Matthew 18; Luke 10

INTRODUCTION TO MATTHEW 18

“Just prior to this, we had the Transfiguration. We also had Peter's confession that he believed Jesus was the Christ, he was the Messiah, and so His messiahship has been acknowledged. He has told them that they are on their way to Jerusalem and what's going to happen there, that He is going to suffer and be killed and be resurrected, which they sort of struggled with.

A lot of what Jesus is going to say in this chapter and in Luke 10 is to really show the people that the Messiah that they thought He was going to be based on the Old Testament and the law of Moses is a little bit different. He's told them He's not going to be there much longer. Matthew 18 is really His trying to set up the church or what He calls the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven so that it can continue on after He's gone, after He leaves the people. He talks a lot about this is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the Kingdom of God, the king is here and this is how we're going to organize the church, this is how we're going to treat each other in the church, this is expected behavior.”

Dr. Krystal V.L. Pierce, Follow Him Podcast

THE SAVING GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

“In this series of leadership instructions, the heart is turned to the one; receiving the one in the name of and on behalf of Jesus Christ; not offending or damaging the faith of any one; not thinking poorly of any one. But even more than this is required. More than welcoming, strengthening, and admiring, one must also be prepared to leave home, go out into the wilds, to search high and low, to find, and to rescue.”

John and Jeannie Welch, “The Parables of Jesus,” pg. 97

GOING AFTER THE LOST SHEEP

“Going into the treacherous mountain in the dark presents serious risk for the shepherd, yet he willingly incurs that risk, having shouldered the responsibility that ‘not one should perish.’ It is a sobering thought that the Savior has already numbered us His, accepted our burdens as His own, and agreed to be with us wherever the journey leads.

These gentle words of Jesus also reveal how He feels about the daunting challenge: He takes joy, even greater joy at the rescue of that which was lost, seeing it as a triumph. As he returns the lost sheep to the fold, His gracious acts of amazing grace reestablishes the relationship between Him and His sheep. It also reassures and reconnects all of the bonds of love among all the shepherd’s fold.”

John and Jeannie Welch, “The Parables of Jesus,” pg. 98

FORGIVENSS

“The principle of forgiveness is vital to our eternal well-being. Eternal lives are at stake, and without forgiveness and tolerance, no celestial sociality is even imaginable. Nothing less than the second great commandment is involved here. How can we love our neighbors as ourselves if we do not forgive one another? Are we not commanded to love one another, not just as we love ourselves, but as Jesus loves us? As we would desperately want to be forgiven in our hour of existential debt crisis, so we also should reciprocally forgive in meaningful amounts and at crucially needed times.”

John and Jeannie Welch, “The Parables of Jesus,” pg. 115

MARY AND MARTHA

Footnote in NIV of 10:42—Jesus prioritizes the spiritual over the domestic responsibility. Too often in church history, God’s people have inverted this priority for women.

Footnote in Wayment 10:40—Martha was busy serving, an action described as diakonia, or in the capacity of a deacon or deaconess. Such a description indicated that she was likely preparing or serving food. The actions of a deacon or deaconess became the model for service among Christians.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN

How is the plan of salvation portrayed in this story?

What observations can we make about the characters in this story and why they acted as they did?

What questions does the story answer?

What does the Savior expect of His followers? What are the risks associated with doing as he asks? Did the characters in the story take any risks? Who and how?

What injuries does the man suffer? Are there others besides the obvious physical ones? How do you see yourself in this story?

THE GOOD SAMARITAN

“Because of our mortal limitations, God speaks to us in similitudes. Symbols draw our finite minds to the sacred truths embedded in the incomparable gospel. As a type and shadow of the plan of salvation, the parable of the good Samaritan places deeds of neighborly kindness within the eternal context of where we have come from, how we have fallen info our present plight, and how the binding ordinances and healing love of the promised Redeemer and the nurture of His Church can rescue us from our present situation.

Seeing the parable in this light invites readers to identify with virtually every character in the story. At one level, people can and should see themselves as good Samaritans, acting as physical rescuers and as saviors on Mount Zion, personally and directly aiding in the rescue of lost souls and all people in need. By doing as the Samaritan, we join with the Savior in helping bring to pass the salvation and eternal life of man.

