AS I HAVE LOVED YOU

 

Section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants gives us the Olivet Discourse which the Saviour gave to His disciples during the last week of His life in A.D. 33. It describes in detail the signs of His coming and also the state of the world prior to His appearing.

One of the most correct descriptions of our present world is summarized thus: “And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound” (v 27). Never in the history of this world has hatred run so rampant as it is now, and this is the reason: lawlessness, immorality, wickedness, distortion or what is good and right, a violation of God’s law. This is what iniquity means.

In our day of self-interest which has led to so much crime and hatred toward one another, “we seem to be lacking genuine Christian love, unity and harmony….its absence in the majority of men is one of the signs of the end.” (Smith and Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, p 262). That lack of brotherly love in the world is a sign of the end is a very sobering thought.

There has been a lot of emphasis on the Saviour’s Second Coming by the leaders of the Church. Among their admonition for preparation has been the mandate to stop the tide of hate. President Nelson, in particular has advised us that we must love one another in preparation for the Saviour’s coming so that “when He appears, we shall be like Him” (Moroni 7:48).  This will be the proof of our discipleship and our claim on His mercy.

I read an interesting book recently called “Children of the Covenant: What Christians Should Know About Jews” by Marshall D. Isaacson, a Jewish convert to Christianity. In his outline of Jewish beliefs, the author discusses the Jewish attitudes toward sin and highlights that the Jews do not believe in “original sin”. They believe that man is born innocent and good and therefore there is no need for redemption from “inherited sin from Adam”. We of course know that Christ’s redemption covers The Fall which is the reason we are born innocent into a world of evil (see Moroni 8:10-21). Because of this, all of us, as children of God, are born on equal footing.

The Jewish belief that everyone is born good strikes a chord though. It is impossible to be an offspring of God and not be born without seeds of deity in us. Therefore, we all have a redeeming feature whether big or small. This will be taken into account on Judgment Day. The Saviour knows those redeeming features because of His personal access to each of us during the Atonement. Because of this He will be willing to extend forgiveness and mercy to the worst of us.

It is easy to love the ‘lovelies’. Those who are not loveable are here to help us overcome our propensity to hate. That, I believe, is one of the reasons why evil people are allowed to exist. We live in a world of opposition without which growth is impossible hence Christ’s admonition to ‘love our enemies and to do good to them who hate us’ (Matthew 5:43-48)

May we ‘be the light of the world for a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid…..(Matthew 5:16). The brighter we shine, and the more love we spread, the less hate there will be.

And then there is this: “…love one another, as I have loved you….by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples…..(John 13:34,5)

Tread softly on my tender heart;

Even though in likeness

We are miles apart.

Though we are separate

In both body and mind;

We are linked together on humanity’s path.

Tread softly on my tender heart.....

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: As I Have Loved You by B. Laura Wilson)

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

 

I was going to write my assessment of why Oliver Cowdery missed out on translating scriptural records, as he at one stage desired, but I saw more value in this.

In Section 8 of Doctrine and Covenants we read the Lord telling Oliver Cowdery he had a special gift, the gift of Aaron (v 6). This in my mind was of more importance to Oliver’s eternal progression than the gift of translation. And here is why:

“Aaron was the elder brother of Moses. Being prompted by the Spirit of the Lord, he met his younger brother in the wilderness and accompanied him to Egypt. He introduced him to the children of Israel in the land of Goshen. He was his spokesman before Pharaoh, and he assisted him in opening up the dispensation which Moses was commissioned to proclaim (Exodus 4:27-31). This was the gift of Aaron.” (Smith and Sjodahl, Commentary, p 44, Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, p 19). Aaron was a forerunner……

I have always thought it admirable that Aaron, though older accepted so readily that his younger brother was chosen to be Israel’s prophet and law giver. I imagine that would have been of immense support and comfort to Moses who carried such a heavy burden and responsibility.

I will not go into detailed history of Aaron who had his own faults but will say this…..he fulfilled his purpose and was granted the greatest honour in Israel by becoming the first high priest and having the lesser priesthood named after him.

