April 15–21
Easter
“O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?”
Matthew 21–28
What do you find in these chapters that helps you feel the Savior’s love?
What do you learn about His power to deliver you from sin and death?
What do you learn about enduring trials and overcoming weaknesses?
How are you exercising faith in His power of deliverance?
Sunday: Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:6–11)
I find it helpful to remember that even Christ was held in high regard on Sunday by the people, all praising and shouting praise of Hosanna for Him but then just a few days later the crowds were calling for His death. Yet through it all He kept his honor and HIs cool if you will.
How hard it must of been to see this acceptance and praise but know it was to be short lived. Even those closet to Him would flee.
I find it interesting that this was such a large event that “all the city was moved” (vs 10)
If they had not heard of Jesus before this time they did now and I am sure were filled in on why He was a prophet.
I can only imagine how this upset the ruling priests
What Others have to Say
D. Kelly Ogden
"Mark, Luke, and John mention a colt only, whereas the text of Matthew clearly indicates that the disciples brought an ass and a colt (the colt being the male foal, or offspring, of an ass). Matthew, or a later editor, seems to have sought meticulous fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah by specifying two animals, although Zechariah's prophetic preview of the Messiah is couched in the poetic structure called parallelism, which presents an image or subject in two parallel phrases. There was actually only one animal intended-Jesus, of course, could ride only one animal. The discrepancy in the number of animals is resolved by a simple correction that the Prophet Joseph Smith made: Matthew 21:2 and 5 in the Joseph Smith Translation indicate that only one animal was involved." (Where Jesus Walked: The Land and Culture of New Testament Times, 115.)
Monday: Cleansing the temple (Matthew 21:12–16)
So after clearing the temple a second time then the blind and the lame came to Him to be healed.
Verse 15 states in the JST that the word children really should read “children of the kingdom” No wonder the priests were displeased. Here was a great loss to their income and power
The calling of the temple as His house is important to the growth that He had done as well as that His mission was almost finished.
It had to hurt to see that just 3 years later they were back to their old ways and didn’t learn from His first cleansing.
What Others Have to Say:
Joseph Smith
"It was the design of the councils of heaven before the world was, that the principles and laws of the priesthood should be predicated upon the gathering of the people in every age of the world. Jesus did everything to gather the people, and they would not be gathered. . . .
"The main object [of gathering] was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose." (Truman G. Madsen, ed., The Temple in Antiquity: Ancient Records and Modern Perspectives, 16.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"As Jesus entered the outer courts of the temple, during the first Passover of his ministry, he beheld what he was to call three years later on a similar occasion, 'a den of thieves.' (Matt. 21:13.) Before him were stalls of oxen, pens of sheep, cages of doves and pigeons, with greedy hucksters offering them at exorbitant prices for sacrificial purposes. Crowded on every hand were the tables of the money-changers who, for a profit, changed the Roman and other coins into temple coins so that sacrificial animals could be purchased and the half shekel poll tax required at this season of the year might be paid. In righteous anger and with physical force he drove the apostate priesthood from their unhallowed merchandising enterprises.
"This dramatic episode in the life of our Lord has been preserved to bear record:
(1) That the meek and lowly Nazarene was a man of action; a dynamic forceful character; a man of courage and physical strength; one whose soul filled with righteous indignation upon seeing the desecration of sacred things; one who responded zealously and vigorously in the cause of righteousness, though all men opposed him;
(2) That God was his Father; and
(3) That the temple was still his Father's house, though virtually all who worshiped there were walking in dark and direful apostasy." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1: 138.)
Russell M. Nelson
"...on Mount Moriah...Jesus attended the remodeled second temple. Initially He called it 'my Father's house.' (Jn 2:16) There He accomplished the first cleansing of the temple by driving out the money-changers.
"At the time of the second cleansing, He called it 'my house'. And He said unto them, 'It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.' (Matt 21:13)
"Finally and sadly, He called it 'your house' when He said in desperation, 'Behold, your house is left unto you desolate,' (Lu 13:35) and predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, of which one stone would not be left upon the other." (Perfection Pending, and Other Favorite Discourses, 179.)
Daniel H. Ludlow
"The chief priests were the guardians of the temple and, in fact, guardians (as they supposed) of the whole structure of Jewish religion. They glutted themselves on the profits from temple business, and so the temple was not just the source of their favored social position (which they coveted so jealously) but also the source of their incomes-more, their fortunes. . . . The anger of the chief priests and scribes was raging against Him; but it was impotent. They had decreed His death, and had made repeated efforts to take him, and there he sat within the very area over which they claimed supreme jurisdiction, and they were afraid to touch Him because of the common people, whom they professed to despise yet heartily feared-'for all the people were very attentive to hear him.' (JTC, pp. 528-29.)" (, A Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2: 147 - 148.)
Tuesday: Teaching in Jerusalem (Matthew 21–23)
The fig tree being cursed is a very important lesson I think. IT is a way of the Lord saying that we don’t have forever to show our good works. Time is not on our side to repent and do what we need to be doing.
This whole day of teaching deserves a lot of intense study. The way the Lord answered the questions given to Him is a great lesson for teachers.
The parables that He gave were not lost on the priests and leaders. This only enraged them more and pushed them wanting His death.
Wednesday: Continued teaching (Matthew 24–25)
Chapters 24 and 25 mainly talk about the 2nd Coming. These also need intense study and comment but I think that will be covered in later lessons.
