lee taught: "The 'saving grace' of the Lord's atoning power is extended to those who would receive the saving ordinances of the gospel". "Through the ordinance of baptism, we receive the divine grace of forgiveness that qualifies us to receive spiritual rebirth through the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now spiritually reborn, we must then grow up to godhood. This will require further enabling power through divine grace or mercy. This grace comes through the higher ordinances of the temple. Each ordinance and covenant made in the temple helps us to receive more grace that enables us to become like God ( (Bruce Satterfield, The Sermon On the Mount: A More Excellent Way, Meridian Magazine).

The steps to perfection come with the enabling power of Christ so none of us can claim that we cannot possibly achieve the lofty ideal of godhood and perfection. The way has been prepared and put in place for those of us who choose to follow the Redeemer of the world. When we make that choice we build our tabernacle of clay on 'the rock' of his teachings. Jesus said that anyone who hears his teachings and does not abide by them is like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand (Matt 7:26,27). He has no hope of surviving the spiritual battle of this life, let alone attaining perfection. And why would we want perfection? Because 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which god hath prepared for them that love him' (1 Cor 2:9). One day we will receive this reward because of our faithfulness and His undeniable grace. We will enter into His rest and His kingdom and then and there we will finally come to understand that 'Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy' (2 Nephi 2:25). We will joy in our perfections and in our exalted glory, having overcome the world and having gained eternal life with our posterity and all the riches of eternity. It is our promise, it is our right, it is our sacred destiny.

THE HEIGHTS OF DISCIPLESHIP

Beside the city of Capernaum there is a mount where Jesus delivered the lengthiest discourse recorded in the entire Bible and which covers chapters 5-7 of Matthew. As great multitudes of people followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and even beyond Jordan, Jesus ascended the mount leaving the ease of valley travel and leaving behind those who followed Him for cures only, ensuring that only the most loyal of his disciples would follow. And so it came to be that, contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not deliver his most famous sermon to multitudes but only to his disciples (Matthew 5:1) who were no doubt already baptised and had taken upon themselves His name .Taking the disciples to the heights of the mount symbolised higher expectations and committment of the truly converted.  Those who made the upward journey were willing and prepared to live the higher law leading to exaltation.

The Beatitudes which constitute the Sermon on the Mount have been referred to by Bible commentators as 'the preparation necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven' (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Student Manual, p 60). They embody the constitution for a perfect life and become steps of perfection that enable us to obey the two great commandments, to love God and to love our fellowman. Obedience to the first four Beatitudes lead us to the love of God: the poor in spirit who recognise their dependence on God for all they have and all they are, are led to thirst and hunger after righteousness and to mourn for their sins which leads them to repentence and acceptance of the need to enter the waters of baptism, being the gateway to His kingdom. The Beatitudes which include the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the merciful and those which are persecuted are those which are learning to love their fellowman. (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, Student Manual, p. 60-61)

Whilst on the Mount, the Saviour assured his disciples that He did not come to 'destroy the law or the prophets but only to fulfill' (Mat 5:17). Immediately following this statement He elaborated by adding antitheses to six laws, each beginning with the statement "Ye have heard it said". It was clear by these antitheses which reflected various codes of conduct found in the Law of Moses, that the Lord intended His listeners to live these laws at a higher level (The Sermon on the Mount: "A More Excellent Way" by Bruce Satterfield,).  It is by no coincidence that the Saviour delivered the admonition to live at a higher level on a mountain. The Mosaic law given to Israel was delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai where the Lord told Moses he wanted Israel to serve Him. It was to this mountain that the Lord invited all Israel to come and commune with Him and to become 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation' (Exodus 19:5-6). Israel, however, refused to be sanctified and to receive the higher priesthood which would lead them to exaltation. Ancient societies believed their gods lived in mountains. When temples were built to house deity, they were considered to be 'mountains'. If possible they were built on mountains or high places and if not, the structure of the building was designed to represent a mountain (The Sermon on the Mount: "A More Excellent Way" by Bruce Satterfield,)

