Hey there everybody, happy new year and welcome back to another episode of Redeemed Through
His Blood. Scott Durfey here as always joined by David Durfey. I know, can you believe that?
2024. I don't know. I guess my age starts coming out, which I've been a little bit
resistant to over the last several months, but my age starts coming out because I think
back and I think Y2K. You remember Y2K? Yeah. Yeah. And what a big deal that was. Yeah,
that was 24 years ago. I can't believe that. Y2K was huge. You know, we were getting all
kinds of training. Yeah, I remember El Tom Perry, Elder Perry was, he had that responsibility
for the church, communication and technology and all of that. I remember all the emails
that I got as an area director because they were afraid that all our computers and everything
was going to go down and crash. Anyway, that was pretty intense. Yeah, that was an intense
time. And that was 24 years ago, Scott. I know, and it feels like it was just like last
week. So that's why we should do something. We should do a podcast sometime, maybe on the
second coming in. Yeah. And you know, just, I mean, nobody knows, but there's signs that
have been fulfilled and there's only a few that haven't and be fun to discuss all that
because every year we're, I know closer to the Savior coming. I know many of you out
there are praying for that. I pray for that from time to time and then I know he's coming
and he'll come in a day in an hour when people are about ready to give up on the idea of
a second coming. Like the pattern really is in the Book of Mormon, you know, Third Nephi
and people are going to kill all the believers unless the sign is given and that's the next
the Nephi praise and the Lord says, well, it's going to happen tomorrow. So and yet
prophets will tell us, I think, what it's going to happen and not today. I don't think
they know the day or the hour, but I'll bet they know the year. I think not necessarily
now, but like again, the pattern, I think the pattern is in the Book of Mormon and President
Benson in essence used to teach this that that really the pattern for our preparation
for the second coming is in the Book of Mormon when he appeared to the Nephites and Lamanites
of Mount of Olif. We would just study the Book of Mormon. We'll see the same things
going on then that are going on now and we can recognize kind of the pattern and Samuel
Lamanite told him, you got five years. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if I don't know if
President Nelson or whoever may be the prophet five years out will will say, Hey, you know,
you got five years, but I believe they'll know whether they publicly get where they
feel impressed publicly announced or not. The point is, I guess, is that time moves on
and every year we get closer to the winding up of all of the things here on this earth.
And we all look forward to that. Giving patriarchal blessings. I feel that I feel the, you know,
the Lord wanting to tell his youth, the rising generation about their purpose, part of their
purpose in this life was to prepare the earth and families for the second coming of Jesus
Christ. So I believe it's probably closer than we think, but not as close as we want
to be. There's it seems to me at least there's a couple of different ways to view this. You
know, there's those that obviously don't believe and I guess there's some apathy attached
to that, etc. And then there are those that, you know, panic. Oh my gosh, I don't want
that to happen. I'm not prepared. I'm not ready, you know, but which is out of ignorance
really. Then that's what I was just going to say, you know, when people come to understand
the stuff that we teach here in the podcast, you know, about Christ's atonement, the effects
of the fall, the effects of the atonement. And last week we talked about his sinless
life and how that is actually one of the necessary events of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Well, today as we again move into those things, this is where for me, David, the second coming
of Jesus Christ becomes a welcomed event, something I look forward to with great anticipation.
And joyful anticipation because, because when we understand, once I have come to understand
that it's through his merit that I'm saved, where it's through his merit, through his
righteousness that my lack of those types of things really are brought to balance, really
brought to justification through him. That's when the fear of those events that you were
just talking about kind of dissipate for most of us.
Yeah, it relieves a lot of stress and anxiety for sure. There's a lot of stress and anxiety
about about the event we call the second coming, Scott. And I just think if people were more
confident in Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice than they were in themselves, they
would feel a lot less stress and pressure about the whole ordeal. And if they understood
that, hey, we're going to continue to live in houses and we're going to continue to have
children, and there's going to be people who marry and life is going to go on. I mean,
some of the some of the changes will be dramatic. But sociality will continue on as it is now
and families will continue to grow. And there'll be mothers and fathers and new babies and
grandmothers and grandfathers and celebrations and I mean really, Scott, it's the earth will
change some things will definitely change. Satan will be bound. The wicked will be destroyed.
Those are all pretty dramatic events. But we'll just continue to live the gospel as we're
living it now and life will pretty much go on as we know it now. Minus the wickedness
and evil and all that and some of the effects of the fall that we talked about.
