The Meaning of Gethsemane

Gethsemane is defined as "An instance or a place of great suffering". This makes quite a bit of sense given that Christ suffered the greatest suffering that any man has in the garden named Gethsemane. It is recounted in Matthew 26:36 that as Jesus approached the garden with his disciples he asked them to sit and watch while he went to pray. Did the disciples know what the savior was going to suffer? If they did not it made me wonder if the garden had taken the name Gethsemane before the savior had suffered there, or if the suffering defined the word Gethsemane. This helps us to understand why, perhaps, the disciples could fall asleep. If the garden was named after the suffering that occurred there then the disciples may have thought he was merely praying.

Leadership as Christ Taught Leadership to be

 1.      Christ teaches us about leadership (John 13:1-17, Luke 22:24-30, Mark 10:43-45)

a.       Jesus teaches us several things in these scriptures; namely: we must teach by example, the chiefest among us shall be the servants, and that which we do unto others is what they shall do.

b.      These principles are important to us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints. The things Jesus taught us can have profound effects in family life, which is what our church tells us is one of the, if not the most, important things we have in this life. For our church to be run by the same principles as a healthy family we should feel lucky.

2.      As far an example from my life I have had many good bishops in my life, but none better than my most recent. He gave the most profound yet simple lessons in church. During the OT studies in the Bible he somehow managed to teach us how to incorporate those things into our lives. This incorporation didn’t come merely through his teaching though; it came through in the way he lived his life, the way he raised his family, and the way he treated those around him. I learned a lot about Christ-like teaching from just being near this man.

Preparing for the Second Coming

Three things that will help us be aware of the second coming
- Mark 13:9 - We must be strong in our faith or else we will be easily deceived 
- Mark 13:33 - Pray because no one knows when the second coming will happen besides God
- Mark 13:37 - Watch for His coming


Truths taught in scripture about the coming of Christ
Doctrine and Covenants 87:8
Stand in holy places. The day of the Lord will come quickly.


Joseph Smith - Matthew 1:32
The abomination of desolation will be fulfilled

Joseph Smith - Matthew 1:37
Treasure up the words of the Lord and ye shall not be deceived by false Christs


Joseph Smith - Matthew 1:46-50
Always be watching for the coming of Christ because no one can know when it is coming


Doctrine and Covenants 33:17
Remain prepared for the coming. Keep your candles full of oil and your wicks trimmed


Doctrine and Covenants 45:56-57
Depend on the Holy Ghost for guidance, and trust in the word of the Lord

Parables of Jesus: Continued

The fig tree (Matthew 21:17-20)
- This parable is directly related to the Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus. When Jesus says that the tree will no longer bear fruit He is saying that they will not know Him. Jesus is saying that the signs of His coming will not be understood by the Jews.

The second son (Matthew 21:28-32)
-  This parable is talking mainly about the people who did not believe John the Baptist about Jesus' coming. When Jesus came preaching among the "publicans and harlots" and the Jews the publicans and harlots believed, while the Jews did not. It is important for us to be ready to believe, but not to be naive.

The husbandmen (Matthew 21:33-41)
- The meaning of this parable is humility in my opinion. When the husbandmen takes all that the Lord had given him as his own, and beat Jesus and kicked him out he was denying Christ. It is important in this life to be grateful to God for those things we have, and also to have an understanding of why those things have been given to us.

The wedding guests and the man without garment (Matthew 22:1-14)
- God calls each person to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. If we are not ready there is only sorrow for us. It is our duty to put on forgiveness, and take hold of the atonement in our lives.

Parables

Parable of The Unjust Steward - Luke 16:1-12 - This parable is teaching us that we must be cautious with those riches over which we are stewards; both the spiritual and the physical riches are ours to maintain.

Parable of The rich man and Lazarus - Luke 16:19-31 - There are many times in our lives when we will be presented with opportunities to help others. When these chances arise we must take them if we have the means. Those who are charitable shall receive the pure love of Christ and eternal life with Heavenly Father.


Parable of The Ten Lepers - Luke 17:11-19 - It is important for us to show our appreciation for the blessings in our lives.


Parable of The Unjust Judge - Luke 18:1-8 - The Lord is always willing to help his children when they ask for it. Faith cannot be based on miracles; rather, miracles are based on faith.


Parable of The Pharisee and the Publican - Luke 18:9-14 - Humility is found in the Spirit of the Law. We are commanded to love our neighbor, and humility is an important aspect of truly loving.

The Seventy: Appointed by Christ

1. What are the Seventy supposed to be, and what are they supposed to do?
- The seventy have been commanded to go into the city in pairs and preach the gospel. If the people accept the members of the seventy then they should stay and preach to the people of the city. The seventy are commanded to bless each house before they enter it. If the people of the city do not accept the members of the seventy then they are to leave the city, and tell the people, "the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."

2. Luke 10 is current doctrine
- As members of the Church of Jesus we have other things that accompany the Bible and Book of Mormon. Namely we have the Articles of Faith, which are in the Pearl of Great Price. A of F 1:6 "We believe in the same organizations that existed in the primitive church." We still have the quorum of the seventy, and they still act in the same capacity as they did in the primitive church. 

3. The Seventy
- The quorum of the seventy is grounded in scripture. It is an office that exists based on doctrine in Luke, Doctrine and Covenants, and is supported further by the Pearl of Great Price.

Humility: "Becoming as Little Children"

We are like little children of God?
God is our father in heaven. We are his children in spirit and here on Earth we are supposed to be humble to our Lord and savior like a small child is to his father.

