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5. Ye Must Be Born Again
6. This Is He of Whom It Is Written
Now let’s consider a brief synopsis of this first year.
The first year opens in Jerusalem. It is the time of the Passover, which corresponds on our calendar to the last week of March and the first week of April. Jews from many nations had gathered to the Holy City to commemorate this event. The outer court of the temple had been set up as a place to exchange foreign money and to sell animals for offerings. With a great multitude present and the accompanying din and tumult, the temple place had taken on a carnival atmosphere. You will read how the Savior’s reaction to this merchandising in his Father’s house provoked the hostility of the Jewish leaders.
One Jewish leader, however, who wanted to understand further the source of Jesus’ power—for he had already wrought many miracles—was Nicodemus. You will read how Jesus more openly revealed his mission to Nicodemus by explaining how one becomes qualified for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Following this interview with Nicodemus, Jesus left Jerusalem (in the province of Judea) to go to his hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. You will further read an interesting conversation he had with a Samaritan woman as he stopped along the way in Sychar (Samaria). The doctrine Jesus taught her is still his counsel to his disciples today.
Jesus’ formal ministry really began in Galilee and specifically in Nazareth. What did he do there that would provoke his own townsmen to make an attempt on his life? His testimony there, which you will read, is most significant. Because of this rejection of his townsmen in Nazareth, Jesus went to Capernaum. During the next eighteen to twenty months this city became his home base. In this and surrounding cities, Jesus manifested many marvelous works. What great sermon did he give during this time, and why was the healing of a palsied man so significant?
And what was the importance of Jesus’ answer to John’s followers who inquired why Jesus’ disciples did not fast, as did they and the Pharisees?
These will be some of the high points of consideration during the first year of our Lord’s ministry. But before you commence this study, let’s take a look at the province of Galilee where Jesus spent approximately two years of his ministry.
As you can see, the region called Galilee is in northern Palestine. Study the accompanying map to note its boundaries on the north, east, south, and west.
This map has been simplified to show only the key cities during the time of Christ. A map of the region at the time of Jesus would show many more towns and villages. The population of Palestine was numerous and was concentrated in this area. Josephus, a Jewish general and historian who governed this province thirty-four years after Christ’s ministry, reported a population of nearly three million.
Some of the places in Galilee that will become familiar to you are Bethsaida, Cana, Capernaum, Chorazin, Magdala, Nain, Nazareth, Tiberius, and, of course, the Sea of Galilee. Here are some photographs of these places:
This was the hometown of the Savior, where he grew to manhood. Here he preached one of his earliest sermons but was rejected. Because of unbelief, only a few miracles were accomplished in Nazareth. Of his own city, Jesus was to say, “A prophet is not with honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4. Italics added.)
After Jesus’ first rejection in Nazareth, he went to Capernaum. This was later to be referred to as “his” city. And no wonder. According to the information recorded, here he performed more miracles than in any other city, and here he gave some of his greatest discourses. Here the Son of God labored for almost two years of his formal ministry. Yet despite his miraculous display of divine powers, Capernaum would not repent. Jesus prophesied concerning the fate of those in this city.
See Matthew 11:23, 24.
All that remains today at the traditional site of the ancient city are the ruins of an old synagogue built in the second century and stones from surrounding buildings. Here was once a city of some fifteen thousand inhabitants!
The region of Galilee appears to have been very fertile during the time of Christ, and what was general throughout the region was concentrated around the Sea of Galilee. Near this inland sea, sometimes called Lake Kinnereth, Lake Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias, Jesus spent most of the time of his ministry.
Today, as in times past, the lake itself is a fishing haven. It is generally calm, but storms may suddenly arise, turning the sea into a raging tempest. You will read of one of these occasions when Jesus and the disciples were crossing the sea and encountered a great storm, causing the disciples to despair. After admonishing the disciples for their lack of faith, Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea, commanding, “Peace, be still.” (Mark 4:39.)
Nine cities surrounded the lake in Jesus’ time, each of which was said to have had a population of not less than fifteen thousand people.
