Mary Anoints Jesus for His Burial
READ John 12:1-8 and Matthew 26:6-13
Why
is Mary anointing Christ with spikenard?
“Against the day of His burial”.
It is an anointing, so she is performing an
ordinance.
There seems to be significance in the
fact that a woman is performing an ordinance upon a man…
In a new
translation of the Testimony of St John (TSJ), the interchange is slightly
different.
READ TSJ 12: “Six
days before the Passover, Jesus returned to Bethany where he had raised Lazarus
from the dead. They made supper for him and Martha served. Lazarus was among
those who sat at the table with him. Many came to be there to see the man who
was raised from the dead and to hear Jesus who had raised him. And among those
who were present were his mother, and Mary, the Elect Lady who was companion
with Jesus. She cut off the seven locks of his hair that had not been cut
before because of the vow, which fell at her feet. This troubled his disciples
who feared his strength would depart from him but said nothing because Jesus
permitted it to be done. Jesus, seeing their concern, asked, is not a lamb
shorn before it is sacrificed? But they did not understand his meaning. And she
took royal oil used to coronate a king, containing spikenard, frankincense and
myrrh, and applied it to the head, arms and hands, legs and feet of Jesus. And
the house was filled with the smell of the royal anointing oil… My mother has safeguarded this gift from my birth
until now to be used for this moment. This anointing is required to be done to
establish me before I lay down my life. The poor are always in need in this
world, but I reign among you for only a short while and then am offered up as a
sacrifice on your behalf.”
Why
might Mary be called “the Elect Lady”?
In this
translation, Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ companion – meaning wife.
She was
“elect” of God or chosen and filled with light and glory in her own right.
She had a part
to play in Christ’s atonement and resurrection – without this anointing, He
could not have accomplished His mission.
What
does it mean that Mary cut off the seven locks of His hair?
This implies
that Christ had taken a Nazarite vow.
The purpose
for taking a Nazarite vow was to separate oneself from the world so that the
person could become “holy unto the Lord”.
What
additional insight does this translation give us regarding the anointing?
The anointing
was required to “establish” Him before His sacrificial death.
The oils used
were “royal” oils used to coronate a king.
So,
“establishing” Him means to establish Him or coronate Him as a King.
When Pilate
says “are you a king then” and Christ tells him that His kingdom is “not of
this world”, we can know that this “coronation” was not as an earthly king but
as a heavenly king of kings who was about to lay down His life for His people
in a similar way to the “Corn King” of ancient myth (see Death of the Corn
King by Barbara Talcroft for a discussion of the topic and its use by
Rosemary Sutcliffe in her historical fiction books about the ancient Celts and
King Arthur).
Spikenard,
frankincense and myrrh were used to create the royal anointing oil; this
expensive oil had been given to Jesus’ mother by the Magi for this express
purpose – which explains where Christ might have obtained such an expensive
item and what the Magi were really doing in giving their gifts to the infant
“King”.
The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
READ Luke 19:28-38 and Matthew 21:8-9
Why
did Christ ride into Jerusalem on a donkey?
The donkey is a symbol of peace where the
horse is a symbol of a conqueror (see 1 Kings 1:32-40).
It is a Messianic sign – from a prophesy
(see Zechariah 9:9).
Why
did the people put their coats in his path and wave palm fronds and greenery
branches?
Signify their acceptance of Jehovah as
their King (see Feast of Tabernacles).
Signify that Jesus is the King of the
Israel – and that He is Jehovah – He gets the “red carpet” treatment.
Why
did they cry “Hosanna to the Son of David” and what did this signify?
“Save us now” – it means that they are
proclaiming Him as Jehovah – the God who will come to save them.
Was
this an orchestrated ceremony or did it happen spontaneously as a celebration?
Spontaneously as the people were moved
upon by the Spirit.
If they had not reacted to the strong
promptings they were all receiving from the Holy Spirit, the stones of
Jerusalem would have immediately cried out in their place (see Moses 7:48).
What
is the outcome of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem?
Christ is recognized and welcomed by many
of the people of Jerusalem, and all of Israel who is there for the Passover, as
the King of Israel and the Messiah.
