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MOUNT OF MEDITATION
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, an object lesson. I like to bring in a length of strong rope for a bit of a tug-of-war. Now please be safe and careful with this while doing it indoors, you don’t want anyone getting hurt so you may want to caution participants to not get too overzealous with the activity. It’s just an illustration. But I call someone from the class who looks strong. Someone a little bigger that you know would have a bit of an advantage in a tug-o-war. Now, with a bit of humor and a tongue in cheek tone, you’re going to say that this person represents Satan. You can apologize to them for that, but you can also compliment them in saying, but I chose you because you look strong. And that would be accurate right? Because Satan is strong, isn’t he? Do we have any evidence of that in our world? That he’s good at what he does? Yeah. Just look at world around us. Satan has obviously pulled a lot of people over to his side. He’s good at reeling people in with his temptations. But now we need somebody to represent us—your standard, good, upright disciple of Christ who wants to do what’s right. And now you’ll call on someone from the class who looks like they would definitely not be able to win the tug of war with the person you called to represent Satan. Now you have to be careful with this of course. Consider the personality of the person you choose. You’re not trying to embarrass anyone. Again, lighthearted approach. The key really is to choose someone who is obviously smaller than the person chosen to represent Satan. And then you let them do a tug of war and, more than likely, if you’ve chosen your volunteers wisely, they will lose.
And you say, “How many of you have ever experienced this in real life?” Has Satan ever succeeded in pulling you into sin? And we all raise our hands. And we really do have to give Satan some credit. He’s had thousands of years of practice in the art of tempting mortals, and he’s won many a soul over the centuries. Don’t underestimate him. Still, God has given us plenty of help to defeat Satan. We don’t have to face the adversary alone. There are things we can do, spiritual practices and principles that can stack the odds in our favor, and give us the strength and power to resist Satan and his temptations. And Jesus is going to show us how to do just that. That’s what today’s lesson is going to be all about.
I’d then have my volunteers go back and sit down, but I let them know that I’m going to need them again later in the lesson.
TRANSITION
Now we’ve already established this year the truth that Jesus is our ultimate example in all things. That was one of the great purposes of him coming to earth. To show us the way. And in Matthew chapter 4, we get to watch how “the Master” resisted temptation. Satan vs. Jesus. And who do you think is going to win that tug-of-war? We already know the outcome because Jesus never sinned. But that doesn’t mean he was never tempted. Case in point, we need not feel guilty for being tempted in things. Temptation is not sin. Even Jesus was tempted. And before we go any further. A common objection I’ve heard about this episode in the Savior’s life. Someone might say, “Yeah, but he was Jesus. Of course HE’s going to resist temptation. It was easy for him. He was the Savior. How can I really relate to that?” And I always love to respond to that with a quote from one my heroes, C.S. Lewis. Here’s what he had to say about that:
“No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptations means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist.”
C.S. Lewis
I think that’s a good point. Really, Jesus is the only one who truly understands the strength of temptation because he fought it to its greatest exertion and won. He does, then understand exactly how hard it can be, better than anyone else.
SEARCH
So, two things we’re going to look for here as we study Matthew 4:1-11. It’s not super long. One, what do we learn about Satan and Temptation from this episode? And two, what does Jesus teach us about how to resist temptation. I might encourage my students to carefully read through those verses with two colored pencils, marking what they find regarding those two questions. Another option. You can encourage them to fill in the following handout with truths and principles they discover in their study. And then, I would invite them to share what they found and use their comments to discuss those truths and principles together as a class.
To help you to be prepared for that discussion. Let’s talk about some of the things they might find.
WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT SATAN AND TEMPTATION?
First, let’s begin with that initial question. What do we learn about Satan and temptation?
When We’re Weak
One thing we might consider. When did Satan come to tempt Jesus? What moment did he choose? When Jesus was weak—physically weak at least. When he was hungry, very hungry, forty days is a long time. (which by the way, forty days and forty nights may not literally mean, forty days and forty nights. It was also an expression used back then to just signify “a really long time”. Now maybe he did literally fast for that long, it’s possible, but it’s also possible that it may have just been an extended period of time.) But regardless of that, Jesus would have been at his most physically vulnerable at that time. So what did we just learn about Satan? He doesn’t play fair. He attacks our weaknesses and comes when we’re most susceptible. We’ve got to be prepared for that. That also highlights the importance of us strengthening ourselves as much as possible when we are on safe ground. So that when our more vulnerable times come, we’ll be ready.
The First Temptation
We can learn a lot about temptation by examining the three that are highlighted here as representative examples of the types of deceptions Satan may use against us. So what’s the first temptation in verse 3?
