3 Nephi 14:6-11
14:6 - We have a really interesting metaphor here by the Savior saying, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, left they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." While listening to HN, he had a really poignant and funny commentary on this when he said something like, "why wouldn't you want to give these things to the pigs, they are nice creatures, don't they want to have nice things too?" I thought, true, very true. JW puts the conundrum into perfect perspective when he says, "For most readers, 'the original meaning (of this saying) is puzzling.' The logion is a riddle. This saying seems badly out of place or hard to explain for most interpreters of the Sermon on the Mount, for after demanding that the disciple should love his neighbor, even his enemy, it seems inconsistent for Jesus to call these people 'dogs' and 'swine' and to require his followers to withhold their pearls from them. The emphasis, however, is clearly on withholding certain things that are 'holy' and protecting them as sacred... The implication is that Jesus has given his hearers something more than what the scriptural text publicly reports, something they are required to keep sacred and confidential... Moreover, the Joseph Smith Translation confirms that Matthew 7:6 is exactly concerned with the requirement of keeping certain sacred things secret. It adds: 'The mysteries of the kingdom ye shall keep within yourselves... for the world cannot receive that which ye, yourselves, are not able to bear.' As Alma had said in the first century before Christ, 'It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant.'" JW's whole assertion is that the Sermon on the Mount is actually ritualistic in nature, akin to something similar to the temple ceremonies, and this explanation certainly supports that fact. Something a little bit softer and less cloaked in "mystery" is HN's commentary on this verse when he says, "Then who are the dogs and swine?... What about these people who won't accept the gospel? This is not running down dogs or swine. The word he uses is conariun, which means 'pet doggy.' You don't give all the food on the table to your pet dog. For one thing it would make the little puppy sick. It's not his food. They are not ready to receive it, and they wouldn't appreciate it. They would just turn again and trample you; they wouldn't know what they were getting at all. This isn't holding them in contempt, but things should be distributed where they can be appreciated and used. They dog will bite you, and the swine will just tread on the pearls. They don't mean anything to him. That's why things must be done appropriately, of course. This also has to do with the secrecy that was taught to the apostles." This is pretty classic for the lesson of "sacred, not secret." My daughter the other day asked me when she could go to the temple and wanted to know if she worked really hard if she could go now. In the context of this analogy, letting her go to the temple now would be casting pearls before swine, and looking back on my life, me going to the temple before I did definitely would have been casting your pearls before swine, and honestly I think that I definitely did not appreciate what I had been given for quite some time. All the knowledge and the mysteries of the universe are God's and dispensed unto us as it is beneficial to do so. I've heard many times that something is not taught or explained or commanded because by doing so, it makes people accountable to obey it, and if they aren't ready then it would not only not contribute to their own personal growth but it would be to their detriment and condemnation. I think that that's a pretty accurate description of the principle in this verse.
14:7-8 - It seems like there is a change of subjects here, from keeping things sacred to prayer, or not depending on how you think about it. Jesus tells the multitude, "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asked, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened." Whenever I read about prayer I always think in terms of tangible, physical blessings, like this for instance would only apply to "please give me a better job," or "please give me more time with my family." But in fact that's probably only a small fraction of what is really available or implied by these teachings. Thinking about the spiritual growth that has happened for me in the last couple of years, that's what I've been seeking, knowledge, truth, testimony, and that's what I've been given, I've sought diligently for it and have been fed abundantly even though I've believed pretty much this whole time that my physical circumstances weren't very favorable. The IM quotes President James E. Faust as teaching "Access to our Creator through our Savior is surely one of the greatest privileges and blessings of our lives... No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. There is not quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place." This is really the gift here isn't it? I know that for me personally, I've never known the love of another person who truly has my best interests at heart, who makes decisions based on what's best for me and not what's best for them, and it's been interesting to learn how to talk to, lean on, trust, and turn to Jesus for everything. I listened to an Ensign article last year that said something like, "when we are in the wilderness of loneliness, that's when the Lord is truly teaching us to rely on Him," and I found that to be true. I have some amazing friends and there's one in particular that I used to talk to quite frequently, and it was not only enlightening but also spiritually building as well. As friendships do, our drifted apart after some time, life taking us in different directions, but when we stopped talking as much as we used to, that was a difficult time for me because our friendship was so fulfilling and all-consuming, but in a good way, once that was gone, there was an obvious hole in my life and needs that were previously being met, now were left wanting. I remember thinking about something I wanted to discuss with my friend like we usually do, but deciding that it would be inappropriate kind of feeling lost and alone and wondering where to get my comfort and support. It was then that I decided to turn to Jesus and tell him everything that I would have told my friend, even more so, because I knew that Jesus loved me and that he wouldn't judge me regardless of how petty or awful I was being. It's been a hard road and I'm not by any means strong on it, or there yet where I would consider it a strength, but I'm much stronger in that regard than I was before. Jesus hears everything first now, always, and I listen to hear what he might tell me in response through his various methods of communication and it's actually been quite empowering and spiritually growing for me.