How will the Lord help us receive the blessings he has promised?
The Lord has promised us that even though we cannot bear all things that he will lead us along the way. He has promised us over and over that we can have the riches of eternity, and all he asks is that we become as little children.
Most of the time the blessings seem far away, distant and out of reach. I think that an eagerness to achieve those things is childlike as well. Children want what they want, and regardless of deterrents they will not change their minds. 


How do we become as little children?
We must be submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him. 
A lot of times we hear these things and they have become so typical to hear that we forget their true meaning. It is about a general attitude of humility, and being able to listen. To truly listen and comprehend we have to be able to listen and be willing to adhere to those things.

Walking on the Sea: Faith's Miracle

The apostle's reaction to Peter walking on the water with jesus
- They thought that Christ was a ghost and they were afraid


Peter's response says several things about him
- When Peter heard Christ from the boat he asked "If it be thou, bid me to come unto thee on the water." I think this proved that he had faith, but at the same time it seems a little bit doubtful. He seems to have mixed emotions about trusting this person on the water.


Peter began to sink
- When Peter got out onto the water I think it hit him that the sea was raging, and the wind was blowing. He lost his faith because of the turbulence surrounding him.


Peter cries out help, Christ responds
- As soon as Peter begins to sink he calls out for Christ's help. Immediately Christ responds by giving him His hand. Matthew 14:31 expresses the immediacy of Christ's response.


The storms of our lives and the lesson the Peter teaches
- Peter teaches us an important lesson through his experience; the seas of our lives are often going to be turbulent, and our eye cannot always remain single to God. In those times it is crucial to ask for Christ's help. Without even thinking about it Christ thrust out His hand and lifted Peter back up out the sea and storm stopped. This parable is important because we have to be able to be able to ask, which is a lesson in humility for us. 

The Significance of Parables

1. What is a parable - A parable is a story that veils truth. This way those who hear it can find understanding which fits their own level of faith. So a parable is a story that has meaning only as far as we have faith.


2.   a) Describing the future growth of the church in context of scripture parables - The purpose of growth is to harvest; logic following the growth will continue until it is time to separate the wheat from the tares. At that point there will be a falling away. Until then, however, there will be growth.

      b) Why does our church send out so many missionaries? - Fishers of men. Like casting a net out into the sea to catch fish, the bigger the net the more fish one can catch. So naturally having a larger "net" of missionaries will make the catch much larger.
   
      c) How has our church grown so quickly when it relatively new, and started relatively small? - People will hold onto those things which are valuable to them. A small pearl of great price is worth more than all the other treasures a person has. So really the answer is testimony and faith. People can find truth and comfort in something, and that is a pearl of great price.


      d) Why do members fall away from the church? - Trials of faith can come in many forms, but they are meant to separate the wheat from the tares, the righteous from the wicked, and faithful from the faithless. 


3.   a) Sacrifices for the gospel - Many people give up friends, family, religion, and money in order to have their pearl of great price (the gospel). I have given up some of the above, but mostly friends. Religion teaches us to love our neighbor, but we should not let that drag us down to a level lower than we currently stand.


      b) Gathering the good, and casting our the bad - As with any mechanism, if there is a broken piece, or a piece that is not functioning properly it must be removed and replaced. A religion is a living breathing organism, and it is no different from a mechanism. The bad must be sifted from the good. As in the parable of the fishing net they will cast out a net for all, but they will cut away the bad so that it does not infect the good.

Miracles to Substantiate Faith

A majority of the time people spend a lot of energy looking for miracles to prove their faith isn't in vain. The great thing about the scriptures is that they give us the historical documents to strengthen our testimony. It would be a long and difficult road if we had no proof of deity. A lot of times we hear that faith is believing that which cannot be seen, but us humans are skeptics, and the Lord knows that. So he has provided us with many examples of incredible works of God.

	Miracles of the Lord	Who demonstrated faith
Matthew 8:1-4	Cured a man w/ leprosy	The leper
Matthew 8:5-13	Cured a centurion's servant	The centurion and his servant
Matthew 8:14-15	Christ healed Peter's mother in law	Peter and his mother in law
Matthew 8:16	Casts out evil spirits and heals many people	All those whoe asked  for Christ's help
Matthew 8:23-27	Calmed the seas	The disciples
Matthew 8:28-34	Casts devils into swine	The devils
Matthew 9:20-22	Cured a woman with plague	The woman who touched  his robes
Mark 5:25-34
Matthew 9:27-31	Cured two blind men	The blind men
Mark 2:1-12	Cured a person w/ palsy	The family and friends  of the person who had palsy

Water To Wine

I would like to talk briefly about the Wine-Water miracle that Jesus performed in John chapter 2.

Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding party. When Jesus and His disciples get to the wedding they ask Jesus' mother for wine, to which she replies there is none.

This part has confused me for quite some time, "Woman, what have I to do with thee?" As you can tell this seems very disrespectful, however this is because of the negative connotation that the word "woman" carries when used in that sort of context. When Jesus called his mother by that term it was indeed a sign of respect meaning the woman of women. It is a like saying that she is the only woman that can matter since He wouldn't exist without her.

Jesus then requests that 6 pots, which is the equivalent of about 150 gallons, to be filled with water. This indicates to me that the party is kind of a big deal to say the least.

I hope that I have cleared up some of the misconceptions about the terminology in this story. Thanks for reading!