Turning stones into bread. Now first of all, what’s wrong with that? What’s sinful about satisfying your hunger? Well, nothing really, but in this case, to use priesthood power to satisfy a personal hunger out of a sense of ease or convenience. That’s not the purpose of the priesthood. Priesthood power is all about service to others, not us. And, it was a temptation to put his trust in himself rather than his Father in Heaven. Jesus didn’t need bread at that point to survive, or else God would have provided it for him. I’m sure that, after this episode with Satan, Jesus would have walked back into town and eaten a meal. But he didn’t need to turn stones in to bread to continue living. This is very typical of many of Satan’s temptations. Get what you want right now, easily. And that’s contrary to God’s laws. Satisfying our hungers and desires isn’t wrong, but the way we go about it may be—getting the right things in the wrong ways. Satan is always tempting us to take the easy route for getting what we want. So Jesus, just wave your hand and get what you want right now. You have the means to do so and the opportunity to do, so why not?! Satan does the same with us. You can get what you want right now, by stealing, by cheating, by lying, by looking at pornography, by gambling. You can feel good right now, by doing drugs or drinking alcohol.
The first temptation was about giving into the lusts of the flesh or the desires of the natural man. Satan seeks to use our humanity against us. God intends us to act with self-control and discipline, for the sake of our own well-being and happiness. Satan always encourages us to just give in—whether its lust, anger, laziness, pride, or selfishness.
Jesus’s answer to this temptation reinforces this idea. He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Living is not just about satisfying our physical desires. There is a higher objective for mortality. It’s about fulfilling our God given purpose and destiny. We’re here to become like him by living by his word and trusting in his counsels and commandments.
The Second Temptation
We find the second temptation in verse 6. And this is the most baffling of temptations at first glance. To jump off a building. That’s the temptation?! To those of us with a fairly strong sense of self-preservation we tend to back away pretty easily from the edge of high places. So what’s going on here? What’s the temptation in this?
Let’s take a closer look. First, Satan begins by quoting a scripture to tempt Jesus. Wow! Do you see how subtle and devious Satan is? He’ll even try to use scripture against us if he can—but he’ll twist their meaning or push the truth that it teaches to the extreme or at the expense of its balancing principle. The most effective lies are based on a kernel of truth. And what is the truth that Satan is twisting here. The truth that God cared about his Beloved Son and that he would help him and protect him. “He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” The answer to what the temptation really is can be found in Jesus’s response. It’s not so much of a temptation to jump from the pinnacle as it is “tempting God”. Thou shalt NOT tempt the Lord thy God. The footnote for the word “tempt” gives us the words “to test, to try, or to prove” as clarifying synonyms.
Sometimes Satan uses the compassionate and loving nature of God to raise doubts about him in our minds. So what’s jumping from the pinnacle? It’s when we test God. It’s when WE put conditions on HIS love. When we say things like. “If you really are there, if you really loved me, you would prevent this pain or trial in my life. You would take away my suffering, you would answer my prayer in such and such a way. I want you to prove your love for me God, by fulfilling what I desire. You promised to do so in the Psalms. And we jump, and say, “Lord, catch me, or else.” That’s testing God. And if he doesn’t catch us, we abandon our faith in him. But, we are not meant to test or try God. When we do this kind of thing, we run the risk of dashing the feet of our faith against the stones.
Jesus, however, would not put His Father to the test. He knew his Father loved him; and there was no need for demanded proof. He backed away from the edge, and so must we.
The Third Temptation
Now the third temptation is a little easier to understand here in verses 8 and 9. Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and promises to give them to Christ if he will just fall down and worship him.” The third temptation then is wealth, worldliness, and power. Being focused on worldly kingdoms instead of an eternal one. Prosperity and power can be a very tempting lure for people. It’s dangerous because it causes you to rely on yourself rather than God. It encourages pride, selfishness, and an unhealthy focus on the things of this world. When all of our physical and worldly needs and wants are fulfilled, it can be tempting to forget that we are completely dependent for all we have and are. Once again, Jesus’s response to Satan holds the key to resisting this temptation. Quoting Exodus 34:14, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” In essence, Jesus says, “My focus is going to rest on my Father and the building up of His eternal kingdom, not the empty, self-serving pursuit of my own temporary one.” Hopefully we can say the same when the lure of worldly wealth and power stretches out before us. And anyway, I believe Satan was lying with his promise of giving Christ all the kingdoms of the world, which is typical of the adversary. He promises everything but delivers nothing. Jesus is going to have a lot to say about the dangers of prosperity and pride in his ministry. So stay tuned.
And a quick sidenote here. We also learn something else about Satan from this temptation. HE’S prideful. He reveals in this temptation what HE’S really after. He wants to be worshipped. From the beginning, he demanded the throne of God and all the glory and power he perceived it would give him. No wonder that pride is one of the greatest lures he tries to use against us.
IF
Another brief thought about the adversary. I’m intrigued by the word “IF” in the first and second temptations. IF thou be the Son of God, do such and such. Satan always wants us to doubt our true identity and worth. “You are not really what you think you are,” he says, “You’re not important. You’re not worthy. You’re not as capable as God is telling you, you are.” Satan would also have us forget our eternal and precious nature as beloved sons and daughters of God.