Yeah, yeah, we'll actually go back into a terrestrial state, which is what Adam and
Eve were in in the Garden of Eden was a terrestrial state and and now that'll be sweet. But again,
we'll continue to to live life as much the way we know it. Anyway, we should talk about
that more some some time and as we begin a new year to Scott, I know that last year when
we did a podcast, we did a podcast on intentionality, living life with with the intentions with
changing our being more intentional in how we live our life being more kind of purpose
driven. What's our purpose and intentional in our in our use of time and in our choices
and decisions we make and maybe maybe, you know, more of a plan if if God needed a plan,
how much more important is it for us to have a plan and the importance of planning and carrying
out our our work and participating in the work of salvation and exaltation. I don't know,
we won't do a special podcast on that this year, but you can if you if you want to review
that, you can go back and see. I think that was first. I think it was either the first
or the second one last year of 2023. Yeah, we did Jorian Mandy Norton and that was a
you encourage you to also listen to that interview. My goodness, what a great year. Great way
to start the year with that too. But it's right around there. It's either right for
or shortly after that one. I just the word intention is always kind of on my mind and
being more intentional. President Nelson likes that word is use that word a lot. We should
pray with more intention. We should read the scriptures be a little more intentional and
in our study of the scriptures, maybe some something a little more systematic. Anyway,
just how can we make the best use of our our time and our efforts and ultimately developing
a closer relationship with our savior and our Heavenly Father and having the Holy Ghost
with us at all times. You talk about intentional. I got on the scales this morning. You gotta
get intentional. Yeah, I gotta get intentional again. And I say that, you know, I'm a recovering
alcoholic. I tend to do most things addictively or alcoholically, you know, and that goes
obsessively. That goes for everything. You know, one day Deb comes home and we have tons
of scuba gear, for example, you know, I mean, that's just kind of the life and she's like,
Scott, we don't even know how to dive yet. And I'm like, well, we'll learn and we did.
And since then I become a dive master, you know, and all that other crazy stuff. It's
just obsessive. Everything is just all in. Well, yeah, and there's sugar in the house
right now. Oh, you know, yeah, we've gone through the holidays. Chocolate. I hope chocolate
exactly. And that can be a problem for me. Anyway, let's not digress. Listen, I'm really
looking forward to talking about the events of the atonement of Jesus Christ. You know,
we've just come through Christmas, the holiday season. And and now I really look forward to
in preparation for the next and the most important holiday season for me, that's Easter for all
of us at Easter, whether we know it or not. And the things that we talk about today, the
next it'll probably be the, you know, it was last episode, it'll be this episode and maybe
at least two more after that, you know, I anticipate being about four episodes around
the events of the atonement of Jesus Christ. And and as we do this now, we're really putting
ourselves and for those of us who have not embarked in this kind of way or with this
kind of depth in understanding and learning the the events of the atonement of Jesus Christ,
which are important for us to know and we'll talk about why that is as we go along here.
But as we do this, David, we're really preparing ourselves to have a even a better Easter season
than maybe we've ever had before. You just use the word intent, you know, maybe maybe
if we set that intention right now, that we're prepared that when that day comes, because
I'll be here in just a few months. And when that day comes, that I'm prepared to really
have the type of experience spiritually that that Heavenly Father has intended for me to
have.
Yeah, through that. Awesome. Yeah, I'm grateful that we're at that point in the in our podcast,
in our course to spend this time on the atonement of Jesus Christ, God. And I just want to give
a few reminders as we launch further and deeper into this into these events.
And Nelson has tried really hard to tell us that we should not talk about the atonement
as though it were a separate entity. We shouldn't. I mean, I don't want to get hung up on this
like people did when President Benson gave that amazing talk on pride. And it's like
you couldn't even use the word pride in your vocabulary anymore. You couldn't say I'm proud
of my son or I'm proud of my daughter. You know, it's like pride in the word proud just
became a no, no to ever use ever. And I'm glad we're finally, I think, over that.
