Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

A New Life

04 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by in Heritage

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Note: In the years I have spent studying the profound words of Isaiah, two people have been instrumental in my research: W. Cleon Skousen and Avraham Gileadi. The events that brought Gileadi from New Zealand to Israel to Utah are more than coincidences and that is why I would like to share his experience in this entry. Avraham Gileadi is a Hebrew scholar and literary analyst specializing in the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. 

A New Life

by Avraham Gileadi, 1973. Reblogged from here.

In 1968 I left my New Zealand home to settle in Israel. I just came, without great means and not knowing what conditions to expect in this land. The Spirit of God pressed upon me to come here, and being unmarried, I undertook the journey alone.

But before coming to Israel I searched a map of this land for a place where I might go to stay, for I had no relatives here to welcome me. The only map of Israel in my possession was an old biblical map, and on it I found a place by the name of Zerin.

After arriving in Israel I discovered that a kibbutz was built next to the ruins of Zerin and that this was the ancient town of Jezreel, which name the kibbutz had adopted anew. Upon joining this kibbutz I was questioned as to why I chose that place rather than another, but at that time I was at a loss for an adequate reply.

For a few years I worked on the kibbutz, or farming commune, milking cows and helping to build up the land. I began to observe the laws of Moses, and I studied the Bible a great deal, although until I came to Israel I had no background in Judaism.

One day, while I was looking for a book to read in the kibbutz library, the librarian, who was nonreligious, handed me the Book of Mormon and said that I should read it. It had once been left in the library by a young Mormon volunteer worker who had spent a few months on the kibbutz. I was not interested in the Book of Mormon, but this lady, knowing I was spiritually inclined, was insistent that I read it, and so out of curiosity I took it with me.

When I began to read it, I greatly wondered at its contents, as I read of things that I had never supposed existed. I prayed about whether the things contained in the Book of Mormon were true, and indeed, just as promised in the admonition in the book, the Holy Spirit witnessed very strongly in me, and I began to take these writings seriously.

I read the Book of Mormon twice and then sent a letter addressed to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, asking for further information. Back came a reply from the Missionary Department, with tracts and a letter of encouragement.

Through the tracts I learned of the existence of two books called the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, and I immediately sent for these also. Many things were pressing to be clarified to my mind, and I desired to have all the scriptural material that was available.

I began to accept the land of America as being a special land of inheritance for the tribe of Joseph since there is scriptural evidence for this in the Torah itself. But several other interesting things began to appear, which till now have been great stumbling blocks to Jews and sectarian Christians alike.

For instance, religious Jewry cannot accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah because he did not accomplish the specific tasks by which the Jewish Messiah may be identified. These tasks or missions are (1) the establishment of the kingdom of heaven, or the political rule of God on the earth, beginning in Israel, (2) the building of the holy temple in Jerusalem, and (3) the restoration of the lost tribes of Israel and the gathering of the covenant people of the Lord out of all the world—in that respective order.

But from the Book of Mormon I learned that the mission of Jesus Christ was to effect an atonement for sin and establish the law of mercy, thereby removing the “curse” (or the strict justice) of the law for all those who accept that atonement.

There exists a Midrash, or handed-down tradition, in Jewish literature that speaks of one man who would die for all mankind; but I ask, how could such an act be valid except by a covenant made with God on behalf of all men? And again, to be valid, witnesses were necessary who should testify concerning the event. The prophet Isaiah actually distinguishes three separate messianic personages when he writes: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” (Isa. 11:1.) Doctrine and Covenants, section 113, explains that the Stem of Jesse is Jesus Christ. [D&C 113]

From a careful identification of the subject of verse 4 (D&C 113:4), I learned that the “rod spoken of, that should come out of the Stem of Jesse,” is the Prophet Joseph Smith, and that he may fit the description of “Messiah the son of Joseph,” concerning whom there is an ancient but well-known tradition in Judaism, that he will precede “Messiah the son of David” and be slain in a war against the forces of evil.

