2023 WEEK 16 [MATTHEW 18; LUKE 10] NOTES

“What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?”

April 17 – April 23

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Welcome back you guys. This is week 16 of Creative. Come follow me for the New Testament and we're just in two chapters this week. We're in Matthew 18 and Luke 10, and they don't overlap quite like we saw last week, but they do dovetail in nicely. I would say that this is the week of unexpected answers, and that comes from the Come Follow Me manual.

If you look at that introductory paragraph, it talks about how people approach the savior with questions this week. Like, who is the greatest in the kingdom of God, or how shall I inherit eternal life? And he comes back at them. Unexpected answers. And the savior strategy, I think oftentimes is to get you to.

Think more deeply. In fact, I think with his answers, he's trying to get us to feel differently, to act differently, and to take in his gospel in a whole new, proactive way. So you're gonna see that play out in a few different places. This week, you're gonna see him talk about the power of children and why they matter so much.

Mary and Martha, this is our first big introduction to those sisters, and you're gonna love it. So trust me, this is a week you don't wanna miss. Grab your scriptures, grab your notes. There's a lot to cover. So let's get started.

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I was reading in Elder Holland's most recent book where he talked about, it's so interesting that when he talks about the judgment there is like the wheat and the tears. You know, there, there are two choices when you, when we talk about the 10 virgins, it's the wise and the foolish. There is no. Middle, there's no like C plus or B minus kind of people.

And I don't know if this comes from, you know, they just saw some of the apostles go up on the amount of transfiguration and maybe they wondered if there was a ranking among them. A, a ranking among the Samaritans, the Jews, and I wonder how they were wrestling. What I love about the Savior's response, he's gonna call a little child among them and he's gonna teach about the worth of being like a child.

So I think what the Savior is ultimately teaching is that there is no rank. In fact, everyone has the same exact potential. We all have different starting points. We all have different stewardships, different callings in this life, different adversities, but we all have the same potential to be the greatest in the kingdom of God and the way we become the greatest.

In fact, one of the things that really helped me as I was kind of wrestling with this verse, because I found myself thinking, if we're supposed to be as children, why does he let us lose all of that? Optimism through this hard life of adversity. You know, it's, it's easy to be full of faith and hope when you haven't had any persecution and you haven't had any, you know, you haven't had any of the big, hard, and so it's easier, and I think he is, he's trying to teach us that you're supposed to become as little children, meaning you've grown past that and you choose to still have the eyes of a hope-filled child.

When we choose that after we've experienced all we've experienced. That's, I think where the power lies. It's in a very small way, a version of condescension. Right? It's, it's, even though I've built up a lot of understanding in this world, I choose to be humble and meek and teachable. I choose to put my will on the altar of God.

I think there's something about that choosing to become as a child that empower. And I think that's what the savior is trying to teach them when they talks about the value of being childlike. It's, it's not in understanding, it's in how you act. Uh, in fact, what I really love, there was a great talk from Bishop Kae where he talked about how this childlike stance, this posture of being childlike, Opens up opportunities for the Holy Ghost to be your teacher.

When you go a little bit further, you see him talk about the worth of children. We talked about this last week, so I won't go too deep into it, but you see that same warning about millstones. I just liked it even more this week because of what we heard in conference, especially from elder odor where he talked about the sacred gift of having children among us and being in families where we could see this childlike faith and optimism firsthand.

But I love what you see Him five, it says, and who so shall receive one such little child in my name receive with? Isn't that a beautiful witness about parenting and about caring for little ones, whether they're your little ones or you are a teacher who cares for other people's? I don't mean little, just small people.

When you go a little bit further, he warns about if you are one who is harming the faith of those who believe, these little ones, you, you have some big warnings ahead. You know, millstones are somewhere between like 200 pounds and 500 pounds. So to have that take you down to the depths of the ocean, that's a pretty big consequence to worry about.

