Part 4
This impressive story of the strength and ultimate victory of innocence and purity is full of significance. In the performing of his mission of evil, Satan never stops with one kind of temptation alone. He attacks man at every point where weakness may lie. First he appealed to the appetites of the flesh. But though Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights, and was hungry, yet He resisted the evil suggestion of the tempter. Then Satan appealed to the love of glory and the praise of men. But Jesus was content to wait, knowing that the glory and praise which would come to Him, from {63} honest and worthy endeavor, would be greater and far more lasting than that which might come from mere display. Finally, Satan appealed to the love of riches and power. But Jesus had the will and the strength to command him to depart; for the riches and the power gained through evil are necessarily but fleeting, whereas the blessings derived through the service of God endure forever. Thus did Jesus overcome the great temptation, and show all men how to resist evil.
[Sidenote: Guard against suggestions of the devil.]
You may readily understand, that because of His own experience, Jesus appreciated fully the tempting power of the devil. In the parable of the sower, you remember, Jesus urges men to guard against the suggestions of the devil. It is because of the hearkening to those suggestions that so much of the seed fails to bear fruit. And not only do those suggestions withhold men from good deeds, but they inspire evil thoughts and draw men into sin. There are in history many examples of this truth; but there is none more shocking than the example of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Christ to His enemies. "When He (Jesus) had dipped the sop," we read in the Gospel of St. John, "He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop (the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him) Satan entered into him." Judas had not the strength to resist the suggestions of the devil, and thus brought condemnation upon himself.
[Sidenote: Why there is evil.]
But you are still wondering why there is evil in the world. Why should even Jesus, the Christ, be subjected to temptation by the devil? Let us consider the source of our love and adoration of Jesus. If God had made it no trial {64} or task at all, but altogether pleasant, to redeem mankind, should we experience the affection and the worship that we now feel for Jesus? If He had not suffered; if He had experienced no pain; if He had passed through no agony of body nor anguish of heart, could we feel indebted to Him as we do now? If He had suffered no temptation, if it had never been a struggle for Him to do the right--as it was in Gethsemane--could we admire His strength, and profit by His teaching? In short, could the atoning death of Jesus be called a sacrifice, if there had been no suffering, no overcoming of temptation and evil? It was through overcoming that Jesus proved Himself worthy to be the Son of God.
[Sidenote: The trial of man.]
In just the same way, evil is put before man to tempt him, that he too may show his worthiness or unworthiness. We admire the boy who has the The trial of courage and the will-power to say No to the suggestion of evil. We recognize in him strength of character. We see in him a pillar of strength for the future. We are likely to despise the boy who always yields to temptation, who allows his character to be broken down by evil, and who finally becomes a slave to Satan. Such a boy is a weakling; he will be of little or of no service to the world.
[Sidenote: A state of probation.]
With these facts in mind, it is easy to understand the words of Jesus in the Spirit world. At the great council of the spirits--about which we have already learned--Jesus said to those around Him, "We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these (spirits) may {65} dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." And in our own dispensation, Jesus said to the Prophet, Joseph Smith, "It must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves, for if they never should have bitter, they could not know the sweet."
[Sidenote: The free agency of man.]
Here of course lies the secret of the matter. God has endowed us with free agency. He does not try to force us to be good, but we may do good or evil as we ourselves please. And as we gain strength to overcome evil, we grow in character and in power, and become more nearly worthy to return to the presence of God. It was partly because he wanted to destroy the God-given free agency of man, that Lucifer was cast out of heaven. Only the person who sturdily and persistently resists temptation retains his free agency. He who yields to temptation becomes soon a servant to the devil, and loses the free agency with which God endowed him.
Through overcoming temptation and evil Jesus triumphed over the devil and redeemed the world. Through overcoming temptation and evil, man, too, may triumph over the devil, and have glory added upon his head for ever and ever. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given unto them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great mediation of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil."
{66} THE REFERENCES
Matt. 4:1-11. Abraham 3:24,25.
Matt. 13:19. Doc. and Cov. 29:39.
John 13:2-26, 27. 2 Nephi 2:27.
THE QUESTIONS
1. Why should the devil be concerned after the baptism of Jesus?
2. Discuss the temptation of Jesus.
3. To what do the suggestions of the devil lead?
4. How did Jesus prove Himself worthy to be the Son of God?
5. How may man prove himself worthy to be a son of God?
6. Why was man placed upon the earth?
7. What is the meaning of free agency?
8. Why is evil upon the earth?
{67}
{68} PICTURE: MARKET SCENE AT BETHLEHEM.
