What Jesus Taught — Text and Context

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In Category - Educational Theory

Authors: Widtsoe, Osborne J. P., 1877-1920 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2017 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Jesus Christ -- Teachings; Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 74,113

Reading time 323 min

Text sections 9

This digital edition of What Jesus Taught — Text and Context is described by source-level measurements including 74,113 words, 5 hr 23 min estimated reading time, and 9 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 17.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Jesus Christ -- Teachings,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #54292

This editorial note examines how Osborne Widtsoe's 1917 Sunday School manual presents Jesus's teachings through lesson-based chapters, each ending with references and questions. The excerpts show a structure that moves from parable explanation to application, using quotes from Paul and modern figures like Matthias Baldwin.

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Jesus said many years later when He had grown to manhood, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me."

What, then, is the will of God? What is His Father's business? Once, many hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God gave to a man named Moses a marvelous revelation. Moses saw how the earth had been formed, and how living things were put upon it. He saw how man was shaped in the image of God and placed upon the earth to have dominion over it. Then God said to Moses, "Behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

{17} This, then, is the Father's business; this is His will. It is exactly what Jesus told Joseph Smith, the great American Prophet, in our own dispensation: "And if you keep my commandments and endure to the end, you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." And it is also exactly what Jesus taught while He dwelt among men. Said He, "And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

[Sidenote: What is eternal life?]

But perhaps it is not quite clear yet what the Father's will is. Perhaps you are asking yourself, What is eternal life? Of course, eternal, or everlasting life, is a condition of being--or of living--in which there is no death. When we gain the gift of eternal life, we shall go on living for ever and ever. Jesus gave once an excellent definition of the conditions of eternal life. He had spent considerable time exhorting His disciples, and instructing them in things that were yet to come. Then He raised his eyes to heaven and prayed; and in the course of that prayer, He said, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

[Sidenote: The special mission of Jesus.]

Now we may begin to understand fully what Jesus thought about His mission on the earth. God did not put men on the earth to destroy them. He put them here to save them, if they would be saved. It is the glory of God to save men, to bring to pass their salvation and everlasting exaltation. This is the Father's business. But to gain the gift of eternal life men must learn to know {18} God. Here then we discover the nature of Jesus's mission. As child and boy and man, Jesus devoted His life to learning to know God and to the teaching of His brethren also to know Him. Through the love and sacrifice of Jesus, we may gain eternal life. In the temple, the boy of twelve was about His Father's business, learning and explaining. As a man, He fulfilled the will of His Father, making it possible for men to know God. In His death. He accomplished the general salvation of mankind, making it possible for them to gain eternal life.

It is small wonder that Napoleon revered the Man who thus unselfishly devoted His life to the good of His fellowmen, and finally laid it down for their salvation. We shall be glad to study the teachings of this Man. But first, we must understand what it means to know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent.

Luke 2:42-52. Moses 1:39.

John 6:38-40. Doc. and Cov. 14:7.

1. What, in your opinion, is the value of Napoleon's testimony of Jesus?

2. What does Napoleon admit in his testimony?

3. What peoples in the world today do not acknowledge Jesus the Christ?

4. Name some points in which the world has been affected by the teachings of Jesus.

5. Outline briefly the story of the life of Jesus.

6. Why should it be more important to know the teachings of Jesus than merely to know the story of His life?

7. What new responsibilities came to Jesus when He reached the age of twelve years?

{19} 8. Why did Jesus remain at the temple in Jerusalem when the feast of the Passover was accomplished?

9. What was the answer that puzzled His mother?

10. Why were men placed upon the earth?

11. What are the conditions of eternal life?

12. In what sense has Jesus always been about His Father's business?

13. What should be our attitude toward the Father's business?

{20} PICTURE: NAZARETH, PASESTINE

WHAT IT MEANS TO KNOW GOD

[Sidenote: Abraham's determination to serve God.]