It is interesting to remember that of Jesus’ twelve apostles, eleven came from Galilee. Only Judas, who betrayed him, was not a Galilean. He was from Judea.
If this is your first opportunity to study the life and teachings of the Savior, you will probably experience some difficulty in discovering the pattern in his ministry. This brief overview may help you to discover this pattern.
What will be apparent to you in your reading is the Savior’s ministry among the general populace. “Sheep without a shepherd” is the way Jesus labeled them. You will see how the masses became increasingly attracted to Jesus because of his miracles. Note the effect of the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand upon the people, and then sense the meaning of the drama that followed when Jesus announced that he was their “living bread.” (John 6:51.) You will see that many of the people then withdrew from him because he told them that they were following him for the wrong reasons.
If the teaching of the masses is all you see in the ministry of Jesus, you will have missed its greater significance. You should also see something that is not so obvious at first glance—the Savior’s quiet training of his priesthood leadership. This will become apparent as you perceive the Galilean ministry as being divided into three phases of leadership training.
From among those disciples who followed him, the Savior chose by revelation twelve men whom he designated as apostles. These were to be his special witnesses.
After witnessing the power of the priesthood in the many miracles done by Jesus, the Twelve were sent forth to teach and do what they had seen their Master do.
Toward the end of the Galilean ministry (the third year of the ministry), Jesus took the Twelve north to the region of Caesarea Philippi. There he took Peter, James, and John to a “high mountain apart” and was glorified (transfigured) before them. (Mark 9:2.) Thus they became eyewitnesses of his majesty. Peter, James, and John received the keys of the priesthood there. Later all the Twelve were given the keys of the kingdom as well as the sealing powers, which gave them the right to legally administer the affairs of the kingdom of God. With the Twelve thus prepared the Savior returned to Jerusalem, where he would fulfill the greater purpose of his mortal calling, the atonement and the resurrection from the grave.
With this perspective in mind, you should now turn your attention to the specific events of the ministry of our Lord.
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EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY |
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Because of his Messiahship, Jesus can provide the power that leads to spiritual rebirth.
INTRODUCTIONThe years of preparation for Jesus were now passed. His first public miracle had been performed at Cana. And his ministry, the greatest “sermon” of word and deed, would now begin. He would be despised and rejected (Mark 8:31). His course would take him to a cross and to burial in an obscure tomb, but it would also take him beyond that to glory at the right hand of his Father (Matthew 26:64). His ministry and sacrifice would redeem the repentant (Luke 24:46, 47), open the hitherto locked doors of the spirit prison, and bring to pass the resurrection (John 10:9; 11:25). With certain knowledge of what lay before him (John 12:33; 18:32), Jesus began to proclaim himself the Messiah. During his interviews with Nicodemus and the woman at the well, he testified that men must be born again, and that he himself was the “Living Water” of which all must partake if they would be born again and enter the kingdom of God. Before proceeding, read all the scriptural references in the reading block. |
“Ancient Israel, in the day of Moses, was freed from temporal bondage in Egypt by the Lord Jehovah. To commemorate this deliverance, they were commanded to keep the Feast of the Passover. This feast was designed to bring two things to their remembrance: (1) That the angel of death passed over the houses and flocks of Israel, while slaying the firstborn among the men and beasts of the Egyptians; and (2) That Jehovah was their Deliverer, the same holy being who in due course would come into the world as King-Messiah to work out the infinite and eternal atonement.
“All of the symbolisms of the feast centered around these two events. The feast (more so in the days of its inception than in the time of Jesus) was eaten in haste as though preparatory to flight; the sacrificial lamb was one without blemish, whose blood was shed, but whose bones were not broken; blood was sprinkled on the houses to be spared—all of which provided types and symbols for Messiah’s coming mortal sacrifice. (Ex. 12.)
“And now nearly a millennium and a half after Jehovah gave the Passover to Israel, he himself, tabernacled among men, was preparing to celebrate the feast, to fulfil the law given to Moses. . . .” (McConkie, DNTC, 1:704.)
