The Messenger

Since we are about to become missionaries in a foreign land, this warning of the Lord seems appropriate for us.

In Luke Chapter 20, the Lord tells a parable in which the Lord of the vineyard sends his son, expecting the servants there to receive him well.  They kill him, because they wanted to take over the place for themselves.  It does not go well for them in the end.  We should learn to recognize and receive the messengers that are sent to warn and teach us, but to reject them is a natural tendency.

Edgar Rice Burroughs uses this theme in a book called, "Tarzan the Terrible".  Tarzan is searching for Jane in the lost land of Pal-ul-don.  He succeeds by assuming the character of "Dor-ul-Otho", the son of the Great God "Jad-ben-Otho".  However, he has many battles, because the priest of the temple leads a conspiracy against him to kill him and the king and take control.  In the end, Tarzan and Jane are captured and about to be sacrificed, but are saved at the last second by their son, Korak.

We should be alert to opportunities to defend the missionaries and teachers of truth, and to help them whenever they are in need.  They do need saving from time to time, because people of today are no different from the people of Jesus's time, or Tarzan's time either.

The prophet warns us: "how long will ye choose darkness over light... ima punllakamanshi michata akllana rantika yana mankatarak akllashpa katinkichik?".

In the days of your poverty ye shall cry, llakinayachispa shina ninkichik: Ay ñuka k'uchakunamanta narashkayman karkani; amapish achill-willachikkunata waznnuchishkayman karkani; amapish rumikunawan pegashkayman karkani; amapish kanchaman kallpachishkayman karkani; ...O that I had repented and had not killed the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out" (Helaman 13:29, 32, 33).

Today's solution: read the scriptures.  "For I did liken all the scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23).

By the way, Tarzan's story ends happily.  In the last chapter he ends priestcraft among the people, terminates human sacrifice, and ends a long civil war, and installs a benevolent king, then leaves them better off than he found them.