The Project Gutenberg EBook of What Jesus Taught, by Osborne J. P. Widtsoe This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. Title: What Jesus Taught Author: Osborne J. P. Widtsoe Release Date: March 6, 2017 [EBook #54292] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHAT JESUS TAUGHT *** Produced by the Mormon Texts Project (http://mormontextsproject.org/) LIGHT OF THE WORLD, Hunt WHAT JESUS TAUGHT Written for The Deseret Sunday School Union by OSBORNE J. P. WIDTSOE Author of "The Restoration of the Gospel," Etc. Published by THE DESERET SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH FOREWORD {4} No other teacher in the history of the world has wielded so profound an influence upon humanity as has Jesus the Christ. Practically the whole world has been Christianized. His doctrines have entered not only into households but also into governments and nations. But the Christianity that prevails generally, is the doctrine of Jesus highly merged with the opinions of men. Indeed, the world's Christianity is often more largely man-made than Christ-made. A perfect knowledge of Jesus cannot be gained, however, until men learn more about what He Himself taught, and less about what scholars have said about His doctrine. This little book is an attempt modestly to present in popular form the teachings of Jesus. It is intended for boys and girls of high-school age. It is to be understood, then, that there is here no exhaustive treatise of the teachings of Jesus; nor is there conducted a study and investigation of profound scholarship. Such a work from the Mormon point of view must be deferred, if desirable at all. But it is hoped that what Jesus taught—in part at least—is here presented simply and plainly and truly, so that anyone who reads may understand. It is further hoped that the writing of these lessons has been "moved by the Holy Ghost," so that those who read them may learn to love the teachings of Jesus, and to know and to love God, and His Son, Jesus, whom He sent to redeem the world. "Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." O. J. P. W. Salt Lake City, December 12, 1917. The Illustrations Light of the World. 1. Christ and the Doctors. 2. Nazareth, Palestine. 3. Simeon Blessing the Lord. 4. Jesus and the Woman of Samaria. 5. Jesus and Nicodemus. 6. Christ Healing the Blind Man. 7. The Sower. 8. The Temptation of Christ. 9. Market Scene at Bethlehem. 10. The Forgiving Father. 11. The Consoling Christ. 12. Jesus Praying. 13. The River Jordan, Palestine. 14. "Lord, Help Me." 15. Raising the Dead. 16. The Garden of Gethsemane. 17. Baptism of Jesus. 18. None. 19. Jesus and the Fishermen. 20. Christ's Charge to Peter. 21. Christ Teaching from a Boat. {5} 22. "Consider the Lilies." 23. Christ and the Rich Young Ruler. 24. Lazarus at the Rich Man's House. 25. The Sermon on the Mount. 26. None. 27. Jesus Blessing Little Children. 28. Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. 29. The Good Samaritan. 30. Christ in the Home of Mary and Martha. 31. Jesus Washing Peter's Feet. 32. The Wise and the Foolish Virgins. 33. Christ Driving Out the Money-Changers. 34. Jesus Healing the Sick. 35. Christ before Pilate. 36. Touch Me Not. 37. The Good Shepherd. 38. Come Unto Me All Ye That Labor. 39. The Ascension. 40. Angel Moroni. Table of Contents I His Father's Business Testimony of Napoleon—Universal worship of Jesus—Purpose of this book—Duties of Jesus at age of twelve—Jesus in the temple—His Father's business—What is eternal life?—Special mission of Jesus. II What It Means to Know God Abraham's determination to serve God—God Himself—God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob—First Commandment—What does it mean to know Jesus Christ?—Necessary to understand God's plan—Divine mission of Jesus—What we would do if we had learned to know God and Jesus—The condition of eternal life. III The God of Israel A very important question—The truth is simple and easy—Jesus's explanation of God—The testimony of Paul—God is our Father—A real joy to know the true God. IV What Jesus Said of Himself {6} Jesus's testimony to the woman of Samaria—The testimony of the people of Sychar—Jesus taught always that He is the Christ—The answer to John—The confessions at the trials of Jesus—And on the way to Emmaus—How shall we find out Christ? V The Special Witness of Jesus The end of the period of preparation—The testimony at the baptism—John's testimony—Who the Comforter is—The mission of the Holy Ghost—The Holy Ghost in Jesus and the apostles—The Holy Ghost amongst the Nephites—How to confer the Holy Ghost—Nature of the Holy Ghost—Importance of the Holy Ghost. VI Before There Was An Earth A remarkable vision—The pre-existence of Jesus—The spirits of all men eternal—The man born blind—Conclusion. VII The Presence of Evil A review—The problem of evil—The parable of the sower—The meaning—The devil the power of evil—A council of the spirits—Jesus volunteers—Lucifer volunteers—Lucifer rebels—The declaration of Jesus. VIII Why Evil is in the World The devil's desperate hope—The temptation of Jesus—The application—Guard against suggestions of the devil—Why there is evil—The trial of man—A state of probation—The free agency of man. IX The Crown of Creation A wonder-rousing sacrifice—Why should God be mindful of man?