This week in my New Testament class at BYU we studied and discussed Matthew chapter 25 which gives a few more parables that Christ told as he was on the Earth. First He gives the parable of the 10 virgins. In this story there are 5 "foolish virgins" and 5 "wise virgins". Upon preparing to meet the bridegroom for the wedding, the 5 wise virgins "took oil in their vessels with their lamps." (v. 4) and the other 5 did not. They did not anticipate the long wait that it took for the bridegroom to arrive, therefore the lamps of the 5 foolish virgins ran out of light because they did not bring extra oil to fuel the light. In verses 8 and 9 it says, "And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you..." 

This parable can be related to our day; many things that are acquired through preparation ahead of time can not simply be given to others. The story of the 10 virgins holds a lot of symbolic meaning. The lamps may represent a member of the church simply going through the motions without any real thought or intent while doing so, while the oil may represent true and deep and lasting conversion that another member might experience. This lasting conversion may be the means to get through a difficult experience without loosing hope and faith in the process. Someone that has not gone to such great lengths to keep close to Christ may have a lamp with no use because there is no oil to fuel the burning light. 

This was a great parable to study for me personally because I am a big procrastinator by nature. I always wait until the last minute to do something important. However our Heavenly Father does not want us to procrastinate in temporal or spiritual matters. He wants us to enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing we are prepared. Prepared for that big exam next week, prepared for a happy eternal marriage, prepared to give a priesthood blessing, prepared to receive spiritual promptings for someone in need, prepared to meet Him again.

In Christ's final week of life, Mary uses an entire year's salary worth of expensive oil to serve Christ. Upon realizing this, the apostles become upset with Mary because they feel that the oil could have been used for more worthy purposes like feeding the poor and needy. Judas, especially, is upset with Mary expresses these feelings of frustration toward her. Christ stands betwixt Mary and Judas' pointing finger when he responds, "Let her alone; against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always," (v. 7-8). 

Judas does not take Christ's correction as Peter has done many times. He becomes bitter about the correction and either later that day or only a few days after, trades Christ for money. 

Often enough, we may respond to correction in  this manner. Especially when we feel that we are doing something right or worthy. However, Judas was completely missing the mark when he pointed out the faults of Mary. We can either chose to become bitter and offended when we are corrected or we can be more like Peter who was so willing to submit His will to Christ's and take the correction to change for the better.

In Luke Chapter 10 two sisters, Mary and Martha, are presented to us in a way that highlights their differences in personality. Upon Christ coming to visit the two sisters, Martha is slaving away in the kitchen. She works extremely hard to prepare a meal and a home that she hopes will please Christ and suffice His needs. However, her sister Mary sits at Christ's feet and visits with him as Martha is preparing the food for Christ. This upsets Martha and she says to The Lord, " dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me." (v. 40), to which Christ responds, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (v. 41-42).

Was Martha in the wrong investing her time and energy in preparing a meal rather than sitting with Christ as Mary was doing? I don't believe so. I think this story is very relatable to our day. Some of us posses more of a Mary-type personality; we are easy-going and don't see much of a need for preparation and planning, whereas many of us are like Martha; we become consumed in the details of temporal and material matters. There is both good and bad that comes with these two outlooks on life. 

I believe that each one of us at times may resemble Mary whereas other times we may feel more like Martha. Christ delights in both of the investments made in Him and His children. I also believe that as we try to see eye to eye with those who may adopt a different lifestyle and personality that we do, that not only will we become more accepting of all of God's children, but also we will become more accepting of ourselves and our many imperfections. 

This week in my New Testament class we went through many different events and interactions with Christ. The first of which being the interaction between Christ and many of His followers in explaining the sacrament in John chapter 6. Christ tells the people, "I am the bread of life." To which their response seems unsettled and confused. The people of this time took everything very literally and so when Christ was explaining the sacrament in a symbolic way, many of His original followers left Him because they found this message very unsettling and weird. I think that sometimes we tend to do the same thing because we are impatient with revelation the Lord reveals through His prophets. If these people had taken the time to think about what Christ was saying or even asked Him to explain, they would've understood the meaning behind his words and continued to follow Him faithfully. 

