Healing a Man Born Blind

In John Chapter 9 there is a story of a blind man who was healed by Christ. It is an interesting story because you can see the spiritual growth of some, while others growth is halted because of their own spiritual blindness. The Pharisees had the hardest time believing and even had to call in the previously blind man’s parents to verify his story.  Some claimed that Christ was a sinner because he wasn't keeping the Sabbath, while others claimed that a sinner wouldn't be able to work such miracles. The parents of the blind man, when asked about how their son received his sight, were fearful to answer because if anyone openly admitted Jesus was the Christ they were to be thrown out of the synagogues so they pretty much opted out to answering by using the excuse that their son was old enough and they should ask him what happened.  The blind man’s spiritual growth is actually really neat to watch throughout this chapter. You can tell by how he answers the questions of who healed him. The man refers to Christ in three separate ways. First he calls him a man (vs 11), then he says that he is a prophet (vs 17), he then claims that Christ is “of God” (vs 33), and even calls him “Lord” (vs. 36) when he sees Christ again. In the end when Jesus tells him he is the Christ, the man falls down and worships him and believes.

I think the man’s faith and how he got to that point where he did believe in Christ is interesting. When I am reading that chapter I almost can put myself in his shoes. In my mind it seems that he was getting frustrated with everyone around him not believing that such a marvelous miracle had occurred. He knew something special had happened and as time went on I think he recognized that and also recognized that the people were spiritually blind to what had really happened. In the end his testimony in Christ has grown and he is ready to believe when Jesus tells him who he is. I wonder if he would have believed if Christ told him at the very beginning.

It kind of reminds me of the trials we sometimes go through. The blind man may not have had a strong testimony in Christ in the beginning, but I believe that while people were arguing around him, he was pondering the things that had happened to him and he was paying attention to what everyone was saying. In the end his faith grew and he had a stronger testimony in Christ.

Physical blindness is considered a handicap in someone’s life, however spiritual blindness can handicap someone as well. The Pharisees and even to some extent the blind man’s parents, were so concerned with specifics and were so afraid of the world that they were not able to recognize the miracle right in front of them. In some cases they almost couldn't accept that it even happened. It makes me wonder in my own life what I choose to believe and what not to believe. What hinders my spiritual growth? I need to make an effort to look past my obstacles. Just as the blind man shared his story and testimony and grew each time he shared it, I too can grow and learn when I share what I believe.  

The "Bread of Life" Sermon

In John 6:1-14 Christ feeds the multitudes with the 5 loves and 2 fishes so it was no doubt that awhile later the people came seeking him again. As Christ said it wasn't because of the miracles he performed but “because we did eat of the loaves, and were filled (John 6:26).” They completely glazed over the miracle that he had performed and thought only of their physical needs.

This instance makes me ponder on reasons I reach out to the Lord. I think most of us have a basic instinct to ask God to take care of our physical needs. I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing, but it becomes a hurdle to our spiritual growth if we allow it. We need to instead ask for spiritual guidance and growth.
The Savior taught this to the multitude that came seeking him. In response to them seeking him out because of their desire to be physically fed, he tells them that he will spiritually feed them. He does this by using the analogy of the “Bread of Life”.  He says that “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst (John 6:25).”

In Matthew 6:19-21 Christ says that we must not rely on the treasures of the earth but on the treasures of heaven. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” While physical health is important that is not the point of the savior’s sermon. What he is teaching is that we must not put all our heart into the things of the earth because we cannot find true happiness there. We find true happiness, comfort, peace, and salvation through the spirit and through the gospel of Christ.

This sermon of the bread of life was hard for many to understand. Many of Christ’s disciples (not the twelve apostles, mind you, but simple followers of Christ) left because of it (maybe because they didn't understand it?) and many murmured at his teaching.

However his apostles had stronger faith than that. It is demonstrated by Peter who said “…Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou are that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6:68-69)”

This makes me think about instances that I know of where people reacted like Peter to something that was “hard” for them to deal with. There are many things today that people do not understand fully but still follow Christ. They trust in his teachings and follow him knowing that he knows what is right. Sometimes we just don’t understand something but we must rely on our faith and trust in the Lord. He will eventually reveal the answer to us. I personally believe that sometimes it is okay to go by faith and not have the answers to everything. I’m okay with trusting the Lord even if there are things I don’t quite understand. I know many people who trust in the Lord even though there are aspects of the gospel that they don’t necessarily agree with.

