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ICEBREAKER
First, today let’s look at the character of Pontius Pilate. Pilate is such a fascinating case study in my opinion. And to introduce his story, for an icebreaker, I like to ask the following multiple-choice question. You don’t need to set this up as a right or wrong kind of question, just an opinion. And then you as the teacher can feel welcome to share your opinion as well. So the question is:
Who do you feel holds the most responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?
A. Judas Iscariot
B. Pontius Pilate
C. The Jewish people
D. The Jewish leaders (the scribes and Pharisees)
E. Roman soldiers that actually crucified him
And then just let them share. In my opinion, I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the Jewish leaders although every person on that list carries some portion of the blame. But it’s the Jewish leaders that are the ones that push the most strongly for Jesus’s execution. They’re the ones who arrest him. They’re the ones to deliver him to the Romans and demand judgment, and they’re the ones that ultimately cry out for his crucifixion. The Jewish people seem to get caught up in that anger and condemnation of the leaders. We’ve already seen many examples of people showing fear over disagreeing with these guys. Judas Iscariot, we talked about last week. It’s the Jewish leaders that use him as a pawn to try to get at Jesus, but as I expressed last time, even if Judas hadn’t betrayed Christ into their hands, I believe they would have found another way to get to him. And then the Roman soldiers, although I don’t believe are entirely guiltless, were carrying out the orders of their leader, so they are probably the ones that I blame the least. But what about Pontius Pilate? What is his role in all of this and how much responsibility does he bear?
TRANSITION
I’m afraid that I don’t see Pilate as quite the villain he is made out to be. Pilate has a lot to teach us
about what can happen when we begin to compromise with the demands of evil. He teaches us a critical lesson about courage and compromise. I call this Pilate’s Problem, a problem that we all have faced in some degree I’m sure. What do we do when somebody puts pressure on us to do something that we know is wrong or even something that we don’t want to do at all. Have you ever been in that kind of situation? I imagine we all have.
Pilate and Jesus
Let's first take a look at how Pilate felt about Jesus. Did he hate him? Was he indifferent? Was he scared of him? Let’s find out. As a teacher, you might consider assigning four different people to look up the following references, read them, and explain what they reveal.
Acts 3:13
Matthew 27:18
Matthew 27:19
Luke 23:20
In Acts 3:13 we learn that Pilate was determined to let him go. He didn’t want to crucify Jesus. He actively sought to free him. In Matthew 27:18 we learn that Pilate knew that it was for envy that they had delivered him. He understood the motivation of the Jewish leaders. He knew Jesus hadn’t done anything worthy of death. Then in Matthew 27:19, Pilate’s wife warns him and tells him have nothing to do with this just man. And then Luke 23:20 tells us that he was willing to release Jesus. So Pilate doesn’t hate Jesus, he doesn’t see him as a threat, he’s not even indifferent to him. He did not want to crucify him, and he actually tries to save him from the Jews to let him go. And he tries at least five different attempts to save Jesus from death. And we’ll take a look at each of those. But here you have one of the most ironic situations in all of scripture. You may recall what most Jews imagined the Messiah would be like and what he would do? The Jews believed that the Messiah would come to save them from the Romans, but here you have a Roman trying to save the Messiah from the Jews! Now that's irony!
Pilate’s Verdict
But let’s examine how this all took place. First, we know that the Jews want Jesus executed. But, as they say to Pilate in John 18:31 “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.” So Pilate sees him, and you have that great conversation between the two in John 18:33-37.
33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
34 Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
See, Pilates biggest concern is to see if Jesus is a threat to Rome. The Jews are saying that he's claiming to be a king, so it shouldn’t surprise us that Pilate’s questions deal mainly with that claim. But Jesus explains that his kingdom is not of this world and that he's really come to bear witness of the truth. And with that Pilate realizes that Jesus isn't a threat. So he goes back to the Jews and makes the most correct, accurate legal decision ever made in history. And what was his verdict? John 18:38. “ I find in him no fault at all.” Truer words were never spoken. Though Pilate didn't even realize it, he was perfectly describing Jesus. There was literally no fault in him. And that should have been the end of it. I find no fault in him, period. Unfortunately, knowing what we know about what’s going to happen, what do you think is going to be the next word out of Pilate’s mouth? Without even looking. And I bet you can probably guess. It’s “BUT.” Pilate is going to begin to compromise with their request. Because he wants to appease them in some way. So he's going to give in just a little to their demands. So in John 18:39-40 what was Pilate’s first appeal to compromise with their evil desire?
