DAY 2
Jesus returned to the temple and threw out the “moneychangers”
in the outer court
- Why did this make the priests upset?
According to the New Testament manual, “Temple
priests oversaw the money changing that was taking place in the temple, thus
profiting thereby. When Jesus overturned the tables and referred to the temple
as “My house” (Matthew 21:13), He openly questioned their authority to do so.”
DAY 3
Jesus again comes to the temple and the priests challenge
Jesus’s authority by asking him “By what authority doest thou these things?”
We learn from the New Testament manual
that, “The priests claimed authority based on their ancestry; the scribes,
based on their education; and the elders, based on their social standing and
wealth. The Savior, however, had authority from His Father, which had been
manifest in His teachings and works throughout His public ministry (see Matthew
7:29; Mark 1:27; John 3:2).”
Jesus shares parables and openly condemns the
priests as hypocrites
DAY 4
Nothing is written in the gospels about this day.
- I wonder what Jesus did this day?
Perhaps he prepared himself for the Passover
and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane that would follow the next day.
DAY 5
Passover meal with his Twelve Apostles in a “large
upper room”
- What exactly is a “large upper room”?
In the New Testament manual we read, “In
cities of ancient Israel, upper rooms of houses were the choicest rooms because
they were above the crowds of the city streets and provided privacy—an
appropriate setting for the sacred events of the Last Supper.”
Jesus gives Judas sop and tells him to go do
what he has to do (betray Jesus)
- What is a “sop” and why does this matter?
According to the New Testament manual: “The
“sop” described in John 13:26 was a small piece of bread that those dining
would use to scoop broth and meat from a bowl. Since it was a gesture of
kindness and respect for a host to dip a sop and give it to a dinner guest, the
Savior by this act presented Judas with an offer of friendship, perhaps one
final opportunity for him to abandon his planned betrayal. The Savior gave a
sop to Judas, after which “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27). By saying to
Judas, “That thou doest, do quickly” (John 13:27), the Lord showed that He
already knew what Judas had determined to do and that the time had come for him
to act upon his final decision.”
Jesus introduces the ordinance of the Sacrament
and tells the apostles to do this in remembrance of him
“Remembering was a primary purpose of many
Jewish practices, such as the Passover meal. At Passover, as the people of Israel
commemorated the Lord’s deliverance of their ancestors from bondage, the
symbolic meal and its accompanying story of deliverance connected the past to
the present. Observing Passover made a statement about how one would live and
about one’s loyalty to the Lord and His people. Similarly, the sacrament, which
the Savior instituted at Passover, is a symbolic “meal” of remembrance that
replaced the Passover meal. By partaking of the sacrament, followers of Jesus
Christ may experience anew the blessings of His Atonement, reaffirm their
loyalty to Him and His Church, and recommit their lives to following Him.” (New
Testament Manual)
Jesus
washes the apostles feet (THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles explained that the Savior’s washing of the disciples’ feet
showed His “unfailing devotion” to His disciples:
“In the midst of [the Last Supper], Christ
quietly arose, girded himself as a slave or servant would, and knelt to wash
the Apostles’ feet. (See John 13:3–17.) This small circle of believers in this
scarcely founded kingdom were about to pass through their severest trial, so he
would set aside his own increasing anguish in order that he might yet once more
serve and strengthen them. It does not matter that no one washed his feet. In
transcendent humility he would continue to teach and to cleanse them. He would
to the final hour—and beyond—be their sustaining servant. As John wrote, who
was there and watched the wonder of it all, ‘Having loved his own which were in
the world, he loved them unto the end.’ (John 13:1.)
“So it had been, and so it was to
be—through the night, and through the pain, and forever. He would always be
their strength, and no anguish in his own soul would ever keep him from that
sustaining role” (“He Loved Them unto the End,” Ensign, Nov. 1989, 25).
Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane and suffers
for the sins of the world
Elder James E. Talmage stated:
“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. … 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” (Jesus the Christ, 613).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the significance of the Savior’s plea to
His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane: “In that most burdensome moment of all
human history, with blood appearing at every pore and an anguished cry upon His
lips, Christ sought Him whom He had always sought—His Father … [Mark 14:36].
This is such a personal moment it almost seems a sacrilege to cite it. A Son in
unrelieved pain, a Father His only true source of strength, both of them
staying the course, making it through the night—together” (“The Hands of the
Fathers,” Ensign, May 1999, 16).
On another occasion Elder Holland commented
further:
“Mark says [Jesus] fell and
cried, ‘Abba, Father.’ This is not abstract theology now. This is a Son
pleading with His Father, ‘All things are possible unto thee; take away this
cup from me’ (Mark 14:36).
“Who could resist that from any
child, especially the perfect Child? ‘You can do anything. I know You can do
anything. Please take this cup from me.’