Yeah, we tend to over rotate sometimes. Yeah, so and I saw I say this with not wanting people
to become zealot or extreme or obsessive. But but President Nelson has made a really
great point and others have as well, is that there's no power in the atonement. And we
shouldn't speak of it as though it's a separate entity. The atonement of Jesus Christ has
to be associated with him because all of the power through the atonement is ultimately
through Jesus Christ. There's no power in the atonement. The atonement allowed Jesus
Christ to administer through the spirit, his mercy, his grace, his redemptive power, his
enabling power, his compensatory powers and blessings. It's because of the atonement that
Jesus Christ has power. But there's no power to give to offer us all those gifts. But there's
no power in and of itself in the atonement. It's it's really through Jesus Christ. So
we should always associate the atonement with our savior and redeemer and always think of
the father and his sacrifice in the atonement as well. The incredible gifts since we're
just coming off Christmas, the incredible gift of offering his son and to be a father
and to witness your son going through that degree of suffering and pain for all your
other children is something we ought to also keep in mind when we speak of this. So one
more reminder that from Preach My Gospel, we read in page two, my favorite quote from
Preach My Gospel, as your understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ grows, you get
that as your understanding, not just knowledge, understanding, which means mind and heart and
experience. Yeah, as you thank you as your understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ
grows, your desire to share and I include and live the gospel will increase. Honestly,
Scott, it's the key to how we how we live. It's the key to everything that we do. It
gives us the pondering, the grandeur of the atonement. Elder Scott gives us the gratitude,
which gives us desire, which the atonement of Jesus Christ will then give us the mercy,
the grace, the joy, the peace, everything that we need, the power we need to live the
gospel. And again, we still won't be sinless and we need it every day and we'll be repenting
daily, all through Jesus Christ and His atonement. So really, this this should be just the the
center of our thoughts and our lives. And as our understanding increases, so will our
ability, our desire first and our ability to live the gospel will increase. So last
time we talked about a sinless life and how what a sacrifice that was, that's such an
important part of the sacrifice we call the atonement is that Jesus could not sin and
He was tempted more than any mortal man can possibly be tempted. And we read all those
scriptures that He suffered it over and over again. Temptation, He suffered it. He was
attacked directly by Satan. And if he would have given into those temptations of 40 days
in the wilderness, then the whole plan would be frustrated. But our father knew that his
son would not and his son wanted to perfectly fulfill the will of the father. So we are
so blessed that Jesus was willing and able and paid the price to live a sinless life.
And I think about that a lot. How hard that must have been for him. Any more thoughts on
that before we jump into the second part of the events of the atonement?
No, I think that we've done. I don't know that you can ever do a completely adequate
job covering that part of it. But you know, in the last episode, our last podcast, we
did spend that entire almost the entire thing talking about the sinless life, how important
it was, how difficult it was, even though He is God. Deb and I over the Christmas holiday,
we were able to with our Institute class do a three part series around Christmas. And
one of the things that we really talked about the second week that it was called, Oh, come
let us adore Him. That was what we entitled it. But the second week we talked about the
fall of Adam and Eve and how important it is or the fall of all mankind, I should say,
and how important it is that we understand that the fall of Adam and Eve of all mankind
so that we can really understand the depth of which what we're talking about here when
it comes to the atonement of Jesus Christ. And I think that that's the same when it comes
to his sinless life. It's so easy for us for me. And I think it's probably all I think,
you know, we as a culture, maybe as a society, look at Jesus Christ and think, Well, he lived
a perfect life. He lived a sinless life. You know, we say perfect life. We that means something
a little different as we come to know. But he lived a perfect lie or a sinless life.
And we think, Well, yeah, he was Jesus. Of course, he lived a sinless life. And I think
that we just kind of we just kind of fly by that without really putting the kind of energy
and attention that it deserves. It wasn't all that. I mean, it was difficult. That was
a big deal. It was a big deal. And it's not something that Jesus just sauntered through
life, living a sinless life because he was Jesus. And that quote by C. S. Lewis is where,
you know, nobody knows how great the temptation is when they give into it because we gave
into it. Yeah, you cut it short when you give into it. We'll never know Jesus. Jesus never
cut it short. No, he followed it to the end degree. And I know every day he was tempted
every day he was tempted with all of the negative emotions and feelings and actions and sins
right that are available to all of us. And I don't think it necessarily made it easier
because he was a God. In fact, I think because he was a God in some ways, it made it even
more difficult because he felt it deeper and other reasons because he could suffer. Yeah.
Well, and so I think that it's important that we just emphasize if we don't fill that to
the depth of our soul, the importance of the sinless life and not just the importance,
but the difficulty around it and what all of that meant. I mean, I have a difficult
time living a sinless moment. Yeah. You know, some some hyperbole there, but not a lot.
You know, and so that's, you know, that's something that I think that if we just do
a flyby on that, which we haven't, but it can be tempting for us to do a flyby on that.
Let's not do that. Let's understand the depth and the meaning behind that sinless life as
we move into these next parts. So as we we are talking about the events of the atonement
and after we talk about the events in the next two or three podcasts and finish that
up, we'll talk about all the effects of the atonement to really deepen our understanding
of the atonement. You have to understand the events and the effects. So there are four
events we call the atonement one, his sinless life and second is Gethsemane. So I think
it's interesting, Scott, to kind of review the last 24 hours of Jesus's life and think
about this and our listeners may want to turn to the back of their Bible and look at the
map of Jerusalem and kind of go through this themselves and just review the events of the
last 24 hours of his life. You know, he starts in the upper room to celebrate Passover with
his disciples. That's on a Thursday evening, which is really for them Friday morning, which
is the day of paschal lamb sacrifice and Passover. And he initiates the sacrament and tells
them to take some bread and some wine and which represents his flesh and his blood.
