Come Follow Me LDS- Easter, Episode 5: Thursday- Gethsemane

- Peter was asked to deny?
- Overwhelmed, Jesus chooses us and His Father's will
- Jesus sentenced to death for blasphemy

 

 

Come Follow Me Easter

LDS Mormon

 

this episode covers the events that

happen on Thursday during the week of

Easter this is the Last Supper and

Jesus's decision to go through with

everything here we go

okay so while Jesus is again in Bethany

before he heads out to Jerusalem for the

Last Supper another woman comes to him

and anoints him with very expensive oil

and she anoints this time his head and

the same thing happens that happened

before on Palm Sunday where Mary had the

woman Mary had anointed Jesus on his

feet and had washed his feet with her

hair and this was essentially an

anointing or representation of the

anointing of Jesus as a king remember

that he came through in the procession

on the donkey with all the people with

the palms the lulav probably and she was

anointing him as the king this is the

way it should be because it's because a

woman would anoint the King in the sense

that the woman is the throne we've

talked about this previously this is

what happened in that temple drama with

the Israelites in ancient times is that

the king would be born out of the throne

from the holy of Holy's and this is what

you read about in Psalm 110 and so a

woman would be the one that would be

anointing him for this because of the

birth she represents the throne and here

another woman unidentified comes to

Jesus and anoints his head and as he

says you always have the poor with you

he says the same thing and again he's in

Bethany the poor are everywhere around

him it's a poor house it's a City of

Refuge it's probably a religious center

and another woman anoints his head but

this time it is for his burial and so

what you have is the woman on Palm

Sunday a woman representing birth and

representing the throne and then another

woman now who is anointing him for his

burial for his death because women

represent birth that that step into

mortality and then when

represent the step out of mortality they

represent those steps of eternal

progression that we all go through so

here the woman a woman is anointing him

again the other thing is why what the

authors of the Gospels want to really

specify here or to remind us of is that

he is the Christ what really does that

mean we don't talk as much about that it

means the anointed The Anointed One

that's what Messiah means Hebrew is

Messiah Greek is Christ

it means The Anointed One so here we're

getting this emphasis through this holy

week here of him being anointed as the

king and as the one who will go through

the atonement who will take on the sins

of the world and resurrect and then we

hear about Judas Iscariot who he

actually goes to and approaches the

chief priests and the elders and he

wants to know hey what are you gonna pay

me if I betray Jesus so he makes he

initiates this and they tell him that

they're going to pay him thirty pieces

of silver if he will betray Jesus and

so he agrees to that and now Judas is

looking for an opportunity from here on

out throughout the rest of this day and

night to betray Jesus and then they get

ready for the Last Supper

I'm looking here at Luke 22 and this is

an interesting point if you look at the

last episode on Seder on the Seder meal

he says here in verse 8 19 and he took

bread and gave thanks and brake it and

gave unto them saying this is my body

which is given for you this do in

remembrance of me if you notice the

sacrament prayers we all we mentioned

that about remembrance to remember him

and in 20 he says likewise also the cup

after supper so in the Seder meal you

would have the bread the unleavened

bread break that pieces of the

Komen which is a representation of

Christ give it around everybody and they

would take that and then you would have

the feast and you would have a

sacrificial lamb you would eat the

sacrificial lamb and after you've had

the feast then you go to the third cup

of the Seder meal which is the cup of

redemption and so when you drink that

cup of wine you just called the cup of

redemption he says right here likewise

also the cup after supper saying this

cup is the New Testament in my blood

which is shed for you

so the sacrament can be divided into two

different laws two different priesthoods

even and that is the lower and the

higher law the bread is his body it

represents the lower law the Aaronic law

the mortal law the carnal law and the

Old Testament if you will or the Old

Covenant and the wine or water for us

represents the higher law that is the

law of Christ that is the law of mercy

and of grace and the Melchizedek law and

this is exactly what Jesus points out

here he doesn't say this about the bread

he only says this about the wine that

this is the cup that this cup is the New

Testament in my blood right this is the

New Covenant this is the full

restoration of the Melchizedek

Priesthood this is the Abrahamic

covenant this is Christ bringing in