And I think he, he. The care of children incredibly seriously. I actually thought we saw this both in the Book of Mormon and in the Old Testament, cuz I noticed, I, I heard it in a podcast and for life, me, I can't remember which one, but they talked about how there is a connection between when you see a destruction of a city, often right before the city is destroyed, you see harming of children.

Uh, there is some, there are some serious consequences coming. I also love what you learn from the prophets. If you look in, um, The notes I gave you a couple different links. One that I really liked was from David Beha. He talked about how children have a right to love and to truth, and that we need to defend and protect, that we need to do everything we can to teach truth and to show love, not just to our own children, but to all children.

And that there's, there's a big part of our gospel that wraps around that concept. Another thing I loved is what he warns about in 10. So this, I thought I just had never noticed it before. In 10, he says, take heed that you despise not one of these little ones. For I say to you that in heaven, their angels do always behold the face of my father, which is in heaven.

I just, isn't that kind of fascinating? Don't you kind of wonder who those angels are? I'm gonna imagine they're ancestors of these kids in some way or another. And I just loved that. Like generations down the road, do I get to be one of these guardian angels for my great-great granddaughters? I don't know, but I just kind of loved that verse.

So don't skip over. The next four verse talk about saving that which is lost. And I, this was brand new to me. I've read the Parable of the Lost Sheep. I don't know how many times, but I must have read it in other gospels cause I don't remember ever reading it when I thinking about children and those who maybe not have been cared for.

And then he goes into talking about what was lost. So this is verse 11 for the son of man is come to save that which was lost. What I loved is when you go into the footnotes on verse 11, this is where you see the J S T and to call sinners to repentance. But these little ones have no need of repentance and I will save them.

I. This particular telling of the parable of the lost sheep that's coming is about those little children who haven't been cared for the way he hoped they would, that they are not lost to him. I think it's comforting doctrine because there are many children throughout the world who don't have the blessings that we have seen around us.

If they, if they missed on those opportunities, he will seek them out. And that's what it says in the par in verse 12. How thinky if a man have a hundred sheep and one of them be gone astray, does he not leave the 90 and nine and goes into the mountains and seeking that? Seek that which is gone astray. I don't think this little lost sheep is rebelling.

I think this is one who just simply wasn't shepherded well. And so the savior calls after him and he finds him. Whatever his circumstances were in his life, he, he can still be found. It's on 13. And if so, be that he find it fairly, I say it you, he rejoices more of that sheep than the 99, which went not astray even.

So, it is not the will of your father, which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should not perish. Every child is cared for and sought after by the savior, and I think there's power in that promise. We've heard a lot of guidance from President Nelson lately, even just in his Easter message where he was inviting us to.

And it also means teaching the members of the church how to get along when things get hard, cuz things are gonna get hard. And so he sets up a structure that where he basically says, If a brother offends you, go seek him out first. This is in verse 15. Moreover, if that brother shall trespass against, they go and tell him his fault between the and him alone, if he shall hear, the thou has gained a brother, if right, you can't force it.

But it won't always work. I do love that we have precedent for it in the scriptures where it did work. You know, you see people like Joseph in Egypt who reconciles with all of his brothers who had cast him into a pit and left him for dead. You see the same thing with Jacob and Esau who had this epic hug after a whole lifetime apart at where they thought they hated each other.

You know, you see. Moments of reconciliation in the scripture and he's inviting you to try that first. And if it doesn't work, then there's a plan B, and that's when you seek witnesses. These witnesses aren't for you to like defend your case per se. They're witnesses to evidence that you tried to reconcile.

I think that's what you see play out from 15, 16, and 17. What I loved that I had never read this way before, it's what you see in 20. So if you go in 20, it says for where two or three are gathered together in my name. There I am in the midst of them. I had always read this verse. In a positive tone, meaning like if I'm meeting with a presidency meeting or you know, if there's quorum presidency that's meeting or if I'm, you know, I'm on a mission and I'm with my companion, or even Jason and I, when we pray together, when two or three are gathered in my name, there he is in the midst of them.