“When Jesus cleansed the temple, he was filled with reverent indignation because men were desecrating his Father’s house, selling doves and lambs to be offered as sacrifice. Money changers were there for the convenience of those who came from other countries, so they could give in local currency their temple contributions. Seemingly, in their own eyes, they were justified, but they were doing these things in the House of God. We are told that he overturned the money changer’s tables, and said to the sellers of doves, ‘Take these things hence. Make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.’ [John 2:16.]
“‘Reverence,’ wrote Ruskin, ‘is the noblest state in which a man can live in the world. Reverence is one of the signs of strength; irreverence one of the surest indications of weakness. No man will rise high who jeers at sacred things. The fine loyalties of life must be reverenced or they will be foresworn in the day of trial.’” (David O. McKay in CR, Oct. 1950, pp. 163–64.)
“The kingdom of God mentioned by the Savior in his conversation with Nicodemus points clearly to the fact that it is the celestial kingdom that is meant. This is also implied in the instructions given by our Savior to his apostles when he left them. They were to go into all the world and preach the gospel, all who accepted and were baptized should enter the celestial kingdom, but all others would be damned, or be assigned to one of the other kingdoms.” (Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:147–48.)
“They sought more diligently some means that they might put him to death; for many received John as a prophet, but they believed not on Jesus.
“Now the Lord knew this, though he himself baptized not so many as his disciples;
“For he suffered them for an example, preferring one another.” (John 4:2–4, Inspired Version.)
“Contrary to the false teachings and traditions of sectarianism, Jesus personally performed water baptisms so that in all things he might be the great Exemplar. Without question he also performed all other ordinances essential to salvation and exaltation.” (McConkie, DNTC, 1:148.)
“The direct route from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria; but many Jews, particularly Galilaeans, chose to follow an indirect though longer way rather than traverse the country of a people so despised by them as were the Samaritans. The ill-feeling between Jews and Samaritans had been growing for centuries, and at the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry had developed into most intense hatred. The inhabitants of Samaria were a mixed people, in whom the blood of Israel was mingled with that of the Assyrians and other nations; and one cause of the animosity existing between them and their neighbors both on the north and the south was the Samaritans’ claim for recognition as Israelites; it was their boast that Jacob was their father; but this the Jews denied. The Samaritans had a version of the Pentateuch, which they revered as the law, but they rejected all the prophetical writings of what is now the Old Testament, because they considered themselves treated with insufficient respect therein.
“To the orthodox Jew of the time a Samaritan was more unclean than a Gentile of any other nationality.” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 172.)
Israel’s prophets had repeatedly declared that the Lord was as a fountain of living water that Israel had rejected. (See Jeremiah 2:13; Isaiah 8:6.)
Jesus himself, as Jehovah, had pled with ancient Israel to repent and return to him so that he could nourish and sustain them. And in his pleading, Jehovah had used the word water as a figure of speech. (See Isaiah 58:11.)
“His solemn invitation, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink,’ was a plain and open claim of Messiahship. In making it he identified himself as the very Jehovah who had promised drink to the thirsty through an outpouring of the Spirit. After such a pronouncement his hearers were faced with two choices: Either he was a blasphemer worthy of death, or he was in fact the God of Israel.” (McConkie, DNTC, 1:445–46.)
How did Jesus’ discussion with the Samaritan woman influence her? Perhaps you could trace her conversion through a review of her interview with Jesus. In John, chapter 4, we see her addressing Jesus using three different titles. What do verses 9, 11, 14, 15, 19, and 29 indicate has happened to her understanding of the man to whom she is speaking?
