Jesus taught really, really well. (Matthew 15-17; Mark 7-9)

15:1-9

"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" The point here was that they were placing more importance on their traditions than the commandments. Of course they did. Their traditions were custom-made to elevate them. They were designed to be visible and match their prideful strengths. Their traditions separated them from the pions.

His example was perfect. "For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." The Pharisees would dedicate their money or possessions to the church. This meant that this money couldn't be used to support their aging parents. Of course, they didn't actually have to donate the money until after their death. It was a convenient way to NOT have to honor their father or mother financially.

It was very hypocritical. "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." If we construct a set of rules catered to our pride, are we honoring God or ourselves?

Honoring and loving God is about submitting to his will. Following your own set of rules has nothing to do with submission.

We can be saying the right things and going through the motions but how will that help us in the eternities? If we are meant to progress eternally, we have to be eternally submissive. Our motivation to do things to look good to each other will not prepare us for the progression in store for those who want to be like Heavenly Father.

Again, rather than criticize the Pharisees, we ought to see how this has relevance for us:

1. Have we made up rules that have nothing to do with Christ's gospel? There are sometimes rules that we have built that aren't found in the scriptures or Church handbook. For example, imagine a newly baptized brother was given the Aaronic priesthood and passed the sacrament the next week wore jeans and a button down shirt. Would we be happy that he was there and progressing or would we be offended that he wasn't wearing a white shirt and tie? If our perspective is good, we'd love that he was there and participating.

2. Are our righteous acts motivated by pride rather than honoring God? Why are we being valiant in our callings? How much of it is devotion to God and how much is to appear faithful to our ward?

We can all do better about how we are truly honoring God with our lips, hearts and actions.

15:11, 17-20

"Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." This is so profound and so true. These Jews were so fixated on eating the right things and cleaning dishes properly so that they wouldn't be defiled by what they ate or touched.

But what about comes out of our mouth. What can defile us?

• Telling a lie.

• Spreading gossip.

• Criticizing a loved one.

• Profanity.

• Expressing inappropriate thoughts about another.

• Threats.

He further explained in verses 17 through 20. "Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

These are the acts that defile us. I think Satan targets our lips. It may seem so harmless to say a critical word. But how much heartache has been caused by what we say? This is a great lesson that each one of us needs to take to heart.

15:28

A Canaanite woman asked Jesus if he could heal his daughter who was "vexed with a devil." Jesus initially says that he is sent to the house of Israel only. She is undeterred as asks again for help. Christ answers with "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." This seems like an offensive comment. I don't know what is lost in translation.

The point is in verse 28. "Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." I think the lesson here is that the key is our faith in Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter what race we are or where we're from or our position in this world. The only thing that matters is whether our faith is great. Truly faith comes before the miracle.

16:4

"A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed." I've thought about this a bit. Why does an adulterous generation seek after a sign? Here's a theory:

These Pharisees and Sadducees had witnessed many miracles. Yet, they wanted to see more. They weren't content with the miracles they had already witnessed.

How is this similar to adultery? The heart of an adulterer longs after something that they don't have. They aren't content with what is right in front of them. They aren't loving the person they are with but long for another.

There are signs all around us. If we seek after additional signs, we aren't satisfied with what we have but want more. It kinda sounds adulterous.

16:12

"Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." Ideas can spread. Gossip spreads. A single thought can taint an experience. A bias can completely alter reality. Certainly, doctrine can affect much.

A group of people espousing incorrect doctrine can change the understanding of an entire nation - especially when that group of people are held in high regard. Add to that the fact that the general population doesn't read! It's hard to estimate how quickly and thoroughly the Pharisees and Sadducees twisted the Jewish faith with the Israelites.

16:16-19

"And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Many in the world, including Catholics, believe that this was Christ saying that this church was built upon the rock of Peter. Catholics believe that Peter was the first of a long line of Popes. That papal authority has existed on the earth from Peter to today.

We understand this differently. We believe that Christ was talking about the rock of revelation. It was the fact that no "flesh and blood" had been the source of this knowledge for Peter. It was the rock of revelation. Revelation would lead the true church then and now.

Also, this is when the principle of the priesthood was introduced. Simply knowing that the priesthood includes keys that must be given would truly help followers of Christ find the true church. Most churches don't claim to have priesthood keys. Most don't believe that you must be called officially. Instead, people can feel that they have a calling and aspire to be a pastor or other leader of a church. This is not how Christ set up his church.

16:21-23

"From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." This may, at first, sound like a harsh rebuke. It may sound like Jesus overreacted. I don't think Jesus overreacted so let's take a closer look at what he may have meant.

Jesus was explaining what was going to happen to him - including being killed. Peter didn't like the sound of that. Peter didn't approve because he didn't see reality. He didn't understand the big picture. If he fully understood the atonement, he would know that Christ being killed and resurrected was an essential part of it. Peter may have been afraid but would have faith and hope in what Christ was doing. Because he didn't fully understand, Peter attempted to influence Jesus to take another path.

The upcoming time was going to be a trial for Jesus. He needed to be around people who would support and strengthen him. What he didn't need is someone who was attempting to talk him out of his foreordained role. Peter was well-intentioned but wasn't considering the eternal implications of what he was doing. Peter was arguably one of Christ's greatest mortal friends and he was attempting to dissuade him - Christ responded appropriately.