But from various Latter-day prophets I learned of a “son of Jesse” who is still to come and who in the above scripture is identified with the “root of Jesse,”—“unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign and for the gathering of the people in the last days.” (D&C 113:6.)

Again I read that “he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne.” (Zech. 6:13.) Thus, herein lies a most significant point of reconciliation between Jews and Latter-day Saints and one deserving of primary clarification in any spiritual encounter between the two peoples.

From studying these things in the light of the Mormon scriptures, I became increasingly convinced of the truth of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Within a year I earnestly sought to be baptized, but I was unable to locate any Latter-day Saints. At the government information services I was told that the Church had no presence in Israel; and when I followed up addresses of Saints forwarded to me by the Switzerland Mission, I received no answer. It was not until three years after first reading the Book of Mormon that I met any Mormons.

While studying Oral Law in a yeshiva, or Jewish Talmudic school, on Mount Zion, I came across an advertisement of Latter-day Saint services on a torn piece of newspaper. Immediately I contacted the brethren of the Jerusalem Branch, which before President Harold B. Lee’s recent visit to the Holy Land was still called the Israel Group, a non-Israeli congregation of about thirty souls, the majority being children.

For some weeks I secretly attended meetings and further studied the gospel through the favor of the presidency of this branch. Early one morning, the day I left the yeshiva, some brethren gathered at the Pool of Shiloam, and there I was baptized. The day following, at the house of the branch president, I was ordained a priest, both these ordinances having been carried out by President David B. Galbraith and his first counselor, Elder John Tvedtnes, from whom I took further instruction in the gospel.

The Laws of Moses are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In Judaism it is taught that all the law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai and that, therefore, any other law is quite unacceptable.

From the Church’s viewpoint this is correct; but even as is taught in the Kabbalah, or the handed-down, secret teachings of the Laws of Moses, there was a higher law revealed at Sinai that was rejected by the nation of Israel as a whole. It is presumed that this higher law will again be learned in a future day, in the days of Messiah.

Joseph Smith also teaches that Moses, together with Aaron and a few others, did receive the higher law of the gospel but that the rest of the people were cursed with a law or carnal ordinances. Interestingly, it is generally accepted in Judaism that even when the temple will be built again there shall be no more animal sacrifices made therein, at least not as in ancient times.

But what are we to understand from Jesus’ admonition to his fellow Jews when he said: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they observe, that observe and do”? (Matt. 23:2–3.) And has this commandment any application to Jews today?

There appears to be a link between the coming of Elijah the prophet and a renewal of the teachings of the Laws of Moses. We read in the writings of the prophet Malachi: “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” (Mal. 4:4–5.)

Thus we find that in the Doctrine and Covenants all of the Ten Commandments are reiterated by the Savior, some repeatedly; and again, several statutes such as tithing and the marriage laws, are also taught therein. Moreover, we know that the prophet Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836, in direct fulfillment of Malachi’s prediction. Incidentally, that date was the feast of the Passover, on which day the Jewish people expect the coming of Elijah, even going so far as to leave a vacant seat for him at the Passover supper held in every religious Jewish home.

From the Book of Mormon we learn that the Nephites, after receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ, “did not walk any more after the performances and ordinances of the law of Moses; but they did walk after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God. …” (4 Ne. 1:12.) Here then we see the setting aside of the carnal rites and ordinances of the law, which, in the words of Paul, served as a schoolteacher until the higher law was accepted—the conclusion being that the carnal law consisted of sacrificial ordinances and other temporal performances, which things Paul likened to “dead works” by which one cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.

On the other hand, the Ten Commandments and the statutes that were given to Moses in Horeb (or on Mount Sinai) are actually a part or the beginning of the higher law itself, for they are taught in the gospel. Malachi speaks of these statutes and judgments as given to all Israel, and it is the teaching of Judaism that all Israel were present at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, some being present in body and others in spirit. Indeed, the Ten Commandments were given to the whole nation of Israel by their Lord and their God himself in a show of power and might, whereupon the people fled, not being able to bear the presence of God for want of faith and sufficient sanctification. Instead they appointed Moses as their mediator, whereupon the Lord gave them the law of carnal performances and ordinances through him.

