Latest / Scripture Central / Come Follow Me Insights (May 29 - Jun 4) Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13

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Come Follow Me Insights (May 29 - Jun 4) Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13 · Scripture Central

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Hello everyone. Thanks for listening to come.
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Follow me, insights with Taylor and Tyler, presented by
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scripture Central. We use a lot of visuals in our
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videos. So if you want to see the
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visuals, we invite you to find us on YouTube.
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Thanks for listening and enjoy. I'm Taylor and I'm Tyler.
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This is scripture. Central's.
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Come follow me insights this week.
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Matthew 26, Mark 14 and John 13. So we're going to divide the
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these two episodes this week into two two parts.
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The first part we're going to be using all three of these
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chapters to talk about the experience in the upper room.
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And then the second episode for this week is perhaps one of the
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most important episodes of the entire year.
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Or where we use Matthew and mark their account of Jesus going
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into guest cemani next week. We will go back into the upper
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room from John's teachings, in John 14 through the intercessory
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prayer and then into Gethsemane from his account.
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And then the week after we're going to go into Gethsemane
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again from Luke's perspective. So three weeks in a row, we're
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going to be covering some of Concepts.
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It's an abundance of riches. The fact that we have four
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gospel, writers means we get all this abundant Treasure of
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resources about what Jesus did to show his love for us to save
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us. So let's begin in Matthew 26
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with this story of Jesus being anointed, remember in John's
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gospel, Jesus is Anointed before his triumphal entry by Mary.
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That Feast with Martha and Lazarus and Judas questions.
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Mary's wisdom in dumping the ointment on Jesus, in Matthew's
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account, this happens. Well, into this week of the
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atoning sacrifice. So then you see after Jesus has
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rebuked, the people who have made in this story, The Woman
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feel bad about anointing. Him.
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The very next story in Matthew and Mark's gospel connects back
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to Judas. Being the one rebuked in John's
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gospel. Look at verse 14, then one of
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the twelve called Judas Iscariot went unto the chief priests and
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said unto them. What will you give me?
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And I will deliver him unto you and they covenanted with him for
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30 pieces of silver. We talked to in the Old
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Testament year about the 30 pieces of silver.
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Joseph was sold into Egypt for twenty pieces of silver.
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Essentially, the price of a slave, the far ancient culture,
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the ancient Sumerians from the ancient Middle East, they had a
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verbal statement to identify something as worthless.
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It essentially say it's of thirty shekels worth and for
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them that really was a weird way of saying something that has no
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value and perhaps that's one way that we read this.
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This at the people who sold Jesus out, saw him as of no
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value, a cost of a common slave, right?
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Serving of the day. And so from that time, Judas
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sought opportunity to betray him and then you you come into the
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story of The Last Supper. Let's let's pick it up from
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Mark's account. He gives us a little a little
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better detail of this beginning. Part of the feast, In verse 12,
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it tells us and the first day of unleavened bread when they
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killed the Passover, his disciples said unto him, where
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wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the
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Passover. We need to just take a brief
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moment here. And point out that for the
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synoptic gospel writers, Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus is
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Last Supper experience was a Passover meal for John's gospel,
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they're eating Meal in preparation for the next evening
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which would be the Passover meal and so they don't perfectly line
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up on the page. And again we need to be okay
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with that because there's beautiful symbolism either way
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the other try to emphasize different things.
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John is trying to emphasize that Jesus himself is the Passover
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Lamb. That he's being executed at the
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very time, although the Passover Lambs were as Matthew Mark and
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Luke Keep your focus is different.
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Their focus is on the sacrament, which is a sign of the Passover
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feast for early Christians and for us today.
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And so, their focal point is on how Jesus is taking a Passover
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meal and repurposing it. In upgrading it if you will, for
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the the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
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As he introduces this, this beautiful symbol for us.
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To be able to have this connection with Old Testament,
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Passover, feasts, and we get to repeat it every week at the
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sacrament table. So verse 13 says, he sent us for
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two of his disciples and saith unto them.
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Go ye into the City and there shall meet you a man bearing, a
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pitcher of water follow him. So, they go into the city of
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Jerusalem. A find this man with pitcher of
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water and wheresoever. He shall go in say, you to the
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Goodman of the house, the master Or saith.
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Where is the guest chamber? Where I shall eat the Passover
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with my disciples and he will show you a large upper room
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furnished and prepared. Their make ready for us.
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You might want to mark this upper room because it's the the
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second time in scripture where we've gotten a Greek word, cut,
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tell Emma. So we see this word showing up
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in the story, particularly of Luke Chapter 2.
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Jesus is about to be born and his parents cannot find room in
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the guest chamber. And here, Jesus does find room.
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So there's this interesting contrast beginning his life.
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There isn't space, things are not ready and prepared, not the
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end of his life as he's preparing.
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Himself and Us by extension, for his atoning.
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Sacrifice the room is prepared and ready for him.
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I love that. There is now room in the Inn for
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Jesus. This, this Upper Room could have
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just as easily been translated here as in.
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Just like back in the Nativity Story, they could have just as
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easily used the phrase Upper Room.
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Instead of there was no room for them in the Inn.
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They could have said there was no room for them in the upper
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room, same word in Greek, Week. Now again, we know that this
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Passover meal becomes updated to become sacrament meeting.
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So I want you to consider for yourself.
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There is always room for you. It's a corrupt meeting at the
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sacrament table. It has always been prepared for
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you, just like it's prepared here for Jesus and his disciples
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by extension is symbolically. The sacrament is always prepared
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and available for you. Meaning, you can always access
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the atonement of Jesus Christ in your life.
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Now let's watch the events unfold in this Katella, my this
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upper room or guest chamber here.
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And we're going to first go through marks, version of this
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Upper Room experience and then we'll go through John's because
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they emphasize completely different things.
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Starting in verse 17. It says, and in the evening he
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cometh with the 12. And as they sat and did eat
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Jesus said verily, I say unto you, one of you which eateth
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with me shall betray me. He didn't say might he didn't
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say, is capable of betraying me. He said, one of you shall betray
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me. And they began to be sorrowful.
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And to say unto him one by one, is it, I, I think this is an
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interesting contrast with, with our society today, contrasted
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with the society back. Then you see that to the man
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each individual in asked, him Lord, is it?
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I and another said, is it, I What didn't they ask?
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Lord is it him? I'm pretty sure it's, it's got
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to be Judas. He's been acting really strange,
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lately. None of them are pointing
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fingers outwardly. They're all asking very meekly.
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Lord is it. I can I just recommend that that
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is a very profound lesson that we can learn from his Apostles
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on that night. But could be applied today is
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instead of looking to place blame on other people.
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What an amazing thing it is to be able to go to God in Humble,
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Meek sincere, prayer and say, Lord is it?
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I what have I done? That could Be that needs to be
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forgiven. And I'm pretty sure that there's
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never going to be a time. When we say Lord, is it?
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I is there something I could do better.
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I don't know that the Lord will ever answer that prayer with
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nope. Actually, you just don't change
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a thing. You just keep doing exactly
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everything the exact same way. As you've been doing it, I think
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it's a humble Full pattern for us to follow to actually be open
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to hearing the Lord say. Yeah, actually, there are
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certain elements that you could fix.
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Now, in this context, none of them is the one who is going to
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betray him. So the answer is no, it's not.
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You nor you nor you how does he answer it?
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It is one of the 12 that dip us with me in the dish.
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And so verse 22 says, as they and we'll come back to that
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story in John's account because he flushes that out
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significantly in verse 22. It says as they did eat Jesus
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Took bread and blessed and Brake it and gave to them and said,
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take eat. This is my body.
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There are four verbs that he used their took blessed brake
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and gave those are the same for verbs that are used in the story
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of the feeding of the 5,000, that feeding event of that.
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Multiplying of the bread, was a beautiful object lesson,
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precursor to his implementing, the sacrament of the Lord's
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supper. And you'll remember it's in
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John's gospel right after the feeding of the five.
