Day 5 August 14 - Matthew 25-28

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Discussion

[KeithLBrown]

Amazing Grace:

The Love, the Grace, and the Mercy of Our Lord

"The principal question before us is not do we comprehend the atonement, but do we accept it." -- George Q. Morris – (CR, April 1956, p.112).

Our third Article of Faith states, "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." And President Marion G. Romney taught, "The atonement of the Master is the central point of world history. Without it, the whole purpose for the creation of the earth and our living upon it would fail." (IE, December 1953, p. 942)

The word atonement may be defined as the reconciliation between God and man. This reconciliation is based on the love, the grace, and the mercy of God and is accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ as a special result of His sacrificial sufferings and death. And, because of His sacrificial sufferings and death, all those who are faithful and repent of their sins will be forgiven and obtain peace.

The Apostle Paul further clarifies this definition of the word atonement in his letter to the Romans, in chapter 5, verses 8-11, where we read these words, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."

In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, the Apostle Paul confidently affirms that "the Gospel" he taught was that "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" This morning I would like to take just a few minutes and share with you from the Scriptures, seven reasons for believing that Christ actually died and rose from the dead.

Reason # 1: A Public Execution Assured That He Actually Died

During the Jewish feast of Passover, Jesus was swept away by an angry crowd into a Roman hall of Justice. As he stood before Pilate, the governor of Judea, religious leaders accused Him of claiming to be the king of the Jews. The crowd demanded His death. "And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the king of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him." (Mark 15:12,13). Jesus was beaten, whipped, and sentenced to a public execution. On a hill outside of Jerusalem along a public road, He was crucified between two criminals. Brokenhearted friends as well as mocking enemies witnessed His death. In the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus’ death is clearly stated. In Matthew 27:50 and in John 19:30, the writers said He "yielded" or "gave up" His spirit. The other two accounts record that He "breathed His last" (Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46). As the Sabbath evening neared, Roman soldiers who were experts in crucifixion were sent to finish the execution. To quicken death, they broke the legs of the two criminals that hung on either side of our Savior. "But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs:" (John 19:33). As a final precaution, "one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." (John 19:34) When Joseph of Aramathea asked for the body of Christ so that he and Nicodemus could bury Him, Pointus Pilate ordered a centurion to verify that Jesus was dead (Mark 15:43-45). The Roman governor would not release the body to Joseph until the centurion was certain that all signs of life were gone. You can be sure that an officer in the Roman army would not make a mistake about an important matter like this in his report to such a high official as Pilate. To do so would have meant his death.

Reason#2: High Officials Secured the Gravesite

The next day, religious leaders met with Pilate once again. They said that Jesus had predicted that He would rise in three days. To ensure that the disciples could not conspire in a resurrection hoax, Pilate ordered the official seal of Rome to be attached to the tomb to put any and all grave robbers on notice. To enforce the order, soldiers stood guard (Matthew 27:62-66). Any disciple that wanted to tamper with the body would have had to get by the guards, which would not have been an easy task. The Roman guards had good reason to stay alert—the penalty for falling asleep while on watch was death.

Reason#3: The Grave Was Found Empty

There were several eyewitnesses to testify to this very fact. The first to see and report the empty tomb were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, who "had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him." (Mark 16:1) John and Peter were the next to witness that the tomb was empty. John, it should be noted, is the one who wrote this account and recorded it in chapter 20 of his Gospel.

Reason#4: Many People Claimed to Have Seen our Risen Lord Alive

About A.D. 55, the Apostle Paul wrote that the resurrected Christ had been seen by Peter, the 12 apostles, more than 500 people (many of whom were still alive at the time of his writing), James, and himself (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). In addition the New Testament in other places records the following witnesses to the glorious resurrection: Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18), several women near the tomb (Matthew 28:9-10), two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), Peter (Luke 24:33-35), ten disciples in the upper room (Luke 24:36-43), eleven disciples in the upper room (John 20:26-31), seven men at the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-25), eleven disciples on a mountain (Matthew 28: 16-20), and an undisclosed amount of disciples near Bethany (Acts 1:9-12; Luke 24:52). The book of Acts begins its history of Christ by stating that Jesus "shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:" (Acts 1:3).