Continue Reading →

Osborne Widtsoe's What Jesus Taught, written for the Deseret Sunday School Union in 1917, is not a continuous narrative but a series of lessons, each ending with a list of scriptural references and numbered questions. The excerpts reveal a consistent pattern: a chapter opens with a doctrinal claim, illustrates it with a parable or biblical episode, then draws a practical application, often citing Paul or a modern exemplar. For instance, the chapter on riches moves from the rich young ruler to Matthias Baldwin's remark about the disposition to give, then closes with questions like 'What use should be made of riches?' This structure suggests the book was designed for group discussion rather than private study.

Lesson Structure and Pedagogical Intent

The excerpts show that each chapter follows a predictable arc: a heading, a brief exposition, a parable or scriptural story, a moral application, and then a list of references and questions. The chapter 'Succeeding With What One Has' begins with the Rich Man and Lazarus, pivots to the Parable of the Talents, and ends with a reflection on opportunity. The questions are direct and catechetical: 'Why could not the rich young ruler follow Jesus?' and 'What is the root of all evil?' This format indicates the book was intended for adolescent readers in a classroom setting, where the teacher could use the questions to prompt discussion. Widtsoe's voice is plain and declarative, avoiding scholarly debate in favor of clear moral instruction.

Use of Parables and Modern Voices

Widtsoe frequently pairs Jesus's parables with quotations from later figures to reinforce his points. In the riches chapter, he cites Paul's first letter to Timothy ('Charge them that are rich...') and then introduces Matthias Baldwin, a 19th-century locomotive manufacturer, who said, 'I feel more thankful for the disposition to give largely than for the ability to give largely.' This technique bridges the first-century context to the reader's own time, suggesting that Jesus's teachings remain applicable. The parables themselves are retold in plain language, with the Parable of the Talents quoted at length from the King James Version. Widtsoe does not analyze the parables critically but uses them as straightforward moral examples.

Thematic Emphasis on Wealth and Opportunity

Two consecutive chapters in the excerpts address wealth: 'The Right Use of Riches' and 'Succeeding With What One Has.' Widtsoe argues that riches are not inherently damning—'It is not poverty that saves a man, but humility of spirit and obedience.' He counters the notion that heaven is closed to the rich by emphasizing that love of riches, not riches themselves, is the problem. The Parable of the Talents is interpreted as a lesson about using one's opportunities, not just money. The chapter ends with a call to recognize 'opportunities lying unnoticed at your door.' This focus on wealth and stewardship reflects the book's likely audience: young Latter-day Saints being taught to engage with worldly success without losing spiritual focus.

The Foreword as a Reading Lens

Widtsoe's foreword explicitly states the book's purpose: 'to present in popular form the teachings of Jesus' for 'boys and girls of high-school age.' He distinguishes his work from 'exhaustive treatise' or 'profound scholarship,' positioning it as a simple, plain guide. He also notes that it is written from 'the Mormon point of view,' which colors the selection and interpretation of teachings. The foreword warns that 'the world's Christianity is often more largely man-made than Christ-made,' implying that this book aims to strip away later accretions. Readers should expect a devotional rather than critical approach, with each lesson designed to foster love for God and Jesus rather than academic analysis.

As you read What Jesus Taught, pay attention to how Widtsoe selects and frames each parable. The questions at the end of each chapter are not rhetorical; they invite personal reflection or group discussion. Notice also the recurring use of Paul's epistles to reinforce Jesus's words—a technique that reveals Widtsoe's interpretive framework. The book is best approached as a series of standalone lessons rather than a continuous argument, and its value lies in the clarity of its moral applications rather than in theological novelty.

That rainy afternoon, What Jesus Taught kept returning to how ordinary work becomes sacred, how each small act of teaching carries weight. I remember closing it, staring at the window, and thinking about the classroom itself. The thought led me somewhere unexpected—to On the Firing Line in Education — Text and Context, which felt less like a sequel and more like a quiet hand on my shoulder.