I had a number of tasks to do concerning the Atonement, and the results are as follows:
A list of words that describe the Savior’s suffering:
Sorrowful, heavy, exceeding sorrowful—even unto death,
distressed, troubled, deeply grieved, agony, blood, sweat
Additional insights about the Savior’s suffering from
additional resources:
He suffered temptations, pain of body, hunger, thirst, and
fatigue. His suffering was more than man can suffer unless man suffers so much
that he dies. He had so much anguish for the wickedness and abominations of his
people that blood came from every pore. He suffered pains and afflictions and
temptations of every kind. It was prophesied that would take upon him the pains
and sicknesses of his people. He took upon himself death. He took upon himself
our infirmities. He did this so that his bowels could be filled with mercy
according to the flesh and so that he could know how to succor his people
according to their infirmities. The Spirit knows all things, so he could have
known what he needed to do by the spirit, but he suffered to blot out our
transgressions. He suffered what he did for everyone, bearing the sins of all
men. Christ’s suffering caused him to tremble because of pain and bleed at
every pore and wish that he would not suffer it. If we do not repent, we must
suffer even as Christ suffered. The Savior was alone in his suffering, the
Father having withdrawn the support of his immediate presence. The Savior said,
“It is finished,” knowing his atoning sacrifice had been accepted by the
Father. The Savior provides an example for us because even when his agony
increased, he prayed with increased faith. “Though he were a Son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he suffered.” The weight of the Atonement was
the weight and agony of ages and generations. He suffered the consequences of
an eternal law of God broken by men. His pain was in submission to “the
requirements of an inexorable law. Powers of darkness were let loosed upon him
during the course of his Atonement. We cannot understand the intensity or the
cause of the pain Christ felt (in other words, we don’t know where that pain
came from or how it meant that we could be conditionally freed from the
consequences of sin). He felt physical pain and mental anguish as well as “a
spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing.” Christ
met and overcame all the horrors that Satan could inflict.
On the name “Gethsemane”:
Gethsemane means, “oil press.” This has evident symbolic
significance—Christ’s pain and agony are also described as a weight. Weight is,
of course, used to press and flatten and grind things. If the purpose of a
press is to extract oil, it crushes something like an olive and collects the
liquid that comes from it. Christ’s agony was such that he bled at every pore.
So one could say that he was pressed upon with a great weight, and that that
weight was so great that it pushed his blood out of him. The idea of being
crushed by a gigantic rock lends understanding to what Christ might have felt
in those moments. Perhaps he felt trapped or alone or in despair or in such
pain that death would be mercy. Perhaps he felt all of those things. That is a
possible interpretation of the metaphorical significance of the name,
“Gethsemane.”
Answer the following questions:
What were the Savior’s disciples doing while
He was praying?
At first, they were probably watching, as he
had told them, but by the time he had returned, they were sleeping.
What had the Lord taught the Apostles in
Matthew 26:41?
Two things: that watching and praying can keep
one from entering into temptation and that there can be a difference between
physical ability and willingness to do something.
What does His example teach about how to be
obedient even when “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak?”
Well, he obeyed the Father, even when he asked
him to take the cup of the Atonement away from him. So he showed us that even
if we do want something, in the end we must display obedience and submit to the
will of the Father, understanding that he understands the significance of our
actions better than we do.
How does Doctrine and Covenants 10:5 apply to
this verse?
It teaches that continual prayer can lead to
our conquering over Satan and escaping the hands of his servants. So it sort of
teaches the same thing that the verse in Matthew does.
Read Mosiah 15:7; 3 Nephi 11:11; Doctrine and
Covenants 19:19. Write the phrases from these verses that describe what
motivated the Savior to “drink the bitter cup.”
He wanted to follow the will of the Father and
to give glory to the Father.
Write your thoughts about the Savior’s use of
the word nevertheless in Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42.
He expresses his own will, but then allows his
will to be negated and submits to the will of his Father, basically saying,
“This is what I want, but I will do what you ask me to.”
In each of these accounts, what did the Savior
initially ask for?
That the cup be removed from him—in other
words, that he not have to perform the Atonement.
What did He say next, using the word nevertheless?
“Not as I will, but as thou wilt,” or by other
accounts, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”
What does it require to submit one’s will to
the Father in this way, no matter how painful or difficult the outcome might
be?
I think it requires an understanding that the
Father knows everything (far, far, far more than we do), loves us perfectly,
and wants the best for us. If you know those three things for sure, and you are
keeping them in mind when you are being given direction by the Spirit, then it
will not make sense for you to do anything but follow its directions—those
directions will lead you to happiness and satisfaction. That being said, when
you’re faced with something very difficult and frightening, it’s hard to summon
the willingness to obey.
When have you followed the “nevertheless”
pattern the Savior exemplified in these verses by submitting to Heavenly
Father’s will even though it was very difficult?
I think there have been little moments in my
life where I’ve felt like I wanted to one thing, but knew it was the right thing
to do something else. I don’t know that I’ve had to do anything huge yet.
According to Luke 22:44, as the Savior’s agony
became more intense, how did His prayer change?
He prayed more earnestly.
Do you feel more like praying or less like
praying when you are suffering?
I think it depends on the suffering. If I’ve
caused myself a small amount of physical pain, I don’t pray about it. I just
kind of deal with it. But maybe I should pray about it. Anyway, if I’m feeling
spiritual or mental hurt or extreme physical pain, I think that’s when I start
turning toward prayer. But if mental pain is mingled with anger at the Lord,
then I think I’m less likely to pray.
When has it made a difference in your
suffering to have turned to the Lord with
more earnest prayer?
I remember one point in my life where I was in
a little jam and not feeling very well and I pleaded in prayer to be let out of
it, and I was. I’d prefer not to go into details, because I feel like it’s
nothing huge and I might get sort of ridiculed, but my prayer was answered.
Reflect on what you have learned about the
Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane. Write a paragraph about lessons you can apply
to your own life from the example of the Savior in Gethsemane.
I think that I can learn to rely more upon the Atonement and
remember that someone else has suffered the very hardest things that I have
suffered and ask him for help with that pain. Because the Savior suffered for
everyone. I can also be inclusive to people, remembering that there is room for
every person in the Atonement. I think another thing I can do is consider that
the Savior was willing to do the hardest thing anyone has ever done because he
trusted in the Father’s will, and I can try to receive that trust—I can pray
for it and ask that it be given me, and I can try to obtain it myself.
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