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GETHSEMANE
NOTE
A quick note here before we start into what I would consider to be the most important event in the history of the world, the atoning sacrifice of Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And you may remember that back in April the focus for Easter week was on the last days of the Savior’s life. And I did make a video back then with a couple of thoughts and insights on the atonement. So there may be some ideas from that video that you would want to include in a lesson you were teaching for this week. My major focus was on the imagery and the symbolism of the bitter cup which I find to be an excellent way of introducing and discussing the atonement of Christ. So if you’re interested in using some of those ideas in this week’s lesson, I encourage you to go back and watch that now. I’ll place a link to it here above and in the video description found below. But for this week, I'd like to build on those thoughts a bit and give you some more insight and ideas on how to teach what took place that sacred night in the Garden of Gethsemane so long ago. (https://youtu.be/5BI2Xe_FIyw)
ICEBREAKER
And I’m going to give you two possible ideas for an icebreaker here because I realize that my first idea may not be applicable to everybody. But I’ve found this to be a powerful way to begin a discussion about the Gethsemane. So for the first icebreaker I ask my class what they think would be some of the emotions Jesus was feeling as he performed the atonement? What do they feel might have been going on in the Savior’s heart and mind as he endured this experience. Love? Sorrow? Worry? Confidence? I’m not sure we can ever know for certain how that must have been for him, but there is one emotion that I believe Jesus must have been feeling during those hours that may not be so obvious and I didn’t totally understand until I became a parent. And I'd like to share that thought with a little story. And here, if you’re a parent and you've ever seen one of your children suffer in some way, then you might briefly talk about what that experience was like with your students. For myself, I think back to a time when my little son fell and cut his head open right above his eye and had to go to the emergency room for stitches. And the worst part of that experience was not the initial injury, but when the doctor had to strap him down to this board with these big Velcro straps, because he was just a little boy full of energy and the doctor was worried that he might move or resist when he started to sew him up. So I’ll never forget this, but the doctor he turned to me and said, “Dad, the straps may not be enough for us to do this safely. I need you to hold his head still while I sew him up. And hold him tight because the needle is going to be very close to his eye. And I remember looking in my son's eyes at that moment as he was bawling and struggling and he was so scared and he just looked up at me with these questioning and hurt eyes as if to say, “Dad, what are you letting them do to me.” He was obviously confused and terrified. It was heartbreaking for me as his father. Now, if you've ever been in a similar kind of position and I'm sure that many of you have dealt with much worse situations of seeing your children hurt than I have, but anyone that has ever been in that position knows what a parent's greatest wish or prayer is in that moment. And you could even ask your students what they think that wish or prayer would be, besides the wish that it had never happened in the first place. And I’ll tell you, a parent's greatest desire in that situation is a willingness to take the pain upon themselves. They say, “I wish it were me. Lord. Why didn’t you let this happen to me instead. Let me take my child's pain. I don’t want them to suffer.” And I would have! I would have gladly and gratefully suffered for my son at that moment. So that he wouldn’t have to suffer. And unfortunately, in that moment, my wish wasn’t granted. Our children have to suffer their own pains for themselves. But once, in the history of the world, there was a father who was granted the great prayer of a parent. And that father was Jesus—where his Father, God gave him the gift of suffering for his children. He answered that prayer of love. So I feel that one of the emotions that Christ must have felt at that time, amongst many other things was gratitude. Gratitude that he could bless his children by suffering for them. And I know that sounds counterintuitive and against our evolutionary biology. What on earth could have the power to cause an individual to be grateful to feel pain? That power is love. And I'm not just pulling this idea out of nowhere. I always like to be based in the scriptures. So let me take you to Isaiah 53:10-11.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
[his children. All of us. Those that would be blessed through his sacrifice]
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul,
[and travail in this sense means the labor of childbirth ]
and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
So what’s the emotion described there that he will feel after he’s made his soul an offering for sin? He'll be satisfied. He'll be grateful for that, regardless of the difficulty. So maybe we could call it not only the Garden of Gethsemane, but the Garden of Gratitude as well. We could also go to John 16:21 for additional insight. And as I share this, I realize that he's saying this in the context of his apostles pain and not necessarily his own ,but I can't help but think that at that moment with what he’s about to go through that he's not also thinking about his own sacrifice. And he says:
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
So again we see that symbolism. Both Jesus and Isaiah are comparing the pains of the atonement to childbirth. And you mothers out there will have a much deeper understanding of this metaphor than I do. I personally have never had a child, obviously. But I have seen my own wife go through this four times and I know that it’s nine months of pain and discomfort and sickness, and then at the end of all that the actual delivery of a child can be excruciating and extremely difficult. But how do most mothers react after they see the results of their travail? They feel joy. They feel gratitude. And in that moment, as they hold that beautiful little soul in their arms, they forget all about the pain and difficulty. Christ's atonement was similar in experience. It was excruciating, it was painful, and how sore we know not, how exquisite we know not, yea, how hard to bear we know not (Doctrine and Covenants 19:15). But when he saw the results of his sacrifice, he remembered the pain no more. He was satisfied. He was grateful and so full of joy that he was able to do that for us.
