Lesson #7 "[He Took Our Infirmities, and Bare Our Sicknesses"

Mark 1:14–15, 21–45   Mark 2:1–12   Mark 4:35–41 5:1–20  Luke 7:11–17   Bible Dictionary, “Miracles,” 732–33.


I had to teach this lesson twice.  Each time was very different, so I'm not sure what to enter here.  It might be altogether different too.  This is a topic very tender to me.

When the Savior began his ministry years, he started with proclamations of his divine nature, preaching and also by performing miracles of healing. 

WHY DID HE BEGIN HIS MINISTRY WITH HEALINGS?

"Miracles" in the Bible Dictionary tells us a lot about why Jesus started preaching with healing.  Click on the link above to read the full text, here are the highlights:

• Healing is a part of divine teaching
• Showing the people individual healing prepared them for them to accept the greatest miracles of all: resurrection 
• Manifestation of power/action of a higher law 
• Fulfill prophecy 
• Teaching truths (cure of sin, value of faith, curse of impurity, law of love)   
• SHOW HOW THE LAW OF LOVE IS TO DEAL WITH THE ACTUAL FACTS OF LIFE (I could ponder this forever)
•  THEY ARE THE NATURAL RESULT OF THE MESSIAH’S PRESENCE AMONG MEN (He can do this by the power of His spirit and the eternal nature of his works and eternal perspective).

I did, in fact, rename this lesson for my class: "How the Law of Love is to Deal with the Actual Facts of Life."

This sort of power is new to the Jews.  There are instances in the Old Testament of healing, but not many.  So, the Jew even ask in Mark 1:23-27 "What new doctrine is this?"  

In Mark 2:1-5, where four men lower a man with a palsy down through the roof to be healed, Jesus notices their (the four men and the palsy) faith and first cleanses the man spiritually.  The scribes told Jesus that only God could forgive sins (little did they know they were in his presence).  Jesus said, it's easy for someone to say "sins are forgiven" but here's proof that I have power to both forgive sins and to change a man physically.  He then physically heals the man with the palsy.

What is the relationship between physical healing and spiritual healing?  When we ask for a priesthood blessing of healing, what are our expectations, what is our faith for?

•  All things are spiritual and eternal: D&C 29:31-34 – the higher law is spiritual law directing the physical.  It is no wonder then, that we are taught to obey and taught to fast, to suppress the physical and let the spiritual operate more fully and other commandments of obedience where we learn to put off the natural man/woman.
• We may have physical ailments to help us heal (or learn to heal) our spirits.
• Olive Oil has a special significance.  Jesus went through Gethsemane, an olive garden/olive press.  Using olive oil links blessings of healing to the atonement and power thereof for both physical and spiritual healing.

I think the reference to Mark 4:35-41 sheds a light on spiritual and physical healing and what exactly our faith is in.  At first I was puzzled at why this account was included in a lesson about healing, but the lesson is highly applicable.  The disciples are with Jesus in a boat in a heavy storm and they finally wake him and ask: "Carest Thou not that we perish?" Jesus responds: "Why are ye so fearful?" "How is it that ye have no faith?"

• The disciples were still in doctrinal infancy and this is a powerful lesson for them.
• They were surprised that he could calm the water.  So, if they didn’t expect him to do that, what do you think the disciples wanted Jesus to do?
•  Carest thou not that we perish? Do we ask this in the depths of our affliction whether spiritual or physical?  Jesus responds: “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?
• Faith in what?  (Jesus) Faith for what? (to be completely healed? To be able to calm the storm themselves? To endure the storm?)
•  They would have endured the storm without harm because Jesus was with them.  If they had a remembered his mission according to what he taught and what the prophets before him taught, they would know that this is not how the Lord would die.
• Maybe our healing is the ability to endure the storm.
• Good cross references in footnote:Alma 44:4  “Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith."