To an Israelite, therefore, who has not yet entered the covenant of the atonement of Jesus Christ and accepted the higher law of the gospel, these carnal laws are actually still binding, as far as he is able to perform them. Far be it from us, then, to discourage a Jew from his observance upon any other premise than his entry into the new and everlasting covenant. For to one living the law of the celestial kingdom, or the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the carnal or temporal laws become surpassed and are no longer binding, even as one may surpass and no longer be bound by the law of gravity when applying the law of space dynamics to fly to another planet.

In Christ we fly, and carnal things have an end; and inasmuch as we fulfill the celestial law, so far shall we ascend to a higher spiritual plane until we attain to the presence of God.

Great Are the Words of Isaiah

19 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in Heritage

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

It was about 2012 when I decided to make a serious study of the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament and for about two years, I focused on this book alone.

3 Nephi 23:1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.
2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.
3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.

Those are the very words out of the mouth of our Savior, Jesus Christ when He visited the people in the land Bountiful. I no longer wanted to skip over the Isaiah chapters in Second Nephi and because of my intensive studies of Isaiah’s words, I no longer wade through these Isaiah chapters with weariness, but rather, I relish reading them today.  There are four remarkable commentaries on Isaiah’s writings found in the Book of Mormon. They are given by Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when He visited the people at Bountiful.

(Background) In a nutshell

The Assyrians occupied the upper Mesopotamia. For centuries they killed and conquered nations from Egypt to Persia and built their mighty empire on their ruins. Once conquered, the enemies were brutally tortured in order to make an example of any who would rebel. Walls and stone carvings depicted images of people being skinned alive, burned to death, children being blinded before their parents and many more violent and unthinkable barbaric brutalities.

It is no wonder that Jonah fled rather than accept his divine assignment to preach repentance to them at Niniveh. But the terror of his stay inside the belly of a whale caused him to finally humble himself sufficiently to fulfill his mission. And to his amazement, they did repent. But this only lasted about forty years before they were spilling blood again.

During the height of its power, Assyria made a continuous assault on the northern kingdoms of Israel and in 721 BC, succeeded in its conquest, carrying off of to Assyria the last major segment of the Israelites. After Assyria’s fall, however, these people migrated northward and became known as the “lost tribes of Israel.”

The fall of this empire was prophecied by Isaiah, but so strong was this empire and huge and vast, was the capital of Niniveh, that people laughed and scoffed at him. Where once, Assyria was a small northern province of Babylon, it had become a super power. By the time that Lehi would have been born, Assyria would have ascended to the height of its power. But by the time Lehi had married and raising a family, the tide of history shifted. Babylon became increasingly agitated and an uprising was soon at hand.

The fact that hordes of barbarians from the north began descending to loot the mighty Assyrians enabled Egypt to break away. Then Media began to rebel. The Babylonians to the South mobilized, demanding independence. About a decade before Lehi left Jerusalem, the great battle for Ninevah was fought. All dissident factions stormed the city, breaching its might walls.

The Assyrians regrouped, setting up a temporary capital at Haran, where Abraham formerly lived and attempted to create a counter-offensive. It was at this time that Egypt’s ruler, Necho II realized that as much as he despised Assyrian rule, he hated the thought of Babylonian conquest more. He mobilized his armies up the highway along the Mediterranean coast of Palestine and found a surprise at the narrow pass near Megiddo. They found Josiah, king of Judah, commanding an army and blocking the way. Obviously the mountain kingdom of Judah did not want the Egyptians to succeed.

Necho had nothing against them because they were among Egypt’s best customers. But Necho was not about to let them stop him. He sent ambassadors to Josiah, saying, “What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make hast: forebear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.”–2 Chronicles 35:21

To make the long story short (trying to, anyway), Josiah refused and was killed in battle. This was about 609 BC and when Lehi was well on his way to achieving status as a prosperous citizen at Jerusalem. The fact that he lived down from the city in the land of his inheritance might have contributed to his safety while it is conceivable that Laban, with his “ten thousand” fought in the battle with Josiah.

