NEW TESTAMENT 2023 - WEEK 09 [MATTHEW 8; MARK 2–4; LUKE 7] - Creative Come Follow Me with Maria Eckersley
2023 WEEK 9 [MATTHEW 8; MARK 2–4; LUKE 7]
“Thy Faith Hath Saved Thee”
February 27 – March 5
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Transcript
CCFM NT WEEK 09
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Welcome back you guys. This is week nine of Creative. Come follow me for the New Testament and this week we are back in the synoptic gospels. We have got two lovely weeks in the Sermon on the Mount, and now we have to kind of pick up the pace a little bit. So we're gonna bounce around the, today we're gonna be in Matthew and Mark and Luke, and we're gonna study a whole smattering of good stuff.
It's, it seems a bit disjointed, especially in parts of Mark where it goes so fast. But one of the lovely things about this week is I really think there. Common threads between them. For me, the biggest common thread between all of these chapters, you're gonna be in Matthew eight, mark two through four, and then also Luke seven.
s that you watched the first [:So for me, instead of worrying about finding a perfect harmony of the gospels, I just delight each time I come upon them. I look for new things and I'll try to point them out to you as we go. The common thread that jumped to the surface for me this week was all about stealing. So in addition to the big epic stealing of the storm that we'll study in two different places this week, you'll also see storms of the heart.
You'll see, you'll see the savior still storms for gentiles, lepers, sinners, even scribes and Pharisees. You'll see him teach and still storms outside and inside anyone who comes to him. And I just think his methods and. Compassion for all of those people, no matter what walk of life they come from, the very fact that they are coming to him gives him a chance to bring peace and to still those storms.
[:He's able to teach with physical objects around them as they walk around the dusty roads and Palestine. And as he performs miracles, he teaches in every situation he's trying to teach. He's trying to help people. Elevate, just like we saw with the Sermon on the Mount. Now, as he's down on the ground helping people in these everyday moments, he is continually inviting them to elevate and you're just gonna love it.
So grab your scriptures, grab your notes. Let's get started.
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hat I'm gonna have to breeze [:But let me show you a few highlights at Matthew eight that you just don't wanna miss. First off, we start with distilling of the storm of the leper. So remember how I told you that when you approach the gospels, you can't get too tied up? chronology, like all of them arrange things differently. In Matthew, we have, this is where you see the story of the leper who comes to the savior and is touched and then immediately healed.
And then there's this interesting part, I don't know if I didn't see it there last time, we studied it just a few weeks ago, but this time I saw it. I, at least I read it. Differently. So it talks about when the savior gives him direction after he's healed, he says, tell no man. This is in verse four, but go that way and show thyself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.
rough the same right so that [:And maybe that's true, but in this case, I started to think about the savior's compassion for this man. The same way he touched him and gave him dignity, like we talked about in the last one. I feel like in this choice, Asking him to tell no man. He gives him a different kind of dignity because what would inevitably happen to him socially?
I think if he went back to the priest at the synagogue and asked to be made clean, is this, the priest is gonna ask him, how did this happen? How did you become clean all of a sudden? And by following the directive from the savior to tell no man. He doesn't have to tell him because honestly, if he had told the priest at the synagogue who healed him, especially knowing how much hatred was building for Jesus, it may have made him a whole different kind of social outcast.
ke this is kind of a lovely, [:Flow right back in to where he's been hoping to be. Uh, it just sounds like the savior to me. After you read about the lepar, you're gonna see about the centurion. So this is the next part of chapter eight. What's interesting about the centurion is that's a Roman soldier, so he's a Gentile, he's not a Jew, and he seeks healing for his servant from the savior.
So if you go in the verses you see in five, this is someone who would be over, well, Centurion means you're over a hundred soldiers, but lots of people estimated somewhere between 50 and maybe even 150 soldiers. He's, he's an important guy and he is seeking help for a servant of his that is sick with palsy.
does he, how does he turn to [:But I kind of see this moment where he chooses to turn to the savior instead of whatever Roman healing is available as the same sort of moment we see with Peter on the water. One of the things I love about the story of Peter when he is trying to walk on the water is that in that moment when he starts to sink, he doesn't swim back to the boat.
You know, I mean, if I've been a fisherman my entire life and I'm so comfortable in the water and I start to sink, my gut reaction would say, swim to the boat. . You know, he knows boats. He's always known boats, but because Peter at this point knows the savior and knows his capabilities, he reaches to the savior for safety, I feel like that's kinda what's happening with this century and whatever has happened in his life or in the recent history where he's come to know the savior.
what is familiar and what is [:It's really interesting to see how it plays out. So if you go on eight, the Centurion basically asks for Jesus to come heal his servant and then tells him, please don't worry about coming into my house. And then uses He. The example he gives is that he is a soldier, and I think it, it might have something to do with authority and rank that he knows that someone who is in, in a position of authority over him, he doesn't have the right to demand that they come to him.
that the nobleman was from. [:So I, I wonder if that story has spread or if this century and has heard it, and he believes, he believes this servant can be healed from a distance. So he sends that message to the savior. It's almost the exact opposite of what we see in the Old Testament. Remember when we were studying Naman together and Elisha is in the house and he sends out a servant to Naman?