Blessings of healing are spiritually healing and physically healing and each depends on the will of the Lord.  What I take from it depends on me.  I have diabetes.  I have had many blessings of healing, yet I still have diabetes.  Do I lack faith?  NO!  My faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ and every time he helps me have more self-control, a new perspective about myself or the disease, every time he tells me through feeling his spirit that he loves me even though I have diabetes, or even because I have diabetes, I am healed. IF I DECIDE TO LOOK AT IT THAT WAY.  I can endure this storm and through enduring, I will be completely healed some day.

  

Lesson #6 "Straightway They Left Their Nets"

Luke 4:14–32    Luke 5:1–11, 27–28  6:12–16

I did not read through these scriptures all the way, so I cannot comment extensively on them, but here is what I was impressed with during the lesson:

The teacher asked us what the word "straightway" means to us.  The disciples, soon to become apostles, literally left their fishing nets immediately and followed the Savior, not just that day, but for a long and busy time.

I have loved listening to President Monson's stories about people he has helped and healed.  It seems that he is a good example of doing thing "straightway" when he is prompted.  This takes practice.  It takes practice to know what you think is a good idea and what the Spirit is telling you to go and do NOW.  I suppose either one is a good thing.  I know that doing right away what the Spirit prompts leads to happiness on my end and for someone else.  Having courage to do things of the Spirit straightway, is a gift for some, I think.  It means a great deal of unselfishness, having a lot of faith, and what tops it off is having the humility to not publish what you've done.

Lesson #5 "Born Again"

John 3:1–22  John 4:1–42  

I was overwhelmed with the amount of information available about being born again, including scripture chains that lead from one topic to another.   My husband has made this a topic of his study, and wisely so, as it encompasses topics such as the Spirit, repentance, baptism, faith, works, putting off the natural man and yielding to the Spirit of God.  In essence the doctrine of being born again is the purpose of our life.

Background on Nicodemus:

·      Pharisee- well educated, well respected, interpreted Mosaic Law symbolically, represent the people, belonged to a group

·      Came to Jesus by night (probably to avoid social discomfort yet putting forth the effort to learn)

·      Recognized that Jesus has power from God (a great teacher) and wants to know more (may want to read verse 2)

Savior perceives that Nicodemus is only seeing miracles with his physical eyes and so begins to explain the importance of seeing with spiritual eyes.  This is an important distinction to make for the Jews who are so focused on outward worship.

READ John 3:3-4 (for Jesus’ answer and Nicodemus’ next question)

WHY WOULD NICODEMUS ASK THIS IF HE IS A SMART AND RESPECTED PHARISEE, A LEADER OF THE JEWS?  WHY TAKE A LITERAL MEANING?

I don’t think he was argumentative about it.  In fact, in verse nine he says “How can these things be done?” I think he just wanted to know – the question is phrased oddly, but to me he has a feeling of “Lord, how is it done? “  It was also his first response to perhaps and unexpected answer.

As we read throughout the rest of this chapter concerning Nicodemus, put yourself in his shoes.  Remember that this is fairly new information to him (though it shouldn’t have been) as he tries to align his current teachings and beliefs with what the Savior teachers him.

WHAT ARE THE DOCTRINES THAT ARE GIVEN TO NICODEMUS? (read then answer)

READ John 3:5-8 (meaningful details of the passage)

·      Born of water (baptism) and spirit (Gift of Holy Ghost)

·      Flesh is flesh (it has it’s beginning and end)

·      Spirit is spirit (matter that has no end)

·      Flesh and spirit are separate

·      Wind comparison to spirit – cannot see or know where it comes from but you can hear it.

·      Baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost

Nicodemus asks “How can these things be?”

The Savior reproves him a bit for being a “master of Israel” yet he doesn’t know what these things mean.  And He says “If I’ve told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly tings?”

Then he gives an example of an earthly things: Moses lifting up the serpent

Then he gives an example of a heavenly thing: The Son of man being lifted up

Again imagine that you are Nicodemus receiving this information as a new idea and probably a bit more impressionably as it is coming from the Savior teaching with the Spirit.

