Elder William W. Parmley
Of the Seventy
The admonition to "Come, follow me" and the question "What
would Jesus do?" provide powerful guidelines for living.
We are disciples of Jesus Christ. In the words
of Nephi, "We believe in
Christ, . . . we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ,
we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ" (2
Nephi 25:24, 26). To believers
everywhere, the three most powerful behavioral words He spoke were "Come,
follow me" (Luke 18:22; see also Matthew
16:24; Mark 1:17; Luke
9:23). When
asked by a scribe which is the most important commandment, Jesus replied:
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:
this is the first commandment.
"And the second is . . . Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mark
12:30–31).
Using the template of these two commandments, let us discuss how we can
best follow Him.
The Savior's example of the reciprocal love between
Him and His Father was always evident. Frequent, long, and heartfelt prayers
by the Savior have
set a powerful example for us to follow. The Father's love for His Son was
ever apparent, particularly at the time of His baptism by John: "And lo a
voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew
3:17).
The unity between the two was apparent when the
Savior said, "I and my Father
are one" (John 10:30). Understanding that His will and the Father's might
even be transiently different as in Gethsemane (see Matthew
26:39) reminds
us that our prayers may not always be answered in our preconceived way. Nevertheless,
prayer is a powerful action principle. The Savior said that if one has faith
and doubts not, "all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing,
ye shall receive" (see Matthew
21:21–22). Our love for the Savior must
be accompanied by action: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John
14:15).
Let us next consider the second of the great
commandments, "Love thy neighbour
as thyself" (Matthew 22:39), or its higher level counterpart taught to the
Apostles, "That ye love one another; as I have loved you" (John
13:34). Although
having the next-door neighbors over for dinner is a wonderful way to express
love, the Savior chose a much more difficult example when the lawyer asked
Him the question, "And who is my neighbour?" (Luke
10:29).
There follows the familiar story of a man traveling
from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was robbed and beaten and left by the
roadside half dead. The Levite
and the priest looked on him and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan,
who was despised by the Jews, had compassion and cared for him. The Samaritan
did not ask about ethnicity before showing mercy. Jesus concluded this powerful
story with the admonition to "go, and do thou likewise" (Luke
10:37).
In every big city, we have those who are beaten
down and left by the roadside—those
who are homeless, destitute, hungry, and sick. Some say that by giving them
money we only support their habit of drug or alcohol addiction, thus enabling
them to continue a lifestyle they have chosen. It is so easy to judge these
individuals and, like Job's friends, speculate about all the mistakes they
have made in their lives that brought this great misery upon them (see Job
22; Mosiah 4:17).
Before we pass by like the Levite and the priest,
however, let us consider the admonition of the Savior to "Come, follow me." Remember
that the Savior was homeless, had only the clothes on His back, and was
often hungry. What
would He do? There is no question what He would do. He would show mercy and
minister unto them.
There are many ways to help the homeless, including the contribution of
time, goods, and money to humanitarian groups, soup kitchens, or agencies
that deal with these problems. Nevertheless, it seems to me that we must
also show mercy unto them. The established principles of welfare are an appropriate
guide. Remember that the poor will always be with us (see Mark
14:7).
The Savior emphasized this principle again when He discussed the Judgment
Day and the separation of the sheep from the goats:
"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying,
Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee
drink?
"When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?
or naked, and clothed thee?
"Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and
came unto thee?
"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done
it unto me" (Matthew
25:37–40).
Peter emphasized the importance of this kind
of charity when he said, "And
above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall
cover the multitude of sins" (1
Peter 4:8).
Mormon expressed similar sentiments with this admonition:
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not
charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto
charity, which is the greatest
of all, for all things must fail—
"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso
is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him" (Moroni
7:46–47).
Jesus both taught and exemplified many personal
qualities which we should consider as we try to follow Him. These qualities
include love, meekness,
humility, compassion, thirsting after righteousness, being prayerful, merciful,
and pure in heart. We should never judge others but should do unto our neighbor
as we would have them do unto us. He taught that we should be the salt of
the earth and a light unto the world. He said that what a man thinketh in
his heart is as important as his outward actions. We were told to forgive
everyone, including our debtors, and to love our enemies. Not only are we
to be peacemakers, but we are also to rejoice in persecution. He advised
us to give our alms and to fast and pray in secret. He taught us to turn
the other cheek and to go the extra mile. He especially cautioned us to lay
up treasures in heaven rather than treasures on earth. (See Matthew
5–7.)
As we contemplate the full meaning of the phrase "Come, follow me," it is
apparent that we may have much to learn and much to do before we can fully
respond to that injunction. It is of interest, however, that during the first
30 years of His life in Nazareth, Jesus apparently drew little attention
to Himself even though He was living a sinless life (see Matthew
13:54–56; Mark
6:2–3). That should encourage us to do better in our own quiet
and humble way without drawing attention to ourselves. The admonition to "Come,
follow me" and the question "What would Jesus do?" provide powerful guidelines
for living. Paying more attention to these guidelines will help all of us
become more Christlike in our thoughts and actions.
Of the Savior, who is our exemplar, I bear personal witness that He lives.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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