Question
Gramps,
I’ve been researching better ways to explain Matthew 26:39 for a talk.
Vickie
Answer
Dear Vickie
Without something to compare it to, I can’t know what a “better” way might be, but I can give some thoughts on preparing talks that I hope will be helpful. I’ll use this verse to demonstrate some of my suggestions.
Teach the Doctrine
To you and everyone, I wish to emphasize that seeking for some new or different thing to teach can easily become a stumbling block. Acts 17 describes Paul preaching in Athens.
21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
And in 2 Timothy 4:2-4, Paul warns Timothy to stick to the doctrine, and foretells a time when people will have “itching ears” and won’t tolerate the truth. Both of these instances suggest that we need to avoid falling into the trap of always wanting something new or different. We are called on to teach and testify of the pure and simple doctrine of Christ. Please make sure your search for “better ways” doesn’t miss the mark.
Learn the Doctrine
Before we can teach, we need to learn. The more familiar you are with the doctrine and scriptures in question, the better you will be able to teach others, and the more the Spirit will be able to teach you. Your learning can include both study and putting the gospel principle into action. Let’s tackle study first. In addition to reading the verse in question, the following will increase your understanding:
1. Prayer (see the last section of my reply).
2. The surrounding verses or chapters. How much you need to read will depend on the context. In the case of this verse, I would read at least the full chapter. And though this is a scene with which we are all, hopefully, familiar, I would read it carefully again, paying attention to those things which stand out in my mind.
3. With the gospels, there are often multiple accounts of the same event. In this case, Mark 14 and Luke 22 relate the same scene. Study these to see what the different phrasing reveals.
4. The footnotes can give unexpected insight. They aren’t always too obviously related verses. By studying each of these, you expand your understanding of the gospel principle being taught, and sometimes of the story being told. For example, in the three verses (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), the footnotes take us to such things as:
- The Lord’s own first-person account of this event as found in the Doctrine and Covenants
- Hebrews 5, where the verse after the one in the footnote teaches us that Christ learned obedience through suffering (see the next section of my reply for more on this)
- Isaiah, teaching about Christ’s obedience and courage
- Book of Mormon scriptures testifying of Christ’s Atonement (including, again, Christ’s own words)
- The book of Moses teaches that Christ was chosen from the beginning
- And to various subjects in the Topical Guide
All these things can help you to gain a deeper understanding of the topic you’ve been asked to address, and that can lead to a unique approach and to guidance from the Spirit (see the last section of my reply).
5. Latter-day prophets and apostles can give us further insight into specific scripture verses. An excellent tool for this purpose is the Scripture Citation Index. This site (or app, if you prefer) allows you to select a verse or range of verses and see all the General Conference talks, and some historical documents, that have cited that verse or range of verses. It’s an incredibly useful tool. Verse 39 alone has 73 citations. When combined with other verses, there are even more citations! Here are a few of the things I learned while looking through the texts that cited verse 39 alone:
- Most spoke of how we should also choose to submit our wills to the Father
- Spencer W. Kimball, in particular, emphasized Christ’s perfect life and suggested that He loved life and living, and that this was part of what prompted His question of whether the cup could be removed from Him. Honestly, this was a direction I had not previously considered, always having focused instead on the difficulty of the task at hand. (See here.)
- Some linked to Hebrews 2 and 5, talking about how Christ learned and was made perfect through suffering.
- More than one opined that the Savior, knowing the pain that would be involved, simply didn’t want to experience that and therefore asked if there was any other way. And some of these pointed out, that from this, we know that there was in fact, no other way.
- Elder Neal A. Maxwell pointed out that the inclusion of this account makes even more clear to us that nothing “shall separate us from the love of Christ” (Romans 8:35).
- Elder Angel Abrea talked about how this verse teaches us to have patience in affliction.
- Elder Robert D. Hales noted that this account can help us to go forward when faced with an overwhelming assignment or trial, giving us faith to endure.
- And Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught this beautiful lesson:
Will we too trust the Lord amid a perplexing trial for which we have no easy explanation? Do we understand—really comprehend—that Jesus knows and understands when we are stressed and perplexed? The complete consecration which effected the Atonement ensured Jesus’ perfect empathy; He felt our very pains and afflictions before we did and knows how to succor us (see Alma 7:11–12; 2 Nephi 9:21). Since the Most Innocent suffered the most, our own cries of “Why?” cannot match His. But we can utter the same submissive word “nevertheless …” (Matthew. 26:39).
The teachings of prophets and apostles often give us stories, examples, and teachings that lend a different or stronger understanding of the scripture.
Liken the Scriptures to Yourself
When we look for ways to make a scripture more applicable in our own lives, it can take on greater significance and meaning for us personally. There are many ways to do this. One is by trying to put yourself into the shoes of the various characters in the story (if any), or to insert yourself into the story. What might be happening in the missing parts of the story? What would you think if you were there? How would you feel? What would you do differently because of it? As you ponder in this manner, what stands out, or what understanding deepens?
Another way is to abstract the teaching or story into principles that you can use to guide your actions. This usually involves taking the specific events of a story, and extracting principles or types of behavior from them. Three of the citations I found did exactly this:
1. President Harold B. Lee spoke of pleading with God, his prayer for an alternative outcome not being answered, and learning from suffering.
2. Elder Robert D. Hales talked about Christ’s disciples sleeping through this event, and asked us to consider whether we are sleeping when someone needs us. He spoke of how, though God didn’t take away the cup, He did send help in the form of an angel. In like manner, though we may have trials that send us to our knees, the Father will help us, even if not by removing the trial.
3. And finally, Elder Ronald E. Poelman of the First Quorum of the Seventy, gave a simple abstraction into principles we can use when facing trials:
Should we therefore desire or seek to experience adversity and suffering? No! May we appropriately try to avoid it? Yes! Is it proper to ask for relief? Yes, always adding, in accordance with the Savior’s example, “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
I hope these examples help you to extract principles and patterns from the scriptures to apply in your life, whether for talks, or for living the gospel. When we choose to live by the principles taught in scripture, we learn of their truthfulness first hand (John 7:17).
Seek the Spirit
Perhaps the most important thing you can do when preparing a talk is to seek the Spirit. Do whatever you must to obtain the guidance of and enlightenment from the Holy Ghost. I cannot know what your ward or stake members need to hear. The Holy Ghost does know. I cannot know the best approach or format for delivering your talk such that your listeners will feel the Spirit and be moved to change. The Holy Ghost does know. All of the above will help you to receive the guidance you need, but remember that this guidance is the most important part in preparing and delivering your talk.
I wish you all the best in your talk, Vickie!
Gramps
