Marriage between a man and a woman is essential to God’s eternal plan.

SUMMARY of Matthew 19-20 Jesus Christ’s mortal ministry was drawing to a close. After a final journey from Galilee to Judea and a few days in Jerusalem, it would be complete. With only a few weeks remaining in His mortal life, the Savior taught doctrines of the kingdom—such as the sanctity of marriage; and the reward of eternal life for those who keep their covenants.

READ Matthew 19:3–8

During the time of the Savior’s mortal ministry, divorce was a vexing issue, debated without resolution among rabbis. For many people, divorce was justified even for trivial reasons. The Pharisees sought to involve Jesus in the controversy by asking His opinion about divorce. In response, the Savior emphasized the sanctity of marriage by referring to Adam and Eve, who provided the ideal of marital unity and permanence.

-What did the Pharisees ask about Moses’ teaching?

-Why did Moses permit divorce?

-What did the Savior say about divorce in the beginning?

READ President Gordon B. Hinckley…in Add’l Resources

READ Matthew 19:9

-Is this the position of the church today?

READ Is It Adultery for a Divorced Person to…in Add’l Res

-How are these truths about the sanctity of marriage reinforced in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”?

Matthew 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

20-NT SS Lesson May 8-14 Matthew 19–20; Mark 10; Luke 18 “What Lack I Yet?”

Everyone can receive the blessing of eternal life, no matter when they receive the gospel.

SUMMARY of Matthew 20:1–16 Jesus gives the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.

VIEW The Workers in the Vineyard about 3 min

-What is the story here? Do all workers work the same amount of time? -What about those who were not hired?

-Are all workers happy with their pay?

READ What troubled the first laborers?...opposite

-Was any laborer paid less than was offered him?

-What does this parable suggest about the kingdom of heaven?

READ One truth this parable illustrates…opposite

READ Elder Jeffrey R. Holland…in Add’l Res

-What additional insights do we gain about this parable from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s message?

READ Why are the wages the same for all?...in Add’l Res

-Why should we not be comparing ourselves with others?

READ What do the laborers’ wages teach us about Jesus’ divine nature? The Savior does not care when we begin our service, but rather that we serve faithfully. If the reward in this parable represents eternal life, then what difference does it make when one starts to labor? How does this parable show the Lord’s mercy to individual, both for those who start early in life and for those who do not have the opportunity to do so until after they die (D&C 137:7-8)?

-How does this parable help you understand the love of the Father and the Son?

READ Why are many called but few chosen?...opposite

What troubled the first laborers? When the first laborers murmured to the ‘good man of the house’ about their pay, they obviously missed the point. “There are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt--and certainly not to feel envious--when good fortune comes to another person? We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other to see who is the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful or even the most blessed. The race we are really in is the race against sin, and surely enfy is one of the most universal of those.” (Holland, ‘Laborers in the Vineyard, 32)

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One truth this parable illustrates is that whether people become disciples of Christ in their youth, in their young adulthood, in the later stages of life, or in some instances in the spirit world (see D&C 137:7–8), eternal life is the reward for all people who make and keep sacred covenants with the Lord

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Why are many called but few chosen? The laborers of the first hour felt cheated. They failed to learn that “many are called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men… When we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify ou pride, our vain ambitions, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves, the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or authority of that man.” (D&C 121: 34-37)

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READ President Russell M. Nelson

VIEW The 11th hour: testimony of a former minister 7 min

This is a story of a 68 year old man who has been searching for the truth for 47 years, and for over 46 years refused to consider the Church.

The Savior will guide us closer to Him as we ask for His help.

We again look at the rich young man who wants to inherit eternal life. Jesus gives him the list: No adultery, no murder, no stealing, no false witness nor defrauding, honor parents.

VIEW Christ and the Rich Young Ruler less than 3 min

-What was the young man’s response?

-What problem did the young man have?

READ Neal A. Maxwell…in Add’l Res

-What did Jesus say that he had lacked doing?

-What did the young man do?

-What does the Savior say in verse 23? He repeats this in 24

-Then what does He say in verse 25?