WHAT ARE THE DOCTRINES TAUGHT IN THESE VERSES?  

READ John 3:16-21

·      God loves the world (people)

·      Because he loves the world he gives

·      There is a plan

·      God has a Son

·      Not sent for political reasons

·      Sent to save spiritually and eventually physically

·      Men condemn themselves by holding to darkness

·      Men have choice to choose light

·      Works bring forth fruit – doeth evil=hateth light; doeth truth=cometh to light

·      He prefers saving to condemning (so should we),

·      A man really is the one who condemns himself

  We learn later in John that he defends Jesus to the Pharisees (John 7:50) when they were attempting to find and kill him.  He also brought  many expensive spices to Jesus’ burial (John 19:39), which was mentioned in Psalms 45:8.

In a key passage in Mosiah we are told that when the people desired to become followers of Christ, being born again, they did or desired to do certain things and then they became "children of Christ". I have emphasized these things in bold:

2And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty ^achange in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do ^bevil, but to do good continually.

3And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite ^agoodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.

4And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.

5And we are willing to enter into a ^acovenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a ^bnever-ending torment, as has been spoken by the ^cangel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.

6And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant.

7And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the ^achildren of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are ^bchanged through faith on his name; therefore, ye are ^cborn of him and have become his ^dsons and his daughters.

So, being born again requires certain things, that when they are fulfilled, we are spiritually begotten (as can happen over and over again and line upon line, precept on precept, or perhaps a better way of putting it is, each time a little of the veil over our minds is lifted to reveal another eternal truth we once knew, we are born again).

I really like that the people said they "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."  This tells me that being born again has to do with our disposition.  And who knows our disposition better than the Savior?  Who knows better what line we need next and what precept will help at a certain time?  Only Christ, who proclaims us spiritually begotten when we commit to Him.  I find great comfort in knowing my Savior knows my current disposition and my potential disposition, that even in my imperfection He can proclaim me one of His daughters.

Lesson #4 "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord"

Here is the interesting thing I thought about while pondering John the Baptist: Was baptism a new concept for the Jews at the time of John's teaching?

If so, John would have been viewed as a crazy man, teaching a doctrine that is new - teaching that in order for salvation, every man and woman must be baptized.

If not, then the Jews didn't keep a very good record of baptism.  In fact, there are no references to the word "baptism" according to the Topical Guide, in the Old Testament.  The first time the word "baptism" is used in scripture is in the New Testament.

But we learn from my favorite tool, the Bible Dictionary, about baptism in Old Testament time:
Baptism has always been practiced whenever the gospel of Jesus Christ has been on the earth and has been taught by men holding the holy priesthood who could administer the ordinances. Although there is some obscurity in the Bible as to the antiquity of baptism before the time of Jesus, from latter-day revelation it is clear that Adam was baptized (Moses 6:64–68) and that the patriarchs and prophets since his time have taught the gospel and administered the ordinances that pertain to the gospel. This includes both water baptism and the laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost (Moses 8:23–24). The Book of Mormon shows also that baptism was taught and practiced long before the coming of Jesus Christ (2 Ne. 31; Mosiah 18:8–17). In the N.T. Paul speaks of the children of Israel being baptized by Moses “in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1–4). Noah and Abraham are spoken of as “preachers of righteousness,” which means they taught the gospel and administered its ordinances (Gal. 3:8; Heb. 4:1–2; 2 Pet. 2:5; cf. Moses 8:23–24).


We know that baptism can be performed by the Aaronic Priesthood, but the Gift of the Holy Ghost must be bestowed by someone holding the Melchizedek (I'd just like you to know I spelled that without looking it up - finally) Priesthood.  Thus, those who were able to baptize in the Old Testament usually always available, but since the people could not live under the higher law (Melchizedek Priesthood), it was taken away and I guess so was the ability to confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost?  Not sure that it is clear.  So, I am just wondering if baptism occured, when there were prophets that had the Melchizedek Priesthood, but it wasn't as common to the general public as it was after Christ came.