Sometimes people don’t understand why I believe in God or follow Christ, especially because the gospel seems to be so against popular beliefs. I know what brings me joy in life and if I stopped living the gospel I would be spiritually miserable and I wouldn't enjoy who I was. I struggle with many things and the gospel helps me get through them all. I recognize that the gospel is the “living bread” and it feeds me and gives me comfort and peace.

The Lord Often Taught with Parables

     Throughout his ministry Christ told many parables. Parables are stories that are told that have a deeper meaning to them. Christ taught in parables in order to hid the actual meaning allowing those who truly wanted to learn more about Christ and the gospel to seek and find the answers within the parables while those who did not wish to learn more about the gospel simple saw the parable as a neat story. It also allowed those to get their personal revelation that they needed. It makes me think of how everyone reads the scriptures but each gets something out of them that applies directly to their life. The Holy Ghost speaks to us through the scriptures and the parables that Jesus taught and those who are diligently searching the scriptures for gospel knowledge will find it and those who are simply just reading will find a story.

     Christ told many parables and this week we focused on Matthew chapter 13 and the parables told within that chapter. They teach of the future of the world, the church, and the followers of Christ:

The parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24-30): when Christ comes again, he will separate those who are striving to follow Christ and live righteously from those who have rejected him and chose to live unrighteous.  

The parable of the mustard seed and the leaven (Matthew 13:31-33): The Kingdom of Heaven on the earth would start out small and then become greater at time went on.

The parable of the gospel net (Matthew 13:47-50): tares in the sense that God will send missionaries (the net) to teach the gospel and in the last days the Lord will separate the righteous from the unrighteous according to his righteous judgment.

The parable of the treasure and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46): Someone who finds the gospel and knows of its worth and truth is willing to give up everything and make sacrifices in order to have it in their life.

The gospel is a wonderful thing and we need to make sure we are strengthening our testimonies and sharing the joy that we find in the gospel. The net represented missionaries in the world which in truth can represent anyone that is sharing their testimony whether through word of mouth or simply by the way they live their life. We should stay strong in the gospel and help people learn of Christ and what he really stands for. We can find joy in the gospel and through Christ. As he teaches us through the scriptures and through the Holy Ghost we can come to understand for the truthfulness of the gospel and what we can do to help others. 

The Calling of the Twelve Apostles

I was looking up the original Twelve Apostles in the bible dictionary and very unfortunately there is not a whole lot of information of many of them. Especially the ones that I was really interested in such as Andrew, Philip and some of the other lesser known ones, However, here are some things I learned:

• Peter means “rock” and it makes it that much more interesting when the Lord says “…Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18)
  
• It is most likely that Bartholomew also goes by Nathanael and they are the same person. There is also obviously a close friendship between him and Philip as they are always associated together.
  
• I also didn’t know that Andrew and Peter were brothers, so that is a little embarrassing. Haha!

So what is an Apostle?

An Apostle literally means “one sent forth”. In regards to the Twelve Apostles they were to be special witnesses of Christ and to testify of his divinity and specifically his bodily resurrection from the dead.
Christ taught his Apostles what they needed to do in order to prepare them to proclaim the gospel and to be his special witnesses. He his teachings and guidance to them can be found in Matthew 10:5-42 and in these versus he teaches them to search and heal those who are sick and to minister to them. He teaches them that there are going to be people who will not listen or who will “scourge” them “in their synagogues”. I think the scripture that stood out the most while I was reading was this:

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:

 be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”

–Matthew 10:16

While Christ mostly required them to stay within the bounds of the House of Israel  he was first and foremost teaching them to find his “lost sheep” and to recover those who were looking for the Savior. He says:

“He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that

 receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.”