He gives them some of his greatest discourses in the upper room. Many of that is recorded
by John in John chapter 12 13 14 15. I mean, about a third of John is what happens in the
upper room, which is amazing. Some of his best discourses. He then tells his disciples
that that after they sing him, and he's identified as betrayer that night in the upper room,
Judas after he's washed their all of their feet, including Judas. I don't know that
just that just really touches me that Jesus washes Judas's feet before Judas leaves to
do his his dirty deed of betrayal. And then they sing him. The last thing they do in the
upper rooms, they sing him. That's kind of on the southeastern part of Jerusalem, the
upper room. And after they sing him, then they go to get 70. I remember being near where
the upper room is the upper room, of course, doesn't really exist. I mean, after after
the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, there wasn't much left of what is originally in Jesus's
day. But we kind of know where it was. And I remember walking, you know, from the upper
room over to get 70 and trying to have an experience and try to feel what they were
feeling. And we will read about this in a moment here in the scriptures. But I just
let me review the 24 hours here. So they go to the guest 70. And Jesus suffers and bleeds
from every poor in guess 70. We'll talk about that more detail. And then he's betrayed.
And he's arrested. And then he's taken to Caiaphas Palace, which is kind of back near
not far from where the upper room was. Then he's taken to Antonio Fortress, which is the
Pilate's Palace, where the governor stays, which is kind of in the northern part of the
city within the walls of Jerusalem. And he goes through kind of a trial there. Then he's
then sent to Herod and he goes to Herod. And keep in mind, this is all after bleeding
from every poor that he's doing this. We'll talk about that more in a minute. And then
he goes back to Antonio Fortress after being with Herod, stripped and placed a robe, purple
robe on him. And he goes back to hair to pilot and pilot to offers Jesus or Braavis. And
they, the Jews want Jesus crucified. So Braavis is set free, which is identified as a thief
in one of the gospels and a murderer in another. I think Pilate picked the worst, the worst
criminal in Jerusalem to offer the Jews. And they, they chose Braavis over Jesus. And
then he's scourged, crosses placed on his back, keep in mind this after bleeding from
every poor. And he then collapses under the weight of the cross on his way to Golgotha,
send me and carries it the rest of the way. And by 9am Friday morning, he is crucified
on the cross. So really 12 hours. The last 12 hours or 14, 15 hours of Jesus's life is
from the upper room walking probably about five miles. They estimate after going through
all that suffering and then nailed on the cross Friday morning. The Lamb of God so
offered on the cross. So then he's resurrected, of course, three days later or the third day
after. So we'll talk more about the crucifixion resurrection. That's just a review, Scott,
of Jesus's last few hours as a mortal. Well, he goes to get some and I again, I think I
said this in the last podcast. I can't, you did. We can't just talk about this. We have
to read it. We have to read the holy, the holy word, the holy bread, the scriptures,
I think they're inspired and they're from witnesses and there's a feeling about them
and I have learned over the many years of teaching the events of the Atonement of Jesus
Christ that you have to read it. You can't just tell it. There's, it gives, there's more
authority in reading it and there's more of a feeling, I think, in reading it as described
by Matthew and Mark and Luke and John. So the Gospel writers who were witnesses of these
things. Let's go to Matthew 26 verses 36 through 39 in Matthew. Before I read this, I just
opened my scriptures and I have a little olive leaf here. Yeah, from the Garden of
Geshe. We were there just in March. You'll have olive trees there. They do. Some of them
in a fenced area. They estimate those trees 2000 years old. Yeah, the other very old.
Matthew 26 verse 36, then come with Jesus with him to the place called Yesemini and
he said unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. We know that to be James and John. And began to be
sorrowful and very heavy. And if we read the, we'll read the Mark account of that, but
it's actually his three disciples who become very sorrowful and very heavy. The Joseph
Smith translation makes that more clear that the three disciples are the ones who are beginning
to feel sorrowful and very heavy. But in verse 38 we read how Jesus is feeling. Then say
eth he unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Terri ye here and watch with
me. So let's pause in 38 for a minute, Scott. What comes to your mind when you read my soul?
This is Jesus speaking to his disciples. My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto
death. Yeah. For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to say I'm sorrowful, even unto death.
