Earthly Stories/Heavenly Meanings

Kristy Krueger taught this weeks lesson, "Truths From the Savior's Parables in Matthew 13". She began her lesson by asking us to remember (or imagine) what it was (is) like to prepare for the most important event in a girls' life, her temple marriage. What would it be like if, after all the planning and preparing for that special day, some of your loved ones showed up without their temple recommends and asked you to put your wedding on hold while they made arrangements to get their recommends. She asked us to think about how we would feel, knowing that these people had plenty of notice ahead of time to be prepared, but they weren't. She asked us to ponder how we would feel, knowing we had to go on with the ceremony without those loved ones. This was Kristy's modern twist on the parable of the Ten Virgins.

In this chapter of the manual, we learn how much Joseph Smith studied the scriptures. He even studied Hebrew so he could understand the scriptures in their original form. His knowledge of the scriptures and the parables they held was so deep yet he could explain the scriptures to even the simplest of minds.

Kristy explained that parables are "earthly stories with heavenly meanings". It is our responsibility to discover how to interpret and apply the parables of Jesus. We are to first study what the parable meant to the people at the time it was given. Then we are to ponder what it means to us, in our life at this time. And finally, to pray to know how to apply what we've learned. Kristy encouraged us to read the scriptures before and after the parable to better know to whom Jesus was talking, what was going on to merit the parable and how the parable helped.

Kristy went on to talk about a few the parables in Matthew 13 and how they apply to us today. She ended with the song "Search, Ponder and Pray", sung beautifully by her daughter Hannah and Collette Knowlton.