Week 29 - Looking Back

In his mortal ministry Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount to encourage His disciples to strive toward perfection with full purpose of heart. Following His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the Book of Mormon people in the Western Hemisphere and again delivered this sermon.

Pres. Harold B. Lee said, “In his Sermon on the Mount the Master has given us somewhat of a revelation of his own character, which was perfect, or what might be said to be ‘an autobiography, every syllable of which he had written down in deeds,’ and in so doing has given us a blueprint for our own lives. . . . Each of his declarations is begun by the word ‘Blessed.’. . . ‘Blessedness is an inward fountain of joy in the soul itself, which no outward circumstances can seriously affect’ [in Commentary on the Holy Bible, ed. J.R. Dummelow (1909), 639]. These declarations of the Master are known in the literature of the Christian world as the Beatitudes and have been referred to by bible commentators as the preparation necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. . . . May I speak of them as something more than that as they are applied to you and me. They embody in fact THE CONSITUTION FOR A PERFECT LIFE” (Decisions for Successful Living [1973], 56-57).

“These choice, brief statements [Beatitudes] are not separate, disjointed platitudes; each has a relationship to the others. Let us look at them from the more complete list given in the Nephite sermon and in the Joseph Smith Translation. The Beatitudes deal first with a person’s relationship to God. They speak of such things as faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, forgiveness of sins, and receiving the Holy Ghost. (These particular features are missing from the KJV). The emphasis then shifts to a person’s feelings about himself, or of those feelings that spring from within. For example: Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Then the emphasis shifts to a person’s attitude toward others. For example: Blessed are the peacemakers. And finally a fourth emphasis appears – how a person should handle other people’s attitudes toward himself. Thus, blessed are all they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake or who are reviled and persecuted falsely” (Robert J. Matthews, A Bible! A Bible! [1990], 240).

President Spencer W. Kimball explained the need to strive for perfection: “’Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect’”(Matthew 5:48, see 3 Nephi 12:48). Now, that is an attainable goal. We will not be exalted; we shall not reach our destination, unless we are perfect, and now is the best time in the world to start toward perfection. I have little patience with persons who say, ‘Oh, nobody is perfect,’ the implication being, ‘so why try?’ Of course no one is wholly perfect, but we find some who are a long way up the ladder” (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 165).

“In both His Old and New World ministries, the Savior commanded, ‘Be ye therefore perfect’ [Matt. 5:48; see also 3 Nephi 12:48]. A footnote explains that the Greek word translated as perfect means, ‘complete, finished, fully developed’ [Matt. 5:48, footnote b]. Our Heavenly Father wants us to use this mortal probation to ‘fully develop’ ourselves, to make the most of our talents and abilities. If we do so, when final judgment comes we will experience the joy of standing before our Father in Heaven as ‘complete’ and ‘finished’ sons and daughters, polished by obedience and worthy of the inheritance that He has promised to the faithful” (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 1998, 14).

Interesting insight from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin in regards to 3 Nephi 13:7 – “Our prayers become hollow when we say similar words in similar ways over and over so often that the words become more of a recitation than a communication. This is what the Savior described as ‘vain repetitions’” (see Matt.6:7) (Ensign, Mar. 2004, 24).

Another insight is from Elder Dallin H. Oaks (see 3 Nephi 14:1-2) explaining the difference between righteous and unrighteous judgments: “I have been puzzled that some scriptures command us not to judge and others instruct us that we should judge and even tell us how to do it. But as I have studied these passages I have become convinced that these seemingly contradictory directions are consistent when we view them with the perspective of eternity. The key is to understand that there are two kinds of judging: final judgments, which we are forbidden to make, and intermediate judgments, which we are directed to make, but upon righteous principles. . . .

First, a righteous judgment must, by definition, be intermediate. . . .

Second, a righteous judgment will be guided by the Spirit of the Lord, not by anger, revenge, jealousy, or self-interest. . . .

Third, to be righteous, an intermediate judgment must be within our stewardship. . . .

Fourth, we should, if possible, refrain from judging until we have adequate knowledge of the facts” (Ensign, Aug. 1999, 7, 9-10).