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Cousin where you get the people coming to him saying, okay, it's
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the next day, we're ready for our free lunch again and Jesus
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gave the bread of life. Sermon, remember how troubling
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that was? They said, this is a hard
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saying, who is able to bear? It's because he told them, you
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have to eat my flesh and drink my blood or you have no place in
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the Kingdom with, with my father.
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The bread of life, sermon was a serious A division Point among
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his disciples and it's all tied into this precursor of what was
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going to happen on this night with him implementing the
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sacrament of the Lord's supper. And then he goes to the next
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element of the sacrament and he took the cup.
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And when he had given, thanks, he gave it to them, and they all
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drank of it. This word here given thinks
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shows up in the Greek as Eucharist.
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And the word is used in a variety of Christian Traditions
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to talk about their holy supper or their sacrament meeting.
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It's a really cool word Eucharist literally means well
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received or good Mercy. It means Joy or thankfulness and
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consider this when he is giving. Thanks.
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And we receive his body for us. It is joyful.
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It is, well received Mercy, really sacraments about giving,
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thanks to God for all that he has given to us.
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He concludes this portion of the sacrament by saying verse 24.
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He said unto them. This is my blood of the new
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testament, which is shed for many.
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Now it's interesting, the word we have for Covenant here is
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slightly different than what we have in the Old Testament.
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The old Testament Hebrew word, for Covenant means to actually
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means to cleave, which both means to cut, like, cutting a
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covenant or to come together just like a rock face.
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You might have a cleave where a rock falls off from one part of
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the rock or rocks clean together.
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The the Greek word means like a last will or a last Testament,
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almost as if I am now bequeathing my kingdom to other
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people. What's beautiful is that we get
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both senses of the word covenant, in the Hebrew, the
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Greek in what God offers us. And remember that God gave to
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really important covenants. He's given many important
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covenants but it gave one to Abraham was a promise to all of
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Abraham's posterity that they would have Prosperity posterity
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priesthood. And then the law of Moses, we
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had the Covenant Mount Sinai where God said to Moses teach
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these Covenant instructions to everybody come the Ten
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Commandments law of Moses for people to show faithfulness to
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me. What's interesting is that when
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Jesus shows up he is the Fulfillment of the law of Moses.
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He is the New Covenant meaning. The old is now been superseded
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all those covenants. Instructions have been taken
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care of in Jesus himself and now we're supposed to look to him.
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Not simply to look at Moses even though Moses can still provide
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us instructional ideas for how to follow.
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God, look to Jesus and follow him.
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He is the one who is lay down his life and his fully secured
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our access to Salvation. So, these covenants, our
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connections are quite powerful, quite amazing.
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And every now and then, I wish that some inspired Bible editor
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had inserted himself and say let's lay out, Going on
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Covenant, Ali in the text because the ancient Bible
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writers, Matthew Mark, Luke and John and others from the Old
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Testament. They understood the Covenant to
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context. It was so clear to them.
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They did not always explain it with Clarity because it was the
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water they swam in. It's just they knew it and they
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just figured anybody else did as well.
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Alright, so let's look for a moment at these two elements, a
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little more closely you have the bread and the wine.
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And in the synoptic perspective, Matthew, Mark and Luke, these
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are significant parts of a Passover meal.
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You have unleavened bread and you have wine, you have haroset,
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you have bitter herbs and spices and and lamb that has been
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sacrificed and your talent. You're going on a journey back
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in through the story of Exodus, when you're eating this meal,
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it's a long drawn-out meal where you're telling the story.
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Of bondage and deliverance, from bondage through those ten
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plagues culminating with the tenth plague, the the Passover
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where the destroying Angel passed over those houses.
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Hmm. Now he's taking two of those
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elements from the Passover meal where a lamb had to give its
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life shed. Its blood, which blood would
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then be put on the to doorposts and the lintel of the house so
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that the destroying Angel would not come.
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And kill the firstborn. Symbolism is hauntingly
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beautiful here. That Jesus is now minutes away.
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I mean, you could start measuring this very easily and
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minutes from the time when he's going to enter Gethsemane and a
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matter of a few hours by nine o'clock.
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The next morning, he's going to be put on the cross.
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According to Marx time timeline. The sun has set, we're having
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the meal we're within moments of all of these.
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All of these incredibly Rich symbols that have been
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celebrated by the Jewish people for 1500 years.
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Now, all of the symbols are going to be brought to fruition
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in the real Passover experience. The true Passover Lamb who is
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going to begin this atoning sacrifice and give himself up
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and shed his blood. For us to be delivered.
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So the irony of the only perfect firstborn who deserve to suffer
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the very least is moments away from suffering, the very most so
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that we can take his infinite atoning, sacrifice, apply it so
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that the destroying angel will pass us over the destroying
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Angel did not Passover, Jesus. He he took our sins upon him and
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he was punished to the full extent of the law.
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The firstborn of the father is willingly laying down his life.
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Now you get the bread and the wine and he's telling them very
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clearly take eat. This is my body, he's giving it
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freely. And then take drink.
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This is my blood. Are you noticing that these two
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aspects of Jesus atonement? Keep coming up over and over
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again in the Bible, as well as, in the Book of Mormon, the
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Doctrine and Covenants. And in the gospel, is the, the
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way Jacob in the Book of Mormon refers to it is that awful
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monster death and hell that are overcome by the Savior.
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So he He lays down his life, his body goes into the grave and he
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sheds, his blood to redeem us from death and hell this
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perfect. Offering involving these two
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aspects to give us to Salvation. So to speak from these that
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awful monster two kinds of death, physical, and spiritual
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death. It's all tied in here.
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Now, what does this have to do with us?
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What difference does knowing all of Of these symbols and Old
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Testament combined with New Testament and Book of Mormon
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teachings have to do. I love the story of President.
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Russell M Nielsen in the 2019 Mission leadership seminar.
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He had just partaking of the sacrament and he's ready to
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begin. His formal message, but he
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paused and he said, quote a thought has occurred to me that
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my making a covenant, today is a lot more important than the
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message that I have prepared. I made a covenant, as I partook
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of the sacrament that I would be willing to take upon me, the
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name of Jesus Christ and that I am willing to obey his
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Commandments. Often I hear the expression that
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we partake of the sacrament to renew covenants, made it
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baptism. While that is true, it's much
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more than that. I've made a New Covenant.
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You have made new covenants now in return for which he makes the
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statement that he will alter that.
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We will always have his Spirit to be with us.
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What a blessing. Can you picture the significance
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of this that you're not just reading?
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Cooing covenants, even though you are doing that but you're
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making a new covenant, every time you go to the sacrament
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table and here are these Apostles sitting around this,
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this last supper setting, with Jesus making a new covenant with
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him. Committing that they're willing
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to take upon them his name and I love the fact that he's using
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something so tactile. So, so Hands-On, as a piece of
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bread and a cup of wine in that instance, today, a cup of water
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to represent his blood, we take it in there's room inside of us
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for him. We make that New Covenant with
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him that were willing to do these things.
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We walk out refreshed, but don't you love this?
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This word that we've used often to renew all of our past
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covenants, but I love president Nelson's idea here.
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It's to become new again. We make a New Covenant again on
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that instance. And in this process notice the
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word that keeps coming up in the sacrament prayers.
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Always Over him. Look at that word closely just
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I'm not a not a word expert. But to become a member again.
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A new membership in the body of Christ, a new member in that
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Covenant with Christ. It's it's the only ordinance
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that you perform or participate in for yourself.
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Repeatedly in life, and it's such an amazing amazing thing to
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contemplate. How often we participate with
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the sacrament that if we were to apply, what president Henry V
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eyring, shared, if you want to make major change in your life,
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find things that you repeat often and make small incremental
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improvements in those things and over time it will lead to big
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wonderful changes and glorious outcomes.
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Well The sacrament could be one of those things, you
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contemplate, what could I do to make that experience more than
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just eating a little piece of bread and taking a drink of
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water and passing the tray on and giving no more thought to
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the price the terrible infinitely painful price that
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was paid to redeem my soul. And now here's the god of the
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universe, who suffered, all of that for me, and instead of
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being angry at me for causing all that suffering.