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The following hypothetical interview should aid you in understanding what happened to the Samaritan woman and what must happen to you if you would enter the celestial kingdom of God. QUESTION Jesus explained to Nicodemus that a man must be “born again.” In this world our first birth is when we enter the world as infants. But the word again in Jesus’ phrase implies another, or second birth, doesn’t it? ANSWER Yes, there is another, or second birth. “The first birth takes place when spirits pass from their pre-existent first estate into mortality; the second birth or birth ‘into the kingdom of heaven’ takes place when mortal men are born again and become alive to the things of the Spirit and of righteousness. The elements of water, blood, and Spirit are present in both births. (Moses 6:59–60.)” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 101.) QUESTION In John 3:3, Jesus said, “Except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” and in John 3:5, Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” It is one thing to see the kingdom, and it is a different thing entirely to enter the kingdom. Does this mean that the second birth, or spiritual rebirth, has two parts? ANSWER Yes, this second birth or spiritual rebirth has two general parts. In order to understand what it means to see the kingdom of God, it is necessary to perceive what the Holy Ghost will do for a man before that man is baptized into the Church, The Prophet Joseph Smith explained: “There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was baptized, which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the Gospel, but he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was baptized. Had he not taken this sign or ordinance upon him, the Holy Ghost which convinced him of the truth of God, would have left him.” (Teachings, p. 199.) When a nonmember sees the kingdom of God, it means that the power of the Holy Ghost is poured out upon him to teach him that the Church is true. He then has a testimony. He knows. “The Lord will reveal the truth once; then when this testimony has been given, the person should accept the truth and receive the gospel by baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. . . . Cornelius received a manifestation in strict conformity to the instruction given by Moroni, and had he turned away there would have been no further light or direction for him. The Spirit of the Lord will not argue with men, nor abide in them, except they yield obedience to the Lord’s commandments. (Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:29.) At the time a person sees the kingdom, he does not necessarily receive a remission of his sins. The Holy Ghost has merely taught him what he must do to receive a remission of sins. Of this the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “It is one thing to see the kingdom of God, and another thing to enter into it. We must have a change of heart to see the kingdom of God, and subscribe the articles of adoption to enter therein.” (Smith, Teachings, p. 328.) QUESTION Does a person always see the kingdom before baptism? ANSWER No, this experience may occur in the life of a baptized member of the Church as well. Sometimes people are members of the Church even for many years before they “see” or gain a testimony that the Church is true. QUESTION It seems clear that seeing involves witness and testimony and conviction about the truthfulness of the Church. But what has to occur so that a person has the true change of heart so that he can enter the kingdom of God? ANSWER “Baptism by immersion symbolizes the death and burial of the man of sin; and the coming forth out of the water, the resurrection to a newness of spiritual life. After baptism, hands are laid upon the head of the baptized believer, and he is blessed to receive the Holy Ghost. Thus does the one baptized receive the promise or gift of the Holy Ghost or the privilege of being brought back into the presence of one of the Godhead, by obedience to whom and through his faithfulness one so blessed might receive the guidance and direction of the Holy Ghost in his daily walks and talks, even as Adam walked and talked in the Garden of Eden with God, his Heavenly Father. To receive such guidance and such direction from the Holy Ghost is to be spiritually reborn.” (Harold B. Lee in CR, Oct. 1947, p. 64.) QUESTION Does a person always receive this spiritual rebirth at the time of baptism? ANSWER “Mere compliance with the formality of the ordinance of baptism does not mean that a person has been born again. No one can be born again without baptism, but the immersion in water and the laying on of hands to confer the Holy Ghost do not of themselves guarantee that a person has been or will be born again. The new birth takes place only for those who actually enjoy the gift or companionship of the Holy Ghost, only for those who are fully converted, who have given themselves without restraint to the Lord. Thus Alma addressed himself to his ‘brethren of the church,’ and pointedly asked them if they had ‘spiritually been born of God,’ received the Lord’s image in their countenances, and had the ‘mighty change’ in their hearts which always attends the birth of the Spirit. (Alma 5:14–31.)” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 101.) QUESTION What blessings are available to someone who is born again? ANSWER “Those members of the Church who have actually been born again are in a blessed and favored state. They have attained their position, not merely by joining the Church, but through faith (1 John 5:1), righteousness (1 John 2:29), love (1 John 4:7), and overcoming the world. (1 John 5:4.) ‘Whosoever is born of God doth not continue in sin; for the Spirit of God remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God, having received that holy Spirit of promise.’ (Inspired Version, 1 John 3:9.) (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 101.) |
