TO HEAL THE BROKEN HEARTED - PART 1

"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 brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
(Luke 4:18)

When the Saviour proclaimed Himself to be the Messiah following His experience in the wilderness of temptation, by reading the above scripture to a Sabbath congregation in Nazareth, He pointed to the central theme of His mortal mission, His eventual Atonement, which was to be the healing power 'not only for sin but also for carelessness, inadequacy, and the entire range of mortal bitterness' (Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart, p 1). Now nearing the end of His mortal ministry and following the Last Supper, Jesus led the apostles to the foot of the Mount of Olives, to a quiet garden He liked to go (Luke 22:39) called Gethsemane and there He exacted the healing power for all mankind from the exquisite spiritual anguish He was foreordained to suffer. Through a process, not comprehended by mere mortals, He suffered the effects of sin and mortality only a God could suffer to pave the way to eternal life for all mankind. The scope of His Passion escapes our finite minds as we consider the following:

"His Atonement is infinite - without an end. It was also infinite in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope - it was to be done once for all. And the mercy of the Atonement extends not only to an infinite number of people, but also to an infinite number of worlds created by Him. It was infinite beyond any human scale of measurement or mortal comprehension. (Russell M. Nelson, The Atonement, Ensign Nov 1996)."

The Saviour's Atonement was performed for every age, every dispensation, every world and every person, hence the appropriate symbolism of His bleeding from every pore and not just some (D&C 19:18). The severity of anguish and pain causing Him, even God, to  be 'sore amazed' (Mark 14:33). Up to this point He understood what He must do cognitively but not experientially: "He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing. No other man, however great his powers of physical or mental endurance, could have suffered so; for His human organism would have succumbed and syncope would have produced unconsciousness and welcome oblivion. He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of such an atonement. Thus, when the agony came in its fullness, it was so much, much worse than even He with His unique intellect had ever imagined...The cumulative weight of all mortal sins - past, present, and future - pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! (Maxwell, Neal A., Conference Report, April 1985, p 92)

If we cannot even begin to fathom the scope and depth of such a sacrifice on our behalf, how can we believe the reality of it? Even though the Saviour is the Saviour of every person of every world He has created, He is the Saviour of The One. When He visited the inhabitants of the American continent following His resurrection, He invited them to feel the prints in His hands and feet that they might know that He was the God of Israel and the God of the whole earth and that He was slain for the sins of the world (3 Nephi 11:14). When the multitude went forth to do so, they went 'forth one by one until they had all gone forth' (3 Nephi 11:15). In this way they could witness that the Atonement was performed for them individually and not for humanity collectively. Imagine touching the Saviour's scars and not feeling the personal nature of the greatest act of mercy, love and grace. Very few of us in this dispensation will get to have such an experience in mortality but the Saviour can still become just as real as we strive to know Him by being His disciples. As we live the gospel, study the scriptures and make active the Atonement in our lives, He will reveal Himself to us in ways that will make the prints of the nails in His hands and His feet a factual reality on par with that of the ancients who had spoken to Him face to face. When His sacrifice for us becomes real we will be encircled in the arms of His love and we will know that through Him and by Him we will be exalted on high to live in the realms of eternity forever.

"I seemed to be in the Garden of Gethsemane, a witness of the Saviour's agony. I saw Him as plainly as ever I have seen anyone. Standing behind a tree in the foreground, I beheld Jesus, with Peter, James and John, as they came through a little wicket gate at my right, leaving the three Apostles there, after telling them to kneel and pray, the Son of God passed over to the other side, where He also knelt and prayed. It was the same prayer with which all Bible readers are familiar: 'Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt'. As He prayed the tears streamed down His face, which was toward me. I was so moved at the sight that I also wept, out of pure sympathy. My whole heart went out to Him; I loved Him with all my soul, and longed to be with Him as I longed for nothing else. (Orson F. Whitney, Through Memory's Halls, Life Story of Orson Whitney, pp 81-83)"

"The Sanhedrin and the temple guards brought Him to judgement and to the Antonia Fortress. Pilate brought him to the cross. But I brought Him to Gethsemane - my life, my choices, my sins."

(Ted L. Gibbons, Misery and Joy, pp 8-10)

TO COMFORT THE COMFORTLESS

"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee........I have glorified thee on earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.....I pray for them......that they may be one, even as we are one." (John 17)

