Two weeks ago we said, under the title "All things bear record of me" (see Moses 6:63), that the symbolism of number in the gospel plan in the scriptures is an evidence of the fingerprints of the Lord Jesus found throughout His creation.
His question to His disciples, "How is it that ye do not understand?" (Mark 8:21), as He reminded them of the details in the miracles of the feeding of the five thousand and then the four thousand, shows that He expects His followers to catch something significant here. Let's explore together . . . .
The number one is the number of God, of unity and primacy. Elder McConkie taught that in Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one Lord", we find the greatest teaching moment ever devised.
After the feeding of the multitudes, the disciples and Jesus board a ship to sail across the Sea of Galilee. "Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf." So, did they have any bread or none? Well, they had one loaf with them, they had with them Him who was about to teach that He is the bread of life.
Four is the number of the natural world, of the city block, the gentile number: earth, air, fire, and water---spring, summer, autumn, winter---north, south, east, west---thistles, thorns, briers, and noxious weeds---every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
Before Jesus fed the four thousand, He had them sit on the ground. This was a gentile gathering near Decapolis (which means "ten cities"). In vivid contrast, the five thousand were told to sit down in an orderly manner upon the green grass in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
Add one to four and you have five, the number of grace or favor, one of the numbers of the house of Israel. The five thousand were an Israelite group, and were fed before the four thousand. However, the gentile congregation received the miracle with more faith than the Israelite group---a type of things to come (contrast Matthew 15:31 with John 6:26--66 for evidence of this).
When David slew Goliath he chose five smooth stones for his sling, but he needed only one.
The scriptures and the temple are full of rich and marvelous examples of all these things. We can only touch upon them here because of space limitations. If you are very keen to explore number symbolism further I would be happy to respond. We are not speaking of numerology or magic, which is the adversary's imitation, but of a sacred pattern that points us to our God.
The food provided to each group is instructive also. The four thousand were fed with seven loaves and a few small fishes. That has meaning. Some day we'll visit the idea of a "few," for it has doctrinal significance.
If we merely stay on the surface of the scriptures we shall find only gravel and dust. The divine command is that we search, treasure, and feast, and go deep below the surface where the oil and the gold lie, and where we will find our God, who is our home.
The Christmas story has many such deep and pertinent details. Would you like to explore some of them? Please let me know in the Comments section below.
God bless,
Steve
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sabbathought: "All things bear record of me"
The first World War---"the Great War", the war to end wars, as it was called---ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. We rightly commemorate it still each year, and those who gave their lives in all wars. Next year it will be the 11th hour of 11/11/11.
Is there symbolism at work here? There is certainly an obvious symmetry.
Does the repeated use of numbers in scripture hold symbolic and instructive meaning for us? It appears so from this exchange in Mark chapter 8:
"Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
"And he [Jesus] charged them . . . [to] beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of . . . Herod.
"And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
"And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?"
He is chastizing them for not understanding. Clearly, all of this means something; they don't get it, and Jesus is going to show them that they should. . . . He has just fed the four thousand (after telling them to sit down on the ground), with seven loaves and a few small fishes. . . .
Some days earlier (see Mark 6) He had fed the five thousand, after having them sit down in an orderly manner upon the green grass, in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. This time the miraculous meal came through five loaves and two fishes.
Why the differences? What does it all mean? It means something to Jesus, as we can plainly see from His comments, and He wants His disciples---including us---to understand the meaning. He continues:
"When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments [crumbs] took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
"And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up [did you gather]? And they said, Seven.
"And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?"
Clearly something of significance is going on here. Something that is self-evident and that the Lord expects His followers to catch. What is it? As Philip said to the Ethiopian servant in Acts chapter 8 as the servant studied Isaiah, "Understandest thou what thou readest?"
The servant's reply is our reply, "How can I, except some man should guide me?"
Like our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, we are all teachers; we are all expected to guide those who do not understand---in Sunday School classes, in priesthood meeting, in auxiliary meetings, in missionary work, in our families---in every circumstance, we are to imitate the Master Teacher and help to bring others to understanding. Do you accept and believe this? If it is important to the Savior it should be important to us.
To a Jewish elder, one who was a ruler in the Sanhedrin no less, Jesus said, in the middle of a vital discussion on how natural, fallen man can be born again, "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?" He expects His followers to come to know what He knows. He wants us to be one with Him and the Father in all things.
So, what do you think? Is it worth pursuing the number symbolism in the feeding of the two separate congregations? Is there great meaning there for us, do you suppose?
Please let me know if you have interest in understanding this wonderful illustration of the way our Lord thinks. If you do, let's pursue it. It is a marvelous insight. All of this with a view to our upcoming study of the New Testament in 2011.
I don't yet know all things, in fact I really only know one thing, but I try to know it superbly well, for "one thing is needful" (see Luke 10:42). Let's ignite the fires of learning in the things of God and explore this rich legacy of knowledge we have been given. "For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift" (D&C 88:33).
