FORERUNNERS PART 2:

 

I am always amazed at Mary, the mother of Christ. Girls in the meridian of time married young so historians claim that according to the traditions of the day, Mary was a young girl of 15 when she gave birth to Jesus. To take on such a responsibility of raising the child of so much importance would make many of us retreat.

The stigma of pregnancy outside marriage would have been unbearable in Mary’s day. It reminds me of the Jews who spat His birth into the Saviour’s face by calling Him ‘a child of fornication’ (John 8:41). What an incredible insult to the purity of a woman who put her very reputation on the line to enable the salvation of the very people who would crucify the fruit of her womb! Mary would have to be the greatest forerunner of Christ because she gave Him life.

What amazes me even more is what kind of a valiant and righteous spirit she must have been in the beginning to be chosen to be the mother of Christ. I stand in awe of that. Alma called Mary ‘a precious and chosen vessel’ (Alma 7:10).

For such a valiant spirit, there would have to be a protector and that man was Joseph. Not only did he care for Mary and ensured her safety, he was a man spiritually in tune who was willing to receive heavenly instructions and follow them. In this way, he became a forerunner that ensured the safety of Jesus’ life in his youth. Imagine him taking his young family to another country away from family and kin to ensure the safety of a child who was not even his.  How did they live there, what did he do to support them?

And here is an awesome proof that Mary and Joseph paved the way for the Saviour’s earthly mission. We always think that they went to Bethlehem because of the Roman’s tax decree. Elder Bruce R. McConkie reasoned that this decree was just a vehicle to fulfil the prophecy that the Saviour would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-8). He goes on to say that Mary and Joseph knew of this prophecy and knowing who Mary’s baby was, would have moved heaven and earth to make it to Bethlehem so He could be born there (The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 341.

Would women really have been expected to attend accounting of taxes and census? Surely only Joseph would have been required to be there. Any governmental procedure in the ancient world was conducted by men with men. Women came under the jurisdiction of men. Their record keeping tracked only the paternal and not the maternal line. The scriptures attest to this.

So why else would Joseph put Mary ‘heavy with child’ through a journey of eighty dusty, dreary miles from Nazareth, riding on a slow stepping donkey, to Bethlehem if the primary motivation was not Jesus’ place of birth?

Imagine if Joseph had gone to Bethlehem alone and Jesus was born in Nazareth instead. How much cause would the Jewish ruling class have had against Jesus who claimed He was the promised Messiah that was prophesied would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-4)?! I am certain that Mary and Joseph contemplated this and used it as motivation to fulfil the sacred responsibility they were entrusted with.

Could Jesus have had a better beginning to His life with parental forerunners such as this??? I think not.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mary and Joseph by Greg Collins)

FORERUNNERS PART 1:

 

In the ancient world there were men who held an important job. They were required to go ahead of a travelling party to clear the path of fallen trees, rocks, undesirable persons or any obstacles that would prevent the travelling party from finishing their journey. They prepared the way. They were called 'forerunners'.

In my patriarchal blessing there is an interesting sentence that goes like this: "As you remain faithful to your trust, your guardian angels will never forsake you. They will go before you to 'prepare the way' and will be close to you and give you strength to resist evil."

I have reflected on this and wondered how much harder I would have struggled in my life had not an obstacle been removed from my path here and there, a temptation repressed, a disaster averted, a hurtful incident prevented. I realised that I could very well have come this far more on the merits of my forerunners than on my own strength.

It amazes me that even the Saviour needed a forerunner. I reflected on this too and realised he had five obvious ones. The most famous 'forerunner' to whom this title was applied symbolically was John the Baptist. John was born according to God's promise to be 'the voice crying in the wilderness' to herald the arrival of one greater than he, as prophesied by Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1).

His ministry provided a nucleus of faithful baptised believers from whom Jesus could call His apostles. These were men already converted and ready to serve, and well prepared under John’s ministry to believe and act the instant the Saviour called them to abandon everything and follow Him. Such was the power of John the Baptist, a martyr, who valiantly testified, taught and prepared the way and whom Jesus characterized as "a burning and a shining light" (John 5:35).

