Post # 95 – Come Follow Me 12
Matthew 13; Like 8; 13
Dear Family
and Friends
I have been struggling with my lymphedema
which has made it so much harder for me to keep up with my posts. I have to
have my fingers, my hand and my arm velar up to my shoulder wrapped very
tightly. This tightness is necessary to try to get the protein substance to
leave this area of my body. I have been going to therapy for about four weeks
now, I think. It is helping to reduce the swelling which in turn reduces the
pain I feel caused by the pressure from the swelling.
And this pain
is multiplied by the neuropathy that I have in my hands and my feet. But I know
that this too shall pass eventually. In the meantime I am asking your
forgiveness for y being even slower than I was before in getting my posts out
to you, there are some days when I feel like surely all of you have already passed
me up and you are each right on top of the lessons. If this is the case – Good for
You!!! I am proud of you!
But just in
case there are some of you out there who may be stragglers or just getting
started with your study of the New Testament I will continue along with my
posts and my sharing of the lessons with each of you. Thank you for your
interest in my blog and I hope that what I share is helping you in some small way
in each of your lives as you read my blog and continue to study the scriptures
along with me😊 Remember just how amazing each of you
are!!!okay, now with that said, let’s get started on today’s lesson.
“Who Hath Ears to Hear, Let Him
Hear”
Last week as you read the
scriptures for this week’s lesson, you may have had some question as you were
trying to understand the parables in these verses? Were there parts of the
parables that were difficult for you to understand? Did you write those questions
down so that you could address them? How did your study prepare you to
answer those questions and figure out those difficult parts?
As you read Matthew 13 and Luke 8; 13, think about how you will prepare yourself to “hear” and appreciate the
Savior’s teachings in these parables. What will you do to apply these teachings
in your life?
At thus time in the lesson we reviewed some simple ways to enhance our
study of the word of God in the scriptures:
Look for Truths about Jesus Christ
We are taught in the scriptures that all things testify of Christ: let’s
look in 2 Nephi 11:4; and Moses 6:62. We should look for Christ in the events,
stories, and teachings of the New Testament. If we keep this in our minds as we
are studying the scriptures, it might do us well to mark in our scriptures the verses
that teach us about the Savior and how to follow Him.
Look for Inspiring Words and Phrases
Sometimes as you are studying the scriptures you may feel as if certain
words or phrases were written just for you or maybe they ‘speak’ to you. They
might feel personally relevant and possibly inspire and motivate you. These are
the words and phrases you might consider marking in your scriptures or maybe
even writing them in a scripture or study journal😊
Look for Gospel Truths
The doctrines and
principles that we find in the scriptures are the gospel truths that the Lord
wants us to know. They are sometimes stated in a very direct manner, other
times you will find that they are shared or implied through a story ot an
example. So as you read you may want to ask yourself, “What eternal truths are
taught in these verses?”
Listen to the Spirit
As we are studying
our scriptures we should pay close attention to our thoughts and our feelings,
even if we do not feel as though those thoughts or feelings seem to be related
to what we are studying. Those very impressions may be the exact things that
your Heavenly Father wants you to learn😊
Liken the Scriptures to
Your Life
You are studying away
in your scriptures and you start to wonder – “What experiences have I had
that are similar to this story that I am reading?” or “How can I follow the
example of this person that I am studying about here in this chapter?” in
essence you should consider deeply just how these stories or these teachings
that you are reading today apply to your life.
Ask Questions as You
Study
Questions may come to
your mind as you study the scriptures. The questions that come to your mind
while studying the scriptures may just relate to what you are studying or even possibly
to your life in general. It is good to write these questions down and then ponder
these questions and to look for answers to those questions as you continue your
studying in the scriptures😊
Use the Scripture Study
Helps
We can fain
additional insights into the verses that you are reading and studying when you
use the footnotes, the Topical Guide, the Bible Dictionary, the Guide to the Scriptures (scriptures.lds.org), and other study
helps.