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I'm part of that bitter cup, but instead, he's turning to me,
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with loving kindness, his Hesed from the Old Testament, this
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this willingness to make a New Covenant with me.
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Again, allowing me to become a member of his body again every
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week, some years ago, I learned an additional lesson about how
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we need to fully consume the sacrament.
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Symbolically not just sip At it. Sure it's a small piece of
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bread, a small little drink of water.
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As I seen some years ago, my family was out visiting a
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national park and we wanted to attend church and there wasn't
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an LDS church anywhere nearby. So my young daughter recommended
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a local Christian church so we decided to visit and they
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offered Sacrament and they happen to do bread and grape
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juice. It's my daughter was I don't
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know, six or seven at the time and as she took that cup she
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went and she just really sucked down all that grape juice.
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And of course is it allowed a little irreverent distracting?
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But later I thought that's right.
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We should suck up everything that God is offering so freely
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that when were there at that Sacrament experience we should
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freely Embrace every last drop of his loved one.
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We thought we here in the Ten Commandments that we should not
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take the lord's name in vain, we definitely should not be saying
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God's name in anger, or frustration.
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Another way of looking at this is when we participate in the
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sacrament, we are doing this in the name of the Lord and the
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word vain means empty or without purpose.
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So, when we go to the sacrament, we should do.
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So with purpose and with intent, and that way we are fully taking
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upon ourselves the Lord Name and not doing so with empty purpose.
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He finishes in verse 25, by saying verily, I say unto you.
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I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine.
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Until that day, that I drink, it new in the kingdom of God.
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He's basically saying this is my last supper, this is the last.
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I'm going to partake of the fruit of the vine, the foods and
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drinks of this world until I come again.
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And A take it new in the kingdom of God.
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Now, let's jump over to John 13 and pick up John's account of
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the beginning, phase of this last supper experience.
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And you'll very quickly realized that John doesn't cover the
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sacrament. He doesn't have an account of
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Jesus introducing the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, like the
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synoptics do, let's start in verse 2 and supper being ended.
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Added the devil now having or having now put into the heart of
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Judas, Iscariot Simon's, son to betray him.
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Let's pause there for a minute because in our King James
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version, the word is supper being ended.
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If you look at Bible Hub.com and plug in John 13 verse 2, you
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will see a wide range of of interpretations of this Greek
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word. Instead of supper being ended,
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that Greek word could also be interpreted very, very
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accurately as supper being under way.
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It could be in the middle of the supper and that very same, Greek
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word could also be interpreted as supper being ready to begin
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it. Just totally depends on how you
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interpret, the the context of how the word is used and the
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King James translators interpreted.
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It as supper is now over, which if you combine it with the
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synoptic accounts would kind of imply that they've eaten.
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The meal. Jesus is probably already
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introduced the sacrament and now we move to the washing of the
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feet portion. The in Bible, Hub.com, you'll
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notice most of the English translations interpreted the
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other way, they interpreted as supper being ready or supper
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just barely underway, and Jesus rises gets a basin of water and
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now proceeds to wash their feet, which makes a whole lot more
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sense. Quite frankly in a Jewish first
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century context. They're worried about
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cleanliness the, the chief Priests of the people have
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taught about cleanliness. Or one particular of a meal, not
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at the end of a meal, especially when you're talking about your
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feet. If you look at Michelangelo's
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famous painting of The Last Supper or many of the other
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paintings that have been made depicting, this event.
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It usually shows them sitting at a long table all in this, this
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row, which is great for our depiction, but in reality, if
28:33
you read, John's gospel, it's pretty clear that they're not
28:37
sitting. At a table with chairs, like we
28:40
might be more used to, in a modern context.
28:43
But there's their reclining at a table and that'll that'll show
28:50
up in a couple of different places here.
28:52
Later on, in this chapter, many people have looked at this and
28:58
we have many examples of what you call triclinium tables that
29:05
are shaped like this three Did tables where you have people who
29:11
are reclined at the table because that's what free people
29:16
do. They're able to recline at the
29:19
Passover back in Egypt. They were slaves.
29:23
They never had the luxury to be able to just recline and take
29:26
their time and enjoy a meal. But now we're free and we're
29:30
celebrating that part of Freedom.
29:33
So this is one potential option for how the Last Supper.
29:37
Upper is laid out which makes it easy for those who are serving
29:41
to be able to come in and replenish the the Bulls and the
29:45
plates of food because they didn't they didn't usually eat
29:50
with your own individual serving.
29:52
It was usually communal meals and you can picture in a
29:56
Passover setting all of those different elements being laid
29:59
out here so you can see how with feet sticking out from the
30:06
table. How Easy.
30:07
It is to now get to those feet to do the washing So, he makes
30:14
his way around the group and verse 6, says, then cometh.
30:19
He to Simon Peter and Peter saith unto him.
30:22
Lord Dost thou wash my feet. Now, I don't know about you, but
30:27
if you picture feet in most settings, most contexts and
30:31
cultures, today we live in a fairly clean hygienic society
30:38
today compared to the first century when they're wearing
30:41
sandals, walking G dirty roads and, and paths.
30:46
And there's a lot of other things on those paths that
30:51
they're walking on the feet would have been very unpleasant
30:58
to interact with and here's Peter, you can picture and
31:01
pulling his feet in saying no no Lord you're not going to touch
31:04
my feet. That is an assignment that is
31:07
reserved for the lowliest of servants to do.
31:11
Did you catch that? That's something that usually,
31:14
the lowliest of servants would do now, here's Jesus.
31:18
Who's the greatest of all who condescends and makes himself
31:23
into the lowliest of servants? As an amazing, symbol object
31:27
lesson for what he's about to do, when he's going to go into
31:31
Gethsemane shortly and then onto the cross, the next morning, so
31:37
Jesus said to him, what I do thou knowest, not now but Thou
31:41
shalt know Hereafter and Peter's response, is Thou shalt never
31:46
wash my feet and Jesus answered him if I wash thee not thou
31:51
Hast, no part with me, It's this point where Peter realizes?
31:57
Oh this is this is an ordinance. And so he says, Lord not my feet
32:04
only but also my hands and my head, I love that.
32:09
Jesus said to him. He that is washed needeth, not
32:12
saved to wash his feet, but is clean every Whit and ye are
32:16
clean but not all. So, there's still somebody
32:21
sitting at the table. The implication is that all of
32:26
them got their feet washed, including Judas, Iscariot that
32:30
night. So let's look a little closer at
32:32
this lesson that he shares with them.
32:34
In verse 14 or 13 and 14. Ye call me master and Lord and
32:39
he say well for so I am. If I then your Lord and Master
32:43
have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's
32:48
feet. And then verse 16, verily
32:52
verily, I say unto you, the ice, the servant is not greater than
32:55
his Lord. Neither he, that is sent greater
32:59
than he that sent him. If you know these things happy
33:04
are ye if ye do them once again, that's the difference between a
33:09
wise man and a foolish man. The wise men who hears the words
33:13
of the Lord and does them the foolish man, hears the words of
33:16
the Lord and doesn't do them. So So, happy are we if we'll
33:21
just do those things? And then he makes this prophecy,
33:26
he's troubled in the spirit and he says, one of you shall betray
33:30
me and then disciples looked on one another doubting of whom he
33:33
spake. Look at verse 23.
33:36
Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom, one of his disciples whom
33:41
Jesus loved. Can you see how in this kind of
33:46
a reclined seating arrangement? That would be perfectly natural
33:51
for John to be able to be in the bosom of Jesus, as opposed to
33:57
sitting at a table and so Simon beckoned to him that he should
34:01
ask who it should be of whom he spake.
34:04
He then lying. Jesus breast saith unto him.
34:06
Lord who is it? And Jesus is response.
34:09
Was he? It is to whom I shall give us op
34:13
when I have dipped it and when he had dipped this op he gave it
34:17
to Judas. Iscariot the son of Simon.
