A scripture we discussed in great depth in class was the story of Mary using ointment on Jesus' feet. This was such a special story. It was found in John 12. This story means a lot to me because of the connection and relationship that Mary and Jesus have. Judas Iscariot criticizes the use of all the expensive ointment on the feet of Christ. He made a comment that selling that ointment could have fed so many poor people. Christ rebukes Judas for being critical and the story goes on. Judas never had the intentions to sell the ointment and give to the poor. An assumption could be made that he wanted to sell it and keep the money for himself. Where Christ is always a perfect example of selflessness and love, those in opposition to him are usually the perfect example in the vice of selfishness.

I had never read this scripture passage in depth before. It has meant so much to me to get a better insight into the relationship Christ and Mary had. It is such a sacred one. I have always loved that Mary is one of the first people to see the resurrected Christ. Their special bond is so thought-provoking. It help same understand my worth and value as a women. Christ loves all people, women included. I am so grateful that through Christ I am able to get a glimpse of my infinite worth.

The good part

Today in class we talked about how Martha and Mary were when Jesus came to visit them. The purpose of Jesus coming to visit them was because His dear friend Lazarus who was also their brother. Jesus is sitting in their house and Mary is at his feet, worshiping him. Martha is busy preparing things in the kitchen and running around the house. This message is usually talked about in the exact same way. In our discussions, we almost always shame Martha for working and not sitting down to spend time with the Savior. This time when we talked about the story, we had much more compassion than I had previously heard. This discussion brought so much insight and comfort. Dr. Griffin talked about how it is more likely that Christ didn't want Martha judging her sister. When Martha tried to correct Mary's behavior, the Savior was not happy with that correction. I had never thought of it like that before. It was more to do with the judgment of Martha, then the actual action she did.

We also talked about how later in the scriptures, Jesus refers to Martha, whom he loves, and her sister. We talked about the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants that says when we reprove people we must show an increase of love. That is such a beautiful tie in. The scripture we talked about was found in Luke 11:44-48. It means so much to me that Christ would take these few verses to teach Martha and Mary a wonderful lesson. The judgement of not judging others is so inspiring. If we choose not to judge others, we will be so much happier. We will be more like Christ. It is encouraging to know that Christ wants us to love others. That means he would treat us with us love in situations where we were trying our best not to judge others. Thanks for reading!

Healing the man born blind

Reading the story of Jesus healing the man born blind was so incredible. I was in a quiet and peaceful room and I could just feel the Spirit all around me. I watched the Bible video of this story more than once on my mission and was just amazed at how well they portrayed this video. Obviously I do no know how it happened in reality, but the version in the Bible video truly inspires me. As I read the story, my heart was touched. I am so amazed that Christ is able to heal both spiritually and physically. This had such a profound effect on me. I also thought it was really interesting when the parents of the blind man had to come testify for him. They were quick to say, yes, he was born blind and we do not know how he was healed. I like that they say to ask him because he is of age. It just shows the love and respect they have for their son. :)

Dealing with Diffulties

Today in New Testament class we talked about how we address and deal with difficulties. We can pray and seek for revelation, we can be patient, and we can ask for help from trusted leaders and loved ones. We can rely on the faith that we already have. We then went into three biblical stories that could be challenging to take just at face value.

One that I was particularly moved by was an account found in Matthew 15:21. Jesus Christ was surely at the height of his popularity among the Jews. Many people knew his name and of his miracles such as feeling the five thousand and walking on water. Jesus and disciples took a trip to the area of Tyre and Sidon, which was listed as a place Jesus had visited before.

While there, a woman of Caaan approached them. She asked for Jesus to heal her sickly daughter. The scriptures say Jesus walked away without replying. This is not the usual nature of the Savior, even when interacting with people of different classes or races. The woman again begged for Christ to heal her daughter. Christ replied with a "no" this time. He mentioned how the "bread of the child should not be given to the dog." At first, this could seem very insulting from Christ. If this interaction were to happen in these days, we could guess the woman's reaction. She might run off and tell everyone she knows about how terrible Christ was. Instead, she was passed a true test of faith. The woman replied that often breadcrumbs fall from the table for the dogs to eat. She believed Christ could heal her. Christ was impressed with her faith and healed her daughter.

This story is really special to me because I felt the Spirit very strongly as we talked about. I am so grateful that the Spirit is the true teacher.

What a remarkable story the parable of the good Samaritan is. It is told by Jesus in Luke 10. I love how Dr. Griffin pointed out that this is such a well-known story worldwide, even among those who aren't Christians. It is pretty exciting to know that people in different cultures still can understand, and often support, the concept of supporting and helping your neighbor. This story for me is centered so much on the Samaritan acting as the Savior would. When you think about Christ's role and example in the story, it has even a deeper meaning. It is good to be a good person. It is better to strive consistently to be more like the Savior. I feel so blessed to have the role of the Savior in my life. I am so happy that I am a member of His church.