The Good Samaritan

For my New Testament class, we were asked to follow the example of the Good Samaritan for two weeks and then write an essay on how it affected us and how it changed our reading of the story.
Here's my essay:

I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't know the story of the Good Samaritan. As a kid, I watched movies about it, heard it as a bedtime story, read it in simplified scriptures, and eventually read it in the actual text of the Bible. I've always tried to incorporate it into my life. In fact, my life motto is a quote from President Monson which states, “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” I thought I was pretty good at that motto. When I received the assignment to emulate the Good Samaritan for two weeks, I didn't worry that I wouldn't be able to help others when the situation arose, but I did struggle with how I would make those two weeks different than any other two weeks, and how I would be able to take off the thick lenses through which I've read the parable in the past, allowing myself to read the text in a new light. The difficulty with this injunction to “go and do likewise” lay in the fact that the assignment wasn't just to be more like the Samaritan than the Levite or the priest, but to make a change in my life to be more like the Samaritan than I had before and to change my perception of a story I've heard and read many times. Despite my disbelief in this assignment's power to change my outlook and my actions, both were transformed by it. However, it was the week of pondering that followed the two weeks and writing this paper that did most of the teaching, not the two weeks in themselves. As I write and erase, argue with myself and make resolution, ponder and allow myself to be taken away from my musings when I am needed by others, I am learning more than I learned during the whole two weeks of experiment what it means to be like the Good Samaritan. Through this experience, I've learned that being the Good Samaritan isn't about service; it's about love, of which service is a demonstration. Because of this subtle change in thought thinking about this parable, I was able to change my actions more than I thought possible from just a mere school assignment.
“Go and do thou likewise” were the words that marked the beginning of my two week assignment. I left the classroom door determined to help every old widow cross the street and stop at every distressed car on the side of the road. There were two obvious problems with this plan—one: I didn't see any old widows wanting to cross the street, and two: not having a car makes it very difficult to find troubled cars. After a few days of looking for opportunities, I began to be disheartened. Nobody seemed to need my help. I didn't feel like I was completing my assignment, and I had no idea what I was doing wrong. I was praying for chances to help people, I was reading my scriptures, and I was doing everything I thought I should be doing, so I just waited around for some situation to come up where I would feel like the Samaritan in the story, but nothing happened. I did a few little things for people, and asked people if they needed help in places where I normally wouldn't, but I didn't feel like the Good Samaritan. I could see Good Samaritans all around me, but I didn't feel like one myself. Sometimes I'd be too slow, so people would get to the Jew who “fell among the thieves” before I could, and other times, I was the Jew, encountering the Good Samaritan as he helped me through my own trials. That was a learning experience about gratitude and seeing the good in others. I was happy that I was starting to have something that I might be able to write a paper on, but I still hadn't followed the command to be like the Good Samaritan. The two weeks ended without gaining much to show for it. I felt useless. I was a failure.
Ironically, as soon as the two weeks were up, I began to see situations where I could be a Good Samaritan all over the place. I was surprised to learn that they were right under my nose, and not by the side of the road where I'd been looking for them. It was not strangers and enemies who needed my help, but my roommates, the co-leader for my FHE family, and others very close to me. God makes us stewards over certain people—friends, roommates, visiting teachees—to teach us what it means to love a neighbor. We mustn't be too busy looking for distant service opportunities that we forget to look more immediately. When chances for service came to me, I took them, whether I was completely free or finally very close to falling asleep after trying to unsuccessfully for over an hour, and it wasn't because of an assignment, though that made the choice a little easier, that I helped them, but because I truly loved the people I served.
When I prepared to write my paper, I reread the story carefully, trying to look at it as if it were brand new. I started by looking at the question, “who is my neighbor?” and then tried to figure out Jesus' answer from the text, not just recall what I had been taught and what I had assumed. I was surprised to realize that while the words were the same, the answer wasn't what I was expecting. Jesus doesn't answer the question! He doesn't even have the lawyer answer his own question as I had always taken for granted. As I read this story from another angle, I realized that the question that Jesus answered was not “Who is my neighbor?” but a more important question: “Who was a neighbor”. I saw the story in a whole new light, which I was not expecting. I'd read it enough times that I thought I had learned all it had to offer, but I was wrong. What does this subtle difference mean to us? It means that the injunction by the Savior of “Go and do thou likewise” no longer reads to me as “serve your neighbor, which, by the story, is clearly everyone, even enemies”, and now reads as, “make everyone your neighbor, which, by the story, means loving them, showing that love through service.” This parable isn't about finding ways to make yourself busier—patrolling I-15 until you find someone with a flat tire who you could help, therefore checking off your assignment. It's about developing charity within yourself to the point that you want the best for even your enemies, to the point that even those who should be your enemies, according to others' standards, become your neighbors. The two greatest commandments, on which hang all the law and the prophets are not “do good things for God and for your neighbor”, but “love God and love your neighbor”. It was when I realized this truth that I learned what I was doing wrong in my assignment. I shouldn't have prayed for experiences to happen where people would need my help; that's like praying for bad things to happen to other people, which doesn't sound like a prayer that will quickly be answered. What I should have prayed for is a change in my heart to love those around me more deeply and to make those around me into true neighbors.
Our life's journey is often as perilous as the treacherous Wadi Qelt which runs from Jericho to Jerusalem. We all play different roles at different times in our lives. Sometimes we act the part of the Samaritan, sometimes the Jew that “fell among the thieves”, and at our worst moments, as little as we want to admit it, we play the Priests, the Levites, and even the robbers. In the few weeks since I started this assignment, I've played, to some extent, each role. What I've learned from all of these roles and about writing about the experience afterward, is that the defining characteristic that sorts the Levites from the Samaritans or robbers is not necessarily individual actions, but charity—what's in their hearts. The Levite and the priest were likely going to or coming from service in the temple, yet they were not held up as good examples. Unlike the Priest and the Levite, the Samaritan wasn't looking for something nice to do to check off an assignment. The text says that when he saw the Jew, “he had compassion on him”. The character with compassion is the one we are told to emulate. I had been reading this story like the Law of Moses, a command to perform an outward action, when it is truly an example of Jesus teaching the higher, more internal law.