THE FORTIFIERS
All right, enough about Satan. Let’s focus on Jesus now. What did Jesus do that helped him to resist those temptation? What gave him the strength to respond in the way he did to each?
Some possible answers might include the following:
FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT
:1 In verse 1 it tells us that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. So what can help give us strength in times of temptation? Following the Spirit. Being worthy of its presence and heeding its promptings. The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead for heavens sakes. How can we not win with him at our side?! Therefore, we must be sure to live our lives in such a way that we are continually worthy of his presence. Follow the Spirit, no matter where he leads you. He will give you strength.
TIME WITH GOD
Also from verse one, we have a very important JST change. Be sure to cross out the phrase “to be tempted of the devil.” The spirit didn’t lead him into temptation. The Holy Ghost does just the opposite, so no wonder Joseph was inspired to make that correction. So why did the Spirit lead him into the wilderness? To be with God. Before Jesus really began his ministry in earnest, he needed some quality time with his Father. He needed the strength and assurance that time with God provides. What’s he doing during those forty days and nights? He’s praying, he’s meditating, he’s preparing himself, and seeking guidance from his Father. We can do the same. Quiet time with our Heavenly Father can fortify and strengthen us too. Whether at Church, the temple, in Nature, in our own closets, or at our bedsides we can seek “to be with God” for a time. Then, when we walk out of those places, we will be strong enough to say “No” to Satan. Another great place to see this process at work would be Moses chapter 1 where Moses is better able to resist the adversary after he has witnessed the glory of God first. He says “where is thy glory for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God” (Moses 1:15). The more time we spend with our Father in Heaven, the easier it will be for us to judge and resist the darkness of the devil. In the Holy Land, sometimes the traditional location where people believe this event took place is called the Mount of Temptation. But President David O. McKay gave the location a different name. He said, “Meditation is one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord. Jesus set the example for us . . . Jesus repaired to what is now known as the Mount of Temptation. I like to think of it as the Mount of Meditation where, during the forty days of fasting, he communed with himself and his Father and contemplated upon the responsibility of his great mission” (Conference Report, April 1946). Spending ample time on our own Mounts of Mediation will fortify us for OUR great missions as well.
FASTING
What else gave Jesus strength in this situation? He was fasting. Fasting is one of the greatest tools for overcoming temptation. Jesus may have been physically weak at that time, but spiritually, he was stronger than ever. That’s what fasting can do for us too. It’s like spiritual weightlifting. We give our spirits a chance to exercise control over the desires of the natural man—we show ourselves that our spiritual desires can trump our physical ones. No wonder Jesus was able to so easily resist the temptation to turn the stones into bread. Really Satan? I’ve just spent the last forty days saying no to my hunger. I think I can hang in there for just a few more hours. If you are having a really hard time with a specific temptation. Try fasting! Show your natural man who’s boss. You’ll have that much more practice and power to defy that temptation when it rears its ugly head.
SCRIPTURE POWER
Now the big one. There is one thing that Jesus uses more than anything else in this moment of temptation. Did you notice how Jesus responded to each and every temptation Satan throws at him? Did you see the common phrase in verses 4, 7, and 10. What are they? “It is written”. And then what does he do? He quotes a scripture. Something from the Old Testament in each case. This shows us a few things. One, Jesus knew his scriptures, well. He knew them well enough to be able to quote them from memory. He didn’t have to check his phone, or he didn’t have his scrolls tucked under his arm, saying, “Oh, can you wait just a minute Satan? I’m sure there’s a good scripture in here somewhere I could use.” No, they were in his head, ready to use at a moment’s notice. Jesus had spent sufficient time studying the scriptures, so that when temptation came, he was able to call upon the strength and nourishment they provided. He may have been fasting from physical bread at that moment, but he had spent his whole life feasting upon the words of God. His soul was nourished and strong.
There are a number of great symbols that the scriptures use to symbolize themselves: an iron rod, a Liahona or compass, a light, but sometimes the scriptures are represented by a sword. The sword of the word of God, that pierces and cuts through lies and falsehood in defense of the truth. Jesus knew how to wield that sword. This is one of the best places in the scriptures to see the word of God being used as a sword. So Satan comes along and says “Turn these stones into bread. “ And Jesus pulls out the sword of the word of God and says, “Oh no, Satan, Deuteronomy 8:3. Take that”. Satan says, “Jump from the pinnacle!” And Jesus says, “Uh, uh. Deuteronomy 6:16. Whoosh”. Satan says, “Take the kingdoms of the world, and worship me.” And Jesus says, “No way, Satan, Exodus 34:14. Slice!” We can do the same. Become so familiar with the scriptures, that the truths and principles they teach become a sword in your hand in the defense of your soul.
