An Education Week class Tuesday had a chance to learn more about the academic side of Christ’s final days from Eric D. Huntsman, in the Benson Building.
“We talk about what Jesus did with our kids, but we always stress that he is coming back,” Huntsman said. “When he comes back, we want to run out and shout hosanna.”
Huntsman divided the lecture into four parts: 1) Jesus as King, 2) Jesus as Priest, 3) Jesus as the Lamb of God, and 4) Jesus as Lord.
[/media-credit]
“Jesus is the legal son of David,” Huntsman said. “Although we see obvious failings—adultery, murder, it was important to the Jews because he was the ideal king because he never turned from Jewish law, and he was successful militarily.”
He also talked about how symbolic Christ’s riding in on a donkey during the Triumphal Entry was for the people.
“A donkey is the symbol of humbleness and lowliness,” Huntsman said. “This is why Christ came in on a donkey. The Roman garrison that was there was pumped up for the festival and saw him come in on the donkey and thought, ‘Yeah, whatever’ because power was symbolized by riding in on chariots or stallions.”
Because the temple was primarily a symbol of Christ’s resurrection, according to Huntsman, that’s why Christ became angry with the moneychangers.
“As the rightful king, He is going to establish things as they are meant to be,” Huntsman said.
Huntsman focused on the varying methods of writing from the Four Gospels in the New Testament. He said his daughter knows Jesus as He was described in Luke, loving and caring, but he said there was another side to Christ as well.
“Gospel of Luke gives you the primary Jesus — Jesus loves you,” Huntsman said. “In Mark, I like to call Jesus the John Wayne Jesus. He still loves people and cares for the sick, but He’s tough and powerful.”
Sandy Vernon from Highland said she always enjoys coming to Education Week and thought the class was a good reminder of priorities in life.
“Amongst all of the history of the last week of the Savior’s life, the thing that stood out to me was that the things that are important, we talk about,” Vernon said. “I don’t think we spend enough time talking about the Savior in our daily lives.”
She really appreciated Huntsman’s application of the parable of the 10 virgins.
“He compared the oil to our love and faithfulness of Christ,” Vernon said. “At the beginning of the week, everyone was shouting Hosanna, but where were they at the end of the week? We need to make sure we maintain our faithfulness to Him.”
Huntsman said the parable was not just a great lesson on preparation, but it is also symbolic of the Second Coming. He paraphrased Elder Dallin H. Oaks and said the people invited to the wedding were members of the Church, so that means it wasn’t 50 percent of the world that wasn’t ready. It was 50 percent of the Church.
“This is preparing us for the atoning sacrifice of Christ at the end of the week,” Huntsman said. “If we claim Jesus as our king, as we did when we made baptismal covenants, if we let our loyalty grow tepid, we will be like the unwise virgins.”
