A Defiled vs Sanctified Heart

This morning I had a wonderful study period with my mom.  We studied Matthew 14-15.  There was a part which stopped us up, and we had a hard time processing what Jesus was saying, so we drew a drawing to help break it down.

Matthew 15 discusses how the scribes PLUS Pharisees came from Jerusalem to Jesus.  (He didn't seek this discussion, they brought it to Him.)  They challenge Him, saying,

"Why do Your taught ones transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." (Matt. 15:1)

In various feasts and ordinances the priests are to wash their hands as part of the ordinance.  In Passover feasts, the participants are to "wash their hands" as part of the ceremony.  It is considered cleansing and representative of washing away of sin.

One distinction I like in this translation (The Scriptures) is that the King James use of "disciples" is changed to "Your taught ones".  It brings to mind that the people who followed Jesus were being taught by Him, much like when I enjoy learning from various gurus of our day.  These people followed and studied with Him, learning from Him routinely.  I can think of a few living people I do this with.

So the scribes and Pharisees wanted to know why those who were taught by Him didn't follow the tradition of the elders in washing their hands when they eat bread.  Christ responds,

"Why do you also transgress the command of Elohim because of your tradition?  For Elohim has commanded, saying, 'Respect your father and your mother,' and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 

But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me has been dedicated," is certainly released from respecting his father or mother.'  So you have nullified the command of Elohim by your tradition.  

Hypocrites!(!!)  Yeshayahu (Isaiah) rightly prophesied about you, saying, 'This people draw near to Me with their mouth, and respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.'  

Referring to the drawing again,

on the left side is what Elohim's law declares.  We are to respect father and mother.  If we do not respect them, but curse them, the principle is that death follows.  This was part of the law that was given after Moses had to return to the mount because the Israelites were worshiping other gods.  So this is a basic law of heaven that is being instituted in as simple of form as possible.  Respect your parents; honor them.

Contrast this with what the scribes and Pharisees were teaching, which was "If you kids can pay off your parents (or benefit them through some means), you're released from needing to respect them.  You can pay your way out of the relationship."  (I assume a Hebrew scholar will understand this verse more than I, so this is my layman's interpretation of it.)  If you note the arrows in the drawing, in the Law from Elohim, the love and respect and honor goes from child to parent.  It illustrates gratitude, and promotes harmony from one line of descendants to another.  It imitates the respect, love, and glory Christ shows to his Father.  Gratitude is one thing that ties hearts together, and when a child shows gratitude for the sacrifices of their parents, it allows the parents to be honored and reciprocate love to the child more readily.  It seems to be a natural law of the universe, or a law of heaven, I suppose.  It is a true principle in my life at least.

However on the right side, it encases greed, selfishness, and lack of relationship or respect from child to parent.  It is self-serving.  It is disharmony.  The child has no eternal gratitude but to pay off the parent with some form or money or "profit".  The relationship becomes more temporary, as ties seem to be severed and released.  They are "free".

{As a sidenote, this resembles Satan's efforts in the councils at the beginning of this world.  He wanted to collect the glory, severing his ties with Elohim.  In essence create his own, disconnected kingdom with no reciprocation of gratitude, glory, or respect for Elohim.  "Glory be mine" mentality.  See Moses 4:1-4.}  

This discussion expresses the heart to me of what Jesus is saying.  After the scribes + Pharisees interrupt their lesson, he gathers in the taught ones and explains the whole crux of the matter.

"And calling the crowd near, He said to them, "Hear and understand: "Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

Then his taught ones came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees stumbled when they heard this word?"  

But He answering, said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted.  Leave them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both shall fall into a ditch."  

And Kepha (Peter) answering, said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."

And Yeshua (Jesus) said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not understand that whatever enters into the mouth goes into the stomach, and is cast out in the sewer?  But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and these defile the man.  For out of the heart come forth wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, whorings, thefts, false witnesses, slanders.  These defile the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.  And Yeshua went out from there and withdrew to the parts of Tsor and Tsidon."  

How is (y)our heart?  Do the things which come out of it defile us?  Or does it sanctify us?

So thankful for this powerful lesson.

Love You Jesus.  Love you, reader.   

The First Vision, Part 3

Joseph Smith History 1:18-19:

18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

In drawing near unto God with our lips, are our hearts near to Him too?  This was what was pointed out to Joseph as a reason not to unite with the churches of his day.  Many religions and individuals go to great lengths to dispute that Joseph was a prophet.  Regardless of technicalities of what people believe, it's important not to overlook the heart of the message.

Ignoring the reasons which I have found broadly on websites to dispute Joseph's veracity, let's look again at the main thing which was emphasized in the lips/hearts relationship.  Often in the scriptures, prophets will quote other prophets as an addition to their testimony.  Here Joseph is quoting the message he was given, yet also citing scripture.  Whether or not we believe Joseph, it was already referenced in Isaiah, citing the Lord.

