Easter 2017

Easter 2017

Susan Talley

What does Easter mean to me?

If I was a reporter, going around the world, asking individuals of different backgrounds and ages, what does Easter mean to you, what would be their response?

Some would say they don’t know who this Jesus is.  Some would say that the stories were out there, but they are made up to make us feel better, to feel some hope in our life.  Others would say there is no Jesus.  Our Christian world would tell you it is one of the holiest days of the year.

Our children might say Easter is about candy, Easter bunnies, and a new outfit for Church.

When our granddaughter, Sarah, was about 2-1/2 years old I was visiting her family.  They had a picture of Jesus hanging in their home.  Whenever I would ask her, “Who is that?”, she would respond, “That is Jesus Christ.”  That Sunday, we attended Church and as the sacrament was being prepared, she looked at me with sad eyes and said, “Jesus Christ died!”  She had been asking her parents about why we take the sacrament.  As they taught her, she was fixed on the message of His death and missed the most important lesson.  She has continued to learn that He indeed died, but that he was resurrected and is now very much alive!

I now am serving in our ward’s nursery.  I love those cute, lovable, energetic children of God, children of families here in our ward.  Today our lesson in Nursery is that Jesus was resurrected and so we will be resurrected after we die.  That is one simple message of Easter.  Our lessons last for 5 minutes if we are lucky.  My desire each Sunday is that they receive one tiny bit of gospel teaching.  If it is longer than that, I lose them completely.

 I remember Easter as a young child.  We would wake up in the morning to find a small basket of Easter candy and a new dress.  But even back then, I knew that Easter was about Jesus Christ.  My father made sure that we knew the meaning of Easter.  When I was younger than some of my nursery children I lost my mother.   My father helped us kids to understand that even though we won’t see her again on this side of the vail, we WILL see her again, because Christ prepared that path and led the way to that new life.

Since those early days, I have continued to learn line upon line, precept upon precept, more about the importance of Easter.  I am sure in the coming years my understanding will continue to increase if I will put effort into learning more about the life of the Savior.  I would like to share a few of those teachings I’ve learned.

On Thursday evening of that week, we know that Christ met with His apostles for the Passover dinner.  One of the events that took place then, continues today.  Christ instituted the sacrament, closing out the Law of Moses, having the people perform blood sacrifices pointing to His coming; and bringing us to the broken heart and contrite spirit to help us show our gratitude for His great gift and our commitment to Him.  I am so grateful that we have the opportunity each Sunday to recommit ourselves to being His followers, to be able to repent and have those sins wiped off our record.

After the Last Supper He went to the Garden of Gethsemane where He prayed to the Father and took upon Himself the sins, pains, trials, and temptations of each of us.  When I look at the pictures that have been painted to represent Christ at this time, He always seems so serene.  I have seen more recent paintings which show Him prostrate on the ground, clutching at the earth, obviously in great agony.  Though I’ve always liked the pictures of Him peacefully praying, I can’t help but wonder what He suffered.  There is no way I can ever thank Him adequately for what He did for me, how many of those stripes were for me.  Then to think of what He has done for my family, for all of you, for everyone.

A series of events took place as He was leaving the Garden.  He was betrayed, arrested, tried, and ultimately sentenced to death.  During this time, He was degraded in some awful ways.  The thought of being spit upon, slapped, and being found guilty of crimes that He was innocent of is something that would be very difficult for me to stand quietly and take.  Our society today seems to allow for more volatile reactions to such behaviors.  What an example of patience He is to me who struggles constantly with my impatience.

After having been beaten and humiliated, even more humiliation was put upon Him.  Crowning Him King of the Jews by placing a crown of thorns upon His head mocking Him, they made Him carry His cross toward the hill where He would be hung.  That added weight to an already weak and hurting body continuing the humiliation until someone stepped in to help by carrying His cross.

He was hung between two common criminals, two thieves.  He continued to suffer on the cross, not for any wrong He had committed, but for us and our sins.  At one point, He was suffering almost more than He could bear.  He asked His Father, “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42) Can you imagine what our Father must have been feeling at this time?  I read a statement by Elder Melvin J. Ballard which has stuck with me.  He stated, (quote) “In that hour I think I can see our dear Father behind the veil looking upon these dying struggles until even He could not endure it any longer, and, like the mother who bids farewell to her dying child and has to be taken out of the room so as not to look upon the last struggles, so He bowed His head and hid in some part of His universe.  His great heart almost breaking for the love that He had for His Son.  Oh, in that moment when He might have saved His son, I thank Him and praise Him that He did not fail us, for He had not only the love of His Son in mind, but He also had love for us.  I rejoice that He did not interfere, and that His love for us made it possible for Him to endure to look upon the suffering of His Son and give Him to us, our Savior and our Redeemer.  Without Him, and without His sacrifice, we would have [been buried in the earth and there our bodies would have] remained, and we would never have come glorified into His presence.  And so this is what it cost, in part, for our Father in Heaven to give the gift of His Son unto men.” (end quote) (Crusader for Righteousness {Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1966], p. 137.