But John had someone who ‘prepared the way’ for him too….his parents, who are the greatest example of parental forerunners. Stricken in age and childless, they fulfilled an incredible prophesy and brought John into life safeguarding him from murderous Herod so he could grow into manhood and fulfil his purpose. Both John and his father were martyred in the end for their roles as forerunners (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 261; Matthew 23:35; Matt 14:3-12).

There are two other important examples of parental forerunners and they are Mary and Joseph. They were entrusted with a priceless charge of infant Jesus but more on them later. Considering their spiritual calibre, it is not hard to conclude that these five people were handpicked in pre-earth life for this purpose (D&C 138:55,56).

I look back on my parental forerunners and am grateful for the greatest sacrifice they made to take me out of a socialist country in my youth and bring me to Australia so I could have freedom to become who I was destined to be, by taking upon myself the name of Him, through the waters of baptism, who had foreordained me to have His Gospel in this life and to bear witness of His name.

 

What faith You had

In those who held You

by Your mortal hand;

How loyal to their charge

Were they who sustained You

When it all began.

How tender their heart

To see the Hope of Israel

And recognize The Great I am.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Child of Grace by Liz Lemon Swindle)

THE DIVINE PLAN PART 2

 

 

The prophecy about Egypt is my favourite prophecy regarding the Saviour’s birth.

It is recorded in the book of Matthew that the wise men of the East came to Judea enquiring: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2) but the Joseph Smith Translation states the question was: “Where is the child that is born the Messiah of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2a)

Imagine the mortal threat such a question was to Herod, the puppet king of Judah, installed by Caesar Augustus, without a drop of Jewish blood in him, whose only claim to the throne was his family’s conversion to the Jewish faith (see Bible Dictionary).

Had Jesus been born to be the King only, it would not have been such a threat because anyone can become a king, as Herod very well proved, but to be a Messiah meant more, much more, because a Messiah RESCUES and DELIVERS. And who would he rescue? The captive Jews.

This was a real threat to Herod, who was familiar with the Messianic prophecy, because if the Empire fell, so would his crown. He had only one solution: to dispose of the Jewish infants two years old and younger. Imagine the carnage that the Christ child had to be protected from. Hence the directive to Joseph to flee with his family. But why Egypt?

Egypt was a sacred memory of deliverance and freedom to every Hebrew in Israel. In their minds there was no greater miracle performed by God for His chosen people. And when the Messiah was born, the Hebrews were thirsty for deliverance from bondage once again.

Heralding the arrival of the Messiah, Hosea prophesied: “Out of Egypt have I called my son” (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15). Whereas once He led them out of the bondage of oppression suffered at the hands of the Egyptians, this time the Messiah would likewise deliver them but from a different enemy.

He would deliver them from the master of sin. It was the bondage and freedom that mattered more than deliverance from Roman rule. This was a deliverance like no other and no other could bring it about but Jesus of Nazareth, born to be king.

As I contemplated about the divine plan of the Saviour’s birth a thought came to me how the enemy had a plan too. Whereas God’s plan was one of protection for the Christ child, Satan’s was one of destruction in his desire to dethrone Jesus as the Messiah and Saviour of the world, and he had just the person to do it, Herod, ‘the most fiendish and bloody occupant ever to sit on David’s throne’, the throne that rightly belonged to Jesus of Nazareth, ‘who would in due course reign in righteousness thereon’ (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, 362).

This is what stood out in my mind the most. Satan had a blood thirsty king on the throne of Judah at whose command infants, and anyone else he didn’t like, were disposed of, but God had someone even more powerful than the sword. He had a young couple whose greatest weapon was obedience.

Joseph and Mary listened to the guidance of heaven and they preserved the life of the most important man ever to be born on this earth. That the host of heaven also watched over the infant Christ is a certainty but the divine plan was made possible because of two human beings in lowly circumstances who were willing to travel to Egypt on a donkey!!!