everything that has to do with a higher

law with the Melchizedek law and so when

we partake of the sacrament we might

remember that that the lower law the

ironic law is the bread of his body it

is the immortal law and it's what we do

in obedience and in prayer and reaching

out to reach toward God it's us doing at

one mint atonement to reach up to God

and then the water wine is God reaching

down to us through the sacrifice

yeah in the atonement here and so that

is the higher law and then comes some

counsel and some words from Jesus to

Peter and this is an important part of

the context here of what happens with

Peter with his denial I think and well

let's go through this says here in

Luke 22 verse 32 this is before right

before Jesus talks about Peter denying

him he says but I have prayed for the

talking about Simon Peter that thy faith

fail not and when thou art converted

strengthen thy brethren in other words

we know that Peter has been given the

keys already and he is telling Peter

here that you are going to be in charge

so you need to strengthen thy brethren

you need to strengthen the other

apostles you need to strengthen the

church you are going to be in charge

that's an important piece of information

for us

as we go down a little further

where Peter replies and he says Lord I

am ready to go with thee both into

prison and to death so he is declaring

here look there is nothing that is going

to hold me back from being by your side

and I will go to death with you I will

do whatever it takes but here Jesus

comes back and we see this I think maybe

not in the right light Jesus comes back

to him and says and he said I tell thee

Peter the shall not crow this day

before that thou shalt thrice deny that

thou knowest me now here again Jesus has

just told him that he is going to be in

charge and that he needs to strengthen

everybody else and Peter makes this

declaration that I'm gonna stand by your

side no matter what

and yet Jesus says he's going to deny in

three times there's a talk given by

Spencer W Kimball I believe it was a

speech at BYU that you may have heard

about or read and that is he thought

that maybe we ought to look at this

a little differently in that what Jesus

might be telling Peter here and it seems

a parent based on the context that you

need to deny me in other words you need

your gonna be here to strengthen your

brethren and the church I need you

around I understand that you want to go

to battle here with me that you want to

protect me and be by my side and that

you are very loyal to me but you need to

stick around here because you need to

run the church when I'm gone and so

you're going to deny me I want you to

deny me and he says three times and

there are three examples that are given

but remember that number three about

denial and about asking is an important

number and it basically what he might

really be saying here with the number

three is just deny me no matter what at

any cost and in any circumstance you

need to deny me no matter what remember

Joseph Smith goes back to the Lord three

times about the manuscript 116 pages and

finally because it's three times the

Lord he had told him no every time he

finally says yes go ahead and so this

could be kind of a reference with that

number three here saying no matter what

you need to deny me and stick around

because this is my time this is the time

where I am here to be sacrificed not you

and then and then Jesus starts to make

his way toward the Mount of Olives and

this was a common thing for him to do it

says right here in Luke 39 and he came

out and went as he was want in other

words as he regularly did to the Mount

of Olives and his disciples also

followed him so he's got a large group

that would be here again this is the

feast of Passover this is there's a lot

of people that are gonna be here that

are gonna be around Jesus at this point

they probably weren't all in the upper

room but there would be a lot of

disciples we're not talking about just

the apostles here that would have been

with him where he would be going up to

the Mount of Olives to be teaching them

and to be talking with them and maybe

healing

number of people at this point so he

would be at the temple when he was in

Jerusalem usually or he would go up on

the Mount of Olives and teach there

and then he gets to Gethsemane now got

Shemen which is where we get that the

Hebrew got Shemen that means the oil

press very ironic right this is where

Jesus is going to be and the weight of

the world literally will be sitting upon

him and weighing him down this is the

oil press and just as the oil that was

used in the temple that would be used

for anointing that would be used for the

menorah it was thought of as what the

SAP that would have come out of the tree

of life and that's Jesus and here Jesus

is going to Gethsemane to basically go

through the oil press but of course it's

not oil that comes from him but it is

his blood that is shed and he saith unto

his disciples sit ye here while I go and

pray yonder so the group that would be