You know, we learn in the Old Testament that in the midst doesn't just mean like on the periphery, floating around. It means in the center of What I really loved is reading this verse in conjunction with all the guidance. The verses before it are all about choosing to reconcile with your brother. The verses after it are all about how many times you need to forgive when someone offends you.

And that, I think is a really powerful promise cuz all of us have been in situations where it's really hard to choose. Try to reconcile and the promise of knowing that he will be there in the midst is a really weighty one. Uh, it's, it's something that can pull me into those kind of discussions where my natural instincts would be to avoid them.

So I just, I loved reading 20 with that lens. And when you go a little further, you're gonna see the guidance to Peter. So Peter's national reaction, like all of us would ask is, yeah, but how many times do I have to do this? You know, he going through this reconciliation process, how many times do I have to forgive?

There's no need to count because I don't count. It doesn't matter how many times Peter makes mistakes and he'll make some big ones, right? We're gonna see him. I mean, it's hard for me to categorize them as mistakes, but you'll see him deny the savior at at when at the Savior's crucifixion, you're gonna see Peter struggle to some degree, and the savior will never abandon.

I think that's his promise, because he chooses to continually forgive us, and there is no cap. There is no limit where I can say, well, I've extended my, what, 490 forgivenesses from the savior, so now I'm, I'm doomed to destruction. His promise is you have infinite ability to be forgiven if you come in a posture of repentance.

I found some very varying. I really liked Elder Holland's description of it. In his conference talk, he essentially said if if the servant who owed the smaller debt owed a hundred dollars, then the bigger debt would be about a billion dollars. I mean, that's the kind of contrast we're talking about. So this one servant owes the equivalent of a billion dollars to this king and.

I mean, which is preposterous, right? There's no possible way he can work off 165,000 years of servitude. But that's his promise. It's it's his plea, and I feel like you see compassion in 27. So this is what he says. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the dead.

For me, I, I assume that compassion must come from his love of this family. This is me jumping to conclusions, but if you can think of a wife and children serving out their lives because of their father's debt, I could see where compassion would roll forth, even if this servant doesn't deserve compassion, but he.

But I hold on to my gru, you know, I hold on to my hard feelings, but I'll let go of what they owe me or I'll stop dwelling on what I've lost, but I hold on to my anger or my disappointment or you know, like I think it's really powerful that this king chooses to do both. He loses a debt that is enormous unpayable and he chooses to forgive him.

I think that's, It's what Xavier teaches. It's who he is. He does both of those things. In fact, I love thinking of this great king as heavenly father and that this debt isn't just loosed because he has so much money. It's loosed because he offers his son to pay the debt for this debt earth. I mean, that's how this would really play out.

I actually think this is a big piece of why the king is so. Angry at this servant. It's not just about the fact that he's collecting the debt, it's the manner in which he's doing it. It reminded me of the conference doc we just heard from President Nelson about the surgeon who threw the scalpel. Do you remember that?

Like he's so angry and he throws a scalpel and it goes into President Nelson's arm. I, that caught all of us off guard when he said that. I think there is something, some warning here about choosing to be tempera. I think it's what you see in the king when this servant comes and pleads for patience and that he'll pay it all.

He's angry, he's grabbing someone by the throat. He's demanding payment, and I think that turns his fate a little bit. So the other servants basically come and tell the king what has happened and then if you see in 32, and then his Lord, after that, he had called him, said unto Tim, oh that wicked servant, I forgave the all that debt, but thou does that.

That because thou desirs me should I thou not have had compassion on the fellow servant, even as I had pity on the, what I love about this is that understanding that we have from the Book of Mormon, that we are all. That essentially we are all owing this monumental debt to the savior because simply of the fall, not even the lives we've lived, although that adds to that debt, but the very fact of the fall means we are in the debt of the Savior and we need his help to get back home.