READ A Camel through the Eye of a ... in Add’l Res

-What are the disciples saying in verse 26?

-Does Jesus say that men might save themselves?

He says that with God, where all things are possible, can men be saved.

READ Matt 19:28-29…in Add’l Res

-What is the difference between Peter’s commitment to follow the Savior and the rich young man’s commitment?

-How do the rich young man’s possessions compare to what the Lord promised Peter?

READ Forsaking the World for Jesus Christ’s..in Add’l Res

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President Russell M. Nelson: You are living in the “eleventh hour.” The Lord has declared that this is the last time He will call laborers into His vineyard...And you were sent to participate in this gathering, this part of your identity and your purpose as the seed of Abraham” (“Becoming True Millenials”)

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Mark 10:17– And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

23 ¶ And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

We should trust God’s mercy, not our own righteousness.

READ Luke 18:1-8;9-14

-What is the parable that men ought always to pray?

-What does the widow ask of the Judge? Why does he respond?

-What is the difference between the unrighteous judge and God?

-In the second parable what did certain men do?

-Who were the two men?

READ The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican…in Add’l Res

-How did the first man pray? How did the second man pray?

-Which man went to his house justified? Why?

READ These parables show His compassion for individuals estranged from society and from God. For instance, a widow, one of the most vulnerable members of society, and a publican, one of the despised, serve as positive examples in two of the Savior’s parables recorded only by Luke.

READ President Howard W. Hunter…in Add’l Res

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Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

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9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

LAST WORDS: In an article titled “Light, Truth, and Grace: Three Themes of Salvation (D&C 93),” Richard D. Draper (a professor of ancient history at BYU at the time written) wrote: “An essential part of the glory of God is light, or living, life-giving energy. Light is a capacitating power through which man is given the faculty to receive truth. Possession of truth is the condition that must be met for glorification. A fulness of truth, or the knowledge of the sum of existence, requires the acquisition of the fulness of light. The grace of God plays a direct part in the reception of light and truth. Grace expresses itself through impartation. That which is imparted is light.”

Without the gift of light we lack the ability to receive truth.

Moses was given that light, or at least a portion of it when he conversed with God. Joseph Smith received a portion of that light in the Sacred Grove.

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As we follow in the Savior’s path we will continue to gain in truth and light. The rich young ruler in our lesson, who questioned what else he needed for eternal life, failed to take the steps necessary to gain further truth and light. He was told what the next steps should be. I think his pride, his love of his earthly treasures, was a stronger force than his desire for eternal blessings.

What I have learned is that I must follow in the footsteps of the Savior and those the Savior places in leadership positions. As is usual, the knowing that this is necessary comes fairly easily. It is the doing that is harder. It may take a lifetime or more.

I love the parable of the workers in the vineyard. I understand the feelings of those who have labored long and hard, and whose promised reward is also offered to those who began their work in a later hour. The important point is that each worker will receive what was promised, regardless of when their labors began. The light or truth that allows me to feel this way is the realization that, for those who enter into the Lord’s employee, the number of those receiving their promised reward in no way lessens the reward that I have been promised. My agreement is with the Lord. Your agreement is with

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the Lord. Eternal Life is not a zero sum game. It is what the Savior wants for every one of us. It is what we can attain by following the Lord’s path, by acquiring the fulness of light.

So, have a good day (that is not a zero sum game either)….and know that you can also have Eternal Life.

Greg

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

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President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) taught, “There may be now and again a legitimate cause for divorce. I am not one to say that it is never justified. But I say without hesitation that this plague among us, which seems to be growing everywhere, is not of God, but rather is the work of the adversary of righteousness and peace and truth” (“What God Hath Joined Together,” Ensign, May 1991, 74).

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Is It Adultery for a Divorced Person to Remarry? (see also Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18) President Dallin H. Oaks explained that in our day divorced individuals may remarry without their new marriage being considered adultery, but in the celestial kingdom there will be no divorce: “The kind of marriage required for exaltation—eternal in duration and godlike in quality—does not contemplate divorce. In the temples of the Lord, couples are married for all eternity. But some marriages do not progress toward that ideal. Because ‘of the hardness of [our] hearts’ [Matthew 19:8], the Lord does not currently enforce the consequences of the celestial standard. He permits divorced persons to marry again without the stain of immorality specified in the higher law” (“Divorce,” 70).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “A customized commandment thus came for that man. It was something he needed to do, not something he needed to stop doing, that kept him from wholeness” (“The Pathway of Discipleship” [Brigham Young University fireside, Jan. 4, 1998], 4; speeches.byu.edu).