For this weeks purpose it is enough for me to say that He was teaching those that would hear that He will be coming back and for us to be on the watch for the signs so we are ready.
Thursday: The Passover and Christ’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26)
I truly believe that the atonement is a one to one experience, this includes the suffering in Gethsemane. I don’t pretend to know how but I truly believe we each had a moment to stand before the Savior and watch as the drops of blood that covered our sins were spilled.
I hate to think of the pain I caused Him. But am so glad He was willing to go through everything that He did just for me and my family.
What Others have Said:
Robert J. Matthews wrote, "The Jewish leaders made several formal attempts to arrest and dispose of Jesus before the feat was actually accomplished. The record shows that the Pharisees, particularly, held several councils and consulted with others to plot the death of Jesus. When he was finally betrayed by Judas and taken captive, it was the culmination of more than two years of planning." (Behold the Messiah, 265.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"[Thirty pieces of silver] was the fixed price of a slave... Thirty pieces of silver! Such would they pay for the life of their God-no more and no less. And by so doing all men ever after would know that they esteemed him as the basest of men. And thus, also, even their attempts to debase and insult would fulfil, in literal detail, the Messianic prophecy of Zechariah which had foretold their evil conspiracy. 'If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear,' the Lord says of the sum for which he will be sold. 'So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.' (Zech. 11:12.)" (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:702-703)
Orson F. Whitney
"The [Last] Supper, like the [Passover] Feast, pointed to the Atonement; but in the Passover the pointing was forward to an event that had not yet occurred, while in the Supper, for the reverse reason, the indication is backward. It is said that the paschal lamb was offered in the Temple at Jerusalem about the same hour that Christ died; the substance and the shadow thus corresponding. Thereafter the Passover was obsolete, having fulfilled its purpose." (Saturday Night Thoughts, 151.)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"I like occasionally to open the New Testament and read of the Last Supper. I think I can envision in my mind the gathering together of the Twelve in the Upper Room. I think maybe they came in very happily, very jauntily. They were all brethren and they probably shook hands with one another and said, 'How are you doing, Peter?' 'How are things going, John?' and a few such things as that. But I think when the Lord came in He was sober and quiet and thoughtful and sad. He knew what was coming. They could not seem to understand it. But He knew what was coming, that He would have to give His life in pain and terrible, unspeakable suffering if He were to accomplish the mission outlined by His Father for the redemption of mankind." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 561 - 562.)
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
It was our beloved Savior’s final night in mortality, the evening before He would offer Himself a ransom for all mankind. As He broke bread with His disciples, He said something that must have filled their hearts with great alarm and deep sadness. “One of you shall betray me,” He told them.
The disciples didn’t question the truth of what He said. Nor did they look around, point to someone else, and ask, “Is it him?”
Instead, “they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?”1
I wonder what each of us would do if we were asked that question by the Savior. Would we look at those around us and say in our hearts, “He’s probably talking about Brother Johnson. I’ve always wondered about him,” or “I’m glad Brother Brown is here. He really needs to hear this message”? Or would we, like those disciples of old, look inward and ask that penetrating question: “Is it I?”
In these simple words, “Lord, is it I?” lies the beginning of wisdom and the pathway to personal conversion and lasting change...
Brethren, we must put aside our pride, see beyond our vanity, and in humility ask, “Lord, is it I?”
And if the Lord’s answer happens to be “Yes, my son, there are things you must improve, things I can help you to overcome,” I pray that we will accept this answer, humbly acknowledge our sins and shortcomings, and then change our ways by becoming better husbands, better fathers, better sons. (Ensign, Nov. 2014, 56, 58)
Boyd K. Packer
"I remind you that these men were apostles. They were of apostolic stature. It has always been interesting to me that they did not on that occasion, nudge one another and say, 'I'll bet that its old Judas. He has surely been acting queer lately.' It reflects something of their stature. Rather it is recorded that: They were exceedingly sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? (Matt. 26:22.)
"Would you, I plead, overrule the tendency to disregard counsel and assume for just a moment something apostolic in attitude at least, and ask yourself these questions: Do I need to improve myself? Should I take this counsel to heart and act upon it? If there is one weak or failing, unwilling to follow the brethren, Lord, is it I?" (March 23, 1965, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1965, p. 3.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"No single account of the institution of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, standing alone, contains enough to let us know the reality and the glory and the wonder of what happened in that upper room as the Paschal supper died and the sacramental supper was born. Nor for that matter do all the biblical accounts taken together reveal the glorious mystery of it all." (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4: 57.)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"We are a covenant people. I have had the feeling that if we could just encourage our people to live by three or four covenants everything else would take care of itself; we would not have to have anything else except to go forward with our program.
"The first of these is the covenant of the sacrament, in which we take upon ourselves the name of the Savior and agree to keep His commandments with the promise in His covenant that He will bless us with His spirit. If our people would go to sacrament meeting every week and reflect as they partake of the sacrament on the meaning of the prayers which are offered, . . . if they would listen to the language of those prayers, which were given by revelation, and live by them, we would be a better people, all of us would be. That is the importance of the sacrament meeting. The speakers are incidental. The great thing is that we gather together and partake of the sacrament together. . . ." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 146 - 147.)
