During his vision of the tree of life, Nephi beheld that Jesus “went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them" (1 Nephi 11:28).
Sadly, the multitude’s reaction to beholding Christ's power and glory was to cast him out. Despite his power, Christ allowed Himself to be cast out so the people could be judged by their works. While Jesus is the only true judge, Jesus was later "taken by the people; yea, the son of the everlasting God was judged of the world." Contrast Jesus being cast out with the story of Jesus and the rich young man. The rich young man explained to Jesus that he had kept the commandments since his youth. "And Jesus beholding him loved him." (Mark 10:21) In contrast, the multitudes saw Jesus doing good since his youth, and rejected him. Christ judged the people; the people judged Christ, and cast him out. The rich young man kept the commandments since his youth; Jesus kept the commandments since his youth, and was rejected. In all cases, love makes the difference—love of God and love of God's children. Nephi records that as Jesus was cast out, "I also beheld twelve others following Him" (1 Nephi 11:29). After Jesus was slain, Nephi saw “the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the lamb” (1 Nephi 11:39). The multitude gathered into a great and spacious building, which represented the pride of the world. Because of pride, the multitude cast Jesus out and later crucified him. Because of love, Jesus ministered and gave his life. When we behold the power and glory of Jesus Christ in our lives, we have the same choice—pride or love. We can allow pride to loosen our grip of the iron rod and start wandering toward the great and spacious building. Or, with love in our hearts, we can continually hold to the iron rod and press forward toward the tree of life, “yea, ... the love of God, ... the most desirable above all things, ... and the most joyous to the soul” (1 Nephi 11:22-23).
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And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Jesus taught, preached, and healed. In other words, he imparted knowledge, gave sermons, and restored health. Think about how selfless these acts are. Jesus' life was devoted to others. If we can be a little less concerned about ourselves and a little more focused on others each day, we can come to know how the Savior's life a little better.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible emphasizes Christ's visit to all the cities: "He did not confine himself, and his acts of kindness and compassion, to his own city, Capernaum, but he took a circuit throughout all Galilee." There is some debate about whether Christ visited the small villages or just the principle Galilean cities and towns. Certainly, he desired to share the good news to all. I wonder if Christ ever felt worn thin in his calling, as we sometimes do in our busy lives. Did he ache at his inability to visit everyone, or did he cherish the personal visits could make? Perhaps his visit with Mary and Martha shed's some light. When Jesus came into Mary and Martha's home, Mary sat at Jesus' feet while "Martha was cumbered about much serving." (Luke 10:38). Martha inquired of Jesus, "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?" Jesus answered, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken from her." In our efforts to serve others, we should focus on President Thomas S. Monson's charge, "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." The defining character of Jesus Christ, and the essence of his Gospel, is charity. But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Each day, Christ demonstrated pure love to others through his words and actions. In doing so, he helped others come to know the Father. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. The ultimate demonstration of Christ's pure love is his infinite atonement. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. For my love to have meaning, it must take action. Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught, "Love is meaningless unless it is directed toward something or someone. We love our parents. We love our brothers and sisters. We love the Lord" (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/04/faith-in-the-lord-jesus-christ).
My communications with those I love should be filled with honesty, transparency, clarity, and humor. I know that as I take time to demonstrate my love for others, my life is filled with joy and I can better feel God and Christ's love for me. |
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