The leaders are threatened by this new
turn of events. After his triumphal
entry into Jerusalem, He goes to the Temple and throws out the moneychangers
for a second time, calling it “His” house.
Christ Prophesies of His Atoning
Sacrifice
READ John 12:20-41
How
did Christ react to the fact that the time of His sacrifice had arrived?
He met what He was sent to do with grit
and determination; He says incredulously: “Now I confront the final trial on my
path, and what should I say? Father, save me from the difficulties I now face?
When this is the reason I have come into the world. Father, let all honor be
given to you.” There is an implied “NO!”
or “Are you kidding me?” after His second question; He faces what He was sent
here to do and does not back down or give quarter – He sets his face like
flint.
The
Jews did not understand that the Messiah had to die – they thought that He
would live forever; how did Christ explain His death to them?
He explained the natural wisdom in the
Father’s plan: “The time has arrived when the Son of Man will complete his
journey. In the name of Father Ahman I tell you, except a kernel of wheat is
buried in the ground, it remains but a seed, but if it is buried, it can spring
to life and bear fruit.”
He explained that this was part of the
plan all along: “The time has come for me to complete the work required of me,
to intercede for the world. And the accuser will lose all his power.”
He explained how His sacrifice and death
would save them – that ALL might be able to live forever: “Because of the
sacrifice of his life that the Son of Man is to make, he will rise up and
rescue all mankind.”
What
does it mean to be willing to sacrifice one’s life in this world to obtain
endless lives, worlds without end?
It means to sacrifice and submit your
will completely to God.
It means to seek to bless all those
around you and find joy in the sacrifice.
It means to love others more than you
love yourself, so that you lose control of your life (and wishes) in service to
them.
It means to intercede on behalf of
others, including performing acts of sacrifice to petition the Lord to save
them.
Ultimately, in
a far distant eternity, it means to work out an atoning sacrifice with fear and
trembling before the Lord, that you might attain to the resurrection yourself
and enable those who are dependent upon you to receive eternal life and be
saved (see TJPS 390-393).
When
God speaks from heaven, what do people hear?
Some are in tune with heaven – they
resonate to God’s frequency, so they hear and see what is said and done there:
“Everything you have done has honored me, and everything you will yet do will
also honor me”.
Others, who are somewhat in tune, hear a
voice and understand the words but do not realize it is the Father speaking –
they think it is an angel with a message (see 3 Nephi 11:3-8).
Still others hear a noise but cannot
discern that it is communicating light and knowledge – they think it Is thunder.
And likely there were many who did not
hear anything at all.
But regardless of the level of spiritual
preparation of the individual hearers, God spoke to all and He did it for their
benefit, not for Christ’s, who already knew of the Father’s pleasure with His
performance.
What
is Christ’s advice to the Jews?
Only a little time remains for you to
share with the Light who is now here, so learn how to live while the light
remains.
Otherwise darkness will overcome you and
without the light you will fall into error.
While you are near the light, believe in
the light, so that you can become the children of light (i.e connect with the
light so that you have it with you – it has changed you – you are animated by
it).
Why
did the Jews not take His advice?
They have the choice to believe – which
would mean laying aside all they think they know.
But they refuse to do it – they refuse to
believe the truth.
Despite all of the miracles and proof.
Isaiah’s prophesy was correct: “They will
refuse to believe, because Isaiah wrote, Make the heart of these people grow
fat, dull their ears and shut their eyes, so they will not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and repent, and be
healed.” Except the truth of the way it
works, with agency, is that we dull our own ears and shut our own eyes – it is
not done to us.
The Parable of the Two Sons
Christ returns to Bethany for the night
and returns again the next day.
READ Matthew 21:23
Why
are the Chief Priests so concerned with authority?
Because lacking revelation and a direct
connection with heaven, that’s all they have to hang on to and give them
legitimacy with the people.
If Christ has authority (and He is in
opposition to them), then they’ve lost their authority. If they still have authority, then they will
discredit Him, cast Him out (excommunicate) and eventually have Him killed – to
show their power and authority over Him.