Now depending on your situation in life, that idea may not work for you. Not all of you may be parents at this point. But here's another quick icebreaker that you might like to use to introduce this subject of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. You take out your cellphone and ask if anybody knows how it works? If there’s anyone that could truly explain the details of the inner workings of digital technology in an understandable way. The vast majority of people have no idea how they actually work. And those who may have some understanding are probably going to really struggle to put into plain words how they function. And I personally have no idea how the actual technology behind these amazing little devices operates. How they can hold so much information and do so many things. How it lets me communicate with somebody on the other side of the world, or allows me to watch movies, and hold every song I’ve ever liked in my life and access the content of the world’s knowledge in this tiny little box that fits into my pocket. It’s amazing to me and it baffles me how we have the ability to do this. And after giving your class a chance to try and explain it, I might stop them and say, “Actually, you know what. I take my question back. I know exactly how this works. Do you want to know how?” And then very deliberately, I’ll reach out a finger and push the on button and say, “See! This is how it works. I push this little button right here and it does all those amazing and wonderful things that I was just talking about. That’s how they work. Well, I believe that the atonement of Jesus Christ is very similar. I really don't know exactly how the inner workings of the atonement function. How the suffering of one man 2,000 years ago somehow makes it possible for me to be forgiven of the sins that I commit each day. I can’t even begin to explain how that works. So I won’t pretend like I can. But I do know two things. I know how to access that power and I know that it works. Which I feel are the two most important things for us to know about Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
And with that, I want you all to understand in this lesson, that I’m not going to try to dive too deeply into the doctrine of the atonement. I don’t want to speculate too deeply on that sacred experience. I find it interesting that of all of the gospel writers, the one that was closest to this experience, didn’t even write about it. John was one of those three disciples that was taken deeper into the garden as Christ suffered. And he doesn’t even mention it. And why that is, I’m not sure. But I do like something that Frederic Farrar said about the atonement as part of the explanation. Farrar was an Anglican clergyman who wrote a very important book on the life of Christ in the 1800’s and he said:
“We may not intrude too closely into this scene. It is shrouded in a halo and a mystery into which no footstep may penetrate. We, as we contemplate it, are like those disciples — our senses are confused, our perceptions are not clear. We can but enter into their amazement and sore distress. Half waking, half oppressed with an irresistible weight of troubled slumber, they only felt that they were dim witnesses of an unutterable agony, far deeper than anything which they could fathom, as it far transcended all that.” (The Life of Christ, p. 624.)
So perhaps that’s why John didn’t write about it. It was something so sacred, so confusing, so deep an ununderstandable, that he chose not to say anything about it. And so I too, always like to tread a little lightly on this holy ground and not pretend that I have the ability or expertise to make it all clear. Instead, I like to focus on what Jesus’s experience in Gethsemane teaches us by example.
TRANSITION
So with that as a lengthy introduction, let’s transition to the scriptures by making the point that Jesus taught us all we need to know about living this mortal life and living it well. He taught us how to love. He taught us how to lead. He taught us how to teach, how to pray, how to serve. He was our perfect example in all things. But in these last moments of his life, he also taught us how to suffer. So let's go to the scriptures to see if there is anything that Christ teaches us or shows us by example that can help us in our own sufferings.
SEARCH
So I’m going to give you a list of five different verses to take a look at here. Each one, I feel, holds a key to finding strength to endure our own afflictions. Each one represents a source of spiritual strength the Savior used to endure Gethsemane. So choose one, study it, ponder it, and if we were together as a class, I’d ask you to be prepared to share your thoughts with the rest of the class. According to these verses, where did the Savior draw strength to endure the pains of Gethsemane?
Matthew 26:30
Matthew 26:37-38
Matthew 26:39 or Mark 13:46 or Luke 22:42
Luke 22:43
Luke 22:44
Strength through Sacred Music
Matthew 26:30
30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
So before Jesus goes out into the Garden of Gethsemane to perform the atonement, he had the apostles sing a hymn with him. What could that teach us? Sacred music can help us through our hardships. And I might ask my class if there are any hymns that have helped them through hard times. One of mine, is hymn 166, “Abide with Me.” There have been times in my life when that hymn has given me spiritual strength. Sacred music has power! I’m sure many of you have felt that before. I like this phrase that we find in the preface of the hymnbook. It says, “Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning and inspire us to endure to the end.” So if you are struggling, perhaps you could turn there for some help.