Naiman comes, he's another Gentile in a position of power in the military. And he comes to the prophet hoping for healing of his leprosy. And the answer he gets is from a servant of the prophet who tells him to go wash in the river. And Neiman's response is like, you know, Shocked that that's how this was gonna play out.
He's not even gonna come out and talk to me. The centurion is almost the opposite of that. He feels so unworthy to even ask Jesus to come in, that he basically says, you don't even have to come close. You just say the word and I know my servant will be healed. And because of that faith, he doesn't need to wash himself seven times.
You know, I, he doesn't, [:It, it almost reminds me of the brother of Jared. You know how he, when you hear about the Lord and the, the exchange with the brother of Jared where he sees his finger, it's almost like the Lord is surprised. . I'm sure he isn't, but you know what I mean? Like he's almost like, I'm so glad you're here. You, there's just this almost surprise in it.
And I feel like that's, that's what you're seeing with the Centurion as well. He is delighted at this Gentiles faith, and so he, he teaches him, he adds light and knowledge to his story and I just love it. And so then in 13 go thy way and as thou has believed, so it be done unto the, that's the promise.
the Savior is capable of, he [:Another verse, you don't wanna miss the combination of 16 and 17. I really loved. So at the end of 16, he talks about how he healed all the sick that came to him, and then 17. You see why, and I've never caught this before. So it says then it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiahs or Isaiah, the prophet saying himself took our infirmities and bear our sicknesses.
I'd always read those words as applying to the atonement of Jesus Christ. You know what happens in Yosemite and Calvary in the resurrection, that that's when he takes upon us his infirmities. And I loved that. Taking healing Miracles is almost like a type and a shadow of what will come. The reason this connected for me is I was thinking about the woman with the issue of blood.
f his garment and he kind of [:And I just love that piece. Do you remember at the very beginning of the year when we started talking about the Discipleship Dojo and this idea of when, when people see the savior do these great miracles, they want to follow, you know, the same way in a martial arts movie, when they see the master do some amazing thing in the streets, they all of a sudden want to be his students.
him warning them about those [:So in 19 it says, master, I will follow the wither. So that go, and his response is about how are you sure? You know? He, he, he talks about how he doesn't have a home. He says, foxes have holes and birds in the air have nest, but the son of men have not wear to lay his head. I think he's, he's trying to be really upfront like, you are welcome and you will find joy here and there will be goodness, but you need to understand what you have to give up in order to come.
It's the same thing that Peter had to do to set down his nets and all those other fishermen, apostles, that they had to set something down in order to come. So it seems as with this particular disciple who wants to follow, he's warning, you're gonna need to set something down, and it will be that you won't have a home to go back to.
hat's the savior's response. [:And so he says to him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him in 22, follow me and then let the dead bury their dead. , this seems like a really, really kind of harsh response, especially for the savior who is pro-family in every way and, you know, honors Jewish traditions and certainly would never try to hurt all those things.
I, I just think he's trying to make it really clear. You have to give place like there, it's like we talked about with Elma 32, that idea of if you're gonna plant this seed, there has to be space for it. And so he's trying to warn like, I, you have to put God first. If you can put God first, then other things will fall into place.
er mission in, I think it was:Or what and part of me was like, you know, it's not mandatory for you. Are you sure? ? But she was resolute and she knew it was right for her. And so we prayed about it and we chose to, you know, support her. And of course you are right, but there was a, a legitimate fear. And I think what gave me comfort in that is I knew Jason wouldn't want her to be anywhere else no matter what happened.
Like there wouldn't be a better environment for her to be in than deep into the gospel of Jesus Christ, that that would center her if things didn't go well. And that gave me peace. And sometimes I wonder if maybe that's what this verse is about, that it's not so much that he's saying, you know, step aside from all family responsibilities and come follow me.
I think what he's saying [:And I think that's what the Savior's trying to offer him a little bit further. You see how discipleship goes for those who stay, you know, I don't know if these two stay, but those who stay, those apostles have an interesting encounter on the water. So they're on the Sea of Galilee and this is the stealing of the storm.