This is a principle that you will see
played out throughout history – when the direct connection with heaven is lost,
the Priests will amp up the rhetoric of “authority” to drown out their lack of
revelation. It is a scare tactic to stop
people realizing the truth (they’ve lapsed into apostasy and have lost the
priesthood); they use the argument: “trust us” because
“authority=righteousness=revelation” and then they imply revelation but don’t
have it.
Anytime men try to control others,
invariably the endeavor for control involves stifling dissent and
criticism. Those who claim the right to
rule over others try to reduce all disputes to a question of authority. The debate over who has “the” authority makes
the question of whether the idea is right or wrong inconsequential.
READ Matthew 21:24-27
Jesus
has proclaimed who His father is before now, why does He decline to answer the
Priests at this time?
Because He has told them already.
And He’s done the works prophesied of the
Messiah.
Those with ears to hear already know who
He is – and the others just need to pray about it.
At this point they are only trying to
trap Him to take Him before the Romans for sedition/treason (proclaiming that
He is a political Messiah).
His witness to them is complete – and
they have rejected Him.
Why
is asking Him about His authority or Messiah-ship the wrong way to get to the
truth?
If He is not the Messiah, He could still
lie about it and say that He is.
The Messiah will do the works of the
Messiah – they will know, regardless of His testimony to them, at the end of
His life.
The best way to find out is not to ask
Him but to listen to His words (forget about His authority or credentials) and
pray about them – to gain a witness from the Spirit – and then to follow His
words and see how they change you (i.e. fill you with light) and help you to
commune with heaven yourself, so that you obtain your own promise of salvation
from God (calling and election made sure by God).
READ Matthew 21:28-32
Although
the first son did the work of his father, was there an issue?
Yes – he said “no” at first – he was
belligerent and disobedient.
Why
did the first son then go and work?
He “came unto himself” – he was born
again to see the truth – he experienced godly sorrow for his sins – he repented
and changed.
Why
might the second son commit to work and then not do it?
Either he was a liar from the beginning –
he wanted to appear obedient and righteous but wasn’t really that way and had
no intention of living the life he appeared to lead.
Or he fell into sin soon after committing
to work.
Or he lost his faith and/or desire when
he observed the difficulty of the work.
But regardless, he never came to himself
and repented.
The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen
READ Matthew 21:33-46 (also 47-56 in JST)
What
is the husbandmen’s plan?
Wrest control of the vineyard from the
householder through violence.
Who
is the householder?
God the Father.
What
is the fruit of the vineyard?
The souls that when ripe will either be
good or bad.
What
is the vineyard?
The Church or Kingdom of God on earth.
Remember that the kingdom of God is
within each of us – so the vineyard is actually each of us regardless of which
Church we belong to.
Who
are the husbandmen?
The authorized (i.e. contracted with)
priests/leaders of the Church.
Those that are tasked with nurturing the
vineyard and enabling good fruit.
What
mindset must the husbandmen have to think they can get away with this crime?
They don’t think the householder will
actually come to destroy them and take back his vineyard.
They think he is a distant, weak,
absentee owner – or in this case, God.
They may not even believe that the
householder is even still alive; especially if these husbandmen were hired by
other husbandmen and never met the householder themselves.
They have adopted the assumption that God
has given His power to men (see 2 Nephi 28:4-6).
How
does the “stone which the builders rejected” hinder those who rejected it?
They break themselves upon it – Christ
cannot be overcome by them or controlled by them – He is a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense, meaning that He is a hindrance to them - He stops them
in their plans for religious power.
And at the last day, it will fall upon
them and grind them to powder – meaning that they will be destroyed root and
branch, not merely “broken” but utterly wasted and have no eternal posterity.
Who
is Christ referring to in this parable?
He is referring to the Jews during His
lifetime.
He is also referring to the gentile Church
leaders at His second coming (see v56 in JST).
Caesar’s Tribute
READ Matthew 22:15-22
What
if “Caesar’s Tribute” conflicts with God’s law?
We owe complete fidelity to God and His law
(see Acts 5:29).
