During the last week of our Savior's life there was significant preparation for Passover. The Lord Himself emphasized this event in the Gospel of Luke, where He says, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22: 15).
The events are described in Exodus chapter 12 and speak of the preparation necessary.
"In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house . . . And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening" (Exodus 12: 3,6).
So what happened between Nisan (the first month) 10th and 14th?
Extensive care was taken to examine the paschal lambs to make sure they were the very best and free from all blemishes.
Ray Watson makes an interesting observation:
"1 Corinthians 5:7 states that Christ is our Passover lamb, and was sacrificed for us. It is likely that Jesus, as the Passover lamb, was being crucified at roughly the same time as the Passover lambs were being slain in the temple.
The Passover lamb had to be without blemish. Before it could be was slain, it had first to be examined and approved by the temple priests. It was examined for four days, from the tenth day of the first month to the fourteenth day of the first month, after which it was offered. I don’t know all the details of what was involved in examining the lamb, but you can be sure if it took 4 days it was a pretty stringent examination. The spiritual significance of this, is that Jesus – as our Passover Lamb – was examined on our behalf, and we don’t have to undergo that stringent examination. There is a passage of scripture (1Corinthians 11) which makes reference to a man examining himself during the Lord’s Supper to see if he is worthy. But this is often misapplied and removed from the context in which it was given. (Refer to the notes on "Breaking Bread & The Lords Supper" associated with a communion song I wrote that relates to this issue.)
Here is a link to the full article.
Notice how the temple priests in the above quote would examine the paschal lambs during Passover week. Also notice how the lambs were being slain in the temple at the same hour as Jesus yielded His mortal body. All three Synoptic Gospels report the voluntary death of the Savior as being at the "ninth hour," or 3:00 in the afternoon. Josephus reports this to be the same time as the paschal lambs being slain.
But getting back to these temple priests, notice how they examine the Lamb of God probably three to four days before the Crucifixion.
As Jesus comes to the temple before Passover he is thoroughly examined. Matthew records,
"And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?" (Matthew 21: 23).
Jesus turns the table on them by asking them a question they refuse to answer. He says He will not answer the question, because they didn't answer His, but then indirectly gives the answer in the parable of the two sons. By the way, Jesus is that first Son who sacrificed His own will in favor of His Father's. The other son was Lucifer.
But the temple priests and Pharisees are not finished. They examine Him and cross-examine Him with more questions. In the next chapter they ask, "Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?"
By their own zeal to entrap Jesus they are actually, in a back-handed way, testifying of the reality of His Messianic role, and fulfilling Old Testament typology that He is in fact the true Lamb of God.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
The Triumphal Entry
During the final week of the Savior's mortal ministry He makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. John's Gospel records: "And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt" (John 12: 14-15).
Jesus followed a pattern established in the Old Testament by riding a donkey. Solomon rode upon king David's mule to the Gihon Spring, where Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed the new king. The trumpets were sounded and the people chanted, "God save king Solomon" (see 1 Kings 1: 38-39). Jesus enters Jerusalem in like fashion as the Davidic king and Messiah, which means "anointed One." Kings in Israel usually rode on a mule. Of course, this was prophesied in Zechariah:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass" (Zechariah 9: 9). The donkey was also a symbol of peace. Someone riding a mule would not be a threat to Roman authorities.
The Savior triumphed over death and hell. He overcame physical death and spiritual death. As He made His way into the city gates, the people "took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord" (John 12: 13).
The Israelites, similar to the days of Solomon, are calling upon their King to save them. Thus they shout "hosanna," which means "save now."
The palm branches become symbolic of victory, as Jesus grants us victory over death and hell. Palm Sunday is still celebrated the Sunday before Easter.
One such Palm Sunday occurred on March 27,1836 as the Kirtland Temple was dedicated. One of the petitions of the dedicatory prayer is, "And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them" (D&C 109: 22).
Temple ordinances empower us and help us to be victorious over Satan. We can have angels come to our aid as we battle the enemy.
Another promise of the temple, related to Palm Sunday, is contained in this prayer, which petitions,
"That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings" (D&C 109: 76).
