Purpose
To strengthen your testimonies that you can receive forgiveness, peace, and eternal life because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Preparation
- 1.
Read, ponder, and pray about the following scriptures, which give an account of the Savior’s experience in the Garden of Gethsemane:Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46.
- 2.
Additional reading: 2 Nephi 2:5–8; Alma 7:11–14; 34:8–16; 42:1–31;Doctrine and Covenants 19:15–24; Bible Dictionary, “Atonement,” 617;“Gethsemane,” 680.
Several years before Elder Orson F. Whitney was ordained an Apostle, he received a vision of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. Read the following quotation, which is Elder Whitney’s description of his vision:
“I seemed to be in the Garden of Gethsemane, a witness of the Savior’s agony. I saw Him as plainly as ever I have seen anyone. Standing behind a tree in the foreground, I beheld Jesus, with Peter, James and John, as they came through a little … gate at my right. Leaving the three Apostles there, after telling them to kneel and pray, the Son of God passed over to the other side, where He also knelt and prayed. It was the same prayer with which all Bible readers are familiar: ‘Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’
“As He prayed the tears streamed down his face, which was toward me. I was so moved at the sight that I also wept, out of pure sympathy. My whole heart went out to him; I loved him with all my soul, and longed to be with him as I longed for nothing else.
“Presently He arose and walked to where those Apostles were kneeling—fast asleep! He shook them gently, awoke them, and in a tone of tender reproach, untinctured by the least show of anger or impatience, asked them plaintively if they could not watch with him one hour. There He was, with the awful weight of the world’s sin upon his shoulders, with the pangs of every man, woman and child shooting through his sensitive soul—and they could not watch with him one poor hour!
“Returning to his place, He offered up the same prayer as before; then went back and again found them sleeping. Again he awoke them, readmonished them, and once more returned and prayed. Three times this occurred” (Through Memory’s Halls [1930], 82).
Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46
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Why was Jesus willing to submit to the great suffering he knew he would experience in the Garden of Gethsemane? (See Matthew 26:39, 42, 44.) What can you learn from the Savior’s prayer in Gethsemane? How have you been blessed as you have submitted to Heavenly Father’s will?
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What did the Savior experience in Gethsemane? (See D&C 19:16–19;Luke 22:44; Mosiah 3:7; Alma 7:11–13.)
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Why do we need the Atonement of Jesus Christ? (See 1 Nephi 10:21; 2 Nephi 2:5–9; Alma 34:9; Moses 6:48.) What blessings are available to us because of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice? (See Mosiah 16:7–8; Alma 7:11–13; D&C 19:23.) How can we receive these blessings? (See Alma 7:14; Articles of Faith 1:3.)
Suggestion for Family Discussion
Display the picture Jesus Praying in Gethsemane (Gospel Art Picture Kit 227). Read the account of Jesus in Gethsemane, as found in Matthew 26:36–46, Luke 22:39–46, or Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19. Invite each family member to share his or her feelings about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
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