In some respects, Oliver Cowdery was the Aaron of the new and last dispensation. He served prominently as the Second Elder, the Assistant President of the Church, and an assistant counselor to the First Presidency. In other words, never the leader at the helm but always the support. This to me means he helped built people up to fulfil their purpose. He was the backbone of the success of others, not to mention the source of comfort and strength to Joseph who went through hell to accomplish what was given to him to accomplish.

Oliver was blessed with immense spiritual privileges as the bearer of the gift of Aaron: he was one of the three witnesses of the golden plates as shown by the hand of an angel; he had the Aaronic priesthood conferred upon him by John the Baptist and he witnessed the appearance of Jesus Christ and angelic ministers in the Kirtland temple a week after the dedication.

Sometimes we feel overlooked because we are not in the front trenches. The Saviour certainly wasn’t when He was here. He was here to build others, to show them the way, to unite them through fellowship and brotherly love.

In today’s world we need to push back against the things that divide us. This is Satan’s greatest tool. If he can succeed, then we will tear each other down and not build each other up. He has dedicated himself to prevent us from becoming a Zion people. We mustn’t allow it. We must be an ensign to the world.

We must rise and become each other’s greatest ally…..we must be our brother’s keeper. We must lift each other to higher ground. We must strive to be Aarons of this world because Aarons get to see Christ too.

 

I helped a few along the way

And kept my love close to my heart

Until it became too heavy to bear.

 

It overflowed my weakened arms

And scattered along humanity’s path.

Like crumbs from the table it fed a few,

The lonely, the weak and the weary.

 

I spread my arms wide

And fed a throng for many years

Until each cared for soul

Paved the trail of my happy tears.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: I Am He Who Liveth by Eva Koleva Timothy)

ON THE ROAD TO JERICHO

"My father, a printer, worked long and hard practically every day of his life. I’m certain that on the Sabbath he would have enjoyed just being at home. Rather, he visited elderly family members and brought cheer into their lives. One was his uncle, who was crippled by arthritis so severe that he could not walk or care for himself. On a Sunday afternoon Dad would say to me, ‘Come along, Tommy; let’s take Uncle Elias for a short drive.’ Boarding the old 1928 Oldsmobile, we would proceed to Eighth West, where, at the home of Uncle Elias, I would wait in the car while Dad went inside. Soon he would emerge from the house, carrying in his arms like a china doll his crippled uncle. I then would open the door and watch how tenderly, and with such affection, my father would place Uncle Elias in the front seat so he would have a fine view while I occupied the rear seat. The drive was brief and the conversation limited, but oh, what a legacy of love! Father never read to me from the Bible about the good Samaritan. Rather, he took me with him and Uncle Elias in that old 1928 Oldsmobile along the road to Jericho."  (President Thomas S. Monson, Hallmarks of a Happy Home, Ensign, Nov. 1988, p 70,71)".

"....A certain man went down to Jerusalem from Jericho, 

and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, 

and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead" (Luke 10:30)

When a certain lawyer wishing to test Jesus, to see how He as a Rabbi would answer one of the points of debate in the Rabbinical schools, he asked Him the following question: "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25). Jesus recounted to Him a parable in which He, by no chance, made the hero of the story a Samaritan. Jesus asked the lawyer what was written in the law of Moses regarding his question and the lawyer answered perfectly: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself" (Luke 10:27). The question, however, had not been asked to gain information but rather in the hope that Jesus would not give the right answer, Him not being a qualified Rabbi (John 7:15). When Jesus therefore affirmed the truth of the lawyer's answer, the lawyer pressed him further by asking Him who exactly was 'my neighbour'. This too was asked in an effort to discredit Him, for he knew full well that Jesus and the other Rabbis differed widely as to who fell in the category of a neighbour as Jesus had taught His followers: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love your neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt 5:43,44) . To the Jews, their neighbours were the members of the House of Israel and no other. The Gentiles and all who opposed the Jewish people were considered enemies. The Saviour constructed the Parable of the Good Samaritan in such a way because centuries after Moses issued the law to 'love thy neighbour', the rabbis, in laying down for the people narrow and uninspired interpretations of this command, wrote the following: "We are not to contribute to 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, A Commentary on the Holy Bible, p. 751).  By the time Jesus was born the hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews, which had been growing for centuries, was at its peak. The Samaritans were a mixed people, in whom the blood of Israel was mingled with that of the Assyrians and other nations thus they were not recognised as pure Israelites by their Jewish neighbours ("The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 38). "To the orthodox Jew of the time, a Samaritan was more unclean than a Gentile of any other nationality" (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 172) hence a Samaritan could never be considered a neighbour.

