Luke 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot
James E. Talmage
"Before Judas sold Christ to the Jews, he had sold himself to the devil; he had become Satan's serf, and did his master's bidding." (Jesus the Christ, p. 592.)
Joseph Smith
"From apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions. Judas was rebuked and immediately betrayed his Lord into the hands of his enemies, because Satan entered into him...What nearer friend on earth or in heaven had Judas than the Savior? And his first object was to destroy him!...No deceit was in his mouth, neither was guile found in his heart. And yet one that ate with him, who had often supped of the same cup, was the first to lift up his heel against him. Where is there one like him? He cannot be found on earth. Then why should his followers complain if from those whom they once called brethren, and considered in the nearest relation in the everlasting covenant, they should receive persecution? From what source emanated the principle which has ever been manifested by apostates from the true Church to persecute with double diligence, and seek with double perseverance, to destroy those whom they once professed to love, with whom they once communed, and with whom they once covenanted to strive with every power in righteousness to obtain the rest of God?" (Kent P. Jackson, comp. and ed., Joseph Smith's Commentary on the Bible [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], 126.)
Luke 22:10-13 when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you...he shall shew you a large upper room furnished
Who is this man? His name is never mentioned. The disciples partook of his food and in his own house, yet he did not share the Passover with them. How did he know to prepare a place for the Master and his disciples?
The Lord has a way of preparing special servants for special tasks. Remember Amulek? He was told by an angel to take care of Alma (Alma 9:18-21). We imagine the same thing happened to the owner of the colt, to whom the disciples declared, 'The Lord hath need of him' (Luke 19:34). And what of this man who was carrying a pitcher of water? Did he have an angel appear unto him? We might imagine the words of the angel, "Tomorrow, you shall prepare a Passover feast for the Son of Man and his disciples." The man replies, "All of Jerusalem will be celebrating the feast, how shall I know who they are?" "His disciples shall say unto thee, 'The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?' By this you shall know. Go then and shew them the place." The man did as he was commanded.
Hereby, this man becomes a metaphor for all those saints who are asked of the Lord to perform a specific duty. They are obedient and humble servants. We never know their names. We never hear of them again. They just do what they're supposed to do and fade away. Sometimes they may not even be invited to the big feast that their own hands prepared, but they don't care. They know their job and do it well. Their compensation is not of this world but it is undoubtedly great, for they will one day feast with him at the Great Supper of the Lamb.
Luke 22:17-20 The Administration of the Sacrament
Jeffrey R. Holland
"Since that upper room experience on the eve of Gethsemane and Golgotha, children of the promise have been under covenant to remember Christ's sacrifice in this newer, higher, more holy and personal way.
"With a crust of bread, always broken, blessed, and offered first, we remember his bruised body and broken heart, his physical suffering on the cross where he cried, 'I thirst,' and finally, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' (John 19:28; Matt. 27:46.)
"The Savior's physical suffering guarantees that through his mercy and grace (see 2 Ne. 2:8) every member of the human family shall be freed from the bonds of death and be resurrected triumphantly from the grave. Of course the time of that resurrection and the degree of exaltation it leads to are based upon our faithfulness.
"With a small cup of water we remember the shedding of Christ's blood and the depth of his spiritual suffering, anguish which began in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he said, 'My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death' (Matt. 26:38). He was in agony and 'prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground' (Luke 22:44).
"The Savior's spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for what the scriptures call the 'original guilt' of Adam's transgression (Moses 6:54). Furthermore, Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught (see 2 Ne. 9:21-23). As the Apostle Paul wrote, we were 'bought with a price' (1 Cor. 6:20). What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase!" ("This Do in Remembrance of Me," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 67)
Harold B. Lee
"The partaking of the sacrament is a renewal, a refreshing of our recollection of what it meant to be baptized as a member of the Church. We had the law of sacrifice before the coming of the Savior, and we have the sacrament administered since the Savior's death, repeatedly refreshing our minds of the covenant of the gospel of Jesus Christ which all of us have entered into." (The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996], 208.)