The Saviour delivered the higher law on the heights of a mountain symbolising the higher way of living through covenants we make in the temple, the covenants which lead to exaltation and the heights of godhood. The proof of this intent can be found in the fact that He delivered this significant sermon to the Nephites in the Bountiful Temple (3 Nephi 11:1). Immediately following the sermon He issued an invitation and a challenge to the Nephites 'to be the salt of the earth' (3 Nephi 12:13). Why salt? Because salt symbolises indestructibility. Salt was used anciently in a variety of sacrifices of the Mosaic Law (Lev 2:13). "The Lord also referred to a series of obligations as a 'covenant of salt' to demonstrate the eternal nature of the covenant that had just been made between Him and Israel (Num 18:19, 2 Chron 13:5). With this understanding in mind, the invitation to become the salt of the earth was a challenge to enter into the higher law of the gospel with an everlasting covenant. This is stated clearly in modern revelation: 'When men are called unto mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men' (D&C 101:39)  (The Sermon on the Mount: "A More Excellent Way" by Bruce Satterfield,). As a preservative, salt was also used in the Mosaic sacrificial ritual as a reminder that we should remember and preserve our covenants with God (Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).


True disciples of Christ belong on the mountain and not in the valley. They are meant for better and higher things than this world can offer. The heights of discipleship can lead them to eternal life and exaltation that only the Master can give. He is the light, the truth and the way. For us who have been baptised and taken upon ourselves His name, the road is simple and straight and there are no obstacles there, save the ones we place ourselves. And even then He has prepared the way . He will fill in the holes, patch up the cracks, smooth out the way, over and over and over again. We are meant to live on the mountain, far above the cares of this world. To reach higher, to look upward, to be a light to the world. We are the salt of the earth bound by the temple covenants to be His. He calls us to the mountain just like Israel of old, the mountain where He can bless us with the highest of blessings matching the heights of our discipleship. Leaving the world behind, we are admonished to think, feel and act like truly converted disciples of Christ. Only then can we become crowned with blessings of eternal life which He so anxiously awaits to give us.

THE ROBE OF HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

" "In Arabic culture, when a person is running away, he runs to the tent of any great sheikh he can find. He goes in and kneels down before the sheikh and says, 'I am thy suppliant'. The sheikh is then obligated to put his caftan over his katef which is the same as shoulder - to put the hem of his garment over his shoulder and say, 'Ahlan wa-sahlan wa-marhaban'. This is your tent, this is your family'....He says, 'We'll make a place for you'. Then the lord or the chief is under obligation to defend you against the enemies that are chasing you. You are now under his protection, and he will protect you."  - Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 1. (Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies), p. 252

There was in the city of Capernaum a woman who had suffered for 12 years with 'an issue of blood'. She had spent everything she had on treatments that had been fruitless and had brought her no relief from her chronic condition. Then there came a ray of hope. She had heard of Jesus whom many proclaimed to be the Messiah who spoke with authority and when He spoke people were healed. The possibility of healing worked in her to the point of complete faith that this man was her only hope. When she pressed through the crowds, however, she did not pat the Messiah on His back, she descended to the hem of his robe for the point of contact to release her faith for a miracle in her life. The touch needed, the robe crucial, for attached to the robe of His garment were tassels which represented the word of God (Numbers 15:37-41) and the authority of Yeshua whose divinity she was acknowledging. One would think this sacred act of faith is sufficient for a faith promoting story but this story teaches us about more than faith on behalf of this woman. This story teaches us about the protective nature of the Lord's robe of righteousness. According to Levitical law it was forbidden this woman to be in public for she was considered socially unclean (Lev. 15:25). The Saviour knew that she was healed when she touched His robe and she knew that she was healed but nobody else would have known had He not made her faith known to the gathered crowd. How else could she have proved her healing to those who would have proclaimed her clean? The Saviour knew this and announced her cleanliness amidst many witnesses.