As Jesus neared the dreaded hour when he would face His suffering in Gethsemane, where alone, forsaken, 'and without the pomp of crowds, he would win an infinite victory far greater than any defeat of Rome' (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles p 165), he turned his attention to those whom He loved. Even though He faced the certainty of His own exquisite suffering, He sought to offer comfort to His devoted apostles and to prepare them not only for the dismal hours ahead but their own fate. That fate, though not remotely comparable to that of His own, the Saviour painted a bleak picture indeed for them whom the Father had given Him to carry on the work He had begun. Jesus warned the Apostles they will be put out of the synagogues (John 16:2) , meaning they would be excommunicated and persecuted; that whosoever killed them would think they were doing God a service (John 16:2); that they shall weep, lament and sorrow (John 16:20, 32); and they shall be scattered and have tribulation (John 16:32, 33). All these predicted and foretold tribulations the Apostles bore with dignity and faith. They were faithful to their divinely appointed callings even though they were often rejected, frequently imprisoned and even stoned and killed. 'They taught and testified and suffered and presided and waited patiently for the fulfillment of the promise that they would see Him again and that He would give unto them eternal life.' (Ted Gibbons, NT Lesson 24, This Is Life Eternal)

With what heavy heart the Saviour must have told them what they should expect once the earthly Kingdom He established was left in their hands. How He must have agonised knowing of their suffering for His sake, so much so that He prayed for them, interceding and pleading with the Father on their behalf, nevertheless, knowing that they could endure all things because they would not be alone. The Saviour promised them He would not leave them comfortless, that He would come to them (John 14:18) through the Comforter that the Father would send them in His name: the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, who shall teach them all things and bring to their remembrance all that He had said to them (John 14:26) . And so it was that on the Day of the Pentecost, this promise was fulfilled and the Holy Ghost found his abode with the members of the Church in the meridian of times; the power of the Holy Ghost being operative during the Saviour's ministry, but the gift of the Holy Ghost withheld until after the Saviour's resurrection (Bible Dictionary p 704): "While Jesus ministered among men, the gift [of the Holy Ghost] itself was temporarily withheld; one member of the Godhead dwelling with mortals sufficed. During that period, however, the Holy Ghost frequently spoke to righteous persons, as he did to Peter in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi. Just a few hours before Jesus went to Gethsemane and from there to the cross He told His disciples: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." (John 16:7.) This promise -- that the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit would be available -- was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. (Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.280 - p.281).

When the Saviour offered the Intercessory Prayer, He did not only pray for His apostles but for all those who would believe in Him through their word (John 17:20). This means us. It also means that all the promises the Saviour made to His apostles, He also made to us. Not wanting to leave us comfortless Jesus made the staggering promise that the obedient would not only receive the comfort of the Holy Ghost but that of Himself as well (John 14:18-24). In addition to the two Comforters, we can also qualify to bask in the presence of God the Father from time to time and converse with Him face to face as one friend converses with another ( See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 150-151).

"These statements about the two Comforters climax and crown the teachings of the Son of God. We have no record of anything he ever said which can so completely withdraw the curtain of eternity and open to the faithful a vision of the glories of God. Based on love, born of obedience, Jesus promises the saints that they can have, here and now in this life, the following:

1. The gift and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost; the comfort and peace which it is the function of that Holy Spirit to bestow; the revelation and the sanctifying power which alone will prepare men for the companionship of gods and angels hereafter;

2. Personal visitations from the Second Comforter, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the resurrected and perfected being who dwells with his Father in the mansions on high; and

3. God the Father shall visit man in person, take up his abode with him, as it were, and reveal to him all the hidden mysteries of his kingdom.

(McConkie, DNTC, 1:735, The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, p 166)"

We live in a fallen world, a world where sin, wickedness and tribulation abounds; a world that has gone crazy with wanton indulgence and crime; a world where people's hearts are failing them; a world filled with terror, wars, natural disasters and frustrated efforts of mankind to avert them. Despite all this madness, Jesus has promised we can have peace amidst this turbulence: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)". After his death, the Prophet Joseph Smith appeared to Brigham Young and instructed him as follows: "Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord, they will go right. Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before they came into the world. Our Father in heaven organized the human family, but they are all disorganized and in great confusion. (Journal History, 23 February 1847)"

If we will but be obedient and come out of the world, the Lord's promise of peace is sure. If we will make ourselves worthy, the greatest gift to humanity second only to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of Truth, will lead us in paths of security and peace. It will bring comfort to our troubled souls and whisper secrets of eternity to bring us to a remembrance of things past and foster in us a longing to return there. We are not so far from home because those who have sent us here carry us in their hearts forever.

 The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

He will not, he cannot, desert to his foes.

That soul, though all hell shall endeavour to shake,

He'll never, no never, no never forsake!

("How Firm a Foundation", Hymns, 66)

AN ORDINANCE OF LOVE

As Jesus sat at supper with His disciples prior to His fated suffering, He instituted the sacrament through which they could remember Him and through which they could covenant to keep His commandments on the condition of love. Such was the theme of the last supper of His mortal life. In John's account of the Last Supper in chapters 13-15 Jesus used the word 'love' 20 times in 14 verses. This made it clear indeed that what He was about to do for them through His infinite sacrifice was a token of love and should be a token of love forever more. Then the admonition to all who would accept that love through the emblems of sacrament: "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12); "...this do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19).

