The two great commandments are great. (Matthew 18; Luke 10)

18:1-4

I'm a children's photographer. I have spent a lot of time with all ages of children - from newborns to teenagers. I have developed a deep respect for children. So, Christ's instruction here rings very true to me. "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

I think that the two key qualities that children have that we should seek after.

1. Humility. Because they are small humans often surrounded by big humans, they have no choice but to be humble. Many, if not most, of the interactions they have in a day are with physically and mentally superior beings. They aren't motivated by pride. They don't aspire for the recognition of others. They're not wanting to buy expensive clothes and drive luxury cars. They are humble.

2. Teachability. Their humility naturally leads to their teachability. They recognize that they aren't the smartest people in the room. They don't feel set in their ways. They can learn new tricks. This puts them on a fast track of progress. It's good.

As we age, we grow bigger and smarter. We aren't surrounded by comparative giants. We graduate from school. So, it's possible to think that we are strong and wise. We can learn so much that we can believe that we are done with learning. Pride sets in and hampers our growth. We don't progress as quickly. We are slower to adopt a new perspective. We have our current biases and we love them.

This can get worse as we age. Once we retire, we may feel like we've retired from all work - certainly further development. I've heard some folks say that they've also retired from church callings!

We can't lose the humility and teachability that we had as children. Christ was making an excellent point. Especially considering that the apostles were already asking about who was the greatest.

18:5-6

"And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Why is this so? Why would it be better for me not to live than to cause a child to get off track? I think the answer is obvious.

As discussed, children are very humble and teachable. They are impressionable. They can be led. They can be convinced of something that isn't actually true. If an adult takes advantage of this and "offends" a child (the Greek translation is "to cause to stumble), it would be better if they didn't exist.

It is one thing to not believe and make bad choices. What is much worse is to influence another to join you. Rather than deceive others, it would be better if that person didn't exist.

18:10

"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." What does this mean? It suggests two things:

1. There are such things as guardian angels.

2. Children's guardian angels are special.

We should assume that not all angels are in the presence of Heavenly Father. It appears that children's angels do. It's very interesting to consider what they do to protect or guide the children that they look after.

I like that this suggests that we adults may have angels looking over us too. That's a comforting thought.

18:11-14

"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?" There's a lot going on in these verses.

First, Christ came to "save that which was lost." It is true that all of us are lost and fallen since the fall of Adam. Every one of us has sinned and is therefore unworthy to be in God's presence. So, Jesus came to save all of us of course.

However, I believe that Christ is speaking of a group more specific here. The 99 are those who have been blessed to stay on the covenant path. But some of us leave the path and become lost - in varying degrees. I'm sure most of us have felt like the lost sheep at times.

The beautiful point is that every single one of us is important to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I don't know how their love is so infinite and so specific but it is. Jesus doesn't write off anyone. He'll go to great lengths to bring us back. He doesn't just look around, he will head up in the mountains if it means rescuing us.

To those who feel they are too far gone or unknown to Jesus, you are wrong. Jesus can reach you no matter how far you've wandered. He is willing to "goeth into the mountains." He is very aware that you're off track and need help. He never forgets about you. I don't know how he knows so much but he does. You are not insignificant. "And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."

18:21-22

"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." If one of the purposes of life is to love others and be selfless, grudges don't fit into that.

Forgiveness, however, works beautifully to develop our Christlike love for others. It is no wonder that forgiveness is expected from disciples of Christ. If we are wanting to be like our Heavenly Father, who has infinite mercy, we should practice forgiving our fellow man.

18:23-35

Jesus shares a story that really drives this point home. The first part talks about a man who owed the king. "Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt." Ten thousand talents is, in today's money, over a billion dollars. Basically, there was no way this man was ever going to be able to pay. Consider how this represents the debt that we must pay if there is no mercy... The price of justice for every one of us is unpayable! We cannot become like our Heavenly Father through our own "payment." We cannot and will not ever have that much. We must rely on the mercy of our Father the same way that this debtor did.