Warm regards,
Steve
Is there symbolism at work here? There is certainly an obvious symmetry.
Does the repeated use of numbers in scripture hold symbolic and instructive meaning for us? It appears so from this exchange in Mark chapter 8:
"Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
"And he [Jesus] charged them . . . [to] beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of . . . Herod.
"And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
"And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?"
He is chastizing them for not understanding. Clearly, all of this means something; they don't get it, and Jesus is going to show them that they should. . . . He has just fed the four thousand (after telling them to sit down on the ground), with seven loaves and a few small fishes. . . .
Some days earlier (see Mark 6) He had fed the five thousand, after having them sit down in an orderly manner upon the green grass, in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. This time the miraculous meal came through five loaves and two fishes.
Why the differences? What does it all mean? It means something to Jesus, as we can plainly see from His comments, and He wants His disciples---including us---to understand the meaning. He continues:
"When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments [crumbs] took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
"And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up [did you gather]? And they said, Seven.
"And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?"
Clearly something of significance is going on here. Something that is self-evident and that the Lord expects His followers to catch. What is it? As Philip said to the Ethiopian servant in Acts chapter 8 as the servant studied Isaiah, "Understandest thou what thou readest?"
The servant's reply is our reply, "How can I, except some man should guide me?"
Like our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, we are all teachers; we are all expected to guide those who do not understand---in Sunday School classes, in priesthood meeting, in auxiliary meetings, in missionary work, in our families---in every circumstance, we are to imitate the Master Teacher and help to bring others to understanding. Do you accept and believe this? If it is important to the Savior it should be important to us.
To a Jewish elder, one who was a ruler in the Sanhedrin no less, Jesus said, in the middle of a vital discussion on how natural, fallen man can be born again, "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?" He expects His followers to come to know what He knows. He wants us to be one with Him and the Father in all things.
So, what do you think? Is it worth pursuing the number symbolism in the feeding of the two separate congregations? Is there great meaning there for us, do you suppose?
Please let me know if you have interest in understanding this wonderful illustration of the way our Lord thinks. If you do, let's pursue it. It is a marvelous insight. All of this with a view to our upcoming study of the New Testament in 2011.
I don't yet know all things, in fact I really only know one thing, but I try to know it superbly well, for "one thing is needful" (see Luke 10:42). Let's ignite the fires of learning in the things of God and explore this rich legacy of knowledge we have been given. "For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift" (D&C 88:33).
Warm regards,
Steve
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sabbathought:: "Truth, Lord: yet . . . ."
In John chapter 2 we find the first miracle (see verse 11) of Jesus' ministry, at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. It is the changing of water into wine. (Reflect with me that the first sign the Lord provided through Moses in Egypt was the turning of the Nile waters into blood. The final convincing sign was the death of the firstborn son. Do you see the stark parallels? The Lord teaches in this way, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.)
Some have supposed this was Jesus' own marriage feast, but it was the custom for the wedding to take place at the home town of the groom, so this would likely have been one of Jesus' half sisters (see Matthew 13:55--6) marrying a boy from Cana. This view is strengthened by the fact that their mother Mary seems to be in charge of the feast, the hostess.
Joseph Smith's translation of verse 4 is smoothed from a "rough thing" into a more sensible form. Instead of Jesus saying to His mother, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come", Joseph renders it, "Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? that will I do; for mine hour is not yet come." This version of the account is confirmed in the next verse in the Bible when Mary says "unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."
And Jesus then turns some 150 gallons of water into not just wine, but the best wine (v. 10), a miracle indeed as Jesus circumvented the usual fermentation period required for the best wine.
As we take a few moments to study this together, does it not cause your heart to burn within you (see Luke 24:32) at the purity and the glory of the story---His story or Gospel? Are you eager, as I am, to study the New Testament in Sunday School in 2011?
Did Jesus and His disciples (John 2:2) drink wine? Was it just grape juice or did it have a "kick" to it? Did they avoid pork, in conformity with the Law of Moses? In our day, we can eat pork but we expressly avoid the wine with a kick to it for the reasons given in D&C 89:4--6. There is wisdom in all of this, even a Word of Wisdom.
The instances of Jesus speaking "rough things" to His enemies---the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers---are legion and are legend. They wanted His destruction because He was a threat to their priestcraft and they wanted no part of His gospel message of repentance and humility and obedience.
But Jesus' total singleness of purpose---to bring glory and obedience to His Father's will---shows us incidents of somewhat "rough things" even to His close associates, His family, and the lowly.
When Peter adamantly insisted that Jesus not go to Jerusalem and suffer and die at the hands of wicked men, as He had prophesied, the Lord said "unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men" (Matthew 16:21--23). To Peter, these words. . . ! His chief Apostle and close friend. . . !
It's as if He was saying, "I don't want to do it either for the personal agonies involved (see Luke 12:50 [49--53]; 22:42), but I must do the will of the Father and be faithful to my mission, which you do not understand."