Next time you feel you are insignificant, don’t……you have no idea who you truly are….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Young Prince in Egypt by Rose Datoc Dall)

THE DIVINE PLAN PART 1

 

We always affirm that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of the Roman’s tax decree. Elder Bruce R. McConkie reasoned that this decree was just a vehicle to fulfil the prophecy that the Saviour would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-8).

Elder McConkie goes on to say that Mary and Joseph knew of this prophecy and knowing who Mary’s baby was, would have moved heaven and earth to make it to Bethlehem so He could be born there (The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 341.

I tend to agree with this theory as this also came into my mind: did Mary need to be there for the tax issue? Any governmental procedure in the ancient world was conducted by men with men. Women came under the jurisdiction of men. Their record keeping tracked only the paternal and not the maternal line. The scriptures attest to this.

Bethlehem, the city of David, would have kept scrupulous records of the lineage of Joseph who was a descendant of David, as recorded by Matthew (1:1-16). Mary is mentioned not only because she was Joseph’s wife but because she also was a descendant of David. Joseph and Mary were first cousins, children of two brothers, Jacob and Heli (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38; JST Luke 3:30-31, 45).

Consider the patriarchal and legal rights that men had over women: “Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (James Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p 87) So even though by blood Jesus was Mary’s son, in the eyes of the law, He was the son of Joseph.

Would women really have been expected to attend accounting of taxes and census? Surely only Joseph would have been required to be there. So why else would Joseph put Mary ‘heavy with child’ on a journey of eighty dusty, dreary miles from Nazareth riding on a slow stepping donkey to Bethlehem if the primary motivation was not Jesus’ place of birth?

I tried to research this but could not find anything of evidence that women were required to be there. I did learn about the Roman procedure of taxing the provinces in the empire though. Very insightful….

Imagine if Joseph had gone to Bethlehem alone and Jesus was born in Nazareth instead. How much cause would the Jewish ruling class have had against Jesus who claimed He was the promised Messiah that was prophesied would be  born in Bethlehem?! I am certain that Mary and Joseph contemplated this and used it as motivation to fulfil the sacred responsibility they were entrusted with.

And we may we ask, why Bethlehem??? Because it was the city of His father David and because of this: Bethlehem in Hebrew means ‘house of bread’…. Indeed Bethlehem supplied the whole of Jerusalem with bread. Was this city not symbolically fit to be the birth place of the One who proclaimed himself to be “the bread of life?” (John 6:31,51; Bethlehem - Guide to the Scriptures)

The Divine Plan executed every detail of Christ’s birth. It was no coincidence that Rome decreed the tax requirement so late in Mary’s pregnancy which would necessitate her baby be born in the most-humble of circumstances because Bethlehem was overrun with people:

“Though he laid the foundations of the earth, and worlds without number had rolled into orbit at his word, he chose to come into mortality among the beasts of the field. Though he had worn a kingly crown in the eternal courts on high, he chose to breathe as his first mortal breath the stench of a stable.”

-        - Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah 1, p 345

A God of splendour;

A babe of mortal birth;

All power surrendered

For the lowly of this earth.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

TO BE WILLING

 

 

“When Mary told Joseph that she was with child by the power of the Holy Ghost, his reaction was one not only of shock, of sorrow, and of dismay, but also of disbelief…..That he wanted to believe Mary, but did not, is shown by his determination ‘to put her away privily’ with as little embarrassment as possible.

He planned to give her a letter of divorce in the presence of two witnesses only, as the law permitted, rather than to make the dissolution of their contract to marry a matter of public knowledge and possible gossip. It must have been at this point that Mary sped hastily to Hebron to find comfort in the arms of Elisabeth.” 

(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 331-2)

Mary stayed with Elisabeth in Hebron for three months. We may well suppose that Joseph struggled with his problem during that time until he received the revelation from angel Gabriel who appeared to him in a dream testifying of the divine paternity of Mary’s expected child.

In Elder McConkie’s words: “As with all men, his [Joseph’s) faith and his willingness to submit to the divine will in all things [had to] be tested.” (ibid)

This submission to God’s will would have to have been Joseph’s greatest trial of faith. That he passed the test with flying colours is evidenced by his guardianship and care of the Christ child and His mother.