There’s another quick possible object lesson you might consider doing here that I’ve done in the past, but I’m afraid does require some up-front cost. I have an actual sword that I purchased online a number of years ago, and then I have a plastic sword, and then I have one of this tiny sandwich swords that restaurants will use to hold sandwich’s together, and I pull out all three and I ask: Which one of these swords best represents your knowledge of the scriptures and ability to wield them in your own spiritual self-defense? Which would you most like to go to battle with? This visualization can act as a good motivater for engaging in deep scripture study.
Get thee Hence
One final brief thought that I’ll add on here. I like the tactic Jesus uses in verse 10. He just says, “Get thee hence, Satan”. Just leave me alone. I’m not going to listen to you anymore. Sometimes that may be all we need to do. Just tell him to take a hike and to come bother you another time. Perhaps the strength and determination of your dismissal of him will give you the power to completely cast him out, for a time at least.
OBJECT LESSON
So now, let’s go back to our initial object lesson. We’ve established the fact that Satan is strong and that he is extremely skilled in the art of luring people from the path of God. BUT, we don’t have to face him with only our will alone. We have access to the same things that Jesus used to fortify HIMself. So let’s add them. And now you pull out four more people from the class to come up and join your first volunteer in their tug of war with Satan. As they come forward you can label them fasting, scripture study, meditation, and following the Spirit and any other things that your students saw in those verses that I didn’t talk about here and tell the class that you’d like to try this tug-o-war again now. And of course, five against one, Satan is going to lose that time, no matter how strong he is.
TRUTH
Studying the scriptures, fasting, meditation, and following the Spirit can provide me with the strength I need to resist temptation.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Which of the “fortifiers” have helped you to resist temptation? How?
What scriptures have provided you with strength to resist temptation? What’s one of your own “it is written’s?”
CONCLUSION
Well, I just love this scene from the Savior’s life. It is so powerful, so relevant, so rich with meaning. I’m grateful that we have all the same tools that Jesus used to strengthen himself available to us as well. And I believe that we can respond to the adversary with the same amount of power and resolve as Jesus did if we’ll just use them. I pray that we’ll all be strong in our own resistance of the devil’s devious deceptions. May we all wield the sword of the word of God with valor, and tell Satan with conviction to take a hike, and “to get thee hence.” This way, we too will be prepared for the missions and destinies that God has set out for us. Yes, Satan, like a snake, may have the power to bruise our heel, but ultimately God has given us the power to crush his head (Genesis 3:15).
NEVERTHELESS, AT THY WORD
ICEBREAKER
I find that a good icebreaker for this next portion of our lesson is just to simply sing a hymn. Remember Doctrine and Covenants 25:12 that “The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.” The name of that hymn? Come, Follow Me. Hymn #116. And I’ll usually display the words of all six verses of that hymn up on my screen. And as we sing, I encourage my students to choose a phrase or line that is their favorite and to be ready to explain why. My favorite? Verse 2.
2. “Come, follow me,” a simple phrase,
Yet truth’s sublime, effulgent rays
Are in these simple words combined
To urge, inspire the human mind.
TRANSITION
I agree with the author of that hymn. That that simple three-word invitation shines with truth’s sublime, effulgent rays. It radiates with power. And I pray that as we study the story found in Luke 5:1-11, that we will be urged and inspired to respond to that call.
SEARCH
Jesus was an inviter. He didn’t threaten, he didn’t bribe, he didn’t beg, he just invited people to come follow Him. And here in these verses we get to see how he does it. He’s going to invite Peter, James, and John to leave behind their former lives to come and be his apostles. And I think we need to realize how big of an invitation that would have been. Jesus never shied away from inviting people to do difficult things. Put yourself in the shoes of the early apostles and think about why this might be difficult for them to do? He’s asking them to leave behind their livelihood. To put the comfort and familiarity of their chosen profession behind them and turn towards an uncertain future of apostleship and ministry. Their lives would never be the same after this point.
So to help us liken the scriptures. Can you think of some of the difficult things God invites US to do nowadays? Let’s brainstorm that for a minute.
· Live righteously in the midst of a wicked world
· Repent-Give up your most precious sins. Even those things that you just don't want to change.
· Love and forgive your enemies
· Pay the Lord 10% of what you make
· Serve a mission
· Accept a difficult calling.
· Study your scriptures daily
To make this lesson more relevant. Before we even begin our study. I want you to think of one of Christ’s invitations that is difficult for you. What’s one of those things that you struggle to “Come, follow Him” in. And armed with that “invitation in mind”, please study Luke chapter 5:1-11 looking for ways in which you could finish the following statement.
When Christ calls me to follow him (and that’s in whatever invitation I’m struggling most with) I should OR I shouldn’t . . . what?
Nevertheless, At Thy Word
And what you’re going to find here is this wonderful conversation between Peter and Jesus. Before Jesus gives Peter the BIG invitation, he offers him a smaller one first and does this marvelous little object lesson with him. What does he initially ask Peter to do, and how does Peter respond?