We all need to receive help even from people we might otherwise think of as being outside our social circles. And we all need to be saved by the merciful Christ, the most exemplary Neighbor.”

John and Jeannie Welch, “The Parables of Jesus,” pg. 39-40

Matthew 15–17; Mark 7–9

Painting: Jesus exorcising the Canaanite Woman's daughter from Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 15th century. Public domain. 

SOURCES

Ball, Terry B. “‘Whom Say Ye That I Am?’: Peter’s Witness of Christ,” in The Ministry of Peter, the Chief Apostle, ed. Frank F. Judd Jr., Eric D. Huntsman, and Shon D. Hopkin. 13–26.https://rsc.byu.edu/ministry-peter-chief-apostle/whom-say-ye-i-am-peters-witness-christ

Brown, S. Kent. “Peter’s Keys (Matthew 16:1819)”https://www.byunewtestamentcommentary.com/peters-keys-matthew-1618-19/

Brown, S. Kent. “The Testimony of Luke.” (Provo, UT: BYU Studies, 2015), 478–482.

Brown, S. Kent. “The Twelve.” The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ: From the Transfiguration Through the Triumphal Entry. Edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Thomas Wayment.

Holzapfel, Richard Neitzel. “The Transfiguration.” The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ: From the Transfiguration Through the Triumphal Entry. Edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Thomas Wayment.

Hopkin, Shon D. “Peter, Stones, and Seers,” in The Ministry of Peter, the Chief Apostle, ed. Frank F. Judd Jr., Eric D. Huntsman, and Shon D. Hopkin (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2014), 103–25. https://rsc.byu.edu/ministry-peter-chief-apostle/peter-stones-seers

Strathearn, Gaye. “Jesus and the Gentiles.” The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ: From the Transfiguration Through the Triumphal Entry. Edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Thomas Wayment.

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“Commentaries are useful to make us think and not as the last word—when we are talking about symbolic scripture, there is no last word.” - Julie Smith

“Mark identifies the woman as “a Greek, a Syrophenician by birth” (Mark 7:26). Matthew’s use of “Canaanite” is significant: there were no Canaanites during Jesus’ time. This is an anachronistic term (belonging to a period other than that being portrayed) to link the woman to people whom Joshua and the Israelites were supposed to destroy when they entered the promised land and who were a constant source of pagan worship for the Israelites. The identification serves to highlight the significance of what this woman does." (Footnote).

Gaye Strathearn. 

“The Greek word for “worshiped” is prosekunoe, the same word used by Matthew to describe the action of the Wise Men when they came into Jesus’ presence. It conveys a position of worship through prostration. The imperfect tense of the verb suggests that this worship is not confined to a single act but is a repeated one.” 

“The table itself represents the eschatological banquet, concerning which Jesus had already told another Gentile, the centurion, that “many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob” (Matthew 8:11). This woman wanted to be one of those many coming from the west.”  Gaye Strathearn.

“The Apostle Peter is beloved by believers—perhaps because he seems so authentic and approachable to us. We can understand him. We can empathize with him. We admire his courage as he forsook all, “straightway” leaving his nets as the Master beckoned, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” We understand his confusion over the meaning and message of parables. We feel the desperation in his cry, “Lord, save me,” as his feet and faith faltered on the turbulent waters that night on the Sea of Galilee. We appreciate his awe at the Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:2–9; Luke 9:28–36). We weep with him for the shame of his thrice-made denial, grieve with him at Gethsemane, and join in his joy and wonder at the empty tomb.” Terry B. Ball

“Jesus’ rebuke of Peter immediately following this commandment serves to further highlight that the designation of Peter as the rock was in some senses a prophetic call rather than a statement of current fact (see Matthew 16:21–23).” Hopkin

“Peter’s declaration and his subsequent experience on the Mount of Transfiguration allow for the culmination of this growing awareness of the disciples, albeit still without a full understanding of the necessary suffering and death that will be required of their Messiah.” Hopkin

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“When Jesus promises to entrust keys to Peter, part of the promise is that “the gates of hell 

shall not prevail against it [the church].” (The grammar of this sentence tells us that “it” means “the church” because “the church” is the closest referent and the Greek pronoun translated “it” and the Greek noun “church” are both feminine in gender.) The term translated “hell” in this passage is the word hadēs, Hades in English. In the Septuagint, the Greek word hadēs generally means a permanent, dark underworld where departed spirits are confined (see LXX Job 7:9–10; 10:21–22). The New Testament adjusts this view. Here, hadēs is a temporary abode where the spirits of the dead await the resurrection and judgment (see Acts 2:27, 31; Revelation 20:13; also Alma 40:14) and where Jesus preaches during the time his body lies in the tomb (see 1 Peter 3:19–20; 4:6).