Jeffrey R. Holland
"Peter was, in President Kimball's words, 'a diamond in the rough-a diamond that would need to be cut, trimmed, and polished by correction, chastisement, and trials-but nevertheless a diamond of real quality. The Savior knew this apostle could be trusted to receive the keys of the kingdom.' Time was short. Much had to be done in a matter of months. Jesus prepared Peter as quickly as possible for the call that was to come.
"...Peter had been certain that his strength was sufficient for such times; that if necessary he would withstand evil alone. Reassuringly he had said to Jesus, 'Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.' ("Matthew 26:33.) But in the kingdom of God, no man's strength is sufficient. This sobering, sorrowing realization-that he was not, of himself, capable of what God requires-was perhaps the final ingredient in Peter's short months of personal preparation." (However Long and Hard the Road, pp. 91, 95.)
James E. Talmage
"Christ's agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause. The thought that He suffered through fear of death is untenable. Death to Him was preliminary to resurrection and triumphal return to the Father from whom He had come, and to a state of glory even beyond what He had before possessed; and, moreover, it was within His power to lay down His life voluntarily.
"He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing.
"No other man, however great his powers of physical or mental endurance, could have suffered so; for his human organism would have succumbed, and syncope would have produced unconsciousness and welcome oblivion.
"In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors that Satan, 'the prince of this world' could inflict...In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world. Modern revelation assists us to partial understanding of the awful experience.
"In March 1830, the glorified Lord, Jesus Christ, thus spake: 'For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit: and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink-nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.' (DC 19:16-19)
"From the terrible conflict in Gethsemane, Christ emerged a victor. Though in the dark tribulation of that fearful hour He had pleaded that the bitter cup be removed from His lips, the request, however oft repeated, was always conditional; the accomplishment of the Father's will was never lost sight of as the object of the Son's supreme desire." (Jesus the Christ, pp. 613-14.)
Glenn L. Pace
"As a loving Father in Heaven viewed His Beloved Son suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Savior cried out, 'O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.' (Matthew 26:39.)
"Can you imagine the tears in the eyes of the Father when He had to deny His Son's request? Can you comprehend the sacred tears shed by the Father when He had to abandon the Savior on the cross and hear Him say, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' (Mark 15:34.) And yet, even as God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ wept, sinners laughed." (Spiritual Plateaus, 90.)
Neal A. Maxwell
"Will we, too, trust the Lord amid a perplexing trial for which we have no easy explanation? Do we understand-really comprehend-that Jesus knows and understands when we are stressed and perplexed? The complete consecration which effected the Atonement ensured Jesus' perfect empathy; He felt our very pains and afflictions before we did and knows how to succor us (see Alma 7:11-12; 2 Nephi 9:21). Since the most innocent one suffered the most, our own cries of 'Why?' cannot match His. But we can utter the same, submissive word: 'Nevertheless . . .' (Matthew 26:39)." (If Thou Endure It Well, 52.)
Spencer W. Kimball
"In the first prayer he still seemed to have a glimmer of hope that something could be done about it, but in the latter it seemed to have been definitely settled in his mind that no adjustment could be made, and in order that the purposes of God might not fail he must drink the bitter cup." (Conference Report, April 1945, Afternoon Meeting 59.)
Neal A. Maxwell
"The living prophets are not perfect men, but they live close to him who is perfect. It is no real reflection on them that in their imperfections these great men at times wish to hold back or to hasten history. Peter smote off the ear of one of those who came to take Jesus captive on the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:51.) Peter did not understand that the 'arrest' of Jesus should not be arrested, because the unfolding events would move from Gethsemane to Golgotha and then to an empty grave, all of which he would witness and preach about for years after." (Things As They Really Are, 77.)
J. Reuben Clark, Jr.
"We believe in peace. We are the devoted followers of the Prince of Peace. We abhor war, save in the actual defense of our homes, our families, our liberties. For we remember that when Peter struck off with his sword the ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest, the Lord said: 'All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.' (Matthew 26:52) The Lord made no exceptions to His law. History has made none." (Conference Report, April 1941, First Day-Morning Meeting 21.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"Annas and Caiaphas had done their work well. As the high priests in Israel-one the real, the other the titular high priest-they had guided the Sadducean-dominated Sanhedrin, representative of the hosts of the people, to find the Jesus guilty of blasphemy because he said he was the Son of God. And the garments of Caiaphas had been rent in everlasting witness that the blasphemer before them was worthy of death. They had spoken; the council had spoken; and through them, as the representative leaders of all Jewry, the whole nation had spoken; the collective judgment of the Jews (though yet to be formally ratified) had nonetheless been given." (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4: 158.)
Jeffrey R. Holland
"He who most deserved peace and was the Prince of Peace had peace taken from him. He who deserved no rebuke, let alone physical abuse, went under the lash that his taking of such stripes might spare us such pain if only we would repent. The total cost of such combined spiritual and physical suffering is incalculable. Yet the iniquities, including the sorrows and sadness, of every mortal being who ever has lived or will live in this world were laid across one lonely set of shoulders. In the most magnificent display of strength ever known in the world of human endeavor, they were carried until full payment had been made." (Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon, 92.)
Sterling W. Sill
"This interesting experience of Peter points out to us that it is pretty difficult to fool people about ourselves. Probably it was not only Peter's speech that betrayed him; it was also his dress, his manner, and his general appearance. Peter had spent much of his life as a fisherman in Galilee, and his verbal expressions and his weathered look would all be quite different from those of the priests and the elders." (Thy Kingdom Come, 121.)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"As I have read this account my heart goes out to Peter. So many of us are so much like him. We pledge our loyalty; we affirm our determination to be of good courage; we declare, sometimes even publicly, that come what may we will do the right thing, that we will stand for the right cause, that we will be true to ourselves and to others.