In verse 4 he asks Peter to “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught” or a catch or a haul of fish (see footnote 4a). And how does Peter respond? He says “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing.” What would we call that? What is Peter doing there? He’s giving Jesus a reason or an excuse to not follow his instruction. And, I would say, for good reason. Who in this situation knows more about fishing? Jesus or Peter? Peter does! He could have very well looked back at Jesus and said, “Now wait a second here, you’re a carpenter, I’m the fisherman here. I’ve been a fisherman my whole life. I know these waters like the back of my hand. We’ve been fishing all night and haven’t caught a thing. It’s not a good time!”
And maybe I’m reading a little bit into this, but I believe there’s a lot of meaning in that semi-colon following that phrase. I feel it represents a pause. Peter gives his excuse and then waits, hoping that that will deter Christ’s request—that Jesus will look back at him and say, “You’re right Peter, nevermind. That was a bad idea. You know better. You’re excused from doing what I’ve asked you to do.” But that’s not what Jesus says. In fact, he doesn’t say anything. And here’s how I picture it. I picture Jesus just looking intently back at Peter with a steadfast look on his face, eyes fixed on him—saying nothing. Just waiting. Like “Ok, Peter, I’m not really impressed with your reasoning here. I’ve asked you to do something. Are you going to do it, or not?”
And to Peter’s credit, he answers with humility, in the way we all should answer these kinds of requests, he says, “Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net”.
But I imagine he’s doing it a little incredulously, like, “All right, I know this isn’t going to work, but OK. If you really want me to.” And so Peter does, and what happens?
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
Lo and behold, Jesus was right. He actually did know better than Peter. And because Peter was humble enough to obey Jesus’s command, he received a great blessing. But are we like Peter sometimes? Do we sometimes try to excuse ourselves from following one of God’s requests because we feel we know better or we feel justified in some way in refusing him. Have you ever argued with a commandment or calling before?
So Jesus asks, “I want you to serve a mission for the Church” and we say, “Oh, but Lord, what about my education, leaving my family and friends, and I’m really not that great at teaching. I don’t feel ready or able to do that”. And Jesus looks back at us with that look on his face, with love of course, but perhaps a bit unimpressed with our rationalizations. And, hopefully, what do we say, “Nevertheless, at thy word, I will turn in my papers”
Jesus says, “I’d like you to attend your church meetings each Sunday.” And we say, “But, that’s my only day off from work. That’s when I watch football. I don’t get anything out of my meetings anyway. The people in my ward aren’t very welcoming.” And Jesus looks back at us with love, but firmness, and says nothing. And we say, “Nevertheless, at thy word, I will go and do.”
Jesus asks, “I want you to serve as the Relief Society President, or be a Primary Teacher, or work with the young men.” And we look at Jesus and say, “I can’t do that right now. I’m too busy. I don’t know how to do that calling. I’ve never served in that capacity before.” And he answers us with . . . that intent look. And we look into that face, Peter-like, say, “Nevertheless, at thy word, I’ll accept.”
So, how might we complete our sentence? When Jesus calls me to follow him, I shouldn’t make excuses or rationalizations. OR, I should have a nevertheless attitude, and follow regardless of all the good reasons I can think of not to.
Their Net Brake
And consider this. What happened BECAUSE Peter was willing to show a “nevertheless” attitude? They enclosed a great multitude of fishes. So much so that their net breaks and they fill two boats so full of fish that they begin to sink. Ohhh, I love that! Superb! Do you see the principle Jesus was trying to teach Peter? He’s saying, “See, Peter, when you listen to me, when you do what I ask, this is what will happen! The blessings will come, and boy do they ever come. It reminds me of the promise we saw a couple of weeks ago in Malachi where the Lord says, “And prove me now herewith, if I do not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you will not have room enough to receive it.” When you obey me with a nevertheless attitude, my goodness and bounty will overflow in your life.”
I am a Sinful Man
Then, what Peter says next really connects with me. Something that I love about Peter is that he’s so human and I can relate to him. Because after witnessing this amazing display of the Lord’s power he immediately feels unworthy of it. So what does he say? “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man.”
How does Peter see himself then? As a sinful man. But what did Jesus see in Peter? Jesus saw a master apostle, a prophet, the man who would lead his Church after the crucifixion. He saw “the Rock” in Peter, not just a Simon. You see this same reaction in many great prophets of scripture. Moses saw himself as slow of speech, but the Lord saw the man that would lead his people out of Egypt. Enoch saw himself as “but a lad” that all the people hated. But the Lord saw the man that would build Zion. Joseph Smith saw himself as an obscure boy of no consequence in the world. But the Lord saw the man that would restore his latter-day Church.
What’s the lesson here? We need to start trying to see ourselves in the way that Christ sees us. Can we be humble enough to admit that we may not be the most accurate of judges of our own potential? If Christ asks us to do something, we know, inherent in the invitation itself, that we have the power to do it. If we didn’t, he wouldn’t have asked us. So when we feel tempted to discount ourselves, doubt ourselves, or question our ability or worthiness to do something, we should stop and ask ourselves what we think Christ sees in us.