What relief and elation Joseph must have felt when he was assured of Mary’s condition. It meant she was still his but he must have envisaged that fathering such an important child that was not his own would mean he would tread a difficult road.

Receiving confirmation of the path we should follow in life is one thing but following that path is another. Receiving is sometimes the easy part and following, the hardest because it means you are conforming to God’s will instead of your own.

On a lesser scale than Joseph’s, but also of eternal significance,  is our commitment to follow the revelations we receive:

“After you have gotten the message, after you have paid the price to feel his love and hear the word of the Lord, ‘go forward’. Don’t fear, don’t vacillate, don’t quibble, don’t whine….with the spirit of revelation, dismiss your fears and wade in with both feet…..

“Therefore, let not your hearts faint….Mine angel shall go up before you…and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land (D&C 103:17-20)……What goodly land? Your goodly land. Your promised land. Your New Jerusalem. Your own little acre flowing with milk and honey. Your future. Your dreams. Your destiny.”

-        Jeffrey R. Holland, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence, BYU Speeches ,  March 2, 1999

Next time you hear the voice of revelation, do not retreat, because you might just discover how very important you are…..to yourself….and to someone else.

 

When God called,

So willing was your spiritually tender heart

No forces of hell could sever you

from your appointed path.

 

The guardian of my youth,

The obedient servant of the Lord,

Thou art Joseph

The valiant son of God. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Mary and Joseph by Rose Datoc Dall) 

A HUMAN STORY

 

I watched a short video yesterday on the Church website about the birth of Jesus called “Light the World”. What I saw sent me into an emotional appreciation for two humans, a young girl and a man who stood by her side, enabling the Creator of the Universe and the Saviour of all mankind to enter the world of mortality.

It reminded me of the Jews who spat His birth into the Saviour’s face by calling Him ‘a child of fornication’ (John 8:41). What an incredible insult to the purity of a woman who put everything on the line of her reputation to enable the salvation of the very people who would crucify the fruit of her womb!

Christ’s condescension and His willingness to implement the Plan of Salvation at such a high cost has me in awe. However, the credit to the success of that plan rests not only on His shoulders but on the shoulders of many of us who have covenanted before the world began that we would be yoked with Him to uphold His work.

Girls in the meridian of time married young so historians claim that according to the traditions of the day, Mary was a young girl of 15 when she gave birth to Jesus. To take on such a responsibility of raising the child of so much importance would make many of us retreat. But Mary accepted long ago and she saw it through.

We don’t know much about Joseph, but we know this. He was a just man (Matthew 1:19). He was also an obedient son of God who took Mary for his wife under instruction from God, not fearing any man (Matthew 1:24).

To say that Joseph took his responsibility as Jesus’ guardian seriously would be an understatement. He followed every instruction he received, fearing nothing. When instructed to protect Jesus from Herod’s edict, he took the family to Egypt (Matthew 2:12-15).

The third time an angel appeared to Joseph, he advised him that Herod was dead and that he should take Jesus back to Israel. Joseph was not only obedient but over-cautious in protecting his charge, and instead of Judea, he took his family to Galilee (Matthew 2:21-23).

The Pearl of Great Price tells us that after much planning God created all things spiritually before they were created physically. Abraham points out that the hosts of heaven were involved in sustaining His plans. Many noble and great ones were chosen to be rulers (Abraham 3:22,23).

Abraham was chosen to be the father of the faithful and the keeper of the covenant, Moses was chosen to be the law giver of Israel, Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God; Joseph, His protector. Joseph Smith, the restorer of the Church…..and so on.

We, likewise, have been chosen, if for nothing else but to be the pegs that hold up the tent of Christ’s church throughout the world. It goes without saying that God’s Plan of Salvation for his children, could not succeed without His children.

We are mere humans but of the highest importance. We stand in our place in this world to ensure the success of a story of all stories. Each righteous soul shining forth to light the world……

As miraculous and amazing as was that baby in the stable, Mary and Joseph were second to Him.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: On To Egypt by Rose Datoc Dall)