"Then the pressures begin to build. Sometimes these are social pressures. Sometimes they are personal appetites. Sometimes they are false ambitions. There is a weakening of the will. There is a softening of discipline. There is capitulation. And then there is remorse, self-accusation, and bitter tears of regret.
"One of the great tragedies we witness almost daily is the tragedy of men of high aim and low achievement. Their motives are noble. Their proclaimed ambition is praiseworthy. Their capacity is great. But their discipline is weak. ("And Peter Went Out and Wept Bitterly," Ensign, May 1979, p. 65.)
"Mental control must be stronger than physical appetites or desires of the flesh. As thoughts are brought into complete harmony with revealed truth, actions will then become appropriate.
"The timeless proverb is as true now as when it was first spoken: 'For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he' (Proverbs 23:7)." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 578-579.)
Friday: Trial, Crucifixion, and burial (Matthew 27:1–61)
I think this will be covered inmate detail in later lessons but the same feelings I have about the garden apply here.
I have herd some be critical of His followers deserting Him, I am not sure on this. Part of me wants to think they wanted to stay and even die with Him but then what would that have done to the early Church.
Crucifixion is one of the most horrible ways to die.
What Others Have Said:
Bruce R. McConkie
"Caiaphas and his conspiring confederates...raised the cry of sedition and treason...'We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.'
"As to any perverting of the nation, Pilate could not care less; the Jews were already a benighted mob of religious fanatics in his view-let them be what they were. As to giving tribute to Caesar, that charge was idle rhetoric; grasping publicans and Roman steel saw to the taxes of the day. But a would-be king, that was another matter." (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4: 174.)
Marvin J. Ashton
"For many years I have had a very vivid picture in my mind of Jesus Christ standing before Pilate. While Jesus stood in front of an angry mob, who sneered and condemned, Pilate tried to get Him to respond and retaliate. He tried to get Him to declare Himself a king. Jesus was silent. His life was His sermon. He was perfect in character, a worthy son, the Only Begotten of the Father. His [spiritual] maturity, if you please, would speak for itself." (Be of Good Cheer, 72.)
Neal A. Maxwell
"To be wisely silent when we so much wish to be heard is a triumph of meekness over eagerness. Meek Jesus taught us, too, by His sermons of silence." (That Ye May Believe, 132.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"There are times-not a few in the course of a life-when men would do well to give heed to the wise counsel of their wives. If ever there was such a time in the life of Pilate, this was it. The Lord in his goodness to her-and also, for his own purposes, that another witness might be borne of his Son-had revealed to this woman that Jesus was Lord of all and that calamity and sorrow awaited those who opposed him. Nor was Pilate unsympathetic to her message; in reality it but confirmed his own feelings and desires." (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4: 185.)
Spencer W. Kimball
"Pilate attempted to wash from his hands the responsibility of defending the Christ or at least of insuring justice. He had said to the clamoring mob, 'I find in him no fault at all.' Yet he had the Master scourged and permitted the soldiers to injure the Lord with the crown of plaited thorns, ridicule him, place on him a purple robe, and strike him and taunt him. Of what avail was the water in the basin? How could Pilate cleanse himself of responsibility of the crucifixion by publicly washing his hands or by announcing: 'I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.'? (Matt. 27:24.)
"Likewise the Church member who has the attitude of leaving it to others will have much to answer for." (The Miracle of Forgiveness, 100)
Spencer J. Condie
"The washing of his hands after delivering the Savior to the mob is an example of what President Marion G. Romney describes as 'serving the Lord in such a way as not to offend the devil.'"(Your Agency, Handle with Care, 60.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"This brutal practice, a preliminary to crucifixion, consisted of stripping the victim of clothes, strapping him to a pillar or frame, and beating him with a scourge made of leather straps weighted with sharp pieces of lead and bone. It left the tortured sufferer bleeding, weak, and sometimes dead. Pilate tried in vain to create compassion for Jesus as a result of the scourging. Teaching the need to bear chastisement, Paul, looking back on the scene, wrote: 'Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.' (Heb. 12:6.)" (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1: 807.)
James E. Faust
"Perhaps this cruel act was a perverse attempt to mimic the placing of an emperor's laurel upon his head. Thus, there was pressed down upon him a crown of thorns. He accepted the pain as part of the great gift he had promised to make. How poignant this was, considering that thorns signified God's displeasure as he cursed the ground for Adam's sake that henceforth it would bring forth thorns. But by wearing the crown, Jesus transformed thorns into a symbol of his glory." (Finding Light in a Dark World, 20.)
Dallin H. Oaks
"The Roman soldiers of Pilate provided an unforgettable illustration of the different perspectives of the carnal mind and the spiritual mind. During a tragic but glorious afternoon on Calvary, a handful of soldiers waited at the foot of a cross. One of the supreme events in all eternity was taking place on the cross above their heads. Oblivious to that fact, they occupied themselves by casting lots to divide the earthly property of the dying Son of God (see Matthew 27:35; Luke 23:34: John 19:24). Their example reminds each of us that we should not be casting our lots for the things of the world while the things of eternity, including our families and the work of the Lord, suffer for our lack of attention." (Pure in Heart, 116.)