Strength through Friendship
Matthew 26:37-38
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
What did Jesus do here to help him in his sufferings? He took trusted friends with him and invited them to watch with him. How can his example here help us? Turn to your friends, family, and those that love you and find strength in their companionship. Even Jesus didn't face Gethsemane all by himself. He took his friends with him. I think it's wonderful that in the midst of his suffering he returns to his beloved apostles at least three times seeking for their strength. And yes, unfortunately, in this case he finds them sleeping but he does turn to them for solace. And hopefully we can be there for our friends in their times of need and not sleep through them. But on the other hand, when WE are suffering, hopefully we can rely on and look to our friends, family, and church leaders for strength. They can help us through our suffering.
Strength through Submission to God’s Will
Matthew 26:39 or Mark 13:46 or Luke 22:42
For this section I’ve included three different verses. And if you took the time to look up each one, you’ll notice that they contain a description of what Christ prayed to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. And a lot of people are surprised to learn that each of the three gospel writers that record that prayer, state it just a little bit differently from the others. And I wish I could tell you which one of these was the version that he actually said. But there is something wonderful about the message of each one. Each one carries a bit of a different meaning or significance. Because I imagine that you and I have all probably prayed every one of these kinds of prayers in the midst of our own sufferings.
In the Matthew version it's, “O my Father, If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” So here Christ is saying, “Is there any other way that it’s possible to accomplish what I need to accomplish without needing to go through this? Is it possible.” And maybe you've prayed that kind of prayer at some point in your life. “Is it possible, Lord, to take away the pain and suffering that I’m going through? Can I still learn what I need to learn or accomplish what I need to accomplish without having to go through this? If that’s the case, then let it be.”
Now Mark records the prayer a little differently. In Mark it’s, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee. Take away this cup from me.” Do you see the difference there? Mark’s version is much more straightforward. It removes the idea of possibility from the equation. It’s a direct, “Take away this problem from me.” Have you ever prayed like that before? “I don’t want to face this issue Lord. Thou art all powerful. Take away this cup from me.”
And then in Luke we get yet another form of the prayer. “If thou be willing, remove this cup from me.” So this a pleading, submissive prayer. This is more like a child asking their parent, “Hey, if it’s okay with you, can this pass from me?” And perhaps you've prayed in that way as well. With humility and pleading, we request that God removes the pain. Can you see how each one of those prayers offers insight?
And whichever one it actually was, one thing is certain. They all end in basically the same way. “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.”
So what does Jesus teach us about suffering from that statement?
Approach your problems with a nevertheless attitude. A nevertheless attitude prioritizes the Father's will above our own desires. There's nothing wrong with asking for his deliverance, for the removal of cups, or for his help, as Christ does here. But this should always be done with a “nevertheless” on our lips—with an, “If my will is not yours then I'm going to trust you God and accept it even if it’s not what I personally desire.” Therefore, submission to our Heavenly Father's will can give us strength to endure.
Strength through Angels
Next, Luke 22:43
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
What does that teach us about suffering? God can send us help! The Father sent him an angel from heaven to strengthen him! And I believe that God can do the same thing for us. He may not always remove the burdens, but he often sends help from heaven. And I personally don't believe that the angel was sent to bear a portion of the pains of the atonement. Jesus was the only one uniquely qualified to do that. But the angel strengthened him. How? Perhaps with encouragement, or sympathy, or comfort. I’ve often wondered who that angel was that was sent to do that. What a privilege—to be a source of strength for the Savior in his most desperate hour. Have you ever felt the strength of angels in your life? I know that I have.
Strength through Prayer
Luke 22:44
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
What did Jesus do when things got really difficult in the garden? He prayed MORE earnestly. My suggestion to all who suffer would be to do the same when things get hard. Pray more earnestly. Prayer can bring us the strength and endurance we need to continue.
Therefore, as we can see, Jesus drew strength from many different sources in order to endure his suffering. I suggest that we use these same sources in our own trials.
TRUTH
When I suffer, If I turn to same sources of strength that the Savior turned to, then I too can endure them.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Have you ever used one of the “Savior’s Source of Strength” in your own trials?
How did they help you?
CONCLUSION
In conclusion here, one final thought that I want to share with you about the atonement of Christ that actually doesn’t even come from the New Testament, but I feel is significant as we discuss sources of strength to endure suffering. I want to take you to Alma 7:12 in the Book of Mormon for this. Yes, we've just learned from the Savior’s example some things that he did that can help us through our own sufferings. But let's not forget that the atonement of Christ itself is one of OUR greatest sources of strength. Alma 7:12 tells us one of the great reasons WHY Jesus suffered the pains and the afflictions of the atonement. Can you spot it?
12 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.