—The parable of the lost sheep—Man's soul without price—Man the offspring of God—The questions answered—Reverence for God—Reverence for personal honor—Reverence for personal purity. X The Forgiving Father The parable of the prodigal—The forgiving father—Condemnation of the self-righteous—The publican and the Pharisee. XI Sincerity in Worship Finding and losing one's life—The necessity of harmony—Three forms of temptation—Instruction in praying and alms- giving—The real value of worship—Humility and sincerity. XII How to Pray The Lord's prayer—Jesus had found God—The prayers of the Jews—The prayer of Jesus—The Lord's prayer analyzed—Teach us to pray. XIII Persistence in Prayer The Lord will answer—Pray often and persistently—The importunate friend—The unrighteous judge—An urgent desire necessary—Implicit trust necessary—Seek first the Kingdom of God—Labor and confidence hand in hand—The sin of worry—God knows best—Thy will be done. XIV {7} The Power of Faith Confidence vs. faith—The incident of the fig tree—Forgiveness accompanies prayer—Reason for concrete examples— The interpretation—Jesus's own interpretation—Examples of the power of faith—The dispensation of the fulness of times, the wonderful example. XV The Handmaid of Faith The case of Mr. Baldwin—Words added to faith—The principle of works—A parable—The works of Jesus—The works of man—Conclusion. XVI The Meaning of Repentance The irreverence and ruthlessness of Pilate—The necessity of repentance—The barren fig tree—Repentance a fundamental doctrine—Jesus's exclamation against the wicked—Repentance a universal principle—Things of which to repent—The service principle of the Gospel. XVII Baptism by Immersion The first principles and ordinances—Baptism essential to salvation—Humility and obedience the psychology of baptism —The law of obedience in daily life—The example set by Jesus—The purpose of baptism—The door of the sheep- fold. XVIII The Gift of the Holy Ghost What Jesus told Nicodemus—The laying on of hands—The teaching and practice of Paul—The practice of the apostles —The teaching and practice of the apostles derived from Jesus—What is the gift of the Holy Ghost?—The conditions and the source of intelligence. XIX The Foundation Stone A few questions—Parables by the sea—The meaning of the parables—The Church and the Kingdom—The testimony of Peter—The testimony of Jesus—Its significance. XX The Test of Authority The figure of the architect—The application—One mark not sufficient—The submission of Jesus—The submission of the apostles—The second mark—Two orders of priesthood. XXI The Third Mark The horror of darkness—The speech of the Indian Chief—The figure of the architect again—The plan of eternal life— The necessity of plans—The application—The principles of the Gospel—Men judged by the Gospel—The three marks. XXII Single Minded Loyalty A supreme privilege—The true worth of membership—Conditions of membership—Single minded loyalty—No man can serve two masters—A simple application—A parable in point—The light of the body—A summary—A paraphrase. XXIII Riches and the Kingdom of God {8} {9} A liberal man—An unnatural doubt—The case of the rich young ruler—The difficulty of the sacrifice—The conclusion of Jesus—The amazement of the disciples—The power of God—A promise of worldly blessings—The object of the world's desire—The parable of the unjust steward. XXIV Succeeding With What One Has The rich man and Lazarus—Wanted, a chance—The parable of the talents—A general law—The water boy— Intellectual endeavor—Spiritual growth—The lesson applied. XXV Think Right The great commandment—The beatitudes—A high ideal of life—The great beatitude—The pure in heart—Things that defile—Vulgarity in thought, word and deed—Plain teaching. XXVI The Ugliness of Anger The story of Cain—The occupation of Abel—The brothers' sacrifices—The anger of Cain—The murder of Abel—The lesson at home—The power of the mind—The teachings of Jesus—Jesus an example—The strength of self-control. XXVII With What Measure Ye Mete The two school girls—The theft—The suspicion—The discovery—The tables turned—An every day occurrence—The mote and the beam—What Jesus said. XXVIII The Golden Rule Positive instruction—The doctrine of reconciliation—The attitude of a citizen of the Kingdom—The doctrine of forgiveness—The parable of the unforgiving servant—The meaning—The right attitude towards our enemies—The golden rule. XXIX The Good Samaritan The law of love—The reward of brotherly love—Questions of the tempting lawyer—The parable of the good Samaritan—A discussion—The real neighbor—The fulness of the answer—The lesson clinched—The command renewed. XXX No One Can Live to Himself The fable of the body and its members—The time of Aesop—The growth of society—A football squad—The teachings of Jesus—The family—The family sacred—The state—The state divinely instituted—The Church—Duties of membership—The teachings of our own Church. XXXI He That Exalteth Himself The old law and the new—The teaching of Jesus psychological—A concrete example—The motive all important— Jesus's doctrine of rewards—A parable in point—A sound psychological principle—A further illustration—Peter and the question of recompense—The reward worth while—Conclusion. XXXII