Lesson 24 - And this is life eternal - Preparing for class

John 16–17



What is the mission of the Holy Ghost? (See John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7–14.) How can we recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost? (See Galatians 5:22–23; D&C 6:15, 23; 11:13.) How has receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost helped you?


Jesus said to his Apostles, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). How can the knowledge that Jesus has overcome the world help us be of good cheer when we are faced with tribulation? Why is it important to be of good cheer?


In his prayer, the Savior said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). How is knowing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ different from merely knowing about them? How can we come to know them?

Suggestion for Family Discussion

In a box, place a piece of paper labeled The Gift of the Holy Ghost. In a second box, place a piece of paper labeled Eternal Life. Wrap the boxes to look like gifts. Explain that in John 16–17, Jesus mentions two of the greatest gifts we can receive. Have a family member open the first box and read the piece of paper inside it. Read John 16:13, and explain that in this verse “the Spirit of truth” refers to the Holy Ghost. Have another family member open the second box and read the piece of paper inside it. Read John 17:1–3. Express your gratitude for the gift of the Holy Ghost and the opportunity to receive eternal life.
Scripture Chain: “Be One, Even As We Are One”

John 17:20–26

Philippians 1:27

Mosiah 18:21

4 Nephi 1:15–17

D&C 35:2

D&C 38:24–27

Love One Another, As I Have Loved You - Lesson Outline

1. Introduction

a) Set the scene

i) Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Passover dinner, along with all other observant Jews

(1) At the Passover, every family in Israel was to come up to Jerusalem to partake of a sacred meal in remembrance of their deliverance from bondage.

(2) The sacrifice of an unblemished lamb was offered at the temple.

(3) Tens of thousands of lambs had been killed in Jerusalem for Passover

(4) Reading 1 – Exodus 12:3,5-8

3¶Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, 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:

SKIP

5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

6And 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.

7And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

(a) This was a powerful symbol of the Messiah and Jehovah’s ability to save His people.

(5) READ – Exodus 12:11-14

11¶And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover.

12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.

13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

(6) Would come to be called The Last Supper

ii) Christ will go from the Passover celebration to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he will begin the direct suffering associated with His Atonement.

iii) After Gethsemane, he will be taken prisoner and continue the process that will lead to His crucifixion on Friday

iv) By this time on Friday evening, Christ will be dead, having been buried before sundown on Friday.

v) It is Thursday evening, after sundown

(1) Jews measured their days from sundown to sundown

(2) All we will study today occurred during the last peaceful period on the last day of Christ’s mortal life

b) Chris will not meet with His apostles again until after His resurrection. This is the last time he will speak with them privately during His mortal life.

c) Christ knows exactly what will happen to him during the rest of this horrible day.

d) What are His last words? His last teachings? His last requests?

e) READ John 13:1

Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

f) To this day, Jews around the world gather to celebrate Passover and at the same time, Christians around the world celebrate Easter.

i) God the Father will save His people through Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ

ii) Innocent blood must be shed for this salvation, this Atonement, to be completed

2. Jesus institutes the sacrament

a) Christ directed Peter and John to locate a place for a Passover dinner and make it ready.

i) Despite the fact Jerusalem was crowded with Passover celebrants, an appropriate room and dinner were arranged.

ii) Only the Twelve Apostles were with the Savior at this time

b) Reading 2 – Luke 22:14-20

14And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

15And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

16For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

17And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

18For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

19¶And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

20Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

i) Simple and straightforward account

ii) Verse 19 - This is my body which is given for you

iii) Verse 19 – this do in remembrance of me

iv) Verse 20 - This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you

c) Reading 3 - Elder Matthew Cowley said: "The administration of the sacrament...is so essential that the words in the prayer of sanctification have been given by direct revelation from God.... In the blessing pronounced upon the sacred emblems of the Master's great sacrifice, the priest repeats God's own words....

"The Sabbath is the day appointed for sacrament service. In the religious worship of this day every member of the Church is expected to present himself before the sacrament board and renew his covenants with his Redeemer. For those who neglect this duty, there is no covenant renewal, and the Lord will not hold them blameless. The vitality of the Church lies in the obedience of its members to the divine plan, and this vitality comes from...meeting together often, and with contrite spirits, partaking of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper." (Matthew Cowley Speaks, pp191-192)

d) Reading 4 – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said: “Since that upper room experience on the eve of Gethsemane and Golgotha, children of the promise have been under covenant to remember Christ’s sacrifice in this newer, higher, more holy and personal way.