I mean, we understand, we have a glimpse of the power or the meaning behind that only
because we have a glimpse of his, the enormity of his power, the enormity of his grace and
everything, all that he is. And that helps us to understand that because how can Jesus
be sorrowful, even unto death? And I think he's surprised by it. Scott, you know, Elder
Maxwell said that, like you just said, that Jesus cognitively knew what was about to happen.
I mean, I don't know how much of the details he understood, but he cognitively knew what
he was there to do. And yet experientially, when he began to experience it, I think it
was, well, it was more than he could have ever cognitively understood before he went
there. Sorrowful, even unto death. Terry here and watch with me. And then verse 39, get
to this description. And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, saying,
Oh, my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will,
not as thou wilt.
fell on his face. That doesn't sound like a serene prayer. It doesn't sound like kneeling
kneeling at a rock with his arms folded or his hands clasped together. Father, if it
be thy will, I mean, this this is fell on his face. That that sounds desperate. That
sounds painful. That sounds the groanings. I'm sure that we're coming from his from
his spirit and what he was already beginning to fill before even before the suffering
really took place.
I just think that's amazing that we we most people, I think kind of picture him because
of Anderson and other artists who have pictured him kneeling in the garden. I my favorite
picture of him is when I did. I don't know who the painter is, but I have a painting
of of an angel kneeling down while Jesus is laid out flat on the ground. You know, I
mean it. It laid him out and that that's even before he bled from every poor. So anyway,
that's Matthew's account. Let's go to Mark's account in Mark chapter 14. Again, we're we're
focusing on Gethsemane here first 32 through 36.
Verse 32. And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane and Gethsemane. We should
maybe say the press, the oil press. Can we take a minute on that for just a second?
Because you know, the the oil press Gethsemane, meaning the oil press. And you know, that's
always to me meant something. But when we went there this last spring, it became even
more than knowing around it became even more poignant. Because you know what what happens
in an oil press and I won't get into all the details, but you can look this up and
it's quite amazing. There's three processes to the oil press. We'll see we'll see that
represented here. Yeah, in this experience in Gethsemane. Yeah. And in each process,
there's a of the press and it's a literal press. What is happening is, is the weight
of the the oil press itself is pressing and crushing the olives and everything in it and
creating this oil to to to come out crushing the pits, everything, olive and oil oozing.
Yeah. And under the weight of just absolute enormous weight, these olives, there's just
no defense they have against this weight, not intended, but there is no defense against
this weight. And so as we understand, and those imageries will come even greater to
light as we go through this, if you'll allow those to just let those would be at work in
your brain because because of the because of the imagery there. So going back to Mark
1432, and they came to a place which was what named Gethsemane. And he saith to his disciples,
sit ye here while I pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John and began to
be sore amazed. And let me let me just have you pause there for a minute. And let me read
the JST. Okay, they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, which was a garden.
And the disciples, the disciples began to be sore amazed. Be and began to be very heavy
and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah. So they're they're
having doubts, they're having doubts, depression. I mean, I think Satan's working on them.
Yeah, they're having a human experience through any through all their they're really struggling
with this sore amazed, very heavy and complaining in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah.
So that's that gives us more information what they're feeling. I think they're just really,
really depressed. And Jesus knowing their heart said to his disciples, set ye here while
I shall pray. So that gives us a little more information in Joseph Smith translation. So
let's let's go back to 3434 and he saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto
death, Terry, you hear him watch. There it is again, second witness that Jesus himself,
a God is his soul is so exceedingly sorrowful that he feels like death would be welcome
to him. 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
the take away this cup from me. Nevertheless, not I will, but what thou will.
So a little more information. I mean, he tells us Mark agrees with Matthew or Matthew agrees
with Mark that he fell on the ground. And then he cries out Abba and Abba of course is a
more intimate familial title for Father. It literally means I guess, Daddy. I mean, he
just is really crying out Daddy if it be possible. Anyway, that's that paints quite a picture,
I think that title of his relationship with his dad and cries out Daddy if it be possible.