Record Your Thoughts and Feelings
Those impressions that come to you are important and there
are many ways to record them. For instance, you could keep a study journal or a
scripture journal of those thought and insights, of the feelings that you have
as you are reading and be sure to write down any impressions that come to your
mind as well. 0r you could mark any meaningful words or phrases that jump out at
you as you are reading.
Study the words of Latter-day Prophets and Apostles
I have found that it
is also important that we read and study what latter=day prophets and apostles
have taught us about the gospel truths or the principles and doctrines that we
find in the scriptures. We can find there here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng and in Church magazines
here:
Share Insights
Something that helps to
strengthen your understanding of what you are reading is by discussing these
insights that you find as you are reading and studying the scriptures. As you
are sharing and discussing these insights with others in will help to
strengthen your understanding of what you are studying.
Live by What You Learn
Our scripture study should
inspire us, but not only that --- our study should lead us to change the way we
live. Be sure to listen to what the Spirit prompts you to do as you are
studying. When this happens you need to be sure that you then commit to act
(immediately) on those promptings😊
President Thomas S. Monson said: “As we read
and ponder the scriptures, we will experience the sweet whisperings of the
Spirit to our souls. We can find answers to our questions. We learn of the
blessings which come through keeping God’s commandments. We gain a sure
testimony of our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of Their
love for us. When scripture study is combined with our prayers, we can of a
certainty know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. … As we remember prayer
and take time to turn to the scriptures, our lives will be infinitely more
blessed and our burdens will be made lighter” (“We Never Walk Alone,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 122).
Our hearts must be prepared to
receive the word of God.
·
To
help you visualize the messages of the parable of the sower, you could bring
some seeds, a pot of soil, and a pot of small rocks to build a plant with your
family or a friend.. Ask a family member to plant one seed in the soil and one
in the rocks. Ask them which seed they think will grow better, and why? How
does this object lesson relate to the parable in Matthew 13:1–23? How can we prepare
our hearts to receive the word of God?
·
·
How
can you use the parable of the sower to inspire your family members or your
friend to prepare their hearts to receive the word of God? Here is an activity
we did in class for this lesson, but you could gran a sheet of paper and
write Disciples and Others on the
top of the page and draw a line down the middle of the page. Then ask your family
members or your friend to read Matthew 13:10–17 and look for
how the Savior described the differences between His disciples and others who
heard His parables.
·
New
Testament
·
11 He answered and said
unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it
is not given.
·
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be
taken away even that he hath.
·
13 Therefore speak I to
them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand.
·
14 And in them is fulfilled
the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall
see, and shall not perceive:
·
15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of
hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should
understand with their heart,
and should be converted, and I should heal them.
·
17 For verily I say unto
you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and
have not seen them; and to
hear those things which
ye hear, and have not heard them.
·
·
Then
ask your family members or your friend to search verses 18–23, looking for what
might cause our ears to become “dull of hearing” or our eyes to close to
spiritual things.
·
New
Testament
·
19 When any one heareth the
word of the kingdom, and understandethit not,
then cometh the wicked one,
and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.
This is he which received seed by the way side.
·
20 But he that received the
seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the
word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
·
21 Yet hath he not root in
himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
·
22 He also that received
seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
·
23 But he that received
seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some
sixty, some thirty.
·
·
What
direction are we receiving in our day from God and His servants? In what ways
are we cultivating “good ground”? (verse 23).
·
Why is it that some hearts are receptive to truth while others
seem to resist it? Reading the parable of the sower can provide a good
opportunity to think about how you receive truth from the Lord. It might be
helpful to first match verses 3–8 of Matthew 13 with
the interpretations provided in verses
18–23. What can you do to cultivate “good ground” in yourself? What
might be some “thorns” that keep you from truly hearing and following God’s
word?
·
Elder
Dallin H. Oaks’s message “The
Parable of the Sower” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 32–35). You
can read it here: https://www.lds.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/the-parable-of-the-sower?lang=eng
You can check out the
magazines here:
·
What
does his message add to our understanding of the parable?
·
Jesus’s parables help us understand
the growth, destiny, and value of His Church.
·
How
can you help others understand the truths about the Church that were taught in
Jesus’s parables in Matthew 13? You could list a
few of the parables on a piece of paper. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 293–303) You can read it
here: https://www.lds.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-25?lang=eng.
The Prophet Joseph Smith
taught that the parables in Matthew 13 describe the growth and destiny of
the Church in the latter days (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph
Smith [2007], 293–303). As you
read these parables, write down what they teach you about the Lord’s Church
(you may want to refer to what the Prophet Joseph taught about some of these
parables):
·
The wheat and the
tares (13:24–30, 36–43): The wicked and the righteous grow together until the end of the
world.
·
The mustard seed (13:31–32):
·
The leaven (13:33):
·
The hidden treasure
and the pearl of great price (13:44–46):
·
The net (13:47–50):
·
The householder (13:52):
After pondering these parables, what do you feel inspired to do to
participate more fully in the work of Christ’s latter-day Church? What
questions come to mind that can help you apply these parables? For instance,
“What am I willing to sacrifice for the Church?”
·
Ask
your family members or a friend to study each parable and look for what they
learn about the growth and destiny of the Church. One way to compile all of the
thoughts from each family member or friend is to draw a large circle on a sheet
of paper and label it Christ’s Church (“the kingdom
of heaven”). As you discuss it together you could write
something in the circle that they learned about the growth and destiny of the
Church.
What is “the
kingdom of heaven” that Christ referred to in Matthew 13?
In this chapter, “the kingdom of heaven”
refers to Christ’s true Church, which is the kingdom of heaven on earth. For
more information, see Bible Dictionary, “Kingdom of heaven or kingdom
of God.”\
Kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God
These terms are used in various combinations and with varying
meanings. Generally speaking, the kingdom of God on the earth is the Church. It
is a preparation for the greater kingdom—the celestial or kingdom of heaven.
This is the manner in which these terms are used in D&C 65.
However, kingdom of heaven is sometimes used in scripture to mean the Church
(as in Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 13; and 25:1–13),
meaning that the true church on the earth is the path to heaven and is the
kingdom of heaven on earth.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom
of God on the earth but is at the present limited to an ecclesiastical kingdom.
During the millennial era, the kingdom of God will be both political and
ecclesiastical (see Dan. 7:18, 22, 27; Rev. 11:15; JST Rev. 12:1–3, 7
[Appendix]; D&C 65)
and will have worldwide jurisdiction in political realms when the Lord has made
“a full end of all nations” (D&C 87:6).
The
kingdom of heaven is like a fisherman’s net.
·
What do we learn about the value of
belonging to the Church from the parables of the treasure in the field and the
pearl of great price, found in Matthew 13:44–46?
·
44 ¶ Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath
found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and
buyeth that field.
·
45 ¶ Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
·
·
Some members of your family or friends
(or people they know) may have made sacrifices—whether big or small—to become members of the Church. Ask family members or
friends to share sacrifices they have made or seen others make in order to
belong to the Church. What blessings have come as a result? Consider sharing
President Gordon B. Hinckley’s story about the naval officer:
·
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
·
President
Gordon B. Hinckley shared an experience he had with a naval officer from
Asia who had recently joined the Church:
·
“He was introduced
to me just before he was to return to his native land. We spoke of [gospel
truths], and then I said: ‘Your people are not Christians. What will happen
when you return home a Christian and, more particularly, a Mormon Christian?’
·
“His face clouded,
and he replied, ‘My family will be disappointed. They may cast me out and
regard me as dead. As for my future and my career, all opportunity may be
foreclosed against me.’
·
“I asked, ‘Are you
willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?’
·
“His dark eyes,
moistened by tears, shone … as he answered, ‘It’s true, isn’t it?’
·
“Ashamed at having
asked the question, I responded, ‘Yes, it’s true.’
·
·
Now we were asked to ponder what that we feel
prompted to sacrifice for the Church.
·
At the
end of the world, the Lord will gather the righteous and destroy the wicked.
·
How
can you help others to draw lessons from the parable of the wheat and the tares
that will help them remain faithful Latter-day Saints? Start by inviting them
to summarize the parable and its interpretation. What are some lessons in this
parable for our day? Why is it important to know that the Lord allows His
Saints to “grow together” (Matthew 13:30) with the wicked
until the time of the harvest?
·
30 Let both grow together
until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the
reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
The righteous must grow among the wicked until the end of the world.
One way to analyze this parable is to draw a picture of it and
label it with the interpretations in Matthew 13:36–43 and Doctrine and Covenants 86:1–7.
A tare is a “poisonous weed, which, until it comes into ear, is similar in
appearance to wheat” (Bible Dictionary, “Tares”). What truths in this parable inspire you to
remain faithful in spite of the wickedness in the world?
Tares
Matt. 13:25.
The word denotes darnel grass, a poisonous weed, which, until it comes into
ear, is similar in appearance to wheat.
·
·
How
can we keep our faith strong in this environment, when wickedness is all around
us? Doctrine and Covenants 86 gives
additional insights into the latter-day application of this parable.
· SECTION 86
·
Revelation
given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, December 6, 1832.
This revelation was received while the Prophet was reviewing and editing the
manuscript of the translation of the Bible.
·
1–7, The Lord
gives the meaning of the parable of the wheat and tares; 8–11, He
explains priesthood blessings to those who are lawful heirs according to the
flesh.
·
1 Verily,
thus saith the Lord unto you my servants, concerning the aparable of
the bwheat and
of the tares:
·
3 And
after they have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate,
the awhore, even bBabylon, that
maketh all nations to drink of her cup, in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan,
sitteth to reign—behold he soweth the ctares; wherefore,
the tares choke the wheat and drive the dchurchinto the
wilderness.
·
4 But
behold, in the alast days,
even now while the Lord is beginning to bring forth the word, and the blade is
springing up and is yet tender—
·
5 Behold,
verily I say unto you, the aangels are
crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth
to breap down
the fields;
·
6 But the
Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for
verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
·
7 Therefore,
let the wheat and the atares grow
together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the
wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and
lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be bburned.
·
8 Therefore,
thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the apriesthood hath
continued through the lineage of your fathers—
·
9 For ye
are lawful aheirs,
according to the flesh, and have been bhid from
the world with Christ in God—
·
10 Therefore
your life and the apriesthood have
remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the brestoration of
all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.
·
11 Therefore,
blessed are ye if ye continue in my agoodness, a blight unto
the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a csaviorunto my
people dIsrael. The
Lord hath said it. Amen.
·
The statement by Elder L. Tom
Perry suggests that the tares could represent “wicked and worldly ways” that
infiltrate our lives.
We should nourish the good.
Elder
L. Tom Perry taught: “That old enemy of all mankind has found as many
devices as he can think of to scatter tares far and wide. He has found ways to
have them penetrate even the sanctity of our own homes. The wicked and worldly
ways have become so widespread there seems to be no real way of weeding them
out. They come by wire and through the air into the very devices we have
developed to educate and entertain us. The wheat and the tares have grown close
together. A steward managing the field must, with all his or her power, nourish
that which is good and make it so strong and beautiful the tares will have no
appeal either to the eye or the ear” (“Finding Lasting Peace and Building Eternal
Families,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov.
2014, 44).