Why did he do it then? Jesus suffered these things, our pains our afflictions, our sicknesses, etc. so that his bowels would be filled with mercy towards us and so that he would know how to SUCCOR us in our infirmities. Now that word, succor, is not one that really use in our day-to-day language. It comes from Latin. The root words for succor suggest running and help, or rescue. So with that explanation, we understand that Jesus felt these things so that he would know how “to run to help” us. And that’s what he does in our sufferings as we turn to Him. He is someone who can say, “I understand what you’re going through”. Now, there are two kinds of "I understand’” one can say to someone that is in pain. And allow me to illustrate this with an example. If one of the students from my seminary classes came into my office and said “Brother Wilcox, I’m really struggling right now, my parents are going through a divorce, do you have any counsel that might help me”. And in that situation I might say with great sympathy, “Oh, I’m so sorry, I understand that that must be very difficult.” And I would do my very best to counsel them through that difficulty. But of course, they could always look at me and say, really, do you really, how could you understand, you haven’t been through it have you? And I would have to say, “No, you’re right, I don’t know for sure, but I can imagine how difficult it would be.” On the other hand, if that same youth went and spoke to my Dad, and told him the same thing, He could look back at them and say, “Oh, I understand that’s difficult”. And his “I understand" would be different than mine. Why? Because that did happen to him. He does know what that’s like. He has experienced it. And which of the two “I understands” do you feel is more powerful, in your mind? The second one right. It’s the difference between sympathy and empathy. The understanding of imagining what it would be like to the understanding of having gone through it yourself. Well, which of the two “I understands” did Jesus want to be able to say to you and me? The second kind. He wanted to be able to say, “I UNDERSTAND”. And you know what, I actually think there is a third type of “I understand”, Jesus’s I understand is even more than empathy. It’s not just that he understands because he’s been through something similar, it’s that he has actually been through what we have been through. He has suffered our specific pains, and sicknesses, and infirmities. It’s the most perfect “I understand” that can ever be uttered to us by the lips of another being.
And with that I'd like to bear witness to you that I know that the power of the atonement of Christ is real and that I’ve felt that power and his love that flows through his sacrifice into my own life. In my own struggles, I am so grateful for the example he set and the sources of strength that he has taught me to turn to. And I’m also grateful for the way in which he has run to help me, and the perfect understanding that he has of me and my difficulties. And I assure you that there is strength and power that his sacrifice and understanding can provide you with even throughout the deepest and darkest times of your life.
NOTE
Now for the remainder of today’s video I want to talk about two of the Savior’s apostles and their experiences surrounding the arrest of Christ from the Garden. Those two apostles? Judas Iscariot and Peter. Now both of these men fail in some way during those final hours of Christ’s life. They have that in common. But the final outcome of their failures is completely different, and we can gain insight from both.
DON’T GO TO CAIAPHAS’ PALACE
INTRO
So first, let’s start with Peter. Now one of the things that I love about Peter is that he's so human. I find it easier to relate to Peter. And the poor guy here, I mean, his mistakes and mishaps during the ministry of Christ have been so lovingly recorded for all of us to read throughout history. And he has quite a few. He sinks trying to walk on water. He’s the one who Jesus says, “Get thee behind me Satan” to. He’s the one that resists having his feet washed by Christ. And then we have this story—the story that Peter is probably most remembered for. His three denials of Christ. And there aren’t many of these, but it's one of those stories that all four Gospel writers decide to include. They all point out this episode in Peter’s life. He was obviously an imperfect man. But that’s perhaps why I love him so much. He’s relatable. But you know, Peter learns from his mistakes and as you read the New Testament you witness his transformation from Simon the fisherman to Peter the Rock, Peter the prophet.
ICEBREAKER
Now this particular story is one of the best studies of temptation—how individuals can become trapped by it and the consequences of giving in to it. For an icebreaker to this idea, an object lesson. Hold out a heavy weight plate. You know, the kind that you use in a barbell set and ask if there's anybody in the room who thinks that they're strong enough to lift it. And I’m sure there will be someone who is confident that they can. But once they come to the front, give them a long stick or a pole or a weightlifting bar and stick it through the hole in the middle of the weight plate, and then ask them to lift up the weight from the other end of the bar. And they won't be able to it. And you can say, “Ah, see, you're not as strong as you thought you were.” And they’ll probably protest a little bit and say, “But, that's not fair. You didn’t tell me that I had to do it with a stick.” And you can just smile back and say, “ That’s right! I changed the circumstances on you without even telling you I was going to. Remember that as we study this story.” Today we’ll be taking a look at somebody that discovered that THEY weren't as strong as they thought they were. See if you can find who it was and what they felt they were strong enough to do in Matthew 26:31-35. And the answer is, Peter, who felt he was strong enough to pledge that “though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.”
SEARCH
And then be sure to point out Jesus’s response to Peter, which is famously . . .