Spencer W. Kimball
"That is the real purpose of the sacrament, to keep us from forgetting, to help us to remember. I suppose there would never be an apostate, there would never be a crime, if people remembered, really remembered, the things they had covenanted at the water's edge or at the sacrament table and in the temple. I suppose that is the reason the Lord asked Adam to offer sacrifices, for no other reason than that he and his posterity would remember-remember the basic things that they had been taught. I guess we as humans are prone to forget. It is easy to forget. Our sorrows, our joys, our concerns, our great problems seem to wane to some extent as time goes on, and there are many lessons that we learn which have a tendency to slip from us. The Nephites forgot. They forgot the days when they felt good.
"I remember a young Navaho boy returning from his mission who was supported largely by a seventies quorum in the Bonneville Stake. I happened to be present the day he made his report and as tears rolled down his face, he said, 'Oh, if I could only remember always just how I feel now.'" (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, edited by Edward L. Kimball [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], 113.)
Luke 22:24 there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest
Marlin K. Jensen
"This kingdom will roll forward with or without us as individuals. Men and women who even momentarily take their eyes off of God's glory and seek to exalt themselves, or who become entangled in the vain things of this world, will find that the kingdom quickly moves on without them. Unfortunately, none of us is immune from this all-too-human tendency. In the final dramatic hours of the Savior's life, even His Apostles-those stalwart men who certainly should have known better-argued with one another about who should be accounted the greatest." ("An Eye Single to the Glory of God," Ensign, Nov. 1989, 28)
Luke 22:26 he that is greatest among you, let him be...as he that doth serve
"A young mother on an overnight flight with a two-year-old daughter was stranded by bad weather in Chicago airport without food or clean clothing for the child and without money. She was two months pregnant and threatened with miscarriage, so she was under doctor's instructions not to carry the child unless it was essential. Hour after hour she stood in one line after another, trying to get a flight to Michigan. The terminal was noisy, full of tired, frustrated, grumpy passengers, and she heard critical references to her crying child and to her sliding her child along the floor with her foot as the line moved forward. No one offered to help with the soaked, hungry, exhausted child. Then, the woman later reported,
"...someone came towards us and with a kindly smile said, 'Is there something I could do to help you?' With a grateful sigh I accepted his offer. He lifted my sobbing little daughter from the cold floor and lovingly held her to him while he patted her gently on the back. He asked if she could chew a piece of gum. When she was settled down, he carried her with him and said something kindly to the others in the line ahead of me, about how I needed their help. They seemed to agree and then he went up to the ticket counter [at the front of the line] and made arrangements with the clerk for me to be put on a flight leaving shortly. He walked with us to a bench, where we chatted a moment, until he was assured that I would be fine. He went on his way. About a week later I saw a picture of Apostle Spencer W. Kimball and recognized him as the stranger in the airport." (Edward L. Kimball and Andrew E. Kimball, Jr., Spencer W. Kimball: Twelfth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1977], 334 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the New Testament: The Four Gospels, by Pinegar, Bassett, and Earl, p. 339)
Luke 22:28 Ye...have continued with me in my temptations
Alexander B. Morrison
"It may seem difficult at first to understand that Jesus, the very Savior of the world, the Lord God Omnipotent, was tempted, even as we are. Indeed, the temptations of the adversary during Jesus' lonely travail in the wilderness are archetypical of all temptations. Satan attempted to seduce Jesus with appeals to physical appetite, vanity and ego, and the love of power. (See Matthew 4.) Though Satan was vanquished by Jesus' rejection of his diabolical plan, the adversary continued his attempts to lead or seduce Jesus away from His divine mission. Christ's victory in the desert thus was not a final success. His temptations continued throughout His ministry (see Luke 22:28) up to and including the agony of Gethsemane.
"As with Jesus, so it is with us. We are not given the opportunity to overcome Satan in a single act of combat. The struggle between flesh and spirit, between God and the devil, is a constant battle throughout life. But, one may ask, was Jesus tempted as I am? In the same way and with the same enticements? After all, He is God, and I am but a weak and fallible mortal. The answer from the scriptures is clear: 'We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.' (Hebrews 4:15; italics added.)" (Feed My Sheep: Leadership Ideas for Latter-day Shepherds [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], 168.)
