Jesus suffered alone. (Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13)

26:7-9

In this world, "something of value" is usually defined by how much money it is worth. For someone who loves money, value definitely equates to money. Judas loved money. So, when he saw that something that was worth money become something unsellable, he thought that was a waste. "There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor."

To Judas, honoring Jesus had no financial benefit. There was no monetary value. This caused indignation in this flawed man. This indignation exposes how Judas feels about money vs. Jesus. He valued the money more than he valued Jesus. This is made clear with his eventual betrayal.

I do believe that the LOVE of money is the root of MOST evil. Certainly, in the example of Judas, money was the root of the evil inside of him.

To apply this to ourselves is helpful. Which day is more valuable: a day where you earn $10,000 or a day serving someone in need? I'd probably consider the day of financial gain as more valuable. Clearly, I have some work to do in this area...

26:14-16

"Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 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. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him." I think that it's interesting that Judas approaching the chief priests appears to follow the woman "wasting" the oil on Jesus.

Jesus had questioned him when he complained. "Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me." Here are some ideas that are purely speculation on my part about Judas:

• His feelings were hurt. He had, in a way, been reprimanded. Judas was offended that his opinion about the money wasn't being respected. He may have felt wronged and therefore justified in his betrayal.

• His access to money might be decreasing. He feared a change where financial contributions weren't going to be the primary way disciples would honor Jesus.

• He may have disagreed with Jesus and that may have created doubts in his mind that Jesus was the Messiah. He may have believed that serving the poor was the prime directive of Jesus's ministry. Perhaps he thought that the increasing fame was going to Jesus's head.

Whatever the reason, we do know that Judas loved money more than the Savior. I think this event with the oil led to him approaching the chief priests.

26:21-22

"And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?" I think it is healthy that the apostles all asked if it was himself. This illustrates humility.

Pride's response would have been, "It surely can't be me, I'm way too righteous!" None of us is ever righteous enough to be 100% immune to temptation. If we believe that, we keep our guard up.

Conversely, if we believe that we cannot be tempted in any situation, we are more likely to let our guard down. We may be more willing to be in a tempting environment. I have a Coke addition. I wouldn't put myself in a room surrounded by ice-cold bottles of Coke because I was so confident I could resist. If I believe that I can be tempted, I won't hang out in the Coke room.

26:26-28

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." This, of course, is the institution of the sacrament.

The sacrament is the most frequent ordinance that we do as members of the Church. Every ordinance ties back to the Savior. However, the sacrament focuses on Christ's atonement. His crucifixion/resurrection and the blood he shed paying for our sins. It is a reminder and a recommitment to follow the Savior.

Why do we need this every week? Well, humans have some serious flaws. Namely, we are forgetful and easily distracted by the things of this world. Without a weekly reminder of the Savior and a chance to recommit, almost all of us would get off track.

Jesus, of course, knew this about human nature and so gave us the sacrament to help us remember and keep us on the path.

26:31-35

"Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." This must have been so strange to hear. They had just had this intimate dinner with the institution of the sacrament. They were having a nice walk on the Mount of Olives. It must have been shocking to hear!

Unlike how they approached what Jesus said about one of them betraying (asking "is it I"), they each declared that they would never be offended at him. Peter is especially vocal. "Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended." Here is pride. Peter believes that he is so committed and loyal that he would never do such a thing. Again, confidence in our righteousness can lead to letting down our guard.

Jesus corrects him. "Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice." Instead of listening, "Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples." Peter was ready to die in the cause of liberating Israel. So claimed the other apostles. However, we will see that every one of them will scatter. Perhaps if they listened and believed Jesus, they would have been better prepared for the trials that were coming.

Isn't that true for all of us?

26:36-45

These verses contain the time period where Christ felt the pain and bore the sin of all mankind. In ten verses, we get a small glimpse of what happened. That's not a lot. What words could possibly describe this?

"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me." When I was in Gesthemane, I was struck by how close it was. This is a picture of me standing in the garden looking back at Old Jerusalem:

It's maybe two hundred yards from the walls of Jerusalem. Jesus was not hiding from the authorities. He knew what was about to happen in the garden, he was being betrayed, and was about to be taken into custody. He knew it all needed to happen. He did not shrink from this.

Why did Jesus bring Peter, James and John? It appears he needs the support of those closest to him. Of all the things Jesus did, few illustrate his humanity more than this. He needed his friends to be with him. We are social beings. Our connection with others is essential - especially during times of struggle. It was true for Jesus and is true for us.

It also gives us an example of how to support others. He didn't need them to offer any words of encouragement or empathy, he just needed them to "watch with me."

He was "sorrowful, even unto death." The experience of his atonement was underway. He was the Son of God - yet was feeling so much sorrow that he was close to death.

The pain was so intense, that he made a request that it be lifted from him. "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." He knew the pain needed to happen but asked if it could be shortened "if it be possible." How much pain could someone who was 1/2 immortal bear? His godlike half didn't give him immunity from pain, it gave him the capacity to endure more pain than a mortal could. Our brains protect us by passing out when we experience intense pain. His did not. He was very conscious of every ounce of suffering he was feeling.

