Trodden the Winepress Alone

Isaiah wrote this about the second coming: “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me” (Isaiah 63:1-3). This idea of the Savior having trodden the winepress alone was repeated three times in modern revelation. Again speaking of a future day, we read this in Joseph and Sidney’s vision: “Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work; When he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:106-107). In the olive leaf revelation, we learn of a future day when an angel will shout, “It is finished; it is finished! The Lamb of God hath overcome and trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:106). These passages give a powerful visual of the atonement when He was literally covered in red, having accomplished alone what only He could in the garden and on the cross. President Holland spoke of it this way: “I speak of the loneliest journey ever made and the unending blessings it brought to all in the human family. I speak of the Savior’s solitary task of shouldering alone the burden of our salvation. Rightly He would say: ‘I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me. … I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold [me].’” He spoke of the fact that the Savior did this alone in these powerful words: “That the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.” Indeed, He did tread the winepress totally alone for the salvation of all mankind, and it left Him stained with our blood.  

All of the above passages referencing the winepress do so in a context of His future coming, but I think they can all be interpreted as describing His great atoning sacrifice as Elder Holland used it. There is another interpretation that is clear in the Lord’s appendix to the Doctrine and Covenants. The Savior described the future event of His coming when some will say, “Who is this that cometh down from God in heaven with dyed garments; yea, from the regions which are not known, clothed in his glorious apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?” The account continues, “And he shall say: I am he who spake in righteousness, mighty to save. And the Lord shall be red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat. And so great shall be the glory of his presence that the sun shall hide his face in shame, and the moon shall withhold its light, and the stars shall be hurled from their places. And his voice shall be heard: I have trodden the wine-press alone, and have brought judgment upon all people; and none were with me. And I have trampled them in my fury, and I did tread upon them in mine anger, and their blood have I sprinkled upon my garments, and stained all my raiment; for this was the day of vengeance which was in my heart.” He will come again in red, a red representing blood, and this final passage suggests that the blood comes from the wicked who will be destroyed at His coming. One manual puts it this way: “From these verses we learn of the Lord’s justice and vengeance at His Second Coming. In the symbol of the wine-press, the grapes represent the wicked, who will be destroyed at the time of the Savior’s Second Coming. His red clothing can be seen as a symbol of His justice.” And yet, though this passage is very harsh towards the wicked, we can’t stop there or we will miss the full picture. The very next verses read this way: “And now the year of my redeemed is come; and they shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord, and all that he has bestowed upon them according to his goodness, and according to his loving kindness, forever and ever. In all their afflictions he was afflicted. And the angel of his presence saved them; and in his love, and in his pity, he redeemed them, and bore them, and carried them all the days of old” (Doctrine and Covenants 133:46-53). The juxtaposition of verses 51 and 52 is perhaps shocking: in one we read of His fury and vengeance and blood on His raiment, and in the next we read of His loving kindness and goodness. I believe verse 51 is speaking of the destruction that He must bring upon the wicked at His coming if He is to envelop all the rest of the Father’s children with His loving kindness. The terrible cruelty of the extremely wicked—those who abuse and kill and torment other men, women, and children—must be stopped. And it will be at His coming when He will bring justice upon them so that those who have suffered at their hands can finally find rest through in His goodness and mercy. When He comes again His red will represent His justice for the wicked whose blood will be shed. But it will represent His great love for all others who will be cleansed by the great atoning sacrifice He wrought out for all who will come unto Him.