34:21
I could be wrong on this but it seems that if you're reclining
34:25
at a table with food here and he takes a piece of of maybe
34:31
unleavened bread and dips it in charoset.
34:34
Thus, op that you're not able to reach very far to give that
34:39
piece of bread to people. You could give it to the person
34:43
sitting in front of you, but we know who's sitting in front of
34:45
him because John is leaning in the savior's bosom.
34:51
So, John's right in front of him.
34:52
I guess you could lean around John if Judas were in front, but
34:57
for me, the most likely place for Judas to be at this point to
35:01
be able to take this op from Jesus in this reclined position.
35:04
Action would be right behind him, which is symbolically.
35:12
The perfect place for Judas to be on that night.
35:16
He's he's got the back of the Savior.
35:20
It's this I've got your back, the ultimate, backstabber the
35:24
betrayer is right there, and Jesus hands.
35:28
Him the shop at which point some of you are wondering, why didn't
35:33
the rest of the Apostles just gang, tackle, Judas and beat him
35:35
up? They know you're not going to
35:37
betray Jesus. John gives you the answer.
35:41
Let's go to verse 27. And after this op Satan entered
35:45
into him, then said Jesus unto him that thou doest do quickly.
35:51
Now, no man at the table, knew for what intent, he spake this
35:53
unto him for some of them thought because Judas had the
35:56
bag, he's the treasurer, he's taking care of their budget.
36:02
That Jesus had said unto him by those things that we have need
36:04
of against the feast or that he should give something to the
36:08
poor. Remember in John's gospel, All
36:09
the Feast of the Passover is going to be the next night.
36:12
So John are Judas, go and make some purchases for our Feast of
36:18
the Passover tomorrow night. And so, all the other Apostles
36:21
are around the table going, okay?
36:22
That's what's happening. And you go to realize these
36:25
these Disciples of all been together now for many many
36:27
months, and we don't have any hint that any of them had ever
36:31
seen. That Judas had any point, was
36:34
angry, or mad at Jesus, around what Jesus was doing sure.
36:39
The That questions that time they were confused.
36:42
So it was only in retrospect to the disciples, could see the
36:45
patterns that Judas had exhibited and there's been some
36:48
speculation about what would have motivated.
36:50
Iscariot Judas, Iscariot and one of the proposals I think, is
36:53
kind of interesting at this time of the Jews, there are many Jews
36:57
who felt that Rome needed to be violently overthrown and out of
37:02
power in Israel, by military force.
37:05
And so, if you were a Jew who believes in that, kind of a
37:08
messiah, Ajan a disciple, possibly, someone like Judas,
37:12
who thinks that the Messiah, which he has found should be a
37:15
military hero. And yet, what is he hearing more
37:17
and more this humility of serving and loving?
37:23
And I'm not here to militarily overthrow, anybody, you might
37:27
feel like you've been sieved or that this is a false Messiah,
37:32
and it's time to remove To remove this Messiah and this
37:36
gets back to something. You said to other episodes, what
37:39
we think about people will be true for us about them.
37:45
And if we think God is a merciful god we will experience
37:49
that if we think that he's just mean and just at probably all
37:52
we're going to see if that's all we choose to see and I wonder if
37:56
Judas Iscariot had failed to really see the full
37:59
characteristic of Jesus. And instead only the Judas only
38:02
saw what he wanted to see and he didn't like what he saw.
38:06
And therefore he decided to take action which is for me, I think
38:11
We're a my life, do I create narratives about other people or
38:16
institutions or situations and act on that without really
38:20
verifying are my assumptions? Correct?
38:25
So look at John's conclusion to this to this little part of the
38:29
story, verse 30. He then having received this op
38:32
went immediately out and it was night.
38:39
John is signaling a lot more than just the fact that it's now
38:44
dark outside. It was night, this is a, this is
38:48
a dark moment where Judas Iscariot is going out into the
38:53
night to now work with those Chief priests and scribes to
38:57
betray Jesus and so it's possible, we don't know.
39:04
But if you were to take the synoptic accounts of Jesus
39:07
implementing the sacrament, With John's account, not covering the
39:11
sacrament, but the washing the feet and they don't cover the
39:13
washing of the feet over in Matthew.
39:15
Mark and Luke. If you were to put them
39:17
together, it's possible that while Judas had his feet washed,
39:21
it's also possible that he didn't get the sacrament at its
39:25
at its first introduction to the apostles, the he's gone.
39:30
And now you could possibly insert the sacrament, but at the
39:33
end of the day, we don't know for sure.
39:36
Look at verse 33 now Little children yet a little while.
39:41
I am with you, you shall seek me.
39:43
And, as I said, under the Jews, whither, I go ye cannot come.
39:46
So now I say unto you. So he's saying I'm going to go
39:51
somewhere where you can't come. You can't follow me immediately,
39:55
but I'm going to say to you something very important, verse
39:57
34, a new commandment. I give unto you, that ye love
40:02
one another as I have loved you. That ye also love one another.
40:08
And closing know that the lord loves you beyond anything.
40:14
He could describe. So lest, we forget that the
40:19
price he paid for the love that he has for you.
40:22
He invites us to come and partake of the sacrament of the
40:25
Lord's supper, and he has provided his body and his blood
40:29
for us every week. So, in the first episode, we
40:36
covered those events in the in the upper room in the
40:41
experience. With the last supper, with all
40:44
of John Chapter 13 in the first half of Matthew, 26 and and Mark
40:48
14. So today we're going to pick up
40:52
Matthew and Luke's account of going into Gethsemane to begin
40:58
that process of his infinite atonement.
41:03
What? A Fitting Place.
41:04
Place to start that process in. If you look in Matthew 26 verse
41:10
36. It says then cometh Jesus with
41:13
them unto a place called Gethsemane next week in in those
41:21
two episodes were going to cover the remainder of the teachings
41:25
of Jesus during his last supper in the upper room and the sermon
41:29
as he's walking up the Kidron Valley followed by his
41:33
intercessory prayer. So tell her we talked about the
41:35
name is the lesson and this might be one of those cases
41:40
where you have this name, Gethsemane or got Shaman.
41:45
Was that mean? Yeah.
41:46
So so Chemin is this oil and gas in the Old Testament, or in
41:55
Hebrew is a press. So, it's to press oil.
42:00
So Gethsemane is the English form of the Greek word gets some
42:05
money and comes from this Hebrew root where we're going to press
42:11
those olives in such a way that they symbolically bleed from.
42:17
Every pore they get crushed under the weight.
42:22
Now this is a two-step process. So here you see pictured a
42:27
millstone, these these are very large and they're very heavy and
42:33
very effective at there. You're crushing job.
42:37
So what happens is you pick the olives, you throw them in this
42:41
Stone Basin that you can see here, and then you have an
42:47
animal hooked up to this pole or servants, or members of your
42:52
family, whoever you can can get to push this.
42:55
This poll in a circle and just walk in a circle and that giant
43:00
Millstone will just sit there and and Crush.
43:04
All of those olives that are in that this Basin leaving it with
43:09
this Mash. It's this mixture of of skin and
43:15
Pope and the pits, the stone-pits that have been kind
43:19
of crushed pulverized combined with the water and the oil, and
43:25
then phase two, you come. And you scoop this out.
43:30
You put it into wicker, baskets. It's a form of a mesh bag.
43:34
And then you put it in one of these presses.
43:37
There's a couple times, but the other screw Press Room, put
43:40
enormous pressure, and keep twisting that screw to make it,
43:45
press harder, and harder on the olives.
43:48
So, you'll notice that as that pressure ways down on those
43:54
bags, or those, the the burlap sacks that the contain this Mash
44:00
out uses the oil, the water Water and the more runny pulp
44:06
and then it drips down this front edge, to be kind of
44:11
collected in the first first bin to separate out the pulp.
44:16
So, years ago, I was a student at the Brigham Young University,
44:19
Jerusalem Center, and they have outside in the garden area.
44:23
They have replica a place to crush and press all of us that
44:28
was there in the Autumn time. So we harvested olives and we
44:31
crush them, and then we put them into a press one.
