The Rich Young Man:
READ Matthew 19:16-17
Why
did the young man come to Christ?
He genuinely wanted to know how to gain
eternal life.
What
is implied in his first question?
He realizes that he hasn’t attained to
eternal life yet – that he is still deficient.
He thinks he can earn eternal life
through his works.
He has overestimated his true state or
situation before God; he doesn’t think he is that far away (note the singular
“good thing” phrase).
He doesn’t understand that to have
eternal life, we must know God and be precisely like Him.
He has underestimated God’s glory and how
far he presently is from attaining it.
One’s perception of God’s glory is
limited by how much of that glory one possesses themselves – the less you are
filled with light the more delusional you are about the amount of light you
possess because most people think they are “good” or filled with more light
than darkness; the less light you have the less you can see accurately.
What
is Christ’s definition of “good”?
Perfect.
Like God in every way.
Why
might Jesus have reacted like this to being called “good”?
Christ is on His final journey to
Jerusalem and He had not yet faced the infinite burden of the Atonement or
attained unto His own resurrection.
Until it had been completed, the
atonement was an uncertainty for Christ and He had to entertain the possibility
of failure – even though he’d been prepared through eternities and had seen His
Father perform the same act in vision (see John 5:19; TPJS 349:4; TPJS: 391:1;
TPJS 421:3), He was surprised by the magnitude of the suffering when it was
upon Him (see John 12:27; Matthew 26:36-39; Mark 14:33-34; and D&C
19:15-19).
He is trying to clue the young man in to
the fact that he (the young man) is not as “good” as he thinks he is; that he
really has no idea what it means to be good, i.e. to possess the fullness of
the glory of God the Father.
READ Matthew 19:18-19
Why
does Christ answer the young man’s question with the counsel to “keep the
commandments”?
You must keep all the commandments to be
saved; in fact, you must be precisely like Christ is and nothing else (see LoF
7:9).
Christ knew that the young man did not
deserve/merit and was not ready for further light and truth; by divine law,
Christ could not give the man a commandment he was not capable of obeying.
Why
does the young man ask “which”?
Either he is looking to ring-fence what
must be done (limit the terms so that it is more doable – similar to asking
“what good thing”).
Or he is genuinely asking Christ because
he has kept all of the commandments he knows about from his youth up but he has
still not been promised eternal life (Calling and Election) – he is looking for
the key to true worship and communion with God.
His question shows that his approach to
eternal life is fundamentally flawed – he thinks eternal life can be attained
through checking off a list of commandments he received through a man; albeit,
a man who knows God and has access to Him and His commandments; he doesn’t
realize that to place a man between himself and God is telestial damnation (see
D&C 76:98-101).
He doesn’t realize that eternal life
requires a direct and intimate relationship with God – no one has ever been
saved without knowing God, let alone without ever having met Him; but he
doesn’t understand this.
But he must get some credit for
continuing to ask the Lord for specific answers to his questions, which are
genuine.
What
kinds of commandments does Christ tell him to keep?
The Ten Commandments – the fundamentals.
He tells him, albeit subtly, where he is
deficient in keeping the commandments he thinks he has been keeping from his
youth up.
In reality, this is just the beginning;
he must abide by all facets of eternal law, as Christ has done.
Has
the young man kept all of the commandments that he has been given?
No.
He thinks he has but he has not; he is
not as righteous as he thinks he is.
He has not kept the commandment to love
his neighbor as himself; if he had, he would have already given away much, if
not all of his wealth to help them.
In Mark 10:21 it says that Christ loved
the young man, so we can assume that He felt that the young man was earnest in
his seeking; but like almost all of us, his mind is darkened.
READ Matthew 19:20
What
response should the young man have given the Lord at this point?
“Oh Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner!”
The commandment to love your neighbor as
yourself, and by extrapolation to love God with all your might, mind and
strength (see Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-28), consists of far more than the
young man understood it to; he thought he had lived it from his youth up but he
had fallen woefully short of doing so.
