I’d like to begin with an overview of the content and
context. Let’s first look at these chapters as a whole. Chapters 12-13 of Luke,
as well as the verses in John, were taught by the Savior near the end of the
third year of his ministry. This was Christ’s “wrapping-things-up” period, a
time when He was sharing principle after principle, selecting the most
important things He wanted His followers to know before He undertook the
terrible task of Gethsemane and Golgotha.
Every word He spoke during this time period carried layers of meaning,
and right here, in Luke 12 and 13, we receive a beautiful discourse on true
discipleship and faith. Here we come to realize that the road to true discipleship, or becoming a true follower and a witness of Jesus
Christ (which is the only way to gain exaltation), has some major potential
pitfalls and obstacles along the way. Yet, in the loving, careful way of our
Savior, we also learn His powerful teachings on how to avoid and overcome these
pitfalls to our faith by overcoming the natural man/woman and thus becoming the
kind of disciples we need to be to gain exaltation.
Jesus Christ chooses a variety of methods to teach this kind
of discipleship here, however, one metaphor that stood out to me this week was
BIRDS. In fact, while you study these
chapters, you might even find yourself humming the Primary hymn, “Whenever I
hear the song of a bird or look at the blue, blue sky….” I discovered also that just as the world is
too big to write about in one go, so are these chapters too much to completely
analyze in one setting. So, rather than try to completely analyze every word,
I’m choosing to pull out the “birds” in these chapters and share how these
fowl-feathered friends have taught me this week. (And thus, the title of this blog entry!)
1. The sparrow.
One major obstacle to our faith is fear. We
can fear others, we can fear circumstances, we can fear our own weakness, we
can fear truth, we can fear death, we can fear Satan, and so on. . . There is
no end to what we could fear. But Christ
says this in Luke 12:4-5: “…Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after
that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear:
Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say
unto you, Fear him.” In other words, don’t fear
offending men, but DO fear to offend God. Fear sin. Fear any actions that work
contrary to His commandments.And if this isn’t antidote enough,
then consider the tiny sparrow! Verse 6 begins, “Are not five sparrows sold for
two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value
than many sparrows.”We are His children. The sparrow,
of little worth to men, is known of God. He is always watching over us. He
knows our every sorrow. We are so valuable to Him. When you are fearful,
remember your worth, remember how He loves you, and seek to feel that love.
This can be accomplished as we “confess His name before men,” thus we overcome the natural man/woman
tendency to fear men—and we earn the confidence of having stood with Him.
2. The raven.
Another major obstacle to our faith and
discipleship is sin.
The natural man/woman is an enemy to God, and putting off that tendency is the
work of our lives. Jesus knows the kinds of sins that His disciples will be
most prone to fall prey to—and He warns us carefully in the following verses:
*Verses 1-2: “Beware ye the leaven of the Pharisees, which
is hypocrisy.” Pride and pretense/pretending won’t earn us a place with Him.
*Verses 9-12 : Be careful not to deny me,
but if you do, you can be forgiven. If you blaspheme against the Holy Ghost,
however, it shall not be forgiven you.
*Verses 13-21: “Take heed, and beware
covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things
which he possesseth.” Covetousness is akin to idolatry, in other words, lay up
treasure to God and not to yourself, do not “eat, drink and be merry.”
*Verses 31-35: Sins of omission. Be found
seeking to bring forth the kingdom of God.
Why a raven, you ask? Check out verse 24:
“Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have
storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than
fowls?” In other words, when you are tempted
to covetousness, when you are tempted to lay up treasure unto yourself—to claim
your own barns, your own stuff—and forget the God who gave you these, consider
the raven. He doesn’t have a storehouse. He doesn’t stockpile. He doesn’t even
plant a crop. He is not preoccupied with acquiring stuff, but God provides for
him.