JST Luke 22:31 Satan hath desired you, that he may sift the children of the kingdom as wheat
Satan's plan was not just to ruin Peter's life, but as the Joseph Smith Translation tells us, to thereby sift the children of the kingdom as well. Thus, Satan doesn't give up on the most righteous, but rather works especially hard on them. The downfall of Peter would have meant temporary confusion and individual apostasy for many early saints. No greater disruption to the infant church could possibly be imagined. Just as all good serpents consume their prey head first, we see Satan trying to destroy the infant church head first.
Bruce R. McConkie
"Satan wanted to harvest the earth, to sift the saints as wheat, so that both wheat and tares would be garnered into his bin. This he would find easier to do were Peter not there to guide them. Hence, Jesus' special prayer that Peter's faith fail not; and hence the continuing prayers of the saints, always and ever, for the apostles and prophets who guide the Church." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1: 770.)
Spencer W. Kimball
"Lucifer desires all good people. He even tempted the Savior on at least three recorded occasions. He had designs upon Peter, who was soon to be the number one man in the world of righteousness. The Lord warned Peter to be on his guard...Satan wants all men, but especially is he anxious for the leading men who have influence. Perhaps he might try much harder to claim men who are likely to be his greatest opposition, men in high places who could persuade many others not to become servants to Satan.
"It seems that missionaries are special targets. The young man is going to spend two years exclusively in the service of converting people from error to truth, of teaching men to leave the employ of Lucifer and serve the Lord, of bringing people out of the dark where they are most vulnerable into the light where there is a measure of protection and where new strengths can be developed. Satan takes a special interest in all such workers." (The Miracle of Forgiveness, chap. 12)
Luke 22:32 when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren
Sterling W. Sill
"Peter may have been a bit offended. He probably thought that he was already converted. But what happened at the trial a little later, when he denied the Lord three times, may have indicated that even he wasn't converted." (February 9, 1965, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1965, p. 8)
Marion G. Romney
"From some of the Savior's sayings it would seem that there might even be people in high places whose conversion is not complete; for example, conversing with his apostles at his last supper, he said to Peter, 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 'But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.' (Luke 22:31-32.) From this it would appear that membership in the Church and conversion are not necessarily synonymous. Being converted, as we are here using the term, and having a testimony are not necessarily the same thing either. A testimony comes when the Holy Ghost gives the earnest seeker a witness of the truth. A moving testimony vitalizes faith; that is, it induces repentance and obedience to the commandments. Conversion, on the other hand, is the fruit of, or the reward for, repentance and obedience. (Of course one's testimony continues to increase as he is converted.)
"Conversion is effected by divine forgiveness, which remits sins. The sequence is something like this. An honest seeker hears the message. He asks the Lord in prayer if it is true. The Holy Spirit gives him a witness. This is a testimony. If one's testimony is strong enough, he repents and obeys the commandments. By such obedience he receives divine forgiveness which remits sin. Thus he is converted to a newness of life. His spirit is healed." (Conference Report, October 1963, Afternoon Meeting 24.)
Ezra Taft Benson
"Conversion to Jesus Christ and His gospel is more than testimony; it is to be healed spiritually." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], 311 - 312.)
Bruce R. McConkie
"Peter [said], 'We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.' (John 6:69.) Peter knew, and his knowledge came by revelation.
"But Peter was not converted, because he had not become a new creature of the Holy Ghost. Rather, long after Peter had gained a testimony, and on the very night Jesus was arrested, he said to Peter: 'When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.' (Luke 22:32.) Immediately thereafter, and regardless of his testimony, Peter denied that he knew Christ. (Luke 22:54-62.) After the crucifixion, Peter went fishing, only to be called back to the ministry by the risen Lord. (John 21:1-17.) Finally on the day of Pentecost the promised spiritual endowment was received; Peter and all the faithful disciples became new creatures of the Holy Ghost; they were truly converted; and their subsequent achievements manifest the fixity of their conversions. (Acts 3; 4.)
"It is interesting to note also that the Latter-day Twelve, long after they had testimonies of the gospel, and more than two years after their calls to the apostleship, were promised that if they would be faithful they would yet be converted. (D. & C 112:12-13.)" (Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966], 163.)
Luke 22:32 strengthen thy brethren
Gordon B. Hinckley
"Declared Paul, 'We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak.' And then he adds, 'and not to please ourselves' (Romans 15:1).