Our debts to the savior are big and he promises to lead them all behind. But we have to in exchange, forgive others of these comparatively smaller. There's a great talk from President Hinkley in the notes where he essentially said, the savior promises forgiveness to all of us. And what he asks in response is repentance.

And I had never thought of forgiveness as repentance before, even go on the notes and get deeper into this. But repentance is a turning towards God, and what I love about this when it comes to forgiveness is I feel like that's what you do when you choose to forgive. Even those who have. Hurt you or wounded you in some way.

Go slow in those verses cuz for me there was so much to. In fact, I love how it ends. So if you go in verse 35, at the very end, he says, he's basically saying the same thing is gonna play out for you. If you choose not to forgive, the father can't forgive your debts. And then if you go in like doctrine covenants 19, where he teaches us that he has already suffered for all those things, he's already endured the pain.

You know how exquisite, you know, not if we choose to hold all those. It. I think it just makes him ache inside that we don't choose to use this gift, the atonement of Jesus Christ. So he invites us and even implores us at the very end. If ye from your hearts forgive, not everyone, his brother, their trespasses, it can't be.

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Okay. Before we get into Luke 10, I just had to take a second to remind you of what we've found in Luke nine. Cause it's been a few weeks, maybe even a month since we studied Luke nine. We did 'em sort of out of order at the very end of Luke nine, is that time when the savior encounters some Samaritans who.

Won't receive him. Do you remember this? Like they're on their way to Jerusalem and there's a Samaritan village that won't receive him. And this is when the Sons of Thunder want to like call down fire and devastation on this entire Samaritan village. And the savior kinda like eases them back and says, you know, we'll, we'll find another way.

And I just, I think that's really powerful knowing what's coming. Because in 10 he's going to use the Samaritans as an example of what is good. The Parable of the Good Samaritan happens just one chapter after that experience they had with Samaritans who hated them and probably spit on them and tried to, you know, get in their way.

So if you go in verse one, after these things, the Lord appointed other 70. Also, that makes it sound like maybe there's at least more than one. The cool thing about the quorum of the 70 that's different than the quorum of the 12 is that they are unlimited. Like we can, as the quorum of the 12 needs more people to go out and perform the work around the world.

New quorums of the 70, what we called. So if you go and look in the history of the quorum of the 70 there. There's a progression of sorts. Now I think we're up to 12 quorums of the seventies, so it's there will continue to be people to teach and help the gospel as it grows. What I thought this was fascinating to me is, These are all brand new converts.

And the power of the Holy Ghost, and I think you see that evidenced in these seventies as well, cuz they're gonna be sent out to preach and teach, just like the apostles were without purse or script. Their job is to bring peace to houses. By teaching them about the savior and his teachings, they're gonna heal and bless and teach, in fact a big part of what they're directed to do.

You see in nine. And they're healing and they're directed to heal the sick that are there in and say unto them, the kingdom of God is unto you. You see that same morning again in 11, that even if people don't accept you, make sure that you tell them that the kingdom of God is you because that's their agency, right?

We've seen this before, but I guess what I thought was really powerful about this understanding is that I think. It reminded me of that conference talk from Elder Gilbert about the parable of the slope. We're gonna talk about this in the object lessons too, but this is where it started to set it off. In my mind, these cities are held to a higher accountability because of the miracles they've seen.

So you see cities like Capernaum, where they've seen incredible miracles. I mean, this is where Peter and. James are from, like a lot of the apostles are from this area at least, and they've seen pretty incredible miracles in that town and they still turn against it. So the savior says, whoa, under the Al Capernaum, which is our exalted to heavens, that shall you, shall be thrust down to hell.

And I think that applies to me too, that I am, I encounter miracles often in my life. I just don't always choose to see them or believe that they are in fact miracles, but I'll be held accountable for what I had the opportunity to see. So I think there was some warning in that one. Um, when you go a little bit further, it talks about how there's no separation from between his leaders who are called and the savior.