In the country of the Gadarenes there was a man who was beset by a legion of devils who lived in tombs and cried night and day, cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:1-5). The Gospel of Luke tells us this man wore no clothes (Luke 8:27). In scripture, to be naked is to have your sins, vulnerabilities and weaknesses exposed. When all Jewish men wore robes and prayer shawls with tassels which reminded them of God, the legions of devils residing in this man must have wanted his nakedness exposed to signify lack of God's protection from his sins. The idea of having our sins and vulnerabilities enfolded in the Saviour's robes, which can offer us protection from the same, is seen when John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisses and Sadduccees, warning them: "If ye receive not me, ye receive not him of whom I am sent to bear record; and for your sins ye have no cloak" (JST Matthew 3:34). This man was not only freed from devil possession but was given protection from his sins by His robe of righteousness as he sat, fully clothed, in his right mind, at the feet of the Saviour (Luke 8:35). It is by virtue of His righteousness that we come unto the Father for forgiveness of our sins. This is the true meaning of this metaphor.

Acknowledging his faith in Jesus's power to heal, Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue at Capernaum, approached Jesus beginning Him to come to heal his seriously ill daughter who was at the point of death. During His journey to the ruler's house, there came word to the ruler that it was too late, that his daughter was dead. 'As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken' (Mark 5:36), His first reaction was to turn to the father of the dead girl, and offer Him the exquisite words of hope: "Be not afraid, only believe" (Mark 5:36). At the perfect moment when Jesus could have elevated Himself by saying : "Don't worry, I can fix this", His concern instead was for the fragile heart of a parent who had just received the worst news he could possibly receive. Placing over his shoulders His robe of righteousness He offered the devastated father peace and compassion only He could give.  Into the room of grieving came the Master who would later say: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). Once again, not wanting to draw attention to Himself, the Saviour raised Jairus' daughter to life in the intimate presence of her parents by calling her "Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel ('little one' or 'little lamb'), I say unto thee, arise".
(Mark 5:41).

"Oh Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! ......Oh Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever.........I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God."   - 2 Nephi 4:33,35

THE SACRIFICE OF ALL THINGS

At the onset of the Saviour's ministry Jesus began to recruit his disciples who were converted by the ministry of John and were ready to follow the Master and learn from Him in order that they might begin to build Christ's church. As he journeyed through Galilee preaching, the Saviour came to the lake of Gennesaret where he found two empty ships that belonged to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. The ships were empty as the two brothers were washing the nets following a fruitless night of fishing. The Saviour entered Simon's ship that he might preach to the crowds that were gathered on the shore. When he had finished speaking He told Simon to launch out into the deep and let down his nets once more. Simon reminded Him that they had been out fishing all night and had caught nothing but at His will, he would let the nets down one more time. Of course when the nets were pulled up, they were brimming with fish. Obviously, the Saviour made this happen to teach Simon and Andrew that He would make them fishers of men if they would leave everything and follow Him. The brothers did just that and the rest is history. One cannot help but wonder if there was an element of sacrifice in the call issued by the Saviour to these men. At this stage they were not even called to be apostles but only disciples. The element of sacrifice lay in the timing of the Saviour's call which was not issued when the nets were empty but when the nets were full. If He had invited them to follow Him before the biggest haul of their careers they might have chosen to follow Him because there was nothing much keeping them back. The call, however, was issued when the nets were brimming with fish and the fishermen stood to make a lot of money. How difficult it must have been for Simon and Andrew to leave those nets on the shore bulging and to walk away abandoning their all. 