We also discussed the story of Christ's interaction with the Canaanite woman which can seem a bit weird upon first reading it. This woman comes to Christ asking Him to heal her daughter to which His reply is essentially silence. He then responds to her request with a no. Finally, the third time she asks, he responds with a yes. This is a powerful lesson because it can teach us the way that Christ will answer our prayers. It also teaches us patience in His timing and His will for our lives. 

Mostly this week I've learned about the peace and assurance that Christ gives. I've had very high demands and expectations both in work, school, and socially this past week. All of which leaving me with thoughts of discouragement and self-doubt. However, when I am feeling down on myself or my situation, and I know that I can always look to Christ because He is my shepherd and He has the power to interact with me just as He did with the people He was around during His time on Earth. I am so grateful for Him and I love Him very much.

In Luke chapter 15, Christ gives three parables of the "lost and found". This week in class we discussed the similarities and differences between all three and how each one of them relate to our lives. The first parable is of the lost sheep. Christ tells of a shepherd having 100 sheep. When one of them wanders away from the rest of the herd, the shepherd "leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it."(v. 4). Each one of us have experienced this parable in one way or another. It can be quite easy to get caught up in things that draw our attention away from Christ and His gospel. When this happens, we may find ourselves afar off in the wilderness away from the other sheep. However, Christ will do all within His power to bring us back home. He is our good shepherd and can "layeth [us] on his shoulders, rejoicing." (v. 5), if we choose to accept Him and His invitation to come. The second parable is about a woman with 10 pieces of silver. Upon losing one piece, she " light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it." (v. 8). In this parable, the coin is lost out of neglect and needs to be sought out in order to recollect with the rest. This may symbolize those who've left the church out of feelings of loneliness or hurt feelings. It is many times the case that we are the woman who neglected the coin and need to take action to seek the one out and bring them back home. The third parable is about a prodigal son who chooses to rebel against his father. However, when he realizes that he needs help he returns to his father and they rejoice together. Often times, we are also like this son who actively choose to rebel against our Heavnenly Father and His commandments, however he will always be watching and waiting for us to return.

In my New Testament class this week we discussed several of Christ's performed miracles. In Mark : 23 a man named Jairus comes to Christ and pleads with him to heal his little daughter who is gravely ill. As Christ and His disciples travel to Jairus's house to heal his daughter, a woman with an issue of blood of 12 years touches Christ's clothing because she has faith that if she does so she may be healed. Christ takes the time to interact with this woman and in verse 34 He tells the woman, "Daughter, be of good comfort; they faith hath made thee whole." From this point on the woman is healed both physically and spiritually. As this happens Jairus is informed that his daughter has just died. I'm sure that Jairus had to apply a lot of patience as Christ stopped to heal this woman, knowing that his daughter was dying quickly. Christ turns to Jairus and says , "Be not afraid, only believe." This line is so powerful to me because I can also find myself getting impatient with the Lord's timing and with this feeling of impatience comes uneasiness and fear. However, Christ has the power to do all things. He goes to Jairus' house and heals his daughter. She immediately rises and is made whole again. As we have faith and patience in promised blessings we too will be able to witness mighty miracles in our lives.

In Matthew 5 Christ gives the Sermon on the Mount where he lists the "Beatitudes". Previously, I've thought of the beatitudes as simply a linear list of characteristics and resulting blessings. I imagined groups of people in each category and wondered which group I personally belonged to. However, after studying this chapter in my New Testament class this week, I see this list differently. As we treat the beatitudes like a spiral staircase, the preceding trait giving rise to the next, we realize that we don't belong only to one or two groups of people that Christ is describing, but rather all groups. We can recognize the need for the previous listed step in order to achieve the next. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This trait defines a recognition of one's imperfection and gap between God and man. This act gives rise to mourning, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Upon recognizing this seemingly infinite gap, we feel sorrow. We see that Heavenly Father possess qualities which we hope for but have not yet achieved. This leads us to humble ourselves, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Upon feeling such sorrow, we understand that only through God's will, can we become like Him. We decide to submit our desires and passions to Him. And so on and so forth. The list begins to paint the picture of a large spiral staircase we are all ascending toward our heavenly home. I love the idea that this sermon is not meant to be linear in nature but rather cyclic and a means of progression because that is essentially what God's plan is all about. He wants us to re-learn and apply old things in new situations. And that is what I love about Him; He does not see us for who we are but rather who we are becoming and what direction we are headed.