One might ask why the Lord chose the Last Supper as a discourse on love. What to us became The Last Supper and the institution of the sacrament we observe to this day, was in actuality Jesus' last Passover meal or the feast of unleavened bread which was an ancient festival that commemorated the salvation of Israel from bondage in Egypt. The Passover had been kept by Israelites for generations as a token of the Lord's love for them: "Because  the Lord loved you...hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Deut. 7:8). When Jehovah freed the Israelites from Egyptians, He freed them from physical bondage of slavery and likewise from spiritual bondage by giving them laws and commandments which with the passing of time they had great difficulty in keeping. The atoning sacrifice which Jesus was about to perform for Israel following the last Passover was to free them once more from physical and spiritual bondage, physical being the sting of death and spiritual being the pathway to eternal life through the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. As the Jewish day ends and begins at sunset, thousands of Paschal lambs were killed on the day of the Passover signifying that the lamb was the great and last sacrifice. That same day, before the sun set again, Jesus hung on the cross, in realisation of that significance, the offering of His body grounded in ultimate love for "greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

"Before Jesus introduced the ordinance of the sacrament, He taught His disciples more about love. In order for them to understand the sacrament, they had to first understand the basic principle of love" (Perry, L. Tom, Why Call Ye Me Lord, And Do Not The Things Which I Say?, Ensign Nov 1984). The Lord emphasized several times that only those who are obedient to his commandments truly understand what it is to love Him and others, because the commandments are principles of love. The commandments of God enjoin us to love him, others, and ourselves. Keeping the commandments of God enable us to join together in love as eternal families. Without obedience to these principles of love, there is no eternal life" (Breck England, NT Lesson 23, Love One Another As I Have Loved You".

Jesus predicted that in our day people will not keep the commandments and because 'iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold' (Matt 24:12). But more than that, the love of many within their own families shall wax cold and brother shall rise against brother, and father against the son, and children against their parents (Mark 13:12). We see evidence of this constantly in media where families are torn and at war with one another; where hatred abounds instead of love; where family feuds cause generations to foster animosity and breed bitterness, resentment and ill will; and where blood is thinner than water. The Church is not exempt from this. There we encounter hypocrisy where some members, to be seen of men, are more courteous, loving and kind to other Church members than they are to their own families; where parents allow familiarity to breed disrespect between each other and their children; where parents mete abuse; and where children are so disobedient to their parents that instead of havens their homes become battlegrounds. It has been said 'you hurt the most those you love the most'. Why is it that we are more mindful of hurting the feelings of our friends and strangers than we are of hurting our families? If we are at odds with any family members we will not be fit for the kingdom. Our family members are those that count the most, we cannot be saved in the Kingdom of God without them in the sense that if we harbour unforgiveness, hatred or ill will toward them. I feel that we will be held accountable for any issues we have caused or pain we have inflicted that we do not seek to rectify. In extreme cases where abuse has been involved, there might need to be professional mediation to bring the perpetrator to repentance and the victim to healing.

Most importantly, if we are not bound in love, we cannot hope to have the Lord's spirit with us always as it is promised us through the token of the sacrament. When we are not bound in love to our family members, no matter what their feelings are towards us, we are not fully worthy to partake of Christ's flesh and blood through the sacredness of the sacrament for that which was wrought in love should be partaken in love. No man can confess to fully love God when he does not love his fellow beings for when there is an absence of love, more often than not there is a presence of adverse feelings which are not worthy of true disciples of Christ. Regarding this President Joseph Fielding Smith Jr said the following: "If any of the members are not in good standing; if they have in their hearts any feeling of hatred, envy, or sin of any kind, they should not partake of these emblems. If there are any differences or feelings existing between brethren, these differences should be adjusted before the guilty parties partake; otherwise they will eat and drink unworthily and bring on them the condemnation spoken of by Paul. We should see that our hearts and hands are clean and pure. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:343)"

The importance of cherishing and honouring family relationships can be seen through the following story:

"Some time ago a friend of mine related an experience that I should like to pass on to you. He said:

'My father's cousin and my father lived in the same community and were competing in the construction business. There grew up over the years a very keen and bitter rivalry between them. This was triggered in the beginning in the bidding of construction contracts, and later in our city political affairs where they opposed each other in very spirited elections. Our immediate families inherited this situation upon the death of my father, for we boys seemed to take over where Dad left off. It was quite a strain on the members of his family and ours even to be civil to one another, even in our Church callings where he served as bishop of one ward and I in another, and later in the high council where we were both members. When we came together it seemed that Satan took over, and I am sure he did, for haven't we been told that where contention is, the Spirit of the Lord is not? 

This situation continued to fester. Suddenly I found myself with a call to put aside all worldly things and go to preside over a mission. This was a thrilling experience to contemplate, and yet I subconsciously had a most uneasy feeling about it. I kept asking myself: 'Are you really worthy to accept such an important call?' I was living the Word of Wisdom, I was a full tithe paper, I was faithful in all my Church activities, I was morally clean, and yet this uneasy feeling persisted. I set about immediately to get my business and personal affairs in a condition where others could handle them when we were gone. While returning home from my office one afternoon, it really happened. I didn't hear a voice, but as clearly as if a voice spoke to me something said: 'You must go to your father's cousin and get things straightened out. You cannot go on this mission and teach the gospel of love when this terrible feeling exists between you.' 