Saturday, June 6, 2015
"Buried in the Water in His Name"
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon experienced a series of visions recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76, and commonly referred to as "The Vision." Among other things they saw the Father and the Son and bear testimony to the world of the living reality of the Son of God.
They also bear witness of the resurrection of the just. And it was upon the subject of the resurrection as recorded in the Gospel of John that prompted this vision. They speak of the resurrection of the just using the following language:
"And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just—
They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—
That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;
And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true" (D&C 76: 50-53).
Today, I took my normal Saturday walk. And needing a restroom and finding the one at a local grocery store locked, I proceeded on my walk. I soon encountered a stake center near my walking route and seeing cars parked outside and realizing it is the first Saturday of the month, I knew baptisms would be going on and the doors would be open.
Sporting casual pants and a tee shirt and equipped with headphones covered with a stocking cap to mitigate the noise of the wind, I entered the building and probably looked more like a vagabond than a saint. It wasn't my intention, but I garnered some puzzled stares while a sacred ordinance was taking place.
A brother, who was probably listening to the Spirit, gave me directions to the restroom without my asking. I passed by the baptismal font, and it was apparent that someone had just received that sacred ordinance, being buried with Jesus in those holy, special, and cleansing waters.
I cannot witness a baptism without thinking of the beautiful doctrine illustrated by Paul, as he describes, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6: 3-4).
What makes baptism so special? Is it the words of the baptismal prayer and other prayers recited verbatim? We know we take His name upon us, and it is renewed each time we partake of the sacrament. But like other ordinances, it becomes most endearing and sweet as those special words become written in the heart as ordinances are "sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise." We can walk with others in "newness of life" and become living examples, or Paul would say, living epistles, as the gospel law is "written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart" (2 Corinthians 3: 3).
As I walked down the halls of this church, I heard the beautiful singing of children, as their chorus proclaimed, "I'm trying to be like Jesus." I can't describe how good it sounded--how good it feels.
As a recovering addict, still trying to recover from addictions, I've tried the walk with Him and without Him. Walking with Him yields newness of life, newness of Spirit, newness of hopes, newness of His grace, and newness of dreams.
What a great day to walk with Him.
They also bear witness of the resurrection of the just. And it was upon the subject of the resurrection as recorded in the Gospel of John that prompted this vision. They speak of the resurrection of the just using the following language:
"And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just—
They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—
That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;
And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true" (D&C 76: 50-53).
Today, I took my normal Saturday walk. And needing a restroom and finding the one at a local grocery store locked, I proceeded on my walk. I soon encountered a stake center near my walking route and seeing cars parked outside and realizing it is the first Saturday of the month, I knew baptisms would be going on and the doors would be open.
Sporting casual pants and a tee shirt and equipped with headphones covered with a stocking cap to mitigate the noise of the wind, I entered the building and probably looked more like a vagabond than a saint. It wasn't my intention, but I garnered some puzzled stares while a sacred ordinance was taking place.
A brother, who was probably listening to the Spirit, gave me directions to the restroom without my asking. I passed by the baptismal font, and it was apparent that someone had just received that sacred ordinance, being buried with Jesus in those holy, special, and cleansing waters.
I cannot witness a baptism without thinking of the beautiful doctrine illustrated by Paul, as he describes, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6: 3-4).
What makes baptism so special? Is it the words of the baptismal prayer and other prayers recited verbatim? We know we take His name upon us, and it is renewed each time we partake of the sacrament. But like other ordinances, it becomes most endearing and sweet as those special words become written in the heart as ordinances are "sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise." We can walk with others in "newness of life" and become living examples, or Paul would say, living epistles, as the gospel law is "written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart" (2 Corinthians 3: 3).
As I walked down the halls of this church, I heard the beautiful singing of children, as their chorus proclaimed, "I'm trying to be like Jesus." I can't describe how good it sounded--how good it feels.
As a recovering addict, still trying to recover from addictions, I've tried the walk with Him and without Him. Walking with Him yields newness of life, newness of Spirit, newness of hopes, newness of His grace, and newness of dreams.
What a great day to walk with Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)