Did John the Baptist doubt?

After reading Matthew 11:1-19 and Luke 7:18-35, we learn that John the Baptist sent two of his disciples unto Christ and ask of his identity. One might wonder why he did this and if he doubted whether Christ was really the Christ or not. But after reading the Institute Student Manual, we learn that John knew who Jesus was better than anybody else and did not doubt his identity? So why, then, did he send two of his disciples to inquire of Christ's identity? Here's what the manual says, "It seems most consistent to identify John’s motive in sending the two disciples to Jesus as one of persuasion for them, rather than of reassurance for himself. The question they were to put to Jesus was for their edification, not for his own." John's disciples were still attached to John. They didn't have a solid testimony of who the Messiah was and may have confused John for that person. John knew exactly who the Messiah was. 

Reading this just goes to show how humble John the Baptist was. If I was him, I would have told my disciples off and scolded them for thinking I was the Messiah. I might have let my pride get the best of me and belittled them for not knowing. I would have misjudged them. But John did what a humble person would do; he sent them on an errand so that they could see for themselves that Jesus was indeed the Christ. 

This story reminds me of Abraham. God knew that Abraham was obedient enough that he would be willing to sacrifice his own son. God sent Abraham on an errand, not because He needed to learn something about Abraham, but because Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham. John didn't send his disciples on an errand because he needed to learn something, but because his disciples needed to learn something.

If I had been one those two disciples, I would have verytold John the Baptist that he was indeed the Christ! And that he was a man of miracles. I would have thanked John for being a humble prophet and for providing me the opportunity to learn of Christ and gain a tesitmony of Him. I would have knelt in prayer, thanking God for the opportnity to know who the true Messiah is.

What the Savior said about John the Baptist:

• He is much more than a prophet
• There is nobody great than him than Christ himself
• He has prepared the way for thee

What Joseph Smith says about John the Baptist:

• He was entrusted with a divine mission ofpreparing the way before the face of the Lord. Whoever had such a trust committed to him before or since? No man.
• He was entrusted with the important mission, and it was required at his hands, to baptize the Son of Man. Whoever had the honor of doing that? Whoever had so great a privilege and glory?
• The son of Zacharias wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the glory from the Jews, by
  the holy anointing and decree of heaven, and these three reasons constitute him the greatest prophet born of a woman.

John 3:30 is an interesting scripture to me. John the Baptist says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." At first I didn't quite understand this scripture. I thought we were supposed to increase just as Christ does. But then it occurred to me that John was his follower; his prophet. As the Savior increased in example, John knew he would need to decrease because Christ is our main example. As a prophet, John is a great example to us as well, but he is still human and not perfect. Today, we look to our prophet and follow his council, but Christ will always be our one and only perfect example. Why? Because he is the only one who lived a perfect life.  

It reminds me of a scripture in Isaiah 44:8. Isaiah asks if there is a God beside him and he says, "there is no God; I now not any." At first I didn't understand this scripture. I always thought of God being beside me. Then we discussed in Sunday School and I learned that it means that God is above us. We are not as great as He. We are man and we are fallen. Therfore, we are not beside him in that sense. I think that is what John the Baptist was implying when he said he must decrease.

The Beatitudes

Here are a couple definitions to consider:
Blessedness: being higher than happiness. An inward fountain of joy in the soul itself, which no outward circumstances can seriously affect.
Blessed: not letting an earthly circumstance disable oneself spiritually and achieving blessedness.

 

The Sermon on the Mount lists some attributes, or beatitudes, of those who are "blessed." (Mat 5:1-12)

• The poor in Spirit
• Those who are meek
• Those that hunger and thirst after righteousness
• The pure in heart
• The merciful
• The peacemakers
• Those who are persecuted for rightesousness' sake
• They that are continuing their efforts to acquire the attributes of God

 

It is said that the Sermon on the Mount is our constitution for perfection. I like this idea. Let's look at it like this: Along time ago, we chose to come to earth. And guess what happens while we are here on this earth? Well...we experience these things called earthly circumstances. Are they always easy? Ha! Of course not. Earthly circumstances can be very hard at times, but they are put in our path so that we may become blessed. And when we are blessed, we have achieved blessedness. And guess what that means? Yup, happiness. No wait... what's the definition for blessedness again? Oh that's right, being higher than happiness. Isn't it nice knowing that achieving perfection entails something greater than happiness?