Despite
this, why is “what lack I yet” a key question that all of us must ask the Lord?
It allows the Lord to tell us, bluntly,
what we must do to come unto Him and be sealed up to Eternal Life – if we don’t
ask, He can’t answer as He is bound by our agency (see 2 Nephi 32:4; Luke
11:9-10; D&C 130:20-21).
But if He doesn’t tell us, we won’t be
able to figure it out on our own (see 2 Nephi 32:6 and Alma 12:10-11) – we must
receive this revelation directly from Him.
It is a plea for further light and
knowledge; it assumes that what one has been doing (or the light that has been
attained) is not enough, otherwise one would already be sealed up to eternal
life by God.
But it also assumes that we truly are
keeping all of the Lord’s commandments we have been given up to that point;
this may or may not be true (see the delusion comment above).
What
is the danger of asking this question?
He might answer it.
The answer will always be hard because if
it were easy, and we were genuine in our seeking to know Christ and be saved,
we would have done it already.
What
is the danger of not asking this question?
You will not and cannot be saved (see 2
Nephi 32:4 and 7; LoF 6:3-5).
What
might a better question haven been?
“Lord, I am blind! Will you show me my weaknesses, forgive me,
and bless me to find the strength to overcome them?” (see Ether 12:27-28).
Showing unto you your weaknesses could be
either a) commandments you’ve been given that you are not keeping but think you
are or b) weaknesses or darkness that you have within you from not keeping
commandments you were not aware of because you lack the light and knowledge.
Asking for a blessing to find the
strength to overcome them could either be a) aid in keeping the commandments
you’ve already been given – which, by definition, you are able to keep
otherwise you would not have been them in the first place, or b) giving you
strength through a dispensation of additional light you now lack, to keep new
commandments you’ve just been given.
READ Matthew 19:21
Why
did Christ ask the young man to sell all that he had?
His wealth was a barrier to his truly
experiencing full dependence on the Lord (the deceitfulness of riches).
It is only through the sacrifice of all
earthly things that the young man would gain the faith necessary to answer his
original question about how he might obtain eternal life.
Which is to come and know the Lord by
following or abiding with Him.
He needed to lose all earthly tethers or
fetters; he needed to be free to follow the Lord with no other desire; he
needed to place himself in a situation where he was whole dependent upon the Lord
so that he could exercise faith to a degree that he hadn’t needed to with a
full bank account.
READ LoF 6:7-10
Why
had the young man been given his great wealth in the first place?
To sacrifice it.
To bless the lives of others – to be a
savior on Mount Zion.
As a test of his faith.
What
would the young man have lived through and learned if he had followed Christ?
He would have accompanied Christ to
Jerusalem for the Passover week: he could have witnessed the atonement, the
crucifixion, and the resurrection.
He could have learned as an eyewitness,
what it means to gain eternal life – to know Christ (see John 17:3).
READ Matthew 19:22
How
many chances like this did the rich young man have in his life?
Only this one – it is heartbreaking to
think about it; if he went away sorrowing from his encounter with Jesus, can
you imagine the devastating sorrow he must be feeling now?
We never hear about him again in the New
Testament – did he forfeit his exaltation as a result of his actions during
that brief exchange?
The good news is that the Lord continues
to call after us until the night comes when no work can be performed, so
perhaps there is still hope for the rich young man.
What
are the characteristics of an opportunity like this?
It comes when we are prepared – it’s never
a “gotcha” or set up.
Occurs in a moment in time – a watershed
moment.
Unexpected, unscripted.
Requires us to respond quickly – from the
deepest desire of our heart.
Requires us to heed the inspiration from
the Spirit that accompanies the opportunity.
Asks us to do some inconvenient or
difficult.
May not be obviously “The Test” – can be
subtle or seemingly ordinary.
Passes on quickly if we hesitate.
May not come again for a long time, if
ever.
READ Mark 10:23-27
Is
there inherent evil in wealth?
No.
