Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
New Testament Notes 263-265

New Testament Notes 263-265

Last updated on: April 30, 2019 at 7:05 pm by Dan Peterson

New Testament Notes 263-265 2019-04-30T19:05:39-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Marco Basaiti, “The Call of the Sons of Zebedee” (1510)
Public Domain, care of Wikimedia Commons

Matthew 20:20-28

Mark 10:35-45

Compare Matthew 23:11; Mark 9:35; Luke 12:50; 22:24-27; 9:48; John 13:4-5, 12-17

These are powerful verses. They condemn the almost omnipresent and well nigh irresistible human anxiety about status, the perpetual quest for prestige.

They offer grounds for continual self-examination:

Are we doing good for its own sake, or to seem good to others? Do we care about the truth, or about academic prestige? Do we want the new car or new house because its features would be useful, or because we want to impress others? Do we want to give a good talk because we hope to edify the Saints and build the Kingdom, or because we want to be well thought of? And on and on and on.

Are we proud of our humility?

“Christ giving sight to blind Bartimaeus”

William Blake, ca. 1799-1800
(Wikimedia CC Public Domain)

Matthew 20:29-34

Mark 10:46-52

Luke 18:35-43

Compare Matthew 9:27-31; Luke 18:31-34

Left to itself, humanity is blind. So, no matter how much the crowd mocks and derides us (see 1 Nephi 8:26-28 and 1 Nephi 11:35-36), we should all implore the Lord to touch our eyes, so that we can see. And then, when we’re able to see, we should follow him. “Immediately,” as these texts say. (The Greek varies. It’s εὐθέως in Matthew, εὐθὺς in Mark, and παραχρῆμα in Luke. But all mean “immediately.”)

“Christus, den blinden Bartimäus heilend”
(Christ healing the blind Bartimaeus)
Johann Heinrich Störer, 1861;
Erbach, Rheingau, Hesse, Germany
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Jesus has the power to give us sight, to enable us to see the things that were always present but that, through our incapacity, we were previously unable to perceive.

May it be with us as it was with Bartimaeus:

“And immediately he received his sight,” says Mark 10:52, “and followed Jesus in the way.”

“Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Awaiting the Passage of Jesus”
(Zachée sur le sycomore attendant le passage de Jésus)
James Tissot, ca. 1886-1894 (Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons)

Luke 19:1-10

Compare Matthew 18:11

As I’ve repeatedly said, one would be hard pressed to find any doctrine of salvation by grace alone in the teachings of Jesus — at least, as they’re recorded in the four New Testament gospels.

The case of Zacchaeus illustrates my point nicely: Jesus plainly approves of this diminutive publican’s generosity to the poor and his commitment to (going beyond) justice. Jesus doesn’t tell Zacchaeus that his righteousness is as filthy rags or that it represents an arrogant and contemptible effort to earn his own way into heaven.

On the other hand, righteousness plainly isn’t enough on its own. Zacchaeus has been behaving righteously for some time, it seems, but only “this day” (or “today”) does salvation come to his house — because he’s welcomed Jesus into it.

Posted from New York City

Uncategorized

Previous Post

April 30, 2019

Water Worlds

Next Post

May 1, 2019 A truth: "Even without gills, we need oceans"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "We ought to obey God rather than men"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul James Peter John