Apprentices to Jesus

In his recent general conference address, Elder Michael B. Strong spoke of becoming disciples of the Savior. He said, “A disciple is a follower or student of another. Disciples are ‘apprentices’ who devote their lives to becoming like their teacher. Thus, being a disciple of Jesus Christ implies more than believing His teachings and doctrine. It even implies more than acknowledging His divinity and accepting Him as our Savior and Redeemer, as vitally important as that is. President Dallin H. Oaks explained: ‘Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice. It is a continuous commitment and way of life that should guide us at all times and in all places.’” I like the idea of a disciple being an apprentice. An apprentice, much ore common in previous generations, would learn by being with and trying to imitate another person who was expert in their craft. They would watch, study, and most importantly do the craft for themselves. It would often take many years to become proficient like their master, and certainly it would be expected that they would make many mistakes through their process of learning. In the same manner, our “apprenticeship” trying to be like Savior is one in which we are trying to watch Him and follow His example. It is expected that we will make many mistakes along the way, and the process to approach His level of perfection is very long indeed. Seeing our discipleship as an apprenticeship should remind us to both watch and try; we need to be continually observing how He acted by studying the scriptures and then seek in each situation we are in to act as He would.

                If we are the Savior’s apprentices, then what is the “trade” that we are learning from Him? There are surely many, but perhaps the most important is what Elder Strong focused on: loving others. He highlighted this idea when He said to His apostles, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35). He wants us to learn to love by following what He did and trying to love as He showed us how. People will know that we are His disciples—that we have learned His trade—by loving like He did. Elder Strong taught, “As followers of Jesus Christ, we should seek to emulate the way our Master demonstrated His pure love for others.” He suggested there are three ways to have love like He did: show compassion, ministering to others needs, and helping others along the covenant path. Surely the Savior did all of these, and four gospels are full of stories of His love and compassion for others as He ministered to them. He showed all three of these in the account recorded in Matthew 9 when Jairus sought Him out saying, “My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live” (v18). He showed compassion as He followed Jairus, and then on the way He ministered to the woman with an issue of blood: “But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour” (v22). He helped this woman on the covenant path by helping her increase her faith and making her not only whole physically but spiritually as well. He then continued to the house of Jarius, healing his daughter. But it didn’t end there: “And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us” (v27). He healed them as well because of their faith, and then “as they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil” (v32). And He cast out that devil. He went from one show of compassion to another in an incredible display of miracles and love. Matthew then summarized His words this way: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (v35). As His apprentice, we must strive to follow His lead, constantly seeking to show compassion and to minister and to love those around us. We of course will fall far short of Him, but nonetheless we can strive each day to learn His trade a little better.