So they, there's a ship, they're on the ship and it is covered with ways. We're gonna read this in two different places. So you're gonna see a few different versions of this, and I'll just point out a few different things in each one, but I do. what you know about him? That he is asleep. So you know that the savior is so tired.
ct, I read a book from Elder [:And I found myself thinking, I wonder how often I do this. You know, how often I like row for hours with my measly mortal oars when I have God in the boat, , you know, I just, why didn't they wake you up sooner? Or why didn't they, you know, they've seen. , they know his track record. They know what he can do. And so of course he's not gonna perish in the water, but they row and beat against these waves with their mortal means for a a season.
, but in this one it says in [:What I love about this is this is very different than what we saw with the centurion, right? These are apostles who know the savior. They know him intimately and it is hard . They, it is hard even as an apostle to hold, perfectly steady faith. And they're shaking in this moment. They're struggling. And I think his phrasing of Oh ye of little faith is actually really kind because from what we learned in the Sermon on the Mount, this idea of.
They're trying to become perfect and he knows that they are the acorn version of themselves and they're gonna get to the oak tree version over a long span of time. So when I hear that phrase, little faith, I don't think of it as like him putting them down. He, I think he almost sees them like an acorn.
d to grow. I think there is, [:He was talking about his body. I wonder sometimes if these verses are so that the apostles can look back, because down the road when the savior isn't with them, they're gonna have really rough waters and they're gonna wonder why is God asleep? , they're gonna wonder why they can't. feel him or hear from him in certain moments, and they're gonna struggle against the storm.
e, is God asleep? What, why? [:And I think he needs, I think he needs us to develop spiritual stamina like we've talked about in the past. I think there is this, there are times when he will pull back so that we can step forward so that we can seek after him and find him. And I wonder if, if this very memorable moment on the water is so they can look back on it in the future and say, I know it seems like he's not here, but he's right in the boat.
He's right here with me. There's a great talk from Sister Hartness that's all about this. In fact, it's linked in the Almi manual. You should go read it, but there's a bunch of quotes in the notes as well. But I love his promise. He, he basically reassures them. He calms the sea and there is peace.
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s is four friends, so one on [:And I'm, we're gonna talk about this in the object lessons because I really think there is value. In understanding how hard this would've been and because it's so hard, I think it teaches us something about their love for their friend. And like I mentioned before, I just think this is an incredible story about bringing people we love to Christ, both spiritually and physically.
I just think there's something about this, like, I'm gonna put my arm around you and even if you don't feel worthy or welcome, I am bringing you there. You know, like he almost doesn't have a choice. And what I love about that is what happens in the middle. So the, the Savior's first reaction to this, the man with palsy is to heal him of his sins, to forgive him of his sins.
his weakness, they're like, [:And I, I wonder, there was a great conference doc, I, it's in the notes, but he talked about like when the savior says thons are forgiven, he wondered if the people who had let down the bed are like, wait, what? ? You're like, that's not how we brought him here. But it's the savior knows what your friends need.
What I love about this is I think he understands our intention. I think Elder McConkey said this in conference as well, but he, the, the friends might not have known the bandwidth palsy story or what he really needed, but the savior did, and what I love about that, . It's just an invitation to me to not worry about trying to fix all my friends and my family.
t you don't know about. So I [:Just get people to Christ and he'll take care of all the small things. Another thing that's in the Mark account that I didn't notice before is I really love what he says to the scribes and Pharisees, those onlookers who are saying like, do you have, like, do you have the authority to grant forgiveness of sins?
What's interesting to me is he says, why reason you these things in your heart? This is in verse eight. The reason that's jumped out at me this time is I wonder sometimes if what he's asking here is not so much like, why are you being a hypocrite? Why are you thinking these things? I wonder if he's saying to them, why is it stuck in your heart?
If you have questions for me, ask them out loud. I, I listened to Elder Bradner give, um, Instagram Live this week, and he was talking about Jacob a three and he talked about how the Holy Ghost prompts us with questions, not just answers. And I wonder if that's what the savior is referencing here, that he's saying to them like, you have questions ask.
about asking and seeking, in [:But I love his message of. . It's supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be taxing spiritually. And you're like, you're supposed to use your brain and your spirit together. And I wonder if that's what this verse is referencing. Like why are you holding all this in your heart? If you have questions, ask, dig, seek.
And there are answers to be found. It was just instructive to me cuz there are some things that I just kind of wrestle with internally and I'm like, maybe I just need to be more open about that and ask and seek and knock from lots of good sources. So I love that reminder. And then he talks about the fruits.
e the fact that this man can [:And this is like we talked about last time, this is the invitation for this man to his friends have taken them, taken him as far as they can without his being able. This part where he has to choose to have faith in the savior and stand on his palsy legs is, is his moment of faith. And when he can stand, it is evidence to him that all those other promises are true, that his sins really are forgiven and he is clean before God.