Neal A. Maxwell
"Note the dagger of doubt, 'If thou be the Son of God,' that Satan hurled at Jesus, seeking to strike at the Savior's identity. The same dagger was flung both on the Mount of Temptation and at Calvary. 'He saved others, let him save himself.' 'Save thyself,' they said mockingly. 'If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.' All this was said while legions of angels were at hand! But Jesus knew who He was, and He did not doubt nor retreat from the reality of His role.
"Those daggers of doubt will be flung at us. Though far, far less precious prey, we are still fair game. Satan will strike at our identity as disciples of Jesus, appealing to our doubts and misusing our modesty. He will try to transform uncertainty about our adequacy into uncertainty about our callings." (Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward, 25.)
Melvin J. Ballard
"I ask you, what father and mother could stand by and listen to the cry of their children in distress . . . and not render assistance? I have heard of mothers throwing themselves into raging streams when they could not swim a stroke to save their drowning children, [I have heard of fathers] rushing into burning buildings [at the peril of their own lives] to rescue those whom they loved.
"We cannot stand by and listen to those cries without it touching our hearts. . . . He had the power to save and He loved His Son, and He could have saved Him. He might have rescued Him from the insult of the crowds. He might have rescued Him when the crown of thorns was placed upon His head. He might have rescued Him when the Son, hanging between two thieves, was mocked with, 'Save thyself, and come down from the cross. He saved others; himself he cannot save.' He listened to all this. He saw that Son condemned; He saw Him drag the cross through the streets of Jerusalem and faint under its load. He saw the Son finally upon Calvary; He saw His body stretched out upon the wooden cross; He saw the cruel nails driven through hands and feet, and the blows that broke the skin, tore the flesh, and let out the life's blood of His [Only Begotten] Son. . . .
"[He] looked on [all that] with great grief and agony over His Beloved [Child], until there seems to have come a moment when even our Saviour cried out in despair: 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.'
"In that hour I think I can see our dear Father behind the veil looking upon these dying struggles, . . . His great heart almost breaking for the love that He had for His Son. Oh, in that moment when He might have saved His Son, I thank Him and praise Him that He did not fail us. . . . I rejoice that He did not interfere, and that His love for us made it possible for Him to endure to look upon the sufferings of His [Only Begotten] and give Him finally to us, our Saviour and our Redeemer. Without Him, without His sacrifice, we would have remained, and we would never have come glorified into His presence. . .
"This is what it cost, in part, for our Father in heaven to give the gift of His Son unto men. . . .
"Our God is a jealous God-jealous lest we should [ever] ignore or forget and slight his greatest gift unto us." (Melvin J. Ballard, Crusader for Righteousness, pp. 136-38 as taken from Jeffrey R. Holland and Patricia T. Holland, On Earth As It Is in Heaven, 212.)
James E. Talmage
"What mind of man can fathom the significance of that awful cry? It seems, that in addition to the fearful suffering incident to crucifixion, the agony of Gethsemane had recurred, intensified beyond human power to endure. In that bitterest hour the dying Christ was alone, alone in most terrible reality. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consummated in all its fulness, the Father seems to have withdrawn the support of His immediate Presence, leaving to the Savior of men the glory of complete victory over the forces of sin and death." (Jesus the Christ, 612)
Jeffrey R. Holland
Now I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually-that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cries in ultimate loneliness, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46)
The loss of mortal support He had anticipated, but apparently He had not comprehended this. Had He not said to His disciples, "Behold, the hour . . . is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me" and "The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him"? (John 16:32; 8:29)
With all the conviction of my soul I testify that He did please His Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake His Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ's mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required; indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind-us, all of us-would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.
But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that He never flees nor fails us. When the uttermost farthing had then been paid, when Christ's determination to be faithful was as obvious as it was utterly invincible, finally and mercifully, it was "finished." ("None Were with Him" Ensign, May 2009, 86)
Bruce R. McConkie
"Christ is now sacrificed; the law is fulfilled; the Mosaic dispensation is dead; the fulness of the gospel has come with all its light and power; and so-to dramatize, in a way which all Jewry would recognize, that the kingdom had been taken from them and given to others-Deity rent the veil of the temple 'from the top to the bottom.' The Holy of Holies is now open to all, and all, through the atoning blood of the Lamb, can now enter into the highest and holiest of all places, that kingdom where eternal life is found. Paul, in expressive language (Heb. 9 and 10), shows how the ordinances performed through the veil of the ancient temple were in similitude of what Christ was to do, which he now having done, all men become eligible to pass through the veil into the presence of the Lord to inherit full exaltation." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:830.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"What is the reward and status of those who were with Christ in his resurrection? 'They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death.' (Mosiah 15:20-23.) Theirs is a state of glory and exaltation. Three of them-Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-are singled out by name and made patterns for all the rest. Of these three the Lord says: 'They have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods.' (D&C 132:29, 37.) These are they who were with Christ in his resurrection, who, as Matthew says, 'came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.' (Matt. 27:53.) These are they whom the Lord Jesus will bring with him in the clouds of glory when he comes to rule and reign among men for a thousand years." (The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, 632.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"Never was there such a crucifixion as this one. Scourging was always or often a prelude to the cross. Nails had been pounded into hands and feet by the thousands. To insult and demean dying sufferers was the common sport of the coarse ruffians who gaped on the mangled bodies. Perhaps others had been crowned with plaited thorns. But whenever did the rocks rend, and the earth shake, and a dire and deep darkness envelop the whole land for three long hours? And when else did the dying one, yet having strength and vigor in his whipped and beaten body, shout with a loud voice and seem to end his mortality of his own will and in full control of his faculties?