Extra Service The parable of the laborers—The value of service in the world's work—The value of service in the Church—The test of profitableness—The application to the day's work—The application to the Church service—An exclamation against {10} mere formal—performance of duty. XXXIII A Prophet in His Own Country A perfect man and an exemplary leader—A work full of wonder—A healer and worker of miracles—The conditions in Palestine—A mission of love—The centurion's servant—Stilling the tempest—The raising of Lazarus—In His own country. XXXIV The Meaning of Miracles The explanation of the scribes—The universal presence of law—The miracle of the telephone—Other miracles of science—The power of the Priesthood—The purpose of miracles—The privilege of the sick. XXXV An Atoning Sacrifice An incredible thought—Jesus's foreknowledge of His death—The necessity of Jesus's death—The significance of the death of Jesus—Worldly views of how Jesus's death can save—The real significance of the death of Jesus—The Nephite explanation—Why Jesus submitted to His enemies—The new testimony of Jesus. XXXVI The Place Called Paradise A well established fact—The five appearances of the risen Christ—Five more appearances of the Christ and the ascension—The value of the testimony—Where had Jesus been?—Today in Paradise—The Gospel to the dead—A plain explanation—Every knee and every tongue. XXXVII Other Sheep The first commission to the twelve—The leaven of the Gospel—The Kingdom of the Gentiles—The case of Cornelius —The preaching of Barnabas and Paul—"Other sheep"—A puzzling question—Forty days—In the land of the Nephites—The appearance of Jesus to the Nephites. XXXVIII Our Advocate With The Father The householder and the husbandmen—God the great householder, Jesus the Son—The exaltation of Jesus—Our advocate with the Father—Many mansions in the Father's house—Lord of Lords and King of Kings—Jesus to come again—The nearness of Jesus. XXXIX The Living Christ Jesus the living Christ—The testimony of Napoleon—The conviction of an English philosopher—Declarations of Emerson and Webster—Additional testimony—Reasons for strong testimonies in the Church—Evidences of testimony in the Church—"The testimony last of all." XL A Religion Worth While The feeding of the five thousand—The meat that endures to everlasting life—What Jesus taught—The acts of the apostles—The great apostasy—The restoration of the Gospel—A religion that satisfies—A comprehensive religion—A Church of authority—The bread of life. CHRIST AND THE DOCTORS, Hofmann {11} {12} The testimony of Napoleon. The universal worship of Jesus. The purpose of this book. The new duties of Jesus at the age of twelve. Jesus in the temple. What Jesus Taught I HIS FATHER'S BUSINESS When the great military hero and world conqueror, Napoleon Bonaparte, lived in exile on the island of St. Helena, he declared that Jesus was so supremely great that it is impossible to make comparisons between Him and any other being in the world. "I know men," said Napoleon, "and I tell you that Jesus is not a man. Everything in Him amazes me. His spirit outreaches mine, and His will confounds me." It is wonderful that a man like Napoleon, whose natural arms were fire and the sword, should be so deeply impressed by the life and teachings of the lowly Nazarene. But Napoleon is not alone in his admiration and love. Throughout the nineteen centuries that have passed since the Master lived upon the earth, men of every clime have learned to know Him and to worship Him. Today there are but few peoples known to mankind that do not acknowledge Jesus the Christ. The wonderful story of His life has thrilled both the young and the old the world over since first it was told. The wisdom, the justice, and the loving kindness of all His teachings, have inspired the nations to make them better. No other man in all the history of the world has exerted so profound an influence on the lives of his fellowmen, and on the laws that govern them. Now, you have read in other books the story of the life of Jesus. You know when and where He was born; how God the Father protected His Son; how he grew to manhood, waxing strong in spirit; how He taught, and wrought miracles amongst His own people; how they rejected Him and crucified Him; and how He rose from death and returned to His Father in heaven. It is a strangely beautiful story. But we do not want to retell it here. It must be our purpose, in this little book, to tell as interestingly as may be what Jesus taught. Certainly, it must be interesting to know something of the teachings of the Man who has made so profound an impression upon the history of the world. We want to know what the life-work of Jesus means to us and to our fellowmen. And to begin, we must try to find out what Jesus Himself thought about His mission on the earth. When Jesus reached the age of twelve years, He entered—according to Jewish custom—upon a new and important period in His life. You may be used to thinking of Jesus as a very wonderful boy, altogether different from other boys. That is not quite true. Jesus was a perfectly natural and normal boy. He liked to run and jump and play the games that other boys played. He had to go to school as other Jewish boys did—first at His mother's