there right he's saying wait here and

he's gonna go out a little bit further

and he takes Peter James and John with

him and just as he did with the Mount of

Transfiguration where he was also going

up on a mount on a mountain just like

the Mount of Olives he left some people

the other people behind but he took

Peter James and John with him this is

the same thing that happened with Moses

on Sinai there are different steps of

where people could go too as they

reached further and further up to what

could be considered the holy of Holy's

the most sacred spot and here he brings

Peter James and John with him up to a

certain point up within a stone's cast

and then Jesus goes a little bit further

now it says in Matthew that Jesus was

sore amazed at this time and he was

feeling the burden and that might be

true

but it's not what Joseph Smith says

about that scripture and so if we go to

Mark's Jones of the Joseph Smith

translation of mark here's what he has

to say about this he changes this and in

verse 36 it says and they came to a

place which was named Gethsemane which

was a garden and his disciples began to

be sore may sorts the disciples that

Joseph Smith has as being sore amazed

and to be very heavy and to complain in

their hearts wondering if this be the

Messiah so their wandering still

right up to this point that Jesus is

about to go up to the top and go to

Gethsemane whether or not this is really

him is this really him it's doubt it's

it's you know trying to hang on to the

hope that that yes this is the Messiah

but even then there is doubt and I think

what the authors are trying to show here

this is what happened but I think what

they're trying to show in this narrative

is look there are he's more and more he

is going up out by himself he's got to

be alone this has to be something that

is solely by him he doesn't have in a

sense in that way the full support all

the time and in fact eventually it is

Jesus walking out completely by himself

to do what only he can do and it says

here and he went a little further this

is in Matthew 26 and fell on his face

and prayed saying O my father this is

this is the gospel right here o my

father if it be possible let this cup

pass from me nevertheless not as I will

but as thou wilt so how many times do we

find ourselves in as that circumstance

father please help me and many times we

might be saying well you just remove

this from me this burden look at Joseph

Smith in Liberty jail where he is beyond

where he can go any further and the Lord

says to him

have you are you job have you gone that

far how about have you gone as far as me

you know Peter James and John only went

so far my disciples went this far I went

all the way up to here in other words I

went as far as you can possibly go and

so sometimes we say to ourselves well I

can't can you please help me with this

but what Jesus says as he prays wanting

to have this burden possibly removed

from him the greatest opposition and

adversity anyone by an infinite level

has ever experienced he prays to his

father in heaven and says you know if

it's possible will you please take this

away but then includes in there also but

not my will I'm not looking for my will

here I want to do your will so I don't

want to do this if I don't have to but

because I love mankind and because I

love you I will do it I want to do what

thou would have me do that's an amazing

it's an amazing principle and concept

here but it's also an incredible example

it's an incredible example that is given

to us and that's part I think that right

there that attitude right there is part

of what the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

gives us is that example he went through

a process to be the one to take on the

sins of the world we go through similar

processes all the time of adversity and

struggle and a need for additional

strength and put through trials but here

Jesus says in the most difficult trial

of all I don't want to do it but I will

do thy will I will do what is necessary

and then is and then it says in verse 30

and he cometh unto the decide

and findeth them asleep just like back

with the Mount of Transfiguration just

like with Adam as he slept and saith

unto Peter what could you not watch with

me one hour remember what they are so

amazed there they're given a great

amount of burden here they are over what

is about to transpire here and they're

worn out from it all and that's why

they're sleeping watch and pray that ye

enter not into temptation the spirit

indeed is willing but the flesh is weak

now look at this is the exact inversion

of what Jesus just said in his prayer to

the Father right because he's saying to

them look the spirits willing but the

flesh is weak so if Jesus was following

that he would not end up saying but I

will do thy will right he's doing the

exact opposite and then in verse 42 it

says he went away again the second time

and prayed saying O my father if this

cup may not pass away from me except I

drink it thy will be done right so he's

he's saying so he's gone through an hour