I just love that piece of it. I think there's power in, I think God wants to give us evidence of his reality, and I think he finds ways that are catered to us to do just that. And you see that with the man with pals. When you go a little bit further, you're gonna see a Matthew being called and this opening of the floodgates, right?
gonna see Levi or Matthew be [:It says, nothing is so much calculated to lead people, to forsake sin as to take them by the hand and watch over them with tenderness. And that's what I see when I see how the Savior treats those who are at this table. So Matthew, this newly called apostle hosts a dinner, Republicans and sinners to come and dine with Jesus like we've studied in the past.
And then there's these lurking scribes and Pharisees who question whether Jesus even understands who he's eating with. And I just think his tenderness towards them. is just powerful to study. He, he teaches them how he sees them. So in 17 he says, when Jesus heard it, he say a thing to them. They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick.
he scribes and the Pharisees [:In the earlier part of that quote from Joseph Smith, he talked about how these aren't sinners anymore. They're people who are coming to Christ. They are reconciling and so he sees them with fresh eyes. The thing that the spirit brought back to my memory this week was, this was years ago when we were living in the Midwest.
We moved to a new ward and it was fast in testimony meeting on that first or second Sunday, and I heard a man stand up and bear a testimony that was so. I can still remember, it's probably been 15 years. And I, it was so pure and so humble and it was repentant. He didn't talk about any of his, what his sins were or the past he'd had.
. And then I went to release [:And apparently there was some, he had some connection to somebody in the ward and there were people who were talking about how dare he, like, how dare he talk about his repentance. Like, I, I don't even remember. And it doesn't matter. Like I don't, I'm not trying to judge either party here, but I remember thinking,
Oh, it's so nice to have fresh eyes. Like, I don't know any of his history. I don't know any of his mistakes. I can just hear that testimony and appreciate who he is today. I don't have any of the backstory, and I think that's how the Savior sees us every time. As soon as we sit at this table, whether we were Republican or a sinner or whatever it was, when we come to the table and we seek after him, we have a fresh eye.
he scribes in the Pharisees. [:And the reason they don't fast is because the savior is there, but there will be a time when he won't be there. So you're gonna see some of those verses. I'm not gonna go into them here simply because I wanna make time for some new things that are coming that we haven't studied before, but you're gonna see old wine in new bottles and also guidance about the Sabo mate at the very end of Mark too.
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There are definitely more moats and beams lessons to be learned. In Mark chapter three, this is when you're gonna see the story of the man with the withered hand that we studied before, that he's in a synagogue. He has a withered right hand, and it is healed by the Savior on the Sabbath. And of course that sets all the scribes and Pharisees of flame.
lked about this a little bit [:It's why when you look at the strength of the youth manual, the newer edition, that it invites you to turn to God and to pray and ask for what your discipleship is supposed to look like. Not that our discipleships are gonna be wildly different, but the visual that really helps me. I talked about this in the live a few weeks ago, but I always pictured those eye exams.
You know when you go to an eye doctor and they, they're trying to figure out your prescription, so there's letters over there on the wall and they put this great big thing in front of these and they ask you if you can see well, and then they have these little dials where they are like, do you like A better or B better?
And they're flipping between these lenses and you, as you answer those questions, they can narrow it down to your exact prescription. What I find really helpful about that analogy is that's kinda how I see discipleship. Like I think there are certain things that absolutely, for all people, will help you come closer to Christ.
rayers. Those are like those [:You know, if I, if I want to go to the temple more often, how do I know if going more often is going once a week for me, or if it's once a month for me? Or how do I know if I wanna increase my scripture study? Does that mean I've got six kids under four? So that means I can only read a verse a day? Or is it, am I in a position where I can read three hours a day?
Like how do I know? And I really feel like that's what the Holy Ghost is. He's saying, don't stress about balancing the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. Turn to me and seek guidance and I will help you. And for me, that's literally what it is. Like sometimes I have to try out both options the same way.
I have to look through both lenses and say, I think I like a better that that's what happens. So if I feel like I need to get to the temple more often, I'll try a few different patterns. I might try once a week for a month, and then I might try every other week and I'll see did A feel better or did B feel better?
And that's how [:So I have to go back and recheck and have the humility to say, okay, heaven, father, where do you need me? Now is A better or is B better? And I have to be willing to kind of go through that process. And I feel like that's what the Pharisees have missed. They're just assuming that all people should have the exact same prescription.
And what the savior is saying is it doesn't work like that. There has to be. , that's why we have to have a relationship. And so he's inviting them to dig a little bit deeper and they just miss it. But he invites it over and over again. When you go a little bit further, you're gonna see that crowds are starting to follow him.
's teaching that in order to [:So if he's he intent, it says they pressed upon him for to touch him as many as had plagues. I don't think this is, you know, the man at the beginning who, the leper, who hopes and prays that the god's will will be done. These are people who are simply just trying to touch. It's almost like paparazzi. When I picture paparazzi on a celebrity and they're.