34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
That is quite a specific and direct warning about a coming temptation. And WOW! What a luxury. He’s even going to give him the timeframe in which he needs to watch out for this temptation. So a question here, if you were Peter and you didn't want that prophecy to come true, and you trusted in the Savior’s knowledge and understanding, what would have been the smartest thing for him to do? To me, the clear answer would be to run home, lock himself in his closet, and tell his wife not to let anybody talk to him until she heard the rooster crow the next morning. If Peter had been willing to do that, he could have completely eliminated even the possibility of denying Christ. But instead of doing that, Peter does something very foolish. What foolish thing does Peter do in Matthew 26:57-58? He goes to Caiaphas palace.
And why do you think that would be a foolish thing for Peter to do?
It's foolish because he's following the Savior into the den of his enemies. If ever there was a place where you might be tempted to deny that you knew Jesus, if ever there was a place where you could be put into a dangerous circumstance where an association with the Savior could get you into trouble, that would be the place. Peter has put himself in the worst environment possible for dealing with the exact particular type of temptation Jesus has warned him about.
On top of that, there’s another reason why this was especially foolish for Peter, of all the twelve, to do. Do you remember what Peter did in the garden at the arrest of Christ? He does something rather foolish there as well—that would have augmented the danger of this situation. He cuts the ear off of one of the servants there as they’re trying to arrest Jesus. Now Jesus heals that man, but the very people that were in the garden to arrest Jesus are going to be prowling around Caiaphas Palace at that time. This was a terrible place for Peter to go.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
And to liken the scriptures here—a question. How do people nowadays make the same kind of mistake as Peter? Do we sometimes say, like Peter, “Though all men shall [make such and such a mistake] Yet not I. I would never fall into that temptation.” And then we go out and put ourselves into tempting circumstances where, sadly, we often find, to our dismay, that we were not as strong as we thought we were. These are what I would call “Modern-day Caiaphas’ Palaces”. And I really want my students to understand this concept, and so I might have them do the following handout activity to solidify this idea in their minds. So challenge them to fill out this chart. In one column I have given them an example of a sin. In the next column, their job is to identify a possible “Caiaphas’ Palace” for that sin. Have them identify a circumstance, situation, or place that a person should avoid if they wish not to commit that sin.
And we’ll start with an easy one:
Gambling—What places would it be wise to avoid if that is your particular temptation? Casinos or the Las Vegas strip maybe.
How about pornography? What would be a Caiaphas Palace situation you would want to avoid—Being alone with unfiltered access to the internet.
Immorality—Spending too much time alone with someone you are attracted to that is not your spouse. For teenagers, getting involved in a serious relationship too young. Sitting alone in a parked car together.
How about alcohol and drug use—Bars, clubs, or certain kinds of parties could be Caiaphas’ palaces.
Foul Language—Watching movies or listening to music full of that kind of talk. Or spending time with friends who constantly use that kind of language can be a Caiaphas Palace.
Now what would be the smartest thing for us to do when it comes to these places, circumstances, or environments? It would behoove us to avoid them at all costs—to stay far away from them—to be careful not to think, “Oh, nothing would ever happen. I would never do that. I think I can trust myself.”
The scriptures are replete with examples of situations like this. If you had told David the day after he killed Goliath that one day he would commit adultery with a faithful servant’s wife and then later have him killed, what would he say to you? Never! Not me. I would never do such thing. If you had told Oliver Cowdery the day that he had received the priesthood at the hands of John the Baptist that someday he would apostatize and turn his back on Joseph and the Church, what would he say to you? Not I. Never. If you had told Solomon the day he dedicated the temple that one day he would allow people to build altars for the sacrifice of children in his kingdom, what would he say to you? No, not I. The simple fact of the matter is that we may not be as strong as we think we are. I love the answer that my Dad used to give me whenever I was beginning to push boundaries or times I felt like I was old or mature enough to push the lines of spiritual safety and I might protest by saying, “Don’t you trust me?”. And he’d say, “No, I don't trust you. I don’t trust myself in certain situations. Greater than you have fallen.”
Now back to the scriptures. Let’s go to John 18 to see what happened once Peter decided to enter Caiaphas’ palace for the rest of the lesson. Read verses 16-18 and 25-27.
16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, [that would be John himself being referred to there. Apparently, he was acquainted with Caiaphas in some way] and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.
17 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.
And there’s one. And at this point, either Peter didn’t realize it, thought it wasn’t a big deal, or thought to himself, “Well, that’s only one time. Not to worry. I just won’t do it again”. And whichever it was, we may also find ourselves doing the same kind of thing when we start to falter after placing ourselves in tempting circumstances.
18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.
Jumping to verse 25
25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.
There’s two.
26 One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
27 Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.