knee, then at the village synagogue. Jesus was unlike other boys in that He began early to understand something of the nature of His mission upon the earth. This made Him like serious things, and often to think about the teachings of God; for it was the aim of all Jewish education to learn about God and His commands, and how to keep them. Now, when Jesus became twelve years of age, there came to Him many new duties. The Jewish law required that He should assume all the religious responsibilities that devolved naturally upon a faithful Jew. Amongst other things, Jesus must hereafter go to the temple three times a year, to fulfill the demands of the law. Accordingly, when Joseph and Mary set out for Jerusalem, to observe the Feast of the Passover, soon after their eldest son's twelfth birthday, they took Him with them. It is needless here to follow in detail the journey of the pilgrims over the great highway, across the Plain of Jezreel to Bethshean, down the western side of the Jordan Valley to Jericho, and then four thousand feet upward over the barren, robber-infested hills of the wilderness of Judea to Jerusalem. Jesus seems to have been much impressed by the road, for He referred to it later in the parable of the Good Samaritan. When the celebration of the feast of the Passover was accomplished, Joseph and Mary set out to return to Nazareth. They had complete confidence in Jesus, so they did not look for Him till they reached Bethany. Jesus was not there to be found. Anxious at heart the parents returned to Jerusalem; and there, after three days, they found Him discoursing in the temple with Shammai and the learned teachers of the temple. The boy's zeal for knowledge had caused Him to remain at the temple even after the feast was over. "And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers." When Mary saw her son in the midst of the learned men of Israel, she cried to Him, "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with {13} {14} {15} {16} His Father's Business. What is eternal life? The special mission of Jesus. us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." "And He said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" "And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them." It was, indeed, a strange saying to understand. Not Joseph and Mary alone, but countless thousands of people have failed to understand it. Do you think you know what the boy Jesus meant? Of course, to understand, one must know what the Father's business is. Then we can understand what Jesus thought about His mission on the earth. "For," Jesus said many years later when He had grown to manhood, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." What, then, is the will of God? What is His Father's business? Once, many hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God gave to a man named Moses a marvelous revelation. Moses saw how the earth had been formed, and how living things were put upon it. He saw how man was shaped in the image of God and placed upon the earth to have dominion over it. Then God said to Moses, "Behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." This, then, is the Father's business; this is His will. It is exactly what Jesus told Joseph Smith, the great American Prophet, in our own dispensation: "And if you keep my commandments and endure to the end, you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." And it is also exactly what Jesus taught while He dwelt among men. Said He, "And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." But perhaps it is not quite clear yet what the Father's will is. Perhaps you are asking yourself, What is eternal life? Of course, eternal, or everlasting life, is a condition of being—or of living—in which there is no death. When we gain the gift of eternal life, we shall go on living for ever and ever. Jesus gave once an excellent definition of the conditions of eternal life. He had spent considerable time exhorting His disciples, and instructing them in things that were yet to come. Then He raised his eyes to heaven and prayed; and in the course of that prayer, He said, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Now we may begin to understand fully what Jesus thought about His mission on the earth. God did not put men on the earth to destroy them. He put them here to save them, if they would be saved. It is the glory of God to save men, to bring to pass their salvation and everlasting exaltation. This is the Father's business. But to gain the gift of eternal life men must learn to know God. Here then we discover the nature of Jesus's mission. As child and boy and man, Jesus devoted His life to learning to know God and to the teaching of His brethren also to know Him. Through the love and sacrifice of Jesus, we may gain eternal life. In the temple, the boy of twelve was about His Father's business, learning and explaining. As a man, He fulfilled the will of His Father, making it possible for men to know God. In His death. He accomplished the general salvation of mankind, making it possible for them to gain eternal life. It is small wonder that Napoleon revered the Man who thus unselfishly devoted His life to the good of His fellowmen, and finally laid it down for their salvation. We shall be glad to study the teachings of this Man. But first, we must understand what it means to know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. THE REFERENCES Luke 2:42-52. Moses 1:39. John 6:38-40. Doc. and Cov. 14:7. John 17:1-3. THE QUESTIONS 1. What, in your opinion, is the value of Napoleon's testimony of Jesus? 