They just want a peace that's, that's how I picture this phrase. So he needs to be apart and he goes up the mountain and then what happens is his apostles are called, so just like we studied in the last couple weeks as he prays all night, then he calls his apostles and you see them listed out here. The thing I loved this time that I didn't catch last time, this is just my theory.
s how do I, how do I lift? , [:He just can't simply be in all those places. And I wonder sometimes if that's the prayer, if that's the prayer on the mountain, and then God the father says, now is the time. Because what he offers these apostles is the gifts to do the things he's been doing. He says to them in 14, he's gonna send them forth to preach.
So to teach the word that he can't get out to every single place. And then to have power to heal sickness and cast out devils, isn't I? I just love that. I don't know if that's accurate, but I think. Of course there's gonna be times when he's gonna seek help from his heavenly Father saying, the burden is too heavy.
s case, the chariots are the [:So he gets an opportunity to call them and those burdens start to get lighter. Least I hope they do. Do you remember a few weeks ago when we made that samurai sword of and talked about fruit ninja where he can slice through the temptations of the adversary? I feel like you get a taste of that and Mark three, because these scribes are coming, they've come all the way from Jerusalem.
So they've made a journey to come and see Jesus and they are accusing him. Fueling his miracles with the power of the devil. And he slices through it like in this sharp quick motion. He's like, that doesn't make any sense. And his response is beautiful. It's in 23, and he called them Unam. So he, he invites the scribes to come close and like tries to help them understand it with this quick slice.
ld Satan do that to himself? [:He also talks about the Holy Ghost and sitting against the Holy Ghost. You go in the notes and learn a lot more about this, but this, this unpardonable sin of having the brightness of truth in its surety and turning against it, but that all other things will be forgiven. And so he gives you some more guidance on that.
But my favorite part of this chapter, you guys, is at the very end. . Here's what's interesting to me. So basically what happens is his mother and his brothers are nearby and people see that they're nearby and they tell Jesus like Your mother and brother wanna see you, and he has this really interesting response.
So he says in 33, and he answered them saying, who is my mother or my brother in? And he looked roundabout on them, which sad about him and said, behold my mother and my brothern. And then in 35 for whosoever shall do the will of God, the same as my brother and my sister and my mother. at first glance. In fact, the first time I read this I was like, what
He loves [:I love how the spirit can bring things back to our remembrance. Cuz this was years ago, you guys, like right after I had Violet and I was at the park in Suncrest and I, there was a lady who was there, she had one kid playing at the playground and I had Violet there and she was asking me about, you know, parenting advice.
She found out that I had six kids and she was like, okay, tell me about it. And we had this interesting chat. She. I don't think I could ever be you. And I was like, oh, okay, , I dunno how to take that. And she said, I think it's great what you do. I just could never divide my love from this one child into six.
that. I was like, that's not [:It's it multiplies and it is infinite and it's all dependent on us and our heart. And every time I have a new baby and I bring a new baby into our house, my. Multiplies. It doesn't get divided. My time gets divided, my energy gets divided. Even our finances get divided, but none of those things are eternal.
What is eternal is my love for that child. It expands. So what I think is really helpful for me to understand about the hospital is when the Savior talks about us loving others, what we have to remember is that to love other people doesn't mean we love the people close to us less. It means we're loving more like God does.
llows me, anyone who gets on [:Remember, we haven't studied it yet, but. When he's talking to them. And there's some that get hired at the beginning of the day and their promise, a certain wage and some that come on the very last hour and they get the same wage and he's like, I didn't, I didn't sell you short. You got exactly what you were supposed to get and you should be content with that.
And I just think there's something powerful about that. For me, it's the same way chances are, if you get a calling in young women or my calling with the Y essays, as soon as they step in that door, my love expands. It doesn't matter who they are, how much I know about them. I feel an immediate love for them.
savior is teaching me here, [:Come to him, rises up and we become this beautiful family together. And isn't that exactly what the gospel teaches? I just love that message.
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The Savior has to teach a lot of different people at a lot of different levels, the gospel. And in order to do that, he often uses parables. What I kind of love about that is that's exactly the spot where we're, you know, whether you're teaching in a family and you have a two year old and an 18 year old, or you're teaching in a Sunday school class or a seminary class, and you've got someone whose family reads the scriptures every day of someone who doesn't even own their own scriptures.
lp people relate. You can go [:It's a way to connect hearts to, to find a thread between people and let them have an experience together and the people who have deeper testimonies can get richer experiences and the people who don't yet can begin. I think it's the same thing we see in the temple. It's, I actually wonder sometimes if parables are the savior's version of Temple Prep, where he's starting to help them understand symbols and story and the power of the narrative.