44:34
The actually the Byzantine presses from the after the time
44:37
of Jesus and I came walking up a staircase where this is
44:43
happening and I remember just being shocked, almost lost my
44:46
breath and fainted because when I saw the oil pouring out it was
44:52
blood red and was poring over this beautiful white Jerusalem,
44:56
Limestone that was shocking to me.
44:59
I had always Associated olive oil, but this beautiful golden
45:03
hue. I've seen all of the oil used
45:06
and priesthood blessings. I had used it.
45:08
So I was shocked like my first my immediate thought was
45:12
somebody's bleeding. I mean, I thought that without
45:15
even thinking it was just like the most subconscious thing.
45:19
And then I realized no, it's the olive oil.
45:21
And what was so impressive to me was suddenly I came to
45:24
understand why olives and olive oil are such a powerful symbol
45:28
for the atonement of Jesus Christ, is because of Hmong
45:32
other things, when they are pressed with extreme pressure,
45:36
they bleed out from the pores and the olive oil is looks like
45:41
blood. So this is one of the critical
45:49
features of a village in the first century.
45:52
An oil press type facility. Now we get to see how it
45:57
actually. Functions this big, massive,
46:00
crushing stone. That is so heavy.
46:03
You got this leverage here and let's see if we can move this
46:06
thing a little bit. It's actually quite a bit of
46:10
work. So sometimes they would put an
46:14
animal like a donkey or something that would turn this
46:18
thing around. It's a lot of work to crush the
46:20
olives and we have some olives here.
46:22
So let's get some on here in crush.
46:24
Let's try, let's try it out. So, let's begin with just a
46:28
single Olive. In the Press more representative
46:32
of the Savior going into Gethsemane that oil press
46:36
ancient lie. You can hear that thing.
46:49
Crushing, you can see the oil that's been pressed out there.
46:54
Yes. Okay.
46:57
So yeah, we're just done one. We just done one, you can
47:01
picture. What would happen if you dump a
47:03
whole set of olives in here, they all get crushing it turns
47:08
into a mash. Let's let's go over and see the
47:11
result of that. So here we have a basket already
47:18
of crushed olives. So you have in here, the pits,
47:22
the stone, or the, the skin, the pulp, the water, the oil all
47:27
mixed in together and it's pretty and leaves.
47:31
It's pretty hard to get the oil, any other way, than, by pressing
47:38
it at this point. So we've crushed it all open.
47:40
Now, we need to put it in the Press, we put it into these
47:44
special bags. It allow the oil to To seep
47:47
through and we'll put it into this.
47:50
Screw press here. This press is a couple centuries
47:54
later the time of Jesus, but it still has the same effect.
47:59
Of allowing the oil to be processed and we'll just take
48:06
opposite sides here. And you can see the oil will
48:12
start to pour out dripping and then coming down into this
48:17
container. So the sludge stays behind and
48:33
only the oil and water finish that journey and they drop into
48:38
the same container. And as you know oil doesn't like
48:42
mixing with water floats to the top and so as this container
48:47
here fills up more and more and more the oil at the top now can
48:53
be drained off through this little Channel.
48:58
And what you get in this other collecting bin is the pure olive
49:03
oil and it is valuable to those people.
49:07
They use it in their cooking, they use it for medicine, they
49:10
use it for light it, a society back, then uses olive oil for
49:16
lots and lots of things. So in some ways oil, ancient and
49:21
modern, it comes as foundational product, that makes so much of
49:24
what we enjoy in society possible.
49:27
And Jesus goes to the epicenter of where that product is
49:31
produced, and he himself is the foundation of everything in our
49:36
lives that we care about. That brings us joy, light
49:39
healing, happiness, Transportation, whatever like
49:43
Jesus is at the source. So the symbolism here, I just
49:47
could not imagine a more powerful symbol to represent
49:51
what Jesus is doing for us than right here in the Garden of
49:53
Gethsemane. Yeah.
49:55
So He comes in with them to a place called Gethsemane.
50:02
So this oil press if you've seen the process now, how we get the
50:06
oil to show kind of the significance of the location
50:10
where he begins this process and he says to his disciples eight
50:14
of them because we've lost Judas from the the Last Supper.
50:18
He he's now gone to conspire with the priests and so he takes
50:23
his eleven Apostles leaves eight of them here.
50:27
At the, at the beginning place of the guests emeny.
50:31
So it's inside of a cave like this where there was actually a
50:36
functioning oil press in the first century.
50:38
Now, keep in mind, this is Passover time period.
50:43
So that means it's the first full moon after the Spring
50:47
Equinox. So this oil press isn't going to
50:51
be functioning as an oil press in the spring is just in a cave
50:55
as a loyal presses back. Back then were, they were either
50:58
in caves or inside of a structure.
51:00
They never did it out in the open air.
51:03
It was always inside enclosed and it's possibly leaves.
51:08
The eight Apostles here, there are other places in the New
51:12
Testament where we see that he was often going to the Mount of
51:16
Olives to spend the night. It's probable that he has spent
51:22
many a night in the cave. The Grotto of Gethsemane
51:28
protection from the elements. A place to spend the night when
51:32
you're from out of town and the temperatures are the same year.
51:35
Round, what's also interesting to me from a symbolic standpoint
51:39
is that Jesus is entering the Earth.
51:42
It's like he's symbolically is descending below all things to
51:46
participate in the suffering. Beginning of his ministry, he
51:50
gets baptized at the lowest place on Earth that you can get
51:53
to without going underground which is right near the Dead
51:56
Sea. The Jordan River he descends
51:57
below all things. Fact, the word Jordan means to
52:00
go down. He goes down and symbolic death
52:02
and comes back up. And here he is doing that again.
52:05
Symbolically going in the ground.
52:07
So he goes with his Apostles. Perhaps into that cave and says
52:13
seek ye here, while I go and pray Yonder, see here, While I
52:19
go and pray Yonder is an interesting thing to say because
52:22
keep in mind. It was night when Judas left
52:27
now. They've come on, this little
52:29
over half mile hike up the Kidron Valley.
52:33
He's been Des coercing to them in John 15 and 16.
52:38
He's given the intercessory prayer on gents in John 17 will
52:41
cover all of these stories next week.
52:43
And then he's come into this place called Gethsemane, so it
52:48
could be as late as, you know, 10:00 11:00 12:00 at night, we
52:52
just don't know. But it's late.
52:55
They've just eaten a meal, they've come on a long walk.
52:59
And he says, sit, ye here while I go and pray Yonder, and then
53:02
he turns to Peter, James, and John and says you're coming with
53:05
me. Verse 37, and he took with him
53:09
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be very
53:14
sort of began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
53:19
If you look at your Greek footnote there in 37a is says
53:26
began to be distressed and troubled.
53:30
Can I suggest that in the history of the gospels up to
53:35
this point? I don't know that.
53:38
We've seen, Jesus distressed and troubled.
53:41
Before, I know he's seen it in some very difficult settings,
53:44
but he seemed to always be able to just weather the storms,
53:51
whatever they may be, but this one as it starts to descend.
53:55
He's distressed, he's troubled, he's deeply grieved.
54:00
So listen to some of the other words, we can use to translate
54:03
this Greek word Lupe, oh too. Distressed to grieve to Vex to
54:09
be in pain to experience, deep emotional pain, severe Sorrows
54:14
of your grief very intense. And in fact, it may be that you
54:21
can't even find a word that really fully describes what
54:24
Jesus was experiencing. Yeah.
54:26
So he's used this word previously, in the gospels to
54:31
refer to, his disciples response to certain situations.
54:36
He's used it in Parables, but the word has never been used, to
54:41
refer to Jesus himself. This is the first time in the
54:44
gospels where we see Jesus being A very sorrowful, and very
54:51
heavy. That's, that's symbolic of what
54:56
is happening in this place called the place of the oil
55:01
press, it's, as if he's beginning to feel the weight,
55:05
come down upon him and it's having an effect.
55:11
So, now verse 38 says, then saith he unto them.