The Exodus of Section 136

There are many parallels between D&C:136 and the story told in the book of Exodus in the Old Testament. The most obvious one is that much of the language used in this revelation is similar to language used in the book of Exodus. First of all, the saints traveling to Utah were called the “Camp of Israel”, obviously an allusion to the Israelites who camped in the wilderness for forty years. Secondly, many of the phrases used in this revelation are the same, or very similar, as Old Testament phrases. Verse three reads, “Let the companies be organized with captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, and captains of tens, with a president and his two counselors at their head, under the direction of the Twelve apostles.” If you follow the footnote on hundreds, you are led straight to the exodus text in chapter 18, verse 21, which talks about people being “rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens”. Verse 21 in section 136 contains the phrase, “for I am the Lord your God, even the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob”. This phrase is echoed almost word for word in Exodus 3:6. Also in verses 20 and 21, two of the ten commandments, given in Exodus 20, are stated. Verse 22 is also an obvious allusion to Exodus. It reads, “I am he who led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; and my arm is stretched out in the last days, to save my people Israel.”

Another similarity is shown in verse 18, which says, “Zion shall be redeemed in mine own time.” Likewise, the Israelites did not obtain the promised land when they first got there. Because they were afraid, they did not take it over, so they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years before they could enter it. Similarly, the saints of the early latter-day church reached Zion, but because they were not completely obedient in regards to building up the city and a temple there, they were not allowed to stay to build up Zion. Also, just as Moses died before the Israelites reached the promised land, Joseph also was not allowed to live to see the saints' resting place.

Visiting the Crandall Museum

Last semester, I was able to visit the Crandall Printing museum. Here are my thoughts I recorded after attending:

I enjoyed the Crandall museum much more than I thought it would. I've been to the printing office at Nauvoo several times, so I didn't think I'd learn much. I must say I did enjoy whispering to a friend of mine several facts/comments I had learned in Nauvoo right before the guides said them, but even more, I enjoyed the artifacts that they had there. Every room held something that cannot be found in any other museum in the world.