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A Camel through the Eye of a Needle Some have asserted that the eye of the needle was a small door in the Jerusalem city wall, requiring a camel to be stripped of its load in order to enter. There is no evidence that such a door ever existed. Others have proposed that altering one letter in the Greek text would change the scripture to mean that a rope, not a camel, would have to pass through the eye of a needle. However, when Jesus Christ referred to a camel passing through the eye of a needle, it was likely an example of hyperbole, an intentional exaggeration to teach “that a rich man shall hardly [with difficulty] enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23). The Joseph Smith Translation adds, “With men that trust in riches, it is impossible; but not impossible with men who trust in God and leave all for my sake, for with such all these things are possible” (Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 10:26 [in Mark 10:27, footnote a]).

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Matt 19:27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “The Laborers in the Vineyard”. I wish to speak of the Savior’s parable in which a householder “went out early in the morning to hire labourers.” After employing the first group at 6:00 in the morning, he returned at 9:00 a.m., at 12:00 noon, and at 3:00 in the afternoon, hiring more workers as the urgency of the harvest increased. The scripture says he came back a final time, “about the eleventh hour” (approximately 5:00 p.m.), and hired a concluding number. Then just an hour later, all the workers gathered to receive their day’s wage. Surprisingly, all received the same wage in spite of the different hours of labor. Immediately, those hired first were angry, saying, “These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” When reading this parable, perhaps you, as well as those workers, have felt there was an injustice being done here. Let me speak briefly to that concern.

First of all it is important to note that no one has been treated unfairly here. The first workers agreed to the full wage of the day, and they received it. Furthermore, they were, I can only imagine, very grateful to get the work. In the time of the Savior, an average man and his family could not do much more than live on what they made that day. If you didn’t work or farm or fish or sell, you likely didn’t eat. With more prospective workers than jobs, these first men chosen were the most fortunate in the entire labor pool that morning.

Indeed, if there is any sympathy to be generated, it should at least initially be for the men not chosen who also had mouths to feed and backs to clothe. Luck never seemed to be with some of them. With each visit of the steward throughout the day, they always saw someone else chosen.

But just at day’s close, the householder returns a surprising fifth time with a remarkable eleventh-hour offer! These last and most discouraged of laborers, hearing only that they will be treated fairly, accept work without even knowing the wage, knowing that anything will be better than nothing, which is what they have had so far. Then as they gather for their payment, they are stunned to receive the same as all the others! How awestruck they must have been and how very, very grateful! Surely never had such compassion been seen in all their working days. (Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 31–33).

“This parable—like all parables—is not really about laborers or wages. This is a story about God’s goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a story about generosity and compassion. It is a story about grace. It underscores the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it.”

Why are the wages the same for the workers who began work in the eleventh hour? “The bargaining spirit has no place in the gospel. If every elder who magnifies his calling is assured of that eternal life which consists in attaining all that the Father hath, how can an receive more than the ‘penny’ appointed? For those who gain exaltation the promise is: ‘And He makes them equal in power, and in might,and in dominion.’ (D&C 76:95: 88:107) And though the laborers may not comprehend the full significance of all this while they are yet laboring in the vineyard, yet trusting in the Lord they know that ‘whatsoever is right’ shall be given them.” (McConkie, Doctrinal NT Commentary, 1:561)

Forsaking the World for Jesus Christ’s Sake In contrast to the rich young man, who was not willing to give up his possessions to follow Jesus Christ, Peter declared that he and his fellow Apostles had “forsaken all” to follow the Savior (Matthew 19:27). In our time, we must also be willing to make the sacrifices required of us as disciples of the Savior. President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reminded us of the great sacrifices made by the Latter-day Saints who were required to leave their homes and cross the plains, and he taught that their spiritual power came from keeping their gospel covenants:

“We often hear of the suffering and the sacrifice those early Saints endured, and we ask ourselves, How did they do it? … Those early Latter-day Saints had made covenants with God, and those covenants burned like unquenchable fire in their hearts.

