Jesus Ministering

This week in my New Testament class, we talked about something that has been on my mind a lot lately – ministering.  Brother Griffin compared and contrasted the stories of Nicodemus and the Woman at the well to teach a powerful lesson.  In John 3, we read about the experience that Nicodemus had with the Savior. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and Brother Griffin explained that Pharisees were extreme literalists. Whatever it said in the law, they did it as literally as they could. They were also seen as being the righteous of society, the ones trained in the law of Moses.  When Nicodemus comes to Jesus, Jesus proclaims to him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v.3).  Nicodemus, probably rather confused, asks him how that is possible – how a grown man can literally be born again.  Jesus uses this as an opportunity to minister to Nicodemus, to help him increase his faith and take him one step further up the path of conversion. Jesus explains that “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (v.5).  Jesus wanted to help Nicodemus leave the literal behind, and instead see the spiritual side of things.  Jesus understood where Nicodemus was on his path to conversion, adapted his teachings, and helped Nicodemus progress.

            In John 4, we of a similar situation – Jesus is helping another person progress on the path to conversion.  This time Jesus is in Samaria talking to a woman at a well.  Jesus asks her to “give [him] to drink,” upon which the Samaritan woman questions him, saying, “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans” (v.9).  Jesus, seeing an opportunity to teach, explains that he is the source of living water, and whoever drinks the living water will never thirst again.  Immediately upon that declaration, the woman inquires, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw” (v.15).  She is desirous to attain this living water, but Jesus asks her to call her husband first.  The woman explains that she has no husband, upon which Jesus replies that she has had five husbands, and the man she’s with now is not her husband.  The woman is marveled and proclaims, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet” (v.19).  After expressing her faith in Christ, Jesus proclaimed that he is the Christ. The woman immediately left her water pot and proclaimed to everyone in her town that she had found the Christ.  There is a grand lesson hidden behind these details. The spiritual progression of this woman allowed Christ to make his first official proclamation of his divine identity. She started off by calling him “a Jew”, then “Sir”, then “a prophet”, and finally “Christ”. Jesus understood where she was, and he was able to continue promoting her faith, prompting her further and further along the path to conversion.  Jesus understood that she was progressing rapidly and adjusted his teaching accordingly.  Just one chapter earlier, Jesus talked about himself in the third person when speaking to Nicodemus when he said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…” He knew that Nicodemus wasn’t ready for Jesus to proclaim himself, but the woman at the well was ready.

            Another lesson that Jesus teaches us about ministering is that we shouldn’t be a respecter of persons and Jesus’s teachings are not “one size fits all.” Jesus taught Nicodemus, a rich Pharisee who was respected in society. Then in the next chapter, Jesus goes to a sinner woman that is a Samaritan.  Two completely opposite people, but He helps them grow and teaches to their needs.

            That is such a powerful lesson to me in relation to my ministering endeavors.  I cannot be a respecter of persons – everyone needs the gospel. But not just a rote lesson of the gospel, they need it taught to them in a way that will motivate their progression to heaven.  Just because someone may be much different than me, that shouldn’t dissuade me from being a good minister. And instead of preparing the same message for those I minister to, I need to assess their needs and teach specifically to them.  I love the lesson that Jesus teaches us in his teaching of Nicodemus and the Woman at the well.