Another thing I enjoyed about my experience is that it was made even more evident to me how much of a miracle the printing of the Book of Mormon was. It's amazing that the printing was able to be finished so quickly. In 7 months, they were able to print 5,000 copies of the book. That's an average of about 24 books worth of pages a day. It is another testament to me that it truly is a book of God. 5000 was a ridiculous amount of books to be printed at the time. A book binder who visited the museum did not at first believe that so many copies of the Book of Mormon could possibly have been printed in that first printing. He was confident that the guide must have been mistaken and accidentally said 5,000 instead of 500.

Another miracle to me was that the church was able to finance the book. If Joseph had not been positioned near Martin Harris, he would never have been able to come up with the money to ensure that the printer would be paid for his labor.

One thing that was stressed was how much of an influence Gutenburg had on the world. His invention remained for the most part unchanged for hundreds of years. With it, the Bible was printed, making it available for more than just the most wealthy people. The Book of Mormon was printed through the same invention.

In my stake a few years ago, we celebrated the ac175th anniversary of the first printing of the Book of Mormon and the organization of the church by giving away, as a stake, 5,000 copies of the book to represent the 5,000 books that were first printing. This was a really cool experience for me. I only gave away one or two copies, but this reenactment of sorts was a really good way for our stake to connect ourselves with our heritage.

At the Crandall Printing Museum, I was once again reminded of how much God is in control of the universe. In the 1400's, He was preparing for the printing of the Book of Mormon by inspiring Gutenberg to create a printing press with movable type. In 1825, only 5 years before the printing of the Book of Mormon, the Eerie Canal was opened, letting a printing press be more easily shipped to the town where Joseph was living. God knows what he's doing, and he prepares the way for His work to be accomplished.

Whether By Mine Own Voice

D&C 1:38 states: “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” This scripture is found in the very first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the preface to the book. This revelation was given in 1831, but I don't believe that Joseph Smith understood the depth of its verity until after the time he spent in Liberty jail, when the saints lived in Nauvoo. Though Joseph grew up very familiar with the stories of prophets in the Bible, he did not fully understand the role that Latter-day prophets would have in his dispensation until then. Liberty jail, as I, and many others before me, have commented on, was like a temple as well as a prison. Joseph was able to stop and think and listen to God in those terrible, but stagnant times. Before Joseph's time in Liberty Jail, revelations given that were later canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants were usually prefaced with “Thus sayeth the Lord”, or something similar. After Joseph left Liberty Jail, his sermons became scripture, just as we consider the most recent General Conference issue of the Ensign. Joseph realized that he had the same role in today's world as Paul in the New Testament or Moses in the Old Testament or Jacob in the Book of Mormon. As a sustained prophet, seer, translator, and revelator, whatever he spoke while acting in those roles was what the Lord was talking about when he said, “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”

Establishment of the High Council

This week for my D&C class I was asked to read the minutes from the meeting in which the High council was organized in Kirtland on February 17, 1834 from the Revelations and Translations series of the Joseph Smith Papers. An edited version of these minutes can be found in section 102 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

This council was created to settle disputes in the church. I think it's very interesting how much of a judicial system there is in the church. Joseph Smith definitely had reason to dislike the courtroom. He was often accused of crimes which he did not commit, and was even brought to court for crimes he had already been acquitted for...more than once. One might think that these experiences would lead the prophet to either have a very limited or nonexistent judicial system in the church. However, the opposite is true. I think that, while Joseph believed essentially in the structure of the country, he realized that, in practice, it was not run how it was intended, and in consequence, Joseph was treated very unfairly by the law.

The system of judging set forth in section 102 is very interesting in how much emphasis there is on ensuring that the person on trial is judged fairly. For example, each of the council members is told to draw a number to determine the speaking order, and whoever draws even numbers has to speak for the defendant. Also, both the accuser and the accused are granted the right to speak to the council after the evidences are put forth. The president of the council then makes a decision, which must be unanimously sanctioned by the other members, or else there will be a re-hearing.