55:15
My soul is exceeding. Feeding sorrowful even unto
55:20
death, tarry ye here and watch with me.
55:26
You can fill the Magnitude of what we've just entered into in
55:33
our scripture reading here. We're now treading on very, very
55:36
sacred ground. And here we are with finite
55:40
minds and finite capacities. And we're starting to talk about
55:46
things of infinite proportions and it's very, it's very
55:52
difficult to talk about these in a way that is, that is
55:57
descriptive or all-encompassing of what's going on.
56:00
Because this is, this is infinite agony.
56:03
That's beginning here. This is sacred ground.
56:07
And I think it's important for us to acknowledge that when he
56:12
turns to Peter, James, and John and uses a is phrase.
56:18
My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.
56:23
I think what he's saying here to them is this this hurts so
56:30
deeply so profoundly. This Agony is so intense.
56:36
That I'm not sure I'm going to survive.
56:40
This even unto death. It's that idea of, oh, no.
56:45
What have I gotten myself into? I know, I covenanted, I know I
56:48
promised to do this, but this is way harder than I thought it
56:52
would be. And then, his invitation tarry
56:56
ye here and watch with me. Pay attention, not that Peter,
57:02
James and John could take this suffering away, not that, they
57:05
could light. In the load but have you noticed
57:08
that when you're intensely suffering?
57:12
But it somehow makes the suffering a little more bearable
57:15
when you know that you're being watched over when you know that
57:18
somebody's with you and is aware of your suffering.
57:24
And thus begins this. This infinite agony process
57:27
where Jesus doesn't seem to get anything good.
57:32
Or any thing that would would lighten the load.
57:36
Even the three Apostles here are going to fall asleep on on three
57:41
occasions this night during this process and culturally the
57:46
Passover night is a time when people would often stay up late
57:49
talking about the glories of God's salvation of how he has
57:53
liberated people. From oppression in Egypt and at
57:56
other times and they'd all be wanting to share these stories
57:58
and stay awake to share those stories with one another.
58:01
And here's the greatest act of Deliverance ever happening.
58:05
And Jesus needs that Community with him, he wants that that
58:09
they can experience and see and support him as he produces that
58:14
final Deliverance that we all need and they can't stay awake.
58:21
So verse 39. Says, and he went a little
58:25
further and fell on his face. You've seen many depictions,
58:34
artistic Renditions of the suffering in Gethsemane, many of
58:40
them like this. This famous painting by Harry
58:43
Anderson that has been used for four years in the church.
58:46
And it's a good painting. We're not, we're not picking it
58:50
apart, but the problem is many depictions of Gethsemane have
58:56
shown Jesus newing down next to an olive tree, or next to a
59:01
Iraq. And looking up to heaven.
59:04
Matthew, and Luke and, and Mark, give us this added Dimension
59:12
that he didn't go a little further from Peter, James, and
59:15
John and kneel down. He went a little further and he
59:19
fell to the ground on his face. I don't know if there was
59:25
another time in the history of the Life of Christ, where you
59:30
see this level of humanity, this level of of him falling to the
59:37
ground where he can't go in and stand under the weight, he can't
59:41
go in and Neil under the weight. He goes in and he falls to the
59:45
ground under the weight again, I feel silly even.
59:51
Even trying to talk about it because it's such a significant
59:55
moment. And I feel so unqualified to
1:00:01
even say anything about this. But I can imagine, I can imagine
1:00:08
what it might have looked like from a premortal up, in heaven,
1:00:15
Angelic perspective. If we were allowed to see this
1:00:19
event unfold, That night in Gethsemane, in the next morning
1:00:23
on the cross. If we were allowed to see it
1:00:26
happen, I can imagine him going into that Garden a little
1:00:31
further and falling to the ground on his face.
1:00:36
I can picture. Maybe a collective gasp of
1:00:40
surprise or huh. What's going to happen now?
1:00:44
Is I don't think we've seen this kind of thing from Jesus as an
1:00:49
adult. On the earth and we surely
1:00:52
didn't ever see that kind of thing with Jehovah in the
1:00:56
premortal councils up in heaven with us.
1:01:00
This is new ground and then Here Comes his prayer.
1:01:06
Now, you can turn over to. I love marks version of the
1:01:10
prayer. He gives us a little more detail
1:01:13
here. If you go over to Mark, chapter
1:01:14
44, 14 verse 36. His prayer is worded like this.
1:01:21
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee.
1:01:28
Take away this cup from me. Nevertheless, not what I will.
1:01:33
But what thou Wilt now, you'll notice how quickly I just read
1:01:36
through that. I could be wrong but I don't
1:01:41
think that Jesus offered that prayer the way I read it.
1:01:45
Just barely I don't picture him him very quickly.
1:01:50
Working his way through Phase 1 and Phase 2 in this in this
1:01:55
plea. Abba Father.
1:01:57
All things are possible unto thee.
1:01:58
Take away this cup from me. Nevertheless not what I will.
1:02:04
But what thou Wilt I can picture a long.
1:02:09
Painful drawn-out moment of silence.
1:02:14
When he's on the ground and in Matthew and Luke's account, not
1:02:19
just on the ground, but on the ground on his face.
1:02:22
And he's pleading, Abba, Father, all things are possible.
1:02:29
Remove this cup from me, you'll notice he's saying what he wants
1:02:33
and what he wants is for the suffering to end, he wants it to
1:02:38
stop. Almost as if to say on one
1:02:42
occasion I believe his Elder Maxwell.
1:02:44
Who said it's as if he's saying if there's any other possible
1:02:49
way that we can fulfill this promise that I made, let's do it
1:02:54
that other way. And then I can picture this long
1:02:57
drawn-out moment of silence waiting for an answer. and when
1:03:02
the suffering was not removed, then comes what has, since
1:03:10
become my personal favorite word in the English language and it's
1:03:17
not a very pretty word to look at.
1:03:19
It's not a very nice word to say, it's very clunky, it's
1:03:23
long, it's complex. But oh, what is contained in
1:03:30
that word? when Jesus said never the less,
1:03:36
oh, how I love that word because of that moment, when all of
1:03:41
eternity is weighing down on him and when he's just asked for the
1:03:47
father, to remove that cup from him to remove the suffering and
1:03:54
we need to pause there and say, why couldn't that have happened?
1:03:59
Why didn't that suffering get removed?
1:04:04
If you look in the Book of Mormon in second D, Phi, chapter
1:04:07
9, verse 7 and 8. The prophet Jacob brother of
1:04:12
Nephi. He gives us some detail into
1:04:16
that question right there. Listen to what he says,
1:04:20
wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement.
1:04:25
Save, it should be an infinite atonement.
1:04:28
This corruption could not put on incorruption, where, for the
1:04:31
first judgment, which came upon me.
1:04:32
Man must needs have remained to an endless duration and if so
1:04:39
this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its
1:04:43
mother earth to rise, no more. If Jesus doesn't complete an
1:04:49
infinite atonement, our bodies would rot and crumble to Mother
1:04:54
Earth to rise. No more.
1:04:55
Look at verse 8. Oh, the wisdom of God has mercy
1:04:59
and Grace for behold. If the flesh should rise no
1:05:02
more. Our Spirits must become subject
1:05:05
to that angel who fell from before the presence of the
1:05:09
Eternal God and became the devil to rise.
1:05:14
No. More.
1:05:17
Are you seeing the hunting symbolism here?
1:05:21
Jacob just taught you, what would happen to your flesh, your
1:05:24
body and to your spirit. If Jesus Christ, doesn't
1:05:29
complete an infinite atonement in our behalf, And the four
1:05:34
words that he uses to describe the outcome for both body and
1:05:38
spirit for us is to rise. No more.
1:05:43
That is the ultimate definition of death and Hell. so Jesus is
1:05:50
on the ground, pleading for this cup to be removed and I can
1:05:55
picture this tension of Oh no, it can't be removed because if
1:06:03
it's removed if we don't complete an infinite atonement,
1:06:07
we're in trouble and you'll notice there's no mention of any
1:06:11
response from the father at this point that he's praying to Abba
1:06:17
Father. All things are possible.