"It is a responsibility divinely laid upon us to bear one another's burdens, to strengthen one another, to encourage one another, to lift one another, to look for the good in one another, and to emphasize that good." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 46.)
M. Russell Ballard
"If we are obedient to the Savior's command given to Peter, we will focus our attention on the spiritual growth and development of those for whom we are responsible. Feeding the Lord's sheep requires each of us to awaken our interest in others. The duty to invite others to partake of the gospel feast does not rest only on the shoulders of the missionaries. That sober and significant duty belongs to each member of the Church, for 'it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.'
"Today our prophet is calling for enthusiastic and dynamic love for our Heavenly Father's children. He asks us to see the spiritual hunger around us and to respond by willingly sharing our abundance. No power on earth can accomplish as much as one righteous man or woman or boy or girl." ("Feasting at the Lord's Table," Ensign, May 1996, 81)
Spencer W. Kimball
"May I say the same to each of you: When you are converted, please strengthen your brethren and sisters. There are so many who hunger, sometimes without knowing the cause of their hunger. There are spiritual truths and principles that can be as bedrock to their lives, safety to their souls, peace to their hearts and minds if we would but turn our prayers and active concern to them." ("Helping Others Obtain the Promises of the Lord," Ensign, June 1983, 3)
Luke 22:33 Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death
Joseph B. Wirthlin
"Imagine for a moment that you are Peter. Three years ago a holy stranger invited you to set aside your fishing boat and nets, your means of support for yourself and your family, and then asked you to follow him. You did so without hesitation, and for three years you have continued to follow and to love and support and sustain him. You have seen him confound the wise, comfort the weary and the afflicted, heal the sick, and raise the dead to life. You have seen him conquer evil spirits and calm the troubled seas; and for a few minutes, at least, you even walked on the water toward him. You were at his side when Moses and Elias appeared to him; you saw him transfigured before your very eyes. You have committed your entire life to him. And now he questions you by instructing you to strengthen your brethren-'when thou art converted.'
"Peter was surprised. He assured the Lord, 'I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.' (Luke 22:33.) But Jesus knew and understood. He was not condemning Peter for a lack of conviction; Peter demonstrated his conviction during the Lord's arrest. Rather, the Savior was telling Peter what he needed to do when his testimony became more secure.
"As he knew Peter, the Lord understands us today when our testimonies may not be the brightly burning bonfire we may think they are or want them to be. Perhaps in some cases, that testimony is constructed unwisely, built on a social foundation of programs and personalities instead of the sure rock of personal revelation. Or perhaps we have allowed our testimony to flicker gradually through disuse and spiritual complacency. Regardless of the reason, the Savior lovingly urges us to come unto him and become strengthened in him. Said he to Moroni: 'If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; . . . for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.' (Ether 12:27.)" (Finding Peace in Our Lives [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995], 125.)
Luke 22:36 he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one
David O. McKay
"'Think not that I come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace but a sword.' (Matthew 10:34) They who would quote this saying as indicating that Jesus approves of war surely put a strained interpretation on its true meaning, which refers most clearly to the incompatibility between truth and error. It clearly refers to the necessity of a choice, which has been made by thousands, between accepting the gospel or continuing in ease and comfort with relatives. There is not in that quotation any justification for one Christian nation's declaring war upon another.
"Nor, again, would I try to justify my seeming inconsistency by referring to what He said on another occasion as follows: 'But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one ....And they said, Lord, behold here are two swords, And he said unto them, it is enough.' (Luke 22:36 and 38)
"Without reading into the text something which is not intended or even implied, the most that one can get from this admonition is that henceforth the disciples going forth into an antagonistic world might supply themselves with necessary support and the usual means of defense.
"None of these sayings of the Savior's can be taken to prove that He justifies war." (Conference Report, April 1942, Church of the Air Broadcast 72.)