Isaiah 29:13:  "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"

and also in Ezekiel

Ezekiel 33:31:  And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."

and again in Christ's mortal ministry

Luke 6:46:  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

This idea has really sat with me this week.  A good friend posted on her Nerdbook wall that when we find people disputing over politics, we should consider kneeling down and begging God for mercy, to save us from the challenges we face, rather than trusting in the arm of the flesh.  Amen!  It feels as though so many people claim to worship God, but when it comes down to it, we do very little that He asks.  We trust in our own strength, rather than asking Him to give us of His.

For example,

One friend told me how she is Catholic, and is very devout even though her parents aren't, but because her parents "really bothered [her]" she yelled the Lord's name in a very profane way to tell her mother to leave her alone.  Why would someone who revered God do this?  Screaming the Savior's name as a manner of profanity to express anger, by a Catholic?  Why???  Are we not commanded not to take the Lord's name in vain?  Do Catholics not believe the Bible?  I hear people of countless denominations do this.  It is very clear in Exodous that this is not something to be taken lightly, but so many "followers" do it, and quite flippantly I would add.  This is probably one of the easiest of the "Big 10" to keep, but why is it so disregarded?

We draw near unto Him with our lips, but our hearts of far from Him.

Some of my friends who read this blog are of a faith that believes that because the Law of Moses was fulfilled when Christ came, that there is no need to revere the Old Testament.  With that, there appears to be less heed given to keeping the Sabbath day holy.  Why?  We don't de-value the commandment not to take life, just because Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses, but commandments like this one which is one I believe is intended to offer us great blessings by it's observance are disregarded.  How about not requiring our manservant or maidservant to work?  How many of us so quickly and easily make a habit out of making people serve us food, sell us unnecessary goods and services, or even do our own unnecessary work on the Sabbath?  Laundry?  Lawn mowing?  Excessive baking or large meals for company?  It was given to us as a day of rest – as a blessing.  Why don't we revere it?  Would we be less stressed during the week if we honored this one?

I suppose some don't revere it because we draw near unto Him with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him.  I don't care what religion we each are.  This message given to Joseph and previous prophets is one that should not be overlooked with the gloriousness of the vision he experienced.  The message is important, and while Joseph was given more in that vision which he was not permitted to share, it doesn't negate the importance of what brevity we were given.  We're not just to think (for those that are Latter-day Saints) that this is a reason we can get puffed up in pride, thinking how lucky we are to not have to affiliate with such a church.  Perhaps we should use it as an added measure of caution, so that we don't puff up ourselves, drawing near unto God with our lips, but allowing our hearts to drift far, far, far from Him.

Joseph Smith History 1:20:  He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter was. I replied, “Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.” I then said to my mother, “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.” It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy?

1 Nephi 1:1-3

I, Jen, am starting the Book of Mormon again.  And I'm going to do my best to blog as much as possible about it.  Expect a lot of words.  Don't feel you have to read everything, but I invite you to join along.  I'll be sure to post about other things too, but I really have loved the 6 month challenge I just completed, and want to "jump back in the pool," so to speak, and blogging about my thoughts and ideas has really helped keep me focused and loving it.  So with a package of Mint Oreos next to me in my desk and a prayer in my heart, I begin. :)

Oh - but first - a disclaimer.  I am not a scholar.  I am not a student of historians who interpret and modify and make assumptions on scripture, mixed with history.  I am simply a reader, and seek inspiration to apply these verses to my life.  So I won't be making assumptions and telling what happened that isn't recorded in these verses.  I will simply be applying more depth to what I think the verses entail, and what the authors might be trying to express.  That's my intuitive goal–to get what the authors wanted me to get.  That said...

1 Nephi 1:1 -

I, Nephi, having been ^aborn of ^bgoodly ^cparents, therefore I was ^dtaught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many ^eafflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a ^frecord of my proceedings in my days.

I'm not sure how to start analyzing this in any comprehensive form, besides to share my thoughts.  

I find it interesting that the first word out of Nephi's mouth here is "I".  He's introducing himself to us.  Just like we would introduce ourselves if we were taking a new class, or meeting someone we wanted to talk to.  He's talking to us, so he says, basically, "Hi!  My name is Nephi."  (Ok, maybe it would be more like, "Hello," minus the exclamation point.  Or maybe, "I'm Nephi."  I don't know if he would be as excited as I am when I meet someone new.)  Anyways, beyond that, he tells us some basics. 

