But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Love my enemies? Bless people that curse men? Do good to people that hate me? Pray for people that despite me, use me, harass me, and victimize me? Those are not easy commandments! But that is what the Lord asks of us.
As always, Jesus Christ is the perfect example of his teachings. While hanging on the cross, as he beheld his malefactors casting lots on his clothing, Jesus humbly spoke the words, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And he completely meant it. If Christ can forgive those who crucified him, can I forgive those who wrong me? Can I forgive myself? I hope to look to Christ's example, acknowledge that we are all brothers and sisters, and freely and completely forgive. The Roman philosopher Seneca (4 BC to AD 65) once wrote, “If thou wouldst imitate God, do good even to the unthankful, for the sun rises even on the wicked, and the seas are open to pirates" (http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-45.htm). God is not a respecter of persons. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
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"Whosoever shall do and teach [the commandments], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. God is very grateful for those who preach his gospel. He blesses missionaries in this life, and in the life to come. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Leaving the gift at the alter may appear to be a "breach of liturgical propriety," but a sacrifice unfinished is better than "a wrong unconfessed and unatoned for," and better than the sin of unforgiving (http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-24.htm).
To be forgiven by Jesus, we must forgive others. As Jesus instructed in modern times, "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10). Forgiveness can be hard, but it is always worth it. [For another commentary on this subject, read BYU assistant professor Gaye Strathearn's article "Simon and the Woman Who Anointed Jesus' Feet."] And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. The creditor in Christ's parable loved equally the two debtors. He forgave them both completely. However, the debtor who owed more than a year's worth of wages loved the creditor more. Let me explain with a modern-day parable. Say there are two students in a class. One has an A-, the other has a C-. At the end of the semester, the teacher raises both students grades to a A+. Which student will remember the teacher's generosity the most? Surely the student who had the C-. While discussing Jesus' parable of the two debtors with a cousin, some questions arose. "So if the person in the parable with the most debt is the most sinful, does that make fully repentant sinners more grateful for the Atonement, and more loving of the Savior, than those who have not lived a life of sin? Is repentance of great wrongdoing a prerequisite for a strong relationship with Jesus Christ?" These are very important questions. But before I attempt to address them, let me continue with the scriptural account. And he [Jesus] turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. There are many takeaways from Christ's words. What first stands out to me are the woman's faith-filled actions and her love for the Savior. This woman was a sinner, but aren't we all sinners? Don't we all fall short every day? Now, some thoughts on my cousin's questions. I believe the answer lies in an understanding of repentance--what it is, and what it means to truly repent. The Bible Dictionary defines repentance as the following: The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. As the definition states, we are all naturally inclined to sin. Mosiah 3:19 teaches that "the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord." We all require a change of mind, a fresh view of the world. This is made possible only through Christ's atonement. Sure, some people mess up more than others. But we all fall short of God's perfect bar and desperately need Christ's atonement. And "who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly?" (See https://www.lds.org/music/text/hymns/lord-i-would-follow-thee.)
I do not believe that a strong relationship with the Savior necessitates repentance from serious sin. We must remember that the scriptures are written by prophets, and often include exceptions to the rule. Both Alma the Younger and Saul (who later became Paul) underwent powerful, life-changing conversion processes. But even lifetime members of Christ's Church must gain a personal testimony of Christ's gospel. While reading about the woman who anointed Christ's feet, I was especially impressed when Christ said, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven." According to Christ, the woman was forgiven because she loved much. Those who love little are not forgiven. Isn't that interesting? Forgiveness from God is more about our love for him, and our desire to change and be like him, than it what we've done. So how can we come to love the Savior and use his Atonement, regardless of what we've done? Perhaps this is oversimplifying things, but I believe that it has a lot to do with being in the right place at the right time, so that the Spirit can guide us. This may mean attending a sacrament meeting and bearing a testimony when prompted. It may mean reading the scriptures as a family, or having a family discussion at the dinner table. It may mean going to a service project, even if you don't really want to go. I believe that as we go where God wants us to go, and do what God wants us to do, God give us the blessings and testimony-enriching experiences that we need for our current circumstances. I know that I need the Atonement of Christ. I also know that learning about and using the Atonement is a lifelong pursuit. I am grateful for a loving Savior who lets me wet his feet with my tears. I am grateful for this mortal experience--for the opportunity to learn and grow and become better today than I was yesterday. I am grateful for my Savior's perfect example. I am grateful for the reality of repentance and the peace that comes through forgiveness. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that the purpose of this mortal journey is to change our hearts and minds so that we may become like him. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, and they were hearing him, and asking him questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. When I read this account, I was reminded of a story told by Stephen E. Robinson about his son:
When my son Michael was six or seven, he did something I thought was wrong. He is my only son, and I want him to be better than his dad was. So when he slipped up, I sent him to his room with the instructions, “Don’t you dare come out until I come and get you!” And then I forgot. Some hours later, as I was watching television, I heard his door open and tentative footsteps coming down the hall. I slapped my forehead and ran to meet him. There he was with swollen eyes and tears on his cheeks. He looked up at me—not quite sure he should have come out—and said, “Dad, can’t we ever be friends again?” I melted and pulled him to me. He’s my boy, and I love him. (See https://www.lds.org/ensign/1992/04/believing-christ?lang=eng.) This story has several contrasts from the biblical account. Michael did something wrong, and was punished by being sent to his room. Christ, on the other hand, did nothing wrong; he chose to stay in Jerusalem to preach his Heavenly Father's Gospel. Michael's father only remembered that his son was gone when his son came back to the living room to talk to him. Joseph and Mary traveled "a day's journey" before they realized that their son was not among their company. (Luke 2:44) Then, they spent three days returning to Jerusalem to look for him. Michael returned to and was embraced by a guilt-filled father. Jesus was reunited to a very worried mother and stepfather. What can be learned about Jesus Christ by contrasting these accounts? I don't know. Sorry! (But maybe that's okay. After all, Mary and Joseph "understood not" Jesus' words.) What I do know, however, is that the message of Robinson's "parable" about Michael is true: No matter what we've done, we can return to Christ. He will always receive us with open arms. "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). I also know that Christ's declaration to his parents is true: Christ was always about his father's business. And because he was always doing his Father's will, he was able to perform the perfect, infinite Atonement. As a result, we can can count on him in ways that we cannot count on anyone else. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee" (Isaiah 49:15). |
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For anyone interested, I have a professional blog titled The Instructional Designer's Toolkit where I share tools and inspiration for instructional designers and e-learning developers.
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