This
event of the Saviour’s ministry would have to have been the lowest point in his
mortal life. Having returned form 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, having triumphantly
overcome the temptations tailored to His godship, the Saviour returned to
Galilee where ‘the fame of him went through the whole region’ as He taught in
their synagogues (Luke 4:13-15).
When
He came to Nazareth on Sabbath day, He proclaimed His divinity in the
synagogue, through the words of Isaiah:
“The
spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach good
tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to
give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning……..” (Isaiah 61:1-3)
And
then the words which sealed his fate: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in
your ears.” (Luke 4:21)
What
followed makes you want to weep: “And all they in the synagogue, when they
heard these things were filled with wrath. And rose up and thrust him out of
the city and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built,
that they might cast him down headlong.” (Luke 4:28,29)
Just
as the Jews denied Jesus’ divinity in their day, we in our day sometimes deny His
Atonement, not fully understanding its power and for what it was given:
“We
need to understand the Atonement more fully than we do, both because outsiders
may misperceive our doctrine and because we may view the Atonement too narrowly
in our own lives. For example, Newsweek magazine has stated: “Unlike
orthodox Christians, Mormons believe that men are born free of sin and earn
their way to godhood by the proper exercise of free will, rather than through
the grace of Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus’ suffering and death in the Mormon
view…do not atone for the sins of others.” (Newsweek, 1 Sept 1980, p 68)
“It
disturbs me that Newsweek would miss the point of our core doctrine,
even though the article purported not to summarize our theology but to report
what Latter-day Saints actually believe. It is unfortunate when we convey
incorrect ideas to others; but it is worse when we by our limited doctrinal
understanding, deny ourselves the reassurance and guidance we may
desperately need at pivotal moments in our lives.” (Bruce C. Hafen, Beauty for Ashes: The
Atonement of Jesus Christ, Ensign April 1990)
Elder
Hafen goes on to say that according to Isaiah’s definition of the Saviour’s
role, His Atonement is not only the healing power for sin, but also for
carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness. The Atonement is not just
for sinners but for all who need relief from weaknesses, shortcomings,
disappointment, harmful effects from our ignorance, neglect, sickness, and
heartbreaks that form the deliberate fabric of mortal life. The Atonement’s
effects are meant not only for the Judgment Day but for here and now. It is a
rich source of strength to deal productively with difficulties of mortal life.
It is, in essence, beauty amidst the ashes of mortality.
The
key to activating the power of Atonement in our lives is our understanding of
grace. Nephi wrote, “For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after
all we can do. (2 Nephi 25:23). Christendom at large believes more in grace
than in the second part of the process whilst some Latter-Day Saints tend to
focus too much on it. Being saved by grace alone in spite of whatever we may
do, tends to deny free will,” implying that God will elect those he will save
without regard to their conduct or even their preference.” (see Elder Hafen’s
quoted article).
Those
who believe in being saved by grace alone tend to exonerate themselves from any
wrongdoing while those who focus on their good works only as a means of
salvation often drop out of the race believing the path to eternal life is just
too hard.
“We
need grace both to overcome sinful weeds and to grow divine flowers. We can do
neither one fully by ourselves. But grace is not cheap. It is very expensive,
even very dear. How much does this grace cost? Is it enough simply to
believe in Christ? The man who found the pearl of great price gave “all that he
had” for it (Matt 13:45,46).
“If
we desire “all that the Father hath, God asks all that we have (D&C
84:38). To qualify for such exquisite treasure, in whatever way is ours, we
must give the way Christ gave – every drop He had: “How exquisite you know not,
yea, how hard to bear you know not (D&C 19:15). Paul said, “If so be
that we suffer with him”, we are “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).
All of His heart, all of our hearts.”
“What
possible pearl could be worth such a price – for Him and for us? This earth is
not our home. We are away at school, trying to master the lessons of “the great
plan of happiness” so we can return home and know what it means to be there.
Over and over the Lord tells us why the plan is worth our sacrifice – and
His…..Of necessity, the plan is full of thorns and tears – His and ours. But
because He and we are so totally in this together, our being “at one” with Him
in overcoming all opposition will itself bring us “incomprehensible joy” (Alma
28:8).
Activating
the power of the Atonement in one’s life is not just a matter of a simple common
prayer. It is our opportunity to acknowledge and affirm our faith in Jesus
Christ and His power to save…..the words that should be spoken are: “through my
faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement, I ask…..”
May
you find the pearl of beauty amidst the ashes of your mortal life….
How
vast You are that
You
can fill the immensity of space
Yet
so small You can fit
Into
my heart with eternal grace.
How
small and insignificant am I
Among
the countless children
Of
this earth’s dust and fleeting pace
But
of what importance
To
Your saving grace!
- Cathryne
Allen
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