Ministering Through Conversation

In our new emphasis on ministering, we look to the Savior as the perfect example of ministering to others.  There are countless ways that He ministered and served others during His earthly ministry.  One theme that is instructive to consider is the way that He ministered by simply talking with others.  He found ways to speak with those who were otherwise strangers to Him, and He gave us an example of how we should speak with and encourage those we come in contact with for only brief periods of time.  He showed us this desire to speak with those He otherwise didn’t know at a young age when He was visiting Jerusalem with His family for the Passover.  He took the time to speak with those who surely were strangers to Him, “and they were hearing him, and asking him questions” (JST Luke 2:46).  He went far out of His way to speak with people He didn’t know.

               We see this same thing in many of the stories of the Gospels as Christ went from place to place performing His ministry.  Unlike most in our society today who avoid conversation with strangers at all costs, He went out of His way in the places that He went to talk to people He didn’t need to talk to.  For example, when He passed through Samaria, He went to the well, sat down, and then spoke to woman there even though she seemed to think at first that it was awkward (see John 4:7).  In another experience, when the Savior was touched by the woman with the issue of blood, he went out of the way to make sure He could speak with this lady, telling her “Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace” (Luke 8:48).  He didn’t have to take this extra time to speak with her—she still would have been healed—but He saw great value in being able to speak to her.  On another occasion when He was near the end of His ministry He “passed through Jericho” who was trying to see Jesus from up in a tree.  Jesus took the time to notice even Him and said unto Him, “Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house” (Luke 19:5).  Christ clearly felt that it was worth the extra trouble to speak with and encourage Zaccheaus.  Later after His resurrection on the road to Emmaus He spoke with the two disciples and took of His time to have a conversation and teaching opportunity with them.     

            These and other experiences show that one of the ways He ministered was to reach out to those around Him, wherever He was, to speak with people who were not His normal associates.  When we are tempted to simply ignore those around who we don’t know, we should remember the way that Christ ministered one by one, wherever He was.  He followed the counsel given in our day: “Strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings” (D&C 108:7).  Christ strengthened those around Him by His holy conversation with them, and we have the opportunity to follow His example each day and speak with true concern to those around us.