-Matthew 10:39

Christ is teaching his disciples to search out those who are looking for the gospel and giving them guidance as to how to do this.  He is helping them to know and recognize who truly is looking.
I think we can all learn from the Savior’s teachings. All the things that he taught his apostles can be used to teach us. We need to make sure we are doing what he would want us to do and we need to be as Peter, James and John in a moment’s notice gave up everything and follow Christ. It is interesting in Luke 5:1-11 that Peter, although unsure, followed Christ’s command to let the nets down again, even though they had caught nothing all day. Despite his uncertainty Peter did it anyways and in doing so received a witness of the Savior. Once he had received this witness (along with James and John) they “…forsook all, and followed him.” (Luke 5:11)

Likewise we must be as Peter.  Even in times of uncertainty we must trust the Lord and follow his commandments. He knows more than we possibly could. In doing this, we will receive a testimony of our own and we must continue to strengthen it and nourish it by following Christ.

The Samaritan Woman at the Well

It shouldn't be a shock that the Samaritan woman was surprised to see Jesus was talking to her.  At the time, Samaritans were highly disliked by the Jews, who of which held Samaritans in a lower standard than the Gentiles. For Jesus, a Jew, to be speaking to the Samaritan woman was extremely rare and probably a very peculiar situation, especially for the woman.

Many times it is said that God is no respecter of persons. This means he doesn't hold one person higher than another for any reason. He judges people on their hearts, not as the world judges them. As most Jews would take the long way around Samaria when traveling to Galilee, Jesus purposely went through Samaria. Not only did he not care for the status the world has set but I’m sure he also wanted to share the gospel and teach those around him.

Jesus Christ leads by example. By showing his disciples how he treated others he was mentally preparing them for how they should treat others as well. Eventually this kindness towards others would coincide with doctrine later in the scriptures that they should preach to all the nations; Jew and Gentile. Jesus was slowly teaching them what kind of people they should be and that all men should be treated as equals.

Throughout John chapter 4 the Samaritan woman’s attitude gradually changed the longer she conversed with Jesus.  To me there are small evidences. When Jesus firsts addresses her she replies with what seems to be not only confusions but maybe also a little contempt and wary. She doesn't seem sure about the situation at hand. A little while on she starts to address Christ as “Sir” and starts to ask him questions and accept him. Later on after Christ shares details about her life that he could have known she says “I perceive that thou art a prophet” and eventually after Christ confesses that he is the Christ, she tells people back home who he is and they follow her to meet him.  This woman went from skepticism to belief within a short conversation with Christ.

Over the years I have felt a little like this Samaritan woman. Although I grew up in the church there was a moment in my life where I was skeptic of the gospel and just didn't understand it. But eventually I hit a point in my life where I made an effort to get to know my Heavenly Father and through doing so I have been able to hold a great relationship with him. I have seen his influence in my life and he has been able to provide me with insight that I could not have foreseen.  Because of what I now know about the gospel I have a greater responsibility to make good decisions and to choose the right and it is something that I strive to do every day.

Eventually this woman’s testimony and he sharing of what Christ told and taught her, helped change the hearts of the people in her community who eventually believed themselves after they had met Christ. There is a particular scripture (John 4:42) that reminds me of the fact that we hear other people’s testimonies, but we do not gain a true testimony unless we personally search out Christ and learn from him.

The Lord often talks about the “Living water” and at the time, like this Samaritan woman, it took a while before they understood what he meant by “living water”. Christ said 

“Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give 

him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give

 him shall be in him a well of water springing

 up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14) 

This scripture speaks of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that when we drink of it, our spirits will never thirst for the truth because we will have it. Many people in this world do not wish to know the truth. As it says in Jeremiah 2:13:

 “They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and

 hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns,

 that can hold no water.”

This world is full of people that do not want to hear the truth. They do not want to drink of the living water, and their reasoning’s we may never know or understand. However Christ’s “living water”, his gospel, is what will bring our spirits comfort, peace, and help us to never thirst for truth again. We must be as the Samaritan woman. We must listen, with maybe a little wariness at first, for many people teach of Christ but few teach correctly. If we listen and learn we will know in our hearts if what we are being taught is correct. Then after we have our own testimonies we can help others find their way back to Christ and help them drink of the living waters that they may never thirst again.