One thing I found interesting when studying the difference between the earliest version of this text and the canonized version was the very end of the section. In the Joseph Smith Papers, this line reads: “The council then adjournd to meet on wednesday the 19th Inst. At 10 O'cl'k A.M.” Today in the D&C, and also in the 1835 version of the Doctrine and Covenants, it reads: “After prayer the conference adjourned.” I thought it was interesting that when the minutes were edited for church wide publication, it was important to add that they ended with a prayer. Even though this council held a more government-like role in the church, it was very important to do everything unto the Lord and always have His spirit with them, and I believe it was very important for the saints to see that as a model for their lives.

The Image Speaks

Last Wednesday, our D&C class went to the art museum instead of holding normal class. One painting I spent some time by was called “Christ, The Good Shepherd”, by Christian Olsen.

I paid much more attention to this painting this time through the exhibit than when I saw it last semester. One thing I noticed was the sheep at Jesus' left side. I didn't focus on this sheep the first time I looked at this painting, but last week it specifically jumped out at me. The sheep appears to me to be the mother of the lamb in the Savior's arms. This made me think about whether the sheep was wondering if her baby would be safe in the master's arms, or if she knew that there is no safer place than in His arms. Can we trust our loved ones to the Savior's care?

Another painting I liked very much was Ron Richmond's “Devotion”. I didn't really appreciate this picture fully the first time I saw this painting. I didn't really grasp what it was trying to convey. The thing I really love about it though is how, no matter where you stand in the room in relation to the painting, you always feel like you're practically in the painting One reason for this is that the glass of water is painted in a much more realistic style than the rest of the painting, so looking at it, you feel that the water is real, and you are in the painting in front of the glass of water, looking at a painting in a church. Also, because of the length of the glass and the angles formed by the rim of the glass and the table, you feel like you must be very close to the glass, because if you weren't, the glass would slide right off the front of the table. The painting puts you in the position of someone actually there in the church, an active participant in worship, not a passive spectator watching someone else worship.

I'm glad I was given a chance to re-study these paintings and come to a greater appreciation of them. Art, like the gospel, is something we come to understand little by little. Just as reading the scriptures once is not enough to understand everything that can be gained from studying them, paintings rarely convey their whole message in one glance.

Comfort From the Olive Branch

Section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants was called by Joseph Smith the “olive leaf...plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us.” This was the perfect section for me to read and blog on this week, as I happen to be especially needing comfort this week.

My favorite part of this section is how much clarification it gives about the degrees of glory. Verse 22 says, “For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory”. This and surrounding scriptures give me so much insight into the judgment and life after death. The Plan of Salvation is much more merciful than we can comprehend. Placement in different degrees of glory is more about what sort of life we are prepared to live after death than our credentials. Everyone has been born into different circumstances and is given different opportunities, the opportunities that will give that person the chance to grow the most. God does everything He can to help us progress, but He will not force us. He cannot. In the end, we will all obtain the degree of glory that we will be most comfortable in. If you can't keep the celestial law, you will not be able to stand the celestial glory, you will only be comfortable in a lower degree. God wishes we could all obtain celestial glory, but just as the Israelites of old rejected the chance to be in the presence of God, there will be those at judgment who will reject the fullness of the blessings they could have obtained.

Another part of this section that I really like is verses 87-98ish. I have always been very fascinated by and excited for the end of the world. I have always loved how specific some of these prophesies about the future are. I am so excited to watch these last events unfold, and hope I am still on the earth to witness them. The world will become more and more wicked, and it will become increasingly hard to keep the commandments, but it will be such an amazing opportunity for growth and we will see miracles if we look out for them.

It has given me comfort to study this section. Reading it has reminded me of the depth of God's love for me and the depth and intricacy, yet simplicity of His plan of happiness for us. I cannot wait to receive the many blessings God has in store for me. I now have to be patient and stay faithfully engaged in the cause of zion as I await those promised blessings.