Christ and Temptation

We live in a world that is full of temptation. However, today in my New Testament class, I learned something that changed the way that I look at temptation and how to combat it.  We read the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan in Matthew 4: 1-11.  We learn that immediately after Christ’s baptism, the travels into the wilderness to fast and to be with God.  I can imagine that he was receiving instruction on what he was going to have to accomplish over the next three years.  After Christ had fasted for “40 days and 40 nights”, we learn that Satan started to tempt him.  He starts by saying, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”  The key word in this sentence is the word If.  If Christ wanted to, he could have turned the stones into bread and eaten – he was fasting for 40 days after all.  But that wasn’t the true temptation – Satan was tempting Christ to prove himself as a God, to use his God-given power to satisfy a carnal desire, and to hearken to his voice.  The second temptation came when Christ was “on a pinnacle of the temple.” Satan tempted him to throw himself off and have the angels catch him.  It never made sense to my why that was such a big temptation, but Brother Griffin explained why today in class. He said that during the Festival times, there were thousands and thousands of people in Jerusalem, and most likely thousands of people surrounding the temple.  Christ knew that he had the charge to bless their lives, call disciples, and serve those people – it was a very daunting task.  What Satan was really tempting him to do was to take the easy way out. Jump off the temple, have angels catch you, and instantly have a following of disciples.  The third temptation came on an “exceedingly high mountain,” and Satan showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.”  Satan wanted Jesus to worship to him, and he would give Jesus those kingdoms.  However, Jesus technically already has worlds without number, and so Satan is trying to tempt the mortal side of Jesus – again, he is trying to give him the easy way out.  In each of these three temptations, Satan is following the exact same pattern.  He is trying to give you instantaneous gratification.  When God commands you to do something, He never promises that it will be easy; however, he always provides a way for you to do it and promises future blessings.  God’s way often includes short-term suffering and struggles in exchange for long-term glory, salvation, and exaltation.  Satan, however, does just the opposite. He wants to give you short-term happiness and ease in exchange for long-term suffering and tribulation.  When Brother Griffin finished explaining that, I thought back on many experiences I’ve had, and he was exactly right.  Satan always tempts us to take the easy way out and give into our carnal desires. God on the other hand requires us to overcome those desires, follow his commandments, and reap the eternal benefits in the future.

            The other lesson from this account is taught by Jesus through the way that he refutes each temptation.  Jesus quotes scripture every time.  Brother Griffin paraphrased Elder Ballard and taught that either quoting scripture of singing hymns is an extremely effective way to ward off Satan and his temptations.  There were many ways that Christ could’ve responded to Satan, but he chose scripture each time.  Because of this teaching, I am going to memorize more scriptures that are meaningful to me so that when temptation comes, I will be able to combat it more easily.

The Birth of Christ

This week in my New Testament class there were two main points that deeply impacted me – and they both relate to the physical birth of the Savior.  One point that Brother Griffin made this week was that the Savior gave up glory and power in the heavens to come to earth, be born, and grow up like everyone else.  I had thought about that before, but it never really stuck. However, my wife and I had a baby boy about a year ago, and so this time my appreciation was much greater.  There is nothing quite like holding a newborn baby in your hands and knowing that they are entirely and completely dependent on you.  They can’t even hold their head up for themselves.  Thinking about the Savior, about how he was on the right hand of the Father in heaven and how he was the creator of worlds without end, and how he gave all that up, came to earth and was born just like you and me taught me a powerful lesson about His profound humility and willingness to obey the Father.  I can’t even imagine what Mary must have felt, knowing that she was holding he Savior in her arms, and knowing that she was responsible for nurturing and helping him grow. He chose to not only submit himself completely to his Heavenly Father, but also to his earthly mother.

The second personal lesson I learned came from Luke 1:37, which reads, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” That scripture is very powerful in and of itself, but I think it is even more so once you know the context in which it was given.  Luke tells the story of Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and how she was barren and stricken with years – in other words, it was impossible for her to get pregnant and have a baby. However, through the power of God, she was able to conceive and have John.  Luke also tells the story of Mary, and how she was able to have Jesus even though she was a virgin.  It should have been impossible for both Elisabeth and Mary to have children, but “…with God nothing shall be impossible.” This teaching really hits home with me because I have a brother and sister-in-law that have been struggling to get pregnant for the past little while, but just a week ago they found out they were pregnant! It truly was a miracle for them and for our whole family.  I know that God can work miracles in our lives, and I know that He truly wants what’s best for us.  Sometimes, like in Elisabeth’s case, those miracles don’t come when we want them, but when the Lord needs them to happen.