2. What does Napoleon admit in his testimony? 3. What peoples in the world today do not acknowledge Jesus the Christ? 4. Name some points in which the world has been affected by the teachings of Jesus. 5. Outline briefly the story of the life of Jesus. {17} {18} Abraham's determination to serve God. God Himself. The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob. The first commandment. 6. Why should it be more important to know the teachings of Jesus than merely to know the story of His life? 7. What new responsibilities came to Jesus when He reached the age of twelve years? 8. Why did Jesus remain at the temple in Jerusalem when the feast of the Passover was accomplished? 9. What was the answer that puzzled His mother? 10. Why were men placed upon the earth? 11. What are the conditions of eternal life? 12. In what sense has Jesus always been about His Father's business? 13. What should be our attitude toward the Father's business? NAZARETH, PALESTINE II WHAT IT MEANS TO KNOW GOD What does it mean to know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent? About two thousand years before Jesus was born, there lived in a land called Ur of the Chaldees, a young man whose name was Abram. Abram seems to have been a very intelligent and serious-minded person. Like many another good man in ancient and modern times, he strove to find out the true and living God. But it was very difficult to do so in Abram's time, for most of Abram's people had forsaken the worship of Jehovah, and had turned to the worship of idols and graven images. This grieved Abram very much. He determined that he would serve the true God; and that if necessary, he would move away from his father's house to a strange place, in order that he might worship as his conscience demanded. The priests who served the strange gods worshipped by Abram's kindred, heard of Abram's righteousness, and his refusal to worship the images of wood and stone and metal they had set up. They determined, therefore, to seize Abram and to sacrifice him on the altar of Elkanah. But Abram had found a true friend. It was the true and living God Himself. He delivered Abram from the hands of the false priests, and the Lord God said to Abram, "I am the Lord thy God; I dwell in heaven, the earth is my footstool; I stretch my hand over the sea, and it obeys my voice; I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot; I say to the mountains, Depart hence, and behold, they are taken away by a whirlwind, in an instant, suddenly." This was the true and living God, the God Almighty, creator of the heavens and the earth and all that lives therein. In the midst of the worship of idols and graven images and strange gods of many lands, Abram had learned to know God—that is, he had learned to recognize the true God, the living God of power. He was not confused. He did not mistake an image of stone for the true God. Afterwards Abram's name was changed to Abraham. He became the father of Isaac, and the grandfather of Jacob. These three men all served the true God. From them sprang the Children of Israel, all of whom learned also to worship the true God of heaven and earth. That is why He is often spoken of as the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. In the days of Moses, God gave a commandment in these words, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." That commandment was still in force at the time of Jesus, and is still in force today. Of course, there are not many idols or graven images held up to worship today; but there are still many different kinds of God worshipped even in the Christian world. To some, God is merely a spirit; to others, He is merely an influence, or a power; to others still, there is no real God, but the name is used merely to designate the forces of nature—and so on. Naturally, we cannot gain eternal life through any such conceptions as these. Like Abraham we must learn to recognize the true and living God. We must not be deceived by false doctrine. This is life eternal, to know —to recognize and to worship—the true God, the living God—of heaven and earth. {19} {20} {21} {22} {23} What does it mean to know Jesus Christ? It is necessary to understand God's plan. The divine mission of Jesus. A third step. What we would do if we had learned to know God and Jesus. The condition of eternal life. We know now the meaning of the first part of Jesus's statement. We know what it means to know God. But what does it mean to know Jesus Christ, whom God sent? Two young men were sitting at luncheon one day in the dining-room of a students' club house. One of them was registered in the School of Divinity of one of the oldest and largest universities in America, and was studying to become a minister. The other was preparing to become a teacher. "Do you believe that Jesus was really the Son of God, and the Savior of the world?" asked the young teacher. "I believe," replied the