• I have good, decent, honorable parents.
• My father taught me some of what he knew.
• I've seen a lot of pain in my life.  I haven't been sheltered or lived in a bubble of bliss.
• Even so, God saw fit to bless me greatly.  In fact, He made evident His goodness and even taught me His mysteries.
• That's why I'm writing.  And it's only about my experience, in my lifetime.  I'll let others share their story when it's their time to do so.

1 Nephi 1:2 - 

Yea, I make a record in the ^alanguage of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.

Jen's translation: my dad was bilingual.  haha!  Just kidding.  I don't know if that means he spoke Egyptian but was taught Judiasm, or if that means he spoke both languages.  (One of my books already makes the assumption that he was bilingual.  If you look closely, it doesn't exactly say that.  Or maybe it does?)  But it does tell me that he knew of the "learning" of his father.  While it doesn't say what Nephi's father's profession was, since this book ends up being about God, I will assume he's talking about learnings of his father which were spiritual or religious in nature.  I conclude that to mean he was taught the law of Moses, which was practiced at that time (about 600 B.C.).  That also tells me he likely followed through and observed the law of Moses.  It means he respected the 10 commandments, he observed the law of the Sabbath, and respected life and loved God.  Their family likely participated in feasts of the Passover, offered animal sacrifice, and possibly participated in worshipping God in temples. In principle, Nephi tells us his parents were good, and that tells me they were likely loving and generous.  They were likely "religious", but also "spiritual".  (The two do not always equal each other.)  I can assume the "spiritual" part, in that God showed Nephi of his "goodness" and "mysteries", which He doesn't always do to the simply "religious".  There is a difference.

As far as the "language of the Egyptians", it would be interesting to fully understand the history of the region, and why the people in Jerusalem (where Nephi first lived at the beginning of this history) were speaking Egyptian.  This is where my ignorance shows through a bit.  But I'm not too concerned. 

1 Nephi 1:3 - 

And I know that the record which I make is ^atrue; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.

 Jen's translation: 

• Nephi just testified that what he's about to share is true.  It's as if he's swearing under oath, in front of a court, hand on a Bible, that he is about to share the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him God. :) 
• Nephi etched these things into metal plates with his own hand.  He also melded, molded, and shaped the plates with his own hands.  He found the ore, melted it down, and created these metal pages for the purpose of sharing these things with us.  Incredible.
• He shares only things that he knows.  There is no doubt involved that maybe he was hallucinating.  He isn't living and sharing other people's experiences.  Everything he shares, he experienced first hand.  And he knew it would be worth the time and effort to share it, because he knew his efforts would not be fruitless.  We would get to read his words, 2612 years after his history begins.   

These three verses are only part of the first page of this book, but what a ton of information they hold.  How fast I skim over things sometimes.  Already I know so much about Nephi and his parents.  I'm excited to learn more. 

And thank you for that introduction, Nephi!  It's nice to meet you.  Thanks for taking an interest in me and the people who get to read your words.

xoxo

p.s. - I wonder what Nephi and his parents look like.  Maybe I'll find some pictures to hypothesize.  That would be fun. 

April 6, 2012, OT Challenge - Genesis

It's April 6, 2012.  It's also Good Friday, the day that Christians honor the crucifixion of the Savior.  Here in Utah we've had weather in the 60s/70s all week, but this morning we woke up to snow.  How fitting.  I never know what to feel on this day.  Remorse, sadness, and a bit of melancholy seem to top the list.  I know the Atonement is the reason we're all here, but it seems improper to be treating it like any other day. 

When reading the "Road to Emmaus" section of Eighteen Verses (by Denver Snuffer), he points out that despite the pain of Jesus' suffering, that those of us who approved of the Savior's plan "rejoiced".  He quotes this verse from the Pearl of Great Price:

"And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me."  (Moses 7:47)

Because of Jesus's Atonement, Enoch "rejoiced".  I don't think he was a hateful man.  He must have understood the significance of the sacrifice made and fulfilled.  It means so much for all of us. 

Old Testament (OT) Challenge:

I really enjoyed Eighteen Verses.  One of these days I'll write up an actual review.  The "Road to Emmaus" talked so much of the Law of Moses and events in the Old Testament, that I feel quite led to read the Old Testament.  I'm embarrassed to say that I've never read it, cover to cover, and I want to.  

That said, I'm inviting anyone who wants to join me in this challenge to do so.  I don't know if I should expect this challenge to last any given amount of time.  I am setting this as a monthly goal, and rather than use dates on a calendar, I'm going to go by the "lunar cycle".  It's a full moon this week, so I plan to read Genesis by the next full moon.  (In my King James version of the Bible, that's 78 pages.)  Then I'll go from there.   

(Liz Lemon Swindle's "The Road to Emmaus")

I hope everyone has a memorable and special Resurrection Sabbath!  Remember it's more than about bunnies, eggs, candy, and family dinners of ham and mashed potatoes!  xoxo