Luke 22:42 if thou be willing, remove this cup from me
Dallin H. Oaks
"Here we see the Savior's absolute faith and trust in the Father. 'Nevertheless,' he said, 'not my will, but thine be done.' 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)." ("Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ," Ensign, May 1994, 100)
Joseph Fielding Smith
"The Savior never committed any sin...He was not under the necessity of repenting as you and I are; but in some way that I cannot understand, he carried the weight of my transgressions and yours and the transgressions of every soul who comes into this Church from the days of Adam to our present time and to the end of time. He came and offered himself as a sacrifice to pay the debt for each of us who is willing to repent of his sins and return to him and keep his commandments. Think of it, if you can. The Savior carried that burden in some way beyond our comprehension. I know that, because I accept his word. He tells us of the torment he went through the torment was so great that he pled with his Father that if it were possible he might not drink the bitter cup and shrink: '. . . nevertheless not my will but thine, be done.' (Luke 22:42.) The answer he got from his Father was, 'You have to drink it.'
"Can I help loving him? No, I cannot. Do you love him? Then keep his commandments. If you do not, you will have to answer for them yourselves." (Conference Report, April 1967, Afternoon Meeting 122.)
Thomas S. Monson
"Can we, in part, appreciate the suffering of God the Eternal Father... Is there a father or a mother who could not be moved to complete compassion if he or she heard a son cry out in his own Garden of Gethsemane, 'Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done'? (Luke 22:42.)
"All of us love the beautiful account from the Holy Bible of Abraham and Isaac. How exceedingly difficult it must have been for Abraham, in obedience to God's command, to take his beloved Isaac into the land of Moriah there to present him as a burnt offering. Can you imagine the heaviness of his heart as he gathered the wood for the fire and journeyed to the appointed place? Surely pain must have racked his body and tortured his mind as he bound Isaac and laid him on the altar upon the wood and stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
"...As God witnessed the suffering of Jesus, his Only Begotten Son in the flesh, and beheld his agony, there was no voice from heaven to spare the life of Jesus. There was no ram in the thicket to be offered as a substitute sacrifice. 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' (John 3:16.)" (Conference Report, October 1965, Afternoon Meeting 142.)
Luke 22:42 not my will, but thine
Neal A. Maxwell
"Our great Example showed us the pattern by His life, and then in his most desperate hour (Luke 22:41-43) summed up in five words for all time the way of both the Master and His disciple." (Not My Will, But Thine [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1998], 144.)
Neal A. Maxwell
"We [need to] develop our submissiveness to God's will, so that amid our lesser but genuinely vexing moments we too can say, 'Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done' (Luke 22:42). When heartfelt, this expression of obedience constitutes real petition followed by real submission. It is much more than polite deference. Rather, it is a deep yielding in which one's momentary uncertainty gives way to the certainty of Father's rescuing love and mercy, attributes which drench His plan of salvation." ("Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ," Ensign, Nov. 1997, 23)
Spencer W. Kimball
"It would not hurt us . . . if we paused at the end of our prayers to do some intense listening-even for a moment or two-always praying, as the Savior did, 'not my will, but thine, be done' (Luke 22:42)." (Russell M. Nelson, Perfection Pending, and Other Favorite Discourses [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998], 49.)
Marion G. Romney
"What a difference it would make in conditions of the world today if all leaders of nations and all peoples were seeking to know and do the Father's will! What peace would come into the world and what peace does come into the hearts of individuals as they acquire such a state of mind and act upon it! The happiest and most successful people on the earth are those who, knowing the will of the Father, are living in harmony therewith. On the other hand, the most contentious, distressed, and miserable people on the earth are those who know his will and do not live in harmony with it." (Learning for the Eternities [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977], 105.)
Luke 22:43 there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him
"An angel, sent from the courts of glory, came to strengthen the God of Creation in his hour of greatest need. What an assignment! What an honor! 'If we might indulge in speculation,' Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, 'we would suggest that the angel who came into this second Eden was the same person who dwelt in the first Eden. At least Adam, who is Michael, the archangel-the head of the whole heavenly hierarchy of angelic ministrants-seems the logical one to give aid and comfort to his Lord on such a solemn occasion. Adam fell, and Christ redeemed men from the fall; theirs was a joint enterprise, both parts of which were essential for the salvation of the Father's children.'" (Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1986], 433 - 434.)
Luke 22:44 being in an agony he prayed more earnestly
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... 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. The frightful struggle incident to the temptations immediately following the Lord's baptism was surpassed and overshadowed by this supreme contest with the powers of evil.
"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." (Jesus The Christ, p. 613.)