But Hades has another more personal meaning. In some passages, Hades is a name or title held by an individual in the underworld who is in charge of the spirit prison. The Risen Savior hints at this meaning when he affirms: “I am he that liveth, and was dead . . . and have the keys of hell and death” (Revelation 1:18). By implication, he has taken possession of those keys and now holds them in his hand. How so? The notion is that, when Jesus descends into the world of spirits after his death on the cross, he faces closed gates that keep the departed spirits inside a prison. Meeting resistance from those who hold the keys, who are death and hell (see Revelation 6:8; 20:13–14; 2 Nephi 9:12), he takes control of the keys from them and opens the closed gates. In the language of Isaiah, after this confrontation, he opens “the prison to them that are bound” and proclaims “liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1; also Luke 4:18, where Jesus applies Isaiah’s words to his ministry without distinguishing between his mortal and post-mortal work).

The idea of gates points directly at the keys required to open them. Jesus holds the keys of “the gates of hell,” not Peter. Instead, to Peter are entrusted “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Interest in the next world, of course, is plainly present in this latter expression. In addition, possession of these keys does not mean that the holder is a mere doorkeeper, a person who checks the identity of those entering and leaving. By being entrusted with keys, Peter stands as Jesus’ fully authorized representative. This dimension appears in the expression “I will give.” Moreover, these keys establish Peter’s authority over earthly church matters, a fact firmly present in Jesus’ words “bind on earth” and “loose on earth.” In a word, Jesus is handing to Peter the chief responsibility for leading his Church. But Peter does not carry this duty by himself. The keys will be held jointly among the Twelve, as Jesus later indicates: “Verily I say unto you [Twelve], Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). Terry B. Ball.

“ . . the story of the Transfiguration in Matthew is preceded, and therefore introduced, by Peter’s confession (Matthew 16:16) and Jesus’ own prophecy about His fate in the Holy City (Matthew 16:21).”

“Matthew, however, preserves Jesus’ promise to give “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19) to Peter, a story not found in the other Gospel. Demonstrating that Peter’s confession (identifying Jesus as both “Christ [Messiah]” and the “Son of the living God”) was accurate, adequate, and more important, appropriate.” Richard Holzapfel. 

“. . . the fact that Moses and Elijah appeared visibly to the Savior in the presence of the three stands as evidence that the Apostles were to grasp in a most concrete way that the long-past era of the Old Testament was tied to their own day. In this connection, we notice that Moses and Elijah still possessed their bodies, in a translated state, so that they did not die, thus allowing them to perform physical acts, such as the laying on of hands, to transmit their keys and authority.”

Footnote: On the physical nature of Moses and Elijah, consult Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols. Kent Brown.

“Our Synoptic authors make brief mention of-in reality it is scarcely more than an allusion to what happened on the [Mount of Transfiguration] when they and Jesus spent a sacred night enwrapped in the visions of eternity. This blessed night was one of those seeric periods when the mysteries of the kingdom, ‘which surpass all understanding,’ are shown forth to souls who are in tune with the Infinite. So marvelous are such revealed truths that it is ‘not lawful for man to utter’ them, ‘Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ They are reserved by the Lord for those prophets and seers who, ‘while in the flesh,’ are yet able ‘to bear his presence in the world of glory.’ (D&C 76: 114-18.)

In the providence of the Lord, the saints know some things that the world does not know about the spiritual outpouring of divine grace that fell on the Mountain of Transfiguration. But even Latter-day Revelation does not set forth the full account. And until men and women attain a higher state of spiritual understanding than they now enjoy, they will continue to see through a glass darkly and know only in part the visionary experiences of the presiding officers of the Meridian Church. That which is known, however, singles out this night as one of the most important and glorious in the lives who saw within the veil and who heard the voices of the heavenly participants. 