“That whole prayer, Mark noted,
was asking that if it were possible, this hour would be stricken from the plan.
The Lord said, in effect, ‘If there is another path, I would rather walk it. If
there is any other way—any other way—I will gladly embrace it.’ … But in the
end, the cup did not pass.
“In the end, He yielded His will
to the will of His Father and said, ‘Not my will, but thine, be done’ (Luke
22:42)” (“Teaching, Preaching, Healing,” Ensign, Jan. 2003, 41).
Luke recorded that an angel
appeared to the Savior to strengthen Him as He suffered in Gethsemane.
Elder
Dallin H. Oaks taught that the angel came in answer to the Savior’s prayer:
“The gospel of Luke … describes
how he knelt down and prayed: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from
me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done’ (JST, Luke 22:42).
“… The Father’s answer was to
deny the plea of his Only Begotten Son. The Atonement had to be worked out by
that lamb without blemish. But though the Son’s request was denied, his prayer
was answered. The scripture records: ‘And there appeared an angel unto him from
heaven, strengthening him’ (JST, Luke 22:43).
“Strengthened from heaven to do
the will of the Father, the Savior fulfilled his mission” (“Faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1994, 99–100).
Jesus bled from every pore
"The Savior’s unparalleled
suffering—the extreme pressure caused by taking upon Himself the infinite sin,
sorrow, and guilt of all mankind—caused a physical condition in his body known
as hematidrosis. This condition leads to the rupture of capillaries just under
the surface of the skin, causing the skin to exude a bloody sweat. Any other
person would have died before this condition reached the point of bleeding from
every pore, but the Savior was the Son of God and so was able to endure this
great agony for us." (New Testament Manual)
Jesus is betrayed by Judas
Apostles are afraid and leave Jesus
"Though Jesus Christ was powerful
enough to defend Himself against the armed multitude (see Matthew 26:51–54;
Jacob 2:15), the disciples saw that He did not intend to do so, and they fled
in fear (see Mark 14:50)." (New Testament Manual)
DAY 6
Jesus is brought before the Jewish council and judged
"Mark’s account of Jesus’s
hearing before the Jewish council is the longest found in the four Gospels. One
important detail that Mark alone preserved is that the witnesses who testified
against the Savior bore conflicting testimonies (see Mark 14:56–59). Since the
law of Moses required at least two corroborating witnesses to convict anyone of
a capital offense, the charges against Jesus were invalid (see Numbers 35:30;
Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15). The Savior remained silent, refusing to dignify the
falsehoods with any response." (New Testament Manual)
Jesus Accused before
Caiaphas
"Finally Caiaphas, the high
priest, asked Jesus outright, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
(Mark 14:61). The Savior’s affirmation in Mark is the most forthright preserved
in the four Gospels: “I am.”
Mark 15:1–2. “The King of the
Jews” (New Testament Manual)
Jesus is taken to Pilate
"As recorded in Mark 15:1–2, the
Jewish council decided to take Jesus to Pilate, who represented the Roman
authorities. The council wanted to charge Jesus not with blasphemy—a Jewish
matter that would not have concerned the Romans—but with treason, which was a
serious concern to the Roman leaders. If the Jewish council were to punish
Jesus for blasphemy by stoning Him—as prescribed in the law of Moses (see
Leviticus 24:14)—it could create a riot among the many people who believed in
Jesus (see Mark 12:37). Such civil unrest would bring harsh retribution from
the Roman authorities. But if the Jewish leaders could persuade the Romans that
Jesus was trying to set Himself up as a king, the Romans themselves would put Him
to death as a traitor to Caesar (see Luke 23:2)." (New Testament Manual)
Jesus is scourged and ultimately crucified
"The Old Testament alludes to a
Jewish custom of using wine as an anesthetic to ease the suffering of a person
who was dying (see Proverbs 31:6–7). Mark recorded that just before the Savior
was nailed to the cross, He was offered “wine mingled with myrrh” (Mark 15:23).
Jesus refused it, deliberately choosing not to dull His senses or decrease the
pain of the Crucifixion; He was determined to remain conscious and experience
all that would be involved in the remainder of His atoning sufferings (see Mark
14:25; Alma 7:11–13)." (New Testament Manual)
While on the cross our Father's Spirit is withdrawn from Jesus
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
discussed why the Father withdrew His Spirit from His Son:
“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. … Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do
not have to do so” (“None Were with Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 87–88).
Jesus dies and his body is sealed in a tomb
DAY 7 (Sabbath)
Jesus's body remained in the tomb
DAY OF THE RESURRECTION
The Risen Lord appears to Mary Magdalene
In the evening the Resurrected Lord appears to his disciples
I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know that he is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that through his gift of the Atonement I can repent and live with my Heavenly Father again. I know that there is no other way that we can be saved physically and spiritually. I will end with the words of John 20:31, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