 

Here are some examples in my life where living some of these beatitudes has increased my happiness.

 

1. Blessed are they that mourn. Harold B Lee defines this beatitude with the following, “To mourn, as the Master’s lesson here would teach, one must show that ‘godly sorrow that worketh repentance’ and wins for the penitent a forgiveness of sins and forbids a return to the deeds of which he mourns.” There was a time in my life when godly sorrow finally urged me to talk to my bishop. Then after time and many prayers, I won the forgiveness of my sin. My happiness has increased ever since and continues to increase as I choose not to return to the deed of which I once mourned for.
2. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. While living in Mainland China, I hard a time at first feeling the Spirit. It was hard to go from BYU-Idaho where I was constantly surrounded by spiritual activities to China, where it was against the law to talk about my religious beliefs to anyone besides my roommates. I started to really hunger and thirst for righteousness. If there is one thing I learned while in China, it was that the Spirit can be felt anywhere. One time I was using a computer in an Internet cafe. I was surrounded by people who were smoking and playing video games. I didn't expect to feel the Spirit in that room when I sat down at my computer. But then I started reading a talk given by President Monson and I felt the Spirit very strongly. When looking at the pattern of happiness in my life, happiness has always followed a conscious effort to strive for righteousness. Sometimes it's immediate, and sometimes it takes a while... but it always comes.
3. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake. I have only experienced this in minor forms. It reminds me of the scripture D&C 122:9. "Fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever." There have been times in my life where I have worried what the people around me think more than what God thinks. But when I stand up for what I believe in and do what God would have me do, I feel much happier in the end than the times when I conformed to the people around me. I hope to have the strength one day that saints have had in the past when they were faced with persecution.

Being born again

The Savior declared that we must be born again (John 3:3)

What is the difference between seeing the kingdom of God and entering?
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Being born again can refer to a change in heart; spiritually being reborn. A person who has changed their heart will see the kingdom of God. But to enter the kingdom of God, a person must be born of water and the spirit. This includes baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.
What did Jesus Christ teach Nicodemus that he must do to enter the Kingdom of God? What does it meant to be "born of water?"
Christ teaches Nicodemus that in order to enter the Kingdom of God, you must be baptised and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. To be born of water, is to be baptised.
Read Moses 6:59 and list ways that baptism can be a symbol of rebirth.
Baptism is a symbol of rebirth because when we were born, we were in our mother's womb which was filled with water. In order to enter the world, the water was broken. We entered water, then came out. This is exactly what baptism is. We enter water, and then we come out. When we entered the world, there was also blood. When we are baptised, all sins are forgiven because of the blood of Christ.
Read Romans 6:4 and list how baptism can be a symbol of death. What does it mean to be "born of the spirit?"
Baptism can be a symbol of death because when we are buried under the water, it is a symbol of being dead with Christ and then raising from the dead as he did. And when we symbolically raise from the dead, we should walk in newness of life. Verse 8 says "Now if we be dead with Christ [then] we believe that we shall also live with him." Baptism can also be a symbol of covenanting to live so that we can live with him also.
What natural element does the Lord compare with the Spirit? Why is it an effective comparison?
The Lord compares the Spirit to the wind. I love this comparison! I have never heard of the Spirit being compared to the wind until I read this verse. I like to think of it this way: I can't see it; but I can feel it. The Lord says that wind blows where it is listeth. The Spirit also only resides where it is listeth. When the Spirit is not welcome, it will not stay. Along with feeling the wind, we can also hear the wind. We don't know where it came from or where it's going; but we can hear it. This is exactly how the Spirit works in our lives. So many times the Spirit has spoken to me when I wasn't expecting it. Another way this comparison is effective, is that we can tell when the wind leaves, if we have noticed it in the first place. If we haven't even noticed that there is wind, then we aren't going to notice when it leaves. When we are too desensitized to feel the Spirit, then we will not know when it has even left.

Review John 3:14-17, 35-36. Write a paragraph that describes who the Father loves. What He has done to show His love for his children, and for Jesus Christ, what the purpose of the Savior was and what blessings will come to those who accept the son.