I drove to his home, and with great fear and trepidation went up and rang the doorbell. There was no answer. After waiting a few minutes I went back to my car and said silently, 'Lord, I made the attempt. I am sure this will be acceptable.' But it wasn't. This uneasy feeling still persisted. I prayed earnestly about it. The next day as I sat in a funeral service, my cousin came in and sat across the aisle from me. The Spirit moved me to ask him if I could see him at his home after the service. He agreed. This time I went with calmness and tranquility in my soul because I had asked the Lord to prepare the way for me.

When I rang the doorbell he invited me into the living room and congratulated me on my mission call. We talked a few minutes about things in general, and then it happened. I looked at him with the feeling of love, which replaced all the old bitterness, and said: 'I have come to ask forgiveness for anything I have ever said or done that has tended to divide us and our families.' At this point tears came into our eyes, and for a few minutes neither of us could say a word. This was one time when silence was more powerful than words. In a few minutes he said: 'I wish I had come to you first.' I replied: 'The important thing is that it is done, not who initiated it.' At this moment we had a rich spiritual experience, which caused us to purge our lives and our souls of those things which had separated us, which has resulted in our having proper family relationships. Now I could go on my mission and teach the true meaning of love, because for the first time in my life I had experienced its deepest dimension, and now I could honestly say that there wasn't a person in the world that I didn't love and appreciate. Since that day my life has never been the same, for it was then that I learned in a most positive way as I had never understood before the injunction of the Master to his disciples when he said: 'A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another' (John 13:34) (N. Eldon Tanner in CR, April 1967, pp 105-6, The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 161)

When Judas left the Passover feast to pursue the path of betrayal, Jesus said to His disciples that He was with them only for a little while longer (John 13:33). Peter was so sorrowful that he said: "Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death" (Luke 22:33). We can imagine the Saviour saying: "No Peter, that won't be necessary, 'whither I go, ye cannot come' (John 13:33). All that is required of you is to partake of this token of love in remembrance of me that you may love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." (John 13:1)

"BEHOLD THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH"

During His Olivet Discourse which He delivered the week of the Atonement, Jesus spoke at length about His return and the signs of His coming. In His attempt to impress upon us the importance of preparedness the Saviour gave us two parables to better understand what the nature of our preparation should be. Both of these parables are directed towards the members of the Church. The call to preparedness is twofold as seen through the two parables included in the Olivet Discourse: The Parable of the Ten Virgins which illustrates the importance of obedience and The Parable of the Talents which represents service and which completes the essential requirement for salvation.

We learn in the Parable of the Ten Virgins that Jesus is the bridegroom who is returning from a far country to attend the marriage feast when He will take the Church as His bride. The ten virgins therefore are members of His Church. There are two important components of this parable worth our notice. The first is that the Bridegroom 'tarried' meaning he delayed His appearance to the last hour of the day. In fact, he has 'tarried' now for nearly 2,000 years. It has been so long since He spoke of His return that many Church members are sleeping and not watching on the 'towers of Zion' (McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 467) finding it too long to wait for the midnight hour and the call to gather for the wedding feast. But the call to gather has already come. It came on November 3rd, 1831 through the prophet of this dispensation: "Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour" (D&C 133:10,10).

The second important component of this parable is that only half of the virgins had sufficient oil in their lamps which were necessary due to the late hour to illuminate the way to the marriage feast. The five that had no oil when the bridegroom finally came wasted their time procuring it at the last minute which made them arrive late for the feast and were therefore not granted entrance (Matt 25:10). Anciently, the lamps of the Ten Virgins 'consisted of a round receptacle for pitch or oil for the wick. This was placed in a hollow cup or deep saucer which was fastened by a pointed end into a long wooden pole, on which it was born aloft. According to Jewish authorities, it was the custom in the East to carry in a bridal procession about ten such lamps......according to rubric, ten was the number required to be present at any office or ceremony, such as at the benedictions accompanying the marriage-ceremonies' (McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 466).

