Our Good Shepherd

we get a glimpse into our Heavenly father's character as we recognize the immense compassion he has for Sinners and appreciate the distinction he makes between sin and those who sin this Glimpse helps us have a more correct understanding of his character Perfections and attributes and is foundational to exercising faith in him and in his son Jesus Jus Christ the savior's compassion in the face of our imperfections draws us toward him and motivates us in our repeated struggles to repent and emulate him as we become more like him we learn to treat others as he does

regardless of any outward characteristic or behavior the impact of distinguishing between the outward characteristics of an individual and the individual himself is Central to the novel Le Mis by the French author Victor Hugo as the novel opens the narrator introduces bananu muel the bishop of Dinia and discusses a dilemma facing the bishop should he visit a man who is an avowed atheist and is despised in the community because of his past behavior in the French Revolution the narrator states that the bishop could naturally feel a deep aversion for the man then the narrator poses a

simple question all the same should the scabs of the sheep cause the shepherd to recoil answering for the bishop the narrator provides a definitive answer no and then adds a humorous comment but what a sheep In this passage Hugo compares the man's wickedness with skin disease and sheep and compares the bishop with a Shepherd who does not withdraw when faced with a sheep that is sick the bishop is sympathetic and later in the novel demonstrates a similar compassion for another man the main protagonist in the novel a degraded ex-convict Jean valan The Bishop's mercy and

empathy motivate Jean valan to change the course of his life since God uses disease as a metaphor for sin throughout the scriptures it's reasonable to ask how does Jesus Christ react when faced with our metaphorical diseases our sins after all the Savior said that he cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance so how can he look at us imperfect as we are without recoiling in horror and disgust the answer is simple and clear as the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ views disease in his sheep as a condition that needs treatment care and compassion

this Shepherd our Good Shepherd finds joy in seeing his diseased sheep ress toward healing the Savior foretold that he would feed his flock Like a Shepherd seek out that which is lost bring again that which is driven away bind up that which is broken and strengthen that which is sick though apostate Israel was depicted as being consumed with sinful wounds and bruises and putrifying sores the Savior encouraged exhorted and promised healing the savior's mortal Ministry was indeed characterized by love compassion and empathy he did not disdainfully walk the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea flinching

at the sight of Sinners he did not Dodge them in abject horror no he ate with them he helped and blessed lifted and edified and replaced fear and despair with hope and joy like the true Shepherd he is he seeks us and finds us to offer relief and hope understanding his compassion and love helps us exercise faith in him to repent and be healed the Gospel of John records the effect of the savior's empathy on a sinner scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in the very Act of adultery to the Savior the accusers implied

that she should be stoned in compliance with the law of Moses Jesus in response to persistent questioning finally said to them he that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her The accusers Departed and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst when Jesus saw none but the woman he said unto her woman where are those thine accusers hath no man condemned thee she said no man Lord and Jesus said unto her neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more surely the Savior did not condone

adultery but he also did not condemned the woman he encour encouraged her to reform her life she was motivated to change because of his compassion and mercy the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible attests to her resultant discipleship and the woman glorified God from that hour and believed on his name while God is empathetic we should not mistakenly believe that he is accepting and open-minded about Sin he is not the Savior came to Earth to save us from our sins and importantly will not save us in our sins a skilled interrogator zzam once tried to

trap AMC by asking shall the coming Messiah save his people in their sins and AMC said unto him I say unto you he shall not for it is impossible for him to deny his word he cannot save them in their sins AMC spoke a fundamental truth that to be saved from our sins we must abide the conditions of repentance which unleash the redeemer's power to save our souls the savior's compassion love and mercy draw us toward him through his atonement we're no longer satisfied with our sinful State God is is clear about what's right and

acceptable to him and what is wrong and sinful this is not because he desires to have mindless obedient followers no our heavenly father desires that his children knowingly and willingly choose to become like him and qualify for the kind of life he enjoys in doing so his children fulfill their Divine destiny and become heirs to all that he has for this reason church leaders cannot alter God's Commandments or doctrine contrary to his will to be convenient or popular however in our lifelong quest to follow Jesus Christ his example of kindness to those who sin is

particularly instructive we who are sinners must like the Savior reach out to others with compassion and love our role is also to help and bless lift and edify and replace fear and despair with hope and joy the Savior rebuked individuals who recoiled from others that they viewed as unclean and who self-righteously judged others as more sinful than they that is the pointed lesson the Savior directed to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others he spoke this Parable two men went up into the temple to pray the one a Pharisee and

the other a Publican the Pharisees stood and prayed thus with himself God I thank thee that I'm not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice in the we I give tithes of all that I possess and the Publican standing a far off would not lift up so much as his eyes un heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner Jesus then concluded I tell you this man the Publican went down to his house Justified rather than the other the Pharisee for everyone

that exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humble himself shall be exalted the message for us is clear a repenting sinner draws closer to God than does the self-righteous person who condemns that sinner the human tendency to be self-righteous and judgmental was also present in Alma's day as the people began to establish the church more fully the church began to wax proud and the people of of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes they began to be scornful one toward another and they began to persecute those that did

not believe according to their own will and pleasure this persecution was specifically prohibited now there was a strict law among the people of the church that there should not any man belonging to the church arise and persecute those that did not belong to the church and that there should be no persecution among themselves the guiding principle for Latter-Day Saints is the same we must not be guilty of persecuting anyone inside or outside the church those who have been persecuted for any reason know what unfairness and bigotry feel like as a teenager living in Europe in

the 1960 S I felt that I was repeatedly picked on and bullied because I was an American and because I was a member of the church some of my schoolmates treated me as though I were personally responsible for unpopular US foreign policies I was also treated as though my religion were an affront to the nations in which I lived because it differed from state sponsored religion later in various countries across the world I have had small glimpses into the ugliness of prejudice and discrimination suffered by those who are targeted because of their race or ethnicity

persecution comes in many forms ridicule harassment bullying exclusion and isolation or hatred toward another we must guard guard against bigotry that raises its ugly voice toward those who hold different opinions bigotry manifests itself in part in unwillingness to Grant equal freedom of expression everyone including people of religion has the right to express his or her opinions in the Public Square but no one has a license to be hateful towards others as those opinions are expressed church history gives ample evidence of our members being treated with hatred and bigotry how ironically sad it would be if

we were to treat others as we have been treated the Savior taught whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for us to ask for respect we must be respectful furthermore our genuine conversion brings meekness and loneliness of heart which invites the Holy Ghost and fills us with perfect love and unfeigned love for others our Good Shepherd is unchanging and feels the same way today about Sin and sinners as he did when he walked the Earth he does not recoil from us because we sin even if he on

occasion must think but what a sheep he loves us so much that he provided the way for us to repent and become clean so we can return to him and our heavenly father in doing so Jesus Christ also set the example for us to follow to show respect to all and hatred toward none as his disciples let us fully mirror his love and love one another so openly and completely that no one feels abandoned alone or hopeless I testify that Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd who loves and cares for us he knows us and

laid down his life for his sheep he also lives for us and wants us to know him and exercise faith in him I love and adore him and am profoundly grateful for him in the name of Jesus Christ amen am