God has all the wealth of the universe.
But for us it can be a massive liability
– it tests our desires & faith.
How
else are people “rich” in this world?
Power/authority, fame, reputation,
credential/education.
So
why did Christ say it will be hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God?
Because so many who are wealthy trust in
their riches.
And if you trust in riches you are unable
to trust in God – at least to the degree you seem to need to, to be saved; you
have more to lose when you put it all on the altar.
Does
the Gospel demand that we walk away from riches?
Seek first for the kingdom of God (see
Matthew 6:33).
Not necessarily, but if/when asked, we must
be fully willing to do so; if we have attachment to our riches or really
anything in this mortal world, we are in trouble and must work through that
attachment to be willing to give it all up.
Every blessing is given to us as a
stewardship from God; and they are always subject to God’s request to return
them to Him.
The Widow’s Mite
READ Mark 12:41-44
What
did the average observer see at the Temple Treasury that day?
Some individuals contributing large sums
of money – without a check or credit card, it would have been very obvious who
was giving the most money.
It would have taken the widow 5 seconds
to get the 2 mites out of her purse and throw them into the Treasury box – most
people probably didn’t even see her, and those who did may have wondered if she
were holding out – “I mean, two mites?
That’s it?”
Who
did the Lord take notice of at the Temple Treasury and why?
The obscure, unnamed widow not the “great
ones” with their wealth.
The Lord grades on percentage of
consecration, not total donation dollars.
What
is the lesson the Widow teaches us?
Exercise faith to sacrifice LITERALLY ALL
earthly possessions.
Have no attachment to the world and its
possessions.
The
Widow is living the spirit of which law?
The Law of Consecration.
The Rich Fool
READ Luke 12:16-21
How
did the man become rich?
He was working – farming his land.
But his land produced more than he
expected – i.e. he didn’t do anything special to get the extra crop and he
didn’t have room for it – he was surprised by the yield, which demonstrates
that he didn’t do anything to justify producing it.
He was blessed with the unexpected
increase.
What
is the key question that this parable teaches us and why?
“What shall I do, because I have no room
where to bestow my fruits?”
This increase is an unexpected blessing
from the Lord – what should he do with it?
What
are the man’s choices?
Save the windfall and retire early (the
deceitfulness of riches).
Give it away and continue to work.
Pray to obtain the will of the Lord.
If
the man had known it was his last day on earth, would he have chosen
differently?
Most likely.
He would have given everything to the
Lord or to the poor (same thing?!) like the widow and her mites.
Why
did the widow give all she had – did she have a terminal disease?
Most likely, no – unless you consider
chronic poverty a terminal disease; her life expectancy had to have been less
than the rich in her society but she was likely not facing death in that moment
or Christ would not have highlighted her sacrifice in the way He did.
But when you have so little, two mites is
not going to buy you much.
The logical approach would be that it’s better
to give it to the Lord and hope to gain His grace – and lay up for yourself
treasure in heaven but this requires great faith in God.
Is this why it is so hard for the rich to
make it to heaven – they have that much more to lose?! They don’t have to rely on God for their next
meal.
The Unjust Steward
There are at least two interpretations of
this parable – here is the first:
READ Luke 16:1-12
What
did the Steward do when he found out he was about to be fired?
He defrauded his Lord by falsifying the
accounts – decreasing the amount of money owed to his Lord by his customers.
Why
did the lord commend the unjust steward for defrauding him?
He is commending the steward for his
shrewdness, ingenuity and proactivity.
Why
did the Steward go to those two particular customers?
They will agree to the deceit/fraud.
So that when he gets fired, those two
customers will be more likely to take care of him, give him a job with one of
them, etc.
What
is the Steward worrying about?
How he is going to live after he loses
his good job with the lord.
His future.
What
is Jesus suggesting that we do when we find ourselves in trouble?
Make sure you have friends who will take
care of you.
How
do you ensure this?
By taking care of your friends when you
have the opportunity.