preacher—the would-be representative of Jesus—deliberately, "that Jesus was a great leader, a great teacher, a great philosopher—in every way a great man. But I do not believe that he was really the Son of God, nor really the Redeemer in the usually accepted sense." Had this young minister, who was preparing to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, learned to know Him? Surely not. It is not enough merely to recognize the true and living God, and to distinguish Him from the many false gods of the world. One must learn also to understand God's plan for the salvation of mankind, The first man, Adam, was just like us. He did not understand the plan of salvation until it was taught to him. One day, when he was offering sacrifice outside of the Garden of Eden, an angel appeared to him. The angel told Adam many things about the Fall, and sin, and death. These things we shall learn more about later. The important thing to learn now is this: Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, it became necessary to send Someone to the earth to lay down His life for the salvation of men. God selected our Elder Brother Jesus, to perform this noble mission. He came to the earth—the Only Begotten of the Father—and taught men, took their sins upon Himself, and finally allowed His life to be taken to redeem mankind from the effects of the fall in the Garden of Eden. Was Jesus, then, merely a great leader, a great teacher, a great philosopher? He was all that, to be sure. But He was also more than that. He was—He is—the Only Begotten Son of the Father, the Savior of the world. To know Jesus Christ whom God hath sent, is to accept the divine mission of Jesus, to believe that He is really the Christ. This is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. Now we understand, in part, what it means to know God and Jesus Christ. But a third step is necessary before one can claim complete knowledge. If a man should claim to know the principles of the telephone, then should try to talk to someone at a distance without connecting the wires with the transmitting instrument, should you believe that he really knew what he claimed to know? Would you not rather think, "If this man understood and recognized the principles of the telephone, he would do what they require?" It is just so in knowing God and Jesus Christ, His Son. If we have really found the true God, and sincerely believe in the mission of Jesus Christ, we will surely do the things that They command us to do. Indeed, we cannot claim a complete knowledge without doing God's will. Once, when John the Beloved was writing to some members of the Church, he said to them, "Hereby we do know that we know Him (Jesus Christ), if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in Him." Now we may claim to have learned the conditions of eternal life. To know the true God is to recognize the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob—the God of Israel, and not to confuse Him with any one of the many false gods worshipped in the world. To know Jesus Christ is to recognize Him, and to accept Him and believe in Him as the Savior of the world. To know God and Jesus Christ, is to keep the commandments They have given to man. It was the whole aim of Jewish education to learn to know God and His commands, and how to keep them. It should be the aim of all education. Only by knowing the true God and Jesus Christ, can we hope to enter the kingdom of God. "To us, there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him." It shall be our pleasure from now on to learn what Jesus Himself taught, that we may learn the better to know Him and the Father, and thus gain eternal life. THE REFERENCES Abraham Chs. 1,2. Moses 5:1-11. Exodus 20:3. 1 John 2:3-5. 1 Cor. 8:6. {24} {25} {26} A very important question. The truth is simple and easy. Jesus's explanation of God. THE QUESTIONS 1. What was the real problem that confronted Abram in his search for God? 2. Why is the true God called the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob? 3. What is the first of the ten commandments? 4. How does it apply in this age? 5. What does it mean to know God? 6. What do men of the world often think of Jesus? 7. Why was Jesus necessary in the plan of salvation? 8. What does it mean to know Jesus Christ? 9. What does it mean in full to know God and Jesus Christ whom He sent? 10. What should be an aim of all true education? SIMEON BLESSING THE LORD. III THE GOD OF ISRAEL. What kind of being is God, the Father, of whom are all things? If you should be sent into the missionary field to preach the Gospel, you would find this one of the most difficult questions you would have to answer. For God is somewhat of a mysterious being in the opinions of most men. Very few men have ever claimed to have seen God, or to have held converse with Him. And for that which seems mysterious, men like to find hard, complicated answers. The simple truth does not satisfy them. Yet, the simple answer is nearly always the right one. A missionary to the South Sea Islands found himself one day trying to explain to the natives the nature of hail. There is neither hail nor snow nor sleet on the islands. There are really but two seasons—the dry and the wet. When it is wet it