We are not to fear man or put our trust
in his arm but have faith in God and keep His commandments.
What
is it of Caesar’s that we must render to him?
Every law, to be enforceable, carries
with it a punishment or consequence enforced by the government.
Since we live under a government we
pledge to uphold, what we must render to Caesar is a willingness to submit to
that government’s punishment; in this case it is the jail time for not paying
taxes or the fine.
We must submit to “Caesar” if we break
his law, but if his law opposes the commandments of God, we must break man’s
law and willingly suffer the consequences (see Acts 5:27-32, 40-42; Daniel 3;
Daniel 6).
Resurrection and the “God of the
Living”
READ Matthew 22:23-33
What
does it mean that “in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in
marriage but are as the angels of God in heaven”?
If they have not been married on earth in
the New and Everlasting covenant and then KEPT that covenant so that it was
sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, they have no marriage in the worlds to
come (see D&C 132:15-17).
And if they are not married in the worlds
to come, they are not Gods but angels or servants to the Gods (see D&C
131:1-4).
Christ is implying that this is the situation
the Sadducees are describing here – no covenant means no marriage and their
question is moot.
What
does it mean that “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living”?
To be God’s (i.e. part of His family and
an heir), you must have received and kept the covenant He offers which enables
adoption.
This covenant redeems you from the fall
and grants you a resurrection, so that you be freed from both spiritual and
physical death.
A body and spirit (a “soul”) together can
receive a fullness of joy but a spirit without a body cannot (see D&C
138:17-18; D&C 93:33-35).
If not for the atonement and resurrection
of Christ, we would have remained subject to the devil as disembodied spirits
(see 2 Nephi 9:7-13) – subject to the devil but not to God because God is a
“God of the living and not the dead” and you must have a body to be subject to
God – even if it is a telestial body because of your wickedness.
Christ’s “free gift” of the resurrection
was given to us to ensure that despite our poor performance in this probation,
that we would still be subject to a God who loved us and enables our
progression.
The Great Commandment
READ Matthew 22:34-40
Christ
seems to hedge a bit in His answer to the question, so what is the great
commandment (singular) in the Law?
Love God with all thy heart, soul and
mind which is demonstrated by loving your neighbor as yourself.
What
is the great sign of a true follower of Christ?
Love, also referred to as charity, the
pure love of Christ (see Moroni 7:48).
That it is demonstrated but the true sign
is if it is within you and animates you – which is not always completely
obvious to the observer, particularly because it is being manifested through an
imperfect “avatar” or mortal being.
Why
do all of the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments?
If you love Christ, you will keep His
commandments (see John 14:15).
If you love Christ, you will love others
(see Matthew 25:37-40; John 21:15-17).
If you love Christ, you will sacrifice
all earthly things (see John 15:13).
If you keep His commandments and offer
all in sacrifice because you love Christ, He will manifest Himself unto you
that you might know Him, and be sealed up to eternal life (see John 14:21-23;
LoF 6:4-7; 3 Nephi 11:14-17; D&C 93:1; John 17:3).
What Think Ye of Christ
READ Matthew 22:41-42
What
must you know to answer this question?
You must KNOW Christ.
You must not merely know about Him - that
is just the first step.
Why
is the answer to this question so important?
It will determine the course of eternity
for you.
It is eternal life to KNOW Christ.
Scribes & Pharisees, Hypocrites
When
did the Jewish leaders begin to plot Christ’s death in earnest and why?
6 months before His final Passover.
After Lazarus was raised from the dead.
The raising of Lazarus was the last straw
– it was such a momentous and publicly witnessed miracle – and performed so
close to Jerusalem – that the Jewish religious leaders felt that if they did
not get Jesus out of the way, that He would be proclaimed the Messiah by the
people and the leaders and either a) He would incite a war with Rome which
would destroy Israel and/or b) they would lose their political control, social
positions, and wealthy lifestyles.
It was only a matter of time, from that
point.
At the Temple, on the day after He was
proclaimed the Messiah and welcomed as a King into Jerusalem, Jesus knowingly
and willfully determined the timing of His death by initiating the following
scathing confrontation...
