Day 34 | More Than a Prophet
August 31, 2015 - WEEK FIVE
Henrik Olrik, Sankt Matthaeus Kirke Copenhagen altarpiece, (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
DAILY READING
Matthew 11
JST-Matthew 11:13–15
Luke 7:19-35
CONSIDER AS YOU READ
- Are the behavioral expectations applied to prophets different from those for regular people? Should they be?
- Why does the work of John the Baptist matter in your personal spiritual journey?
SUPPLEMENTAL READING
We stand on the steepened hill rising north from the blue, blue sea of Galilee… With our Testament open we read of the ministry of Christ, for this was the scene of much of it. We ask for the cities in which he lived and performed so many miracles, for we remember that in this area of but a few miles much of his work was done, much of his ministry was accomplished…
We ask our guide: “Where is Chorazin?” He shakes his head. There is no Chorazin… “Then where is Bethsaida?” we ask. “Where is that noted city where so many sick were healed and the lame were made to walk; where deaf could hear and lepers lost their curse?” … Our guide shakes his head again. There is no Bethsaida. “Capernaum, then?” we ask, “Where is that important place, the port where fish were loaded, traded, marketed?” …He shows us the ruins of a large synagogue….
Now we realize that we should not have expected to see these cities, for were they not doomed 1,900 years ago? Have we forgotten the prophetic curse of the Master? In their unrepentant attitudes toward the Savior of the world and his exalting message, Christ warned: “Woe unto thee!”…
We bathe our tired feet in the rippling waters of the shoreline. We look for remains of former cities. A few stones lapped by the water are rounded or squared. Could they have been a part of a synagogue, the home of Peter, the remains of a stone harbor, the walls of the centurion’s place? (Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Reports, April 1961, 77–81).
ADDITIONAL MEDIA
Jesus Acclaims
John the Baptist
FOR YOUNGER DISCIPLES
QUESTIONS FOR YOUNGER DISCIPLES
- What would you ask Jesus if you could go on a walk with Him–just the two of you?
- Would you ask the prophet the same questions?