And so Jesus says to Peter in verse 10, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” That reassuring command applies to us too! Fear not! Don’t fear the unknown. Don’t fear your past mistakes. Don’t fear future failure. Your Lord believes in you. What assurance more do you need?
So how could we finish our statement? When Christ asks me to follow him, I shouldn’t doubt my ability to do what he asks. OR I shouldn’t fear my own reservations. OR I SHOULD seek to see myself in the way Christ does.
Fishers of Men
This object lesson is also indicative of Peter’s future. In the same version of this story in Matthew, Jesus tells him that he will become a fisher of men. If Peter, James, and John had been farmers, he might have said, “The field is white already to harvest”. But because they were fisherman, he used an example closer to their experience and understanding, “The sea is full already to catch,” so to speak. Come follow me, I will make you fishers of men and your nets will bring in many. So much so that your boats will begin to sink from the multitudes you draw in. And those three men will do just that. For the rest of their lives, the gospel net they cast will bring in many to the Lord’s boat. This came about because they were willing to allow Christ to shape them into something new—something greater. As Ezra Taft Benson once said:
“Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson [2014], 42).
When the Lord asks me to follow him, I should allow him to make me into something greater.
Leaving the Nets Full
One more phrase from this story. Verse 11. “And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” Often, the call to follow the Savior comes at times when everything is good. Opportunities to serve and sacrifice rarely come at convenient times. They may even come at a time when we’ve experienced a great success, or prospects are good, or we’re experiencing ease and prosperity. Sometimes he calls when the nets are full. Empty nets are much easier to leave behind than full ones. Maybe it’s the older couple who have a net full of grandchildren to spend time with who are asked to go serve a mission. Maybe it’s the young lady who gets the proposal of marriage from the young man who loves her but has no plans to marry her in the temple. Perhaps it’s the time intensive calling that comes when you finally feel like you have time to relax. Full nets are not a reason to ignore the calls of Christ.
So, When Christ calls me to follow, I should forsake all (even nets that are full) and follow.
Straightway
And let’s pull in one more insight or phrase from Matthew’s version of this story. Matthew 4:18-22. Do any words jump out at you here?
For me, I like the words straightway and immediately.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
When Christ calls us to follow, we should, follow immediately. OR When Christ calls us to follow, we should not delay. Don’t wait. Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until it is everlastingly too late.
We may say things like I will, I will start paying my tithing, but not now. I’ll do it once I’m settled in my career and have enough money left over each month to spare the10%.
OR I will, I will study my scriptures someday, but not now. I’ve got so many other things to do.
OR I will, I will do temple and family history work, but not now. That’s something only older people do. I’ll do it when I’m older.
The best time to follow Christ is always NOW. Because if and when we finally do decide, in our own sight, that we are ready, we may find that the opportunity to follow has long passed us by.
TRUTH
Perhaps we could combine a number of the principles we found here. When Christ calls me to follow him, If I follow immediately, without excuse, with a nevertheless attitude, forgetting my past mistakes or feelings of inadequacy, then he will bless me abundantly and make me into something far greater than I could make myself.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
When have you seen your boat filled by the Lord because of your willingness to follow him?
For me, mission stands out as a perfect example of this in my life. Yes, it was difficult, yes, it was a sacrifice, but my mission continues to fill my boat with fish to this day. That experience has blessed and shaped my life in so many ways. I’m still pulling in fish from that decision.
CONCLUSION
I think is just a fantastic story. Can’t you just see the Savior smiling at the excitement and clamor of his soon-to-be-called apostles as they eagerly pulled in their thrashing nets. I always strive to keep that image fresh in my mind whenever I feel the Lord is calling to me to do something difficult. Something that I may not be too enthusiastic about doing. I can assure you that every time I have gone ahead and trusted in my Savior’s trust in me that my boats have always been loaded to overflowing. We just need to be ready to cast our nets on the other side of our ships when our Lord invites us to.
BE THOU CLEAN
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, a discussion question: What’s the worst injury or sickness you’ve ever had to endure? And how long did it take for you to recover? Then, once they’ve shared their answers to that question, just ponder this one: If Jesus had been there when you were facing that infirmity, and he gave you a choice to either have your sickness or injury taken away at that moment or for him to completely forgive you of all your sins and weaknesses, virtually making you as innocent as the day you were baptized, which would you choose? Physical or spiritual healing? And which of the two is the greater miracle in your mind?
TRANSITION
Well we all know that Jesus healed many during his ministry and the power he had to do so drew scores of people to his side. But WHY did he heal people? Why was that such a big part of the way he did things? There’s more than one answer to that question. For one, he certainly did it out of a sense of compassion and a desire to alleviate suffering in others. Mark 1:41 tells us that for example. He performed miracles to confirm and strengthen the faith of his disciples who witnessed them. He performed miracles to wrap himself in the mantle of previous prophets as a sign. But, remember, Jesus was a teacher, first and foremost. And everything he did and said was designed to teach people. His physical healings stood as a symbolic manifestation of what he was able to do spiritually for people. That, by far, is my favorite way of studying and applying the healings of Jesus.