Bruce R. McConkie - The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary

https://www.ldsscriptureteachings.org/2018/10/matthew-17-the-mount-of-transfiguration/

EASTER 2023

Bennett, Richard E. “‘It Is Finished’: The Divine Accomplishment of the Crucifixion.” Celebrating Easter: The 2006 BYU Easter Conference, ed. Thomas A. Wayment and Keith J. Wilson (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University, Religious Studies Center, 2006), 177–99.https://rsc.byu.edu/celebrating-easter/it-finished-divine-accomplishment-crucifixion

Johnson, Camille N. "Jesus Christ Is Relief." General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. April 2, 2023.

Ogden, D. Kelly. “Our Savior’s Love Manifest in Resurrection.” Our Savior’s Love: Hope & Healing in Christ, ed. Alonzo L. Gaskill and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City, 2015), 77–101.

Olson, Camille Fronk. “They Ministered unto Him of Their Substance: Women and the Savior.” To Save the Lost. ed. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 61–80.

Seely, Jo Ann H. “From Bethany to Gethsemane.” From the Last Supper Through the Resurrection. Ed. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Thomas A. Wayment. 

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“. . . in the walk from the Mount of Transfiguration through Gethsemane and finally to Golgotha, Christ left nothing to chance. He was careful to prepare His disciples for that which must occur. He was careful to fulfill all prophecy. He was careful in allowing evil men to work their wrath upon Him. And He was careful that His death came as a sacrifice. In all this, He accomplished all that His Heavenly Father desired of Him.” Richard E. Bennett.

“Martha’s four statements to Jesus teach what the disciples needed to learn to be prepared for the Passion week. First, the Lord has power: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (11:21), acknowledging that the Lord can heal us and that He is able to protect us from harm or even death. Second, the Father will bless Him in whatever He asks: “I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee” (11:22). Her plea suggests that she wanted Jesus to bring her brother back to life. When challenged by Jesus that her brother would rise again, she made her their response, that there will be a resurrection: “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (11:24). And finally, when taught by the Lord that He is the resurrection and the life, that “whosoever liveth and believers in [Him] shall never die,” Martha responded to His question “Believes thou this?” with these words: “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (11:26-27). 

If those present had understood the full import of Martha’s four declarations, the confusion and pain they experienced during Jesus’ final hours would have been greatly reduced. The disciples, in particular, would have known that Jesus did have the power to save Himself from all that came upon Him; that if asked, the Father could indeed have removed the bitter cup; that although Jesus was dead, He would rise again in three days; and that He was the very son of God, the promised Messiah.” Jo Ann H. Seely.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that Mary anointed Jesus in preparation for His being proclaimed king:

“Mary of Bethany, in the home of Simon the leper, as guided by the Spirit, poured costly spikenard from her alabaster box upon the head of Jesus, and also anointed His feet, so that, the next day, the ten thousands of Israel might acclaim him King and shout Hosanna to His name. We see Jesus thus anointed and acclaimed, heading a triumphal procession into the Holy City.”

“It was a private setting in which the anointing of the Savior took place, in contrast to the public entrance that He would make into Jerusalem on Sunday. Mary took precious spikenard ointment, anointed Jesus, and reverently wiped His feet with her hair while the aroma of the costly ointment filled the air. This was more than an act of worship by a beloved friend of the Lord; it was symbolic of His death and burial that would take place in just a week’s time. 

Significantly, the anointing of Jesus took place while Jesus was alive, focusing on the richer meaning inherent in this act. The title Christ, or Messiah in Hebrew, means “anointed one,” and Jesus came in fulfillment of the messianic prophecies.”

Jo Ann H. Seely

“Among the women who approached the tomb that glorious morning were Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of James the Younger and Joses (Joseph); Salome, the mother of Apostles James and John; and Joanna, wife of Chuza, steward of Herod Antipas (see Luke 8:3; 24:10). We also cannot help but wonder whether the two beloved sisters from Bethany, Martha and Mary, along with some of the Apostles’ wives, were also present.

Among the women disciples who followed Jesus, Mary Magdalene seems to have served in a leadership capacity. She is mentioned first in several listings of female followers (see, for example, Matthew 27:56; Luke 24:10), and she was first to see the resurrected Lord (see John 20:1–18). Mary of Magdala appears to have had a preeminent relationship with Jesus of Nazareth.” D. Kelly Ogden

"What is relief? It is the removal or lightening of something painful, troubling, or burdensome, or the strength to endure it. It refers to a person who takes the place of another. It is the legal correction of a wrong. The Anglo-French word comes from Old French, the word relever, or “to raise up,” and from the Latin relevare, or “raise again.”

Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is relief. I testify that He did rise again on the third day and, having fulfilled the loving and infinite Atonement, stands with open arms, offering to us the opportunity to rise again, be saved, and be exalted and become like Him. The relief He offers us is everlasting.

Like the women visited by the angel on that first Easter morning, I wish to “go quickly” and with “great joy” to bring the word that He is risen. President Camille N. Johnson - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/04/42johnson?lang=eng

Matthew 14; Mark6; John 5-6

JOHN THE BAPTIST

“There is something uniquely sinister about murdering primarily for the sake of an oath—without some deeper emotional interest in the act. The use of the phrase in conjunction wit Herod Antipas recalls Cain and his descendants who bound themselves by oath to Satan. The execution of John the Baptist becomes thereby a death of epic status, like one of the earliest known murders among the fallen race of men.”

“John is the last representative of the pre-Christian relationship between God and man and of the order of the priesthood that administered it. His death symbolizes the end and the ultimate insufficient nature of that order and of that relationship.

This is not to undervalue the mission and greatness of John the Baptist, the ‘outstanding bearer of the Aaronic priesthood in all of history and the one entrusted with its most noble mission,’ of who Jesus said, ‘Among them that are born of women there hath not risen one greater than John the Baptist.’ John did not, after all, chose the nature of his death, nor did he himself intend it as a mock feast. His fate was imposed upon him by sinful men and women. But his death, like his birth and his life, prepared the way for the one foretold, and that death informs the reader to whom one must finally look for salvation— namely to the Christ of God that ‘giveth life unto the world.’”

Cecilia M. Peek, The Death of John the Baptist, The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ, pg. 225

 HEALING AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA

“The Pool of Bethesda was a multilevel in-ground pool, banked by broad landings and stairs that led into the water. Four column-lined covered walkways surrounded the rectangular enclosure, and one divided the upper tank from the lower, giving the pool five colonnades. During Jesus’s time, a large crowd of disabled people would regularly gather at the pool and wait for the opportunity to be healed. They believed that at certain seasons an angel would come down and ‘stir’ the water, giving it healing properties. Legend had it that healing was available to anyone who was able to enter the pool first after an angel stirred the water (John 5:4, KJV).

Before this massive structure became known as a place of healing, the pool was simply used as a rainwater reservoir for ritual cleansing.

Located just outside Jerusalem’s walls near the Sheep Gate, the pool provided a perfect venue for purification. After the ceremonial sheep were thoroughly washed in the pool, they were taken through the Sheep Gate to the Temple for sacrifice. Some biblical experts believe the pool was also as a Mikveh, a bath for Jewish worshipers to achieve ritual purity.”

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/did-the-waters-at-the-pool-of-bethesda-heal-or-does-jesus.html

Matthew 13; Luke 8, 13

 

“Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole.” 

Artist: Eva Timothy. Used with permission.

SOURCES

Faulconer, James E. The New Testament Made Harder. (Matthew 13) pg. 142; Luke 13 pg. 140.

Nelson, Russell M. "The Sabbath is a Delight." General Conference. April 2015.

Olson, Camille Fronk. “They Ministered unto Him of Their Substance: Women and the Savior.” To Save the Lost. ed. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 61–80.

Wayment, Thomas A. The New Testament: A Translation for Latter-day Saints. 

Wilson, Lynne Hilton. “Christ’s Emancipation of women in the New Testament from their cultural Background and Baggage.” Fair Latter-day Saints Conference. August 2015.

Wright, N. T. The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is.

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PARABLES

“We get the word parable from a Greek word (parabolƝ) meaning “to set aside” or “to compare.” It is a translation of a Hebrew word (mashal) that we usually translate as proverb, but we might better translate that word as wise saying. The Hebrew word covers a wide range of things, from what we call proverbs and what we call parables to what we might call a sermon. During Jesus’s time parables appear to have been used by many teachers. Usually they were given in answer to a question, often a question asked by a follower; and they not only answered the question asked but did so by showing that there is more to the answer than the follower thought. Used that way, parables are a way of making the questioner think about his question.” 

