Gethsemane

“No doctrine in the gospel is more important than the Atonement of Jesus Christ. If the gospel were compared to a wheel, the Atonement would be the hub and all other doctrines would be the spokes emanating from the hub. As the Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 121).

Why He Suffered What He Suffered 1 Peter 3:18 John 15:13 1 Nephi 19:9 D&C 19:15-19 2 Nephi 9:21 Mosiah 3:7 Alma 7:11 Luke 22:39-44

Elder Tad Callister - The Infinite Atonement, Chapter 13 “The totality of human suffering and anxiety could be categorized as follows: First, suffering caused by sin; Second, suffering from innocent transgression; Third, suffering related to infirmities that have nothing to do with sin or transgression; Fourth, suffering because of temptations; Fifth, suffering or anxiety necessitated by the exercise of faith.” Elder Tad Callister - The Infinite Atonement, Chapter 13

Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “‘In Gethsemane, the suffering Jesus began to be “sore amazed” (Mark 14:33), or, in the Greek, “awestruck” and “astonished.” Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and other worlds, “astonished”! … He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fulness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined!  The cumulative weight of all mortal sins—past, present, and future—pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement.” (See Alma 7:11–12; Isa. 53:3–5; Matt. 8:17.)’ (‘Willing to Submit,’ Ensign, May 1985, 72–73)” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 130).

How have you taught Atonement to others?

Isaiah 53:10-12 “It pleased the Lord to bruise him. When he shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed…For he shall bear their iniquities….He bare the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” I recently read a story about a man in Europe who owned a Rolls-Royce. Much to his surprise, his very expensive vehicle broke down and he needed a repairman. He called the company and they sent a repairman out from England on an airplane the next day to make the repair. After the mechanic was done, the vehicle work flawlessly once again. About a month went by in this man never saw a bill from the company. He decide to call Rolls-Royce and ask them if there had been a mistake and billing or may be a miscommunication about the address. The technician looked up the record on his vehicle and found no comments and no mention of repair. It was as if the vehicle never had a problem. I learned something about the Rolls-Royce company. Wanting to maintain a flawless record and superior performance, they will often make repairs to their vehicles without charging their clients. They want the reputation to surpass the customer’s expectations and will go to almost any cost to ensure that. It is a read that story, I thought about the final judgment. As we exercise our faith in Jesus Christ and become perfected in him, the judgment bar of God might work the same way. Yes, we’ve incurred some troubles during mortality and experiencing breakdowns, but our heavenly father sent his son Jesus Christ – the ultimate repair man – to help fix us. In the end, as he opens up the book of life, because of our faith in our Savior and his atonement, those wrongs will simply not be there.  His warranties are out of this world! He wants us to know that his son and his reputation have no boundaries.

“For many years I thought of the Savior’s experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of prophets, however, my view has changed. The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us individually… “Moses was shown all the inhabitants of the earth(Moses 1:28). If Moses beheld every soul, then it seems reasonable that the Creator of the universe has the power to become intimately acquainted with each of us. He learned about your weaknesses and mine. He experienced your pains and sufferings. He experienced mine. I testify that He knows us. He understands the way in which we deal with temptations. He knows our weaknesses. But more than just knowing us, He knows how to help us if we come to Him in faith.” Merrill J. Bateman, “A Pattern for All”, Ensign, October 2005 The Atonement

He knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer--how it was for your mother, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student body election. He knows that moment when the brakes locked and the car started to skid. He experienced the slave ship sailing from Ghana toward Virginia. He experienced the gas chambers at Dachau. He experienced napalm in Vietnam.

He knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer--how it was for your mother, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student body election. He knows that moment when the brakes locked and the car started to skid. He experienced the slave ship sailing from Ghana toward Virginia. He experienced the gas chambers at Dachau. He experienced napalm in Vietnam. It's our faith that he experienced everything--absolutely everything. Sometimes we don't think through the implications of that belief. We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don't experience pain in generalities. We experience it individually.

He understands your mother-pain when your five- year-old leaves for kindergarten, when a bully picks on your fifth-grader, when your daughter calls to say that the new baby has Down syndrome. He knows your mother-rage when a trusted babysitter sexually abuses your two-year-old, when someone gives your thirteen-year-old drugs, when someone seduces your seventeen-year-old. He knows all that. He's been there. He's been lower than all that.

He's not waiting for us to be perfect He's not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don't need a Savior. He came to save his people in their imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. We know that this world is a dark place sometimes, but we need not walk in darkness. (Chieko N. Okazaki, Lighten Up, p. 174)

The Symbolism of Olive Trees What does Gethsemane mean? Crushing Stone In ancient Israel, olive processing began with first crushing olives in an olive crusher. This is an authentic olive crusher at BYU's Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies.

The Symbolism of Olive Trees This is a Gethsemane An olive mill and an olive press dating from Roman times in Capernaum, Israel.

The Symbolism of Olive Trees A Screw Press A few hundred years after the time of Christ, the screw press was invented. The press beam required a large space to locate it in. A screw press could be located in a smaller confine. This screw press is located in ancient Jewish village of Qatzrin in Galilee.

The Jerusalem Center's Screw Press

The Symbolism of Olive Trees The mash sacks are placed under the screw.

The Symbolism of Olive Trees Oil oozes down into the collecting trays. Note in this picture and the next the color of the olive oil is brownish-red nearly resembling blood.

The Symbolism of Olive Trees Listen to the song, Gethsemane. GETHSEMANE children’s song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uSGSvKy6Io

The Symbolism of Olive Trees Listen to the song, Gethsemane.

David and Abigail 1 Samuel 25 1 Samuel 25 V 10-14 Cross-reference Eph 4:26, 1 Thes 5:15, 1 Peter 5:7 V 23-25,28 V 32-33 Who could Nabal or David symbolize? Who could the ‘one young man’ (vs 14) symbolize? Who might Abigail symbolize? (see D&C 45:3-5) 1 Samuel 25

Did the Savior ever offer any ‘average’ prayers? (Luke 22:44) The Atonement Who helped the Savior? Did the Savior ever offer any ‘average’ prayers? (Luke 22:44)

What parts of the Gethsemane story resonate most with you?

The Atonement helps in 4 ways: 1. Resurrection 2. Forgiveness (Justification) 3. Cleansing (Sanctification) 4. Enabling Power (Grace & Tender Mercies)

Gethsemane