The next few years war raged between Babylon and Assyria, supported by Egypt. Babylon had gained major traction when it’s king died and Nebuchadnezzar was crowned in his father’s place. In the process of mopping up and sweeping toward Egypt, Babylon swallowed up the tiny kingdom of Judah like a tiny crumb. He ordered his ministers to take some of the promising young Jews to be trained in the language, culture and governmental procedures of Babylon. One of the young men was Daniel and three other young Jewish men accompanied him. Eventually, through miraculous events, they proved themselves to be outstanding. Daniel ended up being the king’s top adviser and the others, administrators of Babylon.

What the Jews at Jerusalem did not know was that the Lord was setting up a series of circumstances, which would be most favorable to them. But the apostate king, Jehoiakim, despised the prophets. During the siege, he had to stop paying tribute to Egypt and begin paying Babylon, which he despised. Soon, though, he stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar. Before long, he was under attack and died. Nebuchadnezzar raided and looted the temple, then rounded up and carried away captive ten thousand people, including craftsmen and smiths. (See map below).

assyrianempire

With this historical background aside, here are some verses to ponder:

Isaiah 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward…
10 ¶ Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats…
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

The ox and the ass are arguably the least intelligent of domesticated animals and yet they are both described as knowing their owner or master. Isaiah is speaking to a nation of idolaters. These are His children, His “covenant people.” Yet they do not know Him. The ox is a clean/kosher animal, which could be likened to the Israelites. The ass is an unclean animal and could be likened to all the gentiles (not of the ethnic lineage of Abraham). Both dumb animals know their owners and masters. Yet the Lord’s covenant people do not know Jehovah. The Master’s own covenant people are considered with a covenant curse. To “know” the Lord is a covenant relationship, but to NOT know Him is a covenant curse. In this passage, the Lord is exasperated by the vain temple ceremonies, which were supposed to teach His people how to come to know Him. The ancient temple ceremonies were supposed to keep the people of Israel in remembrance of the Savior’s coming sacrifice. Both ancient and latter-day rituals are symbolic of something else, but as such, they become stumbling blocks to those who are asleep.

As a side note, there is no graven image that is not a product of one’s hands. Idolatry results from consumer demand. The Hebrew word Abad means both to work  and worship. People worship the work of their hands. In this world, there is no economy without an exchange of products resulting from consumer demand. You can buy anything in this world with money. Mammon is the driving force behind the world’s economy. Babylon is the archetype of this system in the book of Isaiah. On the other hand, Zion does not require money. In Zion, all things are given and received freely. The Lord gave to us this earth and all things therein to be used freely and not by extortion or excess. Extortion and excess is exactly how the world operates. They take ownership of the things God has ordained for their use freely and charge a price for them. Excess is the result of one exalting oneself above another or others, thereby creating inequality in a society driven by an economy where money is the medium of exchange. In Zion, there are no rich because there are no poor because there is no money, there being no need for money. In Babylon, however, such behavior is the iniquity of a people. Idols, idolatry and commerce (economy) are all tools of Mammon.

Jehovah compares the ruling priests to Sodom and the laymen to Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah set the precedent for a condemned people and so Isaiah uses it as an archetype to compare His covenant people to. They were abusers and ripe for destruction. And yet the Lord saved Lot and his family. Whenever the Lord is about to destroy a people, He tends to “gather” those few who have not forsaken Him, even by angels. Angels came to take Lot and his family out, even prodding him to leave before they destroyed the city. Likewise did the Lord bring out Lehi from Jerusalem and his family. Lot’s wife probably could not believe that her beautiful city could be destroyed. She was not attuned to the Spirit and couldn’t feel the warning to flee. Her heart was set upon the world in which she lived. So she turned around and was turned into a pillar of salt, good for nothing but to be trodden underfoot. Laman and Lemuel were the same as Lot’s wife. And so will all be whose hearts are set upon their riches–their idols.