rains. The missionary tried by many various roundabout ways to make the natives understand that hail is frozen raindrops. The natives knew nothing about frost. They had no previous knowledge with which to associate his explanation. And, as you know, we cannot understand anything new unless we can tie it up with something that we already know. The missionary became desperate. Finally, he thrust his hand into a bowl of rice standing on the floor, lifted a handful, and allowed it to fall again in a shower to the ground. "Hail," he said, "is like that." Instantly the natives got the picture. They saw the raindrops turned white and hard, and pelting the earth in their fall. The simple explanation went home. Now, Jesus's explanation of what kind of being God is, is even more simple and clear than is this illustration of what hail is like. But men have strayed into the worshipping of many different kinds of God, because they have refused to accept the simple truth. Near the close of His mortal life on the earth, Jesus delivered a very excellent farewell discourse to His disciples. It is full of words of cheer and comfort. Amongst other things Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. "Philip saith unto Him, Lord shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. "Jesus saith unto him. Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me {27} {28} {29} {30} The meaning of Jesus's answer. The testimony of Paul. The truth about God. God is our Father. A real joy to know the true God. hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" Is not this answer very simple and very clear? Is there any good reason for mistaking this answer? You hear it said very often of a young man that he is the very image of his father. If you should some day say to a young man, "I should like very much to see your father," what should you think the father looked like, if the young man were to answer, "He that has seen me has seen my father"? Could you possibly in reason help thinking that the father and the son were alike? We know what manner of man Jesus was. Jesus possessed a body of flesh and bones; or, as John the Beloved, said, "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Besides, Jesus was so much like other men that His own people could not see anything different in Him. When Jesus went into His own country and taught in the synagogue, the people were astonished. "Whence hath this man this wisdom," they asked, "and these mighty words? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?" To His own people Jesus was but an ordinary man. But the disciples of Jesus learned to understand what Jesus meant by His teaching about God. Said Paul, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." It is not necessary, then, to go a round-about way to find out the nature of God. The simple explanation is the true one. The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob—the supreme God of this world—is a person. He possesses a body of flesh and bones. His Son is so much like Him that He could say in truth, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." Jesus was the express image of God's person. Jesus's favorite name for God was Father. This beautiful word means many things to us in the teaching of Jesus. First, Jesus was really the Son of God, and could rightfully speak of Him as "My Father." But Jesus taught us more than that. Not only is Jesus the Son of God—the Only Begotten in the flesh— but we are all the children of God. He is the Father of our spirits, so that we may also rightfully pray to Him as "Our Father who art in heaven." Then, if God is really our Father, He must have the same kind of feelings for us that fathers always have for their children. Indeed, since He is God, His feelings must be deeper and truer than those of any earthly father. Jesus put it thus: "What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" It is a matter of comfort and joy to know the true God—to worship a God whom we can understand, whom we may recognize. It is no wonder that people everywhere become confused when they try to pray to a God who is something yet nothing, who is everywhere yet nowhere, who sits on the top of a topless throne, and so forth. It is no wonder that people are looking for the true God. "We know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them—that He created man, male and female, after His own image and in His own likeness, created He them, and gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve Him, the only living and true God, and that He should be the only being whom they should worship." THE REFERENCES John 14:6-9. Heb. 1:1-3. John 12:45. John 1:14. Matt. 13:35. Doc. and Cov. 130:22. Col. 1:15. Matt. 7:9-12. Phil. 2:6. Doc. and Cov. 20:17-19. THE QUESTIONS 1. How do we learn to know things? {31} {32} {33} Jesus's testimony to the woman of Samaria. The testimony of the people of Sychar. Jesus taught always that He is the Christ. 2. Why have men strayed from the true conception of God? 3. What kind of being is God? 4. What did Jesus say God is like? 5. What did His disciples understand Jesus to mean? 6. In what sense is God the Father? 7. How is He like other fathers? 