"To all this the centurion and his soldiers were witnesses, and when they saw it all, they greatly feared and said: 'Truly this was the Son of God.' And the centurion himself glorified God-perhaps in praise and prayer-and said: 'Certainly this was a righteous man.' (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4: 234.)
Saturday: Christ’s body lies in the tomb (Matthew 27:62–66) while His spirit ministers in the spirit world (D&C 138)
What must have been going through the minds and hearts of His followers. What anguish Peter had to be going through. I am sure they each thought back on all that He had taught about His death and event of the resurrection, but without ever seeing it how could they understand.
I am so glad for the faith and spirit of these early followers, I would hope I could be as strong if put in a similar event.
Sunday: The appearance of the resurrected Christ (Matthew 28:1–10)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"Of all the victories in human history, none is so great, none so universal in its effect, none so everlasting in its consequences as the victory of the crucified Lord, who came forth in the resurrection that first Easter morning. ("The Son of God," Ensign, December 1992, p. 2.)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"Here was the greatest miracle of human history. Earlier he had told them, 'I am the resurrection and the life.' (John 11:25.) But they had not understood. Now they knew. He had died in misery and pain and loneliness. Now, on the third day, he arose in power and beauty and life, 'the firstfruits of them that slept,' the assurance for men of all ages that 'as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.' (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22.)
"On Calvary he was the dying Jesus. From the tomb he emerged the living Christ. The cross had been the bitter fruit of Judas's betrayal, the summary of Peter's denial. The empty tomb now became the testimony of His divinity, the assurance of eternal life, the answer to Job's unanswered question: 'If a man die, shall he live again?' (Job 14:14.)" (Be Thou an Example [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981], 88.)
Neal A. Maxwell
"The gift of immortality to all mankind through the reality of the Resurrection is so powerful a promise that our rejoicing in these great and generous gifts should drown out any sorrow, assuage any grief, conquer any mood, dissolve any despair, and tame any tragedy. Those who now see life as pointless will one day point with adoration to the performance of the Man of Galilee in those crowded moments of time known as Gethsemane and Calvary. Those who presently say life is meaningless will yet applaud the Atonement which saves us from meaninglessness. Christ's victory over death ended the human predicament. Now there are only personal predicaments, and from these too we may be rescued by following the teachings of him who rescued us from general extinction." (The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997], 287.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"For reasons of his own, the Risen Lord singled out Mary Magdalene to be the first witness, in point of time, of his resurrection. She was the first mortal of all mortals ever to see a resurrected person. She saw his face and heard his voice, and she was commanded to tell the Twelve of the appearance and of the coming ascension when he would report to Him whose he was. Then, still in his own infinite wisdom, Jesus chose to appear to and be handled by a group of other women-all before he came even to Peter and the rest of the Twelve... We know that women in general are more spiritual than men, and certainly their instincts and desires to render compassionate service exceed those of their male counterparts. And these sisters came 'bringing the spices which they had prepared' to anoint the body of their Lord." (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-1981], 4: 265.)
James E. Talmage
"One may wonder why Jesus had forbidden Mary Magdalene to touch Him, and then, so soon after, had permitted other women to hold Him by the feet as they bowed in reverence. We may assume that Mary's emotional approach had been prompted more by a feeling of personal yet holy affection than by an impulse of devotional worship such as the other women evinced. Though the resurrected Christ manifested the same friendly and intimate regard as He had shown in the mortal state toward those with whom He had been closely associated, He was no longer one of them in the literal sense. There was about Him a divine dignity that forbade close personal familiarity. To Mary Magdalene Christ had said: 'Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.' If the second clause was spoken in explanation of the first, we have to infer that no human hand was to be permitted to touch the Lord's resurrected and immortalized body until after He had presented Himself to the Father. It appears reasonable and probable that between Mary's impulsive attempt to touch the Lord, and the action of the other women who held Him by the feet as they bowed in worshipful reverence, Christ did ascend to the Father, and that later He returned to earth to continue His ministry in the resurrected state." (Jesus the Christ, p. 682.)
Matthew 28:1–10; Luke 24:13–35; John 20:19–29; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8, 55
Joseph B. Wirthlin
"His pledge that he will be in our midst when two or three are gathered together in his name is a wonderful declaration of his unbounded love for us and assures us of his presence in our church services, in our individual lives, and in the intimate circles of our families." (Finding Peace in Our Lives, 97.)
Bruce C. Hafen
"One of the clearest-yet at times most perplexing-themes in the history of God's dealings with mankind involves his decision to draw a veil between our world of mortality and his world of the eternities. Not only does the veil keep us from remembering our past, which we call the preexistence, but also it keeps us from seeing many things that are going on at the present-for God, his angels, and their activities are hidden from our sight.
"He has only occasionally parted that veil in his dealings with men on this earth. For example, after the Savior's resurrection he encountered two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. They did not recognize him as he engaged them in conversation...He did not tell them who he was... Only later did they recognize who he was.