Neal A. Maxwell
"The angel who appeared (around 124 B.C.) to King Benjamin movingly and prophetically described the coming of Jesus and the performing of His mortal ministry, His miracles and His work among the children of men, and then the glorious but awful Atonement: 'And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.' (Mosiah 3:7)" (Plain and Precious Things [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 11 - 12.)
Neal A. Maxwell
"Jesus, Creator and Jehovah, surely had known for a long time what He must do. Nevertheless, He had never known, personally, the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. And it was so much worse than even He with His unique intellect had ever imagined. No wonder an angel appeared to strengthen Him! (See Luke 22:43.)
"No wonder He began to be 'very heavy' or, also in the Greek rendition, very 'dejected' and 'depressed' and filled with anguish. The cumulative weight of all mortal sins, somehow, past, present, and future, pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive soul! All infirmities and sicknesses were part, too, of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement." ("The New Testament-A Matchless Portrait of the Savior," Ensign, Dec. 1986, 26)
Lorenzo Snow
"It was difficult for Jesus to accomplish the Atonement. Jesus, the Son of God, was sent into the world to make it possible for you and me to receive these extraordinary blessings. He had to make a great sacrifice. It required all the power that He had and all the faith that He could summon for Him to accomplish that which the Father required of Him. Had He fallen in the moment of temptation, what do you suppose would have become of us?... But He did not fail, though the trial was so severe that He sweat great drops of blood. When He knelt there in the Garden of Gethsemane, what agony He must have experienced in contemplating His sufferings on the cross! His feelings must have been inexpressible. He tells us Himself, as you will find recorded in section 19 of the book of Doctrine and Covenants, that His suffering was so great that it caused even Him 'to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit-and would that [He] might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink.' But He had in His heart continually to say, 'Father, not my will, but Thine be done.' It was a dark hour for Him; and every man and woman who serves the Lord, no matter how faithful they may be, have their dark hours; but if they have lived faithfully, light will burst upon them and relief will be furnished." (The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, edited by Clyde J. Williams [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1984], 98.)
Orson F. Whitney
"One night I dreamed-if dream it may be called-that I was in the Garden of Gethsemane, a witness of the Savior's agony. I saw Him as plainly as I see this congregation. I stood behind a tree in the foreground, where I could see without being seen. Jesus, with Peter, James and John, came through a little wicket gate at my right. Leaving the three Apostles there, after telling them to kneel and pray, he passed over to the other side, where he also knelt and prayed. It was the same prayer with which we are all familiar: 'O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt' (Matt. 26:36-44; Mark 14:32-41; Luke 22:42).
"As he prayed the tears streamed down his face, which was toward me. I was so moved at the sight that I wept also, out of pure sympathy with his great sorrow. My whole heart went out to him, I loved him with all my soul, and longed to be with him as I longed for nothing else." ("The Divinity of Jesus Christ," Improvement Era, Vol. Xxix. January, 1926, No. 3)
Luke 22:44 his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground
"Jesus, apparently knowing that the time of his death was near, suffered great mental anguish, and, as described by the physician Luke, his sweat became like blood.
"Although this is a very rare phenomenon, bloody sweat (hematidrosis or hemohidrosis) may occur in highly emotional states or in persons with bleeding disorders. As a result of hemorrhage into the sweat glands, the skin becomes fragile and tender." ("On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ," Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 1986-Vol. 255, No. 11, p. 1456)
Elder Charles H. Hart
"His agony [was] such that He sweat great drops of blood. That was an unusual occurrence. There are only a few recorded instances in the annals of history of men so suffering that they actually sweat blood; but there are a few such instances." (Conference Report, October 1912, First Day-Morning Session. 15 - 17.)
Russell M. Nelson
"The word Gethsemane comes from two Hebrew roots: gath, meaning "press," and shemen, meaning "oil," especially that of the olive.
"There olives had been pressed under the weight of great stone wheels to squeeze precious oil from the olives. So the Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane was literally pressed under the weight of the sins of the world. He sweated great drops of blood-his life's 'oil'-which issued from every pore." ("Why This Holy Land?" Ensign, Dec. 1989, 17-18)
John Taylor
"...the Son of God ... bore the weight, the responsibility, and the burden of the sins of all men, which, to us, is incomprehensible ... Groaning beneath this concentrated load, this intense, incomprehensible pressure, this terrible exaction of Divine justice, from which feeble humanity shrank, and through the agony thus experienced sweating great drops of blood, He was led to exclaim, 'Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.' He had wrestled with the superincumbent load in the wilderness, He had struggled against the powers of darkness that had been let loose upon him there; placed below all things, His mind surcharged with agony and pain, lonely and apparently helpless and forsaken, in his agony the blood oozed from His pores." (Mediation and Atonement [Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1882], 151.)