Faulconer, pg. 142

“The parable [sower] itself is a parable about parables and their effect: this is the only way that the spectacular truth can be told, and it is bound to have the effect that some will look and look and never see, while others find the mystery suddenly unveiled, and they see what God is doing.” 

N. T. Wright  

English New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian, and Anglican bishop.

Matthew 13:9 - "Ears to hear."

Q: Is Jesus telling us about concealment or revelation? What does this verse teach us about the responsibility for understanding Jesus’s teaching?

Matthew 13:3–17: 

Q: How would you explain in your own words why Jesus teaches in parables? Whom have we seen not hear what John the Baptist and Jesus teach, and what prevented them from hearing?

Q: Have you had the experience where you picked up on a message, maybe during a General Conference talk, that no one around you picked up? Or just the opposite experience?

THREE GENEROUS WOMEN AND OTHERS PAY FOR CHRIST’S MINISTRIES

Luke 8:1-3 - Jesus was an itinerant minister going from town to town - Mary Magdalene was cured of seven demons, and Joanna and Susanna were amongst the women (they paid for his ministry).

Wayment: “Little is known about Joanna and Susanna, but they do appear in the resurrection account of Luke. The intent of who served him from their own resources conveys the idea of financial support to Jesus and his disciples. Nothing more is known of Chuza, although he was likely a political appointee of Herod Antipas." 

Hilton: “This passage tells us that many women helped provide for Jesus financially as they traveled from town to town. This is an important point. It takes financial resources to fund a ministry, women were a key part of that.”

“The implication here is that these women had access to ample means and the freedom to divest of it in the way they deemed pertinent. They also appear to have had the support and blessing of husbands or families to be relieved of traditional domestic duties in order to serve the Savior in this way. At least one of the women, Joanna, was married. Others may have been widowed or single. One wonders at the social ramifications for a group of women who traveled around the country with Jesus and his Apostles. Did they attend the entourage during the day and return to their own homes at night? Were any of them related to one of the male disciples? Did their children ever accompany them, or had they already reared their children? Whatever the circumstance, their commitment to the Savior was not episodic; these women still followed him in Jerusalem—to his Crucifixion, his burial, and his Resurrection.”

Camille Fronk Olson 

Woman with the Issue of Blood - Luke 8:43-48

“Yet this faith-filled and determined woman sought healing from the Lord: “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole” (Matthew 9:21; Mark 5:28). To do so, she broke the segregation protocol that had banished her to a life of seclusion—she went outside into a crowded street and tried to hide herself in the pack following Jesus. When she touched His outer garment, or the hem of His tunic, Jesus immediately felt that “virtue has gone out of me,” or more literally, “power has gone forth from me” (Luke 8:46 KJV and RSV). Jesus gave part of Himself in order to heal the woman physically. This in turn led to her healing socially and emotionally as well. It took amazing bravery for the woman to answer Jesus’ direct question, “Who touched me?” (Mark 5:31).

Lynne Hilton Wilson

The hem or tassels of His coat - "Clothing in general, and especially the hem of a garment, was symbolically meaningful in the ancient Near East. The hem of the garment was an extension of the wearer’s power, authority, and persona in a variety of contexts, including royal power, divine power, and business transactions. The tassels were there as part of a commandment (Numbers 15:37-41)."

Wayment - pg. 22 Footnote Matthew 9:20

Healing the Woman on the Sabbath - Luke 13:11-17 - 

“In Hebrew, the word Sabbath means “rest.” The purpose of the Sabbath dates back to the Creation of the world, when after six days of labor the Lord rested from the work of creation. When He later revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses, God commanded that we “remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Later, the Sabbath was observed as a reminder of the deliverance of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. Perhaps most important, the Sabbath was given as a perpetual covenant, a constant reminder that the Lord may sanctify His people. 

In addition, we now partake of the sacrament on the Sabbath day in remembrance of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Again, we covenant that we are willing to take upon us His holy name.” 

President Russell M. Nelson

“How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father.12 With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear.” 

President Russell M. Nelson

Q: If the Sabbath is made for man and not man made for the Sabbath, when you plan your Sabbath activities—what are your needs? To restore, give service, what? The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath. What is our purpose on the Sabbath? Some built-in activities, some we can create. How do we find the balance between our needs and the needs of others?