Also, those who held the Aaronic Priesthood needed to be in the lineage of Levi and needed to be worthy.  John the baptist was of the tribe of Levi and was also worthy and so was able under Jewish law to baptize the Savior.  When the Savior comes he restores the Melchizedek Priesthood to the Jews and they are therefore able to confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost and complete the baptism of water with the baptism of fire.


I have always found it interesting that it takes both Priesthoods to have a complete baptism.  It's almost as if it falls under the principle of "in the mouth of two or three witnesses" or the two used as a safeguard that the ordinance of baptism doesn't occur on a whim or is not treated lightly.

Lesson #3 Birth of Jesus and his boyhood

Matt 2; Luke 2

As I read through this lesson, the topic of revelation and learning line upon line (or from grace to grace) as is mentioned in the lesson, popped out to me.  There is revelation to the shepherds, revelation to Mary, revelation to Joseph, revelation to Anna and Simeon, revelation to the wise men, and other revelations to Joseph to keep Jesus safe.

Elder Oaks wrote a talk called "Eight Reasons for Revelation" and here are the reasons:
1. to testify
2. to prophecy
3. to give comfort
4. to uplift
5. to inform
6. to restrain us from doing something
7. to confirm that a decision or conclusion is right
8. impels a person to action.

As we read through the revelations to each of the above named people, I tried to match up the purposes of each revelation according to Elder Oaks revelations reasons. Also this excerpt of the Bible Dictionary definition of revelation is helpful:


BD Revelation: The English word revelation is translated from a Greek word apocalypse, meaning to make known or uncover. The principle of gaining knowledge by revelation is the principle of salvation. It is the making known of divine truth by communication with the heavens.


The thing that made the most impact on me though, was the time period that we do not know much about: Jesus' childhood.  Here's what intrigued me.  At the end of Luke 2, Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem to teach at the temple (at the age of twelve when, in Jewish custom, you are now considered a man, but not old enough to begin a trade - which happens to be 30 years old - when Jesus begins his ministry).  Mary and Joseph lost him and went back to Jerusalem, and when they found him asked why he worried his father so, and Jesus responded that he was about his Father's business (Heavenly Father).  But then he left with Mary and Joseph:

51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was^asubject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her^bheart.

 52And Jesus ^aincreased in ^bwisdom and stature, and in ^cfavourwith God and man.

He was subject to them.  Meaning, he still had some growing to do.  He knew full well his purpose, but still needed to be subject to his earthly parents for proper human growth and perhaps more self-mastery.  In fact in the JST Matt 3:24-26, it says that he "waxed strong and waited upon the Lord for the time of his ministry to come."  Within that time the Doctrine and Covenants says:

READ D&C 93:12-14  “And I, John, saw that he received not of the fullness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he received not of the fullness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fullness;  And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fullness at the first.”

Again some definitions from the Bible Dictionary and a quote about grace:

BD Revelation: Divine revelation is one of the grandest concepts and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for without it, man could not know of the things of God and could not be saved with any degree of salvation in the eternities.

BD Grace: The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.

Bruce R. McConkie: “Grace is an attribute of perfection possessed by Deity and Christ himself “received grace for grace: until finally he gained the fullness of the Father.”

I have learned that the grace offered to us through Jesus comes because he grew from grace to grace.  He understands what grace (or experience or doctrine) we need next because he experienced that grace himself.  Grace isn't just mercy, it's an attribute of perfection that has came through the same process that Christ went through.  Although his process what a lot more speedy that mine.  He probably knew what I know at human age 1.  What a comfort it is to know that he exhibited self-mastery to be subject to his earthly parents and to his Heavenly Father, so that he could experience what we need to know.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is great!