It is significant here to note that the Saviour used the metaphor of marriage for His second coming. Why marriage? Because marriage is a union based on love. It is out of love for us that He 'tarries' so that as many as possible can be saved. The oil referred to in the parable and which ancient Israel burnt in their lamps could be purchased at the market. The oil required for our lamps however cannot be purchased but needs to be earned over time because this oil is the oil of righteousness: "In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity—these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps. (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p.256 )"

The parable tells us that those who heed the call to prepare are wise while those who do not give heed are foolish. Foolish because they who do not prepare will not be able to fill their lamps with the oil of those who do: "If this oil is acquired by personal righteousness, then it is impossible for one to share with another. I cannot go to sacrament meeting for my sons, not can I say personal prayers for my daughters. I can pray for them, but those are my prayers, not theirs. And if someone should suddenly determine that the coming of the bridegroom is at hand, they might not have time to re-evaluate, repent, re-supply and return before the door closes" (Ted Gibbons, NT Lesson 22 'Inherit The Kingdom Prepared for You).  Personal righteousness cannot be shared because it affects a change over time in the inner man. This change is essential so that when 'he shall appear we shall be like him' (Moroni 7:48). No man can endure on borrowed light, eventually his true nature will outshine the light he has attempted to borrow. The Saviour, being perfect, is not going to take a bride that is full of iniquity, unrighteousness and worldliness. The bride has to be on the same wave length as the bridegroom. It is meant to be a marriage of equals. Equal in character and equal in love. No bridegroom will take a bride that does not love him. Hence the Saviour's admonition: 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' (John 14:15).

If obedience begins to develop love in the heart of the bride for her Christ, service for her fellowman, as expounded in the Parable of the Talents, completes it. In the Olivet Discourse Jesus told his apostles that they will sit in judgment of His Church with Him upon His return. Through the two parables He delivered to them He made it plain for us to see that the members of the Church will not only be judged for their personal righteousness but also how well they have served God and their fellowman. Thus personal righteousness and service constitute perfect love that qualifies us for the Kingdom. As the Parable of the Talents shows, members of the Church are those called to ministerial service and are endowed with spiritual gifts for this purpose. They are endowed with diversities of gifts for the benefit of all and for the growth of the Kingdom. When we came here 'trailing clouds of glory' we came from God bearing those gifts with us: "All men, and the servants of the Lord in particular, acquired, in preexistence, by obedience to law, the specific talents and capacities with which they are endowed in this life. Men are not born equal; they come into mortality endowed with the abilities earned and developed in a long period of premortal schooling. And a just and equitable Being, who deals fairly and impartially with all his children, expects each of them to use the talents and abilities with which they are endowed and the gifts that are given them by a divine Providence" (McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 470)

When the foolish virgins came knocking on the door demanding to be a part of the wedding ceremony, the Lord replied: "Verily I say unto you, ye know me not" (Matthew 25:12 JST).  And well did He say so "for how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" (Mosiah 4:13). When we face the Saviour at His coming will we in Him recognise the hungry and the thirsty and the naked and the sick that we helped in our time on earth? Will we in His face recognise the stranger that we 'took in'? What would it take for us to do such a noble deed? To offer someone shelter from the storm, to lighten their burden, to change their life? President Monson had an example of such selflessness in his grandfather: "Old Bob came into our lives in an interesting way. He was a widower in his eighties when the house in which he was living was to be demolished. I heard him tell my grandfather his plight as the three of us sat on the old front porch swing. With a plaintive voice, he said to grandfather, “Mr. Conkie, I don’t know what to do. I have no family. I have no place to go. I have no money.” I wondered how grandfather would answer. Slowly grandfather reached into his pocket and took from it that old leather purse from which, in response to my hounding, he had produced many a penny or nickel for a special treat. This time he removed a key and handed it to Old Bob. Tenderly he said, “Bob, here is the key to that house I own next door. Take it. Move in your things. Stay as long as you like. There will be no rent to pay and nobody will ever put you out again.” ( Thomas S. Monson, The Long Line of the Lonely, Ensign May 1981)

"From the foundation of the world, from the beginning, from all eternity - for such a length of time that no man can measure it - for just such a time has 'the kingdom' been prepared for the faithful. And their inheritance therein is dependent upon their charitable works in mortality, upon how they give of themselves to serve their Lord and King" (McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 474).

"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  (Matthew 25:40)

WHEN HE COMES AGAIN

"As Samuel poured oil on the head of Saul and anointed him to be captain over the Lord's inheritance........as he also poured oil on David and anointed him in the midst of his brethren.....and as Zadok took an horn of oil and anointed Solomon........so Mary of Bethany poured costly spikenard from her alabaster box upon the head of Jesus, and also anointed his feet, so that the next day, the ten thousands of Israel might acclaim him King and shout Hosanna to his name" (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 327)

As Jesus left his beloved village of Bethany and approached Jerusalem, He stood on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the splendor of the city and wept. As he wept, he lamented, "If thou hadst known...the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes" (Luke 19:42) for the people were 'divided into conflicting and contending sects, each professing more holiness and righteousness than the other and all closing their eyes to the truth' (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 140). After all that He had done, all that was left to Him was to weep for the city which was too late to save.