With a crust of bread, always broken, blessed, and offered first, we remember his bruised body and broken heart, his physical suffering on the cross where he cried, “I thirst,” and finally, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (John 19:28; Matt. 27:46.)

The Savior’s physical suffering guarantees that through his mercy and grace (see 2 Ne. 2:8) every member of the human family shall be freed from the bonds of death and be resurrected triumphantly from the grave. Of course the time of that resurrection and the degree of exaltation it leads to are based upon our faithfulness.

With a small cup of water we remember the shedding of Christ’s blood and the depth of his spiritual suffering, anguish which began in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matt. 26:38). He was in agony and “prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

The Savior’s spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for what the scriptures call the “original guilt” of Adam’s transgression (Moses 6:54). Furthermore, Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught (see 2 Ne. 9:21–23). As the Apostle Paul wrote, we were “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20). What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase!

That is why every ordinance of the gospel focuses in one way or another on the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely that is why this particular ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called “the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 2:340). - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, This Do in Remembrance of Me, Ensign, November, 1995

e) Reading 5 – Continuing with his General Conference address, Elder Holland suggested some of the things we should remember about the Savior:

i) His love and strength in the Grand Council of Heaven.

ii) That he is the Creator of heaven and earth.

iii) All that he did in his premortal life as Jehovah.

iv) The simple grandeur of his birth.

v) His teachings.

vi) His miracles and healings.

vii) That “all things which are good cometh of Christ” (Moroni 7:24).

viii) The unkind treatment, rejection, and injustice he endured.

ix) That he descended below all things in order to rise above them.

x) That he made his sacrifices and endured his sorrows for each of us.

(Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, This Do in Remembrance of Me, Ensign, November, 1995 and Lesson 23: “Love One Another, As I Have Loved You”," New Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual)

f) READ Doctrine and Covenants 20:77

77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.

g) The Sacrament was just as important among the Nephites

i) As Christ was ministering to the Nephites, He regularly lead them in the sacrament

(1) READ – 3 Nephi 26:13

13Therefore, I would that ye should behold that the Lord truly did teach the people, for the space of three days; and after that he did show himself unto them oft, and did break bread oft, and bless it, and give it unto them.

ii) The Nephites had the identical sacrament prayers we have – see Moroni, chapters 4 and 5

h) Reading 6 - Pres. J. Reuben Clark, Jr. wrote: It is an interesting reflection that up to the time of Christ, apparently . . . Israel . . . worshiped with the ritual which. . . looked forward to the sacrifice of the Son by substituting animal sacrifices as under the Mosaic Law . . .

The sacrifice was always vicarious. Animals were . . . sacrificed for the sins of the individual and for the sins of the people . . . but it was always a vicarious sacrifice, apparent with little actual sacrifice, except for the value of the animal sacrificed, by the individuals themselves, to cancel the debt, so to speak, against their lives and living in the eyes of the Almighty One. The sinner seemingly, in general, took on no obligation to abandon his sins, but took on only the obligation to offer sacrifice therefor.

But under the new covenant that came in with Christ, the sinner must offer the sacrifice out of his own life, not by offering the blood of some other creature; he must give up his sins, he must repent, he himself must make the sacrifice, and that sacrifice was calculated to reach out into the life of the sinner in the future so that he would become a better and changed man. (Behold the Lamb of God, pp. 107-108)

3. After washing their feet, Jesus commands the Apostles to love one another

a) Reading 7 – John 13:3-5,12-17

3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

SKIP

12So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

13Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.

15For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

16Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

17If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

b) During His last private moments with His apostles in mortality, Christ repeatedly told them they were to love one another

i) Reading 8 – John 13:34-35

34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

ii) Reading 8 – John 15:12,17

12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

17These things I command you, that ye love one another.

4. Jesus teaches “I am the way, the truth, and the life” and “I am the true vine.”

a) The apostle Thomas understands that Christ is going to leave them

i) READ John 14:5

Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

(1) Very human response

(2) Haven’t all of us, at one time or another, when faced with a difficult crisis, asked almost the same thing? How can I know the way?

b) Christ has two answers, one short and one longer

i) READ John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

(1) The solution to all problems likes in coming closer to Christ

ii) Reading 9 – John 15:1-5

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth [purifies] it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

(1) ASK – What does “abide” mean?

(a) to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me

(b) to have one's abode; dwell; reside

(2) Reading 10 – Abide with Me – Hymn 166

Abide with me! fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens. Lord, with me abide!