And there you have it. Did you see a pattern there? Each denial got a little harder to resist. First it was a young woman who was keeping the door. Then one of the servants of the high priest himself. And then it was the relative of the very guy whose ear Peter cut off in the garden. So what happened as Peter got deeper and deeper into this situation? The circumstances changed. Peter never imagined or expected that he would be put under that kind of pressure. It just keeps mounting the further he puts himself into Caiaphas’ palace.
And perhaps here’s another lesson about temptation. The deeper we go into the environment of sin, the harder it is to resist.
And before we go any further in this. Let's be clear about one thing here. I think that the gravity of this mistake is not as big as I think some have made it out to be. Peter is not “denying Christ” in the sense that somebody denies their faith, or denies the Holy Ghost. He's not denying his faith in Jesus. He's not denying his loyalty to him. He's not denying his gospel. He's just denying that he knows him. Which isn't good and I believe the Savior would have appreciated more loyalty or courage in Peter at that moment. But there's a big difference between denying Jesus and denying that you know Jesus. So keep that in mind as you teach this story to your students. Let's not overly condemn Peter in this mistake. However, this must have been a very difficult and distressing thing to Peter. Luke adds a painful yet significant detail to the story. He says:
61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
At the very moment the rooster crowed, the officers must have been leading the Savior by the courtyard there and Jesus and Peter make eye contact. And I wonder what that moment must have been like. And we can’t know for sure about this, but I don’t imagine the Savior looking at him with a condemning look, or an angry look, or even with an “I told you so” look. Just maybe a knowing yet still loving look at Peter as if to say, “I warned you about this. You shouldn’t have come.” And then we learn another critical lesson about temptation in the following verse in Luke. What are the consequences of going to our Caiaphas’ palaces? What does Peter do in this verse? Luke 22:62
62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
This is what lingering in our Caiaphas’ palaces will often result in. They result in what I would call “Rooster crow moments”. These are the moments when we realize the consequences and the magnitude of our decisions. Some examples of rooster crow moments someone may experience. It's the moment that you realize you're addicted, and you can’t stop a certain behavior that is destroying you. It’s the moment you're caught in the act by somebody who trusted you and that trust is forever broken. It's the moment you realize you've broken covenants and the hearts of those you made them to. It's the moment you find yourself so far off the path of discipleship that you are doubting that you can ever make it back. It's the moment of regret. The moment of realization of lost blessings, relationships, and opportunities. It's the moment where we are probably going to, like Peter, weep bitter tears over our actions.
TRUTH
So what have we just learned about temptation from this story?
Be humble enough to recognize that we may not be as strong as we think we are and therefore . . .
Stay as far away as possible from tempting circumstances.
Going to Caiaphas palace [tempting circumstances] will often result in “rooster crow moments” and the shedding of bitter tears.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
To liken the scriptures then.
Are there any Caiaphas’ palaces that you've been hanging out in or near lately?
What will you do to stay away from them in the future?
CONCLUSION
So allow me to conclude with a helpful alternative to the Caiaphas’s palace problem. Instead of going there, we can do what Doctrine and Covenants 87:8 suggests. We can “Stand in holy places and be not moved.” We can probably avoid a lot of bitter tears if took that as our motto instead.
Yet, we may not want to just end at that. Yes, we want our students to understand the dangers of flirting with temptation. But what if there is someone in our classes who has already fallen. They have already heard the cock crow. Well, to them, which would in some way include all of us, we can still look to Peter as an example. Did Peter give up after that? Did he decide that he was a worthless disciple and walk away from the path? Did he allow his shame to consume him and keep him from doing great things in the future? No. He kept moving forward. He still became the leader of the Church after Christ’s death. He became a powerful prophet and leader. He didn’t allow this slip-up, this lapse in judgment, to come between him and his divine potential. He moved on. He learned from this experience. And we’ll see that change in him come to fruition in the book of Acts. The Peter of Acts is quite different from the Peter of the gospels. And that’s because he learned from moments like this and didn’t allow them to deter him. I suggest we do the same.
Our next individual, like Peter, also made a mistake and gave into temptation. However, his story ends quite differently.
JUDAS ISCARIOT
ICEBREAKER
And for an icebreaker to this final portion of the lesson, I like to read my class a little poem. It was written by Shel Silverstein, and it’s called: SMART. You may have heard this before. It goes like this:
My dad gave me one dollar bill
'Cause I’m his smartest son,
And I swapped it for two shiny quarters
'Cause two is more than one!
And then I took the quarters
And traded them to Lou
For three dimes—I guess he didn’t know
That three is more than two!
Just then, along came old blind Bates
And just 'cause he can’t see
He gave me four nickels for my three dimes,
And four is more than three!
And I took the nickels to Hiram Coombs
Down at the seed-feed store,
And the fool gave me five pennies for them,
And five is more than four!
And I went and showed my dad,
And he got red in the cheeks
And closed his eyes and shook his head—
Too proud of me to speak!