So when you go, this is in like 16 and he that here with you, here with me, and he that despises you, despises me. And he that despises me, despises him. That sent me, that's a pretty big warning, especially when we come off the heels of conference that you can't. Jesus Christ and his prophet. You can't separate Jesus Christ and his quorum of the 12, they are one.

We saw the same thing with the apostles where we have no stories. You know? Don't you just wish there were stories that you could read about how these missions went? I, I don't know how long they lasted, but when they come back home, they come back with joy. They seem to be rejoicing that. Are able to do the things that Jesus Christ promised that they would be able to do.

And I think all of us feel this way when, when it works. You know, you just are utterly delighted that he would use you as an instrument cuz you know exactly how. Poor of an instrument, you really are. And you're just delighted to see that his gospel can still work through you. So that's what you see in 17.

He is not surprised, even though they are, that if they're worthy of this priesthood power, they can use it. They can use it to do good. And he is someone that has seen Satan from the very beginning, and I think he finds. Comfort in knowing every time that his priesthood power has authority over all of that, all of the works of the adversary.

And so he warns some of that. In fact, you're gonna see that play out later in the New Testament, like with Paul, when a Viper bites and the people then convert to, to what he's saying because they see that it can't hurt him there. There's some power in these promises, but I do love the guidance he gives them in 20.

Think about the change that is happening in you. You are becoming more converted in this process. I think that applies to every mission. I remember talking to our oldest, Hannah, when she was on her mission about this, cuz there were times where really hard, where she had a hard companion that didn't wanna go out or her circumstances, even C O V D at the end of her mission made it so she felt like kind of trapped and she couldn't do the work she hoped to be able to do.

But I think this verse is a power. A powerful reminder cuz what it says is your mission is just as much about the conversion that happens in your heart, maybe even more so than the conversion that happens everywhere else that you, if all else fails, focus on what is happening to you and rejoice in what is happening in you.

I think that the church is growing, that people are catching it, that I, there may actually even be. Children who are prophesying and teaching similar to what we see in the Book of Mormon when he comes among them ink and they teach. You know, the children who can understand this gospel with their pure, innocent childlike perspective can teach the same way he taught at 12 in the, in the temple that he taught.

Those who were much older than him, who expected much less of him and he dazzled them. And I wonder if some of that's happening here as well. But he seems to be delighting. We don't see that phrase very much in the gospel. So I think you have. Pay attention when the savior is delighted. And you see that in that verse.

Promise we're given. Today we're supposed to show gratitude that we are standing on the shoulders of men and women who have been faithful, despite never getting to see the things that we are seeing. You know, temples dotting the earth, the work rolling forth at such speed and magnificence. There are, there are prophets and apostles and women who have hoped to see this day, and I think the reason they held onto their hope, despite not seeing this day for themselves is because they knew we would.

They believed in the Savior and they believed there would be a final dispensation, a time when the fullness is restored and that the savior can come back again. I think they chose to delight in that promise even when they couldn't see it with their own eyes. In verse 25, you see things pivot a little bit where he's been speaking privately to his disciples.

Turning this question back to him saying, you love the scripture. You've studied the scripture your whole life. That's what it means to be a lawyer, is to be a study. Someone who studies the law, the religious law. So he is saying, you love the scriptures. Go think back. What? What do you know so far? I, at first, I mean, when I used to read this, I used to think he was doing some kind of strategy, almost like a chess board where he's like waiting for.

Pawn to come out so he can swoop in with his queen and take and teach him the real story. I just don't think that's it. I think the savior is hoping that in this moment this lawyer will soften that when he actually speaks the words he's gonna speak. Cause he's gonna teach about the two great commandments.

And then this is when Jesus response, thou has answered, right? This do and thou shall live. Not just live, but like live eternally. Live this God-like life because you chose to love God first and then love your neighbor. What I love is the twist. So in 29 this lawyer is scrambling a little bit. I think he's.

