Parables and Accounts That Teach Eternal Truths

 

Parables and Accounts That Teach Eternal Truths | Luke 16:1–12, 19–31; 17:11–19; 18:1–14.

Luke 16:1–12, the parable of the unjust steward. 

1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had ^awasted his goods.

 2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an ^aaccount of thy ^bstewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

 3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

 5 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the ^achildren of ^blight.

 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the ^amammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

 10 He that is ^afaithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your ^atrust the true ^briches?

 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

This is an interesting lesson, in that I found it rather hard to understand. I read the student manual The Life and Teachings of Jesus & His Apostles, as well as an Ensign article titled Parables of Jesus: The Unjust Steward by Elder Tsung-Ting Yang. After reading and re-reading the scripture verses and study helps, I came to the following conclusion. 

While in our stewardship we should focus our attention on building up the kingdom of God by whatever means. For example you do not find our church leaders getting caught up in quarrels with those of other faiths. Instead you see our church leaders united with people of diverse faiths united in purpose to achieve great things. Most recently the Church has gone to great measures to ensure that our religious freedoms are secure and protected. This is not an effort that is ours alone. No; it is a joint effort from key individuals of all faiths. Even still the Church has proclaimed the divinity of marriage between a man and a woman and has again, united with those not of our faith to protect the values we know to be true. 

What good is it to make enemies of our enemies? I know firsthand what a life of constant battle brings; contention is of the devil, and stress will kill you. Life is much easier, when you can find a common ground to stand hand and hand with those that would despise you otherwise. Perhaps I have lost sight of the meaning of this parable, but I do know that the unjust steward squandered that, that was not his. I know that in an act of desperations and self-preservation he made friends of his enemies. I also know that it is better to act out of love and goodness than it is to act out of desperation. Self-preservation is a result of choosing the right, even when it is not the popular thing to do.  

Luke 16:19–31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. 

 19 ¶There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

 20 And there was a certain ^abeggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the ^aangels into ^bAbraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

 23 And in ^ahell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime ^areceivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great ^agulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have ^aMoses and the prophets; let them hear them.

 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the ^adead, they will repent.

 31 And he said unto him, If they ^ahear not Moses and the ^bprophets, neither will they be ^cpersuaded, though one rose from the dead.

 

“What Do We Learn About the Spirit World from the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus?”

From these verses, we can learn that there is a place for both the rigorous and the wicked. We also learn that that both spirit worlds, good and bad are visible to each other, but none can enter into the other. There is a great gulf fixed between them, I imagine it to be like the Grand Canyon. Because Christ had not yet entered the spirit world, those that had perished in their wickedness were stuck in their hell, without any hope of repentance. It was only during Christ death, that He entered into the spirit world and bridged the two destinations. This allows the righteous to cross into sprit prison to proclaim Christ word, giving hope to those who had none. 

Even still we learn that Abraham’s bosom is a spiritual paradise and sanctuary, where one can find peace. Lazarus was tormented in his mortality and found relief in his eternity. Likewise the rich man found his reward in his mortality, giving no charity in his life, he received none in his eternity. 

Luke 17:11–19, the ten lepers.

11 ¶And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were ^alepers, which stood afar off:

 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the ^apriests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him ^athanks: and he was a Samaritan.

 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten ^acleansed? but where are the ^bnine?

 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

“Why Were the Ten Lepers to Show Themselves to the Priests?” and “Were There Not Ten Cleansed?”

Christ instructed the lepers to go and show themselves to the priest, because it was the priest of the day that could authorize these lepers to reenter society from which they had been outcast. When Christ commanded them to go, they had not yet been cleansed for their disease. It was only upon their hasty obedient to the command did they receive their reward.  

This encounter also illustrated how hasty man is to forget to give thanks. Ten men received a blessing and only one turned back to give thanks and praises the Lord for his gift. Even still that man was a Samaritan of which Jews did not associate with. Christ love and message was and is for all of God’s children. This story foreshadows that the Jews (God’s chosen) were to take the gospel and share it with all that would hear it (gentiles). His church was about transform in to a church with a mission, and every member will have the charge to be a missionary.

Luke 18:1–8, the parable of the unjust judge.

 1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought ^aalways to ^bpray, and not to ^cfaint;

 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the ^aunjust judge saith.

 7 And shall not God ^aavenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with ^bthem?

 8 ^aI tell you that he will ^bavenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

“Why Did the Lord Give the Parable of the Unjust Judge?”

This is another parable that was not easy to understand the first time I read it. After studying the student manuals, The life and Teachings of Jesus & His Apostles, I gleamed the following. The judge being an awful man ignored the widow’s pleas, but then had a change of heart, if not for her sake, for his own. He said that she troubled him and unless he did something now, she would just keep coming back to bother him. His annoyance with her moved him to act, and this case with mercy and justice.

The trick to understanding this parable is not to get confused in comparing the unjust judge with our Lord. “Jesus did not indicate that as the wicked judge finally yielded to supplication so would God do; but He pointed out that if even such a being as this judge, who ‘feared not God, neither regarded man,’ would at last hear and grant the widow’s plea, no one should doubt that God, the Just and Merciful, will hear and answer.”( The life and Teachings of Jesus & His Apostles) If an unjust man with no regard for anyone but himself will hear the pleas of a lonely widow, then how much more with a just, and merciful God hear our prayers?

Luke 18:9–14, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican.

 9 And he spake this parable unto certain which ^atrusted in themselves that they were righteous, and ^bdespised others:

 10 Two men went up into the temple to ^apray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am ^anot as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

 12 I ^afast twice in the week, I give ^btithes of all that I ^cpossess.

 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a ^asinner.

 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that ^aexalteth himself shall be abased; and he that ^bhumbleth himself shall be exalted.

“Why Did the Lord Give the Parable of the Pharisee and Publican?”

This was one of my favorite parables this week. In reading this simple illustration each of us will gain something, most of us will probably think of someone we know who fits the bill of the Pharisee, but I would ask you to hesitate for just a moment and about yourself. How many times have we acted like the Pharisee, being full of pride in our good deeds, exalting ourselves above others, seeking parse and recognition for living righteously? The humble prayer of the Publican set the tone and is a great reminder for how we all should conduct ourselves. God be merciful to me, a sinner. I know that Christ is truth and light and that no man can come unto God, but by Him. I will pray the sinner’s prayer and ask for mercy, not in pride, but rather in meekness and humility.