The One

Some of the most famous parables of the Savior are the three found in Luke 15.  All three have the same theme of finding that which has been lost.  The first tells of a man who having lost a sheep, leaves all of the others to “go after that which is lost” until he finds it.  Once it is found he “layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing” and calleth his friends to rejoice with him (Luke 15:4-6).  The second is similar, but the object that is lost is a coin instead of a sheep.  The woman lit a candle, swept the house, and sought “diligently” until she found it.  Just as in the previous parable, she called her friends to rejoice with her when she found it (Luke 15:8). 

The last and most familiar parable in the chapter is that of the prodigal son.  In this case the father did not search for him, but rather he apparently waited in earnest for his son to return because “when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).  All three of these simple yet powerful parables show the Savior’s emphasis on reaching out to those who are lost and not giving up on those who need help.  His life was spent serving and teaching and reaching out to the people around Him, and those who call themselves disciples must seek to do the same.

                I listened to two different stories this week that touched me and which show these kinds of disciples of the Savior.  The first was in a talk by C. Terry Warner about a professor at BYU (see here).  He recounted, “Chris was a young father who, not far into the semester, had become overwhelmed by the pace of the class. His attendance flagged; after a while he did not come at all. My daughter was surprised when he showed up for the midterm exam. When the test was over he told her that a few days before, the professor, one of the most internationally distinguished at this university, knocked on the door of the trailer where Chris lived with his family.  Since Chris had no phone, the professor had gone to the school records, located the number of his parents in Pennsylvania, and obtained his address by calling them. At the door he said simply, ‘I haven’t seen you for a while and have worried about you. The midterm exam is coming up and I’d like to know what I can do to help you prepare.’”  Now certainly that is an example of going after the one and leaving the ninety and nine.  Looking at that experience from the sidelines it seems clear to me that what this professor did to help that student was of far more eternal consequence than the seemingly important day-to-day tasks he probably performed as a professor.  But believing that and actually living according to that in our own lives as the day-to-day deadlines constantly pressure us is another matter.

                The other story was one that I remembered from conference many years back and happened upon recently.  Mervyn B. Arnold told a story in a Priesthood session of general conference about a young man named Fernando who had stopped going to church (see here).  Brother Marques, a leader in Fernando’s ward, went one Sunday, got him out of bed, and took him to church.  He kept coming every Sunday until finally Fernando decided to avoid him altogether by sleeping at a friend’s house and going to the beach on Sunday morning.  When Brother Marques showed up there too, Fernando jumped into the water to escape him.  He recounted, “All of a sudden, I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, ‘You are late! Let’s go.’ When I argued that I didn’t have any clothes to wear, he replied, ‘They are in the car.’”  Ultimately because of the leader’s efforts, Fernando became active again in the Church and eventually served as a bishop, stake president, and mission president.  What would have happened if Brother Marques had not been willing to go into the water?  I’m not sure, and I’m not sure that I would be willing to go into the water myself—could I be that selfless to completely look past my own discomfort to seek after the one?  These are relatively simple stories, but so are most of the experiences and opportunities that we have in our lives to try to help in the way Christ’s parables invite us to.