I, I dunno, I don't know, but one of my very favorite parables comes in Mark chapter. This is where you see the parable of the sower. And you can go into the notes and learn a lot more about this. But basically what you see in this is you're gonna see the savior teach the multitude. In fact, that's what it says in verse one, that he's, he's on the sea and he's teaching the whole multitude, anybody that will come.
tually has the apostles come [:So you have this really beautiful, almost like a test, and a key in Matthew four. The, the short version of the story is that there's a soer who's out planting seeds, and those seeds represent the word. In fact, you can see that in verse 14, the soer. So with the word. So the same way when you're thinking about Lehigh and his vision and the power of the word, and you're thinking about Alma and the seed in Alma 32, and that it is this word that can grow and bloom into something strong.
There's a lot of parallels. In fact, if you go in the notes, you can see parallels between these three things. But my favorite way to study the parable of the sower is to think of it from a parenting and a teaching perspective. That our job is to sow, not to aim, just to sew . So if you look in the parable, basically he talks about four different types of ground.
ure you're familiar with the [:The third type of soil is a soil that has weeds. So these thorns. You know, just like happens in my flower bath that the winds like creep in and suffocate all the plants and so the plants die, and then the fourth type of ground is the good ground, and when seeds go here, they get 30 and 60 and a hundred fold blessings.
What's great about this is I used to see this as a story that all about aim. Like I used to think that this was teaching me I should aim for good ground. And I really feel like, especially knowing that the savior is teaching this to the multitude, all these different levels of learners, he's. Just so that's how I read it.
st the good parts of ground. [:And then it will bird swoop in and take it like, I dunno how to say it. That's what happens sometimes. You're gonna plant a seed and you're gonna see your kids' testimony shoot up just a little bit and you'll be so excited cause you're like, yes, it's coming. And then the son of like some sort of adversity, like they have a friend who has left the church or something, and it will scorch that testimony and it will, and you'll just be like, wait, you just got started.
b as parent or as a teacher, [:And you don't have to worry about hoarding them. You can just so, so cast it out, cast out seeds of truth everywhere you can. My kids know this really, like I talk about scripture, a ridiculous amount in our family because this is basically what I'm doing. Like I have no idea when they're in good ground.
In fact, just this week in my book of Mormon City, I've been reading about Amon in the sense of moza out teaching the Leites. I can't think of a Stonier thornier patch of ground than the Leites . And basically what they said is like, we're just gonna go and we're gonna surf and we're gonna try and teach.
sands of people come to God. [:We need to constantly be sewing, so don't worry so much about aim and just sew. That's what I love about that parable. When you go a little bit further, you're gonna see three other parables back to back, so we'll go there next. . I feel like the next three parables are sort of designed to curtail my doubts.
So if I'm worried about sowing seeds and my ability to sow seeds, these next three parables kind of help kick some of those doubts outta my mind. The first one is doubts that I might have about whether I'm bright enough to do this, whether I'm capable enough. This is the candle under bushel that you don't put a candle under a bushel, you put it on a candlestick so everyone can see.
And it's really lovely to think about that until you feel like you are exposed and seen by everyone and then you get really nervous. So that's why I feel like you have to read those verses with the few that come after it. So he says in 23, if any man have ears to hear, let 'em hear. And then he said unto them, take heed what you hear and what measure you meet.
It shall be [:It is in that effort of discipleship that you beam brighter and the risk is if you choose not to, it dims. So he's saying, I know you're gonna do it imperfectly. I know that some of your seeds are gonna fall in the wrong places. It doesn't matter. Just begin. And if you do that, he will be the one that controls the light, cuz he is the light.
e is, he's trying to help me [:So this is a parable about someone who plants a seed and then it grows in the night and they don't understand how it grows. They just come and harvest the seeds and enjoy it. I feel like this is a really lovely parable to talk about things like the temple. There are a lot of parts of the temple I don't fully understand yet.
There are parts of the ceremony that I'm still figuring out there. There are parts of the gospel that I'm still figuring out the scriptures that I don't understand, and I feel like he's saying that's okay, . Like you don't, you can reap the blessings of goodness and the fruits that come from planting good seeds, whether you understand how it got from a seed to a fruit
Like it doesn't matter if you don't, if you can't explain all the steps in the middle, you can reap the goodness and enjoy the fruit. And I think that's a lovely promise, , because there's a lot of things that are gonna take a lot of time for me to really understand. And what he's saying is, You can come and harvest without having a full understanding.
seed will grow. And then you [:So we're gonna read this in a couple different ways in the different gospels. But in this particular case, in Mark, he's talking about the kingdom of God and that it will grow like a mustard bush. They call it a tree. But really in Israel, when you go see these, they grow wild. On the roadside, I put a video link in the notes, so you can check this out, but they're these huge bushes that are just vibrant yellow, and they have these seed pods on them, kinda like edamame, sort of skinnier than that though.
