View His Death

I have attempted over the past several weeks on Fridays to write about what “the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel” as President Nelson invited us to search. A corollary question we might ask is “what has He already done for covenant Israel?” Of course the scriptures are full of the works of the Lord, from delivering the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt to preserving them from their enemies in battle to healing their sick over and over again during in mortal ministry, to name a few. In the Book of Mormon we see countless examples of His great works among the people, from leading them out of danger, preserving them upon the waters, strengthening them against the hands of their enemies, and again miraculously healing their sick. In fact, one of the purposes of the Book of Mormon was to “bring to light their marvelous works, which they did in [His] name” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:61). Surely one of the great purposes of the scriptures in general is to show us “remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until [now]” (Moroni 10:3). As we see how He has blessed His people in times past we can gain faith that He will similarly work in our lives when we covenant with Him.

                Of course, the most important work that He has performed for covenant Israel is “the great atoning sacrifice… for the redemption of the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:2). In this week’s Come, Follow Me reading we have a powerful biographical account of that sacrifice He made: “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 19:16-19). Of all things He has done or will yet do for covenant Israel, this is the greatest. He later told the Prophet Joseph, after describing the harrowing conditions that faithful disciples might have to pass through, “The Son of Man hath descended below them all” (Doctrine and Covenants 122:8). We can understand little of what He actually suffered as one of my favorite hymns so eloquently states: “We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.” But even though we may not understand in the fullest what He did, we should seek to know what we can and show gratitude for how He “suffered there” for us.   

                Jacob wrote about his efforts to record the words of the Lord on the plates for his people and how He sought to “persuade them to come unto Christ,” and He expressed his desire for all of us this way: “Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world” (Jacob 1:7-8). The phrase that stuck out to me today was this invitation to “view his death.” In the French version it uses the words “réfléchissent à sa mort,” meaning to reflect upon His death. I know that is something that I do not do enough, to ponder and reflect and view the suffering and death of the Savior for me. The Prophet Joseph famously stated, “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” (see here). If we truly believe that this is the fundamental aspect of our religion, then surely we should be doing as Jacob invited to “view his death” in our mind’s eye and ponder often on His great sacrifice for all mankind. His invitation in another revelation was to do just that: "Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven" (Doctrine and Covenants 6:37). As we consider what He has promised He will do for Israel in the future, we should likewise reflect upon the wounds that pierced His side and the great atoning sacrifice He wrought to save us from sin and death and hell.