Jesus entered Jerusalem riding 'lowly, upon an ass', not a symbol of humility but the symbol of Jewish royalty (McConkie Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 338), for it was His right to do so as the descendant of King David to whom the throne truly belonged. As His disciples, 'the children of the kingdom' (JST Matt. 21:13)  shouted hosannas to His name and proclaimed Him king for the first and only time of His mortal ministry, Jesus entered the Herodian splendor of the city. Not even the accolades which they heaped upon Him would have comforted Him as He contemplated their impending doom. What a strange Messianic triumph that was. On one hand they hailed Him as the one who could save but on the other they refused the salvation. With hope of deliverance from Roman rule pulsating in the heart of the glittering, golden Jerusalem, with its' imperial mantle of proud towers, a city regarded as a wonder of the world, who could have foreseen its' destruction? Just one, the one who sat upon 'the colt of an ass'.

Following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus once again cleansed the temple of the 'den of thieves', the chief priests who saw themselves as the guardians not only of the temple but of 'the whole structure of Jewish religion. They glutted themselves on the profits from temple business, and so the temple was not just the source of their favoured social position (which they coveted so jelously) but also the source of their incomes - more, their fortunes' (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 143). . During the first cleansing of the temple, Jesus referred to it as 'my Father's house' (John 2:16). This time, upholding his kingly welcome into the city, Jesus referred to it as 'my house' (Matt 21:13). One can only imagine the seething in the vengeful hearts of those who plotted His death upon hearing such words for Jesus' declaration of His messiahship was pure blasphemy to their ears. When the purging was over, those who accepted His declaration and believed Him to be the promised Messiah gathered around Him to receive the fruits of His ministry. There, in His house, surrounded by those who believed in Him Jesus once again healed the blind and the lame, an exquisite symbol of the spiritually blind and lame He came to save.

Jerusalem paid dearly for rejecting and crucifying their God. As they left Jerusalem, Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse to His disciples where He predicted the sacking of Jerusalem by saying that not 'one stone will be left upon another' (21:6) and that the desolation of which Daniel spoke (Daniel 9:27) would be fulfilled. Jesus also told them that this destruction would come in their day and warned that the righteous should flee when they see the signs of its' coming. Less than 40 years after His death Titus descended on Jerusalem with his Roman legions and leveled the city to the ground but not before Jerusalem had endured unimaginable suffering through oppression and famine which saw women eating their own children as prophesied by Moses (Deut 28) and witnessed by Josephus (The New Complete Works of Josephus, The Jewish War, p 893). The destruction was so brutal that 'hunger exceeded human endurance; blood flowed in the streets, destruction made desolate the temple; 1,100,000 Jews were slaughtered; Jerusalem was ploughed as a field; and a remnant of a once mighty nation was scattered to the ends of the earth. The Jewish nation died, impaled on Roman spears, at the hands of Gentile overlords' (McConkie, DNTC, 1:644-45). Only the righteous were spared, the saints who dwelt in Jerusalem at the time had heeded Jesus' warning and had fled, guided by revelation, to Pella in Perea.

Why is it important for us to know about the destruction of Jerusalem? Because the destruction which will befall the wicked at the time of His Second Coming will be akin to what the Jewish nation endured in 70 AD. History will repeat itself because the world is still rejecting the Saviour, stoning the prophets and disregarding the word of God. During His Olivet Discourse Jesus spoke of the last days and the signs of His coming: "All the desolation and waste which attended the former destruction of Jerusalem is but prelude to the coming siege......In the coming re-enactment of this 'abomination of desolation', the whole world will be at war, Jerusalem will be the center of the conflict, every modern weapon will be used, and in the midst of the siege the Son of Man shall come, setting his foot upon the mount of Olives and fighting the battle of his saints (Zech. 12:1-9). Speaking of these final battles which shall accompany His return, the Lord says: 'I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city'. However, the final end of the conflict shall be different this time than it was anciently. 'Then shall the Lord go forth', the prophetic record says, 'and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives....and the Lord shall be king over all the earth' (Zech. 14). (McConkie, DNTC, 1:659-60)

During the Olivet Discourse Jesus told His disciples that when He returns one will be destroyed and one will be left. The two He spoke of were the wicked and the righteous. Those that shall remain on the earth and not be destroyed will be those who are honest and upright and who are so living that they would at least inherit terrestrial kingdom at the time of resurrection. As the Millenium will reflect the terrestrial glory, those who are living by telestial standards will not be able to remain on earth. Those of the telestial world are: 'sorcerers; adulterers; false swearers; those who oppress the hireling, the widow, and the fatherless in their wages; those who lead men away from the truth; those who do not fear God; members of the true Church who do not pay an honest tithing; they that work wickedness; and the proud. All these, he says, shall be as stubble when the day comes that shall burn as an oven. (Mal. 3:4; D&C 64:23-25). (McConkie, DNTC, 1:669)

Jesus wept when He reflected on the destruction of Jerusalem. Will He lament over us as He did over Jerusalem before he unveils His face? Will He weep over His saints who had abandoned their covenants and gone after the pleasures of the world? Will He sorrow over the lost sheep that have not been found? Will His heart break over those who profess to know Him but are found with empty oil lamps and regrets they are too late to rectify? When the comfort zone is ended it will be too late to put up the necessary defenses and watchtowers against the evils of the world. The day of preparation will be past and some of us will be found wanting. We live in the day preceding His return, the day of wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes, the day when iniquity is abounding causing the love of men to wax cold. These are all Saviour's predictions found in the scriptures. He has described His Second Coming as 'the great and dreadful day of the Lord' (D&C 110:16), dreadful for those who are in the clutches of iniquity but great for those who are seeking after righteousness and who are waiting with anticipation for the day of the Lord when all His promises shall be fulfilled. The question begs to be asked, are you scared or are you excited?