On that Easter morn, when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the sepulcher to anoint His lifeless body with oil, we know that they found the stone rolled away and that the tomb no longer held His body.  An angel sitting inside told them that He has risen!  The sweetest message they heard that day and that we continue to hear today, He is risen! He alone atoned for our sins and opened the doors to eternity, making it possible for us to live eternally too.

The complete message of the First Easter is the message we hear and know, that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the things He willingly experienced in His time; has blessed all our lives and can continue to bless our lives now and throughout all eternity.

This is not all the messages of Easter, only a partial list.  It is the parts I felt to share with you today.  I want to continue to learn about Christ and His Atonement.  This most pivotal message is the most important message of our lives.  I am so grateful to the Father and to our Savior, Jesus Christ, for allowing this atonement to take place.

Susan Talley, Binghamton Ward, April 16, 2017

Dimensions of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).”  You’ve seen the scripture reference hundreds of times on televised sporting events.  However, I’m not certain that most of us fully grasp the wide-sweeping meaning of that single verse.

I wish I had begun studying the Atonement of Jesus Christ years ago by only marking my scriptures that referred to this singular important event for mankind.  I think that if I had done so I would have a greater understanding of His Atonement.  However, I also think that if I had done this, I would have the same scriptures marked that I do now.  How does one read the scriptures and not come to the conclusion that every story, every parable, every scene that is played out, and every teaching in the scriptures point to the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Perhaps you have been like me in studying the scriptures.  As I read and pondered upon them I found comfort, understanding, peace, and great teachings and principles by which to live.  The scriptures are replete with celestial ideals for living.  But, doing so makes them nothing more than field books for living.  Yes, they become our Liahona pointing the way back to Heavenly Father, but that only encompasses a terrestrial level of obedience.  However, if we look at the teachings in the scriptures as a type of things to come as Alma taught, we then begin to unlock the power of His Atonement (Alma 33: 19).  We come to understand what the Apostle Paul said when he taught that all the hidden treasures and knowledge are a shadow of things to come (Colossians 2: 3, 17).

As we think of His Atonement we tend to think of two marvelous and important miracles. Specifically, we teach that we are punished for our own sins and not for Adam’s transgression and that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel (Articles of Faith 1: 1 – 2).  Herein is what may be referred to as saving principles of the gospel. 

To understand His Atonement, we must look first to our pre-mortal existence for that is where it began.  It was there where we participated in a council and selected a course of action.  It was there that we accepted a plan to enter mortality and be allowed the opportunity to exercise agency.  It was there that we understood we would be tested and be proven worthy to return to live in the presence of God through eternity (Abraham 3: 24-26).  It was also there that we understood all would sin and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23).  And it was there that the Savior said it was His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1: 39).  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught “The Atonement was the foreordained but voluntary act of the Only Begotten Son of God in which He offered His life and spiritual anguish as a redeeming ransom for the effect of the Fall of Adam upon all mankind and for the personal sins of all who repent” (March 2008 Ensign).

Overcoming Physical Death

The act of the Atonement we celebrate this day is the resurrection of all the dead from the grave.  The Apostle Paul explained that as we are planted in death like Christ that we will also be raised in His likeness in the resurrection (Romans 6: 5).  He also taught, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22).  Peter taught that Christ has “begotten us again unto a lively hope of (His) resurrection (1 Peter 1: 3).  Again as Paul taught, Christ risen from the dead became the firstfruits of them that slept” (Corinthians 15:20).

Overcoming Spiritual Death

We also believe that another act of the Atonement took place in the Garden of Gethsemane in addition to the cross.  Luke records in his gospel that Christ “being in an agony…prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22: 44).  King Benjamin speaking of the Atonement testified that “he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people” (Mosiah 3: 7).  Nephi testified that Christ continued to suffer for our sins when He was lifted up on the cross” (1 Nephi: 11: 33).  Again, Elder Holland explains that “To…meet the demands of the Atonement, the sinless Christ went into the Garden of Gethsemane…to bear the agony of soul only He could bear.”

Salvation of those Who Died without Knowledge

There are other aspects of the Atonement that we seldom consider and often overlook.  The Apostle Paul speaking to the Saints at Corinth said, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15: 19).  As we read this scripture we tend to focus on a teaching that we can have hope in Christ not only in this life, but also in the life to come.  While this is a true principle, if you shift the emphasis of the wording of Paul’s teaching you discover another true principle.  Consider Paul’s message when we read it as follows: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”  In other words, hope in Christ is available not only for us, the living who have had the opportunity to hear, see, or learn the words of Christ in this life, but is available for all mankind, including those who never had the opportunity to know of Christ.  Paul hinted at this when speaking of the Atonement to the Romans when he taught that “until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law” (Romans 5: 13).  In other words, where there is no law sin cannot be attributed, ascribed, or assigned to those who do not have the law.

We understand, of course, that “for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit” (Peter 4:6).  This understanding of the Atonement rests at the foundation of our reason for seeking out our kindred dead and performing ordinances necessary for their exaltation.

Redemption of Little Children

A fourth aspect of His Atonement is the salvation of little children who die before the age of accountability.

