|
Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
|
Commentary & Explanation
|
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
|
CHAPTER 12
Jesus teaches: Beware of hypocrisy; lay up treasures in heaven, rather
than on earth; prepare for the coming of the Lord; where much is given, much
is required; preaching the gospel causes division.
|
|
|
The Leaven of the Pharisees Is Hypocrisy
The Pharisees, the priest, the elders, the spiritual leaders
and judges of the people, who do present themselves as guides in righteousness
before the people; but who inwardly do but act to their own interest at the
expense of the people and are themselves wicked and 'whited fences', but
rotten within; they are they who Christ is speaking this parable about. But
is does apply to any and all who work the ways of wickedness privly as they
present themselves as righteous before the world.
|
1 IN the mean time, when
there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch
that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of
all, Beware ye of the aleaven of the Pharisees, which is
bhypocrisy.
2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not
be revealeda; neither
ahid, that shall not be known.
3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in
adarkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye
have bspoken in the ear in cclosets shall
be proclaimed upon the housetops.
|
2a there is nothing covered, that shall
not be revealed Nothing is hid from God. Often we but rationalize
ourselves into the false security that our 'secret sins' are but known unto
ourselves and are therefore not accounted unto God and God's judgment. This
is not the case. God knows and sees all, even the most inward things of a
man and what that man is in his heart. Nothing is or will be hid from God's
judgment. All such secreted wickedness shall be proclaimed and accounted of
man even upon the housetops of God's judgment.
|
1a
D&C 128:20;
2a
Mark 9:2 (2-13);
Luke 9:29 (28-36);
John 1:14;
2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19);
TG
Jesus Christ, Glory of;
|
4 And I say unto you my afriends, Be
not bafraid of them that kill the body, and after that have
no more that they can do.
5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall
afear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath
power to cast into
bhella; yea, I say
unto you, Fear him.
|
5a Fear him, which after he hath killed
hath power to cast into hell Better translated as 'Fear him, who
after death hath power to cast into spirit prision'. That is, fear God, not
man. Man might be able to take one's physical life, but God has power of the
judgment to place man into the sufferings of hell in the next life. If one
does so fear and understand the power of God, he will repent and live a life
of inward as well as outward righteousness, that he may not suffer the pains
of the judgments of God for sin.
|
1a
D&C 128:20;
2a
Mark 9:2 (2-13);
Luke 9:29 (28-36);
John 1:14;
2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19);
TG
Jesus Christ, Glory of;
|
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and
not one of them is aforgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
|
|
|
Denying the Testimony of Christ
The great sin is to deny the testimony and witness given of
the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, the very Son of God. This in his
parables, Jesus indicated that the members of the Sanhedrin knew him to be
due to the various witnesses of him, yet they chose to kill the heir in order
to secure themselves their position before the world.
|
8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall
aconfess me before men, him shall the Son of man also
confess before the bangels of God:
9 aBut he that denieth me before men
shall be denied before the angels of God.
10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son
of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that
ablasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be
forgivena.
|
10a him that blasphemeth against the Holy
Ghost it shall not be forgiven A central roll of the Holy Ghost is
to bear witness to the divinity of God the Father and Jesus Christ as the Son
of God, that he is the God of the Old Testament so placed and anointed as the
God of this Second Estate to minister unto it in the stead of the Got the
Father in all things. This witness born of God to the inner soul and spirit
of a man by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, is undeniable, it cannot be
denied except a man does lie unto God against God. And this sure witness
of Jesus Christ of the Holy Ghost, if so denied or 'blasphemed', is as one
saying the sun does not shine in the heat of the noon hour with no cloud in
the sky. It is a purposeful and intentional lie against God and his
existance, and against all truth.
|
1a
D&C 128:20;
2a
Mark 9:2 (2-13);
Luke 9:29 (28-36);
John 1:14;
2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19);
TG
Jesus Christ, Glory of;
|
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and
unto magistrates, and apowers,
btake ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or
what ye shall csay:
12 For the aHoly Ghost
shall bteach you in the same hour what ye ought to
saya.
|
12a the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the
same hour what ye ought to say Now this is not a license to go
around being unprepared or of lack of study. It is a promise to which the
disciples who preached the gospel were given concerning being taken before
'magistrates'. And in those conditions the circumstance might vary depending.