Unfortunately, this man didn't treat others the same way. "But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt." If we expect mercy and grace, we should extend that very thing to others. Again, if our goal is to be like our Heavenly Father, we ought to start practicing on forgiving the small debts, or slights, or offenses that we experience regularly. We need the practice. It helps us to be Christlike and show love for others.

The other servants told the king what had happened. "So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him." Heavenly Father will not like seeing us being unforgiving but expecting forgiveness. It's hypocritical and represents a huge missed opportunity for personal growth. If we don't offer grace to others, we should not expect grace offered to us. Justice will be in effect and the consequences will be uncomfortable.

"So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." It's one thing to forgive a debt on paper. It's another to forgive "from your hearts." This means that there is true compassion and understanding in our forgiveness. It's not grudging forgiveness. It is empathetic mercy - just like our Heavenly Father has!

Luke

10:1-4

"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come." It's interesting that the word "appointed" is used. Obviously, for us it's an ordination where they are given priesthood authority for a calling. I think it's interesting to consider how these men were sent to prepare people to receive Jesus. Did they soften hearts or answer basic questions or help people realize that something was missing or were they to be good examples? I think the easy answer was that they were meant to simply love the people and spread the message of Jesus Christ. Kinda like we are.

"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest." There are still relatively few laborers. I believe there are between 60-70K missionaries serving in a world of eight billion. Those of us that know about the gospel should feel a responsibility to continue to prepare people to receive Jesus.

"Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way." It is very interesting to me that they were to go out with nothing. They weren't given money or extra shoes or coats. They were meant to live only on the hospitality of the people they met. The question is why?

Imagine that Jesus gave each seventy a healthy stipend of money and new clothes and made arrangements for them to stay in nice hotels. What would the danger of that be? Obviously, Jesus Christ has a perfect understanding of human nature. We humans are naturally prideful. It's very possible that these chosen ones could feel like they are above those who they are preaching to. In fact, you might say it was likely. He was keeping their motivations pure.

Also, what a wonderful opportunity to build the faith of these men! They were completely, 100% reliant on others. Imagine how it would be to be sent to another state without any money or clothes! It would be a huge leap of faith! You're basically taking a step into complete darkness - vulnerable to whatever is out there. Truly you'd be a "lamb among wolves." But as you experienced success, your faith would be strengthened.

I'm sure they didn't experience 100% success. I'm sure they experienced hardships. They likely faced rejection. They likely weren't cared for and fed each day and night. It was hard. But, Jesus knew that these hard experiences would make them stronger disciples. It's true for us too.

10:17-20

"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."

This is an interesting conversation. It appears that the seventy were experiencing joy because they were able to cast devils out. However, he was saying that they should be more overjoyed that their names are written in heaven.

Basically, don't feel joy (perhaps pride) in your power over evil spirits. That power was given, not earned. Rather, we should feel joy that we may receive eternal life.

We could replace subjecting devils with any other worldly success. Ultimate joy shouldn't be about:

• Getting a promotion.

• Buying a new house.

• Graduating college.

These events are awesome and we should be happy about them. But, in the eternal scheme of things, it is not significant. I think Christ's point is about perspective.

10:25-28

"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live." In Matthew 22:37-40, Christ is the one to provide the answer. Let's first consider how we can love the Lord with our hearts, souls, strength and minds.

This is a big topic. I could write for days about this. Let me attempt to summarize. The ways that I think I should love God is to:

• Get to know him through studying what is written.

• Build a relationship with him through prayer.

• Sacrifice what I want to do for what he would like me to do.

• Exercise faith in his words.

• Be obedient to his commandments.

• Be continuously teachable throughout my existence - in this life and the next.

• Tell others about him. Share his gospel with others.

• Be grateful for what he has done for me.

• Pay attention to promptings from the Spirit that he has sent to help me.

Ultimately, for me to love God purely, it's about allowing my will to be swallowed up in his. It's about rejecting pride and being humble. It's about being continuously open to direction from him. The moment that I forget about him and rely on myself and my own wisdom, that's when I stop loving him.