Reason #5: His Apostles Were Dramatically Changed

Within a few weeks, they were standing face to face with the ones who had crucified their Master. Their spirit was like iron. They became unstoppable in their determination to sacrifice everything for the one that they had called Savior and Lord. Even after they were threatened, imprisoned, and forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus, the Apostles said to the Jewish leaders, "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29) "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts 5:42)

Reason # 6: Witnesses Were Willing to Die For Their Claims

Jesus’ disciples died for their claims to have seen Him alive and well after His resurrection. They died for their claim that Jesus Christ had not only died for their sins, but He had risen bodily from the dead to show that He was like no other spiritual leader who had ever lived. Peter was hanged upside down. Mark was dragged through the streets to his death. James was beheaded. Thomas was pierced with a lance. All of these men were willing to die for the One who overcame death for them—and for us!

Reason#7: The Death and Resurrection of Christ Were Clearly Predicted

In Alma 7:11,12 we read these words, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith that he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." The prophet Isaiah also predicted Jesus’ death and resurrection. In the twelve verses that comprise Isaiah 53, he refers to Christ as the Servant of the Lord and teaches us four important lessons about this Servant. In Isaiah 53:1-3, we learn about the Servant’s submission; in verses 4-6, the Servant’s substitution; in verses 7-9, the Servant’s sinless nature; and in verses 10-12, the Servant’s satisfaction.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has taught us that:

"No member of this Church must ever forget the terrible price paid by our Redeemer who gave his life that all men might live – the agony of Gethsemane, the bitter mockery of his trial, the vicious crown of thorns tearing at his flesh, the blood cry of the mob before Pilate, the lonely burden of his heavy walk along the way to Calvary, the terrifying pain as great nails pierced his hands and feet, the fevered torture of his body as he hung that tragic day, the Son of God crying out, "Father forgive them , for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34.)

This was the cross, the instrument of his torture, the terrible device designed to destroy the Man of Peace, the evil recompense for his miraculous work of healing the sick, of causing the blind to see, of raising the dead. This was the cross on which he hung, and died on Golgotha’s lonely summit.

We cannot forget that. We must never forget it, for here our Savior, our Redeemer, the Son of God, gave himself a vicarious sacrifice for each of us." ("The Symbol of Christ," Ensign, May 1975, p.93.)

In Matthew 16:13-16 we read these words, "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." People all over the world today have many different views about who Christ really is. Many are skeptical and critical about the life of this One who lived a perfect, sinless life and gave that life as a ransom for the world that the world might be redeemed from sin and have a means by which to one day return to their Father in Heaven. However, in spite of all of the skepticism and criticism, I believe that it is safe to say that almost everyone would agree that Jesus Christ was not just an ordinary man. His life had a major impact on the entire world.

I bear solemn witness and testimony of a loving Savior who loves each and every one of us so much that He willingly gave His life for us as sin’s final sacrifice. With His very life, He paid a tremendous debt that He did not owe, a debt that none of us would ever be able to pay on our own. He took upon Himself all the sins of mankind –past, present and future. He who knew no sin became sin for us. When He cried "It is finished", the plan of redemption was put finally into place and because of His vicarious death on that cruel Roman cross on Golgotha Hill, the gulf between man and a loving Heavenly Father was finally bridged providing for each of us a way back home to the arms of a loving Heavenly Father who awaits us. The good news is that His death upon that cross did not signify finality. Three days later He triumphed over the grave and arose and is alive forevermore seated at the right hand of God the Father. Because of His glorious resurrection we too look forward to the day when we shall be resurrected and we shall see Him and know Him as He is. He is the Son of the Living God. He is the Christ. Of these things I do so testify, in the sacred name of Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, even the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Matthew 25:40 Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren

Chieko Okazaki

“This was a wonderful concept to me. I can be Christ's advocate by becoming an advocate for those who are the least among us. Think about Jesus before he emerged from his mortal disguise. Was he someone you would have reached out to serve? Jesus Christ was a homeless man. He was embarrassing to be around because he made public scenes. He refused to accept the authority of the scribes, the Pharisees, and the lawyers. He consorted with tax collectors, thieves, and prostitutes. He made extravagant claims—such as that he was the Son of God. He actually touched lepers. No wonder the respectable people of the day shunned him. But he will be our advocate for the eternities, this man who was despised and rejected in life.

“He was very much too much for a great many people. Is he too much for us? Is his gospel too much for us? No, it is our joy and our glory, that we can serve him by serving the least among us. ‘The least of these’ are all around us. Not one of us, myself included, does not have circumstances in her life where she is ‘one of the least.’ … Not one of us, myself included, is so overcome with problems that we cannot be a nonjudgmental listener, a helpful friend, a loving sister to someone who is also in need, a defender when someone is gossiped about, an includer when someone is marginalized.”(Disciples, 210.)