Later when the brothers were called to the apostleship with the rest of the Twelve, the Saviour commissioned them to go and preach the Gospel to the whole world, He told them He was sending them 'forth as sheep in the midst of wolves' (Matthew 10:16), that they will be delivered up to the councils and be scourged in synagogues (vs 17) and that they shall be hated of all men for His name's sake (v 22).  What would have gone through the brothers' minds as they heard this bleak pronouncement? Might they not have cast their minds back on the fish they abandoned on the shores of Gaililee? The Saviour in return had promised them salvation (v 22) but this salvation born out of their sacrifice would blossom into eternal life. 

Contrast this successful story of sacrifice with another not so successful one. Just prior to preaching in Galilee and following his communion with God in the desert, the Saviour came to Nazareth and attended the local synagogue on the sabbath day. The scripture that He chose to read to the congregation would open the way for Him to proclaim himself as the Messiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18,19). This scripture has a strong reference to the Year of Jubilee, being the meaning of the 'acceptable year of the Lord'. This was a year appointed by Moses for ancient Israel to observe every 50 years (Lev 25:10), a year of significant sacrifice for those who were not 'poor' for during this whole year all debts were to be cancelled, all property reverted back to its original owners and all prisoners and slaves were freed. Observance of the Jubilee Year was to keep all Israel in remembrance of the Messiah who would come to set them at liberty spiritually. By the time the Saviour made His appearance in mortality, however, Israel had long ago abandoned observation of the Jubilee Year but they understood its' meaning. As the Saviour finished reading this scripture, He sat down and said: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:21).  Not only was He is claiming He was the Messiah but He was drawing their attention to the year of significant sacrifice which they were no longer observing for obviously this is not the way to do business, to pardon all debts and to give all property back to their original owners and to free the slaves. What an inconvenient Messiah He was. No wonder they could not accept his spiritual deliverance when they couldn't observe the law of the physical one.

Joseph Smith once said that "a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation". Perhaps no one would qualify better than Joseph Smith to issue such a statement for he truly had sacrificed all things during his mortal probation; his time, family, reputation, freedom, even his life. Joseph Smith also said that the sacrifice of all things was necessary in this dispensation so that the ancients will have nothing to laud over us. In other words, our sacrifices in this day have to equal the ones made by saints of old or they will outstrip us when it comes to qualifying for the kingdom at the judgment bar of God. No doubt Joseph was thinking of outstanding examples such as Abraham, Lehi, Joseph, Peter, Paul and many others who had sacrificed so much for the cause of truth. Certainly Joseph, emulating their examples, and the early saints of this dispensation, gave their all for the purpose of building up Christ's kingdom on earth once more.

The law of sacrifice is the very first covenant we make in the temple. It goes hand in hand with the law of consecration for it asks us to consecrate our time, talents and money for the building up of the kingdom of God and for the establishment of Zion. Because we live in such affluence compared to the early saints, very often we interpret this covenant to mean we have to pay tithing and fulfill our callings. We tend to think only of the 'building up of the kingdom' and neglect to focus on 'the establishment of Zion'. It is comparatively easy to donate money for the building of chapels and temples compared to the not so obvious establishment of Zion for Zion is more than a place, it is a state of the heart. I don't know that we will ever be asked to walk away from our houses and our fine furnishings and life long achievements but I do know that we are asked to consecrate our hearts to the  Kingdom of God, being the Church. And what is the Church? The Church is us. To many of us this will be far fetched for the sacrifice of the heart means giving up judging, criticizing, back biting, resentment, jelousy and envy. It means rejoicing in each other's achievements, coming to the aid of the impoverished, wishing for our neighbour that what we want for ourselves, loving the less loveable, forgiving those who sin against us. It means a selfless existence denying worldly desires, our pride, our self importance and self focus. We live in a 'feel good' world where everybody is out to get for themselves what they can. The Roman Empire fell because they neglected their poor. We too can fall if we do not look after each other. We must be bound in love and duty for without it we cannot build Zion. We must do this because we cannot become like Christ if we don't. We must do this because we must prepare to be lifted up when He comes in all His glory to gather us home for if we don't we will not be found worthy to stand. And stand we must if we are called the saints of God.