Best of Me: The Atonement in the Atonement

Hello my friends!

It is my hope that the last couple of weeks have provided you with the blessings which you've sought. For me, I am grateful for the Lord's hand in my life, and look forward with an eye of faith to next weekend, as the Prophet, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other General Authorities of the Church will address them. I know that they receive revelation for us, directly from the Source of all truth. Until next week, please enjoy a post from January 2010 which highlighted the importance of viewing the Atonement in all that we do, and how its power was made manifest in the Atonement itself.

THE ATONEMENT IN THE ATONEMENT

In everyday life we encounter anomalies where two similar or equal entities are nested in one another. In the psychological field, these are often referred to as "metas." For example, a meta-analysis is the study of many experiments. Likewise, meta-cognition refers to thinking about thinking. This week I would like to pose a similar comparison to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, where the very essence of that supernal act was manifest in the act itself. For consistency purposes, let's call it "Meta-Atonement."

Let me show you what I mean. We read in Mark Chapter 14:

And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; (Mark 14:32-41)

The first thing that I would like to say is that the Atonement was wrought in order to satisfy the demands of justice (Mosiah 15:9, Alma 34:16) that were placed upon the whole human race as result of the Fall of Adam. Both the Fall and Atonement were necessary for us to first come to earth and obtain bodies, and then to overcome the physical (which includes the Resurrection) and spiritual imperfection that is characteristic of the mortal experience.

With that said, I second ask you to take note of the action of the Apostles Peter, James, and John on this fateful and necessary evening in early Spring. Christ asked them to be vigilant, but they were unable, even on multiple occasions. Now, many would harp in these three (who I might add were possibly Jesus' three most dedicated disciples at the time) because they could not stay awake. In like manner, many ridicule and vilify Peter who later denied knowing Christ thrice as a fulfillment of prophecy. However, placing such blame in my mind is not entirely appropriate, and is evidence of our own imperfections. I say this because such acts that we find in the Gospels were the absolute essence of the Atonement, illustrating man's need for it. The three Apostles were physically unable to hold on, as Jesus passed through the Atonement alone. It was those very imperfections for which the Atonement was performed, and in mind these things were almost necessary that Christ could empathize perfectly the state in which we find ourselves on a daily basis. This is "Meta-Atonement." How grateful am I for this example, as well as the entire gift that is the Atonement of Jesus Christ! In April, 2009, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following:

Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations...is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you] (John 14;18).

May you all have a great week, thinking on the Atonement, and its infinite applicability!

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Have a great week!