His request further illustrates his humanity. He was feeling overwhelmed. He was asking for help but also submitting completely. This is a good pattern for all of us to follow when experiencing trials. We may ask for relief but should, at the same time, submit to endure whatever Heavenly Father has in store for us.

In this case, it appeared that the pain would not pass.

"And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Peter, James and John must not have had any idea what was happening at that time. If they knew what was transpiring, they would have adrenaline pumping through their system. They wouldn't be able to sleep. They must have felt that this was a semi-regular occurrence.

If that's true, they must have seen Jesus in distress before - or even regularly. This further illustrates that Jesus wasn't a robotic, perfected being. He felt emotions and showed those. His mortal experience was filled with highs and lows and must have showed that. Otherwise, if this was the only time that Jesus appeared distressed, the apostles would have been more attentive.

It also underscores the need that Jesus had for support. Their presence wasn't enough. He needed them consciously supporting him. Jesus wanted support. If Jesus is okay asking for support, so should we when we need it.

What he said about "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" points to Christs immortal and mortal sides. His soul was willing but his flesh was weak.

How many of us can say the same thing? Our bodies are designed with weakness. We crave things that aren't healthy. We get tired and sick. We long for relaxation. We respond to, and can even be addicted to, chemicals present inside of our body. Jesus was clearly one of us.

He appears to give counsel, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." He says this immediately before speaking about how the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. This is good counsel for all of us to keep our guards up. Because of our mortal condition, we are constantly tempted. If we are wary (watch) and build our relationship with God (pray), we will "enter not into temptation." Our ability to resist temptation has less to do with our willpower and more to do with building a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

"He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." Jesus appears to accept that the cup will not pass. He knows he must drink every drop of infinite suffering. In this cup was every pain, suffering, guilt, regret, remorse experienced by every soul in this universe. It's not something that we can comprehend. We can understand that Jesus was fully willing to submit. He was a perfect example of this.

"And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners." Him returning to his apostles twice during this suffering demonstrates his desire for support. He, again, finds them sleeping. In his hour of need, his closest friends weren't there to support him. I, as a flawed person, would have felt frustrated and abandoned. I would have woken them up again. Jesus doesn't and returns to his awful task - alone.

When it was finished, he encourages his apostles to sleep and get rest. It's beautiful that he is considering their need for sleep after he had just experienced more pain than any other being had ever endured. It is a beautiful illustration of his selfless character.

26:50

After Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, Jesus asks him a question. "Friend, wherefore art thou come?" In other words, Jesus was asking him why he was doing what he was doing. I'd like to think that this question is the moment when Judas began to feel remorse for his decision. He may not have given a lot of thought to why he was betraying Jesus. If he thought about it, what could possibly be his reason? If he evaluated why he was doing this, he might realize that some extra money wasn't worth the risk of betraying Jesus.

I love the question "why!" We don't ask it enough. If we attempted to resolve concerns with each other by first discovering why people are doing what they're doing, we'd be more successful in understanding each other.

If someone offends you or upsets you in some way, rather than attempt to convince them that they're wrong, ask them why they did what they did. There are some benefits to doing this:

• You'll get some insight into their motivations.

• They'll feel listened to and cared for enough that someone is attempting to understand them.

• If you know the reasons behind their behavior, you might realize that they are in the right and you're actually the one with the issue.

• As they talk through their reasons, they might realize that they aren't thinking straight.

Anyway, again, I'm a fan of the question WHY.

26:53, 56

Once the multitude with swords and staves arrived, the disciples fled. This verse reads, "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." All of these who professed loyalty to Jesus left him at the first sign of trouble. They obviously weren't expecting what happened. The going got rough and they got going.

It's important that we aren't fair weathered disciples of Jesus. I don't judge them but I can learn from what happened. For them, they weren't expecting the Messiah to be able to taken so easily. Since it wasn't what they expected, they became fearful.

It's possible that some event or policy or doctrine may push me out of my comfort zone. Something may be handed down from the Church that I don't understand. I need to not flee but remain in place - ready to serve and submit and fight. We can't wait to do this until the trouble starts. We've got to decide now so we aren't deciding when the pressure is on.

If they would have been listening to what Jesus said to Peter, they might have had more courage. Jesus said, "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" In other words, Jesus was allowing this to happen. It was his choice. With that mindset, they might have had more faith that Jesus was still in control and it was going according to plan.

56:73-75

After Jesus is sentenced to death, spit upon, buffeted, and smitten by those around him, Peter was afraid. He hadn't seen Jesus in this position. Jesus had always outsmarted and outmaneuvered those who were against him. Now, he was being mocked and beaten.

Again, it wasn't what Peter expected. He was ready to fight side by side with Jesus. He wasn't expecting for Jesus to be executed - and him also. That wasn't what Peter had in mind.

In that moment, he didn't want to join Jesus. He did deny him. He didn't plan to. But, in that moment, he did. "And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly."

In that moment, he compared the bravery and commitment he felt earlier that night with the fear and denial that happened just hours later. He knew that Jesus knew beforehand what would happen. I'm sure he was disappointed and frustrated with himself.