Yeah, again, not cognitively knowing, but not experientially really having any idea how
hard it's going to be. Let's turn to Luke 22 and read Luke 22. The synoptic Gospel
writers Matthew, Mark and Luke record more, more what happened in Gethsemane. John doesn't
record much about what happens in Gethsemane. He spent most of his time describing what
happened in the upper room, but versus Luke 22 versus 39 through 44. Scott, and he came
out and went as he want to the Mount of Olives and and get 70 is right at the foot of the
Mount of Olives. So when he says Mount of Olives, that's still get 70 because get 70
is right at the bottom of the just outside the walls of Jerusalem. Yeah, actually. Before
you begin to send up on the Mount of Olives between the Mount of Olives, and then you
cross over the Valley of Death, and then you have the Kidron Valley, the Kidron Valley,
right? 39 and it came and he came out and went as he want on to the Mount of Olives,
and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, pray
that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast
and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, move this cup from me,
nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven,
strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat as it
were, great drops of blood falling to the ground. So we learned that an angel appears
to him to strengthen him in the Luke account. We also learned that as Luke records it, or
as it's recorded in the King James Version in the Bible, that his sweat was as it were,
great drops of blood falling to the ground. Well, so nowhere in the Scripture, Scott,
nowhere in the Bible, nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus bled from every pore.
That is a unique and precious point of doctrine that we have as members of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints because of the Book of Mormon. In the translation of the Book
of Mormon, King Benjamin had angels show him all of what happened through the events of
the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And King Benjamin shares that with those who were gathered at
the temple. And he tells them, Jesus' pain was so great that he bled from every pore.
Let's read that in Mosiah chapter 3, verse 7, Scott.
And lo, 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 abomination of his people.
Blood cometh from every pore. That's the first place that appears in the Scriptures. And
the first place Joseph Smith would have learned that or known that. I mean, you can maybe
somewhat get the idea reading Luke, but Luke doesn't say anything about every pore. And
in fact, most, not all, but most Christians believe that Jesus sweat in the Garden of
Gethsemane. They don't even, many of them do not even believe that he bled at all in
Gethsemane. I've told this before in our other podcast last year, but I had some time in
Minneapolis while I was in Minnesota to to call about 30 different churches. I just went
through the yellow pages and just went down the yellow pages calling the Church of God
and Presbyterian and Methodist and Catholics. And you realize you just dated yourself? Well,
I know people don't know what the yellow pages are anymore, but the old folks will remember
the telephone book yellow pages. Yeah, that's right. And I just went to churches and I just
started going down the list. And there were several pages, of course, and I did about
30. And I would just call it, I would say, Hey, I have a theological question. Is the
pastor or minister or priest or whoever in and whichever church I was talking to. And
then the secretary would say yes, if I, if I caught them at the right time. So they would
come on and I'd say, Hey, I'm reading the Bible in Luke 22 44. It says that his sweat
was as it were like great drops of blood falling to the ground. And what does that mean? What's
happening there? So I just was honestly wanting to know how they how they saw that or how
they interpreted that. And out of all of those, I only had two who said that they believed
that he was that he was sweating blood. All the others said we were not sure we don't really
know they were, you know, kind of vague. And some of them said I remember specifically
one say he was sweating profusely thinking about the blood that he would shed on the
cross. So, you know, I think that we are just so blessed, really, to have a little deeper
understanding to what really happened. I mean, it's, it is so humbling for us to think about
him in Gethsemane being bruised for our iniquities. I mean, really think about what it means to
bleed from every poor Scott. I mean, a bruise is that a vessel or usually just a capillary
are really bad bruises that several capillaries have have been broken. And we see a bruise
as a result. But I mean, to bleed from every poor capillaries, veins, arteries, he his
circulatory system has has completely collapsed under the under the constriction of stress,
the press, the press, the press and the constriction upon him. And literally, his heart has broken,
his circulatory system is broken. He no longer is able to live based upon just, you know,
being human. He this is where his Godhood has to kick in human power has no longer been
able to sustain him. His Godhood kicks in so that he can endure everything that follows
from Gethsemane on and everything from Gethsemane on Scott. I mean, his Godhood kicked in so
he could do it. But his Godhood did not lessen the pain. I love that quote by Elder Callister.
I should just read it here. The Savior submitted to the inhumanity of man, his body longed
for sleep. He hungered. He felt the pains of sickness. He was in all respects subjected
to every mortal failing experienced by the human family. Not once did he raise the shield
of Godhood in order to soften the blows. Not once did he done the bulletproof vest of divinity
that he also had godly powers did not make his suffering any less excruciating, any less
poignant or any less real to the contrary. It is for this very reason that his suffering
was more not less than his mortal counterparts could experience. He took upon him infinite
suffering but chose to defend with only mortal faculties with but one exception. His Godhood
was summoned to hold off unconsciousness and death, the twin relief mechanisms of man that
otherwise would overpower a mere mortal when he reached his threshold of pain. For the
Savior, however, there would be no such relief. His divinity would be called upon not to immunize
him from pain but to enlarge the receptacle that would hold it. He simply brought a larger
cup to hold the bitter drink. So as we go through these events and the suffering, it's
important to understand the role of his Godhood and the immortality of his life because of
his father being Elohim or Heavenly Father. That is why he could endure all of this pain
without it being lessened, without it being less extreme. He could endure all of it and
not die more than man can suffer as King Benjamin puts it. The only other place where we can
read that Jesus bled from every pore is in the Doctrine and Covenants section 19, Scott.