TRANSITION
Now a question. What did that “smart” young man not understand? He didn’t understand the true value of those different coins. And the fact of the matter is that when we don’t really understand the true value of things, we can very easily be deceived and end up with far, far less than we thought we would have. Has this ever happened to you? Has anyone ever taken advantage of you because you didn’t understand the value of something? I remember when I was about 10 or 11 that a friend traded me five baseball cards for one particular card that I had. And I was excited because they were all cards I didn’t have, and like the boy in the poem I figured, hey, five is more than one. And then I told my Dad about it, and he revealed to me that that particular card that I had traded away was of a very famous and skilled player and was certainly going to be worth more than all the other five cards put together. I didn’t understand it’s value, and I came out on the losing end of that deal.
SEARCH
Well there is an individual in the gospels who illustrates this principle on a deeper, and much more tragic level. Somebody who misjudged the value of things, and ended up being greatly deceived. Who was that person? And what trade did they make? Look in Luke 22:3-6.
3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.
Our person: Judas Iscariot. And what was his trade? He gave up his honored relationship as an apostle and friend of the Savior for money. Matthew even tells us the amount of money promised him. Thirty pieces of silver. A misunderstanding of value indeed!
So let’s do a quick character study of Judas as a short handout. Invite your students to answer the following questions about Judas and to be ready to discuss their answers with the class.
What kind of a person do you imagine Judas was BEFORE he betrayed Jesus Christ?
The reason I ask that question is because the name “Judas Iscariot” carries with it such dark connotations that we almost can’t view him as anything other than a villain. The man who betrayed Christ. His name has become so demonized to the point that maybe we stop considering the nuance of the story of Judas. His character may not be as black and white as we assume. We’re prone to judging people as either good or bad, but that is rarely the case. There’s usually more to the story. The scriptures don’t seem to suggest this about Judas. And so that’s why I send my students to Luke 9:1-2. I want to remind them that Judas was an apostle. He was called near the beginning of Christ’s ministry as one of his special witnesses. He was given power and authority. Just imagine what Judas must have experienced during those three years he spent with Jesus Christ. He preached the gospel. He healed people. He would have been a witness to all of the greatest miracles of the Savior. He saw him walk on water, multiply the loaves and fishes, give sight to the blind, and raise Lazarus from the dead, amongst many other things. He heard all of the Savior’s teaching. He would have been present at the Sermon on the Mount, he listened to all of the parables, and was there at the Last Supper, and even had his feet washed by the very son of God. So I believe that Judas, at his core, was basically a good man. He was chosen by Christ as an apostle for that reason. I don’t believe that Jesus called him to that position just so that he would have someone there who would betray him. God doesn’t work like that. It’s Satan that uses people, not God. I believe that Judas was always in full control of his agency throughout this ordeal and that Jesus could still have accomplished his mission on this earth even if Judas had decided not to betray him. So Judas was a good man to begin with, and maybe, to end with as well. Perhaps I would label him more as a foolish man, a deceived man, a weak man more than I would an evil, depraved, or villainous man. I would reserve those adjectives for the chief priests and the Pharisees in the story, and not so much Judas. But what I do feel is the real value of the Judas Iscariot story is what he teaches us about temptation. It’s the story of a man used and deceived by Satan and the unintended consequences of giving in to the desires and the lusts of the natural man.
What was the temptation that Judas obviously struggled with most?
(Read John 12:3-6 and Matthew 6:15)
John 12:3-6
3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Matthew 26:15
15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Money was Judas’s great temptation. We see him being critical of the amount of money used by Mary to anoint Jesus’s feet. I almost picture that moment going like this, where Mary anoints Jesus’s feet and Judas can’t help but cry out in protest, like, Ahhhh! That’s worth 300 pence! You’re wasting all that ointment for one quick moment, you could sell that, and then, almost as a second thought, realizing how that sounds, tacking on to the end, and given to the poor, of course. John even tells us that Judas wasn’t saying this because he cared about the poor. And, that phrase in John 12:6 also suggests that Judas was perhaps skimming from the apostle’s funds. He calls him a thief. Judas was apparently in charge of the apostles money. He had the bag as John 13:27-30 tells us.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
Although, I would also mention that this may not have been the only reason Judas betrayed Jesus. The Joseph Smith translation of Mark 14:10 adds another facet to the story. That verse reads like this: Nevertheless, Judas Iscariot, even of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray Jesus unto them, for he turned away from him, and was offended because of his words. So it was more than just a desire for money. Judas has become offended at Jesus’s words in some way as well. And so when the opportunity to betray him shows up, his offense, coupled with greed lead him to action.
What were the consequences of Judas’s choice to betray Jesus? Matthew 27:3-10, Acts 1:17-20
These few short verses say it all.