"Why did he not tell them sooner? He could have revealed the fact of his resurrection much more clearly, much more rapidly." ("The Value of the Veil," Ensign, June 1977, 10)
Neal A. Maxwell
"Sometimes in daily life our eyes are 'holden' (see Luke 24:16). Things to which we are so close and which should be obvious enough are, ironically, often unclear to us. We can't always make out what lies just two steps ahead. Instead, we are to trust the Lord and walk by faith in such circumstances, taking the next first step, until the wisdom of the Lord indicates otherwise. Later we will see how we stared directly at the obvious but still could not see it. Besides, having received so many blessings involving one divine 'yes' after another, we should not be surprised if there is an occasional, divine 'no,' if only because of divine timing.
"If everything in one's immediate context were constantly clear, God's plan would not work. Hard choices as well as passing through periodic mists of darkness are needed in order to maintain life's basic reality-that we are to overcome by faith." (Lord, Increase Our Faith [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 110.)
James E. Talmage
"This is the sole mention made by the Gospel-writers of Christ's personal appearance to Simon Peter on that day. The interview between the Lord and His once recreant but now repentant apostle must have been affecting in the extreme. Peter's remorseful penitence over his denial of Christ in the palace of the high priest was deep and pitiful; he may have doubted that ever again would the Master call him His servant; but hope must have been engendered through the message from the tomb brought by the women...To the repentant Peter came the Lord, doubtless with forgiveness and loving assurance." (Jesus the Christ, 638)
Joseph Smith
"The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it." (History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols. 3:30)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"Can anyone doubt the veracity of that account? No event of history has been more certainly confirmed. There is the testimony of all who saw and felt and spoke with the risen Lord. He appeared on two continents in two hemispheres and taught the people before His final ascension. Two sacred volumes, two testaments speak of this most glorious of all events in all of human history. But these are only accounts, the faithless critic says. To which we reply that beyond these is the witness and the testimony, borne by the power of the Holy Ghost, of the truth and validity of this most remarkable event. Through the centuries untold numbers have paid with the sacrifice of their comforts, their fortunes, their very lives for the convictions they carried in their hearts of the reality of the risen, living Lord." ("This Glorious Easter Morn," Ensign, May 1996, 67)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"'If a man die, shall he live again?' (Job 14:14.) This is the great universal question framed by Job. He spoke what every other living man or woman has pondered. The Christ alone, of all the millions who up to that time had walked the earth, was the first to emerge from the grave triumphant, a living soul complete in spirit and body. He became 'the firstfruits of them that slept.' (1 Cor. 15:20.) Were greater words ever spoken than those of the angel that first resurrection morn-'Why seek ye the living among the dead?' (Luke 24:5.) 'He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.' (Matt. 28:6.)
"His death sealed the testimony of His love for all mankind. His resurrection opened the gates of salvation to the sons and daughters of God of all generations. . . ." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 552.)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"Have you not heard others speak as Thomas spoke? 'Give us,' they say, 'the empirical evidence. Prove before our very eyes, and our ears, and our hands, else we will not believe.' This is the language of the time in which we live. Thomas the Doubter has become the example of men in all ages who refuse to accept other than that which they can physically prove and explain-as if they could prove love, or faith, or even such physical phenomena as electricity." ("Be Not Faithless," Ensign, Apr. 1989, 2)
Bruce R. McConkie
"Thomas was absent on this occasion and believed not the testimony of his fellow disciples; eight days later the Lord made a similar appearance to the whole group and said to him: 'Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.' Thomas said: 'My Lord and my God.' (See John 20:24-28.)
"All this was done to show that Jesus had come forth from the tomb with a tangible body. It was the Lord's way of giving to Peter and his associates a witness of the truth and divinity of his divine Sonship. If he rose from the dead, he was the Son of God; if he was the Son of God, then the gospel of salvation they were proclaiming was true; and so their obligation was to establish in the minds of men that Jesus rose from the dead. Now as I say, they might have attempted to do this by quoting Isaiah, or reasoning out of the revelations, which of course they did; but having so done, they then had to bear a personal witness." ("Upon Judea's Plains," Ensign, July 1973, 29)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"To all within the sound of my voice who may have doubts, I repeat the words given Thomas as he felt the wounded hands of the Lord: 'Be not faithless, but believing.' Believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the greatest figure of time and eternity. Believe that his matchless life reached back before the world was formed. Believe that he was the Creator of the earth on which we live. Believe that he was Jehovah of the Old Testament, that he was the Messiah of the New Testament, that he died and was resurrected, that he visited these western continents and taught the people here, that he ushered in this final gospel dispensation, and that he lives, the living Son of the living God, our Savior and our Redeemer." ("Be Not Faithless," Ensign, May 1978, 59)
Gordon B. Hinckley
'Be not faithless, but believing' (John 20:27). In what shall we believe? In the first place, we shall believe in God our Eternal Father...Be not faithless, but believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the great Creator, who condescended to come to earth and walk among men and be abused and persecuted and crucified unto death. But He arose the third day and stands at the side of His Father, the Living Son of the Living God, to pour out His blessing upon each of us.
"Be not faithless, but believing in the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who had the greatest vision that has occurred in all this modern world, when God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son appeared to him and parted the curtains to usher in the dispensation of the fulness of times.
"Be not faithless, but believing in this sacred book which we call the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. It was said of old, it was said by the Savior, that in the mouths of two or more witnesses shall all things be established. Here is the Bible, one witness. Here is the Book of Mormon, the other witness. They go hand in hand testifying of these things which we have spoken.