39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the Passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
40 Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
And the answer is that he sees an out with a custom that they have at Passover which was to release one prisoner to them. So he's basically saying. You really want me to condemn this man? All right, I’ll condemn him. But then I'll just release him again. And that should satisfy you right? You're getting a little bit of what you want, and I can still get what I want. Win-Win! And does that work? No. The Jewish leaders convince the people to cry out for Barabbas, a different prisoner. Which, in John, it only says he's a robber. But actually he’s much more of a serious criminal than that. In Mark 15:7 we find out that he is in prison for sedition and murder. So he’s a terrorist of sorts. And once again we have a stunning case of irony where we see these people, instead of asking for Jesus, the giver of life, the living bread, the living water, they request Barabbas, a taker of life. So it doesn’t work
Pilate’s Second Appeal
So now they demand a sentence on Jesus. So Pilate is going to make a second appeal or compromise with them. What does he decide to do to Jesus in John 19:1 -3?
1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
And here we find that Pilate decides to have him scourged or whipped. And that's where we get that heartbreaking scene of the soldiers mocking him and putting a robe on him and a crown of thorns on his head. And then they scourge him. And these whippings done by the Romans were incredibly brutal. Jesus’s back would have been completely torn and bleeding. But we know that that’s not going to be enough to appease the people either.
Pilate’s Third Appeal
Then look what Pilate does next, realizing that Jesus would have looked terrible at this point with what happened in Gethsemane and then being beaten at Caiaphas palace, the crown of thorns the whipping. Read John 19:4-5 and ask yourself what you think Pilate is hoping will happen by doing this?
4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.
5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!
He says, “Behold the man!” exclamation point. What’s he doing here? I feel he’s appealing to their sense of pity or compassion. As if to say, “Just look at him! Look what we've done to this innocent man. Isn't that enough?” But what happens? Does that satiate them? No. What happens when we compromise with evil? It's never satisfied. It just whets their appetite for more. So look at verse six:
6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
And here as the teacher, I would just lead them through this next section reading the following verses and commenting on them. So the Jews say in verse seven:
7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;
He's like, “Oh my goodness maybe there's more to this man. He's saying he's the son of God?” So he brings him back in and asks him a few more questions. Jesus doesn't give him very much but at one point Jesus does say in verse 11 . . .
11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
So interesting there. It's almost as if Jesus is comforting Pilate in a way. Perhaps he sees the struggle within him and tells him that the Jewish leaders are really mostly to blame here. And this just convinces Pilate even more that Jesus is innocent and no threat. And in verse 12
12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him:
Pilate’s fourth appeal
He tries another appeal then.
. . . but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
Did you catch the threat that the people make in these verses? “If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesars friend whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.” And you know that's not really an idle threat there. The Caesar at this time is Tiberius and near the end of his reign he got really paranoid, and he was executing a number of senators for treason. So Pilate’s feeling the pressure here as he realizes that he's let this thing get out of hand. So he makes another appeal there. An appeal to their sense of national pride. He says, “Behold your King! Shall I crucify your King?” To which they respond, “We have no king but Caesar.” And truly they’ve chosen an earthly king rather than their heavenly king.