When He comes again, He will come as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings and He will seek out His own that He might dry the tears from their eyes and embrace them in the arms of His love. A God of power, a God of majesty, a God of glory, but most of all, a God of love.

"HE WHOM THOU LOVEST IS SICK"

During His mortal ministry Jesus performed many miracles: he opened the eyes of the blind, cast out devils, cleansed lepers, calmed storms, walked on water, fed thousands with a few barley loaves and fishes and raised the daughter of Jairus and a widow's son from death. All of these acts of kindness and mercy were truly miraculous but none as meaningful as was the raising of Lazarus, whom Jesus loved. The death of Lazarus was not just another miracle but the final testament of Jesus' divine sonship through which He as the Son of God was glorified. It was also an act of faith, an act of love and an act which sealed his fate and sent Him to Golgotha.

Lazarus lived in the Judean town of Bethany, two miles east of Jerusalem. In this same village lived his beloved sisters, Mary and Martha. These particular siblings were devout disciples of Jesus who often offered Him refuge from rejection and surcease from toil and rest from his labours. It was in their company and in their homes that Jesus found acceptance and kindness which no doubt fed His sensitive soul and made His labours seem worthwhile. It was this Mary who anointed His head for His burial and His feet with costly spikenard and bathed them with her tears just before the Fourth Passover. Lazarus, Mary and Martha were three of the most intimate friends Jesus had on earth. As such friends,they knew of His whereabouts and where His ministry took Him from day to day for when Lazarus fell ill Mary and Martha sent for Jesus who was in Perea, which was a day's journey away. The message they sent was one of tenderness and supplication to the one they were sure would come and rescue them from imminent pain like He had done to so many others: "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick" (John 11:3). Imagine then how they felt when Jesus showed no apparent concern and continued His labours in Perea for another two days without attempting to leave, knowing full well that Lazarus was dead by the time He received the summons.

Jesus knew why Lazarus got sick and He offered this explanation: "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby" (John 11:4). Lazarus had a special mission and purpose, to die so that Jesus could be glorified by raising him from the dead. This was not a matter of repelling death when it came knocking on one's door, this was a precursor of the power of resurrection which only the Saviour possessed. Lazarus was foreordained to die; it was part of the eternal plan that he should do so and remain in paradise until his tabernacle of clay began to decay, until corruption and decomposition were well under way so that his return from the dead would be a testament of Christ's power to resurrect us all and give us eternal life (Bruce R. McConkine, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 271) . It was likewise a witness of Christ's ability to raise Himself from death as He had foretold. Thus Lazarus became a witness of Jesus' divinity.

When Jesus returned to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Running out of her house to meet Him was Martha who met Him not with words of accusation but words of faith: "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee" (John 11:21,22). Mary's salutation was not one of benign and flattering words but of such faith that can only come by the power of the Holy Ghost. That her salutation was born of the Spirit and not of her own faith is evidenced by the fact that she was subsequently reluctant for Jesus to enter Lazarus' tomb pointing out that Lazarus had been dead four days and the smell of decay had begun to set in (John 11:39). Up to this point in history, resurrection was only a principle in theory. The raising of Lazarus was akin to resurrection as his body had started to decay and was no longer fit for the habitation of his spirit which had already entered the spirit world where spirits who had ended their mortal probation resided. This Jesus confirmed by saying: "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). Lazarus was fully restored to mortality, to a body of flesh and blood. Jesus, however, was resurrected to a body of flesh and bone only thus making Him the first fruits of resurrection.

Surrounded by sorrow and grief Jesus displayed utmost tenderness towards those He loved and He himself wept as He proceeded to the tomb which would prove that Jesus indeed is the Christ, the Messiah, the Promised One who can grant life to all who believed. None but the Son of God could do what He was about to do. He had prayed and prepared for this moment and the Father had heard and granted His plea and thus 'with the hearts of Martha and Mary perfectly united with that of their beloved Lord; with the body of Lazarus lying in the dust, eaten by worms, every vital organ in process of rotting away; with the spirit of this man of divine destiny, in paradise, awaiting the Promised Voice - at this moment the Lord of Life spoke: LAZARUS, COME FORTH' (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 279).  Not just anybody chosen for this most special of all moments of Christ's life, but Lazarus whom Jesus would love and who would love Him; Lazarus, whose faith and no doubt his valiance in his testimony of Jesus in the realms above, qualified him before this world was to be a special witness of Christ; Lazarus came forth from the tomb and glorified the Saviour of the world.

