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.

Sabbath Day

D.C. 59 is directed to the Saints who came to Zion.

1Behold, blessed, saith the Lord, are they who have come up unto this land with an ^aeye single to my glory, according to my commandments.

The Lord reviews many of the commandments with them but then spends a lot of time on the Sabbath Day. Considering that they needed to build a society and community (and grow food), it makes sense that they would need to spend a lot of time working. In fact, I bet that they wanted to work every day to ensure they would have what they needed. So, God spends a fair amount of time telling them to "rest from their labors" on the Sabbath Day and spend time doing the things of God. I think he was trying to get them to invest in not just their own spiritual matters that day but also help the spirituality of others and build the church. It takes an investment of time into going to church meetings, visiting members, etc. to build the church, and the Lord wanted that done on Sunday at the least.

Then he promises it will be worth it.

16Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the ^afulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

17Yea, and the herb, and the ^agood things which come of the earth, whether for food or for ^braiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

18Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the ^abenefit and the ^buse of man, both to please the eye and to ^cgladden the heart;

19Yea, for ^afood and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to^bstrengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

20And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to ^aexcess, neither by extortion.

These are remarkable promises for not working one day during the week. Now, consider this verse:

21And in nothing doth man ^aoffend God, or against none is his^bwrath ^ckindled, save those who ^dconfess not his hand in all things, and ^eobey not his commandments.

22Behold, this is according to the law and the prophets

What does keeping the Sabbath Day have to do with confessing God's hand in all things? Well, if not working on Sunday leads to more success in temporal matters, doesn't it show that he is somewhat involved in those matters as well. I think that's the only conclusion you could come to. It is hard to show you believe God is involved in all things if you don't keep the Sabbath Day holy when he's asked you to.

Very timely scripture for the Saints in 1831, and it's very timely for me now as I am early in my career.