Unsettled because of the, that samurai slice of pure doctrine that the savior has opened up for him and he in this moment of tension, Chooses to revert back to where he's been before. So willing to justify himself. He says, I'm Jesus, and who is my neighbor? So he goes back to hoping to trap, and this is when the story, the Parable of the Good Samaritan plays out.

And I, I think there's some merit for my purposes. I actually found myself. When I got too much into that deeper level, I found myself missing the point of the story. I think the Parable of the Good Samaritan, for me is right at the surface. It's about how to show compassion to those who are different from me.

How to, how to watch for those who do this naturally and learn from their example. That's where I got the most beauty out of it. I mean, he just taught us about having childlike faith and uh, childlike understanding even. And I think there's power in it, so, You can go in the notes and learn a little bit more about other ways to read this, but I love reading it right on the surface cuz there's so much written richness in the.

I wonder if he saw the Levi coming behind him and was like, oh, good he'll take care. You know, I think I do this sometimes, like when I let a signup sheet go past me and I trust that there's that girl down the aisle who always sign. Sometimes I think I trust that somebody else is a good Samaritan, so I don't wanna be one.

And I think you see a little bit here as well, but I really love the response of the Samaritan. So in 30, But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed came where he was and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. I think it's really powerful that those are the same words that are used describing the king who relieved that great debt that we read about in Matthew 18.

I, for some reason when I was studying these verses, there's a great quote from Sister Hinkley that, uh, talking about how when she pulls, pulls up to the pearly gates. I don't have it in front of me. I've read it in a while, but it just came as I was studying it where. She talks about how she doesn't wanna pull up in this like perfectly cleaned car.

She wants to pull up in one that's like covered in peanut butter from making sandwiches for the Boy Scouts. And like she wants this. She doesn't, she wants to show a life well lived when she arrives at heaven. And that's what I pictured when I think of this beast, that when, when the Good Samaritan chooses to pour oil to heal wounds and to, you know, sterilize things with this winder, do the best he can.

And there there's an abundance to it and I found myself wondering. How? How do you have that outpouring when the Jews hate the Samaritans? How do you have this outpouring of love? And I think where that comes from every time is the same place it came from, from the, in the parable of the debtors. I think it comes from.

Because you know that all these blessings that you have are a gift from God and that they're there for you to share. It's the same thing we saw with the man with palsy being let down through the roof. Remember how we talked about how I don't ever wanna be a person who has such a nice roof, that when somebody needs to be let down, I won't let them make a hole.

When he had departed away from the in, he took out two pens and gave them to the host and said unto him, take care of him and whatsoever they'll spend us more. When I come again, I will repay the, what I love about this verse is I think it teaches us that he expects connect. Sometimes when I serve or when I'm charitable, I'm hoping to sort of like wash my hands of bit.

You know? I think it's the same way we see the savior and whenever he performs a healing, he gives dignity at the same time. I think that's what's happening here. He's giving this man dignity because he won't be a beggar and he won't be indebted to this in keeper, and he doesn't need to rush out. He's paying his way so that he can.

Down to Jericho. He doesn't just, you know, give him something and then take off. He stops and provides physical help he gives of himself, gives of his means, and then also gives dignity that makes this kind of charity so Christ-like. And, and I really, really loved that piece. The very talent end of Luke 10.

Uh, what's interesting is how it plays out. So if you go on the verses, I mean, I'm sure you know the story, but basically it says in 38 that there was a certain woman named Martha and she received him into their house. Probably not just a savior, but whole company of people with him come in and she has to take care of them, right?

And in 39, and she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. I know a lot of people read this verse and think that means that Mary sat amongst the apostles and other disciples, which was really uncommon. Women didn't sit with men that way, so that would've been new. And I certainly think that applies here.