'The shock waves of the emergence of Lazarus from the tomb rolled from Bethany across the Mount of Olives, spanned the Kidron Valley, and beat against Caiaphas' Palace' (Ted Gibbons, NT Lesson 19: Thy Faith Hath Saved Thee). As Caiaphas, the high priest, and the Sanhedrin considered this most important of all miracles they concluded once and for all that He who subverted their Mosaic religion and ran counter to the tradition of elders had to die: "If we let him thus alone", they reasoned, "all men will believe on him and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation" (John 11:48). "Their dilemma was both religious and political. 'If this man's gospel is true, the day of Moses and the law is past, and we shall lose our prominence and power as rulers in Israel. The people will rally round him as their Messiah and Deliverer, and Rome will then destroy us with the sword" (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p 281). In a nutshell, better that one man die than a whole nation, even if it requires the death of a god.

When the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy, you are I were among that happy throng giving praise to Him who would rescue us from the sting of death. Because of our faith in Father's Firstborn we knew we would not be eternally lost and alienated from home. We trusted He had the power to redeem us, to sanctify us, to make us whole and fit for exaltation. In return we promised our all. We promised we would glorify His name whilst in mortality through the life that we live. May we be faithful to that cause and when the time of resurrection comes may we be found amongst those who will hear the first trump sound and the beloved Saviour's voice saying: "Come forth".

THE ROCKCLIMBER

"Brenda was a young woman that wanted to learn to rock climb. Although she was terribly afraid, she went with a group and they faced this tremendous cliff of rock that was practically perpendicular. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear and took hold of the rope and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, whoever was holding the rope up at the top of the cliff made a mistake and snapped the rope against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens. You know how tiny contact lenses are and how almost impossible to find. Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with who knows how many hundreds of feet behind and hundreds of feet above her.

Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping that she would be able to find that contact lens. Here she was, very far from home. Her sight was now blurry. She was very upset by the fact that she wouldn't be anywhere near a place where she could get a new contact lens. And she prayed that the Lord would help her to find it. Well, her last hope was that perhaps when she got to the top of the cliff, one of the girls that was up there on the top might be able to find her contact lens in the corner of her eye. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye. There was no contact lens to be found. She sat down with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to come up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and from throughout the whole earth". She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every single stone and leaf that's on those mountains and You know exactly where my contact lens is".

Finally the time came when it was time to go down. They walked down the trail to the bottom. Just as they got there, there was a new party of rock climbers coming along. As one of them started up the face of the cliff, she shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, wouldn't it? She had found the contact lens! But you know why she saw it? An ant was carrying that contact lens so that it was moving slowly across the face of the rock. What does that tell you about the God of the universe? Is he in charge of the tiniest things? Do ants matter to Him? Of course they do. He made them. He designed them. Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him this incredible story, he drew a picture of that ant lugging that contact lens with the words: "Lord, I don't know why you want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what you want me to do, I'll carry it for you". If God is in charge of the ants, don't you think He cares about you and me? One could learn a valuable lesson from that ant: TRUST IN GOD! We could probably all say a little more often, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. Still, if you want me to, I'll carry it for you".

-  Author unknown


What can we learn from this story? Several things as a matter of fact:

1. God answers prayer.
2. He uses others to meet our needs.
3. No request of Him is too small or too great.
4. Good sees and knows all things. What is important to us is likewise important to Him: "And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand" (D&C 29:25)
5. When we feel inspired to do something we should do it, even if we don't understand why for God is working through us to bring about His purposes. Like Nephi of old who was commanded to abridge two sets of plates because 116 pages of the Book of Mormon translation would one day be lost, we should say: "....the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men.......for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey" (1 Nephi 9:6, 2 Nephi 33:15)
6. We should trust in God to bail us out of situations we have no power to resolve. He stands ready to help in all things. Like any father, He is devastated when we do not turn to Him in times of need. 
7. While we are climbing our mountains, we should remember that without God we can do nothing and that with Him, we can do everything.
8. All things and all creations on this earth God has created have a purpose. Remember that next time you are about to step on an ant. Be careful how you treat others for God might need to use them one day for your saving grace.
9. When your vision is blurry and you cannot see, God will provide the perspective and the lens you need to see your path clearly: "Behold, I will go before you and be your rearward...I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts....(D&C 49:27, 84:88). When we walk in darkness, we are not alone, God is on our left, and on our right, and before us and behind us. We are not alone.
10. God is a god of love. He cares for all his creations and we, His sons and His daughters, matter to Him the most. We are at the forefront of all His doings and all His concerns. When God showed Moses all the worlds He had created, Moses was astonished and exclaimed that man is nothing in comparison but God replied, 'No, you are wrong Moses, 'man is the underlying and over-riding purpose of all my work. Man's success constitutes my glory. Man is everything' (Ted Gibbons, OT Lesson 1, "This is My Work and My Glory")