1:06:21
Remove this cup from me. Elder Neal, a Maxwell, gave a
1:06:26
talk many many years ago to seminarians to teachers, where
1:06:29
he talked about this significance of this where he
1:06:33
spoke of the idea that there was never a more faithful son.
1:06:38
There was never a more obedient child than Jesus, was all
1:06:43
growing up and all through his, his adult life up to this point
1:06:48
everything he's ever done. Has been for the glory of the
1:06:52
father. He's always deferring to God.
1:06:56
The Father, what would thou have me do that?
1:06:59
Will I do when anybody tried to compliment him, he would reflect
1:07:04
that compliment to God. The Father, there was never a
1:07:09
person who deserved to suffer less than Jesus.
1:07:15
And now, in this moment in that Garden, On that ground.
1:07:21
That is now. Holy and sacred.
1:07:23
He's pleading to his father, to remove it.
1:07:29
Wow, the the significance of that moment and then with that
1:07:33
Silence, with the pain, not being removed, and then that
1:07:37
word, never the less. The other way that we could
1:07:42
word. This is always the greater
1:07:48
William Tyndale is credited with making up that word.
1:07:52
It's to take two phrases phrase, A and B, and to say in spite of
1:07:59
a, or despite a happening, nevertheless, it's a cause
1:08:05
counter effect with a greater emphasis always the greater
1:08:10
emphasis on what is to follow the word.
1:08:13
So, let's unpack this for a minute over here, phrase.
1:08:17
A is remove this cup for me. It's what he wanted.
1:08:20
Stop the suffering now. never the less emphasis is taken off
1:08:29
of his will and put onto the father's will Oh, how I love the
1:08:35
Lord for this moment that he didn't get up and walk out of
1:08:39
the garden and say nope this is too hard.
1:08:44
He stayed there and Loud allowed his will to be swallowed up in
1:08:50
the will of the father. Now, the question here is what
1:08:55
exactly is in that Millstone? That is weighing him down, so
1:09:03
powerfully that he can't, he can't even stand or kneel under
1:09:08
it. What's in here on that night for
1:09:13
that loan, symbolic Olive to be crushed by this weight.
1:09:20
And most would say, well, it's clearly the sins of the world
1:09:25
and you're right. A sins of the world's would
1:09:28
absolutely weigh him down and if you stop and think about what
1:09:32
are the, what are the natural consequences that flow from our
1:09:36
sinful decisions and sinful actions We've all experienced
1:09:41
this. There's regret, there's remorse.
1:09:49
There's guilt and shame. Now I need to pause here for
1:09:55
just a moment. We've only listed for natural
1:09:58
consequences that flow from committing sins.
1:10:02
Jesus never having committed any sins.
1:10:05
How many times in 33 years of life has he felt the human
1:10:10
emotion of regret of oh I shouldn't have said that or I
1:10:16
shouldn't have done that or the human Emotion of remorse or
1:10:20
guilt or shame. Because of foolish decisions
1:10:25
were choices that he's made. Not once has, he felt that pit
1:10:31
in his stomach of guilt for doing something that he
1:10:34
shouldn't have done? We would assume in this eternal
1:10:38
moral law perspective, he is perfect.
1:10:41
As far as God's laws are concerned.
1:10:43
He doesn't know what these feel like experientially.
1:10:47
Now, the Book of Mormon teaches us that the spirit knoweth all
1:10:51
things, he could learn these But he's never experienced them and
1:10:56
now he goes from 0 to infinite. In a few steps in that Garden.
1:11:02
Is it any wonder that he would have turned to Peter?
1:11:05
James, and John and told them to sit and watch because his soul
1:11:09
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, as he starts feeling
1:11:14
the weight and this is just the natural consequences there are a
1:11:18
whole bunch more. You feel alone?
1:11:21
You feel isolated, you feel pain, you feel.
1:11:24
Loss of respect and loss of appetite loss of energy loss of
1:11:30
will to keep going depressed, anxious, the list, just keeps
1:11:35
going and going and going, and it is not a pleasant list and
1:11:38
now all of a sudden he's taking all of that.
1:11:44
I love the fact that the Book of Mormon adds a lot more detail to
1:11:49
this infinite, atoning sacrifice event and to try to pinpoint
1:11:55
exactly where, and when and in what proportions all of this was
1:11:59
felt. That's impossible.
1:12:02
This is an infinite atonement. But if you look at mosiah, Seven
1:12:12
and Alma chapter 7 verses 11 through 12.
1:12:18
You get King Benjamin, the words of an Angel here and you get
1:12:22
Alma the younger teaching us some additional aspects of what
1:12:26
Christ would go through for us. So, before we turn to those,
1:12:32
look at second Ethan, 9 verse 21, first.
1:12:35
He cometh into the world that he may save all men.
1:12:38
If they will hearken unto his voice for behold.
1:12:41
He suffereth the Pains of all men.
1:12:45
Yeah, the Pains of every living creature, both men, women and
1:12:51
children who belong to the family of Adam.
1:12:55
Those are sobering words, the Pains of every living creature.
1:13:01
Now, turn over to mosiah 37 and lo he shall suffer Temptations
1:13:06
and pain of body hunger, thirst fatigue, even more than man can
1:13:12
suffer, except it be unto death for behold, Blood come us from
1:13:17
every pore. So, great shall be his anguish
1:13:22
for the wickedness and the Abominations of his people.
1:13:26
So to our Millstone, we need to add pain.
1:13:31
We need to add hunger. Thirst fatigue, even more than
1:13:39
man can suffer. Except it be unto death because
1:13:44
of the anguish and the wickedness of his people.
1:13:47
And if you turn over to Alma 7, this is Alma.
1:13:50
The younger who had, just given up his chief judge seat to go
1:13:53
and be a prophet full-time in the city of Gideon.
1:13:59
And he's teaching the people, some profound truths here verse
1:14:03
11 and he shall go forth suffering, pains and
1:14:07
afflictions. And temptations of every kind.
1:14:20
And this that the word might be fulfilled, which saith he will
1:14:23
take upon him. The pains and the sicknesses of
1:14:30
his people. If we, if we just extend this
1:14:36
out, the idea being that anything physical, mental,
1:14:42
emotional, the hurts that isn't quite right, that's causing
1:14:48
anguish and then you throw in the mix Temptations.
1:14:52
In section 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse 7, part way
1:14:58
down. He says this If the heavens
1:15:01
gather Blackness and all the elements combine to hedge up the
1:15:06
way and above all, if the very jaws of Hell shall gape open the
1:15:12
mouth wide after thee, know, thou, my son, that all these
1:15:17
things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy
1:15:20
good. Makes me wonder if he's speaking
1:15:25
to Joseph Smith from this very real authentic experiential
1:15:31
perspective of what it's like to have the very jaws of Health
1:15:36
gaping wide open the mouth after the when you're in the middle of
1:15:40
suffering. All of the pains hunger, thirst
1:15:42
fatigue, afflictions sicknesses not to mention all of the
1:15:47
natural consequences that flow from from wrongdoing, from sin.
1:15:54
And if you look at Doctrine and Covenants section 19, we get
1:15:58
this additional Insight. When the Lord is speaking to
1:16:04
Martin Harris through Joseph Smith and it's here where he
1:16:09
says to Martin repent, repent, lest I smite you by the rod of
1:16:17
my mouth and your sufferings beasts or house or you know.
1:16:23
Not how Exquisite, you know, not ye how hard to Bear, you know.
1:16:30
Not did you catch that three times, you know, not You have no
1:16:36
idea how painful this suffering is going to be.
1:16:41
And yet we all know how painful these items are on our list in
1:16:48
our in our Millstone here. So it seems that there's
1:16:52
something going on that we don't know and he says, in verse 16
1:16:57
for behold I God have suffered these things for all that, they
1:17:01
might not suffer if they would repent.