The Whole Need Not a Physician
We can even see Jesus himself hinting at this link in the story of the calling of Levi or Matthew the tax collector in Luke 5:27-32. To summarize, Jesus sees Levi sitting at the tax booth and calls for him to follow him. Which he does. Causing the scribes and the Pharisees to complain about the types of people Jesus was surrounding himself with, because they hated the publicans. And Jesus says:
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
And so there we have it. Jesus comparing himself to a physician, a doctor—come to help heal people of their spiritual sicknesses, their sins. He is the great physician. Sin, therefore, is sickness. And I like that metaphor better than many of the others we find in scripture. Sin is also compared to the breaking of law, and we need Jesus to be our advocate. Or sin is compared to debt, and we need Jesus to be our mediator. Or sin is bondage, and we need Jesus to be our liberator. And I don’t know about you, but when I sin, I’d much rather picture myself as being sick and needing to be healed than that I’ve broken a law and I need a lawyer.
So whenever I read about a miracle of the Savior’s, I always stop and ask myself the following question. What is this healing teaching me about Christ’s power to heal spiritual sickness?
The Man With Palsy-Luke 5:17-26
Let’s look first at the story of the healing of the man with palsy in Luke 5:17-26. It’s a perfect example of Jesus’s power to heal in both ways, physically and spiritually. The man in the story is paralyzed. He can’t move of his own accord. So first, I always like to compare the infirmity the person is suffering in the story to sin to see if it relates in any way. How is sin like paralysis? Well, it stops our spiritual progress and makes it impossible for us to go forward. Satan desires to halt our efforts to walk the straight and narrow path. He wants to paralyze us. Or perhaps there are sins or temptations in our lives that we feel powerless to overcome on our own. Addictions maybe? These are the situations in our lives where we absolutely require the help of others to enable us to rise up again and walk.
So who makes it possible for this man to get to Jesus? His four friends. And don’t you just love these guys. They were so committed to getting their friend to Christ, no matter what the obstacles were, they let nothing stand in their way. Their friend can’t walk, so they just pick him up in his bed. The building is too crowded to get him in. So they go up on the roof. There’s a ceiling in the way. So they tear it apart. Jesus is down below. So they grab some ropes and lower their friend down and have him drop in on Jesus. Now that is true friendship. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all had that same level of determination and loyalty to the people that we know and love to not allow any obstacle to get in the way of our efforts to bring them to Christ. We may come back to that aspect of this story in a later lesson where Jesus has more to say about friendship and the way we associate with the people around us.
But moving on, this story then takes an interesting turn. Jesus sees the faith of this man and his friends and makes a startling statement. He looks at the man and says, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee”. Wait what? I thought they brought him to Jesus to be healed physically. But which does Christ decide to do first? He decides to heal him spiritually. Jesus knew what really mattered most. Physical healing is merely temporal, but Spiritual healing is eternal and a far greater gift of God. He forgives the man’s sins first. Of course, this puts the Pharisees into a fit and they start to say, “Who does this Jesus guy think he is? Only God can forgive sins.”
Jesus, sensing this, asks them question then. And I want you to answer it too. He basically asks, “Which is easier, to say, “They sins be forgiven thee;” or to say, “Rise up and walk.” How would you answer that? The expected answer there is, “It’s easier to just say the words, “Thy sins be forgiven thee”. But to actually cause the lame to walk, that’s quite a bit more difficult to do. That’s a miracle. Not just anyone can do that. So Jesus says, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.” And the man does.
Do you see Jesus’s point there? He’s saying in essence, “If I can do the harder thing, then doesn’t that suggest that I can do the easier one (in your minds) as well. If I have the power to make the paralyzed walk again, then that would suggest that I also have the power to forgive sins. I want you to know that I can do both. And we know that Jesus can do both for us too, can’t he. Do you know of people who have been healed physically by the power of the priesthood? I do. I’ve seen it happen. And it’s amazing and miraculous and faith promoting. But do you know someone who has been healed spiritually before? Someone who was paralyzed spiritually but, who, through the efforts and love of true friends and the Savior, were given power to rise up and travel the straight and narrow path once again? I’ve seen that as well. I’ve seen people recover from their spiritual paralysis to stand on their own two spiritual feet once again. And to me, that’s the greater miracle with far more eternal implications than just a temporary physical healing.
Do you see how we can learn a lot of spiritual truths by looking at the healings in this way?