And then inside those pods, they're all the tiny little mustard seeds and it's just this promise of the kingdom of God will begin small. It will seem small, but inside it is everything it needs to be. Big. In fact, the comparison in the verses, I think it's A 32, is the bush will grow so big that birds can nest under it.
can find shade under it. And [:If I took apart a mustard seeds under a microscope, I could see that it actually has everything it needs. If it's in the right environment with the right light and the right nourishment and water, it can grow to be this mighty bush. And that's the problem about the kingdom. We're back on the sea at the end of Mark four.
This is that same story about the disciples going out on the water with the savior who is asleep in the boat. You get a few additional details and this version in Mark. First you find out that the savior wanted them to pass over, so he's the one that initiated this idea of getting in the boat. So you see that in 35.
and there arose [:Panicked. And so this is like that epic hymn line says Master Karak, that we perish. They wake him up, he's asleep on a pillow, they wake him up and they ask him this question. The question in Mark is almost more pointed. It is not so much Save us as it is, don't you care? Again, I think all of us can relate to those kind of prayers, those desperate, don't you care?
Like where are you? I think you know, when you think about Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail, it's a very similar sounding plea. Where are you in all of this? And don't you care that we perish? And then there's this interesting flip. So in Mark four, he calms things first. So he calms the wind and the seas, and then he talks to them about their faith.
have no faith? And I just. , [:He said, let us pass over onto the other side. And when the savior has a plan to pass over to the other side, it doesn't matter how full that boat gets you guys, it will cross to the other side. And I wonder if that's his concern with them is maybe it even hurts 'em a little. That they, they would doubt his care for them.
ut the promise is, It is, it [:You are safe. That is the promise you will cross. It applies at a big church level. You know, this idea of like this rough stone rolling that will come to fill the whole earth. That will happen cuz the savior said it in motion and it applies on a simple spiritual level individually for us. That promises that he's made to us about who we are and what we can become, can become.
If we choose to stay in the boat, if we choose to stay with the master, those things will come to pass. So thank goodness for Elder Holland and the way he taught me those verses.
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You can always count on Luke to give us the perspective of compassion of the savior, especially when it comes to women, and you get two of them in this chapter. So you're gonna love Luke seven. The first one is the widow of name. It. It begins with this, the story of the century and Servant. You get a little more detail there.
. So I'm gonna jump over the [: , and it's uphill you. It's a:Now, when he came nine to the gate of the city, behold there was a dead man carried out. The only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And much people of the city were with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said unto her, weep, not, it's very similar to what you're gonna see with Gyrus and his daughter this direction to weep, not because the savior.
sleepeth. I, I think, well, [: remember this story because [:At least that's what most people assume. Since we don't hear about Joseph at all. So sometimes I wonder if the reason he has so much compassion on this widow is because he sees Mary in her, you know, someone who has lost her son, someone who. Is despondent because of that loss. And I, I just wonder, I wonder if the reason the apostles get to see this miracle play out in this very public space is so that they can remind Mary later that he brings people back, that this son came back, and that her son will also come back.
That there is a promise there. And so he has this young man rise means he, in 14, he touches the buyer that stretcher that a body would be on something that only family members were supposed to do. Cause it would make you unclean for like a week according to the love Moses. And he says, young man, Isaiah the Arise, and he that was dead, sat up and began to speak and he delivered him unto his mother.
ere's peace in that story. I [:That's who he is. And we have to be reminded of that over and over again. You're gonna see it again later in the chapter. So when you see him in the Pharisees house and the interchange he has with the woman who has the alabaster box, it's his compassion shines in a different way. So let's go there next.
with her tears and you know, [:And it's just this big offering of gratitude and love. And so the savior compares the two. What's interesting is, It's a, it's a moats and beams situation cuz the Pharisees sees her as she was, and the savior sees her as she is and as she can be, the way he always sees all of us. In fact, I love the way it's phrased in 37 and behold a woman in the city, which was a sinner.
I don't know if that's, you know, like in the actual verbiage, if you translate it from Greek or whatever, that it will have that same effect. But doctrinally, this is accurate, right? The moment she comes to Neil before the savior and offer this gift and. It, it, she is no longer a sinner in that moment. She is a repentant disciple.
. You know, like there is a, [:He only sees her as a sinner. In fact, he goes to the point where he accuses Jesus of not being a prophet, because he says, if you knew her story, you would never let her touch you. It's this very, you know, condescending, kind, ofone. And what I love is in that moment, he chooses to focus on her, the X savior.
