February 12, 2018
I've been reading in Mark chapter 14. It has really got me thinking of all that the Savior went through in the final 24 hours of His mortal life. I'll begin with the Savior entering the Garden of Gethsemane.
Words cannot explain, and the human mind cannot comprehend completely what happened that awful night.
The account follows:
"32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch."
As He entered the borders of Gethsemane, the reality of it what He had to do must have set in. Verse 33 says he was sore amazed, or astonished. Surely He knew that He was about to endure the greatest suffering of all humanity, but perhaps as he entered the Garden, He realized the full implications of the task ahead of Him. Bear in mind that until that point, the Savior didn't know fully, what it was like to be imperfect. He had seen the trials of imperfect people, but he had never felt the weight and burden of sin and misery personally and intimately. Truly, He had the weight of the world on His shoulders: the salvation of billions and trillions and perhaps endless more of Heavenly Father's children was dependent on the next few hours. Every single soul was hanging in the balance.
As the suffering began, the Savior began to experience every plague, injustice, pain, sorrow and sin of mortality. Think of someone you know that has suffered an extremely traumatic event in their life. They had to endure the pain of the event itself, and the repercussions that come from the emotional scarring over years and years of emotional torment. The Savior felt perfectly and exquisitely what that individual went through, multiplied by the billions of others who had a similar trial in their lives. He knows what it's like to be abused repeatedly. He knows what it's like to have a spouse be unfaithful. He knows what it's like to lose a loved one unexpectedly. He knows what it's like to be every single one of us. He felt it all.
The institute manual has the following commentary for the suffering in Gethsemane:
"While Matthew’s account tells us about some events of Gethsemane, we learn from additional scriptural and prophetic sources more about the meaning of what transpired there. King Benjamin taught that Jesus Christ felt “pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue,” and “anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people” (Mosiah 3:7). Alma recorded that Jesus experienced the pains, afflictions, temptations, sicknesses, and infirmities of His people “that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (see Alma 7:11–12). Alma also stated that “the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance” (Alma 7:13).
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated that in carrying out the Atonement, the Savior faced great challenges: “First, an enormous sense of responsibility, for He realized that except it be done perfectly, not one of His Father’s children could return to Him. They would be forever banished from His presence since there would be no way to repent for broken laws and no unclean thing can exist in the presence of God. His Father’s plan would have failed, and each spirit child would have been under the eternal control and torment of Satan.
“Second, in His absolutely pure mind and heart, He had to personally feel the consequences of all that mankind would ever encounter, even the most depraved, despicable sins.
“Third, He had to endure the vicious attack of Satan’s hordes while physically and emotionally pressed to the limit. Then, for reasons we do not fully know, while at the extremity of His capacity, at the time the Savior most needed succor, His Father allowed Him to shoulder the onerous responsibility with only His own strength and capacity” (“He Lives! All Glory to His Name!” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 76–77).
Elder Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of the Seventy described some of what Jesus endured in Gethsemane and later on the cross in order to free all mankind from the evil one: “With merciless fury Satan’s forces must have attacked the Savior on all fronts. … The Savior pressed forward in bold assault until every prisoner was freed from the tenacious tentacles of the Evil One. This was a rescue mission of infinite implications. Every muscle of the Savior, every virtue, every spiritual reservoir that could be called upon would be summoned in the struggle. No doubt there was an exhaustion of all energies, a straining of all faculties, an exercise of all powers. Only then, when seemingly all had been spent, would the forces of evil abandon their posts and retreat in horrible defeat. … The Great Deliverer has rescued us--saved the day, saved eternity. But, oh, what a battle! What wounds! What love! What cost!” (The Infinite Atonement [2000], 130–31).
We of course know from the account in Luke chapter 22 that the Savior bled from every pore, so much was His suffering. The institute manual offers the following insight:
"Luke was the only Gospel writer to record the important detail that the Savior’s suffering included “great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44). The Savior’s unparalleled suffering--the extreme pressure caused by taking upon Himself the infinite sin, sorrow, and guilt of all mankind--caused a physical condition in his body known as hematidrosis. This condition leads to the rupture of capillaries just under the surface of the skin, causing the skin to exude a bloody sweat. Any other person would have died before this condition reached the point of bleeding from every pore, but the Savior was the Son of God and so was able to endure this great agony for us."