Loving our neighbor is about developing selflessness. I think that God is infinitely selfless. His work and glory is all about us. He chooses this work. No one is forcing him. Throughout his existence, he has developed a perfect, selfless love for us. This life is a time for us to progress in this area. Our lives are built to help us become selfless.

We are born selfish. If you watch most two year olds, you see how selfish we are naturally. We start to develop some selflessness with siblings with constant direction from our wise parents. As we integrate in school, we grow even more selfless as we recognize that we are a part of a community.

Our selflessness lessons truly begin when we get married. Suddenly, we are partners with someone who is different than ourselves. We often must change what we do to have a successful relationship. We sacrifice for the comfort of someone else.

Children come and our selflessness lessons increase in intensity. We are giving up comfort and convenience and weekends and nights to this little selfish being who needs constant attention. We provide everything that they need with little hope of ever getting a financial return on that investment.

Being married and having families are expert-level courses in being unselfish. Which, helps us fulfill the second great commandment. We will need this level of selflessness in the eternities. Again, our Heavenly Father has acquired infinite selflessness through his development. That selflessness is required to do all that he has done for us. If we are to be like him, we must truly love him and love others.

10:30-37

This is the story of the Good Samaritan. We all know this story. It's interesting to me that the first two men were a priest and a Levite. These are men who had positions where you'd expect that they would help someone in need. The first priest barely looks at him before moving to the other side of the road. The Levite actually "came and looked on him" and still passed by the other side.

There were likely excuses in their minds about not helping. It would have made them ritually unclean for several days if they touched a dead person. I'm sure they had somewhere to be.

One thing that sticks out for me is that they were alone. I think if there were others present that they might have acted differently. Sometimes, we act like better people when there are witnesses. When we are alone, with no one watching, we often are more ourselves. In some cases, that is a better human and in others it makes us worse.

The Samaritan was hated by Jews. That didn't matter. He went WAY out of his way to help this person. Why? Because "he had compassion on him." It didn't matter their ethnicity. He viewed this man as a fellow human. That perspective erased all potential discrimination.

The Samaritan had more reasons to walk on by than the others. Yet he didn't consider those reasons. He could have easily justified to himself why he shouldn't help - but didn't. He could have given a little time to give the guy water or cleaned his wounds and felt good about himself. But, the fact that he was totally invested in doing everything that was needed to get the man back on his feet demonstrates his true love and mercy for this stranger.

We can follow his example and show love for everyone around us - friend and perceived foe. There cannot be qualifications on our willingness to love others.

10:38-42

"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, 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." This is a great lesson for those of us who are busy. Our days are filled with errands and assignments and duties and tasks. Sometimes, our days are more filled than they should be.

When we were reading the Old Testament, I remember the writer of Ecclesiastes (probably Solomon) writing about this. "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 11, 14) I must consider that, after 2-3 generations, my descendants won't remember my name. I have no idea who my great, great grandparents are. I don't know their name, where they lived, what they did.

I'm sure they had fulfilling lives filled with labor and love and disappointment. I'm sure they were busy. But, as I look back on their busyness, how much of it was actually important? I'm sure, as they look back, they likely would have eliminated a large percentage of what they spent their time doing.

Learning at the feet of Jesus is monumentally more important than whatever household duties Martha was doing. Can you imagine ignoring Jesus so you could prepare a dessert for your guests? I can't. We will likely never have that choice. But, how often are we being busy and don't have time to study the scriptures or pray or serve?

We shouldn't let the many meaningless items on our to-do lists crowd out what is really important. We should choose the "good part." The busywork will somehow get done. The list of things that we have to do will continue, day after day. Those items on our checklist will still be there if we spend an hour reading the scriptures. Let's not let the unimportant, urgent parts of our lives crowd our the important, non-urgent things.

The last line of this chapter talks about the good part that Mary has chosen "which shall not be taken away from her." When we die, everything we own will be taken away from us. We will leave with our spirit and that's it. We should fill our lives with acts that will never be taken from us - even in death. If you'll be able to take whatever you're doing into the next life, you've chosen the good part.