Jesus Christ, King

I loved studying this title of Christ this week leading up to Palm Sunday!

“Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38)

When Christ entered Jerusalem that day, there must have been something powerful that moved people to line his path with palm branches and cry "Hosanna!" (which, in Hebrew means "save now"). He came sitting on the back of a donkey, one of the humblest forms of transportation. Surely no previous King had done the same but his kingdom was not of this world and neither was his mission. I love Christ's example of being a leader who exemplified meekness. “Meekness toward God... stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all.” Christ must have had overwhelming trust in his Father as he entered the city where he would soon suffer and die for all mankind. 

This week we visited the city of Capernaum in Galilee, where Christ performed many of his miracles. While sitting there at Christ's "hometown" we talked about what his reality would have looked like. Christ was born to a poor, lower class family who lived in a city with no public or private latrines (you can only imagine), no personal hygiene, where people lived as fishermen and carpenters and farmers. When he preached to the poor, the hungry, and the thirsty, he did so as one of them.

What would those people have thought when he preached of the "kingdom" of God? They definitely had never seen a kingdom in their time. But this wasn't a kingdom of wealth or power, it was a spiritual one. I felt strongly in Capernaum, as I do now that Christ is the Head of the greatest kingdom on earth and in heaven. It is the one that will lead us to eternal safety and peace.

Some of the first New Testament characters who knew Jesus Christ as their King were the wise men. In Matthew 2:2 we hear their voices: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” I pondered what “worship” would have meant to the wise men; what were they seeking to do to honor the baby Jesus when they found him? An outline of biblical usage of the term states that “worship” in the New Testament means "kneeling or prostration to do homage to one or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication". This type of homage is shown to men and beings of superior rank. This description created a new image in my head; these experienced and prominent men were seeking the baby Jesus so that they could kneel, prostrate themselves, before their Master in token of deep reverence and respect. Christ was a child, yet they must have felt his spiritual, divine identity as they searched for, found, and worshipped him.

Like the wise men, I rejoice knowing that Jesus Christ is my King. 

He was a real, dynamic person born in humble circumstances and he did what no other leader could do: he offered a sinless sacrifice for man. His is the most important kingdom I will ever be a part of.

The Red Sea, Bethlehem, & Jewish Quarter

It's 12:15am on Monday morning. I haven't started packing for Galilee. We leave in a few hours... 

So here are the highlights of this week super-speed:

- Went snorkeling in the Red Sea and touched jellyfish!

- Sat in a shepherd's field near Bethlehem and sang Christmas songs

- Touched the spot where traditionally they believe Christ was born

- Bought the cutest baby blanket made by a Bethlehem branch member for my future babies!

- Worked on my farmer's tan during field trips

- Tasted my first burger in Israel complete w/ goat cheese & pesto - 10/10 would recommend.

- Listened to a mass in SPANISH at the Church of All Nations! 

- Witnessed my first Jewish Bar Mitzvah

- Sang the most beautiful piece in church "Each Cooing Dove" with choir

- Almost pulled an all-nighter the night before our ANE midterm

- Studied scriptures on the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane

- Spent 4 hours in the Israel Museum knocking out 240 items on our list

- Didn't eat gelato once (a travesty, really)

- & fell in love all over again with this beautiful place!

I'll never forget what I felt at the "Catholic Shepherd's Field" outside of Bethlehem. Inside a small, beautiful domed church we sang "Joy to the World" with other Christian pilgrims. I felt so much joy and peace as we sang together. 

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE.

Museum fatigue pictured above. 

I am terrified by how fast time is flying here... absolutely terrified. So for now, I'm trying to soak up every moment.

Galilee, we're comin' for ya! 

Jesus Christ, Son of God

I am so excited about my New Testament project! 

For Dr. Hilton's class, we get to pick a project of our own creation that we work on for 6-7 weeks. The only criteria is that it should deepen our understanding and testimony of the New Testament and be something we can keep / share. 

For a long time I have been wanting to take on President Nelson's challenge to study the titles of Jesus Christ from the Topical Guide, so that's what I'm doing for my project! (with a twist)

I'm picking 7 titles to study, one for each week with focus on the New Testament references. As I go, I'm going to write about the perspectives of characters from the New Testament with this question: 

Who was Jesus Christ to them?