Not only did the Saviour discredit the Rabbinic law of his day by the Parable of the Good Samaritan pointing out rather blatantly that both the priest and the Levite within the story had dishonoured their priesthood and brought disgrace upon their nation by not assisting their fellowman in most dire need but he elevated the hated Samaritan, who was considered an enemy, to the status of a neighbour who chose to make a half-dead Jew his brother (McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 3, p. 179). When Jesus asked the lawyer: "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?", the lawyer could not deny that this honour belonged to the Samaritan who showed mercy.

As we travel through life, we will find ourselves on the road to Jericho, from time to time, on which we will encounter many people with different needs; beggars on the street, struggling single mothers, grieving widows, abused children, impoverished families and men, women and children of all nationalities and of all races. The Parable of the Good Samaritan invites us to ask ourselves who we consider to be our neighbour. It is easy to love the lovelies but not so easy to love those with differing views, those who do not live up to our standards, those who mock us or revile us or even those who purposefully hurt us or those who are just plain 'different'. Do we elevate ourselves above others deeming them unworthy of our association or do we actively seek out those in need, no matter how lowly they might seem? Do we allow prejudice or racism to dictate our actions towards our fellowmen? The Saviour made no distinction between those He served. He associated with publicans and sinners alike and those who needed Him most. And when He atoned for us, He atoned for us all, without any exceptions. When we stood in line to receive His redeeming grace, we all received an equal portion, there was no favouritism there. And when we return home to receive our reward, we will find ourselves amongst black and white, rich and poor, small and great; in short, all who constitute the human family. May we reach out to each other in brotherhood and love that we may be found worthy to one day inhabit together our Father's Kingdom  reserved for the merciful, and the kind, and the loving and the humble and the penitent. 

"Bishop Victor L. Brown told this story to employees of the Church Education System on 9 September 1983. A lesson [on the Good Samaritan] was in a seminary class . . . in Korea. The sequel is told about a student who was in that class. This boy’s father was a physician and a rather affluent man. One day one of the father’s friends called and asked if he were having financial difficulty. His response was that everything was fine. “But why do you ask?” The friend said, “I saw your son selling newspapers on the street corner in Seoul the other day.” The father replied, “It couldn’t have been my son. He has a liberal allowance and has no need for additional money.” The friend said, “I walked up to him and talked to him, and it was your son.” When the boy got home from school that day, his father asked him about the incident. He indicated that he had been selling newspapers. His father asked, “Isn’t your allowance sufficient? Do you need more money?” When the son responded that his allowance was adequate, the father asked, “Then why are you selling newspapers?” He said, “There is a boy in our class at school who comes from a very poor family, and he must have help if he is to stay in school. Each week I have taken my allowance and bought newspapers. I, along with some of my friends, sell the newspapers and give the money to this boy so he may remain in school.” In addition the son had asked his mother to increase the size of the lunch she packed for him each day. She didn’t question him about this; I suppose she thought that as a growing teenager, he was just extra hungry. He told his father that this boy from the poor family went hungry, so he shared his lunch with him. The father asked, “Why are you doing these things?” He replied, “In seminary we have been studying the lesson of the Good Samaritan. I didn’t just want to know what the lesson taught intellectually. I wanted to know how it felt to be a Good Samaritan.”