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David’s father was president of the stake. David had never been to the stake president’s office; but last evening at dinner he had raised some questions about spiritual rebirth, and his father had invited him to come to the stake president’s office to discuss the matter. As he settled into a chair, David noticed a picture on his father’s desk. It was a picture of the stake presidency; there was his father, smiling and dignified. David was early for the appointment; and as he waited, the thought occurred to him that if ever anyone knew anything about spiritual rebirth, it must be his father. David’s father had worked in the mines most of his adult life. Nothing had ever really mattered to him beyond food and sleep. Seldom had he been much of a father until the day the missionaries knocked at their door. After weeks of questions, some patience on the part of the missionaries, and many prayers by David’s mother (who herself had immediately accepted the gospel taught by the missionaries), David’s father had joined the Church. The rest of the family joined within weeks after their father led the way. David hadn’t noticed it at first, but gradually his father had changed. There had been nothing spectacular—no visions, no outward manifestations—but just gradual change. First they had begun to attend church. Later David’s father had announced at the dinner table that they would never eat another meal in their home without having a blessing on the food. That had been twelve years ago. Then they had commenced holding a regular home evening. David still remembered the family journey to the Los Angeles Temple, where they had been sealed together as a family for time and eternity. Later, when David and his brothers had spoken harshly about one of the leaders of their ward, he remembered his father’s justified anger and instant rebuke, for although David’s father had controlled his temper, he made it very clear to his sons that they must never say such things about any of the Church officers again. While his father’s change had occurred quietly and gradually, it was nevertheless a powerful change. David had often wondered to himself what possibly could have taken a hard-headed man like his father and literally turned him around. And now that he was on the proper course, it seemed that his dedication and zeal in the cause of the Master increased every day. David’s father had been called to serve in the ward MIA and later in the stake. Then just two years later he had been called as a counselor in the stake presidency. David noticed that his father was gone from home a great deal, but the time he did manage to spend at home with his wife and four sons was quality time. As a contrast to twelve years ago, their home was now truly a house of love, prayer, and order. David had listened to his father’s testimony in conferences and as he had shared it with his sons and with others who had been in their home. During one home evening, he had told his sons: “I am not the father you used to have; I have been changed. And I want you to know that for whatever else I may say or do, I know that Jesus lives and is my Redeemer, because I have tasted of his goodness and I know of his love for me.” David knew his father well enough to know that he testified of the reality of Jesus and of the truth of the gospel from the depths of his soul. And now his father was president of the stake. As David sat there waiting, he suddenly realized that he lived in the very shadow of a man who had been born again! Hastily he scribbled a note to his father and then left. The note read: “Dad, I won’t need to talk to you after all. I have the answers to my question. See you at dinner. David.” Why do you think David’s father was one who had been born again? Was his father’s spiritual rebirth a sudden thing? Were sensational manifestations involved? Elder Harold B. Lee said, “Knowing how this birth takes place is as impossible to explain as to explain where the wind comes from or where it goes.” (“Born of the Spirit,” Address to Seminary and Institute Faculty, BYU, 26 June 1962; compare John 3:7, 8.) Sometimes people get the idea that to be born of the Spirit, they have to experience something sudden and spectacular. From your reading about David’s father, do you think this is always necessary? Consider the following statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith about the manifestations of the Spirit: “We believe that the Holy Ghost is imparted by the laying on of hands of those in authority, and that the gift of the tongues, and also the gift of prophecy, are gifts of the spirit, and are obtained through that medium; but then to say that men always prophesied and spoke in tongues when they had the imposition of hands, would be to state that which is untrue, contrary to the practice of the apostles, and at variance with holy writ; for Paul says, ‘to one is given the gift of tongues, to another the gift of prophecy, and to another the gift of healing’—and again, ‘do all prophecy [sic]? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?’ evidently shewing that all did not possess these several gifts; but that one received one gift and another received another gift—all did not prophecy [sic]; all did not speak in tongues; all did not work miracles; but all did receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; sometimes they spake in tongues and prophesied in the Apostles’ days, and sometimes they did not.—The same in the case with us also in our administrations, while more frequently there is no manifestation at all that is visible to the surrounding multitude.” (Times and Seasons 3:823–24 [15 June 1842]. Emphasis added.) At this point, review the account of the interview between Nicodemus and the Lord. Especially note verse 5 in light of what you have learned about that verse in this lesson. What would spiritual rebirth have made available to Nicodemus if he had accepted the Lord’s sayings? What about the Samaritan woman? (See John 3:11, 12.) What is available to you if you accept the Lord’s sayings and constantly strive to obey the Lord’s commandments? (See John 3:13–15.) |
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THE GALILEAN MINISTRY |
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Jesus Christ has the power to heal not only the physical body but, more importantly, the spirit.