Gives her dignity the same way he's given all others dignity, that he heals. He offers it to her by giving this parable. And this is where he talks about the debtors. So I don't think he's trying to push aside the Pharisees. Simon also needs to learn. And so I think what's wonderful about the way the Savior teaches and parables is he's able to teach the Pharisee and the woman at the same time, people who are in very different worlds and have very different spiritual understandings.
ntance. And both of them can [:And he asked the Pharisee, which. We'll love more, which one will be more grateful. And of course, Pari knows the answer. So he says that it's the one who had the larger debt. And then he teaches him about her worth. And he talks to him. He talks to Simon about what she has done. And it's just really interesting to me, especially after what we just studied about the woman in name.
Because here's what happens. So in four, in 44, and he turned to the woman and sent onto Simon , this woman I entered into the house and now gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. I think it's really interesting that in this case, he doesn't tell this woman to weep.
ess, I think this is broken. [:there is a, there is a, a stage of pouring out your heart and letting your sorrow just sort of, pour out, and I think he doesn't stop her and he doesn't direct her not to do it. He, he lets it happen and there's just beauty in it. If you ask me and he talks about what she did, thou gave us me no kiss, but this woman says, the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet.
nd himself that he also is a [:Even if it's less debt than this woman, there is a promise, right? It's salvation can't come from obedience. It has to come through the blood of Jesus Christ. It has to come through this broken heart and contrary spirit and reconciling yourself to. And so he promises her in 48 and he said to her, THS are forgiven.
And then when you go a little further in 50, and he said to the woman, thy faith has saved, go in peace. Xavier always gives dignity when he gives healing. And I just can't imagine the difference in this woman's countenance as she goes. And I think what I loved about it the most, you guys after all this study is this invitation to trust that whatever storms I'm feeling, he can still them.
r judge you be. He can still [:In fact, I love, there was a great talk from Elder Anderson. It's at the very end of the notes and he ends with 35 9 13, where he says, will you not now return on to me as you know more about me as you've come to feel me in these verses, will you not now return onto me and repent of your sins and be converted that I may heal you?
That's his invitation. Every one of us has storms inside, outside things we can control and things we can't, and his promises come to me, repent, be converted, that I might heal you, that I might still those storms and give you.
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give you an introduction for [:And then for those of you in the full course, I'll take you through each one individually and help you know how to pull them off. Okay? Here's what I have in store for you this week, you guys. First off, I wanted to teach the story about the man with palsy being lowered down through the roof. There's a lot of beautiful application, especially when it comes to understanding how to work together in families, in classes, in quorums.
That's a great story to use to help your kids understand it, but it's hard to understand it without. Visual. So I decided we're gonna make a bed and we're gonna lower someone down. , since you can't really lower a person down without a little bit of danger, I decided we're gonna lower something else. So the idea here is you're going to print this printable bed, you're gonna attach some strings to it and let four people work together to move something delicate to a whole nother location.
se an Easter egg that's full [:Flexibility and safety in it. So you need string, a lot of string yarn would work. Anything you happen to have at home, something fragile and the printable, and that's all you need for that one. And then your second one is about stealing the storm. So just like I talked about the insights, I think what the savior demonstrates this week is not just stealing the storm on the water, but distilling storms in people's hearts as well.
So I'm hoping to reinforce that with a very clear object. . So you just. Soda for this one, I'm gonna teach you how to diffuse a storm in a can of soda. If your kids have ever shaken up or dropped a can of soda and you're terrified to open it, we're gonna use that feeling of fear and apply it to what the apostles must have felt, and then learn a trick to save yourself from it.
how to pull that off in the [:I think we have to help them understand how to use them to do good. And one of my favorite ways is a new app that the church put out. It's actually just a website that you're gonna go to that gives you an augmented reality view of the Holy Land. So since this week we're talking about NA and the Sea of Galilee and all these places that.
Very visual. I thought it would be cool to teach you how to use this app and then show you how you could use it to learn this week's stories and watch this week's video. So I'm gonna walk you through that coming up next. Okay? That's your introduction. For those of you in the course, stick around. There's a lot of more good stuff to come.
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holy land. I hope you have a [: go live on Monday morning at:So come join me if you can't catch it live, you can always see it in my feed for the next week, and then it. , it disappears. So you have one week to track it down. In addition to that, I would remind you that you can find this content on YouTube if you wanna share it or watch it on YouTube, you can find the insights there.
You can listen to the insights in podcast form, just search creative. Come follow me in either of those areas. And then as always, those of you are in the course and are subscribers. You can also access the creative side of things in podcast form as well. You just need to message me either on Instagram or an email so I can send you your private link that will give you access to the full audio of both videos as well as all the links to the notes right there at your fingertips within your podcast app.
. Message me and I will send [: