Thy Faith Hath Saved Thee
Purpose
To help class members develop greater faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ.
Setting
The apostles and members of the church are in a discussion
with Jesus. If you had an opportunity to sit at the
feet of the Savior and ask questions which one would you ask? The question asked today was "Lord
- How do we increase of faith?".
Luke 17:5 -6;
5 And the apostles said
unto the Lord,[Jesus] Increase
our faith. [this was aksed by those who
already came out of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ - they
were members who already had testimonies of the gospel. They had already
begun to know and understand the doctrines of the kingdom. I suppose
that they talked of faith somewhat as we do. Saying that so and so has
faith - meaning that he adheres to the standards of the gospel, and wants
to walk uprightly before the Lord. He is one who is endevouring to live
the gospel.
so what is this question that
they are asking? What is required of us now to have our faith perfected?
What do we need to do to have the faith required that we can without
any question over come every trail and obsticle in this life - that we
will have lived worthy to return to him?.]
How would you finish this sentence. A person
has faith if he/she?...or You can tell that person has faith
because he or she...
Are there different kinds of faith?
Faith
unto salvation [lectures on faith 3rd lecture
says that "there are 3 things that are necessary in
order that any rational & intelligent being to exercise
faith in God unto life and salvation. 1) the idea that
he God exists 2) a correct idea of his character, perfections
and attributes 3) an actual knowledge that the course
of life which he is pursuing is according to his (Gods) will ]
Faith to be healed
faith to believe
faith to heal
faith
to create [ interesting to note that the
Lord created the earth by faith]...
faith to endure, overcome
Over the coarse of today let's try to explore the responses that the Lord
provided to answer this question. "Lord, increase our faith".
6 And the Lord said, If
ye had
afaith as
a grain of mustard seed,
[ Why
a mustard seed? What do we know about the mustard seed? or
rather
what does the mustard seed know about itself? 1) It
knows what its destiny is - it knows what it will beome when it
grows up 2) It knows how to process the soul, and nutritents, water to become
what it is supposed to be. Does the
mustrad seed leave it all to God or does it exercise in it's own behalf? ] ye
might
say
unto this sycamine tree,
[ The words seem to
intimate that they were standing by such a tree. The sycamine is probably
the same as the sycamore. ] Be thou plucked up by the root, and be
thou planted in the sea; and it
should obey you.
[
Jesus is equating faith with power. Joseph Smith uses faith and power interchangably.
Bruce R McConkie said "It is a test so to speak to determine the amount
of and the quality of faith that we posses. The amount of influence that
we have with God our Father to work works of righteousiness.To do things
that are far outside the normal mortal coarse of events".. 3
Nephi 18:20, Moroni 7:26]
What are the elements in this parable? Mustard seed,sycamine tree,faith
Bible Dictionary, “Faith,”
669–70.
1. Jesus presents the parable of the unjust judge and the widow. (Luke
18:1)
Jesus presented this parable to a
group of Pharisees.
What do we know about Pharisees? Their
main distinguishing characteristic was a belief in an Oral Law that God gave
to Moses at Sinai. The Pharisee ("separatist") party emerged largely
out of the group of scribes and sages who harked back to Ezra.They prided
themselves on their strict observance of the law, and on the care with which
they avoided contact with things gentile. Their belief included the doctrine
of immortality and resurrection of the body and the existence of angels and
spirits. They upheld the authority of oral tradition as of equal value with
the written law. The tendency of their teaching was to reduce religion to
the observance of a multiplicity of ceremonial rules, and to encourage self-sufficiency
and spiritual pride. They were even a political party of sorts - The holier
than thou party so to speak.
READ Parable - What are the elements that make up
this parable? prayer,
unjust judge,widow, return of the son of Man
1 A
ND he
spake a parable unto them to this end, [or for this reason.] that
men
ought always to pray,
and not to faint;
[ According
to Luke 18:1, why did Jesus give the parable of the unjust judge and the
widow? What does this mean to always
pray? Joseph Smith once said "Weary [the
Lord] until he blesses you" Madsen Joseph Smith The Prophet pg 16; Is
the message to continually ask for the same thing? When is enough; enough? The
Lord said in D&C 59:22; 130:15 "Trouble me no more concerning this
matter" ]
2 Saying,
There
was in a city a judge,
[ What
do we know about judges? 1) They are supposed
to be good men, 2) They command power and usually are wealthy 3) They are
supposed to meat out justice without merit to station - to be the same
reguardless of whether the person is poor or rich, powerful of weak Duet
1:16-17] which
feared not God,
[Because
he feared not God, he paid no attention to the calls of justice;] neither
regarded man:
[ because he respected not man,
he was unmoved at the complaint of the widow.]
3 And
there
was a widow in that city;
[ What
do we know about a widow? 1) Usually they
are grouped with the poor and the orphans, ] and she came unto him,
saying,
Avenge me of mine adversary.
[
The original, "ekdikhson me apo tou antidikou mou", could be
better translated as, "Do me justice against, or vindicate me from,
my adversary." What would her adversity
be? ]
4 And he would not for a while:
but afterward
he said within himself,
[argueing
with himself; justifing it to himself?.] Though
I fear not God, nor regard man;
[ does what
he wants neither for the love of God, nor for that of a neighbour, but
only self-love of the basest kind, for his own power, principle and motive!
]
5 Yet because this widow troubleth
me,
I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she
weary me.
[ Just as a fighter continues to deliver
blows to his opponent to beat him down until he eventually submits. ]
6 And the Lord said,
Hear
what the unjust judge saith.
[
Intimating that we should reason this for ourselves ]
7
And
shall not God avenge his
own elect,
[ you can
apply your own logic;
but if the unjust judge will do what is right; then how quickly will the
Lord who is just, deliver justice for his chosen. James
E. Talmage taught, “Jesus did not indicate that as the wicked judge finally
yielded to supplication so would God do; but He pointed out that if even
such a being as this judge, who ‘feared not God, neither regarded man,’
would at last hear and grant the widow’s plea, no one should doubt that
God, the Just and Merciful, will hear and answer” (Jesus the Christ,
3rd ed. [1916], 436).] which
cry day and night unto him,
[ How
often are his elect praying here? What does it mean to pray always? ] though
he bear long with them? [Or
He is compassionate towards THEM, and consequently not at all like to the
unrighteous judge. How is persevering in
prayer an act of faith? What should we do when we have persevered in prayer
and feel that we have not received an answer?
Elder Richard G. Scott said: “It is a mistake to assume that
every prayer we offer will be answered immediately. some prayers
require considerable effort on our part. …
“When we explain a problem and a proposed solution [to our
Heavenly Father], sometimes He answers yes, sometimes no. Often
He withholds an answer, not for lack of concern, but because
He loves us—perfectly. He wants us to apply truths He has given
us. For us to grow, we need to trust our ability to make correct
decisions. We need to do what we feel is right. In time, He
will answer. He will not fail us” (in Conference Report, Oct.
1989, 38; or Ensign, Nov. 1989, 30–31). What
have you learned as you have persevered in prayer? ]
8 I tell
you that he will avenge them
speedily. Nevertheless when the
son of man [title
for Christ - son
of Man of Holiness or The "son of God" so they are "son of
Man" are
synonymous. ] cometh,
shall
he find faith on the earth? [ Elder
Bruce R McConkie taught that this parable goes far beyond the simple persistence
of prayer; but requires that we exercise faith in asking for that which is
according to Gods will as well. "Jesus now teaches, in a parable,
how the perservering prayers of the saints will finally prevail in the day
of his coming. He is not here speaking of the simplistic principle that earnest
and repetious imoportunings will eventually be heard and answered, though
this may be true in some cases. It is not a matter of an importunate widow
gaining redress from an unjust judge because of her insistent pleadings,
and that therefore those who pray to him who is just will have their petitions
granted if they earnestly and everlastingly importune at the throne of grace.
Prayers are answered when there is faith; faith is found on truth and can
only be exercised in harmony with the plan of heaven. Only those petitions
which are just and right are granted.Rather this parable, as we shall see,
teaches that is the saints will continue to importune in faith, for that
that which is right, and because their cause is just, though the answers
to their prayers may be long delayed, yet, finially in the days of vengeance
when he judges whose judgement is just, when he comes again to rule and rein,
the faithful shal be rewarded"
Mortal Messiah 3 :287]
How is persevering in prayer an act of faith?
What should we do when we have
persevered in prayer and feel that we have not received an answer?
Elder Richard G. Scott said:
“It is a mistake to assume that every prayer we offer will be answered immediately.
some prayers require considerable effort on our part. … “When we explain
a problem and a proposed solution [to our Heavenly Father], sometimes He
answers yes, sometimes no. Often He withholds an answer, not for lack of
concern, but because He loves us—perfectly. He wants us to apply truths He
has given us. For us to grow, we need to trust our ability to make correct
decisions. We need to do what we feel is right. In time, He will answer.
He will not fail us” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1989, 38; or Ensign, Nov.
1989, 30–31).
What have you learned as you have persevered in prayer?
2. A blind man demonstrates his faith and is healed by Jesus.
Read and discuss Luke 18:35–43. Display the picture of Jesus healing the
blind.
Setting
Jesus and his party are enroute to Jerusalem, and as they do so they are
on the outskirts of the city; about ready to approach Jerico when they
come across the blind man - pr as Matt puts it the 2 blind men.
READ Luke 18:38-42
35 ¶ And it came to pass, that as
he [Jesus] was come nigh unto Jericho,
a
certain blind man [ Bartimeus, the son of Timaeus
see Mark 10:46 ] sat
by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it
meant.
[ What does
the blind man do to show he has faith in the Lord? 1)
He puts himself in the right position; aligns himself with Christ
and his path.
2) Calls upon the Master for help 3)
Addresses him as the Savior; demonstrates
that he believes that he is the son Of God the chosen Messiah. 4)
Asks for a specific blessing 5) He is healed 6)
Acknowledged and gave thanks to God for the blessing of sight]
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38
And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son
of David, [ What
is the signifigance of calling Jesus - Thou son of David? It
was the general opinion in Judea at the time of this statement, that
the Messiah should be son of David. (John vii. 42.) And that Jesus
Christ was generally and incontestably acknowledged as coming from this stock.
chap. xii. 23. So the plea would have been one that acknowledged
Jesus as the Messiah.] have
mercy on me.
[
An acknowledgment that the only thing they were worthy
to ask for the Savior was for his mercy - pretty humble plea. If you
envision this scene it would have not been quite; anytime you have a
group of people walking and talking it can get rather noisy; and yet
the Savior hears this one particular voice from all the
commotion. Why?
Because it was a voice of faith. It may not have been
so much what was said but the faith with which it was said that touched the
Savior.]
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should
hold his peace: but he cried so much the more,
Thou son
of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive
thy sight: thy faith hath
saved thee. [Compare to Matt 9:29]
[How did the man show gratitude when
he received his sight?]
43 And immediately [he
did not wait until he prayed that night he did it immediately.] he received
his sight, and followed him, glorifying God:
[ he gave thanks. Are we like the blind man -
do we give thanks immediately when we receive a blessing from God? or
do we wait; sometimes so long that we can forget to even give thanks ] and
all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto
God.
[How can we show our gratitude to
the Lord?]
How have you been blessed as you have exercised faith
in Jesus Christ?
3. Jesus is received in Zacchaeus’s home.
Read Luke 19:1–10.
1
AND Jesus entered
and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold,
there
was a man named Zacchaeus, which
was the chief
among the publicans,
[ so
what do we know about Zacchaeus? He was a
publican, as a matter of fact the chief publican. What
was a publican? publicans were Jews who worked
as tax collectors for the Roman government. The Jews generally disliked
the publicans and considered them to be traitors and sinners.] and
he
was rich.
[ Why
do you suppose that this little comment would have been added at the end
- he is rich? Was it a way of saying therefore
he is self centered, he is one who would not look for the Messiah to come
from humble means...]
3 And he sought to see Jesus
who he was; and could not for the press,
because
he was little of stature.
4 And
he
ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him:
[Zacchaeus
is short and realizes that he will not get a good look at the Savior if
he stays on the ground. So he runs a head and climbs up o a tree. This
vert action allowed him to see the Savior but also cslled sttention to
himself.] for he was to pass that
way.
5 And when Jesus came to
the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus,
make
haste, and come down;
[ so
what does Jesus tell Zacchaeus? remember he
is up in a tree, ] for
to
day I must abide at thy house.
[ Who
is doing the inviting here? Jesus is not waiting
for an invitation he comes right out and asks. Any
message for us today in these words? Can
we learn anything from Jesus’ example in this account? What? ]
6 And he made haste, and
came down, and
received him
joyfully.
[Zacchaeus had seen the Savior, so
he was excited to learn more about him with the visit. Hpw
often does Christ beckon to enter our lives, to live with us? How do we respond? ]
7 And when they saw
it, they
all murmured, saying, That
he was gone to be guest with
a man that is a sinner.
[ How did the
people react when Jesus went to stay with Zacchaeus? He
was considered to be a sinner because of his profession as a tax collector
- he would be considered a heathen.]
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold,
Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if
I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. [ What
he is tryig to say? is that the law was that
figs and other provisions were exceedingly scarce in certain times so laws
were enacted to make it illegal for those items to be exported from Attica.
So when things were plentiful the law was considered by some to be of no
value - because the purpose was not valid - but none the less the law still
remained in place. So those that deemed the law useless in times of plenty
would export their goods. It also provided a opportunity for others to
maliciously bring harm to their neighvors by turning them in to the tax
collectors - for something they did not even do. This is what he is talking
about here restoring those who had taxes collected that were not due. The
law required restution when it was proven that the tax collector had ober
stepped his bounds. Here Zacchaeus is saying that I do not wait for the
matter to come tojudgement I do my own homework and if a man is wronged
I fix it immediately.so in otherwords he is trying to do the right thing
recognizing that he makes mistakes, sometimes based on the actions of people
that want to harm their neighbor..]
9 And Jesus said unto him,
This day is salvation come to this house,
forsomuch as
he also is a son of Abraham.
[The reference
here is that Zacchaeus was a Jew by birth, but because of his work as a tax
collected he would have been considered a heathen.]
10 For the son of man is
come to seek and to save that
which was lost.
Many people shunned Zacchaeus because of his profession as a publican.
In what ways do we sometimes
make similar judgments against others?
Why is it important for us not to
exclude others or think we are better than they are? (See Alma 5:54–56; 38:13–14.)
How can we overcome unkind feelings against others?
Elder Joe J. Christensen said: “There are those who wake up every morning
dreading to go to school, or even to a Church activity, because they worry
about how they will be treated. You have the power to change their lives
for the better. … The Lord is counting on you to be a builder and give them
a lift. Think less of yourself and more about the power you have to assist
others, even those within your own family” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996,
54; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 39).
4. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.
Read and discuss selected verses from John 11:1–54. Explain that soon after
Jesus went to Zacchaeus’s home, he received a message from his friends Mary
and Martha that their brother Lazarus, who was also Jesus’ dear friend, was
sick (John 11:1–5). Two days later, Jesus directed his disciples to go with
him to Bethany, the city in Judea where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived (John
11:6–7).
[Why do we only find this story in
the Book of John? It is
surprising that Mark, Luke and Matthew have omitted such a remarkable accoun,
in which some of the finest traits in our Lord's character are exhibited.
The conjecture of Grotius has a good deal of weight. He thinks that the
other three evangelists wrote their histories during
the life of Lazarus; and that they did not mention him for fear of exciting
the malice of the Jews against him. And indeed we find, from chap. xii. 10, that they sought
to put Lazarus to death also, that our Lord might not have one monument
of his power and goodness remaining in the land. Probably both Lazarus
and his sisters were dead before St. John wrote.
Calmet says, Christ left Jerusalem the day after the dedication
took place, which was the 18th of December. He event then to Bethabara,
where he continued preaching and his disciples baptizing. About the middle
of the following January Lazarus fell sick: Christ did not leave Bethabara
till after the death of Lazarus, which happened about the 18th of the same
month. Bishop Newcome supposes that our Lord might have stayed about a
month at Bethabara. The harmonists and chronologists differ much in fixing
dates, and ascertaining times. In cases of this nature, I believe men may
innocently guess as well as they can; but they should assert nothing ]
1 N
OW a certain
man was
sick,
named Lazarus,
[
Lazarus was loved by Jesus according
to scripture. He and his sisters, Martha and Mary, were very good friends
of Jesus. "Lazarus", the Hebrew version of this name is "Eleazar" and
means "God helps" or "Helped of God".] of Bethany,
the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was
that Mary
which
anointed the Lord [could
be translated "Who had formerly anointed". With this we have
a foundation of how Jesus knew Mary and Lazarus. ] with ointment,
and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his sisters
sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold,
he whom thou lovest
is sick.
[ How
is this plea so powerful? Note the
simplicity of this phrase- whom thou lovest is sick. No begging, no asking
for favour to cast out the desease. No just a simple plea since we know you
love him we know you will come and do what ever is your will.]
4 When Jesus heard
that, he
said,
This sickness is not unto death, [It
is very likely that this verse contains the message which Christ sent back,
by the person whom the afflicted sisters had sent to him; and this, no doubt,
served much to strengthen their confidence, though their faith must have
been greatly exercised by the death of their brother: for when this took
place, though they buried him, yet they believed, even then, probably on
the ground of this message, that Jesus might raise him from the dead.] but
for the glory of God,
[ What
is Jesus trying to say here? while Jesus may
be speaking figuratively of "death" and be saying "this [physical]
sickness is not unto [spiritual] death" as he clearly is in v. 26, the
statement can also be taken literally as Jesus revives Lazarus from physical
death."The restoration of physical life is a sign of eternal life. It
will glorify God in that it will bring Jesus' death, which is part of the
atonement." ] that the
son of God [
A statement of who he really was. He is not the son of Joseph. He is not
the son of a man. This title the son Of God means that his Father is literally
God our Father in Heaven. ] might be glorified thereby.
5
Now
Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
[ so
if he really loved them why did he not drop everything and go to them -
they really needed him right then? Did they receive anything greater (greater
blessings) from him delaying? Did their testimonies become stronger when
he was healed? Did they learn anything from those trials? ]
6 When he had heard therefore
that he was sick,
he abode two days still in the same
place where he was. [Upon hearing the news of
Lazarus' death Jesus found himself some 25 miles from Bethany, a two day
journey at best, and yet he did not drop everything (I suppose there is a
story there as well, but we will leave that for another time). Jesus spent
two more days completing the work there including: A healing on the sabbath,
taught at least two sermons, and 8 parables including the parable of the
prodigal son all before he left on the journey back to Bethany and the house
of Lazarus.]
7 Then after that saith
he to
his disciples,
Let us go into Judaea again.
8
His disciples
say unto him, Master,
the Jews of late sought
to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? [
Are you kidding me - the Jews have already tried to kill you why go back
and risk that they will succeed? ]
9 Jesus answered,
Are
there not twelve hours in the day? [ What
is the Lord trying to explain here? Though
it is the eleventh hour of my life, I have been sent here on a mission.
So I must go and do that which the Father called me to do. I can't wait
to help those that need it when my life is in danger - I must do it when
it is the right time - Lazarus needs me now. Jesus knows full well that
this one act alone will pretty much seal his fate - and yet he goes. We
see that in John 12:10 as they even tried to kill Lazarus because he was
healed by the Savior and seeing him reminded people of the power which
Jesus held.
The Jews, and many other nations, divided
the day, from sun-rising to sun-setting, into twelve equal parts;
but these parts, or hours, were longer or shorter, according to
the different seasons of the year. Alluding to the case of a traveler,
who has to walk the whole day: the day points out the time of life-the
night that of death. He has already used the same mode of speech,
chap. ix. i5: I must work the works of him that sent me, while
it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. Here he refers
to what the apostles had just said-The Jews were but just now going
to stone thee. Are there not, said he, twelve hours in the day?
I have not traveled these twelve hours yet-my last hour is not
yet come; and the Jews, with all their malice and hatred, shall
not be able to bring it a moment sooner than God has purposed.
I am immortal till my work is done; and this, that I am now going
to Bethany to perform, is a part of it. Then when all is completed,
then their hour, and that of the power of darkness, shall commence.] If
any man walk in
the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. [
The words en autw, refer not to the man, but to the world, the
sun, its light, not being above the horizon. And
who is the light of this world that he see's? What has the light
of the world asked us to do? To help
others, to do good.]
10
But
if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in
him. [ Those who do evil always ultimately
fail in their efforts because their thoughts and desires are intrinsically
corrupt. They are abandoned by God and left to their own arm of flesh machinations,
and thus they stumble and fall, cp. Isa. 50:10-11, Jer. 13:16. All of the
assassination attempts previous to this have failed as Jesus has not permitted
them to succeed. Now, the time has come, and he will permit them to succeed.
]
11 These things said he:
and after that he saith unto them,
Our friend Lazarus
sleepeth;
[ How
does Jesus know that he is dead? No one has told him? Though
the word sleep frequently meant death, (see Acts vii. 60; 1 Cor. xi. 30;
xv. 18, 20,). It was very common among the Jews to express death by sleep;
and the expression, falling asleep-sleeping with their fathers, &c.,
were in great use among them. The Hebrews probably used this form of speech
to signify their belief in the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection
of the body. ] but I go, that
I may awake him
out of sleep.
[ The savior, is teaching us that
death is noting more than sleep. To him who has all the power, the divine
creator. ]
12 Then said his disciples,
Lord,
if he sleep, he shall do well.
[The
disciples had missed the meaning (see verse 13) of what Jesus was saying.
Sleep is a known remedy for whatever ails you so - for them to respond the
sleep will do him good, and since he is sleeping then there is no need to
go wake him and risk your life in the process.]
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of
his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said
Jesus
unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
[ Again
who told the Savior that Lazarus had died? He knew the way he knows all
things. ]
15 And
I
am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; [ What
is the message from the Savior here? I am
glad that I was not there for if I was I would have healed him from his
illiness. Jesus had waited until this point to return and raise Lazarus
from the dead, the nature of this divine act would bear testimony in a
way that could not be refuted. Testimony that he was in fact the Messiah,
the son of God. He was setting the stage, so as to dramatize for all time
one of his greatest teachings; That he was the resurrection and the life,
that immortality and eternal life came by him and through him. ] nevertheless
let us go unto him.
16 Then said Thomas, which
is called
Didymus,
[ both
names meaning "twin" in Aramaic and Greek respectively ] unto
his fellowdisciples,
Let us also go, that we may die
with him.
[
Or since we are not going to change his mind, and we are pretty sure what
the Jews want to do to him of he returns to Jerusalem; so we might as well
be with him in death as well. Kind of acceptig of the outcome and strong
possibilities. ]
17 Then when Jesus came, he found
that he had
lain in the grave four days [
John's account describes Lazarus' burial as a typical Jewish burial. Wrapped
in linen strips, the body of Lazarus was buried the same day he died. His
tomb - a cave, was sealed with a stone. His sisters, Martha and Mary had
began the customary 30 days of mourning at home. During this time it was
customary to receive condolences from their friends and neighbors. Since
Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem it made it convenient for
many to come from the big city and visit. Jesus had rasied the dead at least
twice before. This time was different though. By the time Jesus arrived,
Lazarus had been dead four days. This is the point, according Jewish tradition,
that the spirit had left the body, and at that point decomposition had set
in. It was believed that at this point that no trace of the soul remained
in the body, there was simply no way to return.] already.
18 Now
Bethany
was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
[
Since Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem it made it convenient
for many to come from the big city and visit. Ait takes about 7.5 furlongs
to make a mile. ]
19 And
many
of the Jews came [ Since Bethany was so close
to Jerusalem, many friends and relatives would come. Jewish custom, would
require that they mourn with the afflicted sisters. Mourning, among the
Jews, lasted about thirty days: the three first days were termed days of
weeping: then followed seven of lamentation. During the three days, the
mourner did no servile work; and, if any one saluted him, he did not return
the salutation. During the seven days, he did no servile work, except in
private-lay with his bed on the floor-did not put on his sandals-did not
wash nor anoint himself-had his head covered-and neither read in the law,
the Mishnah, nor the Talmud. All the thirty days he continued unshaven,
wore no white or new clothes, and did not sew up the rents which he had
made in his garments. ] to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning
their brother.
20 Then Martha, as soon
as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him:
but
Mary sat still in the house.
[ as was
part pf the custom - to sit still, become immovable, as a way of demonstarting
sorrow. ]
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if
thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. [
In other words you could have healed him while he was yet sick, or raised
him from the dead just shortly after death. Sje repeats the same thing
to Jesus in verse 32.. Does she place a
limit on her faith with this statement? She
has enough faith that he could have cured his illness - but he is really
dead - she is putting a limit on her faith. What
other things is she assuming about the Savior? 1)
That he did not know that Lazarus was dead before Jesus got there - and
we know that he did know. 2) That Jesus certainly had the power to heal
him or raise him from the dead even though he was not present. How
do we put limits on the Saviors power in our lives.?]
22 But
I
know, that even now,
[ Npt outright asking
the Lord to raise her brother from the dead, but intimating that if he
would ask God - God would grant Jesus the miracle. The idea is that he
is a prophet, that he has a special link with God - not an evidence that
she knows who he really is - Gods son. ] whatsoever thou wilt ask
of God, God will give
it thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her,
Thy
brother shall rise again.
[ Note that the
Savior makes a firm statement - that Lazarus shakk rise again. How
does Martha take that statement? ]
24 Martha saith unto him,
I
know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. [
Martha says yes I understand at the last day he will be resurrected and
I believe that, but if you would have just been here I would not have had
to wait. ]
25 Jesus said unto her,
I
am [ One of the names used by the savior to
declare who he was, and his mission. This bold declaration was given to
the religious leaders of his day. "Verily , verily I say unto you,
Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58) In so doing he, announced firmly
to the nation of the Jews that he was the very same person who appeared
to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. The same God who labors in behalf of
Israel, who will fulfill every assignment given him, and that he un-changable "from
eternity to eternity" (D&C 76:4) even "Jesus Christ, your
Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins"(D&C
29:1);] the
resurrection,
[ What
is resurrection? It is not coming to life
from death as did Lazarus; it is not ascending to heaven with out tasting
death as did Elijah; it is not continuing to live on earth for thousands
of years as do John and the three Nephites. It is to rise from mortality
to immortality, from corruption to incorruption, to have body and spirit
reunite in an inseparable connection so that they can never again be torn
apart. The resurrection is possible because of two events: 1 The fall of
Adam; and 2) The redemptive sacrifice of the son of God. We are taught
in 1 Cor 15:22 "As in Adam all die; even so in Christ shall all be
made alive" ] and
the life:
[ what
kind of life? Through the atonement comes
the promise that we can have an eternal life, a life were we can live personally
in the presence of God. A life which is available to all who are obedient
to his commandments.. John 14: 6 6... I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.] he that
believeth in
me,
[ We must believe in Jesus Christ; which
means to have faith in, confidence in him, trust him and we show that by
being obedient to his will. 3 Ne. 11: 35 35 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father;
and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will
the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with
the Holy Ghost. If we believe in him whar
is possible? everything of coarse - so
if we believe in him what is it any easier for him to raise Lazarus in
the resurrection than it is right now - today? so
what is the message for use here? ] though
he were dead,
[
Adams fall brought mortality for all of us, to this world, meaning that
we could come here, receive a body of flesh and blood and be subject to
the laws of mortality, part of that law is that some day we will all face
temporal or natural death.The awful terror of death is vanquished by the
power of Christ's redeeming sacrifice, a supreme sacrifice by the son of
God that would break the bands of mortality and replace them with immortality,
that we will all live again. How is that
possible we say? I suppose that we cannot
really understand all of the ramifications in this existence, but Nephi
helps give us some clues in 1 Ne 11:16,26 Nephi was taught of the condenscsion
of God by an angel. Which is first that our father in Heaven descended
from heaven to produce a son, that Jesus is literally his son, his offspring,
the fruit of his body, and as a result Jesus Christ the son of God inherited
the power of immortality, the power to live forever unending and eternal,
the power to unit the body and the spirit again in a resurrected state,
Christ voluntary permitted his body and spirit to be separated as an essential
part of working out the infinite and eternal atonement. His purpose was
to redeem mankind from their sins and provide a way that they (we) might
return to live with our father in heaven again someday. His mission was
to live a pure and faultless life in mortality, then subject his will entirely
to the will of the Father as had been outlined in the grand council in
heaven. As we desire to be like him we too will have to completely submit
our will to the will of out FATHER IN HEAVEN. And so Christ's final act
in mortality, the one that required that he lay his life down, wherein
he opened the doors of immoralility - by taking his life up again after
three days in the tomb.] yet shall he live:
[
The saviors words were "After three days I will rise again." On
the first day of the week, Sunday, the Lords Day. Hearing the news that
the saviors body is gon Peter and John fear the worst; that wicked men
must have stolen the body. They race to the tomb, John who is younger and
more fleet a foot arrives first, stoops down, looks in, but does not enter,
hesitating as it were to desecrate the sacred spot. Peter, impetuous, bold
and dynamic rushes in. John follows. Together they witness the linen strips
used to bind the graven body. They are not undone, the resurrected body
has passed through them. What they had not before know was confirmed to
them, It is true! It is the third day and He is risen.
And how do we know that he lives? What
are some of the evidences that we have?
From the Testimonies of those who have seen the savior. To Mary
near the sepulcher, to Cleopas and his
companion on the road to Emmaus,
To Peter in or near Jerusalem, to Peter,
Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, and others of the apostles at
Jerusalem, at the Sea of Tiberius,
and on a mountain in Galilee to the group of 500
near Galilee, and
once again at the time of his ascension on the
Mount of Olives to his eleven apostles.
From the multitude of Nephites who bore this testament
of the resurrected Lord:
15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their
hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands
and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until
they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with
their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it
was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.
16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves,
they did cry out with one accord, saying:
17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did
fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him. 3 Ne 11
From the prophet Joseph Smith and ...
24" And now after the many testimonies which have been given of
him, this is the testimony. Last of all which we [Joseph Smith and
Sidney Rigdon] give of him: that he lives!
23 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard a voice
bearing record that he is the Only begotten of the Father" D&C
76:24,25
From the modern day prophet and quorum of twelve apostles ...
"We bear testimony, as His duly ordained ApostlesÑthat Jesus is
the Living Christ, the immortal son of God"
"He rose from the grave to "become the first fruits of them that
slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He
had loved in life. He also ministered among His "other sheep" (John
10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared
to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised "dispensation of
the fullness of times" (Ephesians 1:10)"
"He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of
His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is
the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world
to come. "
THE FIRST PRESIDENCY & THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE ]
26 And whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him,
Yea,
Lord: I believe [ pepisteuka, I have believed.
Either meaning that she had believed this for some time past, or that,
since he began to teach her, her faith had been considerable increased;
but verbs preter, in Greek, are often used to signify the present. Martha
here acknowledges Christ for the Messiah promised to their fathers; but
her faith goes no farther; and, having received some hope of her brother's
present resurrection, she waited for no farther instruction, but ran to
call her sister. ] that thou art the Christ, the son of
God, which should come into the world.
28 And when she had so said,
she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master
is come,
and calleth for thee.
[
Note the master teacher once again. First he is goung to strengthen the faith
of Maryl he is gpong tp teach her - so that when he perfprms this miracle
she will have a better understanding, she will better understand who he is,
his mission. Line upon line. ]
29 As soon as she heard
that, she
arose quickly, and came unto him.
30
Now
Jesus was not yet come into the town,
[The
burial places were on the outskirts of the city walls.] but
was in that place where Martha met him. [
So Marry meets the Savior some place close then to where Lazarus is buried.
]
31 The Jews then which were
with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose
up hastily and went out, followed her, saying,
She goeth
unto the grave to weep there.
[The tradition
was for the nearest relative to go to the tomb during the period known as
the three days of weeping. The idea was to watch the deceased face. This
was a period of hope - for some had come back during the three day period.
Watching the face was the sign - on about the third day the face would sink
and all hope for return was past.]
32 Then when Mary was come
where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him,
Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
33 When Jesus therefore
saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her,
he
groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
[ What
does this show about the Savior? He has the
feelings of man, his heart was soft, he morned with those that morned, he
was compassioniate. He could not see those he loved hurting so and not hurt
himself. Do you suppose any of that hurt came
for the fact that they did not fully believe in him? So we hurt the Savior
by not fully believeing in him? ]
34 And said, Where have
ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
35
Jesus
wept. [ He has the emotions of a human, he
cares, he feels - even with all of that power he has feeling. So if the
Savior can weep why can't we? What is he
weeping for? ]
36 Then said the Jews,
Behold
how he loved him!
[ Is
his love for Lazarus any different than his love for us? ]
37 And some of them said,
Could
not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even
this man should not have died? [To the Jews
this was a sign of weakness, a sign that he really did not have the power
to do waht a God could - So the mocked him. "If he loved him so well,
why did he not heal him? And if he could have healed him, why did he not
do it, seeing he testifies so much sorrow at his death? ]
38 Jesus therefore again
groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay
upon it.
39
Jesus
said, Take ye away the stone.
[ Why
does the Savior not just use the priesthood to remove the stone as well? Note
that Jesus has the power to remove the stone using the same power as he
will raise the dead. But he asks the men around to remove the stone. Teaching
that in the divine economy; the Lord will never do for someone what can
be done by themselves - or what others can do for them. Symbolic - Taketh
away the stone or remove it. By so doing you will see that he is indeed
dead. This is done as a form of saying see for you own eyes that he is
dead - tyi can both see and smell the death. ] Martha,
the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he
stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
[Despite
her strong testimony, Martha’s faith seemed weak when Jesus asked that
the stone be removed from Lazarus’s tomb. How did Jesus help her? ]
40 Jesus saith unto her,
Said
I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of
God? [ IS faith
- enough of it all that is required? What about agency? Foreordination?
God's plan or will? Does real faith occur without it being in line with
God's plan? Just as it was here - The Savior
said up front I do this - or this will be done to show the Glory of God.
In otherwords; he was planning (His will) was to raise Lazarys from the
dead since the beginning - that is in part why he waited until the fourth
day. What can we learn from this about what the Lord
expects of us?
]
41 Then they took away
the stone
from the place where the dead was laid.
And
Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
that thou hast heard me.
[Four days prior while
in Perea Jesus had prayed that Lazarus might be raised from the dead. Now
thanking the Father for that blessing..]
42 And
I
knew that thou hearest me always:
[
Did Jesus exercise faith to heal
Lazarus? How is this short phrase a demonstration of that? Note in verse 41 & 42 he gives thanks
before the miracle - how is that for faith, confidence that it will happen.] but
because of the people which stand by I said
it, that
they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43 And when he thus had
spoken,
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth.
[ Remember
what Jesus promised to do in verse 25? The time
was coming in which the dead would hear his voice and come forth. Now he
becons Lazarus who is dead to come forth. Fulfilling his own prophecy - literally.
]
44 And
he
that was dead came forth,
[
Jesus had already raised two people from the dead (Mark 5:22–24, 35–43;
Luke 7:11–17). How was raising Lazarus from
the dead different from the two previous instances? (The
daughter of Jairus and the son of the widow of Nain were raised from the
dead soon after their body and spirit had separated. They had not been
placed in tombs. Lazarus had been dead for four days, and his body was
already in a sepulchre.)] bound hand and foot with graveclothes:
and his face was bound about with a napkin.
Jesus
saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
[
Invites the disciples to participate and be part of the miracle ]
45 Then many of the Jews
which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on
him.
46
But
some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things
Jesus had done.
[There whole purpose in being
there was to spy any way.]
47 ¶ Then gathered
the chief priests and the
Pharisees a council, and said,
What do we? for this man
doeth many miracles. [
This last miracle was so clear, plain, and incontestable, that they were
driven now to their wit's end. Their own spies had come and borne testimony
of it. ]
48 If we let him thus alone,
all men will
believe on him:
and the Romans shall come and
take away both our place and nation. [ If
we permit him to work but a few more miracles like these two last (the
cure of the blind man, and the resurrection of Lazarus) he will be universally
acknowledged for the Messiah; the people will proclaim him king; and the
Romans, who can suffer no government here but their own, will be so irritated
that they will send their armies against us, and destroy our temple, and
utterly dissolve our civil and ecclesiastical existence. Thus, under the
pretense of the public good, these men of blood hide their hatred against
Christ, and resolve to put him to death. To get the people on their side,
they must give the alarm of destruction to the nation: if this man be permitted
to live, we shall be all destroyed! Their former weapons will not now avail.
On the subject of keeping the Sabbath, they had been already confounded;
and his last miracles were so incontestable that they could no longer cry
out, He is a deceiver. ]
Conclusion
President Thomas S. Monson:
“The passage of time has not altered the capacity of the Redeemer to change
men’s lives. As he said to the dead Lazarus, so he says to you and me: ‘…
come forth.’ (John 11:43.) Come forth from the despair of doubt. Come forth
from the sorrow of sin. Come forth from the death of disbelief. Come forth
to a newness of life. Come forth” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1974, 72; or
Ensign, May 1974, 50).
Why is it important that we develop faith?
What things can we do to develop faith?