Mormon in his epistle to his son Moroni spoke of the “gross error” (Moroni 8: 6) that exists in the teaching of the necessity of baptizing little children.  He explains that those who believe little children need to be baptized are in the “gall of bitterness” (Moroni 8: 14).  Mormon continued his epistle by teaching repentance and baptism were reserved for those who are accountable and capable of committing sin and that little children are alive in Christ.  Further, he said that those who teach that baptism is necessary for little children deny the mercies of Christ (Moroni 8: 10, 12, & 20).

Pains, Afflictions, and Temptations

The prophet Isaiah spoke of yet another dimension of the Atonement when in speaking of the coming Messiah he said that “he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53: 4).  King Benjamin taught of the coming Savior when he said Christ would “suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer” (Mosiah 3: 7).  And finally, Alma in speaking to the people of Gideon said, “…he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.  And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, 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” (Alma 7:11 - 12).

As I have pondered upon these verses it has occurred to me that if He has suffered pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind there must be evidence of those sufferings in the scriptures.  And so I turned to the New Testament to do a brief search to satisfy my curiosity.  What I found was over one-hundred examples of when He suffered pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind.  For example, during His lifetime He was:

Abandoned

Accused of Blasphemy

He was Accused of Keeping Bad Company

And Wrongly Accused of Evil or Doing Something Bad

He was Beaten, Hit, Injured, Struck by Another                               

He became Angry

He was Betrayed

Caught in a Storm

Conspired Against

Criticized because of the Company He Kept

He dealt with Quibbling

Others Failed to Thank Him

He had Faithless Followers

He dealt with the death of a close friend and family member

He was Denied

Disappointed and

Left Alone to Face a Huge Task while Others Slept

He was Forsaken

Hungry                                                                                               

Thirsty

Hated

And Homeless

He Suffered Indignities in front of Loved Ones

Laughed at

Mocked

Many Murmured Against Him

Many did not believe Him

He was misunderstood

Persecuted

His motives and authority were questioned

He was Rejected by His Own Community                                       

He was Reviled

Scourged

Shamed and

Spit Upon

He was Willing to Subject Himself to Someone Else’s Authority

He faced temptation

He was Passed Over for Someone Less Qualified than He was

He was Wearied and Tired

Stripped of His Belongings

He associated With People Who Couldn’t Keep Up with Him

He was Tasked with a Cross

Nailed to a Cross                                                                               

He did the Unpleasant and

Associated with the Unpleasant

And He was Unemployed

Additionally, He

Provided Direction and Instruction

Increased in Wisdom and Stature

Dealt with Popularity

He Preached

Selected Followers

Sent Followers into Harm’s Way and

Taught with Authority

Took Charge of the Ward Dinner for thousands of people and not just once

Held a Personal Priesthood Interview

·       He was indeed “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:” (Isaiah 53:3)

Strengthening and Enabling Power

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks of the strengthening and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as he taught that it is “one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to the earth to die for us….But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us” (BYU Devotional, Oct. 23, 2001).  Consider the following examples from the Book of Mormon.

Nephi in his prayer said, “wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound” (Nephi 7:17).  Rather than praying to be released from the binding that held him he prayed for strength to overcome those bonds.  Remember when Alma and his people were persecuted by Amulon that “it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light, yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease” (Mosiah 24: 14-15).  Rather than removing the burdens from Alma and his people, the Lord gave them strength which made the burdens lighter.  Or, when Alma prayed while he was in prison he said, “O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance” (Alma 14: 26).  We see later when Alma prayed that he would have strength that he would “suffer with patience” the afflictions that would come upon him (Alma 31: 31).

In the Old Testament David acknowledged that God was his strength and power: and made his way perfect (Samuel 22:33).  Isaiah taught that the Lord gives power to the faint; and an increase in strength to those who have no might (Isaiah 40:29).  In speaking to the Corinthians as to why the Lord gives men weaknesses and the grace that he had received from Christ, Paul stated that his strength was made perfect in weakness and that he would rather glory in his infirmities that the power of Christ would rest upon him (2 Corinthians 12: 9).

The Lord can provide strength to us in those times of physical or temporal need, but we would be mistaken if we believed that it happens all the time.  We would not; however, be mistaken to believe that the Lord will consistently give us strength and power to overcome spiritual hazards of life. Without question, He has empowered us to act and not be acted upon (2 Nephi 2: 13-14, 26).

Grace

There are other aspects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ such as the fulness of joy that is promised to us not only in the life to come but for the here and now.  None, however, would be meaningful without at least a passing mention of grace.  We teach that “Our sins make us unclean and unfit to dwell in God’s presence, and we need His grace to purify and perfect us “after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25: 23, True to the Faith).  I think that sometimes we place too much emphasis on the “all we can do” part of Nephi’s teachings and pay too little attention to His grace.  The fact of the matter is that we will never be capable of achieving a celestial level of glory without the Savior lifting and pulling us up.  He did not have to accept this role.  Just as each of us has the agency to choose, He also had His agency, and He chose to be the Mediator, the Savior.  Only He chose to accept the weight of the names Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9: 6), and to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19: 16).  Without Him there is no hope.  He is our hope.

© 2017 Gregory B. Talley, Binghamton Ward, April 16, 2017