Current Lessons
Lesson No. Forty-Eight

The Last Two Sabbaths Before Jesus’ Resurrection

The atonement of Jesus Christ, culminating in His resurrection, is the most important event in time and eternity – The First Presidency has asked members of the Church to do more to understand and celebrate the Lord’s resurrection and the days leading up to it.

Holy Week and the Sabbath – The Christian world celebrates the Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. In the Old Testament and at the time of Jesus, Saturday, the seventh day of the week, was the Sabbath. Because Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, the first day of the week, most Christians today recognize Sunday as the Sabbath. Because of latter day revelation members of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ know more about Holy Week and its purposes than anyone else. We also have marvelous and unique insights about the last two Sabbaths before Jesus’ resurrection.

The last Sabbath of Jesus’ mortal life took place in Bethany, about three miles from Jerusalem – This village was a special place in Jesus’ mortal life. It was the home of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. Bethany was where Jesus spent most of the nights during Holy Week. Many scholars believe Jesus spent Wednesday of Holy Week in Bethany.

During His last Sabbath in mortality Jesus was anointed King – Elder Bruce R. McConkie reminds us that Samuel poured oil on the heads of both Saul and David and anointed them kings. Elder McConkie continued: “So Mary of Bethany….as guided by the Spirit, poured costly spikenard from her alabaster box on the head of Jesus, and also anointed his feet, so that, the next day, the ten thousands of Israel might proclaim him King and shout Hosanna to his name. Jesus thus anointed and acclaimed, headed a triumphal procession into the Holy City” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah 3:327).

A holy anointing – Elder McConkie wrote about “the holy anointing” and “sacred ordinance” that took place on the Lord’s last Sabbath in mortality: “Jesus chose to spend a quiet Sabbath, his last on earth, in his beloved Bethany. There in the home of Simon the leper, enjoying sociality with Mary and Martha and Lazarus and those of his intimate circle, he will receive the holy anointing preparatory to his kingly burial….” (Ibid 3:333-339).

A sacred ordinance – Elder McConkie wrote of “the sacred ordinance” Jesus received: “But before recounting the circumstances surrounding the sacred ordinance, which will transpire in this Judean village of blessed memory…we must note the intimate and felicitous friendships that prevailed between Jesus and the beloved sisters and their brother Lazarus. We have reason to believe this relationship was like none other enjoyed by him who came to do all things well and gain all the experiences of mortality. All scripturalists and authors of insight and renown are aware of the unique and unusual familial scenes portrayed by the Gospel authors with reference to the various happening in this peaceful village….

“Emotions ran high this memorable evening in Bethany….And in the souls of none did the fires of love, and devotion, and worship, burn more brightly than in the soul of the beloved Mary….Mary now sought some means of expressing her love and worship of the Master before he went to his death. She took from her treasures an alabaster box containing a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and poured it on his head, and anointed his feet, and wiped them with her hair….” (Ibid).

“To understand this solemn scene one must both know and feel the religious significance of Mary’s act” (Ibid). Jesus said the temple in Jerusalem was no longer His house or the house of His Father because it had been desecrated. Now, speaking to the Jewish leaders He said, “your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:37).

The house in Bethany where this sacred ordinance and holy anointing was performed could well be considered a temple, the only real temple then in the Holy Land. The Mortal Messiah was in the house, and we “feel the religious significance of Mary’s act” where she with a holy anointing and a sacred ordinance anointed the head and feet of Jesus. We rejoice to know that holy anointings performed by sacred ordinances are an important part of latter-day temple worship.

On the Sabbath, the day prior to His resurrection, Jesus ministered in the spirit world – This doctrine is unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: “When Jesus died – that very moment – his mortal ministry ended and his ministry among the spirits in prison began. Then it was, according to the Messianic word, that he began to ‘proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound’ (Isaiah 61:1)….He went and preached unto the spirits in prison’ (1 Peter 3:20)” (Ibid 4:241).

President Joseph F. Smith was given a marvelous vision of our Lord’s ministry in the spirit world: “The eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both small and great. And there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality….I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand. They were assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their redemption from the bands of death” (D&C 138:12-16).

Power to come forth in the resurrection – President Smith continued to describe his vision of the righteous dead who were in the spirit world who, after Jesus’ resurrection, would themselves be resurrected: “These the Lord taught, and gave them power to come forth, after his resurrection from the dead, to enter into his Father’s kingdom, there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life” (D&C 138:51, emphasis added). Those who are familiar with the sealing ordinances in latter-day temples will recognize that the Lord has, in His great mercy, provided that this same power be used to bless the lives of His people in our day.

Testimony – Participating in husband and wife temple sealings is a marvelous reminder that the blessings of the resurrection and the power to come forth in the resurrection is available to all who desire it. This is all made possible by the infinite and eternal sacrifice, and by the resurrection of the Son of God which we celebrate at Easter!

Released on April 19th. 2025.