Thinking about People First and Foremost

Jesus explained the importance of helping people very well in Luke 13. He encounters a very sick woman and heals her on the sabbath, though this is against the tradition of the Elders to do this. He basically says, you'd help animals on the Sabbath, but she's a daughter of Abraham (or of God), so do you really think I shouldn't help her? They were ashamed at their mode of thinking.

To relate this to our life, last week we went and stayed at the house of a single woman (roughly 60 yrs old) who is family to one of my best friends. This was Friday night. We try to not travel on the Sabbath at all, so we went home on Saturday. However, she said she would have enjoyed us staying that night and talking with her. I don't think we were bad people for choosing to go home, but I think Pres. Monson or Jesus would have stayed in the same situation, even if it meant missing conference on Sunday and traveling when we don't like to. People matter.

11 ¶And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13 And he ^alaid his ^bhands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to ^awork: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the ^asabbath day?

17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.