1:17:05
And now have you noticed how you feel these emotions when you do
1:17:08
repent? So there's clearly something
1:17:10
else going on in this infinite, atoning sacrifice process that
1:17:15
we've never experienced and don't need to ever know about
1:17:20
But if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I which
1:17:23
suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all to
1:17:27
tremble because of pain and to bleed at every pore and to
1:17:32
suffer, both body and spirit, are you catching that?
1:17:36
Here's your second. Witness of bleeding, at every
1:17:38
pore in restoration, scripture, the first one being back in
1:17:41
mosiah 37. And I would that I might not
1:17:45
drink the bitter cup and shrink. It was my will I didn't want to
1:17:50
drink the bitter cup and Shrink I didn't want to get part way
1:17:53
through and fall short and give up but he didn't give up, he
1:17:59
continued on and then verse 19 says, never the less.
1:18:07
There's my favorite word. Again, he just got through
1:18:10
talking about the infinite agony that he endured for for us.
1:18:14
And then he says, never the less.
1:18:16
So that's going to put always the greater emphasis on what
1:18:19
follows here. Glory be to the father and
1:18:25
diaper took and finish my preparations under the children
1:18:27
of men. You'll notice he didn't say I
1:18:31
did all this for you, so give me the glory.
1:18:33
Give me the credit. The always greater emphasis is
1:18:37
give God, the credit. Let him have the honor for this.
1:18:45
So now we're left to wonder what is this additional part?
1:18:51
The infinite suffering that Jesus went through that.
1:18:53
We've never experienced. Never need to.
1:18:57
There are a couple of places in the Doctrine and Covenants where
1:19:01
he hints at something, but he doesn't ever dig down and give
1:19:08
us more detailed section 76. First 107 and section. 88 verse
1:19:13
106, where he uses this phrase. That is hauntingly beautiful
1:19:20
listen to 107 in the 76 section when he shall deliver up the
1:19:26
kingdom and presented unto the father spotless saying I have
1:19:30
overcome and trodden the winepress alone.
1:19:37
The Wine Press is a little different analogy or metaphor
1:19:41
than the oil press, but it's the same idea of trotting in that
1:19:45
winepress alone staining his garments with our blood.
1:19:52
It says even the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of
1:19:58
almighty. God, can I suggest that the
1:20:03
thing that he went through and suffered that you and I never
1:20:06
need to What it feels like is Hell.
1:20:11
The Pains of a damned soul to use the phrase from from The
1:20:15
Book of Mormon and what is that it's to be completely cut off
1:20:20
from the presence of God and to suffer Godly wrath.
1:20:27
As he describes their even the fierceness of the wrath of all,
1:20:33
mighty God we don't ever need to know.
1:20:37
What that is like because he did it for us if will but repent.
1:20:43
So now, as we come full circle, back in to get cemani
1:20:48
contemplating, the terrible price that was paid to redeem.
1:20:55
Our soul beginning in Gethsemane going through the trials that
1:20:59
we're going to cover in subsequent weeks and onto the
1:21:02
cross of Calvary until he gives up the ghost.
1:21:06
This Is this infinite atoning process that begins here?
1:21:12
Doesn't end here. It lives on, and on, and on in
1:21:21
your life, and in my life, You see the bitter cup that Jesus
1:21:26
keeps eluding? To why was it so bitter?
1:21:31
It's because of what we did wrong.
1:21:34
It's because of him taking our sicknesses and sorrows and our
1:21:41
afflictions and our Temptations upon him in addition to the
1:21:46
Natural consequences of arson and the Eternal ultimate
1:21:49
consequences of our sin. That he completely shows us from
1:21:52
if we'll just repent. And it's it's is it any wonder
1:22:00
that we sing songs like How Great Thou Art.
1:22:04
And I Stand All Amazed and I need thee every hour and on and
1:22:14
on and on it goes this infinite atonement is so powerful, the
1:22:21
lest we forget he gives us Sweet cup to partake of every week at
1:22:28
the sacrament table. To remember the blood that was
1:22:32
shed for us on the cross end here in Gethsemane, lest we
1:22:37
forget the price that was paid through Reading Marshall?
1:22:42
When I reminded of all these things, I actually filter
1:22:45
Rejoice because the price has been paid.
1:22:49
The victory has been won. Of course, that will conclude,
1:22:54
and be fully fulfilled at the cross and the resurrection.
1:22:57
And so, we can remember these things and think about these
1:22:59
things. But ultimately is to feel
1:23:01
gratitude, remember, we were taught the Book of Mormon God
1:23:04
set up the Plan of Salvation that we might experience
1:23:09
happiness. So as we dwell on this, what it
1:23:13
also turn our hearts, the Deep joy that Jesus has freely done
1:23:19
this on our behalf and we can freely return to him.
1:23:23
Our love our devotion, we can turn away all our sins again,
1:23:27
like we see in the Book of Mormon, we can give away all of
1:23:30
our sins to know, God, and to know his never-ending mercy and
1:23:36
love for us. So, ultimately, I filter rejoice
1:23:40
when we These even though the same time it deeply ache to
1:23:43
think about all that. He suffered on my behalf.
1:23:46
We will finish telling the rest of the stories that took place
1:23:50
in Gethsemane in two weeks when we cover Luke 22 and John 18.
1:23:58
But for now we want to finish with this one verse that we
1:24:06
didn't cover in Alma 7 verse 12. I love this verse says, and he
1:24:14
will take upon Him death. That he may loose the bands of
1:24:19
death, which bind his people. If you just put the word so in
1:24:25
front of that, it might be a little more clear as to what
1:24:30
that word that is dramatically doing in that, in that phrase,
1:24:35
he will take upon Him death. So that he may loose the bands
1:24:39
of death, which bind his people, And he will take upon Him their
1:24:45
infirmities that or so that his bowels may be filled with Mercy,
1:24:52
according to the flesh. Why so that he may know
1:25:00
according to the flesh, how to succor his people, according to
1:25:03
their infirmities, It's not generic, it's not General, it's
1:25:10
very specific according to their infirmities.
1:25:15
Brothers and sisters. The, the promises are sure.
1:25:19
There will be a day when every one of us will get to come into
1:25:25
the presence of the Lord. Jesus Christ face to face.
1:25:32
And he won't look at us with a questioning or curious.
1:25:36
Look in his eyes and on his face wondering how was it, what was
1:25:41
it like to be you and to go through the struggles in the
1:25:45
trials in the pains and the combinations of afflictions,
1:25:48
mental emotional, spiritual familial.
1:25:51
What was that? Like, Jesus is the only one who
1:25:57
perfectly understands you who completely and infinitely sees
1:26:04
you and knows exactly what you're going through, because he
1:26:09
went through it, all alone in that great talk given by Elder
1:26:13
Jeffrey are Holland in general conference and none were with
1:26:16
him. He talks about the fact that
1:26:18
Jesus walked that lonely road all alone for you.
1:26:24
So that you would never have to be alone.
1:26:26
You never have to feel Forsaken and cut off.
1:26:29
As he felt in the garden and through the trials.
1:26:34
And on the cross, the next morning, So in closing know that
1:26:40
our testimony is, the Jesus suffering was real.
1:26:45
And his Mercy for you is real, thank heaven.
1:26:51
That, that suffering didn't Tim bitter him Elder Neal a Maxwell
1:26:56
said, he partook of History's bitterest cup.
1:26:59
Without becoming bitter. instead of turning to us with anger and
1:27:05
and revenge in his eyes, he turns to us with open arms and
1:27:12
nothing but perfect love in his eyes and remember, When you
1:27:18
sacrifice for someone Your Capacity to love them, increases
1:27:23
the greater the sacrifice. The greater the capacity to
1:27:27
love. Perhaps, that's why Jesus loves
1:27:32
you. So infinitely and perfectly is
1:27:37
because he sacrificed and suffered, so, completely and
1:27:41
infinitely in your behalf, and in my behalf, How we love the
1:27:46
Lord and how we pray. His richest blessings to be on
1:27:50
all of us as we strive to move forward, in this great effort,
1:27:54
and these the latter days is our prayer in the name of Jesus
1:27:59
Christ, amen. Know that you're loved.