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me!

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day.

Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away.

Change and decay in all around I see;

O thou who changest not, abide with me!

I need thy presence ev’ry passing hour.

What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?

Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?

Thru cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me!

“Love One Another, As I Have Loved You” – Scriptures and Quotes

Lesson 23: “Love One Another, As I Have Loved You” – Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 – Exodus 12:3,5-8

Exodus 12:11-14

John 13:1

Reading 2 – Luke 22:14-20

Reading 3 - Elder Matthew Cowley said: "The administration of the sacrament...is so essential that the words in the prayer of sanctification have been given by direct revelation from God.... In the blessing pronounced upon the sacred emblems of the Master's great sacrifice, the priest repeats God's own words....

"The Sabbath is the day appointed for sacrament service. In the religious worship of this day every member of the Church is expected to present himself before the sacrament board and renew his covenants with his Redeemer. For those who neglect this duty, there is no covenant renewal, and the Lord will not hold them blameless. The vitality of the Church lies in the obedience of its members to the divine plan, and this vitality comes from...meeting together often, and with contrite spirits, partaking of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper." (Matthew Cowley Speaks, pp191-192)

Reading 4 – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said: “Since that upper room experience on the eve of Gethsemane and Golgotha, children of the promise have been under covenant to remember Christ’s sacrifice in this newer, higher, more holy and personal way.

With a crust of bread, always broken, blessed, and offered first, we remember his bruised body and broken heart, his physical suffering on the cross where he cried, “I thirst,” and finally, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (John 19:28; Matt. 27:46.)

The Savior’s physical suffering guarantees that through his mercy and grace (see 2 Ne. 2:8) every member of the human family shall be freed from the bonds of death and be resurrected triumphantly from the grave. Of course the time of that resurrection and the degree of exaltation it leads to are based upon our faithfulness.

With a small cup of water we remember the shedding of Christ’s blood and the depth of his spiritual suffering, anguish which began in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matt. 26:38). He was in agony and “prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

The Savior’s spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for what the scriptures call the “original guilt” of Adam’s transgression (Moses 6:54). Furthermore, Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught (see 2 Ne. 9:21–23). As the Apostle Paul wrote, we were “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20). What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase!

That is why every ordinance of the gospel focuses in one way or another on the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely that is why this particular ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called “the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 2:340). - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, This Do in Remembrance of Me, Ensign, November, 1995

Reading 5 – Continuing with his General Conference address, Elder Holland suggested some of the things we should remember about the Savior:

i) His love and strength in the Grand Council of Heaven.

ii) That he is the Creator of heaven and earth.

iii) All that he did in his premortal life as Jehovah.

iv) The simple grandeur of his birth.

v) His teachings.

vi) His miracles and healings.

vii) That “all things which are good cometh of Christ” (Moroni 7:24).

viii) The unkind treatment, rejection, and injustice he endured.

ix) That he descended below all things in order to rise above them.

x) That he made his sacrifices and endured his sorrows for each of us. (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, This Do in Remembrance of Me, Ensign, November, 1995 and Lesson 23: “Love One Another, As I Have Loved You”," New Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual)

Doctrine and Covenants 20:77

3 Nephi 26:13

Reading 6 - Pres. J. Reuben Clark, Jr. wrote: It is an interesting reflection that up to the time of Christ, apparently . . . Israel . . . worshiped with the ritual which. . . looked forward to the sacrifice of the Son by substituting animal sacrifices as under the Mosaic Law . . .

The sacrifice was always vicarious. Animals were . . . sacrificed for the sins of the individual and for the sins of the people . . . but it was always a vicarious sacrifice, apparent with little actual sacrifice, except for the value of the animal sacrificed, by the individuals themselves, to cancel the debt, so to speak, against their lives and living in the eyes of the Almighty One. The sinner seemingly, in general, took on no obligation to abandon his sins, but took on only the obligation to offer sacrifice therefor.

But under the new covenant that came in with Christ, the sinner must offer the sacrifice out of his own life, not by offering the blood of some other creature; he must give up his sins, he must repent, he himself must make the sacrifice, and that sacrifice was calculated to reach out into the life of the sinner in the future so that he would become a better and changed man. (Behold the Lamb of God, pp. 107-108)

Reading 7 – John 13:3-5,12-17

Reading 8 – John 13:34-35

Reading 9 – John 15:12,17

John 14:5

John 14:6

Reading 10 – John 15:1-5

Reading 11 – Abide with Me – Hymn 166

This Do in Remembrance of Me

Since that upper room experience on the eve of Gethsemane and Golgotha, children of the promise have been under covenant to remember Christ’s sacrifice in this newer, higher, more holy and personal way.