I love it when weakness is demonstrated even from the most elect of us. Certainly, Peter was one of the great and noble spirits. Even he had a moment of weakness. Even he had to learn from experience. He wasn't nearly perfect and fully committed at this stage. He would be later on - but not then. I love that he is human!

It gives me hope for myself. I am not perfect in any way. That's okay! I do have the opportunity to repent and become something greater.

Mark

14:6, 8

We get some more information about the woman who anointed Jesus with precious oil. When Jesus defends her, he says, "Let her alone; why trouble her? She hath wrought a good work on me...She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying."

Two things:

1. "She hath done what she could." I love this. She couldn't do many things for the Savior - but she did what she could. We all can't serve perfectly, but we should do what we can. We can't be perfect parents, but we should do what we can. This is all the Lord expects. He doesn't expect you to do what someone else is. The only person we will be compared with is ourselves doing what we can.

2. "She is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying." Women are generally more spiritually in tune. Somehow, this woman knows about Jesus's imminent death more than the apostles. They don't seem to understand or believe that Jesus is about to die. She seems to understand, accepts it and is doing what she can. Women definitely see spiritual things differently and, perhaps, more clearly than us men.

14:31, 37

When Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him three times, Peter responds. "But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all." He is willing to die. He is willing to be a great soldier for Jesus and make the ultimate sacrifice.

However, after Jesus is first alone in the Garden of Gesthemane "...he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?" So, the same person who said that he would die for Jesus can't stay awake for an hour for Jesus.

Aren't we all like that though? We all say that we would move to Missouri tomorrow if the prophet asked us to. But, we don't volunteer to go to the cannery. We will serve full time missions but won't contact our ministering families.

It is easy to get motivated for the big things. It's harder to get motivated for the small things. All acts of service are serving Jesus Christ. We should view the small acts and big sacrifices as essential to helping Jesus Christ save mankind. We must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and sacrifice a single hour.

14:44

"And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely." Here, safely could mean "carefully and cautiously." Judas had witness Jesus slip through their fingers multiple times. He was warning them to keep him secured.

Why does Judas want them to be so careful? He wants his thirty pieces of silver. If Jesus escapes, he doesn't get paid. He knows he's not going to have another chance at this - so it has to be done right this first try. It further clarifies Judas's greed and guile.

14:57-63

In Jewish law, there must be two witnesses against an accused. Obviously, their story must be the same. The Pharisees couldn't get two people to agree "...but neither did their witness agree together."

Caiaphas then does what isn't appropriate. He asks Jesus to witness against himself. This was against Jewish law (in my understanding). Just like our rights now, Jesus could remain silent. Caiaphas was desperate because he couldn't get two people to witness against him. Initially, Christ "held his peace, and answered nothing."

But, when Caiaphas asks the specific question, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus responds with "I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."

Caiaphas reacts. "Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death." This wasn't their law. They couldn't convict Jesus of any crime when their proof was his witness against himself.

They weren't interested in the very law that they were so prideful about following. They were only interested in getting rid of Jesus. The only reason that they were going through a trial of any kind was, perhaps, to help them feel like they are still righteous men following the law of Moses. They were attempting to justify their actions.

Isn't this human nature? We all like to think of ourselves as the good guy. Our brains need us to be the hero. We consciously or subconsciously will do mental gymnastics to paint the picture that we are the good ones. We rationalize our actions. It's part of pride and being human. It's part of the natural man. We've got to fight the urge to rationalize our bad behavior.

John

13:3-5, 13-15

We read an account here that isn't in the other gospels. "Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." I like how John introduces Jesus as the one who "the Father had given all things into his hands." In other words, Jesus is in control of the universe. It's important to keep this in mind for the next part of the story.

The creator of the universe then proceeds to wash the feet of apostles. He is making a point that he describes later. "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." He was the greatest of all and he was serving them. If he should serve them, how much should they serve each other.

The Jewish religion at that time was about who was in the positions of authority and power. Everyone else was beneath them. Jesus was turning that upside down. He was saying that the leader should serve those who follow. The greatest should be the least.

13:17

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." This is a true, profound statement. Those of us that know the gospel, true happiness comes only from living according to the principles we know to be true. We cannot find true happiness in any other - worldly - way.

13:34-35

Jesus had taught that the two great commandments were to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. He adds to that here. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." This is different than loving a neighbor as ourselves.

Perhaps he had taught one audience that they should love others as they love themselves because that group certainly loved themselves. For someone who puts themselves first, this is an essential commandment.

However, how much we love ourselves can vary widely. Some people love themselves A LOT and others not very much. I can imagine why Jesus wanted to add a new commandment.

The new standard was higher. They were to love one another "as I have loved you." Christ loved us with perfect, selfless, charity-filled love. He was setting the bar with how HE loved. The goal for us is to have perfect charity for each other.

It's interesting that he states that "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Their love for each other is how "all men" would know that they were Christ's disciples. There wasn't special clothing that they were to wear. There weren't missionary badges. They could be identified as disciples from the love that they had for each other.

This is true for us. People should know that we are Christ's disciples by how much love we show for all people - even those people who offend us. If someone yells at us and we respond with kindness, they will know whose disciples we are.