And this is only the first half of chapter one. Chapter one is quite an indictment of the filthiness of Israel. She is a harlot whoring after her lusts, forsaking her bridegroom, who is quick to forgive and mighty to save. And though, as we read later in the chapter, though her sins be red like crimson, they shall become white as snow.

If we as disciples of Jesus Christ spend time in reflection and introspection, how do we compare to these ancient people of the Lord? We might be surprised to discover that we are just like they were.

Diagram of the Doctrine of Christ

26 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by in Heritage

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

This drawing is a very basic illustration of the doctrine of Christ or as prophets who wrote their records as found in the Book of Mormon referred to as the plan of salvation and also the plan of happiness. Although it is unlike the traditional illustrations familiar to most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is consistent with the teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ to the people at Bountiful and also with Nephi, Jarom, Alma, and other prophets of the Book of Mormon. I have been wanting to draw this for about a year now after many of the scriptures I cited kept floating around in my head. Lehi’s dream of the straight and narrow path that leads to the tree of life set the stage and provided the foundation upon which prophets consistently built until the last prophet, Moroni was taken and the Nephites had been swept off the face of the land, having dwindled in unbelief. I hope my writing is legible to the reader. It is also my hope that the humble seeker of Jesus Christ takes the time to prayerfully look up the supporting scriptures I included in the diagram. There are many more scriptures in the Bible and the standard canon of the church that support this, but I did not want to clutter up the drawing. What I have included more than suffices. Incidentally, the term “strait gate” is deliberate and was used by authors such as Matthew and Nephi to indicate the strait and also the straight and narrowness of the way to eternal life, which is not to be confused with the broad gate, which leads to destruction.

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

2 Nephi 9:41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

Plan Of Salvation

The Economics of Gifting

29 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by in Heritage

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

As one who speaks three languages, I find it interesting that the word gift is almost never used as a verb, though gift giving isn’t uncommon among friends. It is less common among acquaintances and even less so with strangers. I have heard it more commonly used in Spanish (regalar) and also in German (schenken) in daily use. But gift giving is detrimental to economics. How can you get people to pay you for what others give away for free? This also applies to religion and it’s why the Pharisees hated Jesus; He was bad for their business. Why pay ministers when the Son of God offers salvation for free? He gave the earth to Adam and Eve to cultivate freely without price.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

But fallen man exacts a price and he over exacts much. Modern economics deals with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth, or in other words, money. You can buy anything in this world with money. But you must first get gain. This cannot happen except by extortion. Man robs God, takes ownership of the earth, then with his ill gotten gain, he does not transfer it unless he profits thereby. God has forbidden this or as we read in Matthew 6:24, you cannot serve God and Mammon (Hebrew Mamonut=finance, Mamonai=financier, Mamoni=monetary, etc.). This is the way of the world, or in other words, Babylon. It is the continual exchange of substance. But God has something else in mind:

D&C 59:18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;
19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.
20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

It is by such extortion that  makes thieves of beggars like Jean Valjean and harlots like Fantine who after selling her hair and her two front teeth in order to provide for her child, resorts in desperation to surrender her virtue by prostituting herself so that she might survive.

A young man who wanted to follow Jesus, having kept all the statutes from his youth up lacked just one thing to become the Lord’s disciple. He needed only sell all his possessions in order to give of all his worldly wealth thereof to the poor. But the young man coveted his own substance and abandoned the Lord because his heart was set upon his worldly treasures. Such can never hope to become pure in heart for it is the pure in heart that constitute Zion. The pure in heart are pure, that is, unmixed, unadulterated, unalloyed by any other substance or material.

D&C 101:18 They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion.

And who are the pure in heart that constitute Zion?

Moses 7:18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

“There was no poor among them.”

Isaiah 14:32 What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

And why does nobody suffer poverty in Zion? Because they are one. One heart and one mind. They are righteous, or in other words just. There is no injustice and there is no injustice because there is no excess and no extortion. Like the saints in the first  few chapters of Acts, they have all things “common” among them. All of it is God’s who multiplies and gives freely.

Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common…

Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

They embodied the two great commandments for they loved God and also one another as themselves. The same discipleship was found in the Book of Mormon after Jesus Christ’s visitation:

4 Nephi 1:3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.

Gift giving is kind. It is brotherly and selfless. It is faithful. Gift giving is Godly. Of such is the true disciple of Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

Good Friday, Good Father.

18 Thursday Apr 2019

Posted by in Heritage

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I’ve spent the last year rehabilitating my Father-in-law’s garden, pulling up a jungle of weeds, tilling the soil, making countless trips to collect truck loads of shredded wood chips offered freely in my community, mixing the chips with many bags full of lawnmower clippings, and creating compost over the summer and winter. And now that it has finally quit snowing (crosses fingers) and after many rainstorms, the sun has begun to finally shine for a while. I turned over one of the piles of compost that had been decomposing over the winter and with all the recent rainstorms, percolating all that natural goodness to the bottom, I discovered earthworms as fat as my thumb and at least twice as long doing their thing, making rich brown gold to spread all over the garden. I am eager to see how big our vegetables get this year! As I mowed the lawn today, to begin making new batches of compost, I thought about all those earthworms and how beneficial they are to soil. It’s an odd thing to think about how much life is created from death with last years lawn clippings, dead leaves, and dead tree trimmings that have been processed, etc. When you mix it all in just the right proportions, you get worms, flowering plants, bees, butterflies, vegetables, and so on.

And now Good Friday is upon us. This Friday, those who believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him, commemorate the day that His death brought about life. His death makes all things new (Revelation 21:4-5). The process of destroying and breaking down trees, grass, leaves, and other living things to create an environment where life can begin anew and thrive, although violent, is a beautiful thing to consider when you think about the new birds singing, bees buzzing, pollinating new vegetable plants, and flowers blooming. Jesus Christ suffered violently as He was broken down by Roman soldiers and unjustly condemned to die brutally on the cross. He did not deserve to die, yet He, an innocent man, paid a price that was not His to pay. Since the sixteenth century, Lady Justice has been depicted wearing a blindfold suggesting that justice should be applied regardless of one’s wealth, status, or power. This image suggests impartiality. But this only works properly in a moral society. In the case of our sinless Lord, justice had been robbed. Jesus Christ came into the world knowing it would be so.

Alma 34:9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.
10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.
11 Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another. Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay.
12 But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.
13 Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) but because Jesus was sinless, and being God, having eternal life, what was unjustly taken from Him was His life, which is eternal and infinite, having no end. And while God’s own justice must reject evil, which has no place in His kingdom, His own sacrifice makes possible His right of mercy. Lady Justice can demand of us death, and rightly so, for the wages of sin is death. But Jesus Christ who is our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) and our intercessor (Hebrews  7:25) with the Father can, in effect, hold back the blindfolded Lady Justice and say to her, “you took from me my life, which is endless and infinite. Therefore, in restoring to myself what is infinite, I can claim ALL life.” Justice is necessarily satisfied. And because He suffered all things in the flesh, including temptations, and all manner of afflictions (Hebrews 2:18, Alma 7:11-12), He is able to succor His people according to their infirmities.

This is how Jesus Christ has created the environment where life can begin anew and thrive just like the bees and butterflies and flowers in our gardens. Our lives begin anew as His children, for He is the Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6).

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name…

Those who believe in Jesus and believe Jesus will keep His sayings and do His will (John 7:17). This is how we come to know Him–by doing His will. Those who do His will are those who love Him. Personally speaking, I love Him because He first loved me.

Ether 3:14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.

Mosiah 15:1 And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.
2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—
3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—
4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.
5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

It was necessary for Him to take upon Himself flesh, a son of man (Mark 10:45) with the capacity to die. And it was necessary for Him to die unjustly so that He could reclaim His life and all who believe in Him, repenting continually, drawing near to Him, becoming His children through His grace and mercy. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain! Worthy is the King who conquered the grave! He is worthy of our love! He is worthy of our discipleship! For while we were yet sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8). This is amazing grace!

Lamb