Matthew 13; Luke 8, 13

 

“Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole.” 

Artist: Eva Timothy. Used with permission.

SOURCES

Faulconer, James E. The New Testament Made Harder. (Matthew 13) pg. 142; Luke 13 pg. 140.

Nelson, Russell M. "The Sabbath is a Delight." General Conference. April 2015.

Olson, Camille Fronk. “They Ministered unto Him of Their Substance: Women and the Savior.” To Save the Lost. ed. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 61–80.

Wayment, Thomas A. The New Testament: A Translation for Latter-day Saints. 

Wilson, Lynne Hilton. “Christ’s Emancipation of women in the New Testament from their cultural Background and Baggage.” Fair Latter-day Saints Conference. August 2015.

Wright, N. T. The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is.

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PARABLES

“We get the word parable from a Greek word (parabolƝ) meaning “to set aside” or “to compare.” It is a translation of a Hebrew word (mashal) that we usually translate as proverb, but we might better translate that word as wise saying. The Hebrew word covers a wide range of things, from what we call proverbs and what we call parables to what we might call a sermon. During Jesus’s time parables appear to have been used by many teachers. Usually they were given in answer to a question, often a question asked by a follower; and they not only answered the question asked but did so by showing that there is more to the answer than the follower thought. Used that way, parables are a way of making the questioner think about his question.” 

Faulconer, pg. 142

“The parable [sower] itself is a parable about parables and their effect: this is the only way that the spectacular truth can be told, and it is bound to have the effect that some will look and look and never see, while others find the mystery suddenly unveiled, and they see what God is doing.” 

N. T. Wright  

English New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian, and Anglican bishop.

Matthew 13:9 - "Ears to hear."

Q: Is Jesus telling us about concealment or revelation? What does this verse teach us about the responsibility for understanding Jesus’s teaching?

Matthew 13:3–17: 

Q: How would you explain in your own words why Jesus teaches in parables? Whom have we seen not hear what John the Baptist and Jesus teach, and what prevented them from hearing?

Q: Have you had the experience where you picked up on a message, maybe during a General Conference talk, that no one around you picked up? Or just the opposite experience?

THREE GENEROUS WOMEN AND OTHERS PAY FOR CHRIST’S MINISTRIES

Luke 8:1-3 - Jesus was an itinerant minister going from town to town - Mary Magdalene was cured of seven demons, and Joanna and Susanna were amongst the women (they paid for his ministry).

Wayment: “Little is known about Joanna and Susanna, but they do appear in the resurrection account of Luke. The intent of who served him from their own resources conveys the idea of financial support to Jesus and his disciples. Nothing more is known of Chuza, although he was likely a political appointee of Herod Antipas." 

Hilton: “This passage tells us that many women helped provide for Jesus financially as they traveled from town to town. This is an important point. It takes financial resources to fund a ministry, women were a key part of that.”

“The implication here is that these women had access to ample means and the freedom to divest of it in the way they deemed pertinent. They also appear to have had the support and blessing of husbands or families to be relieved of traditional domestic duties in order to serve the Savior in this way. At least one of the women, Joanna, was married. Others may have been widowed or single. One wonders at the social ramifications for a group of women who traveled around the country with Jesus and his Apostles. Did they attend the entourage during the day and return to their own homes at night? Were any of them related to one of the male disciples? Did their children ever accompany them, or had they already reared their children? Whatever the circumstance, their commitment to the Savior was not episodic; these women still followed him in Jerusalem—to his Crucifixion, his burial, and his Resurrection.”

Camille Fronk Olson 

Woman with the Issue of Blood - Luke 8:43-48

“Yet this faith-filled and determined woman sought healing from the Lord: “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole” (Matthew 9:21; Mark 5:28). To do so, she broke the segregation protocol that had banished her to a life of seclusion—she went outside into a crowded street and tried to hide herself in the pack following Jesus. When she touched His outer garment, or the hem of His tunic, Jesus immediately felt that “virtue has gone out of me,” or more literally, “power has gone forth from me” (Luke 8:46 KJV and RSV). Jesus gave part of Himself in order to heal the woman physically. This in turn led to her healing socially and emotionally as well. It took amazing bravery for the woman to answer Jesus’ direct question, “Who touched me?” (Mark 5:31).

Lynne Hilton Wilson

The hem or tassels of His coat - "Clothing in general, and especially the hem of a garment, was symbolically meaningful in the ancient Near East. The hem of the garment was an extension of the wearer’s power, authority, and persona in a variety of contexts, including royal power, divine power, and business transactions. The tassels were there as part of a commandment (Numbers 15:37-41)."

Wayment - pg. 22 Footnote Matthew 9:20

Healing the Woman on the Sabbath - Luke 13:11-17 - 

“In Hebrew, the word Sabbath means “rest.” The purpose of the Sabbath dates back to the Creation of the world, when after six days of labor the Lord rested from the work of creation. When He later revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses, God commanded that we “remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Later, the Sabbath was observed as a reminder of the deliverance of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. Perhaps most important, the Sabbath was given as a perpetual covenant, a constant reminder that the Lord may sanctify His people. 

In addition, we now partake of the sacrament on the Sabbath day in remembrance of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Again, we covenant that we are willing to take upon us His holy name.” 

President Russell M. Nelson

“How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father.12 With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear.” 

President Russell M. Nelson

Q: If the Sabbath is made for man and not man made for the Sabbath, when you plan your Sabbath activities—what are your needs? To restore, give service, what? The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath. What is our purpose on the Sabbath? Some built-in activities, some we can create. How do we find the balance between our needs and the needs of others?