James E. Faust
"One cannot help wondering how many of those drops of precious blood each of us may be responsible for." ("The Supernal Gift of the Atonement," Ensign, Nov. 1988, 13)
Marion G. Romney
"This was the awful price demanded by the justice of God and paid by Jesus to put into effect the plan of mercy-that is, the gospel plan of redemption through which men may escape from spiritual death. In this manner Jesus literally bought us with his blood. Paul twice says, 'Ye are bought with a price' (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23)...His blood was drawn from him in blood sweat, the most torturous manner in which it could be spilt. From every beneficiary of the plan of redemption, Jesus merits everlasting praise, honor, and gratitude." (Look to God and Live [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1971], 96 - 97.)
Brigham Young
"The Father withdrew His Spirit from His Son, at the time he was to be crucified. Jesus had been with his Father, talked with Him, dwelt in His bosom, and knew all about heaven, about making the earth, about the transgression of man, and what would redeem the people, and that he was the character to redeem the sons of earth, and the earth itself from all sin that had come upon it. The light, knowledge, power, and glory with which he was clothed were far above, or exceeded that of all others who had been upon the earth after the fall, consequently at the very moment, at the hour when the crisis came for him to offer up his life, the Father withdrew Himself, withdrew His Spirit. . . . That is what made him sweat blood. If he had had the power of God upon him, he would not have sweat blood." (Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1986], 434 - 435.)
Luke 22:48 betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
Neal A. Maxwell
"Up one mountain came Judas 'with a great multitude' to kiss and to betray the Master. One wonders what the walk down the mountain that night was like for Judas and which was more searing-his lips on Jesus' face or Jesus' words in his ears, 'Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?' ("Luke 22:48) Few scenes of pathos rank with that of a guilty Judas trying to give back the 30 pieces of silver and seeing how those who had used him so fiendishly were devoid of mercy and empathy for him. Judas' soul-slide was not a sudden thing, and his subsequent suicide ranks as perhaps the most self-contemptuous in history." (Deposition of a Disciple [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 75 - 76.)
Luke 22:51 he touched his ear and healed him
Neal A. Maxwell
"Drenched in deep and, to us, unimaginable personal suffering at the time of His arrest in Gethsemane, Jesus might have shrouded Himself in self-pity, reducing His capacity to think of others at all. Instead, empathetic Jesus carefully restored the severed ear of a hostile guard (see Luke 22:50-51). Christ's way was not the way of the sword (see Matthew 26:52). Even in the deepest duress, He did not hesitate or equivocate." (Lord, Increase Our Faith [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 25.)
Luke 22:61 the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter
With one look-one 'glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty God' (Jacob 2:10)-the Master communicated the sermon of a lifetime. He who had declared, 'I am ready to go with thee, both to prison, and to death,' (v. 33) at once realized what he had done.
Peter was not insulated, as we are, by the veil. His failure was immediately rebuked by one divine glance. And what if Jesus were to look on us in our moments of failure? He has declared, 'I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance' (DC 1:31). If the veil were drawn in our greatest moments of weakness, would we feel any different than Peter? Would we be able to look him in the eye? Wouldn't we go out as well, and weep bitterly? Alma described the feeling as follows, 'the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror' (Alma 36:14). We would do well to remember the gall of bitterness and 'inexpressible horror' which awaits those who don't repent, for at the last day, 'they shall quake, tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye' (Mosiah 27:31).