He is the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, our Mediator and Advocate -- so in what way did he play those roles in the lives of the people he interacted with? 

At the end I'm going to wrap everything up by writing about who Jesus Christ is to me. 

President Nelson, after doing the challenge, declared to his wife: "I am a new man." 

I hope that by the end of these 7 weeks, I will be able to say the same -- that I have gotten to know my Savior a little better and been changed because of it. 

I also hope that by following the counsel of a prophet, seer, and revelator I will deepen my testimony of President Nelson's divine calling (and get even more excited for him to come to the Jerusalem Center next month!!)

So here is my first study: Jesus Christ, Son of God

Matt. 3:17 "And lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

This phrase is used several times when Heavenly Father addresses Christ in front of others: my beloved Son. It was declared from the heavens at the site of Christ's baptism when "[many] were baptized of him in Jordan..." (Matt. 3:6) It was said when God and Jesus Christ appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith. It was recorded when Christ appeared to the Nephites in the Americas. I think there is something that Heavenly Father wants us to know through those words. Christ is God's beloved Son and God is his Father. Beloved means: dear, esteemed, and loved. God truly loves his son and wants us to hear him and follow him. They are like one, unified team who support and advocate for one another. There is something beautiful to be learned in that family relationship.

"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest...Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?... The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1: 32-35)

To my knowledge, Christ is never referred to as "Mary's son" in the scriptures. And when addressing Mary, the angel did not refer to him as "your son" -- because he wasn't. She was told the humbling news that she would bring forth the Son of God. I can't imagine the prospect of bearing and raising a baby who is not truly "mine". He was the Son of divinity, something far greater than she could comprehend. When at one time she would be protecting and nurturing him, he would one day become her and all mankind's ultimate protector and Savior. 

Matt. 16:15-17 "But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.... Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." 

I love listening to Peter's bold and simple testimony -- "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God". One of my past religion professors, Terry Ball, shared an amazing insight on this passage: "Accompanying Christ through His mortal ministry, Peter’s testimony that Jesus was the Messiah seems to have been acquired through intellectual, practical, and revelatory experiences. That is to say, like us, his testimony seems to be one of the head and the hands and the heart. The Savior may have been employing an instructive play on words by using Peter’s full Aramaic name, Simon Bar-jona, in that appellation. Interestingly, in Hebrew, the word Jonah literally means dove. Thus, in using the name Bar-jona, son of Jonah, or son of the dove, Christ may have been not only speaking of Peter’s biological parentage but also further explaining how Peter had obtained his testimony, how it had been conceived.” 

Christ was many things to Peter -- he was a leader, a teacher, a servant, a friend, and a counselor. But when asked "Whom say ye that I am?" Peter responded with Christ's most important title: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. I hope that my testimony can be that simple and that sure. He is the Son of the living God who knows and loves me.

"And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread" (Matthew 4:3) 

 "He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God" (Matthew 27:43). 

Christ's identity was under attack for all of his ministry. If there is anything Satan wants to take away, it is our understanding of our divine heritage as children of God. I hope that I can share with the same conviction as Christ did, that I am a daughter of God.

On the Sabbath yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the Garden of Gethsemane and read the accounts of the Atonement. Here are a couple things that stood out to me:

Matt. 26:39 "O my Father, if it be possible..." Those were Christ's opening words as he prayed in Gethsemane. And in Mark, a similar phrase: "Abba, Father..." (Mark 14:36). I think there is much that can be learned about prayer from the example of Christ. In his moment of greatest need, he pled with and poured his heart out to his Father, surely a continuation of a pattern of constant communication between them.

Matt. 26:53 "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" I was impressed through his verse of the confidence that Christ had in his Father. He knew that "all things [were] possible unto [him]" (Mark 14:36) but he was also willing to subject himself to his Father's will. Their relationship was one of deep love and trust.

John 20:31 "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." 

So many testimonies have been given of Him, both written and spoken, "that [we] might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God"

I want to add mine -- I know that Jesus Christ is real. I know that he is God's Only Begotten Son. I am grateful that he was willing to subject himself to mortality, death, and the deepest of pain and sorrow so that he may know how to succor me and you.