With a crust of bread, always broken, blessed, and offered first, we remember his bruised body and broken heart, his physical suffering on the cross where he cried, “I thirst,” and finally, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (John 19:28; Matt. 27:46.)

The Savior’s physical suffering guarantees that through his mercy and grace (see 2 Ne. 2:8) every member of the human family shall be freed from the bonds of death and be resurrected triumphantly from the grave. Of course the time of that resurrection and the degree of exaltation it leads to are based upon our faithfulness.

With a small cup of water we remember the shedding of Christ’s blood and the depth of his spiritual suffering, anguish which began in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matt. 26:38). He was in agony and “prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

The Savior’s spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for what the scriptures call the “original guilt” of Adam’s transgression (Moses 6:54). Furthermore, Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught (see 2 Ne. 9:21–23). As the Apostle Paul wrote, we were “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20). What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase!

That is why every ordinance of the gospel focuses in one way or another on the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely that is why this particular ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called “the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 2:340).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, This Do in Remembrance of Me, Ensign, November, 1995

Passover

From the Bible Dictionary, "Feasts"

The Feast of the Passover was instituted to commemorate the passing over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when God smote the firstborn of the Egyptians, and more generally the redemption from Egypt (Ex. 12:27;13:15).

The first passover differed somewhat from those succeeding it. On the 10th Abib ( = March or April) a male lamb (or kid) of the first year, without blemish, was chosen for each family or two small families in Israel. It was slain by the whole congregation between the evenings (i.e., between sunset and total darkness) of the 14th Abib, and its blood sprinkled on the lintel and two sideposts of the doors of the houses. It was roasted with fire, and no bone of it was broken. It was eaten standing, ready for a journey, and in haste, with unleavened loaves and bitter herbs. Anything left was burned with fire, and no persons went out of their houses until the morning.

Three great changes or developments were made almost immediately in the nature of the Feast of the Passover: (1) It lost its domestic character, and became a sanctuary feast. (2) A seven days’ feast of unleavened bread (hence its usual name), with special offerings, was added (Ex. 12:15; Num. 28:16–25). The first and seventh days were Sabbaths and days of holy convocation. (3) The feast was connected with the harvest. On the morrow after the Sabbath ( = 16th Abib probably) a sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest (barley) was waved before the Lord (Lev. 23:10–14).

In later times the following ceremonies were added: (1) The history of the redemption from Egypt was related by the head of the household (cf. Ex. 12:26–27). (2) Four cups of wine mixed with water were drunk at different stages of the feast (cf. Luke 22:17, 20; 1 Cor. 10:16, the cup of blessing). (3) Pss. 113–118 (the Hallel) were sung. (4) The various materials of the feast were dipped in a sauce. (5) The feast was not eaten standing, but reclining. (6) The Levites (at least on some occasions) slew the sacrifices. (7) Voluntary peace offerings (called Chagigah) were offered. Of these there are traces in the law and in the history (Num. 10:10; 2 Chr. 30:22–24; 35:13). (8) A second passover for those prevented by ceremonial uncleanness from keeping the passover at the proper time was instituted by Moses (Num. 9:10) on the 14th day of the second month. This was called the Little Passover.

The passovers of historical importance are few in number. After the passovers in Egypt (Ex. 12), the desert (Num. 9), and Canaan (Gilgal) after the circumcision of the people (Josh. 5), no celebration is recorded till the times of Hezekiah (2 Chr. 30). In later times the passovers were remarkable, (1) for the number of Jews from all parts of the world who attended them, (2) for the tumults that arose and the terrible consequent massacres. Two passovers of the deepest interest were the passover of the death of our Lord, and the last passover of the Jewish dispensation. Titus with his army shut up in Jerusalem those who came to keep the latter. The city was thus overcrowded, and the sufferings of the besieged by famine, etc., were terribly increased. Since the destruction of Jerusalem the Jews have kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread but not the Feast of the Passover—that is, they do not offer the sacrificial lamb. The passover is still eaten by the colony of Samaritans on Gerizim.

The Grandeur of His Spirit

To the very end of his mortal life Jesus was demonstrating the grandeur of his spirit and the magnitude of his strength. He was not, even at this late hour, selfishly engrossed in his own sorrows or contemplating the impending pain. He was anxiously attending to the present and future needs of his beloved followers. He knew their own safety, individually and as a church lay only in their unconditional love one for another. His entire energies seem to have been directed toward their needs, thus teaching by example what he was teaching by precept."

President Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, May 1974, Page 19

Love One Another, As I Have Loved You

"Lesson 23: “Love One Another, As I Have Loved You”," New Testament Class Member Study Guide, (1997)

Luke 22:1–38; John 13–15

• When Jesus and his Apostles met to eat the Passover meal, Jesus introduced the ordinance of the sacrament (Luke 22:19–20). Why is it important to take the sacrament each week? How can you prepare yourself spiritually before partaking of the sacrament?
• What did Jesus tell the Apostles about why he had washed their feet? (See John 13:12–17.) How has service to others brought you happiness?
• Jesus said, “By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). Does the way you treat others show that you are a disciple, or follower, of Christ? What are some specific things you can do to follow Christ’s example of love?

Suggestion for Family Discussion

Ask a family member to read Doctrine and Covenants 20:77. Discuss the meaning of the sacramental bread. Ask another family member to readDoctrine and Covenants 20:79. Discuss the meaning of the sacramental water, noting that today we use water instead of wine. Explain that when we partake of the sacrament, we promise to always remember Jesus. Talk about things family members can do that will help them remember Jesus.

As part of this family discussion, you may want to sing together a sacrament hymn or the Primary song “To Think about Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 71).

Scripture Chain: The Sacrament

Matthew 26:26–28

Luke 22:19–20

3 Nephi 18:5–12

D&C 20:77, 79

Family Home Evening Lesson for Tomorrow - Sheep and Goats Parable

Service at Home (Tell This Story)

How do we go about this service? Do we need to do some heroic thing? Perhaps the simple acts of love in the home come first. Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone recalls:

“One Saturday night when I was about eleven, many of Mother’s relatives came from out of town to have dinner with us. Such visits were rare, so she spent the whole day getting the dinner ready. She prepared a pot roast and all the vegetables to go with it, mashed potatoes and gravy, salads, hot rolls, and dessert. She cooked all day, and soon the dirty dishes started stacking up.

“After dinner, everyone brought the leftover food to the kitchen, then went into the living room and began to visit. I remember going back to the kitchen, thinking, Mother works all week long, and now she’ll have to do the dishes late at night after everyone leaves. Then I thought, I’ll do the dishes for her.

“In those days, we didn’t have a dishwasher; the dishwasher was either me or someone else.

I filled up the sink and started washing. I stood there for three hours, washing every dish—and I learned that when dishes or pans are dirty, it’s best to clean them immediately, before the food hardens"

“Finally I finished drying the last dish, wiping off all the counters, and scrubbing the floor. I heard the relatives walking out onto the porch, and I heard Mother bidding them good-bye.

“The kitchen door swung open, and Mother entered. She stopped and looked around and then looked at me. I cannot describe the look on her face. I think that at first it was shock, then appreciation, and then I think it was more than that. It was a feeling of love and pride, and of something I couldn’t measure. I think you understand. There was a light in her eyes. I made the decision then that I would like to put that kind of light into people’s faces.

“Mother hugged and thanked me, and I went to bed contented and happy, knowing that she wouldn’t have to stand there doing dishes until two o’clock the next morning. I learned that serving family members is one of the most Christlike things we can do.”

For Elder Featherstone, the light in his mother’s eyes was the light of Christ shining through—a light the selfish never see nor understand. And it is a light we can each enjoy every day in the eyes of our own family and in our own homes if we are servants of Christ. (Rebecca M. Taylor and Vaughn J. Featherstone, “Friend to Friend,” Friend, Aug 1994, 6)

Doctrine: In his last sermon on earth, Jesus told the apostles this parable.

To introduce the following parable tell about sheep herding. Sheep are obedient and easy to tend. Goats are high maintenance. They eat the laundry, they wander off. They are a challenge, but often are kept with the sheep.

Now Read the Parable of the Goats and the Sheep

Matthew 25:

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his dsheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Principle: The Final Judgment," Dallin H. Oaks taught, "is not an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts--what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts--what we have become.It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become." Again, "the Final Judgment will not be based on how long we have labored in the vineyard. We do not obtain our heavenly reward by punching a time clock. What is essential is that our labors in the workplace of the Lord have caused us to become something" ("The Challenge to Become,"Ensign, Nov. 2000, pp. 32-34)

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee asick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Application: Can we get this light in people eyes by the service we give them. What a great goal!