Pilate’s Final Appeal
Pilate makes one final appeal, and we only find this in the account in Matthew. What does he do as one final last-ditch effort to dissuade them from their designs. Matthew 27:24-25
24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
What’s his final appeal then? He washes his hands in front of them saying that he's innocent of the shedding of Jesus's blood. Which, interestingly enough, this is actually a Jewish custom. He’s appealing to THEIR law. You can read about that custom in Deuteronomy 21:1-9 if you’d like. But he’s saying that he is not accepting responsibility for Jesus’s death. Or in other words he’s communicating, “Rome is not executing this man. You are.” To which they accept the responsibility for the shedding of his blood. And so he allows them to do it. Evil wins. The only stand that Pilate makes in this whole story, the only time he actually shows some backbone is when he makes the sign that will be placed on Jesus’s cross. He writes, Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews. And the leaders want him to change it. They want it to say, no, no, no, he claimed he was a king. But Pilate says in John 19:22 What I have written I have written. He holds his ground but by then it's too little too late. Jesus is going to be crucified
Pilate’s Problem
One final verse that I want to point your attention to. What was Pilate’s major problem in all of this according to Mark 15:15? This verse offers us the perfect summary and explanation of the issue.
15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
His problem? He was willing to content the people. And what did we just learn about that. What happens when you try to content people who are asking you to do something wrong, to compromise with goodness and righteousness?
TRUTH
I might state the simple truth of this story like this: When courage is needed compromise will never be sufficient. OR
If I compromise with evil, it will only demand more and more until it overcomes me.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Now to liken the Scriptures. We're probably never going to be tempted to have somebody killed, hopefully. But I believe that we can all relate to Pilate in that we too face situations where we feel pressure to do things that we know are wrong. Has this happened to you? Have you been in Pilate’s position? Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were tempted to “content the people”? Some possible examples of this . . . Ever felt pressure to be dishonest or to cheat by a fellow student? Hey, show me your answers. Let me copy your paper. Have you ever felt pressure to engage in some form of inappropriate entertainment by your peers? A movie, music, pornographic material? Ever felt the pressure to use bad language around others that use it constantly? Or to dress immodestly? Ever felt the pressure to conform to the opinions, ideas, and attitudes of the world around you? Pressure to gossip about other people? Or maybe even pressure in a relationship to push the boundaries of morality?
If we ever find ourselves in one of these kinds of circumstances we can learn from Pilate’s mistake. What should we do instead? We can show courage. We can stand for the right, right at the beginning. And not give in even a little bit. We cannot be “willing to content the people,” because as soon as we compromise with that pressure, it will only mount and get harder and harder to resist. Evil will just keep pushing us further and further until we end up doing something that we never intended to do.
And at this point, you may want to be prepared to share a story of a time when you resisted that pressure. Don't share an example of a failure in this regard but a victory to inspire them. I'm sure that you all have had times when you've had the courage to resist the pressure of the world and choose the right.
Another possibility here would be to show the Church video entitled “Leave the Party” which tells the true story of group of young men who were put into a tempting circumstance and what happened to those who compromised and those who refused to compromise. It’s a good example of the “Pilate’s Problem” phenomena.
Also, you could encourage one of them to relate a time when they stood up for what was right. A time when they had the courage to resist the pressure of “the people” and you refused to “content them”.
CONCLUSION
So the next time you find yourself in a situation like this when the world is shouting at you to compromise and temptation is calling out to you to give in, give in, even just a little bit. Remember Pilate’s problem and the outcome that that eventually produced. Instead, I pray that we can have courage to stand for the right. Courage not compromise. And when you do, may you feel your Father in Heaven smiling down on you as you rejoice in the knowledge that you were strong enough to resist the pressure—that you had spiritual backbone in the face of temptation.
SEVEN STATEMENTS FROM THE CROSS
NOTE
Moving on. A brief caution here about teaching the crucifixion. Please don't spend too much time going over all the gruesome details of how the crucifixion worked. I've been in too many classes where the teacher spent the majority of the time going into a clinical, graphic description of how terrible and agonizing crucifixion would have been. And that’s not to say that you don’t say anything about it. It is important to understand that it was painful and extremely difficult to bear, but there’s a tendency to want to emphasize the horrors of the crucifixion to draw a response from your students but that can distract from the beautiful, uplifting nature of what was taught from the cross and the sacrifice that Jesus made as his mortal mission concluded. I understand that this may be more of a personal preference, but I urge you to consider that caution as you teach this subject
ICEBREAKER
And for an icebreaker, you can quiz your students on their recognition of religious symbols. What major world religions are often represented by these symbols? So here we go?