READ Matthew 23:1-6
Did
Christ question their right to preside?
No.
In fact, He recognized them as legitimate
priesthood office holders with the right to preside – in affect He “sustained”
them in their offices in the Church.
What
did He call into question?
While they had the right to give instructions
on standards, policy and procedure, He questioned their ability to receive
revelation (see Isaiah 53:2) and utterly rejected their right to teach and
interpret scripture.
He called into question their inherent
spirituality and Celestial righteousness (not to be confused with adherence to
the outward performances of the Law – a law which they and their predecessors
had changed, but was only Terrestrial anyway).
They talked the talk but did not walk the
walk. They kept religious standards but
they did it to be seen of men and have power; they had no love or mercy in them
– they had not been born of God and had never stood in His presence.
Why
would they impose burdens on others that they were not willing to take on
themselves?
They were the elite and the leaders –
their role was to command while it was the role of others to do.
When they’ve spoken, the thinking has
been done – when they spoke it was scripture (the Talmud or commentaries on the
Torah was regarded as scripture just like the Torah was).
They were out of touch with the common
man – they had no idea and didn’t care anyway, what the effect of their
commands were on regular people who were working to live or seeking for God
themselves.
READ Matthew 23:7-12
Why
did they want to be called “Rabbi”?
Rabbi was the title of the master or
teacher.
They did not want to be taught by anyone
but to teach all others (see John 9:34).
They did not want to accept correction on
anything.
What
did they teach – what was their doctrine?
The performances of the Law.
The scriptures – Torah; and the Mishnah –
Oral Tradition (the performances they had changed and expanded on).
They did not know God – they’d never had
any experiences directly with Him.
What
does the true teacher do?
Point to Christ – that He is the Master
or Rabbi.
Teach the doctrine as delivered to him or
her from God, bare testimony of the reality of the existence and attributes of
God as they have learned of Him through firsthand experience, and commend the
same path to any who will hear.
What
is the danger in aspiring to the title of Rabbi (i.e. Master)?
It is the nature and disposition of
almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they
will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion (see D&C 121:39),
control and compulsion.
How
is true greatness achieved in this life?
Through service – He also lived a life of
service to the poor, the sick and the sinful.
Through humility – so make that service
anonymous, whenever possible.
Through sacrifice - Christ was the
greatest because He offered Himself as an infinite and eternal sacrifice; we
can mirror His sacrifice in lesser ways but with the same intercessory spirit.
READ Matthew 23:13-14, 23-28
How
do they shut up Heaven against men?
They teach false doctrine that cannot
save – and when people believe it, they will not do what it takes to be saved,
i.e. to come unto Christ themselves.
And obviously, they do not want to do
what it takes (sacrifice all earthly things and their whole souls) to enter
into heaven themselves.
They have created a culture of spiritual
elitism and control – in Moses’ day, the children of Israel damned themselves
by asking Moses to stand between them and God, but the Chief Priests and
Pharisees in Christ’s day had set themselves up as a light and actively
campaigned against people coming unto Christ, instead saying “come to us and
our Laws and standards, and we will save you”.
What
is Christ doing by pronouncing these “woes” upon the scribes and Pharisees?
He is cursing them.
He has been warning them since the
beginning of His ministry but they have continued in their behavior as well as
aggressively opposed Him – now is the time of reckoning.
What
does it mean that they devour widow’s houses but make long prayers for a
pretense?
The widow’s mite is the example – they
get the poor to donate as much as they can, saying to them that they (the poor)
will be blessed for sacrificing but they use the funds to pay for their own
luxurious lifestyles.
Then they appear righteous and godly in
the eyes of those they are duping through their outwardly staged shows of
goodness and piety, to continue to perpetrate the scam.
Why
do they pay so much tithing but have omitted the weightier matters?
It is easier to measure tithing than an
inward relationship with God – making it easier to judge relative righteousness
between people.
Tithing and outward performances can be
seen by others while the weightier matters are hard to see (especially if they
are extended quietly or anonymously).
It is easier to pay money or do outward
performances than to submit one’s whole soul to God and love/extend mercy to
those who do not deserve it.