of this already and he can't bear it

it's overwhelming but he can bear

it and so he says again this is too much

this is overwhelming but I will not stop

I will keep going anyway I will do this

anyway if it is I will any references

here the cup this is the redemptive cup

of this setter meal probably of a Seder

meal right this is the redemptive cup

and he uses this phraseology here all my

father if this cup may not pass away

from me except I drink it thy will be

done in other words someone has to drink

the redemptive cup someone has to be the

Redeemer and he's saying it because it

can be done without me having to drink

this that would be great but regardless

I will do whatever it takes and I will

follow your will and then he came again

and found them asleep again being Peter

James and John for their eyes were heavy

and he left them and went

and prayed the third time saying the

same words then cometh he to his

disciples and saith unto them sleep on

now and take your rest

behold the hours at hand and the Son of

Man is betrayed into the hand in the

hands of sinners rise let us be going

behold he is at hand that does betray me

so here

again three times he prays to the Father

about whether or not he has to go

through this and I like that I like that

that's there because even this perfect

being being Jesus Christ he's perfect

because he does follow through with the

will that doesn't mean it's not

difficult for them if it wasn't

difficult for him if it wasn't

overwhelming for him then it's not a

sacrifice right if it's not difficult

that for him to do this if it's not a

struggle for him then he wouldn't bleed

from every pore and so that creates an

example for us because we go through

these problems and we need to try to

bend our will that's part of what a

trial is I think is to learn to bend our

will to the will of God and here Jesus

is doing that and then while he says

let's go they start coming down from

Gethsemane Judas and the chief priests

and everybody else comes up to meet them

and there is a sign that was given where

Judas was going to kiss Jesus now they

knew who Jesus was right I mean he'd

been there in the temple teaching many

times and he says to them you're coming

to get me now I've been in the temple

many times and you've never you've never

grabbed me there so they know who he is

already but what this is it seems to me

this sign that they would give it could

be part of a ritual that's happening

remember they know they're going to have

crucifixions and sacrifices the

human sacrifice the following day that's

already setup it's whether or not they

can get Jesus to be a part of that

sacrifice if they can use him as a

sacrifice the crucifixions are already

planned this is already going to happen

and what they want to do is through

strategy and subtlety get Jesus to be

thrown into this at the last minute to

be someone who's going to be sacrificed

and so Judas needs to act as a witness

on this they don't have anything against

him against Jesus so they need witnesses

as to who he is and maybe there's

other things that you just said about

him so he goes up and gives him a kiss

and betrays Jesus and then this is where

Peter takes out his sword and smites the

ear of one of the servants of the high

priests and again we think about Peter

sometimes like he's the one who denied

but let's look at this in a different

light he may have been told that he

should deny that switch Spencer W

Kimball thought and it makes sense in

this context and then here he is smiting

off the ear of one of the servants who

may have been aggressive or trying to

grab Jesus we don't know and Peter takes

out his sword and smites off his ear I I

understand that I think I understand

that maybe you do too this is the Savior

who you have a great amount of love for

and he wants to protect him and so he

smites off the ear I get it

I'd completely get it and he takes the

year of the servant and puts it back up

to his head and heals it at that point

even in the face of his enemies he

follows through on his own example in

his old own teachings which is love not

just your friends but love your enemies

and that's what he does here but

it's another example of why Peter may

not have just been denying him and

didn't have the spine to do it here he

is

putting himself in a position with

everybody where he's ready to die right

here obviously he's putting himself in a

position where he can be tried and you

know he doesn't have a problem doing

this so it doesn't really make sense

that he would be denying Christ on his

own and so the high priests and their

group take Jesus into custody and they

go to Caiaphas who is the high priest

and they began questioning him to try

and trap him into something where he

will be worthy of death based on their

questioning and they asked him all these

questions and they can't get him to

cross himself to be in a position where

he would be worthy of a death penalty

until finally Caiaphas who is a Sadducee

and is the high priest and Caiaphas says

to him I adjure thee by the Living God