Gordon B. Hinckley

“I received a letter this morning. I think I would like to read it to you. I hope that you will not consider it egotistical for me to do so.

‘Fellowshipinga-Hinckley, Gordon B.TP’What a wonderful Conference! Your closing remarks concerning Brigham Young's rescue parties touched our family's heart and we resolved to set out on our rescue mission without delay. We pulled out of the stake center [sunday afternoon] and headed directly to the humble home of a struggling single parent mother of two who hasn't been out to Church in years (and who has carefully evaded her visiting teachers). We happened to catch her in her driveway, and we told her that you and the bishop had sent us. Her heart was touched. She said that she works at a hospital till 2 A.M. most Sundays. When we asked if we could bring her children to Church with us, she explained that her ten-year-old daughter has no Sunday clothes and that her fourteen-year-old son had felt embarrassed to attend because he felt he didn't fit in. We told the mom we would take care of the needed clothes. We then invited them to Sunday spaghetti dinner that took place thirty minutes later, introduced the boy to our nephew who is in his quorum, and arranged to pick the boy up for Mutual this week. The mom and sister promised to go to Church with us in two weeks when the mom has her Sunday off. (Don't worry, we won't let them forget!)’

“Fellowshipinga-Hinckley, Gordon B.TPThat is the whole thing, when all is said and done, to go out and get in our cars and drive from a Church parking lot to someone who has been neglected for a long time and needs a little attention, to lift and cheer and comfort and love and bless. ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me’ ("#Matt. 25:40Matt. 25:40).” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 224.)

Gordon B. Hinckley

“The greatest challenge we face in our hurried, self-centered lives is to follow this counsel of the Master (Matt. 25:34-40). Years ago I read the story of a young woman who went into a rural area as a schoolteacher. Among those in her class was a girl who had failed before and who was failing again. The student could not read. She came from a family without means to take her to a larger city for examination to determine whether she had a problem that could be remedied. Sensing that the difficulty might lie with the girl's eyes, the young teacher arranged to take the student, at the teacher's own expense, to have her eyes tested. A deficiency was discovered that could be corrected with glasses. Soon an entire new world opened to the student. For the first time in her life, she saw clearly the words before her. The salary of that country schoolteacher was meager, but out of the little she had, she made an investment that completely changed the life of a failing student, and in doing so she found a new dimension in her own life.” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 591 - 592.)

Elder J. Richard Clarke

“I was touched by an experience that was recently related to me. A dear sister had been incapacitated for the past eight years—she could not walk or talk and was confined to bed. About six years ago, she and her husband were assigned a faithful home teacher. He asked if his wife could come over to their house every Sunday morning and stay with the invalid woman while her husband attended priesthood meeting. For six years, every Sunday this home teacher would bring his wife over to stay with the invalid sister while her husband went to his meeting. And every Sunday the home teacher's wife would bring with her some baked goods or something special that she had made for this older couple. Finally, this sister who had been ill passed away. When her daughter tried to express her deep love and appreciation to this loving home teacher and his wife for what they had done over the years, the wife said, ‘Oh, don't thank us. It was our privilege to visit with your sweet mother. What am I going to do now? The hour and a half on Sunday morning will now be, for me, the loneliest hour and a half in the week.’” (Love, 58.)

James E. Faust

“May I express a word of gratitude and appreciation to those many who minister with such kindness and skill to our handicapped people. Special commendation belongs to parents and family members who have cared for their own children with special needs in the loving atmosphere of their own homes. The care of those who are diminished is a special service rendered to the Master himself, for ‘inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ ("Matt. 25:40Matthew 25:40.)

“Parents of handicapped children are occasionally embarrassed or hurt by others who awkwardly express sympathy but cannot know or appreciate the depth of the parents' love for a handicapped child. Perhaps there is some comparison in the fact that there is no less love in families for the helpless infant who must be fed, bathed, and diapered than for older but still dependent members. We love those whom we serve and who need us.” (Reach Up for the Light, 90.)

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Matthew 26:26-28 The administration of the Sacrament

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.

“Covenant Peoplea-Hinckley, Gordon B.TPThe 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.)

David O. McKay

“There are three things fundamentally important associated with the administration of the sacrament. The first is self-discernment. It is introspection. ‘This do in remembrance of me,’ but we should partake worthily, each one examining himself with respect to his worthiness.