I also think you can read it to read that Martha also saw often sat at the feet of the savior, cuz that's what it says. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and hurt his word, which to me says Martha sits at the feet of the Savior at times. And also Mary. I think that's important cuz I think we tend to typecast both of these characters, but I love them both.

She makes these powerful witnesses. Mary is the one who will anoint the savior's feet like the week of the crucifixion with oil. Remember that alabaster box? That's Mary. These are incredible women of faith. They are mighty disciples of the savior, both of. So we can't typecast either of them, but I do think we can learn from their examples.

So the way it plays out is Mary is sitting at the feet of the savior learning and Martha is taking care of the physical needs of everybody around her, and she is comforted much. That's a phrase that has come to me in prayers many times. Um, and I'm gonna tell you the story and then I'll tell you how it's helped me in my own struggle.

First, I think she's a little bit like the apostles who were toiling on the sea for hours and hours, and when they finally do wake the Savior, the first words out of the mouth are Master Kara. Now, not that we perish, I feel like that's basically her question. Lord does now not care that my sister had left me.

Like, do you care? That's part one. I'm gonna get to that in a second. Part two is that she seems to be judging. Service, I call it service because of something the spirit taught me during Jason's cancer, and I'll get to that too. Those two issues, I think are what the savior tries to help Martha understand first.

Okay. No, not let me tell you the three ways. There are actually several, but these are the top three things I've learned from the Marian Martha story, from personal experience. First and foremost, I have learned that there are times when I am cued much and I like the apostles on the water, and like Martha in this moment, turn to the Lord and say, Don't you even care?

When he does awaken, he essentially says to them like, why do you have such little faith? Why did you, for me, when I read the story of the Apostles, I think he's saying, why did you row for so long before waking me? I'm right here. I think oftentimes when I turn to the Lord in those moments of like, I am encumbered much, why don't you help me?

I think what he's trying to help me realize is, Maria, I didn't ask you to pick up any of those things, all those struggles that you're dealing with. Find rest. Find rest by coming to me first. In fact, what I've found is in those moments when I feel encumbered much, if I turn the Lord in my prayer and say, what can I set down?

She. Didn't in this moment, and so he's trying to help her remind her of that. The other thing I've learned from the Marion Martha story is that Martha in this moment feels like she's the only one serving and it's keep making her resentful of her sister. But in reality, I think her sister is serving her as well.

These two live together. In fact, we never hear of men mention, so I don't know if they, this is their father's house. What has happened, but these two sisters have each other and they'll rely on each other. And Mary choosing to sit at the feet of the savior and learn directly from him will probably help Martha in remarkable ways as her discipleship grows.

It's hard. I wish I could tell you I'm great at it, but there have been some really sweet moments from prayer where I have learned how I'm being served in those moments where I feel like I'm the only one serving. For example, one time I got an understanding that when Jason is sitting. There and experiencing all this hard, weighty hard, even though my job is hard as his caretaker, I actually get all of the blessings of empathy and, and understanding of what cancer looks like and how it feels to people without ever having to feel it.

The blessings I'm gaining from those I am serving, that I am growing grace, for grace because of this relationship, this interaction. I, I hope, I hope that makes sense. The other thing I've learned is sometimes I choose to be in the kitchen and then resent people for it sometimes, and I don't mean just with the busyness sometimes because I'm, I'm afraid.

Yeah, sometimes I think about what the sermon might have been. What was the savior trying to teach Martha in this moment? Maybe this was a sermon about one of her weaknesses. Maybe he was teaching Mary about one of Martha's or Mary's struggles that they deal with, and maybe Martha didn't want to hear it.

So, for example, I might sign up to serve and help in a whole bunch of different ways at church, but never quite get to the point of forgiveness with my neighbor or with a relative or, you know, like I, I choose to live in that service mode of discipleship rather than the deeper mode that is needful where I try to heal relationships.