To me this is a perfect comparison. The
raven still must eat. The raven still must live. So must we—so we can’t
altogether forget about providing our livelihood. But the acquiring of it must
not become the focus. Furthermore, so much of sin is founded as we try to fill
personal appetites that cannot and do not satisfy! Thus, the more we try to
fill them, the emptier we become. Even the birds know this!
As
it says in Mosiah, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things
shall be added unto you.” We need faith
and trust to overcome personal sins and temptations. Only He knows what we
really need to satisfy longings. Only He knows how to school us in our journey
to overcome sin. We must walk/fly with humility, i.e. obedience and trust.
3.The fowls of the air.
The final obstacle to our faith which I
noticed mentioned throughout this reading has two parts: Doubt and unbelief. The warnings here are associated with specific
counsel, including a specific parable regarding the 2nd Coming.
These verses contain the “official, official” (as opposed to my unofficial, but
official-sounding title), of this week’s reading: “Where much is given, much is
required.”
And that is that! What is required, then,
in order to be given much? Much FAITH is required. If you will but plant a seed
the size of a mustard seed, it will grow so the fowls of the air will come and
lodge in the branches (Luke 13:19). If you will but trust that I, the Savior
will come again—and if you will keep working and waiting for that day—you will
be blessed.
And then He warns those of us especially,
who know and have access to this testimony daily through a parable: the servant
who knew of the Lord’s coming and did not prepare was beaten with many stripes,
while he who knew not and was unfaithful was beaten with few stripes. Where
much is given—much is REQUIRED.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “Any serious
disciple yearns to go home to Heavenly Father and to be welcomed there by
Jesus. But the Prophet Joseph Smith declared we cannot go where They are unless
we become more like Them in the principles and attributes and character They
possess (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith
[1976], 216).
Of the many restored truths, God has surely
given us enough and to spare. Soberingly, however, we have been told that “unto
whom much is given much is required.” I hope we feel the cutting edge of the
word required. It is used instead of
the milder expected. Neither does the
Lord say, “It would be nice if…” The word is required, bringing us back again to the need for submissiveness in
discipleship (Ensign, “The Road of
Discipleship,” 1996).”
The antidote to unbelief and doubt?
Believe. Act. Bear that testimony, share that truth, warn those neighbors,
teach those children, obey, do not doubt—even when everything looks like you
should. Believe and act in that belief. Stay away from the edge! Dress
modestly. Watch wholesome television and movies. Love the scriptures! Believe.
Love. Serve. Remember you are of noble birthright and live up to the virtue
inside you! Never stop believing in Jesus Christ. He will come again. And that
leads to my last and favorite bird.
4. The Hen
Luke 13: 34-35—“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often
would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood
under her wings, and ye would not!”
As disciples, we must gather to the Savior.
Why would we want to disappoint Him?
I read a story recently of a man who was
walking through a forested area where a fire had just ravaged the landscape. Up
ahead of him in the ruin, he noticed a group of baby chicks—wild birds—suddenly
coming up from a hole in the ground, quite alive and well. He was astounded and
curious! It had been an enormous fire, yet these chicks had survived. He walked
over to the hole and examined it. To his shock, he found a hole dug out just
for those chicks—and a mother bird, her wings outstretched to cover and protect
the hole, charred and dead from the flames. She had sacrificed herself so the
chicks would be safe beneath her wings.
Our Savior is indeed as this mother. He has
already suffered the fire for us, and He will gather us if we will be gathered.
Will we be His disciples? Will we love Him enough to stay under His wings?
I share one last metaphor, and with last
thought, I testify of Christ’s love for each of us.
Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is
your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Here the word “flock” usually
refers to sheep. Christ was preparing
His little band of followers for His departure.
Today, in honor of birds, though, I’m thinking of the little flock as a
flock of birds. Join the flock!
My love to you all as you spread
your wings of faith, as you overcome fear, sin, and unbelief, and follow in our
Savior’s footsteps.
What have birds taught you?
Posted by Sister Laura Clark
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