But when one can so prepare and study, thought and work ought to be done that
one be not like unto Oliver Cowdery who failed to study it out in his mind
and thought that it would be just given unto him. We are to search and study
and prepare our messages of the gospel before men as well as rely upon the
spirit to draw from that which we have prepared. This was a special
circumstance. Few are given such a 'free' license to speak without
forethought. Most are to think out what they say and not to go mindless into
an assignment.
|
|
13 ¶ And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of
acovetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the
abundance of the things which he possesseth.
|
|
|
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall
I do, because I have no room where to abestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
|
|
|
19 And I will say to my soul, aSoul,
thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease,
beat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this
night thy asoul shall be required of thee: then whose shall
those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up
atreasure for bhimself, and is not rich
toward God.
|
|
|
22 ¶ And he said unto his
disciplesa, Therefore I
say unto you, aTake no bthought for your
life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the aravens: for they
neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth
them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
|
22a he said unto his disciples
These instructions are to those who are called into the service of God, such
as the early missionaries of the restored church were so called upon to do.
Those who live normally are to take thought upon these things to provide for
their families and themselves. Again these are special instructions and
promises give to those whom the Lord calls into his full time service. The
'disciples' of the Lord, whom he sent out to carry forth his message, went
without great funds of money and relied upon those to whom they took the
message to for their necessities of life and the Lord's spirit to lead them
to them.
|
|
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
|
|
|
27 Consider the alilies how they
grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day
in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; ahow
much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
|
|
|
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye
shall drink, neither be ye of adoubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
|
|
|
31 ¶ aBut rather seek ye the
bkingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto
you.
32 Fear not, little aflock; for it
is your Father's good pleasure to give you the bkingdom.
|
|
|
33 Sell that ye have, and give
aalms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a
btreasure in the heavens that cfaileth
not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your atreasure is,
there will your heart be also.
|
|
|
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your
alights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord
when he cometh shall find awatching: verily I say unto you,
that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come
forth and serve them.
|
|
|
38 aAnd if he shall come in the
second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed
are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the
agoodman of the house had known what hour the thief would
come, he would have watched, and not have bsuffered his
house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man
acometh at an bhour when ye think not.
|
|
|
41 ¶ Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that
afaithful and wise bsteward, whom
his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them
their portion of meat in due season?
|
|
|
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when
he cometh shall find so adoing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him
aruler over ball that he hath.
|
|
|
45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord
delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and
amaidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when
he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will
cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his aportion with
the unbelievers.
|
|
|
47 And that aservant, which knew
his lord's bwill, and cprepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many
stripes.
48 But he that aknew not, and did
commit things worthy of stripes, shall be bbeaten with few
stripes. For unto whomsoever cmuch is
bgiven, of him shall be much erequired:
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
|
|
|
49 ¶ I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
50 But I have a abaptism to be
baptized with; and how am I bstraitened till it be
accomplished!
|
|
|
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and
the son aagainst the father; the mother against the
daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her
daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
|
|
|
54 ¶ And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
|
|
|
58 ¶ When thou goest with thine adversary to the
magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be
delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver
thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into
prisona.
59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till
thou hast paid the very last amite.
|
58a cast thee into prison Now
this being a parable, this prison is not a debtor's prison of worldly
consideration, that is but the comparison. The prison one who is cast into
in the spiritual sense is the spirit prison, that prison into which the
wicked are cast and from which deliverance is but based upon one suffering
for their own sins until they have repented and suffered fully for them. The
whole of the chapter from the private acts of the souls, what one is truly in
his heart and finds himself about when he is alone, are those things upon
which a man will be judged. These are the sins which are broadcast from the
roof tops, that are not hid from before God and God's judgment. Those that
dig a pit for their neighbor and take advantage of a man in order that they
might profit at another's expense because of their srewd and disceteful
dealings. All this will be made known and is what a man is judged upon. It is
the hypocritical sins of those who would be seen as righteous but are not, as
they sin privly and against their brother in secret, taking purposeful
advantage of them. They are the destoryers of men and not they who do help,
aid and build their brother up. And if these sins be not repented of and
forgiven in this life, in the world to come men will be placed in that spirit
prison until every 'mite' is extrated in their suffering payment for their
such sins of deceit.
|
|