INTRODUCTIONReturning to Nazareth, the place of his boyhood and early manhood, Jesus astonished the townsmen with his bold testimony that he was the promised Messiah. Using Isaiah 61:1, 2 as his text, Jesus declared: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.” As Jesus closed the book containing these words, He said: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Luke 4:21.) Had his own community been spiritually perceptive, Jesus would have been accepted for who he was, the Son of the Eternal Father. But, blinded to eternal realities, they saw him only as “Joseph’s son.” They had heard of the miracles he had performed in Capernaum, and inwardly they thought, “Show us a miracle also that we might see that thou art the Christ.” Hadn’t Jesus himself declared that “no prophet is accepted in his own country”? (Luke 4:24.) Angered by his testimony, they attempted to take his life. Why didn’t Jesus perform a miracle in Nazareth? Have you ever wondered about the purpose of miracles? What is the meaning of miracles in your life? Before proceeding, read all the scriptural references in the reading block. |
Read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ call to Peter and Andrew (Matthew 4:18–20). The Prophet Joseph Smith made two important additions to these passages in his revision of the Bible:
“The process by which leaders become spiritual as those disciples were is set forth in a very simple admonition of the Master. The Savior called fishermen, and he called tax-collectors and others in various occupations to constitute his chosen twelve. He gave to each of them the same simple promise:
“‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,’ or as another writer puts it, ‘I will make you to become fishers of men.’ (Matt. 4:19; Mark 1:17.)
“To ‘come after him’ is but another way of saying, ‘Keep my commandments,’ for thus he had explained it when he said to the Nephites: ‘Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be?’ And then he answered his own question, ‘Verily I say unto you, even as I am.’ (3 Nephi 27:27.)
“To become ‘fishers of men’ is just another way of saying ‘become leaders of men.’ So in today’s language we would say to those who are so to teach: ‘If you will keep my commandments, I will make you leaders among men.’” (Harold B. Lee in CR, Oct. 1960, p. 15.)
“Before we can understand the casting out of devils, we must have a knowledge of pre-existence and of the personal Fatherhood of God. As revealed in the gospel, God is an exalted and holy Man, a personal being in whose image man is created, a being for whom the family unit continues in the state of immortality. He is the personal Father of the spirits of all men; his spirit children began life as men and women whose bodies were composed of spirit rather than temporal element.
“These spirit offspring of Deity, endowed with agency and subject to law, had every opportunity to advance, progress, and gain the privilege of undergoing the probationary experiences of mortality. Two-thirds of them passed the tests of the pre-existent sphere and are now in process of being born into this world as mortal beings. The other one-third, failing to keep their first estate, finally came out in open rebellion against God and his laws. As a result there was war in heaven, and the devil and his followers were cast down to earth. Those so rejected are denied, eternally, the right to have bodies of their own. In this dejected and damnable state they seek to house themselves unlawfully in the bodies of mortal men.” (McConkie, DNTC, 1:167–68.)