How
do you ensure you have friends at the judgment bar of Christ?
Use your money and time while in mortality
to cloth the naked, feed the poor, visit those in prison for if you do those
things unto the least, you do it unto the Lord (see Matthew 25:34-40).
And the Lord is the one “friend” who can
save you, at that day; you are about to be “fired” by God for your poor
performance on earth with His busienss and resources – or work and glory.
This parable shows that if we were as
wise and motivated about our eternal futures as the unjust steward was about his
mortal future after he’d been fired, we would be saved.
Here is the second interpretation – this
makes sense in the context of the fact that Christ tells this parable right
after condemning the Pharisees with the Parable of the Lost after they
correctly accused him of eating with publicans and sinners (which was against
their oral tradition law), and before the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
Who
does the rich man or lord represent?
The Lord.
What
are the Lord’s goods and what does it mean to waste them?
The resources of the earth.
To use the resources in a manner he
hasn’t asked for them to be used in (compelling the poor to come to church in
exchange for welfare money or building $2-billion-dollar shopping malls).
Who
does the steward represent and how do we know?
The steward is the leadership of the
Lord’s Church on earth in any age.
We know this because the Lord gave actual
power of attorney to the stewards to call the Lord’s debtors in and
legitimately “adjust” their bills.
Who
are the Lord’s debtors?
Those who have entered into a contract or
covenant with the Lord, by baptism, to be obedient to Him (see 1 Nephi 20:1-2).
Yet are witnessing falsely –they say that
they have repented and have a determination to serve (obey) the Lord until the
end of their lives (in exchange for redemption – hence the debt) but they have
no real intention to do so – they are baptized pretenders, a Church full of
hypocrites pretending to be Zion.
What
do the bills, wheat and oil represent?
The Lord’s commandments, which the
debtors have agreed to render to the Lord in exchange for redemption.
The wheat could be the word of the Lord
or scriptures, which the steward conspired with the debtor to remove some of (change
the scriptures and covenants) – or require only some of the word to be read and
followed.
The oil could be works of righteousness
which lead to receiving more of the Holy Spirit – again, much is missing from
the debtors account in that they don’t have a full portion of the Spirit –
haven’t been born again, haven’t followed the path back to the Lord to receive
their calling and election made sure, haven’t continued on after that, true and
faithful, etc.
What
does “unjust” mean?
To do more or less than what was agreed
upon.
To not be just or correct.
To not be justified.
What
does it mean for a disciple to fail?
They did not finish the course of
discipline to become a Master or Lord themselves, refusing to complete the
required training through diligence and practice in the teachings of the Master.
They are not like the Master and do not
know what He knows; and they most likely do not know how fully they do not know
because the Lord’s ways are not man’s ways and they lack the light to
comprehend Him – they don’t understand His rules and what they were intended to
teach.
As a result, they lack the Master’s
experience, wisdom, and skills or power.
What
are the everlasting habitations?
Wherever that group goes who have not
kept the Lord’s commandments – to hell (see TPJS 225:1).
Both the deceitful Church leader and the
spiritually still-born but covenant making member will be together in hell,
having conspired together to defraud the Lord (see Matthew 5:21).
The apostasy from truth happens like a kung
fu movie where the apprentices don’t really apply themselves to the teachings
of the Master – they are more interested in the reputation they have in being
affiliated with His Order but do not want to put in the time to learn the
skills. When the Master dies, they
continue to use his name and pretend to have his skill but because they never
learned it, it is lost to them – they don’t understand what the scrolls of
learning are trying to teach them – it makes no sense to them. So, it becomes all about marketing,
positioning, sleight of hand, and positional authority or strength in
numbers. If a stranger would come to
them claiming to have studied with the same Master previously, they would try
to kill or banish him, as he would be a threat to their charade. (See Matthew 21:21-56); but if that were to
happen and the stranger actually did have the Master’s skills, he/she would
make quick work of the charlatans and pretenders – and all observers would be
able to clearly see the difference.
