Eloi ,
Eloi...
Lama Sabachthani?!
My God…
My G O D!
Why…
Hast THOU…
Forsaken Me?!
I have been asked to speak on the
Atonement wrought by Jesus Christ, and because it is beyond the capacity of
mere words, I pray for the Holy Ghost to convey the depth and breadth of this
message, notwithstanding the weakness of the messenger.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, we are familiar with the message of the atonement wrought
by Yeshua Mahashuach... which, if you are familiar with the Aramaic tongue, and
which we are to understand He spake, is Jesus Christ. His triumph over
sin and death through his mortal ministry, suffering in Gethsemane, sacrifice
on the cross and miraculous resurrection are referred to throughout Christendom
as the Good News of the Gospel.
And as our Lord and Savior, maker of
Heaven and Earth and all things that in them are (see John 1:1-3,10-11) hung on
the cross, rejected of men, abandoned even by those who were his closest
associates; already exhausted from his bloody suffering under the crushing
weight of ALL of OUR sins, just as he thought it was enough, he was then left
to marvel, at the loss of his connection with the Father, who also left our
Savior to Himself – ultimately, that this pain and following triumph would be… completely,… His OWN.
Moments later he declared, “It is
finished.” (See John 19:30)
And what is it that was finished? Because
of his completed mortal mission, we know that salvation is free for everyone
who has ever lived, who lives now or will yet live. We know, that He has paid
the debt He did not owe, because we owe the debt we cannot pay.
We know, that Christ, the son of a mortal
mother and our Eternal Father had both the power to die, to lay down His life
and the power to take it up again. We know, he lived perfectly, and without sin. And we know that because of his perfection, He
had the power to pay the price for the sins of all mankind. We know that He is the Light, and the Life,
of the world and that no one cometh unto the Father but by him. There is no
other name under heaven whereby man can be saved
In his own words, here is what the Savior
has to say about the experience:
Therefore I command you to repent-repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore-how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
For behold, I God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit-and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink-
Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.
- Doctrine and Covenants 19:15-19
There is trouble in this world on which
we live. There is darkness and despair, suffering, pain, and all manner of
wickedness. Is it possible that we can
solve our problems through the political arena? Remember… there was an election
between Barabbas and Jesus? Barabbas won the election! Has it changed much today? Is it possible that we just need more money
to solve the problems of our day? Well,
there are people who actually believe this.
But can money buy that which is timeless and priceless?
We know that the atonement, that timeless
and priceless work wrought by Jesus Christ, is the only prescription for the
problems of this world today. It is the only, as well, prescription for our
individual challenges and its benefits are offered to us, at no charge.
The way to best understand the benefits
of the Atonement in our lives, is to apply them. There is much that can be shared on this
subject, but there appear to be some things that stand out in scripture.
Love thy Neighbor as thyself
A poor, wayfaring
Man of grief
Hath often crossed
me on my way,
Who sued so humbly
for relief
That I could never
answer nay.
I had not pow'r to
ask his name,
Whereto he went, or
whence he came;
Yet there was
something in his eye
That won my love; I
knew not why.
- Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - #29 (c) 1985
Between the first and last verses of A
Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, the narrator shares his experiences with one he
observed, often, in need. He shared his
scanty meal with the man; lifted him up to drink waters from the fountain he
could not reach; sheltered the man from a hurricane and put him in his own bed;
found him beaten, nigh to death, revived him and bound up his wounds, and
finally finding him in prison and condemned, the man asked if he would be
willing to die for him.
Then in a moment to
my view
The stranger
started from disguise.
The tokens in his
hands I knew;
The Savior stood
before mine eyes.
He spake, and my
poor name he named,
"Of me thou
hast not been ashamed.
These deeds shall
thy memorial be;
Fear not, thou
didst them unto me."
- ibid.
When Christ tells us in Matthew 5:24,
“When
ye have done it unto the least of these, thy brethren, ye have done it unto
me,”
Is he not teaching us that we must see
Christ in one another? Though we are
imperfect, through the Atonement, he suffered for us and therefore we are well
serving him when we relieve the suffering of others, are we not?
“I tell you these
things that ye may learn wisdom,” taught King Benjamin, “…that ye may
learn that when you are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in
the service of your God.”
In Alma 34, Amulek teaches us that what
is important to us is important to God. Here are some excerpts from these
teachings:
"Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save" - verse 18
"Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day and evening" - verse 21
"But this is not all, ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and in your secret places, and in your wilderness.
"Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you."
- verses 26 - 27
But, then he wraps this up reminding us of something that is so important to God, which therefore, must needs be also important to us:
Verse 28 - "And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all, for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need - I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith." - [emphasis added]
Amulek is probably recalling the words from King Benjamin's discourse, found in Mosiah 4:16-19
"And also, ye yourselves will succor those who stand in need of your succor, ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
"Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery, therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just--
"But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
King Benjamin summarizes,
“I tell you these
things that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn that when ye are in the
service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”
- Mosiah 2:17
Forgive one another
If there is anything that is at the very
center of the Atonement, it is forgiveness.
Christ did not deserve his suffering and death, but instead, he chose
it, that he can offer a redemption for each of us. Of those who were crucifying him, he said,
“Father
forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
- Luke 23:24
There are times when offenses come
unearned and undeserved, Again, from Christ:
“Wherefore,
I say uto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not
his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there
remaineth in him the greater sin.
“I the
Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive
all men.
- Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10
The atonement has a cleansing power. We have a son, with whom we have had trouble
starting in his mid-teens. He has spent
nearly a third of his adult life in prison.
I am hyper-sensitive to the way my wife is treated and my tolerance for
his abusive behavior had to come to an end.
I recall one day, sitting in the car in front of our home when I realized that every day for nearly four
years, I would park the car right there in front of the house after work and
pray that I could maintain my composure when I went inside and learned, what he
had done that day. He was eventually out of our home and his life choices
pained us to prayers, tears, and anxiety.
One day, however, something interesting
happened – to me. I was standing in
front of my dresser in our home, and I must have been prayerfully pondering about
our son, because I clearly felt an overwhelming experience, a feeling that washed
over me like a warm-summer rain. It was
an understanding I hadn’t had before – and it was, strangely, a relief. I felt forgiveness for him and a
comprehension, that it’s possible through his own eyes, that he’s felt offenses
that were probably unjustified and unresolved.
Just as importantly, I was taught something about the Atonement. Christ paid for the pains of the sufferer AND
the sins of the offender. Because he had
taken them upon Himself, we can let them go.
We must let them go, if we are to experience the full benefit of
the Atonement.
For my son, though our ways are not
aligned, nor do I know when there will be a relationship of trust restored, I
yet love him, forgive him and seek to reconcile with him with the help of the
Lord.
When we apply the Atonement in this way,
we attempt to see through one another’s eyes and feel through one another’s
hearts. The justice has already been
done. The price has already been
paid. It binds us together so that we
can effectively do the next thing, which is, to…
Be One in Christ
The atoning blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses us of our sins. It transcends
time and space and is our gateway to the eternities. Christ becomes our creditor as he has already
taken upon himself the price we would otherwise pay as the consequence of our
mortal imperfections. It is through this
means that we covenant to receive His Spirit as we to take upon us His name, to
always remember Him and keep His commandments.
He invites us:
"Learn of me, and listen to my words, walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall find peace in me.
"I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, and I do his will."
- Doctrine and Covenants 23:24
And what can we learn of Him? He gives us as an example, His relationship
with the Father:
"Then said Jesus unto them, 'When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
'And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.' "
- John 8:28-29
"The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the son likewise."
- John 5:19
“I and
the Father are one.”
- John 10:30
He invites us to be like Him:
"And he said unto them all, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.' "
- Luke 9:23
“…what
manner of men ought ye to be? Verily, I
say unto thee, even as I am.”
- 3 Nephi 27:27
He invites us to know Him:
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent."
- John 17:3
"Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;"
- Doctrine & Covenants 93:1
Beware, however, that when you become one
with Christ, you may at times be unwelcome… offending the world or the
worldly. He warns us of this as well:
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
"Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which came before you."
- Matthew 5:11-12
Nevertheless, we should want to strive together
to be One with Christ, that we may be prepared for and welcome in the
prophesied return of the City of Enoch, of those whose community was and is of
one heart and one mind. They were
remarkable that there were no poor among them, and are in company with God.
The influences of the world give us every
reason to be divided. Our common
temporal needs and differing mortal experiences may sometimes find us at
variance with one another. However, the
most precious substance in time and space, the atoning blood of Jesus Christ is
the one thing that binds us together as we assist our Father and Christ in
their work…
"To bring to pass
the immortality and eternal life of man."
In the name of
Jesus Christ, Amen!
[Edited version of a talk given in the Moberly Ward, Columbia Missouri Stake on 8 March 2020]