“Sometimes we are tempted to let our lives be governed more by convenience than by covenant. It is not always convenient to live gospel standards and stand up for truth and testify of the Restoration. It usually is not convenient to share the gospel with others. It isn’t always convenient to respond to a calling in the Church, especially one that stretches our abilities. Opportunities to serve others in meaningful ways, as we have covenanted to do, rarely come at convenient times. But there is no spiritual power in living by convenience. The power comes as we keep our covenants” (“Like a Flame Unquenchable,” Ensign, May 1999, 86).

President Howard W. Hunter explained that the Pharisee’s prayer was “not one of thankfulness, but of boastfulness” and taught that the contrast between the Pharisee and the publican illustrates the importance of humility and contrition:

“Could there be greater contrast in the prayers of the two men? The Pharisee stood apart because he believed he was better than other men, whom he considered as common. The publican stood apart also, but it was because he felt himself unworthy. The Pharisee thought of no one other than himself and regarded everyone else a sinner, whereas the publican thought of everyone else as righteous as compared with himself, a sinner. The Pharisee asked nothing of God, but relied upon his own self-righteousness. The publican appealed to God for mercy and forgiveness of his sins.

“Continuing the story, Jesus then said: ‘I tell you, this man,’ referring to the publican, the despised tax collector, ‘went down to his house justified, rather than the other.’ (Luke 18:14.) In other words, the Lord said he was absolved, forgiven, or vindicated. …

“Humility is an attribute of godliness possessed by true Saints. It is easy to understand why a proud man fails. He is content to rely upon himself only. … The proud man shuts himself off from God, and when he does he no longer lives in the light. …

“… History bears record that those who have exalted themselves have been abased, but the humble have been exalted. On every busy street there are Pharisees and publicans. It may be that one of them bears our name” (“The Pharisee and the Publican,” Ensign, May 1984, 65–66).

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican: The Pharisees were one of the major religious sects in the days of Jesus. They considered themselves to be the separated ones, a step above the people of the land in their observance of religious practices and rituals. The Publicans were among the most hated and despised of all people. They were tax collectors, employees of the Roman government, and as such were considered traitors to their nation.

The Pharisees “trusted in themselves that they were righteous.” In this parable, the Pharisee’s words betray the fact that he doesn’t really feel that he needs God; his impressive deeds will save him.

They were scrupulous in the payment of their tithe. The Publican, on

the other hand, knowing his many sins, acknowledging his lowly station before man and God, simply pleads for mercy. A stark contrast, to be sure. But it is the sinful Publican, not the pious Pharisee, who goes home forgiven, cleansed, and declared righteous.

Self-promotion is antithetical to personal spiritual progress. We live in a world where winning is everything. There are few rewards in our society for second place. We are taught from childhood the absolute necessity of excelling, of being the best in the class, the finest on the block, the most successful in the industry. Too often, in time, there develops within the will of the achiever a competitive spirit that can drive out cooperation, consideration, and compassion. Product becomes more prized that process and eventually more sacred than people.

The world beckons to us to seek for power. Jesus calls his disciples to lose--to lose their self-will, their self-promotion, their selfish desires--in favor of a greater and more far-reaching will. He does not ask that they do less than their best or that they perform less than what is required to do the job. What he does ask is that they be less concerned with what others think, less troubled by mortal pecking orders, less bothered by appearances than they are with reality. One day things will change.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is a condemnation of hypocrisy and self-righteousness. There is a striking irony in the message of this parable. All of us fall short of the divine standard. All of us are in need of pardoning mercy. Truly it is the recognition of our plight, of our spiritual bankruptcy without divine assistance, that is the beginning of wisdom the door that opens us to strength and power beyond our own. For when we are weak, then we are strong (2 Cor 12:10). (Millet, text; Christensen, art, “Parables,” 12-15)