When His mother and family members came to speak with Him, He took the occasion to refocus His hearers from His earthly mother and family to His Heavenly Father and the family of Saints who become such by obedience to His gospel plan (see Matthew 12:46--50). To us, this would perhaps appear a "rough thing" and we might try to explain it away, but His mother would have understood (see Luke 2:51).
When a woman of Canaan came seeking an urgent blessing for her daughter, He "answered her not a word." As she persisted, He explained that He was sent only "unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Such a rough response would bring today charges of nationalism and other politically correct reactions.
He continued to explain to her that, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs [meaning to Gentiles]". Rough things indeed, for this poor woman and her suffering daughter! But note how this scene plays out: the woman persists, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." I can never read that without my soul and my emotions saluting this woman. . . !
"Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour" (Matthew 15:22--28).
She passed the test of faith. She extracted a blessing from Him---despite the reasons to the contrary---and we find a salutary lesson for us. Far from Jesus going out of His way to bless the needy, He often would ignore them until they showed the faith necessary to bring the blessing (see also Matthew 9:27--31 and Luke 18:35--43 among many examples). Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel. Why would He ever act otherwise?
Is this a different Lord and Savior than the one we think we know, as Elder Bednar intimated to the English Saints last Autumn? There are many other examples, but they will not yield to a casual study, only to those with a sincere searching heart and real intent. These things are true and faithful.
God bless.
Steve
Some have supposed this was Jesus' own marriage feast, but it was the custom for the wedding to take place at the home town of the groom, so this would likely have been one of Jesus' half sisters (see Matthew 13:55--6) marrying a boy from Cana. This view is strengthened by the fact that their mother Mary seems to be in charge of the feast, the hostess.
Joseph Smith's translation of verse 4 is smoothed from a "rough thing" into a more sensible form. Instead of Jesus saying to His mother, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come", Joseph renders it, "Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? that will I do; for mine hour is not yet come." This version of the account is confirmed in the next verse in the Bible when Mary says "unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."
And Jesus then turns some 150 gallons of water into not just wine, but the best wine (v. 10), a miracle indeed as Jesus circumvented the usual fermentation period required for the best wine.
As we take a few moments to study this together, does it not cause your heart to burn within you (see Luke 24:32) at the purity and the glory of the story---His story or Gospel? Are you eager, as I am, to study the New Testament in Sunday School in 2011?
Did Jesus and His disciples (John 2:2) drink wine? Was it just grape juice or did it have a "kick" to it? Did they avoid pork, in conformity with the Law of Moses? In our day, we can eat pork but we expressly avoid the wine with a kick to it for the reasons given in D&C 89:4--6. There is wisdom in all of this, even a Word of Wisdom.
The instances of Jesus speaking "rough things" to His enemies---the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers---are legion and are legend. They wanted His destruction because He was a threat to their priestcraft and they wanted no part of His gospel message of repentance and humility and obedience.
But Jesus' total singleness of purpose---to bring glory and obedience to His Father's will---shows us incidents of somewhat "rough things" even to His close associates, His family, and the lowly.
When Peter adamantly insisted that Jesus not go to Jerusalem and suffer and die at the hands of wicked men, as He had prophesied, the Lord said "unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men" (Matthew 16:21--23). To Peter, these words. . . ! His chief Apostle and close friend. . . !
It's as if He was saying, "I don't want to do it either for the personal agonies involved (see Luke 12:50 [49--53]; 22:42), but I must do the will of the Father and be faithful to my mission, which you do not understand."
When His mother and family members came to speak with Him, He took the occasion to refocus His hearers from His earthly mother and family to His Heavenly Father and the family of Saints who become such by obedience to His gospel plan (see Matthew 12:46--50). To us, this would perhaps appear a "rough thing" and we might try to explain it away, but His mother would have understood (see Luke 2:51).
When a woman of Canaan came seeking an urgent blessing for her daughter, He "answered her not a word." As she persisted, He explained that He was sent only "unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Such a rough response would bring today charges of nationalism and other politically correct reactions.
He continued to explain to her that, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs [meaning to Gentiles]". Rough things indeed, for this poor woman and her suffering daughter! But note how this scene plays out: the woman persists, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." I can never read that without my soul and my emotions saluting this woman. . . !
"Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour" (Matthew 15:22--28).
She passed the test of faith. She extracted a blessing from Him---despite the reasons to the contrary---and we find a salutary lesson for us. Far from Jesus going out of His way to bless the needy, He often would ignore them until they showed the faith necessary to bring the blessing (see also Matthew 9:27--31 and Luke 18:35--43 among many examples). Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel. Why would He ever act otherwise?
Is this a different Lord and Savior than the one we think we know, as Elder Bednar intimated to the English Saints last Autumn? There are many other examples, but they will not yield to a casual study, only to those with a sincere searching heart and real intent. These things are true and faithful.
God bless.
Steve
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