·
To help us ponder how we can discern this type
of spiritual tare, we did this activity in class, you could do it by yourself or
with your family r a friend. Write on strips of paper several gospel truths and
several false, worldly ideas or practices. Place the strips together in a
container. Then draw out or ask family members or friends to select a few and
discuss which are truths and which are falsehoods. You know that many of these
truths and falsehoods are identified in general conference addresses; you could
look there for ideas. How can we follow Elder Perry’s counsel to “nourish that
which is good” in our lives?
·
In what ways did
“certain women” minister to the Savior?
·
“Female disciples traveled with Jesus and the Twelve, learning
from [Jesus] spiritually and serving Him temporally. … In addition to receiving
Jesus’s ministering—the glad tidings of His gospel
and the blessings of His healing power—these women
ministered to Him, imparting their substance and devotion” (Daughters
in My Kingdom [2011], 4).
Women who followed the Savior also bore powerful testimony of Him (see Linda K.
Burton, “Certain
Women,” Ensign or Liahona, May
2017, 12–15).
To Encourage Learning at Home
Next
week’s reading tells of people who had followed Jesus but then “walked no more
with him” (John 6:66).
New Testament
You
can find insights that could help you and others remain faithful to the Savior.
Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening
As you study the Savior’s teachings
with your family, the Spirit can help you know what principles to emphasize and
discuss in order to meet the needs of your family. Here are some suggestions:
As
your family members read the Savior’s parables, they might enjoy thinking of
their own parables that teach the same truths about the kingdom of heaven (the
Church), using objects or situations that are familiar to them.
What can we do as a family to cultivate
“good ground” in our hearts and in our home? (Matthew 13:23).
If you have younger children in your family, it could be fun to invite family
members to act out different ways to prepare our hearts to hear the word of God
while other family members guess what they are doing.
How can you help your family members
understand the importance of willingly receiving Christ’s word? For example,
you might cover a family member’s ears while you quietly read Matthew 13:13–16. What did that family member understand from
the verses? What role do our eyes, ears, and hearts play in receiving the word
of God? What are ways that we close our eyes, ears, and hearts to the word of
God?
What
do the two men in these parables have in common? Are there additional things we
should be doing as individuals and as a family to put the kingdom of God first
in our lives?
How
can we follow the example of the Savior and deliver people from bondage?
Remember that some of the Saviors most memorable teachings were told and
taught in the form of simple stories which are called parables. These parables
were certainly more than just using common objects or events to make a point, the
parables that Jesus told contained very profound gospel truths about the
kingdom of God for all those who were spiritually prepared to learn from them. One
of the first parables recorded in the scriptures is that of the parable of the
sower which is found in Matthew 13:3–23. This parable invites
us to examine our readiness to receive God’s word. “For whosoever receiveth,” Jesus declared, “to him shall be
given, and he shall have more abundance” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew
13:10 [in Matthew 13:12,
footnote a]).
JST Matt.
13:10–11 For whosoever receiveth, to him shall be given, and he shall have more
abundance; but whosoever continueth not to receive, from
him shall be taken away even that he hath.
So as we prepare to study the Savior’s
parables—or any of His teachings—a good place to start is to examine our hearts
and determine whether we are giving the word of God “good ground” in which to
grow, blossom, flourish, and produce fruit that will bless us and our families
in abundance (Matthew 13:8).
New Testament
8 But other fell into good
ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some
sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
Well my dear Family and Friends, here we are again
at the end of this lesson. I hope and pray that something I have shared with
each of you has been uplifting in some way and that you have each learned
something from my sharing this lesson😊I know that it is
important for each one of us to read and study the scriptures, so please do
continue with me to study the New Testament this year.
As always, I want you to remember who you are –
each one of you are a child of God. Remember that God loves you no matter what
you may or may not have done in your lives.it is never too late to repent and
come unto Christ. He wants each one of His children to return to live with Him
after our mortal probationary life is over. Until my next post, keep on
studying the scriptures, saying your prayers and do all you can to keep the
Sabbath day holy😊
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