Luke 22:62 Peter went out, and wept bitterly
Theodore M. Burton
"I personally believe this was the beginning of the conversion of Peter. Up to this time Peter had never questioned his own ability to cleave to truth. He was an honest man by nature and felt the strength that honesty gives a man. Perhaps, as so many of us, he lacked humility. As a result of this experience, however, he learned humility. There is no question of his remorse, for he wept bitterly at his own weakness. I feel, however, that a great change began to work in Peter, beginning with this knowledge of his own weakness." (October 6, 1964, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1964, p. 4)
James E. Faust
"I believe this incident strengthened Peter's commitment. He was never to be weak again. The resolve borne of that disappointment in his own temporary weakness tempered his metal into the hardest steel. He proved his devotion every day of his life thereafter, and in his death. So it can be with all of us. When we have been less than we ought to be and have fallen below our own standards, we can have newfound resolve and strength by forsaking our weakness." (Reach Up for the Light [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1990], 62.)
Luke 22:63-65 when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face
Isaiah spoke eloquently of this humiliating beating at the hands of the Jewish soldiers, 'I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed' (Isa. 50:6-7). The traditional interpretation of the scripture, 'I set my face like a flint,' is that Christ was steadfast and undeterred from his redeeming mission. But, another crucial symbolic element is that flint is a special silica rock which must be hit in order to make fire. For Jesus to set his face 'like a flint' meant that his face would be beaten and smitten as if its only value were to make a few mocking sparks. Yet, the only fire so kindled was the silent fire of his righteous indignation (see Moses 7:34).
Furthermore, Isaiah said he willfully gave his back to the smiters, he hid not his face from shame, and set his own face like a flint. All of these references indicate that the Lord was allowing all of this to happen. He could have decided not to give his back; he held the power to hide his face or prevent the shameful assault, but he did not. It's one thing to suffer a painful and shameful beating without resistance or complaint. It's another thing altogether to so suffer when you have the power to end it immediately. Such is the condescension of the Son of God.
Gerald N. Lund
"He showed condescension in his patience and restraint when brought before men for judgment.... Imagine the Being whose power, whose light, whose glory holds the universe in order, the Being who speaks and solar systems, galaxies, and stars come into existence-standing before wicked men and being judged by them as being of no worth or value! When we think of what he could have done to these men who took him to judgment, we have a new and different sense of his condescension. When Judas led the soldiers and the high priests to the Garden of Gethsemane and betrayed him with a kiss, Jesus could have spoken a single word and leveled the entire city of Jerusalem. When the servant of the high priest stepped forward and slapped his face, Jesus could have lifted a finger and sent that man back to his original elements. When another man stepped forward and spit in his face, Jesus had only to blink and our entire solar system could have been annihilated. But he stood there, he endured, he suffered, he condescended." (Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.37)
Luke 22:67-70 Art thou the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am
It was illegal for a capital punishment to be affixed if the only testimony against the accused was his own. With this legal requirement in mind, we can understand why the Savior testified as he did before the Sanhedrin. He was indirect about his claims to be the Messiah. Earlier in his ministry, he explained that he was greater than Moses and greater than Abraham (Jn. 5:45-47; 8:58). Now the true High Priest stood before the wicked imposter fully aware that he would be falsely accused of blasphemy. Yet, he would not make the claim himself. He would merely acknowledge the accusation.
"I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God."
"Thou hast said..." is the reply (Matt. 26:63-64).
Jesus would not be condemned for his own testimony but for agreeing with the accusation of the high priest. Even in agreement, he acknowledges the source of the testimony. (Mark renders the response as "I am" which conveys the same meaning but misses the legal subtlety. See 14:62)
"Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews?"
"And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it." (Mark 15:2) In effect, these are your words, not mine.
In the second mock trial the next morning, he was asked again, "Art thou the Christ? tell us." And he said unto them, "If I tell you, ye will not believe." (Lu. 22:67)
"Art thou then the son of God?"
"Ye say that I am." (Luke 22:70)
To paraphrase, "My followers have said I am the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and the King of the Jews. These are not my claims but theirs. It is their testimony which offends you, not mine. It is for their testimony that I will be put to death. Ye hypocrites, ye claim allegiance to the law yet ye would crucify the Giver of the law contrary to the law. Ye say ye love Moses, but ye are the sons of those that stone the prophets. Ye say, doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? Yet ye judge me before hearing me or knowing my works. Will ye say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? Who blasphemest, me or thee? Who breakest the Law? Who hath offended God? Who will the Father glorify? Who will the Father condemn?" These are the words the Master might have said if it would have mattered, but he knew whatever he said, they would not believe neither would they let him go (v. 68).