The father loves each and every one of us. "God so loved the world." He doesn't just love those who are members of our church, or the relief society presidents, or the prophet. No, he loves ALL of us. That includes those who aren't members, those who have transgressed and are too prideful to repent, those who sit in prison for doing things they may or may not regret. And what did he do because he loves us? He sent his son. Verse 16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The following letters can be pulled out of this verse: v,a,l,e,n,t,i,n,e. God's Valentine to the world was sending his Son. When Christ was sent to the earth, it was not to condemn us; it was to save us. Without him, we would never be able to return to our Father in heaven. If we choose to accept the son, we will receive everlasting life and receive of his fulness.

To know of Christ...

The following chart was given by my teacher and I filled in the blanks. I love looking at it because it demonstrates a variety of people who knew of Christ's birth, how they learned of Him, and what they did with their knowledge. As you read through it, think about what you know of Christ, how you learned it, and what you're going to do with that knowledge.

Who	How they learned about the Savior	What they knew about the Savior	What they did with their knowledge
Elisabeth (Luke 1:39-45)	The Holy Ghost told her when Mary greeted her. Her baby leaped in her womb with joy.	That he was blessed. She said, "Blessed is the fruit of they womb." She also knew that he is her Lord.	She rejoiced, sang praises and acknowledged the faith of Mary for she had also experienced becoming pregnant in her old age.
Shepherds (Luke 2:8-18)	The Angel of the Lord told them.	That he would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.	They left with haste and visited the baby Jesus.
Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)	It was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit that he wouldn't see death before seeing the Christ.	Christ would be at the temple. He also knew that Jesus was the only means of redemption for His people.	He went to the temple, thanked God, and blessed Mary and Jesus.
Anna (Luke 2:36-38)	Heard Simon blessing Mary and Jesus.	That Jesus would be the one who provided redemption to mankind.	Spoke of him to all those looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12)	They saw his star in the east.	They knew that he was the Messiah of the Jews and that he was born.	They told Harod, followed the star, worshipped the baby Jesus, and gave gifts.
Herod  (Matthew 2:1-18)	The wise men and chief priests told him.	He was troubled because he knew that he was a king.	Killed all babies in Bethlehem that were 2 years of age and younger.
Chief Priests (Matthew 2:1-18)	By reading the written words of past prophets.	They knew he was born in Bethlehem and that he would rule the people of Israel.	They told the wise men where he was, but did not go with them to worship.
Nephites (3rd Nephi 1:12-22)	The Lord spoke to Nephi and the sign that had been given was fulfilled.	"They knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born because of the sign which had been given."	Lyings were sent by Satan, but most believed the signs and were converted unto the Lord.

We may not be as extreme as Harod, who went about killing innocent children due to pride of allowing someone else to be above him, but maybe we're like the Chief Priests who did nothing. The Chief Priests read about Christ and were given a sign that confirmed his existence, and yet they stayed back when the Wise Men went to worship. It is my goal to be more like Elisabeth, who sang praises and rejoiced, or like Anna, who spoke of Christ to all those looking for redemption.

I know that my Savior lives. In times when I was struggling or felt like nobody cared, He was always there to listen; to comfort me. Christ knows how I feel. He atoned for me and with that atonement came pain; a kind of pain that caused Him to experience every little grief and sorrow we may go through. You are NEVER alone. I know this to be true because every time I try to do something on my own, I stumble. I have learned that each time I stumble, there is always someone's hand outstretched toward me and that is the hand of my Savior; the hand that was nailed to the cross so that I could return to my Heavenly Father again. I NEED my Savior's love; I need his mercy. It is my goal to never think that I am too good for His atonement or too good to repent. I must ALWAYS utilize what He did for me; I must ALWAYS repent. The atonement is a gift and I plan on using it the rest of my life.

The Beginning

Hi! Welcome to my very first blog! My name is Leah, but after teaching English in China for 5 months, I respond just as readily to "Lear." For some reason, saying "Leah" was just too difficult for some of the Chinese teachers and instead, called me "Lear." Needless to say, the name has stuck ever since.

Starting this blog was inspired by a New Testament class I am currently taking online with BYU-Idaho. Each post will include insights and principles that I have gained while reading the New Testament. I am really excited to draw closer to my Savior as I learn more about his example and the perfect life he lived and hope that anyone who reads this will feel closer to their Savior too.