And again, this revelation would have come after Joseph Smith had learned about what
King Benjamin saw and taught in Mosiah chapter 3. But I love this account in section 19 because
it's the voice of the Lord and it's in first person. So if you'll maybe start in about
verse 16, Scott, section 19.
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.
Isn't that amazing?
That's beautiful.
The first person, he acknowledges his Godhood and he acknowledges his infinite suffering.
Whatever he is through his atonement, unleashing the power of grace that will allow me not
just to be with him as a joint heir in eternity, but to deal with whatever life's challenges
that may come my way here in mortality as well, which is also an important part of my
learning experience around his atonement, Dave.
And Scott, this is really only where it begins. It's not finished in Gethsemane.
In fact, we'll talk about this in more detail, but the suffering on the cross was even worse
than Gethsemane.
But this is where it starts and it's incomprehensible. I think it's also important to look at count
that talks about the angel to think about God sending an angel to him in the garden
to strengthen him.
And I often think, what did he say? What would the angel say? Maybe there were no words spoken,
but how what did the angel do or say to help help strengthen him?
Elder Mcconkey believed and stated that the angel would have been Adam.
You know, Michael, great archangel who would have come to strengthen him.
And I think if that's true that Wow, what did Adam say to Jesus as he's suffering there
for all of the sins of mankind, which Adam and Eve brought into the world?
What could Adam possibly say to help strengthen him to help him understand, you know, the
necessity of what he was doing and help him to endure it?
I don't know. I like to reflect upon that. I think if Adam were there, besides all the
other things he would say to strengthen him, he maybe said, I'm just I'm sorry. I'm just
so sorry you have to do this. But there is no other way.
Just as you know, Eve learned in the Garden of Eden, there is no other way.
I think I think it's kind of beautiful to think about that if it was Adam. Because here
is Adam and and Jesus who Jesus under the direction of Elohim, our Heavenly Father,
created the world. Yeah, this. Yeah.
And then Adam. So that was the first pillar of the plan of salvation, right?
First, the eternity, the creation. And then the second pillar being the fall of mankind
or the fall of Adam and Eve. Adam was obviously instrumental and involved in that.
And now you would have definitely been there and appeared to them.
That's right. And now here we have the answer to the fall of Adam and Eve. And and of course,
that's Jesus's Jesus Christ's job to to to set that off for us through the through his
atonement and the things that we're talking about here. So I for me, there's just some
sort of beautiful poetry, some sort of beautiful divinity and all of that if it were.
And I like the friendship between Jehovah and Michael. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, they were they were so close and so I think it's touching to reflect on
that experience of the angel and then Jesus. So in Gethsemane, after the angel and after
he's bled from every poor, I love how they how in the Bible videos that the church made,
they they show Jesus going to the Kidron Brook and kind of washing himself off. Maybe some
of the blood running into the Kidron Brook and somewhat cleansing himself before he's
betrayed and and arrested. I just think that's kind of interesting to consider, you know,
that he's even though he's bled from every poor, he he has an opportunity to go over
there and kind of cleanse some of that with water. And then he's arrested and for 30 pieces
of silver, the price of a slave in the Old Testament, Judas and the Roman soldiers come
and and Peter cuts off the air of Malthus and Jesus restores his ear and kind of chastises
Peter. And then he goes through a mockery of a trial and ends up at the House of Caiaphas
where they spit in his face where he spit upon where he's rebuked. And then early in
the morning is taken to Antonio Fortress. I just want to say some things about guest
70 before we close the podcast. Everything after guest 70 would be intensified Scott
because of what he experienced in guest 70. I mean, I this is the ultimate meaning of
quote. He was wounded. This is a benedict quoting Isaiah. This Isaiah 53 and Mosiah 14. He
was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. I mean, he was
his whole body would have been bruised his face when they slapped him. It would have
been so much more painful than just any slap because his whole face was bruised when they
slapped him. Even Judas's kiss. Such a hypocrisy of Judas kissing him on the cheek would have
been painful because he was so bruised by the bleeding from every poor. He was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. Love the description that Isaiah sees of
this. In Jesus the Christ, Scott Elder Talmage writing Jesus the Christ in the Salt Lake
Temple. I'm always, you know, the context of the coming forth of this book is pretty amazing.