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
What did Judas experience after he saw the results of his decision? He repented himself. He felt regret. He felt guilt. He felt the weight of the ramifications of his actions at that point. This is what giving in to sin will do to us. And I also believe this reinforces the point I made earlier about the character of Judas Iscariot. He was not all bad, evil, and villainous. If he had been, he wouldn’t have cared at that point what happened to Jesus. He would have gone out, spent his silver, and forgotten all about that whole three year episode of his life and dismissed it as a misadventure. But he doesn’t. He obviously feels very deeply regretful of his actions. And so much so, that he takes his own life. He is so filled with despair, that to continue living seemed pointless to him. Which I don’t believe is the right solution even under those circumstances and my faith in the grace of God leads me to believe that if he had sought forgiveness and mercy, it would be offered. But he loses all hope at this point and ends his life.
More consequences in the Book of Acts.
Acts 1:17 says that Judas obtained “part of this ministry”. He only experienced a part if the ministry he could have had, if he had remained faithful. That’s another consequence. We lose the opportunities and blessings we would have had if we had remained. We don’t want to only experience part of the ministry, we want to experience all of it.
Acts 1:18 gives us yet another perspective. It says that Judas purchases a field with the “reward of iniquity”. And what does he do with that “reward”, the rest of the verse, although a bit disturbing, kind of says it all,
And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. Ewww. I don’t think I want the rewards of iniquity.
And what happens to the blessings that should have been his according to Acts 1:20? “let another take” them. God will give those blessing to others. The ones that we were foreordained to receive can and will be given to someone else. The one talent shall be taken and given to him which hath five.
Did Judas ever get to spend the thirty pieces of silver? What does that teach us about sin?
The answer is no. He never spent that silver. And really, I think that’s how sin often works. The benefits that we expect it to bring to us hardly ever come, or not to the extent we imagined they would. It’s so short-lived that it eventually seems more and more non-existent. The quality of friendship that many people expect to receive by giving into peer pressure never seems to amount to anything. The person who desires the high and euphoria of drugs or alcohol in order to feel better, usually just place themselves into a position where they feel worse and worse. Those that indulge in illicit sexual relationships really never experience the fulfillment and happiness that a legitimate and committed relationship would have brought them. Sin doesn’t pay.
What do the actions of the chief priests teach us about the nature of Satan?
The response of the chief priests to Judas when he comes back to return the money to them is so telling. Are they grateful for his service to them? Do they oblige him or seek to help him out or sympathize with him? No. It’s just, “What is that to us?” They don’t care. They don’t care about Judas, and there is even a tone of spite in their voice. Judas was just a pawn in their big move against the Savior. What does this teach us about Satan? He’s the same way. Satan does not care about those he draws towards him. “He seeketh that all men might be made miserable like unto himself” (2 Nephi 2:27). This also reminds me of Alma’s conclusion in Alma 30:60 regarding the downfall of Korihor:
60 And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.
Satan doesn’t care about his followers—his children. He’s a deadbeat dad. You may even consider doing a little object lesson to illustrate this. I would bring in a set of chess pieces and line up one of each kind of piece in a line and ask: How do you think God sees you? Like which piece? And how do you think the devil sees you? And depending on your gender I would say that God sees us as kings and queens. He even uses that language in the scriptures to describe his followers. On the other hand, how about Satan? He sees us as pawns. Just expendable pieces to manipulate in order to obtain his own selfish desires. Why would we want to engage with someone like that?
What are some of the things people nowadays might “sell” their discipleship to Christ for?
For some, the same thing as Judas. Money. For others, lust. For others, power and influence, social acceptance, personal comfort, instant gratification, and earthly success or pride. It’s amazing to me how often we over value these kinds of things. And once we receive them, we usually find that they are not as great as we thought they might be.
TRUTH
To you, what do you feel is the biggest lesson Judas’s life teaches us?
Possible answers:
Betraying my commitment to Christ for the “rewards” of sin will lead to regret, pain, loss, and despair.
In Satan’s eyes, we are only pawns. He doesn’t care about those who follow him.
Nothing good can come from abandoning Christ. Following him is worth any cost.
CONCLUSION
I’d like to conclude with a line from one of my favorite movies, “A Man for All Seasons” which dramatizes a portion of the life of Sir Thomas More, a man who refused to compromise on his principles to support the actions of the king. But in that movie, there is another character by the name of Richard Rich who, when offered a bribe to become the attorney general of Wales, perjures himself so that More can be convicted of treason, which will ultimately lead to More’s execution. And there is a little exchange between More and Rich after this betrayal. He says, “Why Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world. But for Wales?” I think sometimes we make the same mistake. We give up something of far greater value, as Judas did, for something of very little. We give away our dollar and come back with 5 cents. It’s just not worth it. We’ve got to understand the true value of things so that we won’t be manipulated by the adversary. If we stay true to Christ, regardless of the pains and sacrifices that will require us to make, the rewards will be more than worth it.
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