Islam
Hinduism
Judaism
Buddhism
Taoism
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Christianity
Now Christianity has chosen the cross as its major representative symbol. Which begs the question, Why don’t we use the cross as a symbol in our Church? Somebody might argue, “If you members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wish to be thought of and referred to as Christians by the rest of the Christian world, you might consider using the great symbol of Christianity on your churches and in your publications.” But why don’t we?
Here's the explanation given from the “True to the Faith” booklet.
The cross is used in many Christian churches as a symbol of the Savior’s death and resurrection and as a sincere expression of faith. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we also remember with reverence the suffering of the Savior. But because the Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of His death as the symbol of our faith.
Our lives must be the expression of our faith. When we are baptized and confirmed, we covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. The way we live our lives should demonstrate our love for the Savior and His work.
Now that being the case, we should also be careful not to denigrate or disregard the cross and what happened there either. It is special to us as well and was a fundamental part of the atonement.
TRANSITION
And I know you’ve heard me say this time and time again, but Jesus was always teaching. Even as he hung in agony on the cross, he was teaching. And the lessons he teaches from the cross are very similar in theme to what we talked about last week as we discussed Gethsemane. So this week is going to be a continuation of that theme. He’s going to teach us additional principles on suffering and how best to endure it. And I remember a number of years ago, a presentation prepared for seminary and institute teachers by the Church correlation department where they gave us some instruction and cautions regarding our teaching. And one of their counsels was that we should not refer to people’s trials as Gethsemane’s. And maybe you’ve heard that expression before? Somebody might say, “I’m going through my Gethsemane,” or “This must be my Gethsemane.” Now my friends, as difficult as our trials and tragedies in life may be, we don’t have Gethsemane’s. There is only one person who has ever had a “Gethsemane” and that was Jesus Christ. There is nothing that we can suffer, that is comparable to what Jesus experienced there. However, we do have crosses to bear. That is where we can relate. And crucifixion was certainly one of the cruelest forms of execution ever devised by man. The Romans were quite brutal in many ways, but I can think of examples of people in this world who have also endured equally torturous and horrendous circumstances in their lives. Even Jesus told us to “take up [our] cross daily and follow [him] (Luke 9:23). So Jesus is going to teach us here how to take up our crosses.
SEARCH
To make this lesson more relevant from the very beginning, I encourage you to think about one of the crosses that you’ve faced or are facing in your life. And as we discuss what Jesus taught from his cross, contemplate ways in which you can apply those lessons to your own particular suffering.
If we take all of the accounts of the crucifixion from the four gospels and combine them into one, we discover that Christ made seven statements as he hung on the cross. And each statement holds a key to understanding Christ-like suffering. Send your students into the scriptures with the following handout and encourage them to find them. And I’ve placed them in the order that they were most likely said, though we can’t be sure on some of them. If you’re teaching the youth, you could even make it a bit of a contest by putting them in teams of four and challenging them to be the first team to fill in each of the boxes by writing down the seven statements Jesus said from the cross. But they have to get them word for word, or it doesn’t count. And what are they?
Luke 23:34 Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
Luke 23:43 Verily I say unto thee today thou shalt be with me in paradise.
John 19:26-27 Woman behold thy son . . . behold thy mother.
Matthew 27:46 My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?
John 19:28 I thirst
Luke 23:46 Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
John 19:30 It is finished.
Each one of these statements is a sermon in and of itself and can teach us a great deal. For the remainder of the lesson then, we’re just going to take each statement one at a time and ask ourselves, “What does this statement teach us about enduring hardship and suffering?” And that’s basically all the lesson plan you need to teach this topic. That approach should carry you right through to the conclusion.
But allow me to offer you some insights as a teacher that you may find useful as you respond to their comments. They’re certain to find things that I don’t share with you here. But as you discuss the seven statements you might wish to add some of your own thoughts and insights as well.