“Secondly, there is a covenant made; a covenant even more than a promise…A covenant, a promise, should be as sacred as life. That principle is involved every Sunday when we partake of the sacrament.

“Thirdly, there is another blessing, and that is a sense of close relationship with the Lord. There is an opportunity to commune with oneself and to commune with the Lord. We meet in the house that is dedicated to him; we have turned it over to him; we call it his house. Well, you may rest assured that he will be there to inspire us if we come in proper attune to meet him.”(Conference Report, April 1946, Afternoon Meeting 112.)

Joseph Fielding Smith

“The covenant made by members of the Church each time they partake of the Sacrament, should constantly be uppermost in their minds. Never should they eat the bread or drink the water, without a full realization of just what they are doing and what it means to them. The covenant made embraces the following:

“First, that through the sanctified bread and water, we too, sanctify ourselves in partaking of it before our Heavenly Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ.

“Second, that we eat in remembrance of his broken body and of his blood which was shed for us.

“Third, that we are willing to take upon us the name of the Son, and not be ashamed of him. We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ, and if faithful have taken upon us his name.

“Fourth, we covenant that we will always remember him. This embodies the willingness to love and honor him.

“Fifth, that we will keep his commandments which he has given us.

“These things we covenant to do when we partake of these emblems; moreover, we renew the covenant each week, if we perform our duty. The promise made to us, if we will do these things, is that we shall always have his Spirit to be with us.

“No member of the Church can fail to make this covenant and renew it week by week, and retain the Spirit of the Lord. The Sacrament meeting of the Church is the most important meeting which we have, and is sadly neglected by many members. We go to this service, if we understand the purpose of it, not primarily to hear someone speak, important though that may be, but first, and most important, to renew this covenant with our Father in heaven in the name of Jesus Christ. Those who persist in their absence from this service will eventually lose the Spirit and if they do not repent will eventually find themselves denying the faith.” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1: 123.)

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Matthew 27:46 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

“Is it possible that the Heavenly Father had really forsaken him? Could God have abandoned him in this most sacred and terrible hour? Yes, indeed. For Christ had become guilty of the sins of the world, guilty in our place. What happens to the rest of us when we are guilty of sin? The Spirit of God withdraws from us, the heavens turn to brass, and we are left alone to stew in our guilt until we repent. In Gethsemane the best among us vicariously became the worst among us and suffered the very depths of hell. And as one who was guilty, the Savior experienced for the first time in his life the loss of the Spirit of God and of communion with his Father.” (Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News, 119.)

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)

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Matthew 28:9 as Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them

The first mortal to see the risen Lord was Mary Magdalene. In an encounter which Matthew omits, Mary was alone by the tomb and briefly mistook the Master for a gardener (see Jn. 20:11-18). She was instructed, ‘Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.’ But Mary would see him just a short time later as she returned with a group of women to tell the brethren. The record of Luke states that these two Marys were accompanied by Joanna and ‘other women that were with them’ (Lu. 24:10)—making it a fairly large group. Interestingly, on this second encounter, the Lord allows the women to touch him, as ‘they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.’

What can we learn from these appearances to the women? The closet feminist is upset with the patriarchal tone of the scriptures. She is upset with the patriarchal hierarchy of the priesthood. She is upset that women don’t spend more time sitting on the stand. Yet, truly great women are upset by none of these things. Mary and her companions were the first to seek the Lord on Easter morning. Hence, they were the first to see the resurrected Christ. Had they been seeking for station, they would have been with the brethren arguing about what should be done next. But this was none of their concern. They were not so interested in prestige and power as they were with service and humility. Accordingly, they were blessed with a personal visitation from the risen Lord—a privilege enjoyed by so few. They seemed to understand that ‘whosoever shall exalt herself shall be abased; and she that shall humble herself shall be exalted’ (Matt 23:12)

In a manner unparalleled in scripture, this incident shows that the Lord will indeed reward the sisters—often before the brethren—for all their moments of silent service. Those who have sought approval of the Master instead of the approval of the masses will be rewarded with the very presence of God.

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

“…the world’s greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 475)

M. Russell Ballard

“Does the Lord respect women? Do women matter to the Lord? The answer is yes—a resounding yes!…Of this you may be certain: The Lord especially loves righteous women—women who are not only faithful but filled with faith, women who are optimistic and cheerful because they know who they are and where they are going, women who are striving to live and serve as women of God.” (“Women of Righteousness”, Ensign, Apr. 2002, 66)