[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.
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Based on Luke 5:1-11Peter the salesman has been cold-calling potential customers all week, but no one is biting. As he begins a new day's work, his boss comes over and asks why his numbers are so low. Peter describes his countless phone calls and overtime hours. But, he admits, he hasn't made a sale in over a week.
Later that day, as Peter hangs up after another futile call, Jesus enters the office. Jesus asks Peter if he will stop his calls so that Jesus can use the office to preach. Peter thinks about his boss' visit that morning. He thinks about his sales quota and his miserably low numbers. He thinks about his family at home, who are depending on him. Yet Peter feels something inside of him that prevents him from refusing. He agrees to Jesus' request, and Jesus walks to the front of the office to preach. As he begins to speak, people starts filing into the office. Sales partners. Curious coworkers from the department next door. Even people who do not belong to the company. People form a crowd around the office, trying to hear Jesus speak. Peter listens intently. As the work day comes to a close, Jesus concludes his remarks. Slowly, the crowd begins shuffling out of the office, until only Jesus and Peter remain. Jesus pulls a post-it note from his shirt pocket with a string of numbers written neatly on it. He hands the note to Peter, and says, "Call this number, and ask if they will buy your product." Peter quickly responds, "Master, I have worked all week making calls, but I haven't made a single sale." Then, after a short pause, he continues, "But even so, I will do as you ask." Peter calls the number, and sure enough, the woman at the other end is anxious to buy a massive order of the product. In fact, she belongs to a network of companies that have been looking for just the solution that Peter's company sells. She emails Peter a long list of company contacts, and Peter and his sales partners spends the rest of the month making sales just based on the list. At the end of the month, Jesus returns to the office. Peter is in the conference room, discussing a new product launch with his sales partners, James and John. When Peter sees Jesus entering the room, he falls to knees, followed by James and John. Peter cries out, "I am not worthy to be in your presence, Lord. I do not deserve the success and prosperity that you have brought to me and my family." Jesus motions for the men to stand up. He looks directly into Peters eyes, and loving responds, "Do not be afraid. From now on, you will serve God and offer something money cannot buy. Something of infinite worth. Leave your jobs, and follow me." At that very moment, Peter, James, and John exit the building, and, leaving everything behind, follow the Savior. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. Every returned missionary at one time or another feels the heavy contrast between being a "fisher of men" and being a fisherman. Jesus called James and John to leave their fishing jobs and follow him. However, Jesus did not call Zebedee. Instead, Zebedee's work responsibilities increased because he no longer had the help of his sons. Zebedee was given different responsibilities than his sons, but he was still expected to 'increase the talents' he was given. Perhaps James and John would need financial support in their ministering, and Zebedee's fishing career would allow him to support his sons. At different times of our life, we have different mixes of responsibilities--family, work, church, civil, etc. God simply asks that we increase whatever talents we are given, during each stage of our lives. |
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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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