And It Was Night, by Benjamin McPherson

June 10–16

Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 18

“Not as I Will, but as Thou Wilt”

Read Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; and John 18, and ponder the thoughts and impressions that come to your mind. What messages do your class members need to learn?

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Invite class members to share something they learned this week that helped them find more meaning in the sacrament. What did they do and how did it affect their experience partaking of the sacrament?

Teach the Doctrine

Matthew 26:26–29; Luke 22:19–20

The sacrament is an opportunity to always remember the Savior.

• Why did the Savior institute the sacrament? Why do we partake of the sacrament weekly? What possible answers can class members find in Matthew 26:26–29; Luke 22:7–20; Doctrine and Covenants 20:75–79; and True to the Faith, 147–49? For example, True to the Faith teaches that the sacrament commemorates Christ’s sacrifice, which fulfilled the law of Moses. You may also want to read the sacrament prayers as a class and ask class members to identify the covenants we make as part of the ordinance. How could we help someone else understand what these commitments mean? How should our participation in the sacrament affect the choices we make throughout the week?

  

  When we partake of the sacrament, we renew our covenants.

• Class members would likely benefit from hearing each other’s ideas about how to remember the Savior during the sacrament and throughout the week (see D&C 6:36–37). Perhaps you could invite them to share what helps them and their families remember the Savior and keep their covenants. What verses from this week’s reading deepen our reverence for the sacrament? For other thoughts about how to remember the Savior, see Gerrit W. Gong, “Always Remember Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 108–11.

• This discussion could be a good opportunity to explore with class members the symbolism of the sacrament. How do these symbols help us focus on the Savior during the ordinance? What do these symbols teach us about Him and our relationship with Him?

• At the end of your discussion about the sacrament, you might give class members a few moments to ponder and write down what they feel inspired to do to prepare for the sacrament next week. To add to the spirit of this experience, consider playing a sacrament hymn while class members are pondering.

Matthew 26:36–46

We become more Christlike when we choose to submit our will to the Father’s.

• The Savior’s example of submitting to the Father’s will can help your class members when they need to do the same. To start a discussion, you could invite each class member to share a time when they submitted themselves to something they knew God wanted them to do. What motivated them to do those things? Invite the class to read Matthew 26:36–42 and ponder why the Savior was willing to submit His will to His Father’s. How can submitting our will to God ultimately bless us?

• To explore the principle of submitting to God, you could ask half the class to read Mosiah 3:19 and the other half to read 3 Nephi 9:20. What do these verses teach about what it means to be submissive to God? How do we submit? Class members could ponder how they can submit their wills to God in the upcoming week. The statement from Elder Neal A. Maxwell in “Additional Resources” might also add to your discussion.

Matthew 26:20–22, 31–35

We must examine our own lives to determine how the Lord’s words apply to us.

• We hear many gospel lessons in our lives, but sometimes it’s tempting to assume those lessons apply mostly to other people. A discussion about Matthew 26 can help us overcome this tendency. To start this conversation, you could divide the class into pairs and ask one person in each pair to read Matthew 26:20–22 while the other reads verses 31–35. Invite them to contrast the disciples’ responses in these two accounts. What lessons can we learn from how the disciples applied the Savior’s words to themselves? To learn more, see President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s reference to Matthew 26:21–22 in his message “Lord, Is It I?” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 56–59).

Matthew 26:36–46

Jesus Christ performed an infinite Atonement for us.

• Consider inviting class members to share insights they found about the Atonement of Jesus Christ in their personal or family study.

• Matthew 26 describes what happened in Gethsemane, but do your class members understand its significance in their lives? To help them, maybe you could write on the board questions like What happened in Gethsemane? and Why is it important to me? Class members could work individually or in small groups to find answers in Matthew 26:36–46; Alma 7:11–13; and Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19. They could also find answers in Elder C. Scott Grow’s message “The Miracle of the Atonement” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 108–10).

• In the Book of Mormon, Jacob calls the Atonement of Jesus Christ “an infinite atonement” (2 Nephi 9:7). To help class members understand what this means, you could share President Russell M. Nelson’s teachings in “Additional Resources” and ask class members to list the ways that the influence of the Savior’s sacrifice could be considered infinite. They could also read the following scriptures and add to their list: Hebrews 10:10; Alma 34:10–14; Doctrine and Covenants 76:24; and Moses 1:33. How can we show our appreciation for what the Savior has done for us?

Encourage Learning at Home

To inspire class members to continue reading, you could ask them if they know what seven things Jesus said while He was on the cross. Tell them that they will find out what the Savior said by reading Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; and John 19.

Additional Resources

Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 18

Bible videos (LDS.org).

“The Last Supper,” “The Savior Suffers in Gethsemane”

Submitting our will to the Father.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught: “As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give. Don’t wait too long to find the altar or to begin to place the gift of your wills upon it!” (“Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 46).

The infinite Atonement.

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

“[Jesus Christ’s] Atonement is infinite—without an end. It was also infinite in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope—it was to be done once for all. And the mercy of the Atonement extends not only to an infinite number of people, but also to an infinite number of worlds created by Him. It was infinite beyond any human scale of measurement or mortal comprehension.

“Jesus was the only one who could offer such an infinite atonement, since He was born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father. Because of that unique birthright, Jesus was an infinite Being” (“The Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 35).

President Heber J. Grant taught: “Not only did Jesus come as a universal gift, He came as an individual offering. … For each one of us He died on Calvary and His blood will conditionally save us. Not as nations, communities or groups, but as individuals” (“A Marvelous Growth,” Juvenile Instructor, Dec. 1929, 697).

Improving Our Teaching

Look through God’s eyes. Strive to see your class members as God sees them, and the Spirit will show you their divine worth and potential. As you do this, you will be guided in your efforts to help them (see Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 6).