{69}
IX
THE CROWN OF CREATION
Have you ever felt the wonder of the poet as he sings,
"I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, Confused at the grace that so fully He proffers me; I tremble to know that for me He was crucified, That for me, a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died."
[Sidenote: A wonder-rousing sacrifice.]
It is truly the most wonderfully unselfish sacrifice, and the sincerest demonstration of love, you will find anywhere recorded. As He approached the day of the awful sacrifice, Jesus Himself declared to His followers, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." And as God the Son manifested thus His great love, so also did God the Father. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
[Sidenote: Why should God be mindful of man?]
Now, it is only natural that one should ask, as did the great psalmist, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that Thou visitest him? Why should there be devised in the heavens a gracious and liberal plan of salvation? Why, because of man, should the hosts of heaven be plunged into the horrors of civil war? What is man, that the noblest of the spirits of heaven should lay down His life for man's redemption? It is an answer to these questions that we want now to find in the teachings of Jesus.
[Sidenote: The parable of the lost sheep.]
{70} One day when the publicans and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him, "the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And He spake this parable unto them, saying, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
[Sidenote: Man's soul without price.]
Jesus could hardly have told a better story to show what great value God places upon man. It is in perfect accord with many other sayings of His, some of which you should know, Said He, at one time, "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul." At another time He said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." In the teaching of Jesus, then, the soul of man--his true life--is beyond any earthly price. Indeed, its value is far beyond the worth of the whole material world.
{71} And Jesus did not place this high value on the soul of any particular man. To Him the souls of all men are priceless. He is no respecter of persons. The Father "maketh His sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." There is none so humble that he is beyond the reach of the love of God, nor none so worldly great that he does not need it. Said Jesus, "Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."
[Sidenote: Man, the offspring of God.]
It is because Jesus knew and recognized the divine possibilities of every man, great or small, that He thus valued him so highly. Jesus taught always that God is the Father in heaven--and that not figuratively. We are indeed the offspring of God; and being the offspring of God, there resides in all of us the possibility to become gods. Indeed, in the dispensation of the fulness of times, in which we live, it has been revealed that God is Himself an exalted man; that He has Himself passed through such a probationary state as that in which man now lives; and that it is possible for man to become like God. Jesus, likewise, taught this truth to those who heard Him. When the Jews were about to stone Him because He declared Himself the Son of God, Jesus said, "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are Gods?" When exhorting the people to live righteous lives, He urged, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." And the disciples caught the meaning of {72} the doctrine; for, wrote John, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God."
[Sidenote: The questions answered.]
Since, then, the soul of man is of such divine origin, and therefore of such surpassing value, we need seek no further for the answer to our questions. The heavenly Father feels the loss of a child even more keenly than does an earthly father. Man is a son of God, and may himself become a god; therefore, God is mindful of him.
[Sidenote: Reverence for God.]
Now, since he is the offspring of the Almighty Father, man owes certain duties both to God and to himself. In the first place, as a faithful and devoted son, he should hold the Father in reverence. "Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time," said Jesus, "Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King." The Father of us all is to be held in awe. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain."
[Sidenote: Reverence for personal honor.]
In like manner, the value and dignity of man require that he should hold his own personal honor in reverence. His word should be as good as his bond. It should not be necessary to bind a bargain with an oath. Such practice leads easily to profanity. Jesus said also, "Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not {73} make one hair white or black. But let your communications be Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
[Sidenote: Reverence for personal purity.]
Again, the divine possibilities in him, demand that every man should be willing to make any worldly sacrifice rather than defile his soul with evil. As Jesus put it, The light-of-the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."
Thus we learn, that, in the teachings of Jesus, man is the crown of creation. He is the noblest work of God. He has in him the possibilities of Godhood. He is indeed the son of God. That is why there has been manifested such unstinted love for him. And that is why man should cultivate sincere reverence for God, and reverence for his own personal honor, and reverence for his own personal purity.
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
(See Shakespeare's Apostrophe to Man in "Hamlet.")
{74} THE REFERENCES
John 3:16. Mark 9:42.
John 15:12-13. Matt. 10:29, 31.
Ps. 8:4. Matt. 5:33-37, 45, 48.
Luke 15:2-7. Matt. 6:22, 23.
Mark 8:36, 37. Luke 9:47.
1 Cor. 3:16, 17.
THE QUESTIONS
1. What does the parable of the lost sheep illustrate?
2. What value did Jesus place on a man's soul?
3. What difference did a man's station in life make to the love of Jesus?
4. Why did Jesus place so high a value on the soul of man?
5. What duty does man owe God?
6. What duties does man owe himself?
7. How is the body of man the temple of God?
{75}
{76} PICTURE: THE FORGIVING FATHER, Molitor
{77}
X
THE FORGIVING FATHER
[Sidenote: The parable of the prodigal.]