THE MAN WITH LEPROSY Luke 5:12-15
Let’s try it again with another story of healing in this chapter. And I know we’re kind of going backwards here but take a look at Luke 5:12-15 and you try it on your own this time. Read the story about the man with leprosy and see what kinds of spiritual truths we can garner from it. It’s just short and I’ll just focus on verses 12-13
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
Now Leprosy was a terrible disease—one of the most feared in the ancient world. It was a disease that would kill you slowly by eating away at your skin. People would eventually lose fingers, ears, and limbs, until finally, the infection could go so deep that it would start to shut down your internal organs.
Well how is leprosy like sin? That’s how sin destroys too, isn’t it. It slowly but surely starts to eat away at our souls, our happiness, and our potential. Pornography, anger, pride, lust, greed are all the kinds of things that cause us to fall apart from the inside out. In Jesus’s day, the word used to describe people in this state was “unclean”. The law of Moses stated that someone with leprosy was considered to be unclean and anyone who touched them would also be unclean. Therefore, no one touched a leper. They were often ostracized from society and forced to live in colonies away from everybody else. How is that like sin? When we sin, do we begin to feel this way. Like we’re unclean. Unworthy to be around those who have not done what we have. Do we feel like our lives are falling apart?
When we feel like spiritual lepers, or we find ourselves unclean. What should we do? We should go to the Savior. And I love how this moment is described. It’s powerful. The man approaches Jesus and says, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
Two things are revealed by that statement. One, that this man does have faith to be healed. He expresses confidence in the ability of the Savior to heal him. But there’s one thing he’s not sure of. If Jesus has the will to do it. If this great rabbi would be willing to touch HIM, a leper, unclean as he is. We may be tempted to feel that way about our sins as well. We wonder if Jesus would even want us back after what we’ve done. We’re tempted to feel unworthy of his love or his healing power. Well what does Jesus do in this situation?
13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
Jesus didn’t always touch people to heal them—like in the last story for example. He just commanded the man to rise and walk. But here he first touches the leper. Can you imagine what that must have meant for that man? Who probably hadn’t felt human touch for who knows how long. Not even from his own family. What did we just learn about Jesus? Jesus is not afraid or unwilling to touch anyone with his healing power of forgiveness. He doesn’t recoil in disgust and disappointment at the things that we may have done. He’s not repulsed by us or our past. He just cares that we come to him with faith. That’s all we have to do. At those times in our lives when we’ve sinned, and we feel so unworthy and guilty and apart from everyone else, if we just come to the Savior and say, “if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean”. What will he say to you and me? And I always like to picture myself in the story. Because I’ve felt that way before. Unworthy and unclean. He just looks back at you and I with great love. “I will. Be thou clean”. And we are, miraculously, just like that. Immediately. Christ CAN make us clean. Therefore, after that point, there is no need for guilt. There’s no need to hide. There’s no need to feel unclean anymore. We are as pure and innocent as everyone else. Jesus has the power to heal that which is unclean in us.
Do you see the power that can come in looking at these healings in this way? And that’s all we’re going to do with healing stories this week together, but there are others in this and last week’s scripture blocks if you’d like to try it on your own. See what you can learn about spiritual healing from the following two stories:
THE MAN WITH AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT Mark 1:23-27/Luke 4:33-37
HEALING OF SIMON’S MOTHER-IN-LAW Mark 1:30-31/Luke 4:38-39
And we will definitely have many more opportunities to do this in future lessons. Jesus heals A LOT of people during his ministry.
TRUTH
If I have the faith to go to him, Jesus has the power to heal my spiritual infirmities.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A short handout. A few questions that I like my students to consider on a personal level. And I don’t have them hand this in or anything or share their answers. It’s just an opportunity to ponder and apply the truth we’ve learned here to themselves. Here are the questions I put on it:
If you were brought to Jesus for healing today, what kind of healing would you ask for? Physical, Spiritual, Emotional, or Relational?
What would you ask him to heal in you?
How do we seek spiritual healing from the Savior in our day? And that’s an important one for us to consider because Jesus isn’t physically walking around in our midst like he was for them. So how do WE access that power? How can we “go to Christ” with faith?
Do you know of any spiritual “lepers” in your life? What could you do to help them be touched by Christ?
CONCLUSION
I believe in Christ’s power to heal. I have seen it in my own life, and in the lives of those I love. Those spiritual healings that I’ve witnessed in my life are some of the greatest miracles I’ve ever seen. My grandpa comes to mind. He was spiritually sick and paralyzed for so many years of his life. But he was healed! As a bishop, one of the most sacred and fulfilling parts of that calling was to actually guide and help people to be healed by Christ. It’s one of the things I miss most about serving as bishop. To give them hope in his healing power. And you could just see it in their eyes. They would come in ashamed, sorrowful, and felt so unworthy and unclean, like spiritual lepers. And to lead them to Jesus and say, “He will touch you! You can be healed”. Jesus will say to you, “I will, be thou clean” and you will be. I testify of Christ’s power to do so for all of us. He’s done it for me, he’s done it for people I know and love, and he can do it for you!
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