They have not experienced the birth of
the Spirit – they are blind – they don’t even know what they are missing.
What
does it mean to strain at a gnat but swallow a camel?
They cannot judge effectively – they
think that unimportant things are critical while spiritually vital things are
unvalued.
They are blind to the truth and the
Spirit – they are very concerned about issues that are not a big deal in the
eternal scheme of things, while they commit massive sins that will damn them.
Why
do they keep the outside of the platter clean while the inside is filthy?
When reaching for a platter from the
shelf, all you can see at first is the outside.
People will make the assumption that if
the outside is clean the inside will be, too.
It would be a shock if the inside was
found to be filthy – it is an obvious deception – a violation of expectations -
a wolf in sheep’s clothing moment.
Why
is calling the Pharisees “whited sepulchers” such an insult?
Coming into contact with the dead would
make a Jew ceremonially unclean – this included touching a sepulcher.
A sepulcher was whited to warn Jews to
stay away from it – to prevent accidental contact.
Calling them a whited sepulcher was a
direct insult – it was calling them out as spiritually dead and corrupt; it was
a warning to everyone else who saw them – “stay away from them, they are dead
and will make you unclean”.
READ Matthew 23:29-30, 34-35
What
does it mean that the scribes build the tombs of the prophets?
They spend a great deal of energy
honoring, almost to the point of worship, the prophets of the past – i.e.
Abraham, Israel, Moses, Isaiah.
Why
do they “garnish” the graves of the righteous?
Because the words of a dead prophet can
be “interpreted” or twisted to mean what they want it to mean in the present.
The dead prophets are not there to defend
themselves or clarify their meaning.
But the name brand or credential of the
dead prophet can then be used to validate or authorize the false interpretation
that the living religious leaders want to bend it to be.
Those who are too careless to study it
out for themselves or who take the leaders’ words as “gospel truth” and feel no
need to inquire of the Lord will be easily deceived.
But
what happens when the same God who sent the dead prophets sends living prophets
to the religious leaders?
They reject them out of hand and will
even kill them to be rid of them.
Why
do they reject living prophets?
They necessarily come from outside the
recognized hierarchy so they are rejected for not having the required bonafides
or credentials.
They are threatened by the message which
will be contrary to their own which is either “follow us because we are better
than you” or “all is well in Zion – you are awesome – continue to support me
because I will flatter you”; while the true prophet’s message to both leaders
and the people will be to humble themselves to the dust and repent of their
wickedness.
Their claim to a direct conduit to heaven
is threatened by the fact that the prophets claim the same connection but have
a different message, or that the priests don’t seem to have any revelations
from God or demonstrate any fruits of the Spirit but rely on scholarship or
emotional manipulation masquerading as the Spirit.
READ Matthew 23:37-38
Why
does the hen gather her chickens under her wings?
To protect them (see also Psalms 61:4).
To comfort them.
To show them love.
Because they belong to her, they are her
children.
To a baby chick, the one place that
nature has appointed a place of safety and peace is under the wing of its
loving hen – otherwise they are exposed and in constant danger.
Their lives are prolonged only in immediate
nearness to the hen – they prosper to the degree they heed the invitation to
stay close (see Psalms 91:1-12).
Why
did the Chief Priests have to act immediately to have Christ killed?
He had come into “their House” (the
temple) and in public before a Jubilee Year Passover crowd and had absolutely torn
them apart – He had called them out as the wicked husbandmen who would damn all
those who followed them.
Either they did nothing and admitted to
His accusations or they killed Him to shut His mouth and show that He was not
the Messiah because He had died (as they could not refute His accusations).
Christ’s address on this day, which was
His last public address, serves as a warning to all those who believe
themselves to be God’s chosen ministers.
They had set up a system to measure spiritual status and worthiness that
emphasized external religious practices, thus neglecting the inner path of
spiritual rebirth, which is “the key of knowledge.” They were hypocrites who had set themselves
up as a light in order to get gain. They
stood at the Gate, refusing to enter themselves, and dissuading all those who
would watch or listen to them from entering either.