So statement #1: Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
What does that teach us about enduring suffering? Forgiving can help me to endure my suffering. Jesus apparently understood the power of forgiveness. When God asks us to forgive others, I don't believe that it’s always necessarily just for the benefit of the offender but for the benefit of the victim as well. The sooner we let go of the resentment, the hate, the desire for revenge, the quicker WE can begin to heal. Jesus understood this principle so well that he forgave immediately in this instance. It's one thing to forgive somebody after they’ve hurt you but it's completely another to forgive someone while they're hurting you. If you want to ease your suffering, forgive. And that doesn’t mean that you have to allow them to keep hurting you and it's not to say that what they did was okay. It's not even letting them off the hook of justice. It's just letting them off your hook and placing them on to God’s and putting the burden of judgment into his hands. A famous scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants comes to mind here. Section 64:10-11.
“I the Lord will forgive whom I will forgive. But of you it is required to forgive all men. And you ought to say in your hearts, let God judge between me and thee and reward the according to your deeds.”
So we let God be the judge. But our job is to forgive, not only for their sakes but for ours. And I’m not suggesting that the reason Christ forgave those soldiers who were crucifying him was just out of a sense of his own well-being. I also believe it’s evidence of his merciful and gracious and loving nature. That was just a part of who he was and IS. He is quick to forgive out of a sense of love and concern for us, not just himself. And before we leave this idea, allow me to say that I also believe and acknowledge that there are some offenses committed against us that are so severe and devastating that forgiveness might take some time. We may not always be able to forgive and love as immediately and easily as Christ does here, and I think our Heavenly Father understands that. But we should be working towards it, striving for it and never come to say, “Oh, I can never forgive you for what you did.” Hopefully we are continually seeking to cultivate a spirit of forgiveness in our hearts. The truth here then? Forgiving those that have hurt me can help me to endure my suffering.
Statement #2 Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise.
This was spoken to one of the thieves that was crucified next to Jesus who defends and stands up to the railings of the other thief crucified on his other side. And I might lump the message of statement number 2 in together with statement number 3 Woman behold thy son, and then in the next verse, behold thy mother. I lump these two together because I feel their message is much the same. It's also a message that I talked about in our Last Supper lesson a few weeks ago where I made the point that of all the people in the world who needed comfort and reassurance at this time it was Jesus. But who was doing all the comforting? He was. He who needed comfort was the comforter. He who needed support was doing the supporting. He who needed reassurance is doing the reassuring. In times of suffering it's very natural for us to turn inward and to focus on OUR problems and OUR needs. But Jesus turned outward and focused on the needs and concerns of those around him. So while on the cross, to the thief beside him who shows a measure of faith in Christ's divinity and innocence he gives reassurance of better things to come in the next life and for his beloved mother, a charge to John to guarantee her care and livelihood after he was gone. Jesus was focused outward, always outward. He almost couldn't help it. He spent his life reaching out to bless and succor others and not even the torture of the cross could drive that out of him. So as we said in the lesson on the Last Supper: One of the best ways to alleviate our own suffering is to seek to alleviate the suffering of others.
Statement #4. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me. And I have two thoughts on this one. One, this statement suggests that at this moment while he hung on the cross, the Father withdrew his spirit from his beloved son. And why would the Father do such a thing? You’d think that this would be the moment Christ needed him most. But the withdrawal of the Spirit was a necessary part of Jesus’s fulfillment of his atoning mission. Jeffrey R. Holland probably explains this best when he said:
With all the conviction of my soul I testify that He did please His Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake His Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ’s mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, 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.
Jeffrey R. Holland
(None Were With Him, Conference Report April 2009)
I can't say it any better than that and I feel that teaches us a powerful principle on suffering as well. Suffering is harder when we don't have the spirit. Therefore, when we suffer, let’s make sure that we’re doing everything in our power to keep him near. In times of distress we need his presence more than ever. So when things get tough, we’ve got to continue doing all those things we normally do to keep the Spirit. We’ve got to pray, study the scriptures, attend our church meetings, go to the temple, and strive to remain worthy of that Spirit in every way we can. The difficult times in our lives are the worst times to get bitter towards God and shut him out of our lives. It’s the time we need him most, so we must keep his Spirit with us.