And just after experiencing every last bitter dreg of hell in Gethsemane, the torment isn't over; Christ is betrayed by one of His apostles, into the hands of sinners. His disciples run off, fearing for their own lives. Only Peter remains, following the mob from a distance.
The account in Mark 14 is essentially the same as those found in Matthew 26, Luke 22, and John 18, but the main difference is that Mark has the longest account of the Savior's trial before the high priest, Caiaphas. Caiaphas asks Jesus if He is the Christ, and He responds by saying: "I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Ironically, Jesus was saying that He in end, sitting on the right hand of power, would be judging Caiaphas just as he was judging Him then.
Caiaphas wasn't having it, he declared the response blasphemy and sentenced him worthy to death. Jesus's words would have only been blasphemy if they were not true. Then those present began to spit on Him and to beat Him.
"The Son of God would have been in terrible physical condition as He stood trial before Jewish leaders. During the hours prior to His interrogation, Jesus had experienced the agony of Gethsemane. He had been back and forth across the Kidron Valley. He would have also been experiencing the effects of blood loss and likely the effects of chills from the night air upon His weakened body. He had also likely not slept in many hours. It was in this weakened physical condition that He faced additional abuse at the hands of His accusers. Nephi prophesied that “because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men,” the Savior would willingly suffer the indignities and abuses heaped upon Him (1 Nephi 19:9).
The Jewish leaders spit in Jesus Christ’s face, buffeted Him, and slapped Him (see Matthew 26:67). They blindfolded Him and mocked Him (see Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63–64). The Apostle Peter later declared, “Christ also suffered for us, … who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not” (1 Peter 2:21, 23).
Elder Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy taught that the Atonement required the Savior to endure the abuses of the Jewish and Roman leaders without sinning: “The cruelties and indignities suffered by Jesus during the various trials represented a last-ditch effort by Lucifer to cause Christ to stumble. A single misstep--a cross word, an angry outburst, even a moment’s indulgence in self-pity or pride--and all was lost. Hence, every possible indignity was heaped upon the Savior: false accusations; blasphemous outbursts; a crown of thorns; the horrible scourging by bone-embedded whips; the mock robe of royalty; the spitting, taunting, and physical blows of the soldiers. The whole pitiable drama was masterminded by Lucifer in the hope that he might yet find a way to nullify the Redeemer’s triumph at Gethsemane” (The King of Kings [2000], 106–7)."
The Jewish leaders then realize that if they were to stone Jesus to death according to the Mosaic law, His followers would start a revolt, so they delivered Him to Pilot, and accused Him of revolting against the Roman power by calling Himself the King of the Jews. Ironically, through his lineage, Jesus would have been the rightful King of Israel.
Meanwhile, Peter remains, watching it all happen.
His most loyal disciple, and likely His closet friend, during the most lonely and horrible day that anyone could ever have, denied that he even knew Him. Three times. I began to cry as I read that. The Spirit really testifies that He really does know what we go through perfectly. He's been there before. He knows there is a balm in Gilead because He is it. He is the source of all healing. Because he suffered everything, and overcame EVERYTHING, He knows how to help us. He is the Son of God. He made possible the Salvation of the living and the dead. He is the Savior of us all. He is perfect. I love Him. I know He lives, and because He lives, we will live again.
I really wanted to share all that because it means everything to me. Sorry I don't have a ton of time to talk about my week, I'll give you the readers digest version.
We moved JWs's baptism to this next Saturday, pray for her, she is super excited! We are also going to start working with her son Kenny.
We are still teaching L&L and they are amazing!
We have been driving all over the place, and we have used up a lot of miles on our car!
Yup, that's pretty much all you need to know!
Love y'all, have a wonderful week!
PS. I found a "mountain" in Arkansas this morning, the pic really doesn't do justice how beautiful this view was, man I love this place