14:9-11 - Continuing with the concept of seeking and finding, Jesus assures us that since we as parents know how to care for our children, "if ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" While this seem pretty straight forward it's a fair question. This is definitely an "eternal perspective" concept here, because we know how to care for our children but many don't know how to teach them to work and love and be happy which is what our Heavenly Father teaches us using his infinite power and resources. JW has an interesting insight into this teaching however, saying "Asking for bread is the symbolic equivalent of asking for Jesus, who is the 'bread of life.' Asking for a fish, again, is figuratively asking for life through the atonement and salvation of Jesus. The fish was a common pre-Christian symbol of fortune and health that became a familiar symbol of Jesus and baptism very early in Christianity. The promise veiled in such symbolism is that those who properly ask for Jesus will not be stoned (suffer death), nor will they encounter a serpent (Lucifer). Instead, the petitioner will receive good gifts directly from the Father. The gift is eternal life, 'the greatest of all the gifts of God,' descending below all things, rising above all heavens, and filling all things. The abundant generosity of God providing his people with bread and fish calls to mind the miraculous multiplication of the fish and the loaves, which may foreshadow an actual ritual meal." Some interesting ideas there, and that definitely makes sense. If we think about it from the literal perspective, bread, stones, fish, and serpents are all physical things, and like we discussed earlier, while it's easy to get caught up in the idea that we can ask for and expect substantial tangible blessings, I truly believe that this is more a spiritual principle. This then makes sense in the context of a child asking for life or knowledge or goodness or love or righteous guidance, and the parent then delivers death, spiritually and physically. Parents who love their children will do their best to help their children know how to navigate this life in the best possible way, but Heavenly Father being the ultimate parent, would teach those who ask the ways of eternal life.
14:7-8 - It seems like there is a change of subjects here, from keeping things sacred to prayer, or not depending on how you think about it. Jesus tells the multitude, "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asked, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened." Whenever I read about prayer I always think in terms of tangible, physical blessings, like this for instance would only apply to "please give me a better job," or "please give me more time with my family." But in fact that's probably only a small fraction of what is really available or implied by these teachings. Thinking about the spiritual growth that has happened for me in the last couple of years, that's what I've been seeking, knowledge, truth, testimony, and that's what I've been given, I've sought diligently for it and have been fed abundantly even though I've believed pretty much this whole time that my physical circumstances weren't very favorable. The IM quotes President James E. Faust as teaching "Access to our Creator through our Savior is surely one of the greatest privileges and blessings of our lives... No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. There is not quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place." This is really the gift here isn't it? I know that for me personally, I've never known the love of another person who truly has my best interests at heart, who makes decisions based on what's best for me and not what's best for them, and it's been interesting to learn how to talk to, lean on, trust, and turn to Jesus for everything. I listened to an Ensign article last year that said something like, "when we are in the wilderness of loneliness, that's when the Lord is truly teaching us to rely on Him," and I found that to be true. I have some amazing friends and there's one in particular that I used to talk to quite frequently, and it was not only enlightening but also spiritually building as well. As friendships do, our drifted apart after some time, life taking us in different directions, but when we stopped talking as much as we used to, that was a difficult time for me because our friendship was so fulfilling and all-consuming, but in a good way, once that was gone, there was an obvious hole in my life and needs that were previously being met, now were left wanting. I remember thinking about something I wanted to discuss with my friend like we usually do, but deciding that it would be inappropriate kind of feeling lost and alone and wondering where to get my comfort and support. It was then that I decided to turn to Jesus and tell him everything that I would have told my friend, even more so, because I knew that Jesus loved me and that he wouldn't judge me regardless of how petty or awful I was being. It's been a hard road and I'm not by any means strong on it, or there yet where I would consider it a strength, but I'm much stronger in that regard than I was before. Jesus hears everything first now, always, and I listen to hear what he might tell me in response through his various methods of communication and it's actually been quite empowering and spiritually growing for me.
14:9-11 - Continuing with the concept of seeking and finding, Jesus assures us that since we as parents know how to care for our children, "if ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" While this seem pretty straight forward it's a fair question. This is definitely an "eternal perspective" concept here, because we know how to care for our children but many don't know how to teach them to work and love and be happy which is what our Heavenly Father teaches us using his infinite power and resources. JW has an interesting insight into this teaching however, saying "Asking for bread is the symbolic equivalent of asking for Jesus, who is the 'bread of life.' Asking for a fish, again, is figuratively asking for life through the atonement and salvation of Jesus. The fish was a common pre-Christian symbol of fortune and health that became a familiar symbol of Jesus and baptism very early in Christianity. The promise veiled in such symbolism is that those who properly ask for Jesus will not be stoned (suffer death), nor will they encounter a serpent (Lucifer). Instead, the petitioner will receive good gifts directly from the Father. The gift is eternal life, 'the greatest of all the gifts of God,' descending below all things, rising above all heavens, and filling all things. The abundant generosity of God providing his people with bread and fish calls to mind the miraculous multiplication of the fish and the loaves, which may foreshadow an actual ritual meal." Some interesting ideas there, and that definitely makes sense. If we think about it from the literal perspective, bread, stones, fish, and serpents are all physical things, and like we discussed earlier, while it's easy to get caught up in the idea that we can ask for and expect substantial tangible blessings, I truly believe that this is more a spiritual principle. This then makes sense in the context of a child asking for life or knowledge or goodness or love or righteous guidance, and the parent then delivers death, spiritually and physically. Parents who love their children will do their best to help their children know how to navigate this life in the best possible way, but Heavenly Father being the ultimate parent, would teach those who ask the ways of eternal life.
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