Matthew 13:24-58
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“The Lord gathers His people when they accept Him and keep His commandments. …
“… The Lord gathers His people to worship, to build up the Church, for a defense, and to receive counsel and instruction. …
“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that in all ages the divine purpose of gathering is to build temples so that the Lord’s children can receive the highest ordinances and thereby gain eternal life [see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 416–17]” (“The Spirit and Purposes of Gathering” [Brigham Young University–Idaho devotional, Oct. 31, 2006], byui.edu).
Matthew
13:
Parables on the Gathering Quotes from Joseph Smith to help with each of the parables in this chapter
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Reference
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Parable
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The Gathering
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The Sower—the seeds grow differently depending on the ground they fall on.
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People
react differently to the gospel message. Their willingness to accept the
truth determines whether they are gathered. Joseph Smith taught that “this
parable was spoken to demonstrate the effects that are produced by the
preaching of the word; and we believe that it has an allusion directly, to
the commencement, or the setting up of the Kingdom” (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, 97).
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The Wheat and Tares—an enemy plants tares in a wheat field. The
householder tells his servants to let the wheat and tares grow together until
the harvest.
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For
a time the righteous and the wicked live together. But in the last days the
righteous will be gathered and the wicked will be destroyed. Joseph Smith
taught that if the righteous and wicked are separated too soon, “you will
destroy the wheat, or the Church, with the tares; therefore it is better to
let them grow together until the harvest, or the end of the world” (Teachings,
98).
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The Mustard Seed—the smallest seed grows into the largest of herbs.
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The
kingdom of God begins small but grows. Joseph Smith taught: “Let us take the
Book of Mormon, which a man took and hid in his field, securing it by his
faith, to spring up in the last days. . . . It is truth, and it has
sprouted and come forth out of the earth, and righteousness begins to look
down from heaven, and God is sending down His powers, gifts and angels, to
lodge in the branches thereof” (Teachings, 98).
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The Leaven—a small amount of yeast in three measures of flour grows until it
leavens all the dough.
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The
Church will grow until it can benefit the entire world. Joseph Smith taught:
“It may be understood that the Church . . . has taken its rise from
a little leaven that was put into three witnesses. Behold, how much this is like
the parable! It is fast leavening the lump, and will soon leaven the whole” (Teachings,
100).
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Hidden Treasure—a man sells all he has to buy a field with a hidden treasure.
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The
righteous find the truth and do whatever it takes to gather to it. Joseph
Smith applied this to gathering to Missouri: “The Saints work after this
pattern. See the Church . . . , selling all that they
have, and gathering themselves together unto a place that they may purchase
for an inheritance, that they may be together and bear each other’s
afflictions in the day of calamity” (Teachings, 101).
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Pearl of Great Price—a merchant sells all he has to buy the most
valuable pearl.
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The
righteous gather after much searching. “The Saints again work after this
example. See men traveling to find places for Zion and her stakes or
remnants, who, when they find the place for Zion, or the pearl of great
price, straightway sell that they have, and buy it” (Teachings, 102).
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The Fish Net—fishers catch all kinds of fish in their net, and they separate them
later.
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The
Church gathers all kinds of people at first. At the end of the world the
righteous are separated from the wicked. “For the work of this pattern,
behold the seed of Joseph, spreading forth the Gospel net upon the face of
the earth, gathering of every kind, that the good may be saved in vessels
prepared for that purpose, and the angels will take care of the bad. So shall
it be at the end of the world” (Teachings, 102).
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New and Old Treasures—a righteous scribe brings out both old and new
treasures.
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The
Lord uses old and new scriptures to gather His children. “For the works of
this example, see the Book of Mormon coming forth out of the treasure of the
heart. Also the covenants given to the Latter-day Saints, also the
translation of the Bible [the Joseph Smith Translation]—thus bringing forth
out of the heart things new and old” (Teachings, 102).
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