A second thought on that statement here. In the Gospels we experience the crucifixion from the perspective of being on the outside looking up. From the third person—the perspective of the gospel writers. But would you be interested in understanding and experiencing the crucifixion from the inside looking down—to understand it from the first person? Well, in a way, we can. When Jesus said, “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me” he may have been quoting scripture—a favorite Psalm of his from the Old Testament. Perhaps he was drawing strength from a sacred hymn that he must have been very familiar with, because that is the first line of that Psalm number 22. So, like we talked about last week, sacred music can be a source of strength in our suffering. But this psalm offers us much more than that as an insight. If we want that first person perspective we can read Psalm 22. And we’ll do that together here looking for what it teaches us about enduring our own crosses.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
And have you ever prayed that kind of prayer? Have you ever felt like God was far from you? That no one was listening? Joseph Smith once prayed that kind of prayer in Liberty Jail when he said, “Oh God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place.” (Doctrine & Covenants 121:1) But is that feeling the focus of the Psalm? Does Christ dwell on that for long? No
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
See how quickly the shift comes? These are verses infused with faith and trust in God. One thing we get for sure from this psalm is a refutation of the theory that Christ, when he said that, was expressing doubt or complaint while on the cross.
Continuing on. A description of how the Savior would be treated as he hung there.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Isn’t that exactly what some of the people at the crucifixion accused Christ of? But now more conviction:
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Here our Savior reaffirms his commitment to his Father and accomplishing his will. “thou art my God from my mother’s belly”. I will always follow you; I have always followed you, from my very birth.
And now, he’ll give us a very moving and vivid description of what he was experiencing physically.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. (How’s that for a reference to the crucifixion?)
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
(That is something that we know took place on Calvary.)
19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
Can you see why this psalm would come to mind for Christ?
And now, there’s a shift from verse 22 on. A psalm that is filled with a description of his pain, agony, and pleading, is going to end in triumph and an anticipation of future glory.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Do you understand why Christ would quote this hymn? Why he would have this in mind. I’m sure it gave him strength at the time when he needed it most. I believe that when he made that statement, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me,” he was drawing upon the victorious and exultant spirit of this hymn to help him endure his anguish.
And that’s what we must do as well. We don’t need to enjoy or welcome or rejoice in our suffering. But we can rejoice in God’s promise that we will overcome all if we maintain our faith and conviction in his eventual triumph over them. Even though he suffered greatly, he did overcome. He did his Father’s will and triumphed over all his foes. He defeated both sin and death, and through that victory, also overcame all of our sins, sorrows, sicknesses, temptations, and afflictions (Alma 7:11-13).
Statement #5. The one request that Christ makes for himself during this whole ordeal. I thirst.
Wanting something to drink is a very common request of a dying person. I won't go into a lot of detail on this one because I feel I covered the significance of that statement in the Easter video I did on the Atonement back in April where we discussed the bitter cup. If you didn’t teach that then or last week with Gethsemane, you might consider teaching it here. But if you did, you may just want to briefly refer back to that thought. Remember that Jesus compared his atonement to a bitter cup. That enduring it was like drinking a cup of something very bitter and he drank that cup from Gethsemane to Golgotha. And so in this last moment where he says he thirsts, what did they give him? Vinegar. And that’s why I say, “How fitting. How appropriate that the last taste on the Savior’s lips before he dies was bitterness.” He drank that cup to its last bitter drop. And if there is a truth about suffering that this statement could teach us here, perhaps it's that requesting help from others can help me to endure my suffering. We may not be able to do it all on our own. So reach out to others. Ask for help when there is something you can’t do for yourself.