8. Why could you not worship any other God than a personal God? 9. What did Jesus teach Joseph Smith concerning God? JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA, Hofmann IV WHAT JESUS SAID OF HIMSELF One day, early in His ministry among the Jews, Jesus "left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And He must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh He to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well; and it was about the sixth hour. "There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her. Give me to drink. . . . Then saith the woman of Samaria unto Him, How is it that thou being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but 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. . . . "The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. "The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come. He will tell us all things. "Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He." When she heard this remarkable declaration, the woman ran back to the city of Sychar and told the people what Jesus had said to her, asking them, "Can this be the Christ?" The people of Sychar went out themselves to see Jesus, and invited Him to stay with them. Jesus stayed there for two days, and many believed in Him because of His teachings. And when He left them to continue His journey to Galilee, the people said to the woman who had first met Jesus, "Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the World." This experience of Jesus with the people of Sychar is full of interest and rich in meaning. We might {34} {35} {36} {37} The answer to John. The confessions at the trials of Jesus. And on the way to Emmaus. How shall we find out Christ? spend much time in discussing it. But it is not necessary now to consider more than the fact that from the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus taught that He was really the Christ, the Savior of the world. He was not always so successful in getting the people to recognize Him—in getting them to know God and Jesus Christ whom He had sent—as He was here at Sychar. When at one time He bore the same testimony in the Temple, the priests and the people took up stones and would have stoned Him to death, had He not miraculously walked out of their midst. But always Jesus taught of Himself that He is the Christ. When the messengers of John the Baptist came to Him and asked, "Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?" Jesus answered promptly, "Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." These things were all signs of the coming of the Christ, and the answer was the same as if Jesus had said, "Yes, I am He that should come; ye need not look for another." It was thus plainly and fearlessly that Jesus, at the end of His earthly life too, taught that He was the Redeemer of the world. When Jesus was haled before the high priest. the high priest demanded, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus answered boldly, "I am: and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." And to Pilate's question, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus replied, "Thou sayest." These answers and explanations are so clear to us now that it seems hardly possible the disciples of Jesus did not also understand them. Yet it was so; the disciples looked apparently for a powerful, earthly king. When Jesus was crucified, they were overwhelmed. For a while they did not know what to make of it. But Jesus Himself made all things clear. One day, after the crucifixion, two of the disciples were journeying toward Emmaus, talking about the strange things that had happened. Suddenly, the resurrected Savior joined them. Because these disciples had failed to understand the meaning of His mission on the earth, Jesus said to them, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets. He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself." Thus did Jesus after His resurrection bear testimony to His teaching that He is verily the Christ, the Son of God. The knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, is, as we have already learned, necessary to gain eternal life, the greatest of all gifts. But how shall we come into possession of that knowledge? Shortly before His death, Jesus taught His disciples thus: "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever." And a little later, "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me." So, then, we may gain the knowledge, the testimony, that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, through the inspiration of the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth. And to be influenced by the Spirit of Truth, we must ourselves worship in spirit and in truth. Sooner or later the testimony must be obtained, for it is decreed that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. THE REFERENCES John 4:1-42. Matt. 27:11. John 10:24, 25. Luke 24:25-27. Matt. 11:3-6. John 14:16. Mark 14:61, 62. John 15:26. THE QUESTIONS 1. What is the meaning of the Christ? 2. What is the significance of Christ's ministry at Sychar? 3. On what other occasions did Jesus publicly declare Himself the Christ? 4. Of what particular value is His testimony to the disciples on the road to Emmaus? 5. How is a testimony of the Christ to be obtained? {38} {39} {40}