that thou tell us whether thou be the

Christ the Son of God so what is he

going for here this is a common theme

throughout the scriptures it's a very

common theme he what he's going for his

blasphemy he wants him to be worthy of

death through blasphemy that's how he's

going after this think of someone in

litigation in a trial and they're

looking for an angle to try and accuse

him and so finally they go to blasphemy

and ask if he is claiming to be the Son

of God the Messiah and then Jesus saith

unto Him thou hath said nevertheless I

Sandy you hereafter shall you see the

Son of man sitting on the right hand of

power and coming in the clouds of heaven

and then the high priest rent his

clothes saying he hath spoken blasphemy

what further need have we of witnesses

behold now you have heard this blasphemy

what think I and they all answered

Caiaphas and said he is guilty of death

so that was it now they have reason to

let all hell literally break loose

at this point they begin spitting in his

face and now from here it through the

crucifixion later in several hours

they're going to mock him and treat him

as poorly as they possibly can

now blasphemy is an interesting

accusation here this is what they go

after with a Bennett I same thing and

this is what they probably go after many

of the prophets within the Old Testament

that they have stoned to death and

lastly I want to finish up with just a

few personal experiences and ideas about

the atonement about the decision that

Jesus made here and what he decided to

go through for us and what that means

for me personally there's a few things

one I thought many times about the fact

that he has taken on all of the

difficulties that I have gone through

and will go through and what does that

mean for me it means that somebody has

already gone through that path they've

already beaten the path right they've

gone through it they've created that

path already and the reason that that

path has already created is because he's

already experienced the adversity that I

have and will experience and what

strength does that give me what is the

practical meaning of that the practical

meaning is that I know that someone has

already gone through all of my obstacles

and trials and has come out on top and

so therefore I know that I can do the

same thing

I mean I'll always choose right I might

get beaten down but the strength of what

Jesus did can give me the strength to

follow through with it and follow

through my path which he has already

gone through I hope that makes sense to

you

that gives me a lot of strength secondly

he is the ideal thinking about him as

the ideal

he suffered and he loved and he overcame

it's not enough to just say that we're

going to be in despair and we're going

to be depressed because of a problem

that we're going through or because of

the difficulties of life and mortality

he overcame it all he took it on himself

and he overcame at all and that's an

important part about faith in Jesus

Christ and hope through Jesus Christ

right that he overcame all and we can do

the same and we need to do the same we

need to overcome as well and lastly

looking at him purely as an example and

so apart from him being the Savior as

I've spoken up previously he is also has

other roles one of them is that he's our

brother and so I think about one of us

he's one of us and he went and paid the

price for all of us and how did he do

that well in the spiritual economy he

covered us Yom Kippur you know he the

covering that's the atonement he covered

this you know he's got it he went in did

it when nobody else could do it

and that's an example for all of us to

live by right where he was willing to

take on everyone's burdens and come out

on top and so that's what I think I need

to do I think that I need to where

possible where necessary is go out and

take on the burdens of others sometimes

it's easy to have to get swallowed up in

the problems of life and with close

relationships or with work or with

whatever it might be and yet Christ took

on everything he took on these burdens

but he did it with the right attitude he

didn't want to always do it but he went

out and he did it and he knew that he

could come out on top even no matter how

difficult

it was and that is a great example

for me and that gives me a lot of

strength about how I need to be where I

can deal with the problems that I face

each and every day have a positive

attitude that I can come out on top with

all of it but that I'm willing to bear

the burdens that are thrown on me or

that I can maybe take onto myself

especially for those that I love the

most if I need to take on a burden with

them and overcome it with him then

that's about as Christ-like as you can

get I think and so Jesus the greatest of

all of us was made the least of all of

us so that he could overcome everything

and give us all opportunity and choice

that's what he delivered for us those

are the greatest gifts we could have

I'll talk to you next time

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