Friday, June 16, 2017

Oppression to the Poor: Who is Jesus Christ? The Father

The biggest curses and sins of this generation is the neglect of the poor. It is one of the greatest offences to God. We can see this with the nephites churches.
11 Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them;... it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites-- (Helamen 4:11-12)
It was the oppression to the poor that leads one to destruction. Zion is equality. It does not mean we are all the same nor do we agree on everything. What it means is we are equal both temporally and spiritually.

Pure religion is to take care of the poor. Both poor in spirit and temporally.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.(James 1:27)
When people neglect the poor, put their responsibilities on others to fulfill their own duties it begins to lead the way to destruction of a people. We are here to be like Christ. We are here to gain experience and become like Him. We learn obedience through that which we suffer. (Hebrews 5:8) The Lord set the example and he spent his life in service of his fellowmen. "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people." (Matthew 4:23).

The Lord had dinner with a pharisee where "He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table." (Luke 7:36) Not unlikely Simon the Pharisee knew he was watched that day, and that among his guests were men who would report every action of his on that occasion to the leaders of his party in Jerusalem. His cold courtesy, almost lack of courtesy, towards the Master was thus probably the result of his fear of man and of man's judgment. And sat down to meat; literally, reclined. The Jews at that time followed in their repasts the Greek (or Roman) custom of reclining on couches; the guest lay with his elbows on the table, and his feet, unsandalled, stretched out on the couch.
Leprosy
The Lord went among the untouchables. Those who were cast out of the city and would not be visited by any of those who claimed to follow him. The Lord went among one of them and "He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him." (Luke 5:13) A disease so deathly that if the man touched a dog it would have killed the dog.

He would not pray among the men but "He Himself [would] often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." (Luke 5:16) His prayers to God were so private that his own disciples had to ask him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." (Like 11:1) despite having spent much time with the man.

The pharisees were very strict on the Sabbath of what you could and could not do. He healed on the Sabbath causing the Jews to be angry with him (See. Matthew 12:9-14). He ate and harvested corn on the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:1) Making clay to put on the eyes of a man to heal him was considered work and against the Sabbath of his day. I imagine today he would do the same to break down superstitions and show a higher way.

So unnoticed by the men of his time those who sent for him had to ask "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Luke 7:19). It was asked of Him "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46) (Refer to commentary on lukehttp://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/7-36.htm) He looked like an ordinary man, without claim, without authority among men. "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men" (Isaiah 53:2-3)

He had no priestly authority among men. Yet he cast out the "evil traders to leave the temple" (Matthew 21:23-27) among a religion he did not even subscribe to. He refused to sit in the "the chief seats in the synagogues." (Matthew 23:6)

This is the Lord. "I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all." (Abraham 3:25) He is more intelligent than us all. This is the Father. 

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