12/27/2017 - Section 78:1-5

December 27, 2017

Section 75:1-5

Missionary Work How To, Missionary Work Rewards Of, Missionary Stories, Missionary Concerns About ‘Success’,

One of the themes of this section is missionary work. The section heading states “Certain elders, who had encountered difficulty in bringing men to an understanding of their message, desired to learn more in detail as to their immediate duties. This revelation [section 75] followed.”

I remind myself that this counsel is given by the Lord to those who had been called to go on missions, but who had never done anything like this. They had responded to their call, and had gone to work doing their best, but they did not feel they were being successful in their work. The first thing Christ clarified is in v 3: “Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might.” V 4 tells them to do this by ‘lifting up your voices’ (i.e. talking—to everyone). He explains the missionary lifestyle in v 5: “…if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves….” To me this is a reminder that work in the Church really is WORK. As missionaries we should not shy away from the effort or the intensity that is possible when we are set apart to devote our full time and effort to the Lord. In V 5 he explains the spiritual reward they will receive by doing this: “And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.” The words used here are not ones that are really familiar to those of us who were raised in urban environments in these more modern times. So here’s the deal: “Anciently grain was cut by hand [one stem at a time] and tied into large bundles or sheaves which were then carried in to the place of threshing [Threshing is the process that removes the wheat kernels from the stalk…it’s the final food product that the farmer has been waiting for. Just think of the effort and time and care it takes to help someone get to the point of understanding the gospel enough to desire baptism]. To see a person or an animal ‘laden with many sheaves’ was proof that the person had reaped an abundant harvest and would now enjoy the fruits of his labors.” (P 156) So it is a sign of great success and celebrations, but it is not the only sign of success or the only reason for celebration--

The Smith and Sjodahl Commentary p434 weighs in on this: “Elders who go out to preach the gospel sometimes return and report that they know not whether they have been the means of converting anybody or not. But if they have been faithful, the harvest is sure. The seed they have sown may sprout and come to maturity years after they have been released.”

I remember the story of an American college student who did a study abroad program in Paris France. As a high schooler, she had Mormon friends and had studied a bit with the missionaries, but things had not progressed very far there. So we fast forward to a day in Paris. She was feeling that her life was just not where she wanted it to be. She felt alone and dissatisfied. She was walking on the streets of Paris, just worrying and wondering. Paris didn’t make the difference—what will?--when she looked up and saw—about a block away—a group of elders and sisters. She immediately recognized them as Mormon missionaries. She watched them as they went another direction from her But from a block away she FELT their spirit. She stopped short and said to herself: ‘that’s what I’m missing. I need to be baptized.’ She finished her semester abroad, traveled back to the United States, looked up the missionaries, and after more teaching and studying with the missionaries, she was baptized a member of the Church. She no longer felt at odds with life. She felt good, and fresh, and purposeful, and best of all—happy. Those elders and sisters serving in Paris, possibly heading for a quick bite to eat after a zone conference, had absolutely no idea that they had been one of the important keys to this college student’s baptism.