The Prophet Joseph Smith added to Matthew 4:23 this phrase, “which believed on his name.” Thus the healings performed by Jesus were reserved for those who had faith in him; they were not given to everyone, as the King James Version verse implies. (See Matthew 4:22, Inspired Version.)
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As you focus attention on how the miracles were an evidence of Jesus’ messiahship, consider these ideas: The miracles were occasioned because of the faith of those who believed on him. They were performed out of compassion for the suffering. They fulfilled the messianic prophecies. Most significantly, the miracles testified to the divinity of the Son of God. The most vivid illustration of this was the healing of the paralytic man (Matthew 9:2–8). Elder Bruce McConkie comments on the significance of this miracle: “Rightly understood, this event in the life of our Lord was visible and irrefutable proof that he was the Messiah; and it was so recognized by those among whom he ministered. He had borne frequent verbal testimony that God was his Father and had supported that personal witness with an unparalleled ministry of preaching and healing. Now it was his purpose to announce that he had done what no one but God could do and to prove that he had done it by a further manifestation of his Father’s power. “Both Jesus and the ‘doctors of the law’ who were then present knew that none but God can forgive sins. Accordingly, as a pointed and dramatic witness that the power of God was resident in him, Jesus took (perhaps sought) this appropriate occasion to forgive sins. Being then called in question by the scripturalists who know (and that rightly) that the false assumption of the power to forgive sins was blasphemy, Jesus did what no imposter could have done—he proved his divine power by healing the forgiven man. To his query, ‘Does it require more power to forgive sins than to make the sick rise up and walk?’ there could be only one answer! They are as one; he that can do the one, can do the other.” (DNTC, 1:177–78.) Thus within the miracles you may see two kinds of healing: (1) the healing of physical maladies and (2) the healing of spiritual maladies. |
“Miracles cannot be in contravention of natural law, but are wrought through the operation of laws not universally or commonly recognized.
“In the contemplation of the miracles wrought by Christ, we must of necessity recognize the operation of a power transcending our present human understanding. In this field, science has not yet advanced far enough to analyze and explain. To deny the actuality of miracles on the ground that, because we cannot comprehend the means, the reported results are fictitious, is to arrogate to the human mind the attribute of omniscience, by implying that what man cannot comprehend cannot be, and that therefore he is able to comprehend all that is.
“To comprehend the works of Christ, one must know Him as the Son of God; to the man who has not yet learned to know, to the honest soul who would inquire after the Lord, the invitation is ready; let him ‘Come and see.’” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, pp. 148–49.)
“. . . Leprosy was nothing short of a living death, a corrupting of all the humors, a poisoning of the very springs, of life; a dissolution, little by little, of the whole body, so that one limb after another actually decayed and fell away. Aaron exactly describes the appearance which the leper presented to the eyes of the beholders, when, pleading for Miriam, he says, ‘Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.’ (Numb. 12:12.) The disease, moreover, was incurable by the art and skill of man; not that the leper might not return to health; for, however rare, such cases are contemplated in the Levitical law. . . .” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 200, quoting Trench, Notes on the Miracles, pp. 165–68.)
“From what Jesus said at the time he healed the man ‘sick with the palsy,’ it would seem that remittance of sins is the therapy which heals and that the two terms are synonymous. . . .
“In this instance there was a physical healing. Sometimes there is also a healing of the nervous system or of the mind. But always the remittance of sins which attends divine forgiveness heals the spirit. This accounts for the fact that in the scriptures conversion and healing are repeatedly associated.” (Marion G. Romney in CR, Oct. 1963, pp. 24–25. Italics added.)
“Publicans were tax collectors, representatives of an alien power which held the Jews in subjection, and as such they formed a hated, despised, and derided social group. No doubt it was particularly offensive to the Jews for one of their own race, such as Matthew, to accept such employment.” (McConkie, DNTC, 1:181.)
“In such wise did our Lord proclaim the newness and completeness of His gospel. It was in no sense a patching up of Judaism. He had not come to mend old and torn garments; the cloth He provided was new, and to sew it on the old would be but to tear afresh the threadbare fabric and leave a more unsightly rent than at first. Or to change the figure, new wine could not safely be entrusted to old bottles. The bottles here referred to were really bags, made of the skins of animals, and of course they deteriorated with age. Just as old leather splits or tears under even slight strain, so the old bottle-skins would burst from the pressure of fermenting juice, and the good wine would be lost. The gospel taught by Christ was a new revelation, superseding the past, and marking the fulfilment of the law; it was no mere addendum, nor was it a reenactment of past requirements; it embodied a new and an everlasting covenant. Attempts to patch the Judaistic robe of traditionalism with the new fabric of the covenant could result in nothing more sightly than a rending of the fabric. The new wine of the gospel could not be held in the old time-worn containers of Mosaic libations. Judaism would be belittled and Christianity perverted by any such incongruous association.” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, pp. 196–97.)
“May I impose upon you for a moment to express appreciation for something that happened to me some time ago, years ago. I was suffering from an ulcer condition that was becoming worse and worse. We had been touring a mission; my wife, Joan, and I were impressed the next morning that we should get home as quickly as possibly, although we had planned to stay for some other meetings.
“On the way across the country, we were sitting in the forward section of the airplane. Some of our Church members were in the next section. As we approached a certain point en route, someone laid his hand upon my head. I looked up: I could see no one. That happened again before we arrived home, again with the same experience. Who it was, by what means or what medium, I may never know, except I knew that I was receiving a blessing that I came a few hours later to know I needed most desperately.
“As soon as we arrived home, my wife very anxiously called the doctor. It was now about 11 o’clock at night. He called me to come to the telephone, and he asked me how I was; and I said, ‘Well, I am very tired. I think I will be all right.’ But shortly thereafter, there came massive hemorrhages which, had they occurred while we were in flight, I wouldn’t be here today talking about it.
“I know that there are powers divine that reach out when all other help is not available. We see that manifest down in the countries we speak of as the underprivileged countries where there is little medical aid and perhaps no hospitals. If you want to hear of great miracles among these humble people with simple faith, you will see it among them when they are left to themselves. Yes, I know that there are such powers.” (Harold B. Lee, “Stand Ye in Holy Places,” Ensign, July 1973, p. 123. Italics added.)
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Sometimes members of the Church are dismayed because it seems to them there are not many miracles such as healings, speaking in tongues, and visions manifest in the Church. While it is true that these types of manifestations are happening, why do we not hear more about them? Can you see why, in most cases, they are done privately? In spite of this, why do you think some of Jesus’ miracles were done openly? Do you think that some were done to bear witness of him? What miracles are being performed today that bear witness of his divinity? |
“The great call has come now in the sermons of the brethren to aid those who are in need of aid, not just temporal aid, but spiritual aid. The greatest miracles I see today are not necessarily the healing of sick bodies, but the greatest miracles I see are the healing of sick souls, those who are sick in soul and spirit and are downhearted and distraught, on the verge of nervous breakdowns. We are reaching out to all such, because they are precious in the sight of the Lord, and we want no one to feel that they are forgotten. . . .
“You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. You must be sure, if you would rescue the man, that you yourself are setting the example of what you would have him be. You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul. You teachers, the testimony that you bear, the spirit with which you teach and with which you lead, is one of the most important assets that you can have, as you help to strengthen those who need so much, wherein you have so much to give. Who of us, in whatever station we may have been in have not needed strengthening?” (Lee, “Stand Ye in Holy Places,” p. 123. Italics added.)
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Is it apparent from this statement by President Lee that the greatest miracle being performed today is the transformation of a “natural” man or woman (see Mosiah 3:19) into a son or daughter of God? Is there a greater witness of Christ’s divinity than the testimonies of people who have given up a worldly way of life to follow him? Think about the following: Have you felt the healing power of Christ in your own life? Have you felt a forgiveness for sins? Are there still sins holding you back from lifting others to higher grounds? Could you, through study, prayer, and fasting, obtain added strength from Jesus Christ to receive the miracle of forgiveness? |