Statement #6, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
At this last moment, just before he dies, Jesus places his sacrifice and suffering into the hands of his father in heaven. What a beautiful thought. Could we not do the same when we suffer? Place all of it into the hands of our Heavenly Father. I'm certain that when we do that, just like the Father did for his son, he will make something positive out of all our negatives. That’s the great power of God, the ability to take anything that is given to him, even negative things, and turn them into a glory. God took this painful offering of his son, and turned it into the salvation of all the rest of his children and the greatest miracle of all time and eternity. He can do the same with our sufferings. I like to imagine somebody coming to God and just pouring out a description of all the negatives in their life, “Well there was this, and then this happened, and I suffered with this negative all my life, and then this happened in my marriage, and then this with one of my children.” And God says, “Put them into my hands and see what I can do with them.” And he’ll take each one and say through the power of the atonement and the cross, “I will cross all your negatives and turn them into positives.” Joseph Smith taught us that “All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it.” I’m certain that someday we will be grateful for our all of our past sorrows and sufferings, through the power of God. Remember what Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to them that love God.” And included in that “all things” are our sufferings. So the truth here, If I place my sufferings into God's hands, he will turn them to my good.”
Statement #7 It is finished
Perhaps my favorite statement of all. What does that statement mean for you and me? It means that if Jesus, who suffered more than any mortal has ever suffered, could say that of his pains and sorrows than we will too! There will come a day when we will get to say of some pain, trial, loss, or affliction, that same declaration. It is finished. I don't have to endure this anymore. That pain is gone. That problem is over. I have endured to the end. I mean, that promise is contained within that well-known phrase itself. Endure to the end means that there will, in fact, be an end. It's not endure this throughout eternity. It’s endure to the end. In that great “It is finished” was given the power to grant all of us an “It is finished.” I bear witness that one day we too will speak those liberating three words. The burdens will be lifted, the chains loosed, and the wounds healed. Perhaps one of my favorite scripture verses of all time is found in Revelation 21:4 which seems appropriate here.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away.
So the truth that this teaches: Remembering that there will be an end to all pain can help me to endure my suffering.
Scars of Sacrifice
And overall one final thought. The very fact that Jesus is suffering so profoundly in this instance teaches a truth in and of itself. I've sometimes been asked by students in the past the following question: If resurrection takes away all our imperfections, wounds, and scars then why does Jesus still have the marks of the cross on his hands and feet and side? And I offer the explanation that after the resurrection those scars became more than just scars. They became signs, symbols and tokens of his sacrifice. A message to the world to all those who have been and will be witnesses of his resurrection. What is that message? Well once again I turn to Elder Holland who said,
“In a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, our Lord of this sacrament table has chosen to retain for the benefit of his disciples the wounds in his hands and his feet and his side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and perfect.”
(Conference Report, October 1995)
And in another place:
“The wounds in his hands, feet, and side are signs that in mortality painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect, signs that tribulation is not evidence that God does not love us. It is a significant and hopeful fact that it is the wounded Christ who comes to our rescue. He who bears the scars of sacrifice, the lesions of love, the emblems of humility and forgiveness is the Captain of our Soul. That evidence of pain in mortality is undoubtedly intended to give courage to others who are also hurt and wounded by life, perhaps even in the house of their friends”
(Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 258–59).
So personally, I am grateful that the marks are still there. And I anticipate and look forward to the day where I might be called forward to touch those sacred tokens and become a witness not just to his suffering, but to the great truths that his suffering teaches.
CONCLUSION
So to conclude, I know that as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we may tend to get a little uneasy about images of the Savior on the cross. But I hope this study has given us a clearer picture of the meaning of the cross to us. Now we always look to the miracles of Gethsemane and the garden tomb over what happened on Golgotha, and I feel that it’s appropriate that we emphasize Christ’s victory over death over that death itself. But we too should honor the cross and recognize what happened there as a fundamental and powerful part of the great story of Christ's atonement. Indeed, Christ taught this very truth to the Nephites at Bountiful when he said, “And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me . . .” (3 Nephi 27:14) May we all be drawn to him then. And let’s seek to make our commitment to him the great symbol of our faith.
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