"Believe in the truth and divinity and be not faithless concerning The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord declared it to be 'the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth' with which He was pleased (D&C 1:30). That is not my statement. That is the statement of the Lord himself. A minister once said to me, 'Aren't you very arrogant to make a statement concerning such magnitude as that?' I said, 'I didn't say it. The Lord said it, and because He said it, I believe it is true.'" ("Inspirational Thoughts," Ensign, July 1998, 2-4)
"The resurrection is something to which the world cannot relate empirically; it has to be understood by faith and by the Holy Ghost. Consequently it is not readily accepted or believed in the world. Paul's magnificent statement about the resurrection recorded in 1 Cor. 15 apparently was written to convince the intellectuals of his day, those who trusted in reason, that the resurrection was logical, scriptural, and necessary. He said that his knowledge of the resurrection came by revelation but that the doctrine was reasonable even so. The testimony of the scriptures and of the Holy Spirit is that the resurrection of Jesus, and eventually of all mankind, is literal, historical, and factual truth. It really did happen to Jesus, it has already happened to many, and it will yet happen to many more. Everyone who has lived upon this earth is destined to come forth in the resurrection." (Robert J. Matthews, A Bible! A Bible! [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990], 198 - 199.)
What can you learn from the accounts of those who witnessed the Resurrected Savior?
In these accounts, what strengthens your faith in the literal Resurrection of the Lord?
After the Savior’s Resurrection, others were resurrected and appeared to many (see Matthew 27:52–53; 3 Nephi 23:9). Why do you feel it is important that this was recorded in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon?
1 Peter 1:3–11
What words or phrases in 1 Peter 1:3–11 give you hope because of Jesus Christ?
Elaine L. Jack
How can we obtain hope? In all our circumstances, we can benefit from answering this question.
First and foremost, we look to Christ with joyous expectation. As Paul began his first epistle to Timothy, he identified himself as "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope." (1 Tim. 1:1.) Truly, the Lord Jesus Christ is our hope. And what type of hope should we have? "A lively hope." (1 Pet. 1:3.)
I know faith and hope are not a placebo meant to placate the questions and desires of our hearts. They are realities. My hope and my joy in life are based upon the atonement of our Savior and the restoration of the gospel in these days. I base my life on it; therefore, I have reason for my hope. ("A Perfect Brightness of Hope," Ensign, Mar. 1992, 14)
Chieko N. Okazaki
I keep struggling toward the Father's perspective of mortality. Every now and then I catch a glimpse of things from his perspective. Such glimpses give me strength; they fill me with courage; they replenish my gratitude to overflowing. See yourself as the Father sees you-glorious, eternal, capable of infinite love, worthy of his infinite love.
The Apostle Peter, in his first epistle to the Saints in the northern part of Asia Minor, opens his letter with this same vision of courage, comfort, and strength: (quotes 1 Peter 1:3-7.)
Isn't that a wonderful idea? The Father has given us an inheritance in heaven that will never perish, spoil, or fade. It's there for us right now! We can rejoice in it right now! Yes, we have problems and trials. Yes, we may suffer grief. But these trials will prove that our faith is genuine. Notice that Peter doesn't threaten the Saints ("you'd better pass this test!") or sound anxious ("oh, dear, I hope you can pass this test!"). Instead he assures them that their faith will be proved genuine and will increase the "praise, glory, and honor" that will greet our Savior when Jesus returns a second time to the earth. (Lighten Up! [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1993], 100 - 101.)
James E. Faust
Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner's fire causes a loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process. ("The Refiner's Fire," Ensign, May 1979, 53)
When have you felt that hope? How can you share the hope you have through Jesus Christ with those you love?
See also Alma 27:28; 36:1–24; 3 Nephi 9:11–17; Moroni 7:40–41.
Neal A. Maxwell
“Quite clearly, therefore, ultimate hope is tied to the verifiable expectation of a resurrection and the better world to follow. Paul observed that if our hope in Christ pertained to ‘this life only,’ a resurrectionless view of Christ, we would be ‘of all men most miserable.’ (1 Corinthians 15:19.) In other words, proximate hope, disengaged from the reality of the resurrection (what some inconsistently espouse as a Christian existentialism), is not Christian hope at all!
“…When we have appropriate hope of receiving eternal life (Alma 13:29), and we retain that hope through faith (Alma 25:16), then we will—even though we love life, family, and friends have ‘no terror of death’ ‘because of [our] hope and views of Christ and the resurrection.’ (Alma 27:28.) Indeed, true hope springs directly from our ‘views of Christ.’ “No wonder the writer of Proverbs could say that ‘the hope of the righteous is gladness.’ (Proverbs 10:28.) Because of the attitudinal anchor that gospel hope gives us in life, it is vital (in terms of avoiding being tossed to and fro) just as is membership in His prophet-led Church, which also keeps us from being tossed to and fro by every manner of doctrine. (See Ephesians 4:11-14.)” (Notwithstanding My Weakness, p. 44)
Heber J. Grant
"Let me say in passing that Alma knew, no better than I know, that those who put their trust in God shall be supported in all manner of afflictions and trials; because I have passed through trials and tribulations and have been supported by Him. I was able to sit by the deathbed of my last living son, for whom I had great expectations, and see him die without my shedding a tear; and there was a most peaceful feeling in my heart when he passed away. So I know, as Alma of old knew, that those who trust in God shall be supported in their tribulation." (Gospel Standards, compiled by G. Homer Durham, p. 324)
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