"A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said. How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
"And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat. and be merry: for this my son was dead {78} and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.
"Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come: and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.
"And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgress I at any time thy commandment and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
"And he said unto him. Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."
[Sidenote: The forgiving Father.]
Of this beautiful parable, the great Dickens said very truly, "It is the most touching passage in all literature." Most people think of it and speak of it as the story of the prodigal son. It is really, however, the story of the forgiving Father. Jesus wanted the Jews to learn to know God as the Father of all men--great and small--and therefore interested in the welfare of all of them. Jesus knew only too well that sin held possession of the lives of the people of His day. He {79} saw plenty of evidence of it. Men were living corrupt lives. Corruption had defiled their minds as well as their bodies. They crowded about the Master to be healed of both mental and physical diseases, that, in many cases, had come upon them because of their sins. Jesus knew, too, that no hope was held out to the sinner in the perverted doctrines of the rabbis. These doctrines made it impossible for the sinner ever to return to the presence of God. But Jesus wanted men to think of God not as a stern, severe, and relentless being, but as a loving and forgiving Father to all men. So, when the younger son of the parable had recognized his sins, had sorrowfully repented of them, and had returned and had confessed them freely, the father forgave them freely, and received him again joyfully into the household. Of course, the prodigal son, though forgiven, would never be able wholly to efface from his soul the marks of his offenses, any more than you would be able to remove from a post the hole made by a nail you had driven in. You may be sorry and pull out the nail, but the hole remains; and even though you fill the hole with putty, and cover all with paint, yet in the post remains the mark made by that nail. However, that the Father will fully forgive the penitent sinner without upbraiding is indeed a consolation worth knowing. It was without doubt the desire of Jesus to illustrate God's intense love even for the sinner and His eagerness to reclaim him.
[Sidenote: Condemnation of the self-righteous.]
Now there were present, when Jesus related the parable of the forgiving father and other parables teaching the same comforting lesson, a number of the scribes {80} and Pharisees. These self-righteous men derided Him, and found fault with Him because He treated sinners as if they too were men with souls. To these self-righteous ones, Jesus spoke after this wise: You scribes and Pharisees, you justify yourselves before men. You think yourselves so righteous that you need no repentance. But God knows your hearts; and often that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination before the Lord. The great brotherhood of man are all children of God; when one who has sinned repents and returns to Father's home, there is more joy over his return, than over ninety and nine like you who think they need no repentance. To illustrate your case, I may tell you this parable:
[Sidenote: The publican and the Pharisee.]
"Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Fortunately, then, God the Father is ready, nay, eager, to forgive the sins of the wrongdoer who repents. Likewise, He is ready, eager, to answer the prayer that is spoken in sincere humility. But there is no justification for him who thinks he has no need {81} of repentance, or who self-righteously exalts himself above his fellowmen. Said Jesus to our own great Prophet, "I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance, nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven."
THE REFERENCES
Luke 15:11 ff. Doc. and Cov. 1:31.
Luke 18:9-14.
THE QUESTIONS
1. Retell the story of the Forgiving Father.
2. Justify Dickens's statement that this is the most touching passage in literature.
3. What was Jesus's purpose in telling the story?
4. What views did the Jews generally hold concerning sinners?
5. What did Jesus say about the self-righteous?
6. What lesson do you get from the prayer of the publican?
7. What is God's attitude toward sin?
{82} PICTURE: THE CONSOLING CHRIST, Plockhorst
{83}
XI.
SINCERITY IN WORSHIP
[Sidenote: Finding and losing one's life.]
One day Jesus called to Him the twelve disciples whom He had chosen to be His special witnesses and instructed them in the business of their mission. Amongst other things, Jesus said to them, "He that findeth his life, shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it."
Perhaps you may be surprised to know that this little saying has caused many people to wonder. Or, perhaps, you may wonder yourself what Jesus meant. Why should a man who has found his life lose it? Indeed, how can a man both find and lose his life at the same time? And how can a man who has lost his life find it? What does it mean to lose one's life, and to find one's life? Undoubtedly, the answer to these questions must be of great importance to men.
In seeking for that answer, we must recall the fundamental purpose of the mission of Jesus, and of His loving sacrifice for the salvation of the rest of Father's children. Jesus strove to teach men to know God, and, through His cruel death, to bring men back into the presence of God. All of Jesus's teaching, therefore, was based upon the fact that the chief thing in a man's life is to recognize his divine right as a son of God, and to come into close, real, and constant touch with the Father in heaven. But how shall a man come into such close touch with the Almighty Being who rules the universe?
[Sidenote: The necessity of harmony.]