What we can learn from this is that, especially at difficult times of trials or temptations, we need to surround ourselves with those who will help us stay on the covenant path. We need the strengthening good influence of those who have the same perspective on the purpose of life. This is especially true for young people. If there is someone who is around us who is tempting or luring or discouraging, we must remove them from our circle. We may not say, "get behind me Satan" but should say something like that.

16:24-26

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" I think I've written about this before. But I may have some additional thoughts...

We all want to come unto Jesus. No Christian would disagree. So what does that mean?

• Deny himself. We all want what we want. We love to do what we love to do. We sometimes embrace our weaknesses. We can enjoy them. Coming to Jesus Christ is about denying our will and replacing it with Christ's. Instead of doing exactly what we want to do, we are doing what Jesus would want. It's a hard thing that takes a lifetime to master.

• Take up his cross. We all have problems. We all experience challenges. There are always obstacles in our way. No one makes it out of this life without their own personal cross. Whatever burdens we have, we must take up our cross and move. For many, their challenges become their identity and they are so weighed down that they stall. They freeze. They stop moving forward. They see their problems as possible excuses for not truly following the Savior. We've each got to take up our cross.

• Follow me. Christ's teachings and actions are well documented. We know what he did and taught. We need to follow his example and lessons. A big part of that is tied to studying. To follow Jesus, we must know him. However, it's one thing to intellectually know everything about Jesus - it's another to actually life like him. For example, I may understand exactly what it means to be Christlike but then yell at someone in the store parking lot. We've got to practice what we learn.

I love the question in verse 26. "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" If we each think about it, we would NEVER exchange any worldly thing for our eternal soul. Nothing is worth it. BUT, many of us exchange plenty for our soul:

• Lie, cheat and steal to make money.

• Treat people as objects for a successful career.

• Treat our enemies like crap because it makes us feel better.

There are lots of examples of this. If we keep our lives in perspective, it becomes much easier to choose the right rather than be tempted by all of the fantastic, completely temporary offerings of this world.

Mark

8:38

"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Of course none of us feel ashamed of Jesus Christ. However, how comfortable are we bringing up Jesus to our friends? How much do we weave Christ's teachings into our conversations?

Is there some part of us that would feel uncomfortable bringing up Jesus Christ at a dinner party? Would we keep that quiet for fear of offending others? Would we not want to make things uncomfortable? Do we automatically picture ourselves as a street preaching yelling to a crowd, "LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT JESUS!"

I think this generation is adulterous and sinful. I think it is going to become more so. I think Christians are going to be considered bigoted and even wicked. The time is coming when many of us may feel ashamed to call ourselves Christian.

We need to get over that. We cannot be ashamed of our discipleship. We must proudly proclaim our belief in Jesus Christ. I would love everyone that I know to say, "Man, that Eric is really into Jesus. You can't get through a conversation without Eric bringing up Jesus Christ." That would be a glorious reputation to have.

9:21-24

A man asked Jesus to heal his boy who appeared to be possessed. "And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

That last line hits home for me. All of us that believe we have faith could say this. None of us have perfect faith. This man didn't but recognized that Christ could help him with that. Jesus could heal his son and increase his faith.

I need to ask Jesus to help me with my unbelief. I have learned that faith is a gift of the Spirit. It isn't something that you earn faith credits. Sure, you exercise faith and your faith can grow from that. However, it isn't something that is earned. It is given.

I just loved the authenticity. This was a desperate moment. Many of us would simply say that of course we believed. We would say or do anything to receive the healing. I love that he was honest. I think that, if we were all more honest with ourselves about the strength of our faith, we would receive greater faith.

Believing that our faith is perfect (when it's not) is the definition of damning our progress. We can all have more faith and need Jesus to increase what faith we have.

9:29

Christ's disciples weren't able to heal the possessed boy. They asked Christ, "why could not we cast him out?" Christ's answer is interesting. "And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." It is understood that the "and fasting" was added later.

I think the point is that the gift of healing comes only from Heavenly Father. It isn't about developing some skill as a healer. It isn't something that is practiced like one practices the piano. A healing is based on faith and the will of Heavenly Father. There are no professional healers.

9:34-35

Pride infects us all - even the apostles. "But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." The apostles were disputing who would be the greatest. Their pride was showing. It is a good example of how NO ONE (except Jesus himself) is immune to the temptation of pride. We have to be ever-watchful.

Christ corrects their thinking. Being great in the kingdom of God is about service. Those who are great are those who consider themselves the least.

Our Heavenly Father has glory. That glory came from his choice to selflessly "serve us" and accept his work to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. He could be doing something that is "glorious" and ceremonial where countless souls are praising him. Instead, he's doing the work of helping all of us selfish, prideful developing creatures. It's amazing actually.

9:49-50

These verses are interesting. "For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another." There are two points I'd like to make with this:

1. What does it mean to be "salted with fire?" I think fire is the struggles, trials, challenges of life. A person who hasn't struggled isn't that interesting or helpful. A person who hasn't endured hardship has a hard time expressing empathy. Someone without trials is less likely to be able to help another. We all "get salted" by our struggles. This fire prepares us to strengthen others.

2. Why does Christ pair salt with peace? There may be some that think that being the salt of the earth is about pointing out all of the differences between the worldly and the heavenly - that being the salt of the earth is about differentiation. This is true, but I can see there is a chance that many may view this as adversarial. It doesn't need to be. We can be the salt of the earth and "have peace one with another."