I try to live the gospel instead of. Be busy in the gospel. I don't hope that makes sense. So sometimes I, I choose to be in the kitchen and I've learned from Mary and Martha that I need to choose that good part. One thing is needful in this moment, what the savior needs Martha to do is to be a disciple who sits and listens because whatever he's gonna say is going to impact her for a long, long time.

I think that's what the Savior wanted for Martha. He'll want it for Mary, and he wants it for all of us.

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Welcome back you guys. This is the creative side of week 16. So I'm gonna give you a quick preview of the three object lessons and then for those of you in the course, just stick around and I'll walk you through how to pull off each one. The first one I wanted to focus on is who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

That great verse from the apostles this week that the savior answers by bringing a little child amongst them. I think what he is teaching us is. Acquiring the characteristics of Christ and that that's what allows you to be among the greatest of the kingdom of heaven is because you become as he is. And there's a really fun way to teach it with a slope.

And then you're gonna also need a few supplies to create the slope. So for us, we used an A marble as our runner that will go down the slope, and then what it's running into is a dye. So one of those of each. And then you're also gonna need something to create the rise. So this part of the principle is actually gonna rest on something to give it.

Incline or it's slope. So for me, the easiest thing, I can find a word, Jenga blocks, and each of these is gonna represent the characteristics of Christ, and you'll use those to impact the distance that your marble can travel. So few Jenga blocks, marble a die, and then the printable. And you're good to go on the first one.

One of my favorite visual ways to teach this is with dry erase markers, and I'll explain why we're gonna teach about how the savior. Lifts the weight. Others since the the weight we carry of pain and anger and hate even, and Amity, all those things that we tend to carry when we've been wounded in some way, that he will lift those and take them on with the gift of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

So for this object lesson, you need dry erase markers. I found the legit expose work the best. You can use the thin ones or the fat ones like this. You just wanna make sure that they're relatively new cuz we went out and. Bought some and tried them out and they were kind of weak to begin with. So you wanna make sure you put 'em to the test and like scribble on a dry erase board and make sure you get a nice bright mark.

Just get a large, either a serving spoon or a big soup spoon, and your kids are gonna draw on the back of these. And then the last thing you need are just some scrap pieces of paper. This is what you're gonna actually pick up the drawings with, so you need a few. I just cut up some card stock into like two by three rectangles and gave myself a good 10 or 20 of those.

And then I had plenty to work. The third one doesn't really have any supplies to hold up. This is focusing in on the story of the Good Samaritan. What that parable teaches us about how we should interact and who our neighbor really is. And I am not gonna make this overly complicated. I simply wanted to draw attention to.

So I'm gonna connect you with, just serve and teach you a little bit about that site and what it offers so that you as a family or as a class can see the needs that are around you. Just like the Good Samaritan, chose to see the man on the side of the road, and hopefully I can help you connect those spiritual dots for your kids and your classes and they'll remember that parable in a whole new way.

Okay. That's your supplies list. Let's get.

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Guys, I think week sixteens object lessons could be summarized as faith, hope and charity doesn't get more core than that, I guess. All right, you guys, thanks for being here. I hope you enjoyed this week. I, there isn't, there aren't very many verses to study, but each verse is hope.

Also, I would remind you about the podcast. If you are watching this on YouTube, just know that there is also a public podcast available that you can freely listen to all the insights of any week of this week's or this year's study. You can find that under creative. Come follow me. And then for those of you in the course, there's also a free.

Combo podcast. So it's an all access podcast that's for subscribers, that has all the insights as well as all the creative object lessons so that you can listen as you go about the busyness of your day and have everything you need to teach these incredible lessons to your families or to your classes.

So hopefully you put those to you. And then lastly, I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who've left. Both in the course and on the podcast, even on YouTube. I've had some really sweet comments and I just wanna say thanks. They really do mean a lot. Um, I read 'em all and I, they fuel me at times when I really need it, uh, almost as an answer to prayer sometimes.