We're on the few books that still continues to endure. Anyway, Elder Talmage, this is
how he describes it. Christ's agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind,
both as to intensity and cause. He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being
who has lived on the earth might even conceive as possible. Not just, not more than man can
experience, but more than man can even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain nor mental
anguish alone that caused him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood
from every poor, but it was the spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable
of experiencing. No other man, however great his powers of physical or mental endurance
could have suffered as much. So I love that. It wasn't the physical. It was the spiritual,
more than anything else. It was everything. It was physical. It was emotional. It was mental. It was
more than anything else spiritual to take upon himself the sins and the suffering of all mankind
to take upon himself all of the negatives of all mankind as a result of the fall. I believe that
in the garden and again on the cross at 12 noon, three hours after he's been on the cross and it
turns completely dark, I believe he suffers spiritual death in a mortal body. That's that's
got to be the one. We can't conceive it. We can't comprehend it how how painful that that would be
to be especially maybe for him in a way as close to his father as he was as innocent as he was as
as as pure as he was to take upon himself and fill the effects of all of the sins, all of the
the evil, dirty, awful sins of all the world and actually be cut off from the presence of God and
be all alone. Well, at least in the garden, he had an angel on the cross. There will be no one.
And that's why when we talk about the cross on our next podcast, we'll talk about how the really the
the zenith to his suffering was on the cross from 12 noon until 3 p.m.
Ah, it's kind of always wears me out talking about this. God, I just
made the kind of heart wrenching. It's I know I cause some of his pain. I'm grateful that he was
as willing to suffer for me as President Faust puts it, you know, President Faust puts I wonder how
many I wonder how many drops he shed for me. This idea of bleeding from every every poor
is in the medical in the medical field, they would actually call that he metedrosis.
He was blood and to drossus means that it comes through the pores and it's a I'm just reading
here from the male clinic. He metedrosis a very rare condition in which a person sweats blood.
Under the pressure of great stress, the vessels constrict then rupture. The blood goes into the
sweat glands and comes out of the pores as droplets of blood mixed with sweat. The effects on the body
is that of weakness and mild to moderate dehydration from the severe anxiety and both the blood and
sweat loss. Another effect is that the skin becomes extremely tender and bruised so that any pressure
or damage to the skin is more than ordinarily painful. So again any touch from anyone as they
as they press up against him as he's as he's trying to carry the beam on his back any touch to his
skin at all after Gethsemane would have been exponentially increased because of what he
experienced there from bleeding from every poor. Even the weight of his own robe.
Yeah. Yeah and think about the effects of dehydration. I mean he's completely dehydrated.
And I don't think I've ever experienced that in my life but I know my wife does. You know Chris
got gets so dehydrated sometimes that she just well in Egypt I guess she was I was close to losing her
when we were in Egypt. She became so dehydrated and so nauseous and so sick that so I he's feeling
all of that as well. Anyway there's no way we can adequately describe we have no words to really
communicate. I think the the divinity and holiness and sacred nature of what happens
in Gethsemane Scott. But I feel such humility and gratitude for not only what he did but
but for the love in which he did it for me for you hope that our listeners
will begin to feel some of that as well. There is no way that any of us can really understand
what it was that Jesus went through during those hours and days or whatever during this process.
But if we pray and ask Heavenly Father to help us with the spiritual eye and with the spiritual
understanding understand that we're likely to have a great experience with that. We will have a
deeper exposure to and a deeper experience as we begin to understand the suffering that took place
and how that suffering was affected. There is a cause and effect here. There is a cause on our
part. The effect was the suffering and how that cause was due to us. Now that will come by way
of solution to us. If we pray for that as we seek that out as we ask Heavenly Father to give us
that experience I think he'll give it to us but he'll give it to us in a way that'll help us see
that as a solution. So that, and this is my invitation for this week, so that when we go to
the sacrament table on Sunday and we hear the words of the sacrament prayer and we recognize that we
are taking these things in similitude of the blood and of the body of the Savior of the world
and as we take those things into us I hope and pray that we will have the wherewithal
to approach that experience this coming Sunday and every Sunday hereafter now with that intent of
help me to understand, help me to know, and not only help me to know the experience but help me
to know the effects of the experience. Help me to feel those effects which we'll be talking about
and identifying in upcoming podcasts but you don't have to wait for those podcasts to feel those
effects you know pray that God will allow those effects to be felt by us as we do that each week
and take his name upon us as we remember him. Thanks for being with us everybody we appreciate
your participation as always again it's been a while since I've made mention of the email address
but please don't hesitate to send us questions or experiences or thoughts too he redeems us at
gmail.com thanks for being with us we look forward to being with you next week and until then be well