Sabbathought: " . . . tell that fox . . . ."

Aware that Sunday is Hallowe'en, and having a few spare moments, I thought I would thwart the gremlins that might try to sabotage this message and send it out on Friday . . . !

Last week we tried to be as bold as the Prophet Joseph and Elder David Bednar of the Twelve in starting to show from the "Five Gospels" that the Lord Jesus is a much different character than the Person we hear of second hand. It takes a serious and sustained study of the scriptures to find Him. Otherwise He remains unknown and unappreciated by us.

Speaking to His Apostles on the Mount of Olives just days before His Atonement, Jesus warned them---and us who would see His words many centuries later---of "false Christs" in the last days who would "deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant" (think of the temple), if those elect are not careful and vigilant and wise.

A suspicious-looking individual with a beard and strange garb claiming to be the Christ would not deceive any but the very gullible, and certainly not "the very elect." No, He was warning of false doctrine about Christ, of a distorted image of Christ, as Isaiah had prophesied (52:14; see 3 Nephi 20:11--22:17). A false idea of Christ is a false Christ. Likewise, a false idea of His servants the prophets, is a false prophet. Joseph Smith illustrated this:

"Some of the [early members of the Church] thought I was not a very meek Prophet; so I told them: 'I am meek and lowly in heart,' and will personify Jesus for a moment, to illustrate the principle, and cried out with a loud voice, 'Woe unto you, ye doctors; woe unto you, ye lawyers; woe unto you, ye scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites!'"

Then Joseph concluded, "But you cannot find the place where I ever went that I found fault with their food, their drink, their house, their lodgings; no, never; and this is what is meant by the meekness and lowliness of Jesus" (Teachings, page 270).

Showing their own lack of understanding and maturity, and demonstrating how a false idea of Christ had been absorbed by them from the world, my teenage seminary students often would question the Savior's propriety in cleansing the temple at the start of His ministry and again at the end. "I always thought He was perfect," they said disappointedly, "I guess He wasn't, huh? . . . He was rude." These were their words and feelings about Him.

These illustrations start to explain why we have undertaken to address this issue as we anticipate a deep and wonderful study in Sunday School of the New Testament beginning in a couple of months.

Further, as Robert J. Matthews has pointed out, "There is not a single case in the four Gospel records that represents Jesus as impatient, critical, or unkind to people"---now, again notice . . . ! Just as we showed last week, some of us are prone to place a period or full stop at the end of these words, or even an exclamation mark. But Brother Matthews continues:

" . . . Jesus as impatient, critical, or unkind to people who were repentant, teachable, and willing to change their lives." Brother Matthews goes on to describe Jesus' compassion and open support and charity to the humble. Then this:

"But He was a terror to the workers of iniquity and those who were self-righteous, deceptive, or hypocritical. In dealing with the repentant, He was kind, gentle, yet firm---the promised Messiah. To the proud, the haughty, and the arrogant, He was absolutely indomitable and irrepressible and a threat to their craftiness" (Selected Writings [1999], page 241, emphasis added).

Also, from the Prophet: "Our heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive; and, at the same time, is more terrible to the workers of iniquity, more awful in the executions of His punishments, and more ready to detect every false way, than we are apt to suppose Him to be. He will be inquired of by His children" (Teachings, page 257).

In His teachings and interactions with people in the four Gospels Jesus often offended His hearers. These are the "rough things" Joseph spoke of that we highlighted last week. From the above statements and insights, now we know why He offended them. The issue is simple: meekness, mildness, humility, teachableness, true repentance on the part of His hearers, these are what determined whether they saw and heard the Lamb or the Lion. He is both. We ourselves determine which aspect of Him and His teachings will prevail with us and judge us.

The word "offended" in reference to His teachings is found fourteen times in the four Gospels. The Greek word is "skandalizo" . . . .

The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (see Ephesians 6:17; Alma 31:5; D&C 6:2; 11:2; and the rest) is a weapon of defense, but also a weapon of offense, for as Elder Bruce R. McConkie has observed, "It is not possible to teach the gospel without offending somebody."

In our anxiety to be tolerant, loving, and to avoid giving offense at all costs we tend to dilute the message of the gospel from a gospel of repentance and mercy to a gospel of love alone. We imitate the world instead of the holy men He has sent. It does not work that way. . . . It is a false idea of the gospel; it is a false Christ.

There is much more to say on this.

When "certain of the Pharisees" came to Him ostensibly to warn Him to leave Jerusalem for His safety, "for Herod will kill thee," His response was, "Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected" (Luke 13:31--2; see to the end of the chapter, especially the JST footnotes). Should He not be more respectful of civic authority, more politically correct, less "rude"? "Go ye, and tell that fox" says much. He is fearlessly rendering unto Caesar . . . .

Family and friends, unless we pay a price to search these things diligently in the scriptural record itself, we shall, by default, have a distorted image of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the clear message of the prophets, of those with the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus, the message of those who know Him. I want so much to be one of them, to be one with them and with Him.

More later on this.

Have a glorious Autumn weekend.

Steve